Chapter 7

When Giselle awoke, she saw a faintly familiar ceiling. She widened her eyes immediately and sat up.

She clearly remembered going home the day before so why was she in Adam's mansion?

Looking at her body carefully, she breathed a sigh in relief when she discovered no signs of coitus. However, horror came crashing into her in full force when she discovered a new accessory on her leg, a thin but strong chain. Worse, a part of it was connected to her skin so she couldn't get rid of it easily. Adam seemed really intent on keeping her this time.

Giselle hugged her leg to her body and quietly bore the pain of the headache from the hangover as well as the increase gotten from the horror of being imprisoned. There was also pain from the newly acquired piercing. The local anesthesia must have worn off.

She discovered the painkiller pills on the bedside table a long while ago but was unwilling to take it as she suspected it could be something else.

Not long after we woke up, Adam entered the room. She shuddered but it was not noticeable.

"Good morning. I brought you breakfast"

"Adam, what is the meaning of this?"

"You told me you weren't going to run away yet you went home last night. This is punishment"

"You intend to keep me locked up here for much longer since you gave me a new piercing, right?"

"Sometimes, you're too damn smart for your own good but yes, that's what I plan to do. The piercing looks good on you"

Adam takes her leg and kisses where the chain was connected to her skin. She shuddered and wiped vigorously at the goosebumps forming on her skin.

Giselle sighed and shook her head. She knew it would eventually lead to this but it was such a small possibility that she ignored it.

"Did you expect by doing this, you'd get me to pity you and make me fall in love with you? Stockholm's syndrome? That only works for idiots. Do I look like an idiot?"

"Would you really not care for me? Not even a little? I just want you to love me back"

Giselle ignored him and finally decided to take the pills. She didn't even care what happened next because she had confirmed the worst case scenario. She had no such delusions that she was the one who pushed him to the edge of insanity and must therefore take responsibility. She was a psychologist. Such petty tricks couldn't work on her.

"Bring the food"

"... I thought you might refuse the food"

"I'm hungry and hungover. Do I look like someone who wants to go on a hunger strike? Kidnapped or not, I'm not going to starve myself over your issues"

Giselle's nonchalant attitude frightened Adam. He expected her to be angry or ignore him. He had prepared to coax her into eating but he never expected to see her act like everything is a trivial issue.

"Aren't you angry?"

"I'll say it again, I'm a professional psychologist. For someone showing signs of such obvious mental illness like you, I have to be calm and make sure you calm down so we can handle this rationally. I am angry and a bit frightened but you and I both know you can't hold me here for long"

"Why do you say so?"

"It's simple. If I'm missing for an extended period of time, Matthew would go to the police. He would also tell them you had been with me so I would be found in no time. If you think about calling Matthew to request time off for me then you are severely underestimating his intelligence. The most I can stay here for is four days. I'm not that worried"

Adam's brain whirled with her explanation and found her to be right. Besides, he was in the middle of legalizing his business. Any mistake on his part would make anything crumble. Adam felt his resolve wavering.

"Adam, I understand you have a crush on me but this is not love, this is obsession, one that could destroy you. You need to get help"

"Stop, stop, stop psychoanalyzing me"

"This time, I'm not. It is a preliminary assessment that you have repeatedly confirmed. Let me help you. I have the perfect person to refer you to"

"I DON'T NEED A DOCTOR!! I don't need anybody but you"

Giselle could see Adam was going into mania and she sighed again. She really didn't want to use this method but concerned it had come down to this, she had to.

She grabbed his hands and forced him to look into her eyes.

"Adam" she said in a low steady pitch with a hypnotic tone. Using a technique she developed herself, she made him fall into hypnosis.

"This isn't good for you. You need to go see a psychologist. You are going to hurt yourself like this. Please, let me help you"

She released his hands and the hypnosis, making sure he was calm.

"Oh my God, what have I done? What have I..."