I don't care.

I was going to escape through the window, I've made up my mind to.. I mean, super heroes casually did it all the time. I told myself severally in one second that there was nothing to worry about.

After that, I was tearing the luxurious silk bedspread into two, not caring about how expensive it might be. It wasn't my problem. Xender shouldn't have kept me here in the first place. I thought as I clutched to the fabric tightly in my hands, I fastened it to the window pane, my fingers trembling as I secured it as firmly as I could.

Dusting my hands off on my dress, I peered outside, looking out for the men in black, I grinned, when I saw that it was clear of them. When my eyes settled on the distance below me, I gasped horrifically, with my fingers flying to my lips.

I blinked, doubt and fear nibbling at me, but I pushed them aside. There was no turning back now.

"I can do this"

I muttered lightly as I climbed onto the makeshift rope, testing its strength with each movement. It took quite a while stretching and re-stretching even dramatically just to ensure that it was tight to the core. I gulped, holding onto the rope, seeing that it was safe and ready. My heart raced as I ascended, clinging to the wall for dear life.

A sudden realization struck me, and panic surged through my veins. If anyone caught sight of me, they would assume I was an intruder or a thief, not an escapee. In the middle of that, I lost my balance, slipped, and I tumbled from the makeshift rope, the fabric tearing as I fell.

A high-pitched scream escaped my lips, and I braced myself for the inevitable pain that would follow the impact. Just then, the iron gates began to swing open, and xender's car pulled into the driveway. He spotted me sprawled on the ground, a perplexed expression furrowing his brow. He swiftly exited the vehicle, his steps quickeing as he approached me.

His gaze bore into mine, a mixture of disbelief and something else I couldn't quite place.

"What are you doing?" he asked, as he searched over my almost teary face. He gestured towards me with a quirked eyebrow. "Playing on the floor?"

"Though. It doesn't look like it"

He muttered, noticing the way my lips were curved downwards. I couldn't help but feel like everything was all his fault. If not for him I wouldn't be in pain now.

I rubbed my temples with an exaggerated sigh, bitterness tainting my tone. "Stay away from me."

He muttered something under his breath, his annoyance evident, as he extended a hand to help me up. Reluctantly, I accepted his assistance, because I couldn't get myself up with the pain erupting in my both limbs, I avoided eye contact when he noticed the tattered remains of the bedsheet in my grasp, his gaze flickering to the window where the remaining fabric clung.

"Amelia," he scolded, his tone very pissd and annoyed.

I rolled my eyes. "Sorry for ruining your silk bedsheets"

He gritted and muttered to my surprise. "What bedsheets? Why did you hurt yourself this way?"

He diverted his questions, scooping me into his arms, my body pressed uncomfortably close to his chest, and I could smell the scent of his cologne, they were intoxicating.

Really.

For a while, I forgot to breathe with an unwelcome rush of something flowing through my veins, and I stole a glimpse at his face that was barely a two inch away. I averted my gaze, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing that I was almost lost staring at him.

I didn't need that now. Not now.

He carried me towards the entrance of the mansion, pausing as his eyes met those of the chief maid, Kate. He addressed her with a single word, his voice firm and authoritative.

"Kate."

Startled, she turned her attention to him, her gaze shifting between his serious expression and the peculiar sight of him holding me in his arms. Confusion marred her features, her brows knitting together.

Xender's expression held a hint of impatience as he asked her, "fetch me a first aid kit"

Her confusion deepened, her eyes looking over me as she hesitated for a moment before nodding briskly and scurrying off to fulfill his request. Xender's gaze returned to me, his annoyance somewhat tempered by an unexpected glimmer of concern.

"Let's find somewhere for you to sit," he muttered, his tone gentler than I had expected. Reluctantly, I nodded, my body still tingling from the fall, pain pulsating with every heartbeat.

He lowered me onto a nearby couch, his movements controlled yet surprisingly gentle. The seconds stretched into an awkward silence, the air somewhat heavy and I focused my attention on the torn bedsheet in my hands, twisting the fabric between my fingers as if it could unravel the mysteries that surrounded me.

Soon enough, Kate returned with the first aid kit, her steps measured as she approached us. She handed the kit to xender, her gaze flickering between us with a mix of curiosity and concern. Xender took the kit with a nod of gratitude, a silent exchange passing between them before she departed, leaving us alone once again.

Xender opened the kit and extracted the necessary supplies, his movements practiced and efficient. As he cleaned the minor cuts and bruises I had sustained during my ill-fated escape attempt, a strange tension seemed to hang in the air. Neither of us spoke, the silence punctuated by the soft rustling of bandages and the occasional hiss of pain as he treated my injuries.

He leaned a bit, roaming his hands a bit higher into my thighs than where I have wounded and my eyes doubled slowly, turning to look at him and there…

Just right there laid the reason why I wanted to escape this place again. "Amelia"

His tone was deeper than usual and his grey eyes a darker shade of what it used to be. I nervously bit against my underlip, slowly removing my legs from his grip, but to my surprise, he reached out for it again as he muttered.

"Sorry for that"

This time, he didn't cross the boundaries and Finally, he finished tending to my injuries, xender sighed, his gaze lifting to meet mine.

"Amelia, I need you to understand that what you did was dangerous. You could have seriously hurt yourself."

I met his gaze, my frustration bubbling to the surface. "You act like you care about my well-being, but you're the reason I felt the need to escape in the first place."

His expression darkened, his jaw tightening. "Of cause. I care about you very much"

I scuffed. "Then. Why do you keep me caged down here?"

He was about to say something when kate, the chief maid appeared, causing him to go quiet and looking toward her. "You can take it away now"

He muttered, and she swiftly came over to take the kits from his hands. He addressed the chief maid all of a sudden with a seething intensity. "Sack all the maids instantly. I told them to look after my wife. Is this how they are watching over her?"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at his possessive claim – the audacity of referring to me as "my wife." The words rubbed me the wrong way. A sharp retort bubbled at the tip of my tongue, but he continued speaking, his voice a mixture of concern and irritation. "If she has a broken limb—"

I couldn't let him finish that sentence. "I hope I have a broken limb so you won't marry me and would stop disturbing me."

He abruptly shifted his gaze from the chief maid to lock onto me. The intensity of his stare was penetrating, as if he could read everything that went on inside of me. His response, however, caught me off guard. "Trust me, I'll marry you regardless, so don't even think of harming yourself."

I frowned, unable to believe that he just said that. It was a twisted kind of assurance, one that only deepened my frustration. I looked away from him, still very angry.

He soon came to carry me again, leading me toward what had become my room in his house. The door swung open, and he placed me carefully on the bed, his towering figure casting a shadow over me.

As his gaze bore into mine, a flicker of something inside them. Three things danced within his eyes – desire, hunger and possession. My heart raced, and I instinctively leaned deeper into the bed, clutching what remained of the torn bedsheet.

There was tension in the air between us as had locked his eyes with mine. I felt my heart pounding really hard against my chest.

"I'll never leave you all alone in the house again," he vowed, his words tinged with a hint of remorse.

I shifted, diverting my gaze, unwilling to give in to the vulnerability that seemed to seep from his gaze. "I don't care wherever you go. If you can't release me, then don't speak to me."

His silence hung heavily in the air, and I could feel his presence behind me. I closed my eyes, shutting out the world as I sought refuge in the darkness behind my lids. The room was suffocating, the knowledge this house prison pressing down on me.