Do you know me?

Marie woke up feeling all giddy from the previous night. It is so ironic that she was kidnapped into a life much better than the life she is coming from. But, she was having an eerie feeling that things would soon take a turn, but until then, she decided to just live in the moment and have fun.

Her mind went back to yesterday, and a large grin broke out on her face. She remembered how Drey’s hands felt against her waist as they danced into the night, and how all eyes were on them throughout, including Percy’s. Right, Percy!! Drey’s ex. The woman gave her an edgy vibe yesterday night, and she could really see why she could fit in as Drey’s ex.

However, she had never heard any rumors whatsoever regarding Drey having an ex, a popular one at that. And from what she saw, it seemed like she was either involved in the Mafia or belonged to a very powerful organization in the country. Curiousity was eating her up, and she wanted answers.

She looked over at the laptop across the room which was provided for her, but with limited access to some software. After debating for one or two seconds, she stood up from the bed and decided to go over and take a look. She went to the internet to search for “Drey Chandler ex”. However, there was no tangible information whatsoever involving Percy. Drey’s family is popular in the country for owning chains of warehouses, but everyone knows what was going on underneath, but no one dared to ask questions,

After searching for a full thirty minutes of imputing different search terms, she didn’t find any satisfactory result. It’s almost as if all the information was deleted on purpose. Now that she remembered, Drey’s hands stiffened when their breakup was mentioned, yet she was invited to the ball. What exactly could have happened between those two that had to be deleted from the surface of the Earth.

Sighing, she plopped back on her bed, and looked at the wall clock which was about some minutes past seven. She stared at the ceiling for a while, thinking what life outside was currently like; what latest news she was missing; how worried her coding group would be; and the happiness that her parents were living in.

Hot tears stung the back of her eyes, as she remembered that her parents willingly gave her up to the empire without caring if she was going to be killed or used for trafficking. She blinked rapidly, and swore never to think about it anymore. She was angry and furious, and was desperate to blow off steam. She grabbed a bottle of water, and headed for the door hoping to get fresh air in the garden downstairs.

As soon as she opened the door, she met Bob standing on the other side of the door with his hands raised, like he was about to knock on her door.

“What is it this time?” She thought to herself in frustration, visibly rolling her eyes.

“The boss would like you to change into this pair of gyming wear, and meet him at the gym downstairs in four minutes” Bob said, handing her a gift bag containing a black gym set.

“What do you mean gym? What am I training for? Marie asked, more confused than ever.

“Those are the boss’ order, so get dressed and meet him downstairs.” Bob responded, and shut the door in her face.

The last time she ever engaged in physical exercise was in middle school, when she joined the Taekwondo team because she was still in her exploring phase. Funny enough, she was one of the best students in the team, but she just knew she couldn’t carry on for longer, so she had to quit after a year. But now? To the gym? With a Mafia boss? For what?

Frustrated, she put on the clothes and marched downstairs to meet the man who has put her in this mess. On getting to the entrance using the house map, she finds him alone in the gym shirtless, with sweat streaming down his body. He was putting on shorts, and aggressively boxing the dummy in front of him. Marie swallowed a hard lump, as she watched his back muscles flex as he was throwing punches. She shook her head to clear off her stupid thoughts, and cleared her throat slightly to get his attention.

He instantly turned to her, and she felt his eyes survey her body from head to toe with a blank expression on his face. As usual, she couldn’t tell what he was feeling.

“You sent for me” she told him in a low voice.

“Right. You are here to commence your fitness training with me.”

“Can I understand what I’m staying fit or training for? Marie asked, not finding it amusing.

“Need I remind you that you are my property, and I can do with you as I please. Attending one bad with me doesn’t give you the right to ask me questions. I own you.” He told her in a stern and firm voice.

Marie felt a stinging burn in her throat after he made his statement, but she was determined not to let it get to her. After all, what was she expecting from a Mafia lord who kills people for a living?

Without saying a word, she just stood there and looked blankly at him. He knew he must have hurt her, but he also didn’t also have to apologize to her. They began the boxing lessons with him doing all of the talking while she just followed his lead. It was pretty easier cos she had a bit of experience, and Drey was silently pleased. Frustrated with her unusual silence, he decided to break the ice.

“You know…if you wanted to know about me, you could just ask me?” Drey told her with a little smirk on his face.

“Sorry, I do not understand you” Marie told him, genuinely confused.

“Search results from your room show that you searched up my name over 13 times just this morning alone. Or did you think the internet would be given to you without some monitoring?” Drey scoffed

Marie immediately turned red from embarrassment, and was hoping the ground would open to swallow her at that point in time. She tried to give a response, but it was stuck in her throat

“I…I…well…it was a harmless check.” Marie finally could say.

“Right,” He replied in a mocking tone.

Suddenly, Drey moved some steps towards her leaving barely an inch between the both of them, and Marie’s heart began to palpitate.

“Do you really not know me? Not as the big boss, but something else” Drey asked, staring directly into her eyes.

This is the second time in a row that Drey has left her confused with his choice of questions.

“Am I supposed to know you?” Marie asked, staring right back at him.

“Really?” His eyes dropped a bit, as if he were affected by her statement.

“Have we met before, or is there something I can’t remember? Can you help me?” Marie tried to help the situation.

Drey took a couple of steps backwards, and gave her a not-so-pleasing look. He untied his gloves and threw them to the ground.

“Piss off” he told her, as he walked out of the gym aggressively