Meanwhile inside, Alyssa paced the small, dimly lit room, her mind racing. She had been held for what felt like an entire day, and the fear of the unknown gnawed at her. The handsome stranger who had questioned her earlier left her with more questions than answers.
Thinking about that stranger, with his dark hair tied behind his head. The way his dark eyes looked at her, with anger and something else she didn't want to name but that she also felt. He spoke with the confidence of a man who owned the world. There was something about the way he spoke, the way he moved that was so entrancing, that she found herself lost for a second.
But this wasn't something she should notice, it wasn't something she should care about because that man held her captive and she couldn't even call it a crime. She cursed herself for not telling anyone where she was going. If they decided to kill her, no one would ever find her. Why didn't she make some researches beforehand? Why didn't she tell Alex she was coming here?
She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to calm her racing heart. She knew they were watching her. She was a detective, she knew this method. They were trying to make her nervous so she tried to stay calm and sat down. This place looked like an interrogation room just without the big black glass. There was only a little air channel on the roof. There was no camera but Alyssa was sure they were looking at her. The man's warning echoed in her mind: 'excuses are for the weak, detective. I don't like excuses' What had she stumbled into? This hidden village, the strange people, it all felt surreal.
The door suddenly creaked open, and Alyssa's heart skipped a beat. The stranger entered, his presence commanding and intense. He studied her for a moment before speaking.
"You've had time to think, detective" he sat down gracefully before her. He had a grace that made Alyssa wonder. "Now, tell me, why were you really here?"
Alyssa straightened, thought for a while. At this point what was she going to loose. She raised her chin, meeting his gaze with determination.
"I was investigating the exsanguination case. I need answers."
He nodded slowly, a flicker of understanding in his eyes.
"That case was closed and indexed,no?"
"you are very well informed on the case" she said noticing.
"You're risking more than you realize."
Alyssa clenched her fists. "I don't care about the risks. I care about justice. Someone has to answer for those deaths."
He sighed, "what I don't understand is, why did you come here while investigating this case?"
"we found footage of a man who was the responsible of the murders" the man raised a fine brow asking her to elaborate "The murders occurred in the forest surrounding your land. Everyone in the city have a print in the database, so we could find them in case, but that man didn't. And the only people not in our database are those living here."
"So, since we aren't on your database, you decided the culprit was one of us. Did you consider that it might be someone from somewhere else, who used the cover of my forest to hide his crime?" he said with a mix of frustration and something else she couldn't quite place. Alyssa didn't speak as it made quite a little bit of sense. But it didn't make them any less guilty. "Sign this," he said, handing her a piece of paper.
"what's this?" she asked as she read the only clause on the contract. She was to never speak of what she saw here and she never have to tell anyone she came here, else she would pay a sum of money, that her whole life wouldn't be able to be enough to gather or she'd belong to him forever.
"that's absurd" Alyssa's eyes widened at the absurdity of it, but she knew it was her only way out. "how am I supposed to make sure no one else come here?"
"that's your problem, detective, not mine" he replied coldly and dropped the pen before her, quietly asking her to sign.
"what if I refuse to sign? Will you kill me?"
"anything can happen, you were after all on a private propriety and we could have mistaken you for a stray animal or a thief" Alyssa narrowed her eyes at him. What an arrogant man!
"but I don't understand, why are you hiding? What you created here is a very beautiful thing"
"what exactly did I say that makes you think, I am ashamed of my home?" he asked calmly, his gaze serene into hers.
"then why this?" she showed the folder.
"we don't need overly curious and judgmental people like you to come wander over here"
Alyssa frowned and opened her mouth to tell him that she wasn't a judgmental person but what would be her excuse, she just did that by insinuating that the culprit must necessarily be someone from here. Alyssa pressed her lips into a thin line,took the pen and signed the contract. Next to the place she signed was manly, elegant signature under the name:
"Daemon Viserys" she murmured. She have heard that name before. Alyssa's head snapped up in shock, how could she have possibly ended up in his hands. She was even more shocked that he really existed. To her, this man didn't really exist, he was just a legend. That man's name was popular but she only thought it was his name that remained because he held companies that were centuries old.
"Good," he said, taking the folder from her and standing up. "You're free to go. But remember, I have my eyes on you" then he started walking out.
"wait!" there were many questions on her mind fighting to be chosen but only one won. "How do I leave here?"
"you'll find a door on your left. Your car is waiting for you. Take it and never come back" he finally left.
Alyssa ran to the door and looked both sides for him. He should still be walking down this dimly lit corridor but he wasn't. Alyssa looked at the door on her left and the dim corridor on her right. She was tempted to go and see what was on the right side but she needed to leave.
As she left, Alyssa vowed to herself that this wouldn't be the end. She would uncover the truth, no matter the cost. Daemon Viserys and his cryptic words only fueled her determination.
When she finally reached her car, she drove away, her mind racing with plans. She promised herself she would return and find the answers she sought. This secret world, hidden in the shadows, had only just begun to reveal its mysteries to her.
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I want to know what you think.
Being curious good or bad thing?
Tell me in the comments.