***
"Big brother, I'm doing this for you and as pay back. She called me a talkative, the audacity!"
A man chuckled, "Someone else seems to notice. It's the reason that old dog hired you. Talkative are believed to be unable to lie or keep secrets." He stayed in the dark like he was one with it. His dead gorgeous features hidden in those shadows, the only thing glaring we're his cold grey eyes that seemed frightening and could almost see your soul. Long elegant lashes graced upon them but ofcourse the rest of this magnificence qaa hidden in the dark, not that Shawn didn't already know who he was.
Shawn feigned surprise, "How could you big brother?!!"
The man's expression went back cold, "What information have you gathered?" Shawn's voice immediately lost the youthful cheer and turned serious, "She has scars meaning he does more than just down degrading her publicly. She doesn't talk much and she doesn't look like she can be manipulated to do so."
The man kept silent for a while, "And her security?"
Shawn replied, "Nothing. She doesn't even have a maid. She was half dead when I came in."
The man hit his hand furiously on the iron desk, "Those dogs!!"
Shawn cowered a bit at the man's fury even though they were actually brothers and he was his most trusted man, he was still as scared of him as every other person in their group. "It doesn't seem like the young prince knows about her fortune and he doesn't seem obsessed as claimed. He didn't care much about her fainting in the room and they don't share a room."
The man sighed, "That'll be good then. I want to pay her a visit. I want to see our gateway myself."
Shawn hesitated, "They're cameras and she doesn't leave her room. I don't think it'll be possible. It'll only raise an alarm. There's a evening mask gallery the hotel is hosting. I'll convince them to attend. You could meet her there."
The man thought about it, replying slowly, "Then we'll have a change of plan."
***
Mirabelle submerged herself in the steaming jacuzzi, trying to get some rest. She was tired of many things and sighed as her unhealed wounds still gave a slight burning sensation. Just as she was about to relax, she heard a bell ring at the front door. She ignored it, praying the person would go away. If they didn't have a pass to get in, then they weren't her problem or her concern. The ringing continued until she was forced to rise from the pool and open the door, still in her bathrobe.
She opened the door without even bothering to fake a smile. "Hi, new neighbour! I'm Mabel, and I live here too. I think we'll be friends!" said a bubbly lady of about nineteen as she slipped under Mia's arm, letting herself into the house.
"Whoa, your condo looks amazing, and you have the best view!!! OMG." Mia struggled to contain her frustration. "Who are you? In fact, I don't want to know. Please leave."
Mabel pretended to be hurt. "Ouch, that's harsh. Well, I'm Mabel. I always welcome the new neighbours, and when I found out you were around my age, I totally freaked out. We'd be perfect together! We could watch cute boys, go shopping, and hang out."
Mia took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. She never thought she'd say this, but here it came: "I have a husband!!! And I love my alone time, which you're currently intruding on."
Mabel smiled sweetly. "I live alone and don't really have many friends here, so I was hoping we could be really good friends."
Mia sighed, about to say something when Mabel cut her short. "Wait! You have a husband. You look really... young. You must really love him."
Mia massaged her temples as she walked toward the kitchen. Mabel followed her. "Why am I encountering so many talkative people today? I'm going to have a migraine," she muttered under her breath. She grabbed a bottle of water from the stocked fridge while Mabel sat on a stool opposite her.
"There's a pool at the back, and no one's there right now. It's really nice, and we could go there," Mabel suggested, watching Mia. Mabel looked cute with her two ponytails, her curly sandy blonde hair matching her slightly tanned complexion and bold, bright eyes. As she spoke, her eyes sparkled like the northern lights.
Mia scrutinised her slowly. Apart from being excessively talkative, Mabel seemed really nice and radiated positive energy. Maybe that pool would be a nice change. However, it had been years since she had gone to public places without Liam or any member of the Edwards family. But what the hell? Liam was out at a club, and no one else was around.
"Are you sure no one is there?" Mia asked skeptically.
Mabel nodded. "It will take me half a minute to put on my bikini."
Mia shuddered. If she wore a bikini, her scars would be exposed, and what if a paparazzi or nosy neighbour saw them, or even Mabel? "I think I'll pass. It would be nice if you left now."
Mabel frowned at Mia's sudden change of mood. "Are you alright? Don't worry, I can go without my bikini."
Mia closed her eyes and sighed. "Leave now. Leave!!"
Mabel was taken aback. Why the sudden emotional shift? When Mia opened her eyes, Mabel felt a deep tug. There was no light in them—no warmth, no hatred, no emotions at all. Not even pain.
She replied softly, getting up from the chair. "Okay, I'll come by some other time then." Then, impulsively, she added, "It's okay to cry sometimes."
Mia was breathing hurriedly, forcing herself to feel numb. She was scarred—emotionally and psychologically traumatised—and had breakdowns more frequently than she could control, each easily triggered. As she heard the new bodyguard's voice at the door, she was sure she didn't want him to see her like this. She didn't need anyone's pity. She made her way to her room and locked the door behind her. Sliding to the floor, she forced herself to calm down.
At the door, Mabel was about to leave when she accidentally bumped into Shawn. She hurriedly apologised and tried to step away, but his grip on her arm was strong. He pulled her close, scanning her face. Her eyes were wide like a frightened kitten. He raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?"
Mabel was taken aback but soon regained her composure, although her cheeks flushed. She realised that she hadn't spoken because he was still holding her close. Shawn smirked, leaning closer. "Do you really want me to repeat myself?"
She blinked, feeling flustered. "Um, no. I'm... I'm Mabel. I live here, in the apartment next door. I came to say hi to the new neighbour."
He studied her suspiciously. "How did you know there was a new neighbour or that it would be a girl?"
Mabel gave a fleeting smile. "I saw them coming in from my window and decided to say hi. Who are you, and why are you asking me so many questions?" She pulled away, putting distance between them. "If you're suspicious of me, just check the resident records. I'm Mabel Swiss. Apartment 12A."
He raised an eyebrow, his eyes following her as she left. This mission was getting interesting. If the Boss wanted to handle this personally, Shawn might as well take advantage of his time with this intriguing and suspicious neighbour. A smirk slowly formed on his lips. Mabel Swiss. She had said it confidently, which meant it was indeed her real name, and he also knew her apartment number. That was a good lead.
---
Liam was dead drunk. The girl he had made out with was long gone. He groaned as he sat on a stool at the club. He was the only one still there; however, the club ran 24/7, so they hadn't kicked him out yet. Someone sat next to him, ordering a glass of vodka. "You seem a mess," the man remarked.
Liam coughed violently. "You think?"
The man smirked. "Relationship, family, work? Which one's your issue?"
Liam scoffed. "All. Crazy, right?"
The man shrugged. "Not exactly. Some of us have been through worse. A party and a gallery are happening."
Liam scoffed again. "Just another display of wealth. I'd rather find a girl to spend the night with."
The man chuckled. "So you're cheating on your girl?"
Liam closed his eyes. "It's not cheating if she's only with you out of obligation. My life's messed up. Sometimes, I think that without my family and their money, I would be no one and have no one. Even if she stayed, it'd still be out of obligation."
The man raised an eyebrow, downing his glass in one gulp. "Then why don't you just let her go?"
Liam scoffed. "My parents want her alive and with me... for some reason. I'm their son, but I'm not even my father's heir or next of kin."
The man pulled out a card. "We should talk more often. Come to the gallery. It's on me, and it'll be masked. It should ease you from the drama... Bring your girl, your woman. It could be interesting."
Liam finally looked up to see the man's face, but he was already turning away. "Head back to your condo. Life... isn't perfect."
Liam was hesitant to attend the party with Mia. Mia had always been more of an elegant and prim person and wasn't ever one to feign emotions when there weren't, and she definitely prided herself too much to satisfy his worldly desires. She was just an accessory to add to his dress, nothing more. The only reason he was taking her along was because the fucked up bodyguard had insisted. He scoffed as he did his cuffs. At the gallery, he'd dump her at the first chance he got. He asked Stuart who had been standing at the door waiting for him to finish up, "It's a masked party right? I don't necessarily have to wear matching masks with her."
Stuart chuckled, "You seem too eager to distinguish yourself from her. It will only make your hatred more obvious."
Liam gnashed his teeth as he turned sharply, pinning Stuart to the wall. Bodyguard or not, no one had the right to talk to him that way. Besides, even though his parents trusted him, it was always wise to keep the facade high up. "And what makes you think I'd hate my wife?"
Stuart scoffed, pushing him away as he straightened his suit, "You couldn't possibly have made it any more obvious. Lemme guess, either she has something you want or your family doesn't let you get rid of her or... she's a prick to your ego cause she doesn't like you and you can't accept it."
Liam slowly got up from the wooden side table Stuart had smashed him against, "How dare you? I'm Liam Edwards, the sole heir to the Edwards family..."
Stuart cut him short, giving him a hand for support, "The easiest way to do this is to stop putting on defence mode. Number one, I'm not someone you can treat anyhow at your wish, I'll hit you back if you try to. I refrained today cause I've warned you. Number two; we both know that you're not the sole heir to nothing. I know a lot about you, and your dad wouldn't give out that much if he cared even an ounce. I've been through that shit so the more reasonable you are with me, the smarter you're getting. I can't kill you, but I can beat you up until things go blurry and nothing will happen,... so are you in or do I have to prove it to you?"
Liam wiped the blood off a slight cut on his lip as he cursed, "Damn that hurt! Fine, I'm in. Now, can we go get my wife?"
Stuart chuckled, "I also know that she's not your wife, at least not yet. Probably betrothed to the son of the King of the Edwards empire."
Liam called out as he stormed out, "If you've not realised dufus, I AM the son of the King of the Edwards empire." He banged the door to his suite behind him.
Stuart chuckled. If only he knew.
***
Mia was on her bathrobe going through her closet for a dress. The matching mask was on the glass centre table abandoned. She really didn't want to go for this. She wouldn't have, spare Liam the spite and herself the embarrassment but the bodyguard had said it was a must. the bodyguard! Thankfully, he'd stopped being a talkative and was actually nice. He also saved her the trauma of explaining the cuts and injuries. Her only trauma now was Mabel. Speak of the devil and he shows up, the doorbell rang. Mia was sure it had to be either the bodyguard or Liam and had the same reply for any of them but as she opened the door and Mabel slipped under her hand, she promised herself to get a camera fixed at the doorstep.
Mabel began rattling as usual without waiting for an invitation, "Howdy neighbour! So I wanted us to wear matching bestie dresses. I figured you were more of prim and proper so yours is a bit more elegant and decent."
Mia sighed, closing the door behind her, "I didn't welcome you in and I'm sure my words were clear enough when I threw you out."
Mabel smiled, seating on a sofa, "Good thing you're not dressed yet. Well, do you have something else in mind?"
Mia sighed at how persistent she was and eventually gave in as she sighed walking to her room, "No I haven't. I'll just go with one of these." She came out with a bunch of clothes on hangers, all expensive, luxurious dinner gowns.
Mabel sighed, "This is a gala, it's not meant for elegant and all that. Try this one. You'll love it and most importantly, Liam wouldn't expect it."
Mia sized her up, "This is too cliche, some overly nice girl showing up at my doorstep, now you're calling him on first name business. What do you want?" Her eyes were pinned at Mabel, watching her every reaction. One of the many talents she'd learned from living the figure at the Edwards mansion was being able to decipher a person with good motives from a person without.
Mabel sighed, slowly getting up, "Well I want a friend and I don't think you love being alone as much as you clim. Besides, no one actually calls the rich, arrogant people by their self acclaimed titles, and they wouldn't know or... are you gonna tell him?"
Mia stared at her for a while, shifting his gaze when she was satisfied, turning to look at the dress Mabel was holding up, "I happen to have better thing to do with my life. Surprising from a home decor right?"
Mabel chuckled, giving her the dress, "If you're going to be some glorified decor then atleast you've got to be an attractive one, worthy of keepsake. I'm sure it'll be perfect on you..... Do you have a bathroom for me to change to mine."
Mia half hesitated at trying out the dress but gave in after some thoughts. Maybe Mabel was right. If she was going to be a decor she might as well be appealing to the carnal eye, "You can use the guestroom, the second door by the left." She stared at the gown as Mabel followed her instruction. She could already see the graceful slit and the ropes at the back. She sighed deeply as she moved to her room. Mabel was coming out of it,
"Wrong turn."
Mia instinctively scanned her as she walked over to the next room. She wasn't carrying anything and she seemed genuinely lost but there was very few rooms to get lost in. She entered her room, keeping her suspicions at bay.
***
A knock on Mirabelle's door told her Liam had come. She let the doorbell ring as she did the finishing touches to her make up. She looked breathtaking. Like a diva sent to crush men's heart. She'd curled her blonde hair into sexy drooping curls that swirled softly down her porcelain skin like a little tease on her sexy collarbones, urging you to grap a handful and almost drink from it's silkiness. Her skin shone from hours in the jacuzzi. Her hair was a matching contrast to her wild emerald eyes. Since she'd lost her mum and every other thing that had followed the spark in her eyes had dimmed away but tonight, just tonight she'd light it back up. Her long lashes and those thin almond eyes made her look even hotter. Its beauty had always been hidden behind eyebags from crying or beatings but today was different. A shade of dark red lipgloss made her heart shaped lips look damn appealing, almost like it was chanting spells so your eyes couldn't be torn away from it. The dress, a long deep olive colour that matched her milky skin and synched with her elegant physique with slim strands and a deep V neck and laces at the back down to her waistline, just enough to show a tempting scene. The slit drew up to her mid thigh in very alluring way, exposing her long model like legs. For the first time in a while she felt alive and beautiful and as she opened the door for the two, the look in Liam's eyes told her so. Like every other lecherous casanova, his eyes couldn't lie and where confused on where to rest their gaze until they met her hard stare and forced themselves to rest on her face.
"Mia? Mia you look..." Liam was utterly amazed. Mia didn't spare him a smile,
"Beautiful? Pretty? I know. I'm ready, Mabel is till in the guest room. She'll be out soon." And as she turned to wear her mask Liam was grateful it was matching but more grateful that he could see her backside and it was damn perfect.
Stuart's mind was somewhere else as he excused himself and entered inside straight for the guest room and as he barged in without noticing so much as a knock he met her with the dress halfway worn, her make up done light and soft to match her cute features but her lipgloss a shade dark enough to give a touch of charming to the table. She was pretty, a clumsy pretty and as Stuart barged in unannounced, seeing the most a man had seen of her, her cheeks immediately flushed and her eyes faltered. At first glance Stuart had been stunned by her beauty, something that surprised him because a s handsome flirt he'd seen alot of prettier girls. She wasn't as ravishing as Mirabelle but she was just as stunning. On a more stable thought he noticed her hand shaking and in that one sweeping glance of the room he could tell that the camera had been shifted and that she'd wasted way too long for such a light make up. He reached in three steps of his long legs and soon he was pinning her to the wall, holding her two hands above her head, "What are you up to Mabel Rosse?"
Mabel's eyes faltered, not only because of the effect of their compromising position but because of the last name he'd called her. Her fear and surprised flashed in her eyes before she tried to conceal them but it was already too late, he'd seen it, almost tasted it. Stuart had done his research on lovely neighbour the moment he'd finished his call with the Boss. Her name was Mabel alright but under the last four years she'd answered atleast five different last names. Rosse was the first and his sources weren't even sure that was her real name. She was a young actress who never got signed and didn't go past the countryside ads, and that was the profile for her most recent last name. She had no records before four years ago and the oldest record was that she escaped from a foster home of which the family seemed to have disappeared into thin air. Her birth record says she was born during a warfare and doesn't have more than a paper with her name on it and her birth date. With such behind the scene drama, he didn't understand how she'd afforded a suite at this condo, who exactly she was, why she'd approached Mia and most importantly, how she was able to keep up such a bubbly nature and smile. Real or not, a person with this much uncertainty to their background couldn't be alright, constantly keeping a bubbly smile and wouldn't be able to even fake it.
Mabel blinked slowly, "How?? How do you now that name?" Their faces were inches away so that as they talked, they could feel each others breath and even though the air was a bit thick with tension and suspicion, the effect was taking place, something about her scent turned him on badly. She slowly calmed her fear and stared him back in the eye, "And what does my name have to do with you? I live here legally and everything under my name is legal so let me go and stop looking at me like I'm some criminal you want to possess."
Stuart chuckled, "It's my business who comes around the Edwards, especially Mirabelle."
Mabel's eyes were looking droopy as she stared down at his lips, "Why? I don't believe it's on work basis. You like her?"
Stuart's eyes dropped to her lips as his hand slowly went to her cheek, cupping it as he let his thumb brush her lips, "Am I not allowed to like whoever I please? I'm single anyway." And as he lowered himself to kiss her and heard her curse softly and mutter,
"Please trust me.... Don't hurt me."
Only then did he recognise the addictive scent. It was ropinirole, a sex inducing drug used only to cure parkinson's disease. It increased the dopamine in the brain, in literal meaning, it turned you on a hypersex drive. He felt the effect get stronger as he fought for control. "Who gave them to you?", he asked her bringing out his phone.
Mabel was kissing his neck uncontrollably, fear vivid in her voice, "I don't know, I've never seen his face. I'm scared, please.... he'll kill me, I can't feel my legs."Stuart cursed anything that came to mind and most were russian words. Mabel ran her hand softly doen his solid chest, fumbling with the buttons, "What language is that? It sounds sexy and I can't tell if it's the drug or you."
He threw his head back as he pinned down her two hands above her head and dialled Liam's number, "Go to the party, I'll meet you there with the neighbour." Liam started to sarcastically tease him getting a different idea but Stuart had already cut the call and was calling someone else, "I'll be a bit late, I'll explain later. She'll be wearing the mask." The person at the other end of the call was quiet and then replied icily, I can't promise you your safety if anything goes wrong cause of your.... delay." Stuart threw the phone aside as he began kissing her, "I won't hurt you but I will punish you for making me your victim and you have a lot of explaining to do."
Mabel cowered under his overpowering aura, her cheeks were bright red and her round cute eyes seemed glued to his lips, "What sort of punishment are you going to give me?"
Stuart captured her lips hungrily, kissing and sucking, tasting every bit of it. Mabel responded like it was her gospel to adher to. She yearned for his tongue to taste every bit of her. Her breath came in short and shallow as he deepened each kiss and his hand began wandering downwards, as though curious but sure, an expenditure he'd participated in way too often and yet craving for more. As his hand reached to grab her breast her body instinctively shyed away. Only then did his sanity fight to surface and he asked, "What? What's wrong??"
Mabel lowered her gaze as she muttered softly, "I've never done it before. I've never gone beyond kissing." Stuart sighed deeply as he forced himself to move inches backwards but Mabel spoke up in a desperate plea, "Please don't leave."
Stuart sighed his eyes scanning the temptation he wanted but couldn't have, "What do you want?''
Mabel breaths were shallow and fanned his neck in a way that drove him crazy. She was shy and he could tell it was taking her alot to control herself. His forever observant nature it jotted down. It meant she wasn't a pro so whoever used her to get to the Edwards had used her knowing she was innocent meaning they had something against her. The usual shit was a family in hostage or a valued treasury or documents to a big dark scandal. With no family, no inheritance and no actual name, he feared it might be a latter, an abuse. With what he'd dug up about her, she was stateless and most of such people end up being victims of all kinds of abuse and trafficking. What had she gone through?
"Can..." She slowly looked down, he followed her eyes and saw she was looking at his bulge. She spoke not looking him in the eye, "I can help. Take it as an apology... and we'll be even." He watched her as she slowly slid down. The pleasure hit him faster than he'd expected and it took him is whole self control and a lot of smashing his fist against the wall to not take her there and then. Damn she had alot of explaining to do.