Chapter 77: Chapter 77

Third Person’s POV

Adam found himself in the midst of a dream. In this dream, he witnessed a woman lying unconscious on the ground. Despite his desperate attempts to reach out to her, he couldn't grasp her hand.

"Come on, just a little bit closer!"

With each step he took, his breathing became more constricted. There was a tightness in his chest, whether it was guilt or his conscience weighing him down. Nevertheless, despite the struggle, he made up his mind to hold her hand. Even if it meant enduring excruciating pain, he was determined to do the right thing this time.

"I don't seek your forgiveness. I will forever atone for my sins."

A bright light surrounded him. As Adam caught his breath, he surveyed his surroundings. His nightmare had come to an end, yet a part of him couldn't shake off the feeling that it wasn't yet time to relax.

"Boss! Are you alright?"

"I was so worried you were going to leave us!"

"Boss, do you recognize us? You were so close to death!"

He sat up straight, but winced as a throbbing pain shot through his head.

"Ouch."

His subordinates surrounded him, showing their support as if he was on the brink of death. Feeling embarrassed by their unwanted touch, Adam pushed them away.

"Where is Agatha?" He groaned.

"She's safe, boss," one of them informed.

The other guy filled him in on what had happened while he was teetering on the edge of death. "Mr. Holmes took her with him. He sent a private doctor to take care of you, and luckily, the poison didn't spread much."

'No,' Adam thought to himself. 'That bitch didn't want to kill me, so she only gave me a small dose. Damn! I can't believe she played me like that!'

"Boss! Thank you for staying alive!"

One by one, his subordinates gathered around him, ready for a group hug.

"What on earth! Go away!" He grumbled as he pushed them aside. After breaking free from their embrace, he struggled to stand up.

"Where are you off to, boss?! You need to rest!"

The reasons were on the tip of his tongue. But he couldn't utter them aloud. He needed to see Agatha safe and sound with his own eyes before he could call out her name.

Instead of driving, he hailed a taxi. Even though he was strong, his body wasn't made of steel. He felt dizzy and queasy, but he endured it for the sake of reuniting with her.

The night stretched on.

In the dark of the night, a maid's breath caught in her throat as she laid eyes on a towering figure approaching her. With thick eyebrows, fair skin, wide eyes, chiseled jawline, and crimson lips, she couldn't help but think of him as the embodiment of a nocturnal creature. As the moon shone brightly above, he drew nearer...closer.

However, any admiration for his appearance quickly faded as an overwhelming sense of danger emanated from him. It was as if he exuded a murderous aura, ready to eliminate anyone who dared cross his path.

"S-Sir, why are you..." She stammered, attempting to ask. But as expected, Adam walked past her after uttering a cutting remark.

"Go away."

Fear coursed through her veins, rendering her speechless. His words felt like a sharp blade, silencing her completely.

This wasn't the first time Brett's maids had encountered him. In fact, many of them had developed a massive crush on Mr. Adam. He always greeted them with a smile and expressed gratitude for their service as guests in his master's house. However, this time, he revealed a side that could potentially alter their perception of him.

As he made his way towards his destination, he envisioned what he would do the moment he laid eyes on Brett. His fists clenched tightly as he looked ahead.

When he reached the spot where Agatha was resting, his feet came to a halt. Finally, he encountered Brett, who had just emerged from a room.

"Mr. Adam?" Brett called out to his anticipated visitor for the night. Despite knowing what might unfold next, he greeted him with a wide smile and opened arms.

Is he expecting a hug from Adam Hendrix? No way.

"You shit!"

Adam yanked on Brett's collar, causing his clothes to crumple in his hand. Despite this, Brett's expression remained indifferent, which only fueled Adam's anger even more.

"You... Because of you she...!"

"What? Are you going to blame me?"

Yes, he wanted to blame Brett for everything. But...

"That's ironic. You're the one who sold her to me, but you didn't anticipate this?" Brett continued to scold him.

Adam's grip on Brett's collar tightened. Yes, he admitted that he also had some fault, so he shouldn't solely blame Brett.

"That's why!" he shouted. "Just give her back to me. I'm willing to pay a large sum of money to break the contract!"

"Adam, calm down."

Adam winced as another sharp pain shot through his head. "Ouch~" His hands, gripping onto Brett's collar, instinctively went to his temples.

"You're still recovering, so try not to be too harsh," Brett advised.

Adam glared at Brett, his breathing heavy. "It's because of you that she almost died."

Brett let out a sigh. Adjusting his collar, he spoke again. "Well, I initially thought so too. But now I'm not so sure."

Adam scoffed. "Even in this situation, you're trying to defend yourself? What a jerk."

"I did send her to Lanceil, but doesn't it seem strange? Why would they want to kill a maid?"

This time, Adam fell silent. He couldn't shake off the words the assassin had told him earlier.

["Even if I failed to kill her..." She gasped. "...they'll just send someone else."]

That's what Maxine, the assassin he failed to catch, told him. The true culprit behind all of this might be someone with the power to control many with just one command. And when he said 'they' instead of 'he', it meant that he was referring to not just one person, but a whole group.

"Even if I cut ties with her, someone will still try to harm her. Wouldn't it be better if she had us to protect her? This isn't the time to point fingers," Brett argued.

Maybe Brett was right. Adam silently agreed in his mind. As a result, his anger towards Brett subsided a little.

In return, his fury was directed towards the mysterious individual responsible for all of this mess.

Adam roughly wiped his face with his pale, veiny hands, even without water. The moment he regained his composure, he spoke up. "Where is she?"

Brett pointed to the room he had just left a moment ago. Knowing Adam's nature, he knew that Adam would rush over here as soon as he regained consciousness. So it was better to grant him access rather than escalate the situation.

Adam approached the entrance, his mind filled with silence. Just as he reached for the doorknob, Brett interjected, "Don't you dare pull any funny business with her."

Caught off guard, Adam locked eyes with Brett. He arched an eyebrow and took a deep breath through his nose.

"She may be safe now, thanks to you, but remember, Agatha is still mine."

Adam didn't dispute the truth in Brett's words. However, hearing it made him feel like he had just swallowed a bitter pill.

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Prompt 1: Adam was already in a bad mood, but Brett just kept fueling the fire.

Adam clicked his tongue in annoyance as he entered the room, silently cursing Brett.

As he walked in, he froze when he locked eyes with Agatha.

There was no particular smell in the room, but seeing her safe and sound on the bed brought a wave of relief over him. He could feel the warmth, the gentle breeze, and the scent of flowers in the air.

He was so grateful...so grateful that he dug his nails into his palms to hold back tears.

"I'm too tough for this, Adam. Don't get emotional," he repeated to himself like a mantra.

"Hey," Agatha called out.

Wow, her voice is just so calming. "This is insane," Adam sighed and then he buried his face in his hands.

He really doesn't want to face the truth. But now, the emotions are just too overwhelming for him to ignore his feelings any longer.

"I can tell you're still not okay," Agatha said softly.

Adam lowered his hands and observed her as she spoke. Even though she seemed nonchalant, her fingers were unconsciously twitching while she stared at him, as if she felt incredibly guilty and apologetic.

"I heard that you saved me earlier. Thank you so much," she whispered.

Adam rubbed the back of his head as he made his way towards her and took a seat on the edge of the bed. The bed softly trembled as he settled down. He kept his gaze fixed on her, causing her to avert her eyes.

"It's my fault that you got hurt. I apologize for that," Agatha admitted.

"You're absolutely right. I nearly died because of you," Adam concurred. His hand, which was about to brush her hair away, changed direction. And then...

"Ouch!" She winced and grabbed her forehead, which Adam lightly flicked.

"What the hell is that?" she grumbled.

"Does it hurt? That's nothing compared to my injuries!" Adam defended. "You're such an idiot, aren't you? You took the candy I gave you without suspecting a thing. And now you got abducted?"

"I knew it was you who gave me the candy. And I didn't see a reason why you would poison it. But yeah, I'll admit that I was an idiot for trusting that woman," Agatha replied. "So, sorry."

Adam was just trying to make the situation less awkward, but when her gaze fell upon my bruises and small wounds, it felt like we were back to square one.

"I'm really sorry," Agatha repeated her apology.

Letting out a sigh, Adam had no choice but to use this awkwardness as an excuse to leave.

“Forget it. I came here to see if you're really alive or not. Now that I've confirmed it with my own eyes, I'll leave. Take care," Adam said before getting up and turning away from her.

He didn't want to see her face because it would only make it harder for him to walk away from her.

"I never liked you," Agatha stated.

Adam's steps came to a halt as soon as he heard her serious tone from behind. Even though he already knew this, it still pained him to hear it directly from Agatha.

"But right now, I don't hate you either. Thank you for being kind to me. I won't forget this," she said.

Agatha admitted that she didn't like him, but she also didn't hate him. Adam thought that this simple feeling was enough. And so, his usually steady heart began to beat loudly in his chest.

"Thank you," Adam whispered.

The sudden silence that followed indicated how surprised she was to hear his unexpected gratitude. However, despite that, Adam continued.

"For making me want to change..."

He turned around and met her widened eyes.

"Thank you."

In Adam's dreams, he attempted to grasp her but was unsuccessful. However, in the real world, despite feeling a bit awkward as a tough guy, Adam embraced her warmly by wrapping his arms around her tightly.

------- ** **

Lanceil was filled with anticipation as he made his way home to see Agatha.

"I'm back!" He exclaimed as he stepped inside.

He surveyed his quiet condo, noticing that the kitchen lights were off and the living room was empty. It gave him an unsettling feeling.

"Is she in her room?"

After removing his shoes, he headed straight for her room. He gently knocked on the door and called out, "Agatha? Are you in there?"

Lanceil cautiously opened the door.

Her room was dimly lit by a single lamp. Suddenly, the eerie feeling he had earlier started to make sense.

"Where could she be?"

He searched every nook and cranny, but there was no sign of her. That's when he decided to check Vincent's room this time.

He knocked on the door and cautiously entered.

"Hey bro," Vincent called out. "You gotta listen to this. Just now, Br..." He was interrupted by Lanceil's question.

"Where's Agatha?"

"Agatha?" Vincent furrowed his brow. "She stepped out a while ago. But she mentioned she'd be back soon, so I assumed she had already returned. Isn't she in her room?"

Lanceil remained silent, exchanging glances with Vincent, both sensing that something was amiss.

"Damn it!" Vincent exclaimed, rising from his seat. He quickly dialed her number, but...

'Toot toot toot!'

"Hey! Give it a try! I couldn't get through to her!" Vincent panicked, his voice trembling.

Despite the rising panic, Lanceil tried to maintain his composure. He had experienced this before, the fear of losing someone slipping through his fingers. This time, he was determined to handle it better.

He dialed her number once again and brought the phone close to his ear.

'Toot! Toot! Toot!'

No response. The connection was lost.

His hands trembled. The color drained from his face as his mind went blank.

"Damn it! Why couldn't you reach her?" Vincent stormed out. He didn't even bother putting on his slippers as he rushed out into the cold street to find her.

Taking a deep breath, Lanceil muttered, "The police. I need to call the police. R-Right."

But his knees gave way. He collapsed onto the floor as painful memories flooded back to him.

"No," he shook his head. "She'll be fine. She's alright." He bit down on his lower lip until it bled.

He desperately hoped that nothing bad would happen this time. Otherwise, he would curse himself for opening his heart again, knowing that his love could lead to someone's death, just like what happened to his wife.