Imprisoned

At forty-eight, Li Yao was looking suitable for her age.

Back at the hotel room, she leaned back in her bed and enjoyed the view from the uncurtained window, while smoking on an electronic cigarette. A dark figure encroached into the tiny space beside her slowly, "Madam, I've done what you have told me to."

She smiled and put down the electronic cigarette. "Well done, Ah Qing. You have done me well."

Sha Qing was Li Yao's bodyguard and servant, a man whose personality was unknown to most. Even her husband and adoptive son had not known of his existence! Since Ye Nantian was known to have his share of women and they had not lived in the same household in recent years, Li Yao found it natural that she should find a companion of her own. Standing tall at six feet, the man was perfect for the job. Most importantly, he was cold and ruthless.

"Madam, that was tough love coming from you for your son," the thirty-eight-year-old man said coolly. "What if one day, he finds out and hates you for it?"

Li Yao knew that her bodyguard had to be referring to the attack and abduction of Cree. She confidently whispered, "One day, he will understand why I did it, and thank me for it. I didn't lose a son for nothing, Ah Qing."

She looked into Sha Qing's cold eyes, which were even colder than that of Cree with strangers. Cree had even studied from him when he was much younger, without Ye Nantian's knowledge. It had been through him, that he learnt how to be cold. Of course, she hadn't allowed Cree himself to know that she had any involvement in this; she had even created opportunities for Cree to meet Sha Qing and made their meeting appear unexpected.

"Does he know you meant well, Madam?" Sha Qing inquired. "Ah Qing merely wants the best for Madam."

He was a loyal confidante, and Li Yao's right-hand man ever since she had drifted apart from Ye Nantian almost ten years ago. He had been twenty-eight, and she thirty-eight when they had by chance met at a quiet beach on the island of Palawan, in the Philippines. A group of men was chasing him, and she had paid off the men in exchange for his debt, and there and then, he swore his allegiance to the woman. If there was anything between them, it was purely physical. Having been born in a lowly family and bullied since young, he considered bound to a life of servitude with Li Yao in return for saving his life. He thought little of himself and what he could do, so he had never complained.

But this time, even he felt she had gone a little too far by trying to divide Cree and Qiao Ruo by having Cree a from her and imprisoned in a place Qiao Ruo didn't know.

......................

It had been three days since his capture, and albeit his powerful fighting skills, Cree had been struck startlingly from behind when he was least expecting a blow. He swore and cursed with all his might, but his bindings kept him restrained.

He was powerless, and his stature didn't help, mostly when he was nothing in the eyes of Ye Nantian. Would Ye Nantian even care about his safety?

He saw the grill of the door of his cell slide open, and somebody pushed a tray containing a meal and bottle of water with a straw embedded inside the room. He had starved himself incessantly for three days straight, and he could no longer bear with the torment of his hunger. He grasped the bottle and removed the straw. With a slight tremor, he quenched his thirst by downing it in a single gulp. The same went for his food, and he curtly shoved all the food in the bowl down his throat.

Sha Qing smiled behind his mask, realizing the man had learnt his lesson by not continuing to starve. He left the scene and headed to a corner far away from the room which imprisoned Cree.

"He has started to eat, Madam," he said softly into the microphone of his smartphone. "He should cooperate soon."

"No rush," the female voice responded. "Let him struggle in there for a few more days."

"Madam, you might break him," Sha Qing said.

"The sons of the Ye family do not easily break," Li Yao said. "Even if he is not my flesh and blood, he is my son. And he will not disrupt my plans to unite the Yes and the Xus."

"Madam, what is so special about the Xus that you insist on having the boy engaged to their daughter?" Sha Qing asked.

"Patience, Ah Qing. You will get to know soon."

The line disconnected, but Sha Qing continued to look at his phone wallpaper, a black background containing the white words 'ren', meaning persevere. He hoped that Li Yao had made the right decision, even if it meant being harsh to the son she had nurtured all these years.

Meanwhile, Qiao Ruo had decided to leave for a while in the meantime while she awaited further news of Cree from Ye An. She packed her items into her luggage, fingering them slowly one by one. Cree, where are you? Are you safe? Thoughts haunted her mind. Nothing in her life would ever be the same in his absence.

She spotted a plain white notepad lying in the corner of Cree's desk and grabbed it without further consideration. Her next thought was since she had no idea when Cree would be coming back and she had not spoken to Ye An for three days since the abduction, it wouldn't make a difference for her to rummage among his belongings and obtain a few items from his drawer for herself to retain as keepsakes. However, there was nothing of interest among the things in his drawer, and she closed the drawer, returning it to its previous state.

Qiao Ruo headed towards the wardrobe and touched every single of his clothing hanging inside the closet. Though wealthy, Cree only had few outfits that he considered his favourites. They were mainly the blue suit that he only wore on occasions, a checkered red-and-black tee, a Vans hoodie, some casual t-shirts and matching pants that he reserved for Ye Qi, and the soft, comfortable material of his gym wear. All these clothes of his choosing had sentimental value as they were outfits he had donned when going on dates with her, and a few were what he had worn during the first two times he had met her, as Ye Qi and Cree respectively.

"Cree, I miss you," she sobbed. "When will you return?"

She clung to the folded woollen sweater belonging to Cree that hung in the closet and cried her heart out. After so many difficulties and obstacles in their relationship, they were finally together as a real couple, only for their bliss to be short-lived. Just what could she do to ensure his safety?

She turned to face the framed photograph of them secured to the wall, and whispered to his image, "I love you, Cree. Can you hear me?"

Silence encompassed the room, and she crouched down on the floor of his room, continuing to sob as she retrieved some of the items in his room, and took them with her. However, each item in the mansion, particularly the sofas and tables, would remind her of their sweet memories together. Every minute of staying in that house without any news of his whereabouts was torture to her. Perhaps leaving for a while would be beneficial to her, and allowed her to find an answer.

After a few hours of packing and reflecting on their memories, Qiao Ruo finally found the motivation to get up n her feet and exit the mansion. She was still imperceptibly riddled by the actuality how Cree had vanished from her life so spontaneously. Especially after how he had promised to give her everything, but even he could not save himself from the clutches of his captors. She had considered so many possibilities for their future. There were so many places they were yet to explore together.

She had deferred her joining at the new company by a few days, faking illness and having her doctor draw up a medical certificate for her to present to her new employers. Given her state now, she wasn't in the condition or mentality to begin her new career at Sky Publisher. She had never expected first love to be so deep and profound, that she told herself sincerely, should any harm come to Cree, then probably she would not be able to find the courage to continue living.

Li Yao, the battle is not over yet, she said in her mind. She promised that she would head back to her old place to clear her mind and get her thinking straight and then find a way to save Cree. Her love for him would defeat all, and she would not concede failure so readily.