Free Web NovelChapter 165: Is This Hell Or Heaven?
No One’s Pov
Vivien’s eyes trembled in the darkness as her consciousness slowly started returning to her, little by little.
At first, everything was just a deep blank. But as her eyes fluttered open, a wave of sharp pain suddenly exploded all over her body. Her head pounded fiercely, and the entire room felt like it was spinning around in circles. Her throat felt dry, like sandpaper, making it completely impossible to swallow.
She blinked through the blurriness, trying to focus her vision. Finally, her eyes fixed on the ceiling above her. It was dark and unfamiliar.
Ugh... where am I? she thought to herself. She desperately wanted to ask the question out loud, but she couldn’t utter a single, simple word. Her tongue felt completely frozen. For a second, she genuinely wondered if she had died in that explosion. Did I really die? Am I in hell?
Panicking slightly, she tried to shift her weight and move her arms, but her body refused to cooperate. She looked down at herself as much as she could and froze.
She was completely wrapped up from head to toe in thick white medical bandages. She looked exactly like a mummy. A cold fear washed over her. Just how bad were her injuries from that crash and the shooting? She had absolutely no idea how she was still alive, and she had no idea how many days or weeks had passed since that horrific night in the woods.
Suddenly, a calm voice rang out through the quiet room. freeweɓnøvel.com
"Don’t move around, or your wounds will be opened once again."
The voice was cool and soft. It sounded strangely familiar to Vivien, but her mind was too foggy, and she couldn’t quite put her finger on who it belonged to. She hadn’t even noticed that there was another person sitting in the dark room with her the entire time.
Slowly, the mysterious person stood up from the shadows and walked over to the side of the bed.
Vivien strained her eyes, trying to see through her blurry vision as the figure stepped under the dim light. It was a young girl. She had incredibly sharp striking facial features and long, silky dark hair that fell past her shoulders.
Her skin was unusually pale, making her stand out in the dim room, and her eyes were completely dark, filled with deep black pupils that showed absolutely no emotion.
She looked exactly like one of those cold, untouchable beauties who could kill you in one swift move without even blinking.
For some strange reason, just looking at the girl’s icy expression sent a sudden shiver straight down Vivien’s spine. The dangerous aura in the room was suffocating. Vivien instantly closed her mouth and stayed completely quiet, not daring to make a single sound as the mysterious girl leaned down to look at her.
"Hmm, since you’re finally awake, I will help you eat up," the girl said in her usual flat tone.
Without waiting for Vivien to respond, she turned on her heel and left the room. A few minutes later, the door clicked open again, and the girl stepped inside holding a warm porcelain bowl. The rich aroma of savory, hot broth drifted through the air, and it smelled absolutely delicious. Vivien’s stomach gave a quiet rumble.
The girl sat down on the edge of the bed, dipping a porcelain spoon into the bowl. She blew on it gently before holding it up to Vivien’s chapped lips. Vivien hesitated for a split second, but the hunger was too much to ignore. She parted her lips and swallowed the warm liquid.
As the girl methodically repeated the motion, a strange sensation fell over Vivien. For some reason, she felt a strong sense of déjà vu. She felt like this wasn’t her first time being fed like this by someone else.
Vivien kept her eyes locked on the girl, trying to read any sort of emotion behind those dark, empty pupils.
"How... how many days..." Vivien started, but stopped. Her voice sounded incredibly hoarse, scratchy, and weak from not speaking for so long. She cleared her throat painfully and tried again. "How many days have I been unconscious?"
"Three days," the girl simply replied, her expression completely unchanging as she held up another spoonful of food.
"Oh..." Vivien muttered, biting down on the soft food. Her body felt a tiny bit stronger with the nourishment, but her mind was still racing with questions. "Where am I?" she asked, looking around the plain dark room.
"You’ll know once you become well," the girl replied, neatly dodging the question without a hint of hesitation.
Vivien frowned slightly under her head bandages, looking at her with growing curiosity. This girl was like a brick wall- impossible to read and entirely closed off.
"Um... what is your name?" Vivien asked softly.
The hand holding the spoon suddenly paused in mid-air. The girl’s dark eyes flicked over, staring directly into Vivien’s face with a freezing intensity that made the room feel ten degrees colder.
"None of your business," she replied coldly.
She pulled the spoon back, setting the empty bowl down on the bedside table. She stood up, grabbed a small plastic cup filled with pills and a glass of fresh water, and carefully helped Vivien take her medicine.
"Go back to sleep," the girl commanded, her voice leaving no room for argument. "Once Master comes, I will let him know you are awake."
With that final statement, she picked up the empty tray and walked out of the room. The door shut with a click, and the lights flicked off, leaving Vivien completely alone once again in the pitch-black silence. Staring into the darkness, Vivien’s mind swirled with dread and confusion. Master? Who exactly saved her from that burning wreckage?
The girl walked down the quiet hallway, looking down at the empty porcelain bowl resting on the tray. Her fingers tightened around the metal edges until her knuckles turned pale, a rare flash of hidden tension crossing her posture before she walked away, fading back into her usual cold demeanor.
Reaching the mansion’s main kitchen area, she handed the tray over to a waiting maid. "Keep a close eye on her," she ordered, her voice a low whisper. "If anything unusual happens, let me know immediately. I know she can’t physically escape in her condition, but still, do not let your guard down for a single second."
The maid nodded frantically, bowing her head. Satisfied, the girl pulled her black cloth mask back over her face, covering her sharp features until only those freezing dark pupils were visible. It was time for her to go outside and deal with some troublesome pests. Her eyes glinted.
_________
Thud, Thud.
The heavy wood of the study door rattled.
"Boss? Are you inside?"
Without waiting for permission, the door swung open. Dominic’s assistant stepped into the dimly lit room and froze.
Dominic looked up from his desk, his gloomy, hollow eyes fixing onto his assistant. The change in his appearance was alarming. Dark circles were deeply carved under his eyes, and he had visibly lost weight over the last three days. His sharp cheekbones were far more prominent, giving him a ghostly look. He hadn’t slept, and he had barely eaten.
The assistant felt a heavy wave of pity and sadness for his boss. Dominic was completely miserable, tearing himself apart from the inside out.
"If you have something important to say, then just spit it out," Dominic said, his voice cold, dry, and entirely dead. "Or else I will make sure you never speak again."
"Yes, yes, Boss! I do!" the assistant stammered, hurriedly holding up a new forensic file. "The identities of the charred bodies from the forest explosion have finally been discovered. The good news is... none of them belong to Miss Vivien."
For the first time in seventy-two hours, a sudden shine sparked into Dominic’s dead eyes. He sat up straighter, his chest raising and falling as he waited for the rest.
"But... the bad news is..." The assistant’s voice dropped to a whisper, his eyes darting to the floor. "There is no fourth body at the scene. The police are saying that since there was so much blood, it’s highly possible Miss Vivien’s body was... carried away by wild animals into the deep woods, or..."
Dominic’s expression went completely rigid. A murderous aura exploded into the room, the temperature dropping instantly as he glared at the man.
"N-No! No, Boss! That’s just what the regular officers are guessing!" the assistant shrieked, instantly breaking into a cold sweat under the chilling pressure. "Trust me, I know Miss Vivien is alive! She’s too smart, she must have survived!"
"Then find her!" Dominic roared, slamming his fists onto the desk so hard the wood shook under the impact. His voice shook the entire room, filled with a desperation and rage. "Find her anyhow! Search every inch of this city! If she is alive, I want her back in this house by tonight!"
"Yes, Boss!" the assistant replied firmly, bowing his head quickly. He turned around to leave the room, his hand reaching for the doorknob, but then he hesitated. He froze for a second before turning back around. "Ah... Boss..."
"Say it," Dominic commanded, his voice dripping with impatience.
"It’s about Miss Amelia..."
"What about her?!" Dominic snapped, his fingers tightening against his cane.
"The forensic team tracked the serial numbers on the weapons found at the explosion site. Those men... they were indeed sent by her. She was the one who ordered the hit on Miss Vivien," the assistant reported, keeping his voice low.
Dominic’s eyes became impossibly colder, a dark murderous fury swirling in his chest. But before he could order his men to hunt Amelia down and skin her alive, the assistant quickly continued.
"We tried to track her down to finish the job, but suddenly, all of her digital footprints and locations turned completely off. Our scouts went to her safe house, and based on the signs of a struggle... it appears that someone else has already abducted her and her father."
Dominic’s eyes narrowed into slits. He couldn’t care less about what happened to Amelia or whether she lived or died, but a strange thought crossed his mind. Apart from himself, who else in this city had a deep enough grudge against the Laurent family to kidnap them right out from under his nose? Who else was watching them?
"Find whoever that is," Dominic commanded, a dark expression taking over his gaunt face. He leaned back into his chair, his eyes fixed on the shadows of the room. "After all... an enemy’s enemy is a friend. Find out who took her. They might just lead us straight to Vivien."
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To Be Continued
