Andrea stood frozen in shock for a minute trying to understand what on earth was going on and why the guy that had rudely left her apartment in the morning had come knocking on her door so late, and worse he wasn’t wearing shoes.
“What on earth are you doing out here?” Andrea furrowed totally speechless. For a second she was confused about what to do, the same man had shoved some money to her face for helping him. Andrea felt her head ached trying to figure out what to do with the man.
“Um, can…can you let me stay here again?” He requested timidly, his hair and clothes dripping, he looked like a lost puppy soaked in the rain, Andrea thought. He really looks a lot better and younger with his hair down, Andrea thought recalling how his hair had been neatly gelled to the back when they first met.
“No” She finally answered after seeing the anticipating look on his face.
“Why?” Why does he sound so gentle and timid? Andrea wondered, it was like he become a completely different person again.
“Are you asking because you don’t know, you accused me of kidnapping you when you woke up, brought your bodyguards into my home, and slam my table with some money, that was quite rude and insulting so no…I’m not helping you” Andrea said that but seeing him tremble in front of her due to cold probed her conscience and her heart ached with guilt.
“I’m sorry, I know this might sound strange but can you at least let me in first, I promise to explain everything” Andrea had become really confused at this point, how could he sound so different from when he woke up and accused him of abducting him? Either way, he was rude to her and he wouldn’t let such a thing happen again but can she really leave him out in front of the door like that? She knew she couldn’t, his shivers had become evident and he seem he would collapse any minute from the cold. ‘He just has to make me into the villain’ Andrea thought biting down on her lips as she contemplated whether or not to let him into her home again.
“Come in” She beckoned, walking into her home ahead of him. The moment Andrea walked in, he moved to the visitors' room and grab a towel for Rio to dry himself.
“Why are you here?” Rio flinched at the cold tone of her voice, he had no idea why she was suddenly cold but she could guess it had something to do with Oliver. While Rio was still trying to think of a way to approach the topic of him having a disorder, Andrea was contemplating whether she should call the police since she didn’t enjoy Rio’s presence like the first time, this time he wasn’t a visitor but an intruder, though she felt it’s a bit unfair to call him that, after all, he had let him in.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know exactly what I did when I woke up but I’m sorry” Andrea furrowed. He didn’t know what he did when he woke up. The man is weird, she decided eyes searching for her phone so that way she could call the police but her done busted open immediately with bodyguards swarming in. Rio suddenly stood defensively in front of her.
“What are you all doing here?” He gritted harshly. His tone was cold and aloof, he sounded so threatening and his vicious glare made him look even more dangerous.
“I’m sorry sir but your father asked us to bring you home” One of the many bodyguards nervously crowding Andrea’s doorway replied in an anxious tone. Why do they all look so scared of him? Their number looked even more menacing than Rio who only blocked her from them.
“Okay fine, I’ll go with you but you’ll have to leave her out of this” Andrea blinked in surprise, is he trying to protect her right now? She wondered staring at his hand stretched out in front of her to stop her from approaching forward, though Andrea was already questioning her life choices to bring the stranger into her house in the first place, seeing him stand his ground to protect her made her ‘speechless’.
“I’m afraid we can’t do that” Now, Rio was frowning and a low growl escaped his mouth before he launched himself at the bodyguards, kicking them and hitting them while protecting her at the same time.
“What the fuck!?” Andrea was shocked beyond words. “You can’t just come in here abducting people, who do you people think you are!?” She yelled out all of a sudden pausing the ongoing fight, that moment of distraction cost Rio greatly since a needle suddenly sinks into his neck, and before he turned to defend himself, his limbs grow weak and ended up falling to the ground with a thud. Andrea’s heart squeezed in her chest. “What…what did you do to him?” She quivered as she ceased her scream of alarm while staring at Rio’s limp body.
“Don’t worry ma’am, it’s only sedative, he’ll wake up in no time, I apologise if this looks rude but you’ll have to come with us as well” Andrea was shaking, who are these people? Why are they here? What did they want with her and Rio? Her hand trembled as she slowly moved back feeling intimidated by their presence but before she could take a run for it, she was grabbed by one of the men, and then she felt a tingling sensation in her neck as a sharp needle sank in. She struggled against the man for a while but she soon lost the strength in her limbs.
Andrea woke up in her feeling a strange ache in her neck, there was also a tingling sensation that reminded her of being pricked by a needle while sewing, she raised from the Sofa she seems to have been laid in and stood upright.
“Where am I?” She thought out loud taking in her new environment that of course differs from her home. She winced as her head throbbed painfully while she tried to recall what happened, eventually the memories replayed in her head like a video roll and her eyes widened in alarm.
She suddenly heard footsteps heading towards the room she was in, it doesn’t exactly seem like a room, more like an office or a study. The shelves that spread from end to end of the right wall, and the chair and desk at the end facing the door were enough to deduct the place was no ordinary office. Apart from that, the furniture and decoration of the room looked quite luxurious to belong to just anyone.
“Where on earth am I?” Andrea muttered looking around suspiciously but then the fear returned as he recalled being sedated together with Rio but she seems to be the only person in the room, where is Rio? She wondered they didn’t do anything to him right? Her heartbeat accelerated at the thought of the man dying. She recalled him telling her she was running away from his sister’s bodyguards who were trying to abduct him but the one who sedated him seemed to be from his father. “He must really come from one messed up family” Andrea concluded, she could hear the loud thumping sound of her heart the moment she heard walk steps progressing to the door of the study she was in.
Her limbs felt a bit numb so she couldn’t move so, she patiently waited for what awaited her behind the door that was soon to be opened. Her heart racing loudly in her chest, and when the door finally creaked open, she didn’t expect the heavy sigh of relief that escaped her mouth, though shock was the aftermath, because she was soon standing face to face with someone she only saw on TV, the president of Boris entertainment.
“Oh, she’s finally awake” The over 60year old man smiled warmly at her before taking slow prudent steps in her direction. Andrea’s eyes followed the old man that seem too agile for his age as he slumped himself in the opposite sofa in front of her.
“You must be Andrea Morgan, I’m Owen Harrison-
“I know who you are” Andrea finds herself cutting in curtly.
“Oh, you seem rather feisty. Well, it’ll be weird if you didn’t know me after all you are a social butterfly or something” What’s up with this old man, is being a social butterfly something to be proud of or something? Andrea wondered wearing a furrow.
“I see my son’s counterpart has taken a liking to you-
“What!?” Andrea blurted out in confusion.
“Rio seems to like you” Oh, Rio must be his son, Andrea deduced.
“We’ve only met twice-
“And he kept wanting to go back to you, again and again, it’s strange really, I heard he even protected you when I asked them to bring you back with him, actually he’s not the one to do that…and despite being sedated, he woke up as himself again demanding you from me, he even threatened me because of you, isn’t that just fascinating” Yeah that’s it, Rio came from a really messed up family, that explains the whole abduction thingy, Andrea thought as she narrowed her eyes at the man who seems to be enjoying her random change in expression. “You see…my son has a mental condition which made him-” The president paused after the door was forced open and an enraged Rio came in with bleeding knuckles while the bodyguards tried their best to stop him.
“Let her go, she had nothing to do with this…please” Rio fell to his knees, trembling after seeing Andrea’s horrified expression. “I’ll do what you want from now on, I’ll be obedient and I’ll stay in the cage if you want me to so please…don’t drag her into this. She’s just a clueless person” Andrea’s eyes widened in shock and horror. Cage?
“You put him in a cage?” Andrea snapped her head angrily in the president’s direction while he wore a triumphant smile.
“Before but now I see, he’s more human than I thought. Contrary to what you think Rio…I merely want to offer her a deal” Owen grinned delighted at Rio’s sudden change, for the first time, he saw the tenacious cold look on Rio’s face twist in anxiousness, and for a girl…this is quite interesting, he thought.
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Andrea had never felt so mortified of someone in her life, she felt like her entire life flashed through her eyes after the president suddenly proposed her a deal and even asked for Rio to take a seat next to her. “As you already noticed, my son is suffering from a mental illness called double personality disorder” Andrea's throat runs dry, double personality disorder? There are actually people who had that disorder, she’d only ever heard of it in movies and read about it in books, seeing a victim of the mental disorder in real life was an eye opener for, yeah…she definitely thought his behaviour was rather strange, one moment he was nice and calm, but another second, he was rude and indifferent, had her wondering how someone could be so different on two different occasions. “This piece of information is something I expect you to guard with your life, a lot of people want to see him fall after all” Andrea flinched. Yeah, Boris enterprises is such a big company, they aren’t actors or a
Danny fidgeted nervously as he approached the president’s office, because of Andrea’s stubborn decision he’s been put in a rather difficult position. He wished she’d just listen to him, he wouldn’t have to result to tricks like moving the wedding up but it still all depended on the president’s decision, if he manage to play it safe, everything could all be solved, Andrea won’t stay still of course, but he could always coax her into giving in eventually, or so he thought before walking into the president’s rectangular office.It wasn’t different from any other office on the top of the company building, except that it screams luxury, from the expensive ceramic vase adorning the entrance to the extravagant leather sofa for guests which was some distance away from the president’s desk.Though he’s been in the president’s office a few times, he couldn’t help but be impressed by how it was lavishly decorated and yet kept simple and warm.“You called me sir?” Danny announced her presence to
“Are you sure you’re gonna be okay?” Daisy Cabello, Andrea’s long-time friend questioned over the phone with a concerned tone after Andrea narrated her ordeal to her.“I think so, I already took the day off, so…I’ll be using this time to rest” Andrea replied in a tired voice while she trailed down to the parking lot where she had her ash CUV parked. As much as she would like to focus on preparing for their upcoming show at that moment, she just wasn’t in a proper mental state to go through with it.“Yeah, you should take a rest today. You’ve gone through a lot, I can’t imagine going through that really, I’ll probably be in jail right now because I’d have killed that son of a bitch, I must have been blind to think he was someone decent” Daisy gritted harshly over the phone, it was evident she was upset. Andrea chuckled and pressed down on her car button as she approached her car in her business casual attire and her mini bag, her peep-toe heels clicking as she approached her car.“Yeah
Rio was already used to the emptiness that comes with being Oliver’s alter ego. Locked deep down in his consciousness until his fear brings him to the surface. Forever wrapped in the airy loneliness and forever roaming in the loathsome darkness but he never hated it, he only wanted to protect Oliver after all, well until now.For the first time, he found himself battling the darkness and hating the loneliness, he wanted to see the bright light again and the gentle and warm amber eyes of Andrea that somehow gave him a purpose different from that he was born.Although it wasn’t that easy, he could never win against Oliver no matter how much he tries, it was his first fight for control after all. His struggle gave him a chance to Oliver’s consciousness even though their thoughts and actions were normally hidden from each other. Oliver was seated in a black swivel chair, fitted close to his office desk, he rested his head on his hands while staring down at the single paper he just sighed.
“What…what are you doing here?” Andrea asked Rio wearing a blank expression as he stared at Rio with lifeless, stone-cold eyes.“Andrea” Rio moved closer, maintaining the concerned look he had on his face. Andrea hated that he had to see her that way, soaked and miserable but none of that mattered since, she doesn’t give a flying fuck at this time, not with everything on her plate right that moment. “Are you alright-“Leave” Rio flinched to her cold tone. Andrea didn’t mean to be rude, she just wasn’t in the mood to entertain him, she’s got so much going on, she had no intention of playing house with him. “I’m sorry…I just-” Her voice turned brittle, ready to break at the slightest push. “I just-” Her words wouldn’t come, thinking about everything again just brought tears to her eyes. How could she put her suffering in words? She wondered. While many people might think it’s no big deal, they could deal with the damage, her heart wouldn’t stop hurting, would it have been less differen
“I can’t believe she yelled at me…not only did she yell at me, she literally throw me outta her house, did she think I wanted to be there too, it it wasn’t because of Rio, I’d be in my goddamn room Sleeping!” Oliver ranted on and on then Ben sighed and adjusted his hands on the wheels.Oliver had managed to reach his assistant who because of Rio found out about his condition 2 years ago but had kept it a secret for him, so, he decided to trust him on it, but Ben felt like he was starting to regret it now because he’s always sent to clean up after Rio or Oliver cause trouble.“I mean…what did Rio even see in that crude girl by the way?” Ben let out an exasperated sigh but felt relieved they were slowly approaching his family home. He couldn’t believe Oliver ranted through the entire ride back to his house, complaining about ‘this Andrea girl’. Just why is he doing this to me? Ben thought wearing a look on his face after they pulled over and Oliver still kept going on about how that gi
As Andrea predicted, the reporters caught a whiff of the situation and before she knew it, it spread throughout the company like wildfire, but more than anything, Andrea hated the pitiful looks and sympathetic glances her co-workers wouldn’t stop giving her as she treads the company hallway in her feminine brown suit and clutch purse of a darker shade of brown to her clothes but matches either way. She had promised to wear a confident smile and calm demeanour as she walked in but it was hard to keep her composure as their eyes continue to escort her down to the president’s office.To Andrea’s dismay, her father’s secretary was in her grandfather’s seat and it had her already cold expression turning dark.“What are you doing?” Andrea demanded and Jenny shoot to her feet.“Sorry, I was helping the president clear his table” Suspicious, Andrea narrowed her eyes at her while Jenny moved away from the desk.“What brings you here Andrea?” Since she was way older than her and had always been
The bitter scents of antiseptics, the strong smell of disinfectant and the faint fragrance of soap tickled Rio’s nose as he found himself opening his eyes to the pure white ceiling and somewhat familiar environment.Rio blinked a couple of times, as his view got clearer to see Ray sitting on the chair opposite him in his usual overlay of lab coat, simple white collared shirt and carefully matched tie. His black leather oxford shoes glistened to the peeping rays of the sun as he sat cross-legged while flipping through the pages of what looked like a patient file he’s seen him hold plenty of times. His hair slicked back in a usual way and his glasses hung low on his nose lower than usual.“Ray” Rio called aloud and Ray instantly looked up in his direction.“Hi, Rio…how have you been?” Ray smiled, not hiding his usual excited self and enthusiastic attitude.“It hasn’t been long since we met, why are we meeting again, you clearly said we won’t be meeting for the next session-“Why are you