Chapter 1

As the day was ending, lights lit up from the buildings in the distant one by one. The bright lights were like stars to Camila, greeting her with a lovely evening. Behind the tall buildings was the sun resting magnificently while a flock of birds flew in the clear sky. She could see everything from the room where she was on the fifth floor of the mansion. She was standing by the window peeking through the side of the grey thick curtain. It was indeed a beautiful view, but she didn’t feel happy about it. No matter how hard she tried to admire the scenery that she could only see at such times, she till couldn’t smile. She felt exhausted, asking herself when would she be free like the birds.

The mansion became a prison to her ever since she was born. The master of the house didn’t allow her to go out, even just for a second. When she was just a small girl, she attempted to escape but ended up unconscious the moment she jumped down from the top of the wall. It only happened once, and she never did it again, because of fear not only for her life but also for her mother. She could only look through the window, just like that time.

She had this urge for something else every time she stood there. She wanted to remove the curtain to find out what would happen to the man sleeping in that room. The sunlight would still be strong. When she heard the man moaned from a bad dream, she turned around to the enormous bed, removing her hand from the grey curtain.

It wasn’t the first time she witnessed Lucas having a bad dream, so it wasn’t odd for her. What was happening to him didn’t just add up to his personality because he was a nightmare itself. Everybody who worked in the mansion knew him for being cruel, which was true. There wasn’t a day he would not hit someone, even though they were not doing anything wrong. He was just full of hatred to ordinary humans like her. If somebody else could see him in that moment, they would say the man wasn’t that perfect and had flaws.

She stepped closer to the bed and stood on the left with her eyes, watching the man’s face. She was only doing that, but her heart was beating crazily. He still slept like a normal human being.

Lucas would look for her right away when he opened up his eyes. If he didn’t find her, she didn’t know what he would do to her, even though he didn’t hit her when something pissed him off. She feared that room, but it also became her haven. When she was there, she felt like the other maids, butlers, and her father’s family could not judge her freely.

Camila was the only person who could see Lucas suffering from a nightmare. The man didn’t allow anyone to enter his room aside from her. Lucas was her master, and he owned the mansion. Ever since she was a small kid, she’s been serving him because other maids couldn’t last for a day. Her father’s family were Lucas’ servants for so many years, so it was inevitable and was her written destiny. Sometimes, she thought to herself, she shouldn’t have been born. She could not do what she likes because of that man.

There was one thing she couldn’t ignore. His face fascinated her, not because he was good looking. His face never changed even the slightest. Even though it was only natural for Lucas, she could not help to feel that way.

As she continued looking at Lucas, he opened his eyes out of the sudden while gasping for air that gave her fright. She took a step back, involuntarily holding her chest.

She could clearly see his entire face under the light of the lampshade coming from the bedside table. He turned his head at her after recovering from the nightmare. When their eyes met, her heart pounded crazily more than before for reason unknown to her. It was the very first time it happened. Maybe it was because the man looked stunning in the evening, even if he was doing nothing. The brows above his eyes were thick like bushes and his nose was sharp. His lips were plump. The only problem was, he was pale.

“Do you perhaps have a problem, Camila? What’s wrong with you? You’re just standing there without blinking an eye,” Lucas said to her. His voice was deep and ethereal.

He’s clearly speaking in a peaceful tone, but it felt pressurizing. It’s not bloodlust this time, it’s simply the power of a powerful person who made others freeze up when they’re in his presence.

“I am sorry. What?” She said as she stood up straight, fixing the sleeve of her black maid uniform. Because of what she said, the man was now also staring at her. She looked at the floor with her hand on her front to escape his eyes.

He massaged his temple as he sat. “I told you to look at me when I am talking to you. Are you disobeying me now?” Lucas reminded her of the very first order she had received as a small girl.

“No,” she answered quickly. “I am sorry, my lord.”

Lucas took a deep breath to calm his nerve. He then looked at her from head to toe, studying her posture. The hair on the back of her head stood up because of what he did.

“You really are a full grown woman now,” he said at the end. “How old are you again?”

“I am twenty,” Camila answered.

The man removed the blanket as he went down from the bed, revealing his naked body. He had a hairless chest that looked chiselled and refined with well-sculpted muscles.

He stood right in front of Camila while grabbing her chin. Her height aligned to his wide shoulders. His thumb and one finger sank to the lower part of her cheeks. She felt the coldness of his touch that sent shivers up her skin. He stared at her face for a couple of second as he found something familiar.

 “Now that you’re in that age, you look like her,” he told her before letting her go.

Lucas walked around the bed, leaving her wondering what she just heard from him.

“May I ask who are you talking about, my lord? This is the first time you said that to me.” She followed him behind carefully in order not to make a sound while she walked.

 “Just someone I knew in my past.” He stepped closer to the bathroom. “A friend,” he added as he turned around.

“Where is she now?” she asked as their eyes met once again.

“She’s dead. I killed her.”

She knew what Lucas said was a warning for her to be careful if she didn’t want to end up like the woman he mentioned to her. He had read from her face what she was thinking earlier by the window.

 “I wasn’t thinking anything bad while you’re asleep, my lord.”

He stopped and opened the bathroom door, which was made of clear glass. Even from outside, she could still see what’s inside.

“You knew how to lie now. I knew what’s on your mind every time you peek through the curtain,” he said as he went inside the bathroom. “Is everything ready?”

“Yes. The party already started. Everyone was waiting for you,” she said so fast that Lucas understood without a hump.

Lucas stopped talking as he let go of the glass door, which closed on its own. While he took a shower, she went in to the wardrobe just a few feet away from the bathroom. The room was pretty big for one person. His shoes were on the left corner, and his hung clothes filled the other sides of the wardrobe. In the very middle of the room, she had put the long table where she kept the man’s necktie sealed in a glass. She picked the new red suit that he liked to wear when there was a party in the mansion. She then waited for him in the corner while holding the suit in her right hand.

The man didn’t take long enough to finish showering. His body was still wet when he walked into the wardrobe. He took a fresh white towel from the drawer to his right and dried his self. He also took a black boxer brief from the next drawer.

He walked closer to her afterward while checking the vein on his wrist. They were protruding since it was a couple of months the last time he had filled his hunger.

 “Did you invite all written on the list?” Lucas asked Camila when he gave her the wet towel.

 “I did, my lord.” She held the towel in her free hand and threw it out in the litter box while he wore his boxer brief. “Do you really have to invite them?” she said.

She gave him pants for him to wear.

“Do you really have to ask me that? You already knew the answer.” He pulled the pants up.

“I am just making sure I am thinking wrong.” She passed him the white polo next, and she stepped toward the table to choose the necktie. She took out the black one before turning back his attention to the man who was already buttoning up the polo shirt.

“It’s better to see them in person, so I could choose pretty well.” He turned around, and she raised the outer layer of the suit. He slipped his hands to the sleeves and faced her one last time.

Camila approached Lucas until there were only a few inches between them. She carefully tied the black necktie to him, not touch his neck. He would be mad if that happens. She was used to it, but she still had to. On her first day working under him, she had stood on a chair to do that with her hand shaking. She often made a mistake, so the man always gave her a death glare.

“I have a request, my lord.” She buttoned the red suit to finish dressing him up.

“What is it?” he said as he sat on the soft chair.

She grabbed a pair of black shoes and wore it to his feet. “Can I not go to the other room after the party?” she said and stopped breathing. She was afraid his response would be a kick.

Fortunately, what she thought never came.

The man sighed and spoke. “What are you even thinking, Camila? Who would clean the mess if you’re not going to?”

“I am sorry, my lord. I shouldn’t have said that.” She stood up, bowing her head. If only it was easy to say she was tired of seeing a dead body, she would have said it to his face. But if she did that, he would torture her more by making her watch while he was taking someone’s life.

“You can talk freely. I like it. It’s much better than you acting like a statue.” He stood up and left her chin up. “But you also have to learn how to smile. I never seen you smiling even once.”

“There is no reason for me to smile,” she told him what she truly feels.

“I will give you a reason, then. Just wait after the party. I will tell you something that will make you smile.” He said as he left the wardrobe.

“What is it, my lord? Are you going to free me?”

Lucas looked back at her as he stepped out of the door. “It’s something like that,” he said and smirked. “So, learn to smile, Camila. Or should I force you to smile?”

“I will try, my lord, after I hear your good news,” she said as she chased him through the door.

The man walked up straight while Camila tailed behind him quietly. Their footsteps echoed in the silence of the entire room.