Chapter 1

• Prologue
• (Kayla POV)
• As my consciousness return, my head was aching terribly. I couldn’t open my eyes properly. I was so exhausted and clueless at the same time as to which marathon I joined to be that tired. I couldn’t remember…
• I closed my eyes up again but sat up in the bed. What happened? My head seems want to explode.
• But when I dared to open my groggy eyes, it didn’t immediately occur to me how familiar that place was… The vase, the chandelier, the high windows, and most of all… the strange feeling that I’ve been there. Was it in my dream?
• I swallowed hard. Am I still dreaming?
• Kayla, focus.
• And I rushed of memories flowed unstoppable to my mind.
• Kayla, you’re abducted along with girls and children. Yes, there were lots of people that were kidnapped. But where was I? I could remember the medicine we were forced to take and how my brazenness made some of the women cry.
• I checked something on my arms… There… Even the welt mark from the injection was still on my arm.
• I got up and pulled something that realized that the back of my hand was attached to an IV bag. I removed the tube and headed barefoot towards the door. It wasn’t locked and when I opened it, the cool wind greeted me. It was a spacious terrace.
• The two women in maid outfits turned to me. They are cleaning the railings and making sure there is no tiny dust left.
• “Miss...” They suddenly didn’t know what to do. And I don’t know what to say to them. I just closed the door again. Wrong door perhaps?
• Weird. What kind of dream is this?
• I return inside, and then I saw a splitting staircase and ascended it. There was another door, but it was locked. I tried again but, it was closed…
• I try again but it was really locked. The two maids in the terrace can help me about this.
• “Miss Kayla, do you need anything?” I saw an old man when I turned around. The two maids from earlier were standing behind him.
• “Where am I?” I asked directly. His tone was amicable, so I asked back amicably. And besides, I still have no strength to act tough.
• “Kayzer Hawk Mansion. By the way, I am Butler Russio. You’ve been in bed for almost a week, and we honestly did not expect you to wake up so soon. The doctors are coming. Please have a sit Miss.”
• Kayzer Hawk Mansion? Something regal name? And the old man in front of me wasn’t Mister Theo, right? And that probably wasn’t Lewis's house.
• One week… One week, unconscious? Haha. Maybe I was dreaming again. I can’t trust my own imagination.
• Kayzer Hawk. Was that the guy again that slipped because of my ID? Kian Kayzer Hawk.
• They approached me.
• “Miss Kayla, please sit down first. I know these things are overwhelming, but I will tell you everything that happened.”
• I nodded at the bald old man. The butler Russio. Sound Russia for me… Hmmm?
• Right. I had no idea about what they’re trying to tell me. I should take the sit.
• But when I sat down, the door brought in a familiar man. He’s…
• “Sir Markus,” the butler greeted him. Behind him were three doctors in uniform.
• “I know you…” I spoke.
• He sat at the settee in front of me and the other female doctor immediately asked for my wrist. Why should I give my wrist to them? They might inject something on me again.
• “Nope. Tell me what I am doing here? I am done with Mr. Kian Kayzer Hawk with some troubles and issues I made. Sir Troy, resolve about these things for me?”
• “Let them Miss Kayla checked your vital. They wouldn’t dare to harm you.”
• “I know you…” I remarked again. He nodded. Without restraining, one of the physicians get my wrist. “Yes. We already met in person once upon a time. If you don't remember me well, I'm Markus Warren. The Executive secretary to Kian Kayzer Hawk’s CEO of the Philippines.”
• What? So, I had fallen to the hands of Kayzer Hawk? Is he also behind of this damn syndicate?! Boss Troy… I think I need your rescue again…
• “Can you remember what happened to you?” he asked. I didn’t directly answer the question but…
• “Can I…” Yes. I needed help and only Boss Troy could help me. And I have a lot to report to him. “Can I call someone to address my situation whom I trusted the most?”
• “You better to listen to me first Miss Kyla.”
• No. I need Boss Troy help. Or else I am going to find a way how to escape here.
• “Miss Kayla…” Markus said when he noticed I was spacing out again. Indeed, I always seemed to be absent-minded lately. Tss.
• “Is she fine?” he instead asked the doctors who were examining me.
• “I'm okay,” I answered and smiled to be convincing. “Is your boss, Mr. Kian Kayzer Hawk is part of syndicate that abduct me?”
• Suddenly the Executive Secretary smile… “No.”
• “So?”
• “Master Kian help you.”
• “Huh? Really?” If they helped me escape that syndicate, well I should be thankful. But if they’re behind my abduction, why was I there?
• “Do you know Boss Troy Thomas? He’s, my employer. In my case, he’s the only one I can trust. And since you’re working for Kayzer Hawk, I bet you know him.”
• Markus smiled. I smiled back again. Where did the fearless Kayla go? I still felt weary and if I was in the enemy’s lair, I needed to be kind. Get along with them. That’s the only I can do with my current situation.
• He motioned for the butler Russio who then handed him a black folder. Markus gave it me.
• I didn’t try to take it but when he said, “Don't be surprised, Miss Sena.”
• I got fairly curious. And as soon as I opened it, I saw a picture of myself on a stage dressed up in a skimpy maid outfit. What was I doing there?
• Markus suddenly put a tablet above the photograph and played a video. It showed me again on that stage. My eyes widened! Why did I do nothing about it and seemed to be submissively displaying myself for the audience? What the heck?!
• Were they fooling with me? I'm a Digital Media Artist… so maybe the footage was fake… but the editing looked great. Who will do such finest job?
• When the video finished, the butler Russio showed me a contract and a certificate.
• “What you have just seen was a video of you in an auction. And Master Kian bought you. Do you know how much it cost for him to close that deal against Master Troy?”
• Who is he referring ‘Master Troy?’ Are they related to each other?
• When I heard Boss Troy' name, I knew he was also there. To help, probably. But I couldn't believe he went to a place like that as a customer shopping for people like me. Why didn't they just call the Police?! That syndicate should be caught! It’s human trafficking!
• “Look at the certificate or I should I say the receipt for Master Kian’s patronage,” he said.
• There were lots of circles. Yeah, a few digits of zeroes… and coma… “It charged him a hundred of trillion…”
• I was speechless. Not a million… Neither a billion… but a friggin’ trillion!
• “Your knight in shining armour, Master Troy Thomas, didn’t want to waste that amount of treasure to procure a hard-headed employee like you… Right, Miss Kayla?”
• I wanted to cry… Nope! They are making the scheme for me to… To…
• “I'm sorry if I’m explaining this to you harshly. Master Kian just want to negotiate with you, especially he knows how hard-headed you are.”
• “He knew me?” Indeed, I am surprised. Anyway… billionaire like him, surely dig deeper about my information.
• “Yes. Believe or not, someone told him that you are his fiancé,” he answered. What?!
• Opss. Is this my witticism during my stay at Lewis house? Oh my… Did Lewis, do it? And when I went missing, did they go to Kian to ask for his help?
• Oh my… Lewis, what have you done?! How embarrassing?! He’s not really my fiancé and I didn't even know him personally!
• “That's why he saved you from the auction.”
• “C’mon, your Master Kian is not my fiancé.” I shyly said. Secretary Markus just smiled at me.
• “Don't worry, he’ll be back sooner, and you can explain that personally to him. He must be curious about you, so he helped.”
• “Wait… wait…” I shut my eyes and rubbed my temples. My headache was budding again.
• “Shall we continue, Miss Kayla?”
• I just nodded. I was lost at how I’d fix that mess.
• Kian already found out that I was pretending as his fiancé. Why did Lewis do that?! Kian would just be disappointed to see me. If I was as beautiful as Amanda, why not? And that trillion was unimaginable. To think that he’s given away that sum of money, Kian did not just want to help me. Maybe he expected I was pretty.
• Yucks. I am just a simple woman without even a big, rounded boobs. Oh my…
• ***
• I laid down in case I was dreaming again. I needed to wake up from that nightmare. But my anxiety felt too real. I was just in the province, happily going through the rides of that carnival… Right? What happened? Tss. That bastard!
• It's Lewis's fault…
• Yes, I was just dreaming! Boss Troy couldn’t possibly do what Secretary Markus has said.
• Sleep again, Kayla! Better to sleep again!
• I was able to nap but when I woke up, I was still there. That place didn’t suit someone like me. It was suffocating just to imagine living there.
• My gaze remained at the ceiling while I wished for my memories to return.
• I already felt ashamed to whoever that Kian Kayzer Hawk was. A multi-billionaire guy, I never thought I will be going to meet sooner. Tss.
• I even owed him trillions?! Oh my god. Papa God should’ve just killed me. I was like a rabbit holed up in that place or a prisoner locked up forever…
• But how would I deal with Kian Kayzer Hawk? He’d be disappointed with me. Ever since that man came to the Philippines, he got tangled to my idiotic life.
• Sorry.
• I messed up my life and this trouble with Kian, …That one hundred trillion, …me who liked Boss Troy, …and that syndicate group that should be disbanded, what else?!
• …The agreement! and gosh, my one-week sleep!
• Why oh, why did I got involved in that chaos?
• Papa God was this my beautiful karma? Could I ever face them? Specially him? You knew how weak I was, right?
• “Did she sign the contract?”
• Huh? I knew that voice …
• “Not yet, Master Kian.”
• Oh my! I am mistaken, it was Kian. Kian, right?!
• I hurriedly covered my ugly self with the blanket.
• Why would he buy me for a trillion, right? Then I heard their steps approaching. But before they could reach the bed, they stopped…
• “Master Kian, a call from your transportation secretary.”
• I heard a sigh then their footsteps went away. I peeked out the blanket and saw that they just went to the terrace. Behind the fluttering curtains, all I could see was his back. So that’s Kian? Mr. Kian Kayzer Hawk, the young self multi-Billionaire and CEO of KHMB (Kayzer Hawk Monopoly of Business)
• Even the curtains felt familiar to me. I hid behind the thicker drapery and tried to peek at them.
• Wait? How wouldn’t that man's body be familiar to me when I already saw him naked. Right?
• Kian Kayzer Hawk ‘s such a pretty guy.