Chapter 8

• The drive was a long one. They drove from the city to the more sophisticated part, which was less noisy and commercial. Here, there were large mansions, beautiful houses, and aesthetically pleasing stores. Balia distracted herself with this. She had only been to this part once when she had considered modeling as a career. Well, that didn't go as planned.
• All she knew about this Oriental part of the state was that it housed millionaires, billionaires, celebrities, and people who came from generational wealth, and from the looks of it, Senna belonged here. It made her wonder what he did for a living.
• Business tycoon? It looked like him. He looked like a rich, handsome Italian who had either come from old money or had built himself up over the years. But still, he screamed wealth.
• For most of the ride, he was on calls, speaking to different people and cussing them out, and this made Balia wonder what kind of working environment his employees had to survive.
• They finally got to a gated estate. The driver stopped briefly, and as soon as Senna wound his side of the glass down, they were immediately granted entrance.
• The streets were dimly lit with gas lamps that shone overhead. It got brighter when the car passed by, and Balia could see the beautiful acacia and cherry blossoms. She felt like she was in paradise like she had walked into another world. A fairy tale world. Only that the devil himself was residing in this one.
• She spared him a glance. He was watching her, and she darted her eyes away immediately and focused on the road ahead.
• He kept staring at her, and this made her slightly uncomfortable. He had an overpowering gaze. One that could set your skin on fire and burn holes through you. One that could scourge your soul and leave it empty.
• She felt shivers run down her spine. She was cold. Her skin was bare, so she began to rub up and down to create a bit of heat to warm her body.
• The driver turned towards a driveway wide enough to contain three cars. It was flanked by trimmed bushes, carefully gardened, and amber lights streamed into the plants and the ground, giving it an ethereal glow. If the situation had been reversed, maybe Balia would have been so happy to be here. Perhaps she'd have taken in this area well instead of with so much dread.
• They finally got to a wrought iron gate. It gleamed in the night, and a man came out from a small bungalow by the side of the entrance to open it. They drove into the most extensive land space ever.
• Balia bit back a gasp as they wound through neatly tarred roads. Lights streamed from above them, and she could see everything now, from the carved concrete to the tiny lights that were fixed into the ground to the large fountain situated in the middle of the yard.
• It was a statue of The Rape of Proserpina by Gain Lorenzo Bernini, and Balia thought that was the most fucked up statue anyone had ever erected in their private home.
• She needed to ask him why he had chosen this sculpture of all sculptures to have ever been erected by prominent artists.
• "Why The Rape of Proserpina?" She finally blurted out when her curiosity got the better part of her.
• He had been staring at his tablet when she asked him this question. He slowly raised his head to look at her. "Why am I being asked?"
• "No sane person would erect this in their private homes. I'm not saying you're not sane."
• "I am not. Neither of us are." These were his words before returning to looking down at his tablet.
• Balia clenched her fists and bit back her following words. She could feel her fingers bury into the skin of her palm.
• The car finally cruised to a halt, and Senna pushed his side of the door open as soon as it was unlocked. Balia followed suit.
• She was hit by the chilly wind of the night. It bit into her skin, causing goosebumps to flood her body. Her teeth clattered as she followed him towards a considerable porch supported by intricately carved columns.
• They stopped in front of a large set of double mahogany doors. She noticed that it needed a keycard to be pulled open, and he swiped his card on it, and the door clicked open.
• Senna pushed the door open, and they walked into a new world. This one was brighter and plainer than the one she had seen outside.
• The hall was an expanse of space spread out twenty times her apartment. The floors were squeaky clean and perfectly tiled with calacatta marble. From the looks of it, she knew this was luxurious and probably cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. It was bright white with a distinctive veining that faded from one dark shade to another.
• The walls were covered in paintings and artifacts. This house was a combination of modernity and archaism. The results were mind-blowing because how did these paintings and artifacts balance so well with the wall painting, windows, and cutting-edge electrical appliances?
• Senna's heels clicked against the floor as he crossed to another door. He pushed it open and waited till she got to the door. He gestured for her to go in. She gave him a look before she slipped into another room.
• This one was more gloomy, more Victorian-ey, a massive contrast from the hall, and she wondered what artist had worked on this house to have made it this way like she was walking into different eras. They must have been on a high level of insanity.
• The door was closed behind her, and a woman dressed in clean maid clothing stepped out of the room. She was holding a basket filled with laundry, and when she saw Senna with Balia, she stopped in her tracks.
• "Master Senna. I didn't expect you to return so soon."
• Balia was confused. First, how had she stayed locked in here? Two, it was one in the morning, and she called it 'so soon'? She said nothing anyway.
• Senna nodded and began to take off his tie. "Yeah. Fortunately, I was able to conclude business today."
• So he could talk nicely? This was a discovery for Balia. The lady's eyes darted towards Balia, and she raised a brow at Senna.
• "Is she...?"
• "No. Take her to one of the guest rooms and clean her up."
• With those words, he walked away, leaving both women alone. As soon as he was gone, the woman smiled broadly at her.
• "Hi! My name is Tina, and I am the housekeeper."
• Balia gave her an awkward smile and waved. "Balia."
• "That's a unique name. We barely hear that around here." She said and proceeded to pick up the basket she was holding.
• "I guess." Those were the only words she uttered before she started to follow Tina, who didn't say a word until she reached the front of a white mahogany door. She twisted the knob and pushed it open before dropping the basket beside her and turning to Balia.
• "Come in?"
• Balia nodded and stepped into the room. The sweet scent of vanilla and lavender engulfed her. The room was squeaky clean like they had been expecting someone to visit anyway.
• "I'm glad I cleaned this place up today," Tina said as she walked to the window. She pushed the thick ivory drapes to the side for light to come in. Balia could see the driveway and the gate from where she stood, and she wondered if someone could see her through the windows. Tina turned back to her and smiled. "I'll be back in a minute, okay? I need to get a few things so you can get cleaned up."
• "The door was locked when we came in. Are you always locked in?" Balia blurted out even before she could think.
• Tina laughed. "Not at all. This place is heavily protected. Anyone working inside here holds a key card and locks this place. But it's only for a while."
• Balia got more confused. "I don't understand."
• "It's okay not to understand, Balia. For now, get used to the auditory. As soon as things return to normal, there will be freedom of movement."
• "Maybe not for me though." Balia lowered her head and fiddled with her fingers.
• Tina was going to ask what she meant, but she refrained from doing so. "I'll be back in no time."
• As soon as Tina left, she dropped to the bed and looked around the room. As beautiful as this place was, it didn't stop the dread from creeping into her body. Nothing about this place felt safe for her.
• It screamed danger.