Knock knock.
A sound came from the door interrupting Xiaoyan's good time on her phone.
Turns out, the rumour was circulating faster than she expected, she couldn't wait for the company to call her to sign the official documents transfering the CEO position.
Groggily, she stood up, walking towards the door as she mumbled, " swear I'll skin you alive if you're not from the company "
The moment she opened the door, she was greeted by two heifty men in black suits.
At that instant, Xiaoyan couldn't contain her excitement as the only thing that came to her mind where...
Suits! Black suits! They're from the company!.
" Miss.. " one of them gestured towards the black van.
She didn't wait for a second as she shrieked, " arghhh yes! " She pumped her fist in the air, in what should be called " victory at last"
She quickly got into the black van as well as the men and the door immediately shut closed.
Crazy how some people could go blind and senseless when money was involved.
The two men glanced at each other clearly surprised, since the beginning of their jobs, they've never met a submissive victim.
Twenty minutes more, they were still on the road, worst was xiaoyan had fallen asleep on one of the men's shoulders just after ten minutes.
She was asleep for more than 30 minutes before finally waking up as she yawned lazily. " how long did I fall asleep? " she asked, still with sleepy eyes.
Actually she couldn't believe she fell asleep on such a " blessed " day as today, but the " no interaction " from the men was something else, something she wasn't a fan of, she assumed they were just part of company rules and slept off.
There was no reply from the men just as xiaoyan expected, they just simply stared at her.
And normally, they should've tied her hands already, but her willingness when she entered the van even up to falling asleep on the men's shoulders made them let her be.
Finally fully awake, xiaoyan looked towards the window, " huh? how long have we been on the ride? Last time I checked the company wasn't far from home so... "
She paused, realizing how infatuated she had been with the company that she just willingly got into strangers van without asking questions!
her heart began thumping in her head. " Uhm, you-you guys are taking me to another branch of the company, one that I haven't explored yet...hehe right? " she let out a weak laugh that sounded more like air forced through her lips.
And well, they still didn't answer and just kept looking at her.
At that instant, Xiaoyan caught a glimpse of a gun tucked half exposed in one of the men's pocket.
Her eyes blurred as she felt her head spin, she looked at them once more, and then as though possessed, she lunged straight to the window " help me... " She screamed at the ,top of her lungs.
Finally, this was the expression they had expected.
Her previous movement only made them wonder if she had mental issues.
One of them finally spoke with a husked voice, " it's soundproof, no one's going to hear you or neither see inside! "
Xiaoyan collapsed to her knees
And with such vicious heart as hers, An liyue instantly became the focus of her rage, as a shameless way of covering up her own reckless foolishness,
" it's you! it's all you! " She was saying to herself, " if you had never showed up, I would've definitely inherited the company! rightfully and all these stuffs wouldn't happen! arghh... " she held her head as she screamed inside the van.
And the men just simply covered their ears as she screamed while looking at her.
maybe she was a psycho after all.
She stopped screaming and then looked at the men again, and after seemingly realizing she wasn't in a nightmare, she held her head about to scream again when the two men simultaneously hit her head with a gun.
Blackout.
After some hours later, xiaoyan, weak and feeling an intense headache in her head, squinted her eyes, trying to understand just where she was.
It was dark, very dark.
She tried moving her hands but couldn't, "h- huh? " she tried again but all to no avail, turns out both her hands and feets were tied to the back of a chair.
At this moment panic overwhelmed her as she shouted, " wh-what is this? what is this!, who are you and what are you doing keeping me tied up here! " she continued trying pry herself loose but it was tight that her hand began hurting.
" you-you have no idea who I am! I swear I'll sue you... "when I get out of here.
The words died in her throat as she saw a video of someone who looked like her or was actually her, giving money to a guy.
Her eyes widened in horror as she recognized the face of the man.
' Luo Yize!!! '
It was the guy she had paid to murder Yu Cheng, and it was all displayed in the video right in front of her.
From paying him... to her keeping the knife in the room and the guy walking in and doing the job.
But no!
There was absolutely something wrong in the video...
Things weren't adding up.
An Liyue... was never in the room!!!
____*___*___*_______________________
While in the dark library,
An Liyue with eyes wide open in shock couldn't help the " thoughts spam " going on inside her head.
I was falling...
But was stopped.
By a hand... Yh strong hands... couldn't be anything else.
The hand's... round my waist!
And the hand could only belong to...
Oh no.
Just then, An Liyue heard his voice, low and magnetic, " couldn't you fall peacefully without implicating my stuffs? "
An Liyue: " !!!... "
" H-huh? " She had not succeeded in saying anything when she landed with a heavy bank on the floor.
Turns out while she had instinctively reached for something while falling, she had gotten hold of Han Raviel's expensive golden incense cup clutching onto it.
And at that moment, he had quickly held unto her waist to prevent the impact on the " cup " and so, once he took it from her, he finally let her be...
Fall to the ground.
An Liyue took a deep breath with her eyes closed.
At this moment, if she was with her phone, she must've posted " #An Liyue feeling foolish " having thought that the inhuman Han Raviel, had attempted to prevent her from falling.
And Han Raviel just plainly walked forward elegantly as though An liyue was a robot.
Falling to the ground meant no pain.
Not to say the embarrassment which every human feels whenever they fall face flat on the floor.
And not even when there was some-one there to witness it.
Anyways, An Liyue forced herself up as she immediately trailed behind Raviel like a puppy.
And just then, the lights were turned on.
wait lights?
they were no light in han Raviel's mansion as far as far as An liyue was concerned, as they were all...
dim.gloomy.
dim. gloomy.
It was like the mansion was alive but in deep sadness, the type that stretches long towards the door of death.
However, the patterns of the ones in Raviel's library caught her eyes as they just kept turning on in order, from down to up where it stopped at a chandlier.
An Liyue stared up in a " wow "
It was definitely was the highest hall in Raviel's mansion as its stretched upwards.
It was also the most silent.
But the silence was just like Hannah Raviel...
The disguised calm before the storm.
It felt more like a sacred hall than a library to An liyue.
" Are you just going to stand there... until the walls stare back at you? " came Raviel's voice.
She instantly felt goosebumps.
For real the library was scary, but even more as Raviel mentioned the wall staring back at her.
She quickly turned towards Han Raviel who was seated quietly sipping a coffee.
Now An liyue certainly had other things in mind other than asking how he got that coffee... when she hadn't seen a servant come in or go out.
She quickly walked over to the chair on the other end of the table, sitting down with composure, but still, to han Raviel, she look more like a squirrel watching all traces of her home—the trees, being cut down.
He suddenly threw a some papers towards her.
An Liyue stared at it for some time and then back at Han Raviel.
Han Raviel looked back at her, straight into her eyes that it took the guts of a thousand year old dragon for her to not look away.
And then his cold voice sounded again.
" I believe I didn't slap the papers onto my face "
An Liyue, with the speed of lightning quickly looked down into the papers as her hands slowly moved to open them.
She swallowed as she went through them.
And then ...
She ceased breathing as her head registered what she saw.
It was a contract.
She read it carefully,
THIS IS A CONTRACT BINDING MR HAN RAVIEL AND MISS AN LIYUE TOGETHER BY MARRIAGE AGREEMENT.
THIS AGREEMENT SHALL REMAIN VALID FOR A PERIOD OF ONE YEAR.
DURING THIS PERIOD, THE WOMAN AND ALL MATTERS CONCERNING HER SHALL BE MAINTAINED IN CONDITIONS OF HER SATISFACTION.
HOWEVER, THE MAN RESERVES THE RIGHT TO STATE AN ADDITIONAL CONDITION ORALLY.
An Liyue finally looked up to Han Raviel.
" Your signature is the only thing needed " Raviel said as he tossed a pen towards her. " It's just as stated, you agree with the contract and I'd grant any of your request... to the extent of my capabilities... "
To the extent of his capabilities?!
What capabilities!
Hmph!
He continued, " the contracts covers the aspects of your loved ones as well, so sign up immediately. "
Yep, it was always a command.
An Liyue took a deep breath as she questioned him, " and if I don't sign it? "
Han Raviel he relaxed back on his chair, " you just may feel guilty all your life "
An Liyue paused, what did he mean by that?
" Mr Xu, " Han Raviel called out leisurely.
Just then An Liyue saw the chief butler emerge from behind,
Has he been here all these while...
Or the chief butler downstairs wasn't him?...
Or...
An Liyue almost laughed if not for the tension at hand as she thought she chief butler had a twin.
And well then, the tension in th room rose above sea level as Mr Xu instantly played a video for Liyue.
They were actually two.
The first made An liyue widen her eyes in horror...
While the second?...
A surge of unexplainable emotions, one that An liyue had never felt in her entire life, rushed in her as she stood up violently...