Chapter 38

12th March 2008

Walking out of the classroom, he quickly noticed all the eyes on him, staring oddly. He never liked people staring at him. He was at the school for over a year before he was homeschooled. No one ever really bothered him much but he despised the gossip that whirled throughout the campus.

He opened his locker and put his stuff in there. The hall was crowded, as usual, it was the last period so everyone was waiting for their respective classes. He was not a loner, he just never liked anyone. He liked being alone despite not being in any group of teenagers who consider themselves "best friends". He scoffed at the thought of it. He smelled how fake they were which only further increased his disliking of the people around him. A hand slammed onto his locker and shut it with a loud thud. He looked to his side and saw a person standing beside him, towering over him, even though he was as tall as the jock. He looked like someone who plays basketball or some sport.

"Oh hey! Isn't this the loner jerk?" said the jock.

The "loner", as he was called, stayed quiet. He put his backpack on his shoulders and turned around to walk away. But he was immediately grabbed and pulled back by the jock.

"You don't walk away from me like that, understand??" he gritted out.

"Hey Jonas, let him go. If the coach sees us we will be in trouble", warned Jonas's friend.

"Hold up", Jonas replied and returned his gaze to his victim.

"Don't you disrespect me by staying silent you little bastard!" he yelled in his face.

The teenager didn't respond. He was not struggling, he did not flinch, he did not scream for help, and he did not fight back. He stayed quiet standing on his feet, being held by his bully, Jonas.

Unable to hold in his anger, Jonas punched him in the face. His head fell back but his body was held down in place by Jonas. He inhaled deeply, opened his eyes, and stared right into Jonas's eyes. His gaze was so acute that the guys behind the jock were already backing away from them. His eyes were bloodshot. But this was not enough for Jonas. He proceeded to punch him and kick him in the stomach. Everybody gasped when they heard a cracking sound coming from the victim. The jock did not stop, he kept punching and kicking him everywhere until he would let out any sound from him, but he got nothing. His beatings did not stop until the principal arrived.

"What on earth is going on here!" He roared across the hallway and ran towards the boys. Some other teachers also turned up and pulled Jonas off of him. The principal helped the teenager get up. His olive green t-shirt was turned red with blood. There were bloodstains on the floor as well.

"Get Jonas in my office and call his parents. And someone takes this boy to the nurse's office!" He ordered the teachers. They were finally taken away. But before he went, his eyes met Jonas's as his lips twitched, showing his smirk.

***************

Emma carefully read every word written there. To say she was confused would be an understatement. She had no idea what she just read. She couldn't help but think that if that desk and diary belonged to him, then it must have been his piece of writing. She reached the ending of the page, so she turned the page and stumbled across another entry. Before she could even read the first word she heard someone calling her name.

"Emma! Where are you?" She heard Ela yelling her name. She quickly put the book down inside the drawer and rushed out of the library.

"Yes, Ela?" she replied.

"Where have you been? Ruby was looking for you. Go to the kitchen. The girls need you there."

Emma nodded and hurried herself to the kitchen. All the maids were busy working there and everyone was in a rush.

"Hey Alexa, why is everyone in such a hurry this evening?" She asked. Alexa glanced at her in between her work and replied, "Oh hey Emma! Master's family is visiting tonight, so we are preparing dinner for them. They should be here in less than an hour."

It had already been nearly three months since Emma had started working at Alexander's, and this was the first time his family was visiting him throughout her stay. She did not think much about it and got to her work. The list of the food that they needed to prepare before the family arrived was given to them and they were all busy completing their tasks. Emma was not a great cook when it came to anything close to that of an expensive gourmet dish that the wealthy people would order at a restaurant but she got a great deal of help from Martha before. Besides, with assistance from other maids at Alexander's, she did not have to worry.

Alexander was not there. He was on his way home. He was told by her mother about the visit that night. Even though he did not like the idea of his father being there, he could not refuse his mother. Also, he did not mind having his siblings in his house every once in a while. He exhaled and laid back his head on the car seat, closing his eyes leisurely.

I'm not going to hurt you.

Please I want to go.

His eyes opened suddenly as the memories rushed into his head.

It was Emma's. The last time he saw her was almost a month ago. He never faced her anymore after that incident and he didn't know why. He never cared about anyone fearing him, he loved the power and he longed for it. He wanted every single person to fear him. But, then why did it bother him if she was afraid of him? Wasn't that what he wanted? He wanted to break her. He wanted her to submit. But she was a fighter; her eyes said it all. She could have given in to him, like any other woman but she did not. She fought back every time he got close to her. She was not physically strong but it was her will to continue fighting that was on Alexander's mind.

He chuckled at the thought.

My feisty cat.

After fifteen minutes, he arrived home and went straight to his room. He did not look for Emma, he thought of giving her some more time before he made any other move. She must be ready for what was coming for her next. He was gentle before, but she should know he was not always going to be like that.

After settling down a bit, he called Ela and told her to not disturb him until his family arrived. He locked the door of his room and entered the shower. It had been a long and exhausting day for him. He laid back in the warm water in the bathtub and let his body release all the fatigue. He knew that he had to control himself in front of everyone tonight, to not let his urge take over him. He relaxed and mentally prepared himself for the events that would soon follow. He got out of the shower and started to get ready. He put on a nice white shirt and a pair of light brown chinos and a pair of leather loafers. He sat on his chair and rested his head, with a glass of wine in his hand.

Dinner was ready. Ela and the girls were waiting for the Kings to arrive. The house was cleaned just like Mr. King liked. All their favorite meals were served. They hoped the night would pass along smoothly.

After a few moments the bell rang, and Yuna, the maid, ran to open the door and let them in. All the members of the King family were there, even Liam. Emma was standing behind everyone so she could not be seen by them. She peeked from behind standing on her toes and saw them going to the living room. She sighed and stood back there. Ela turned to them and said.

"Okay girls, dinner will be served exactly at 8 P.M. For now, Ruby, you will bring them the drinks, and Isabella, you will prepare some green tea for Mr. King. And be quick the both of you." They both nodded their heads and got to work.

Soon, Isabella and Ruby went outside with their drink and tea and placed them in front of them on the table. Meanwhile, Ela went to Alexander's room to call him.

"Master, your family is here."

He opened his eyes and placed the glass on his nightstand and got up from his chair. He opened the door and walked down the stairs. He walked straight to where he thought they would be.

"Hey, brother!" Chirped Sofia. She ran to him and hugged him.

"Sofia", He replied with no emotion on his face or tone. She pulled back and smiled at him.

"How have you been? We missed you so much!" The other siblings and Mrs. King agreed. Since Alexander left, he barely came to visit them and the last time he was there, he and his father argued.

"Hey, Alexander", Liam with a grin on his face. Lucas and their father were always lost in their worlds.

Alexander sat beside his mother and called for Ela.

"Yes, Master?"

"Is dinner ready yet?" he inquired.

"Yes, Master. The girls are ready to serve them whenever you would like."

His heart skipped a beat at her words. Emma will be there too. It had been a long time since he last saw her close. It made him even more excited.

"We will be at the dinner table in ten minutes." Ela nodded and walked away.

Avoiding her was challenging for him, especially the times when she would be working alone somewhere in the house. He did take a glance at her but did not stay any longer than a minute. He had to use all his energy into stopping himself from attempting anything.

After the ten minutes had passed, the family walked into the dining room and sat down in their chairs. Mrs. King and Sofia were talking about something, Liam joining them in between. Mr. King and Lucas were on about a business topic again and lastly, Alexander was sitting in his chair busy with his phone. He had no interest in talking to any of his clients about work or his father who had persistently tried to start a conversation with him. He ignored him with short replies. He was just waiting for her to arrive...

And she did, with a food tray in her hands. She looked down, carefully walking towards where they were.

There she is!

His devil whispered. His eyes wandered around all over her small, fragile body to her beautiful eyes. Eyes that could bring any man down to his knees, but those eyes of hers were not allowed to be seen by any other man besides him. Once he would make her his own, he had plans to not let any man look at her or even talk to her. He contemplated her, his eyes couldn't find anything to look at except her. He looked at her as she put the dishes down on the table and served everyone with a warm smile on her face, the strands of her hair coming on her face and her hand tucking them back behind her ear. Her dark brown locks were tied up in a bun making her neck and collarbone visible. His fist clenched as lust started to take over him. He wished to press her body against the wall and kiss her lips and neck, giving her a mark to let everyone know that she was his.

"Alexander? What happened?" He heard someone ask him. His eyes averted from Emma to his right where his mother and sister were sitting. "What?" he questioned.

"Your hand... your hand was curled up in a fist and your eyes were bloodshot red. Are you okay?" Sofia whispered to him. Alexander looked at her before taking a few deep breaths and calming himself down.

"Yes Sofia, I'm fine." Sofia was suspicious but she knew better than not to question him anymore.

Emma was done serving the food so she thought of going back to the kitchen and helping the girls there. But, Ela commanded her to stay, just in case the Kings need something. Emma was confused because Alexa and Yuna were already there. She didn't know why Ela needed her to stay, but she was in no place to question her orders.

He thought that she would not know that his eyes were on her all this time, but she did. She could sense it. His terrifying stare was not easy to miss. She plastered a smile on her face and acted like she did not notice. The truth was that she did and she hated every moment of it. Despite this, she did not want to give him the satisfaction that he wanted. She was happy that he ignored her for weeks.

After dinner was done and everyone went back to the living room, the maids were cleaning the table and washing the dishes. Emma gazed at the clock. It was 9 P.M. All her tasks would be over within 30 minutes and then they finally would get to rest. Emma could not be happier; she did want to rest after all. But... her mind went back to the mystery book in the library. She remembered that she could not read it completely and was cut off from it by Ela. An idea popped into her head.

When Alexander's family members go back to their home and everyone goes else to their rooms, she could sneak into the library and read it. But she ought to make sure nobody sees her. She went back to her work.

On the other hand, all the Kings were continuing their conversations. They were talking about business deals, families, etc. Albeit, Alexander was never the most talkative member of the family and did not have a good relationship with his father, they stuck together always, like a real family.

"So, brother when will you go for your business trip to Europe?" asked Lucas, finally looking up from his phone.

"Soon", Alexander replied.

"Ah, Europe! How much I miss that place!" Breathed out Liam as he recalled his time there. Alexander rolled his eyes at Liam's dramatic expression.

"We really should have a family tour to Europe! What do you say, dad?" Sofia said grinning at her father.

Mr. King put his alcohol glass on the table and said. "Well, if Alexander is free to go, I do not have any objection." All eyes were now on Alexander. It had been years since they had gone on a family vacation. Alexander stopped joining them in tours the moment he turned twenty. He did not feel the need to go on tours anymore. He was not the best example of a nerd but he was a bright student and focused all his attention on his studies and work.

"Let's see. It will only be a few days anyway." Everyone was delighted with his agreement.

It was half-past nine and everyone had already left. Ela and the other maids went to their rooms and Alexander went to his. Emma lay on the bed waiting for the clock to strike 12, as per her plot everyone would be asleep by then.

After a few moments, she got up and walked out of her room. She had her phone with her because it was dark outside she needed to use the flashlight to avoid stumbling on something. She walked to the library which took her around 7-8 minutes. When she reached there, the door was open and she went inside. She put her phone in the corner of the desk. After that, she pulled out the book and started to read from where she left...