The person's grip was gentle yet firm as they guided Luzella away from the scene, the person's hands shielding her eyes from the horror that lay ahead. "It's not something you can look at, little girl," he said slowly, his deep, husky voice a low rumble against her ear. The sound sent shivers down her spine as the words seemed to wrap around her, the richness of his tone lingering in the air. The proximity of his mouth to her ear made the words feel intimate, the warmth of his breath a subtle contrast to the chill that ran down her spine.
Recognition dawned on her as she identified the voice, the same low, husky tone that had held an air of intensity both yesterday and tonight at the auction. The familiarity was unnerving, yet somehow comforting, as if the stranger's presence was a dark shelter from the chaos unfolding around her. His deep voice seemed to resonate within her.
As he released his hand from her eyes, Luzella turned to face him, her eyes locking onto his, and she felt a jolt of confirmation, it was indeed the same man she had met yesterday and tonight at the auction. Luzella responded to him with a soft "OHH" His intense gaze met hers, but his expression remained unreadable.
Just then, one of the volunteers called out to her, breaking the silence that had settled between Luzella and the stranger (Alaric), "Luzella, come here, we need your help." The urgency in the volunteer's voice was clear, and Luzella's attention was immediately drawn away from the intense gaze of the stranger.
As Luzella turned to go, Alaric's sudden movement caught her off guard, he grasped her hand firmly, his fingers wrapping around hers with a gentle yet unyielding pressure that seemed to hold her in place. The touch sent a spark through her, and Luzella's eyes flew back to his, searching for answers in the depths of his gaze.
Luzella glanced down at her hand, which Alaric firmly holds, then met his face, her eyes searching for some hint of explanation. With a polite tone, she breaks the silence, asking, "Do you need anything, sir?" Her words hang in the air, awaiting Alaric's response, but he remains silent, his expression unreadable.
Luzella's patience finally wore thin due to Alaric's prolonged silence, and she attempted to free herself from the situation by stating, "Sir, I have work. I need to go." Her words were a direct result of his inaction, a hint that she couldn't stand there indefinitely without a response, and a polite yet firm reminder that she had other responsibilities to attend to.
With a glance over her shoulder, he watched the police arrive and released her hand, his voice low and abrupt as he uttered a single, curt word: "GO." There was no explanation, just a dismissal that left Luzella wondering what had transpired.
Luzella turned and walked away, leaving him standing there as she headed back to her duties without a backward glance.
Alaric's gaze lingered on the space where Luzella had stood, his eyes narrowing slightly as he watched her depart. His expression remained unreadable, giving no hint of the thoughts that occupied his mind, before he finally turned away.
As Alaric approached the car, another person was already waiting there, leaning against the car with a relaxed posture, his arms crossed over his chest, and his eyes fixed intently on Alaric as he drew near. "Why did you go in again?" he asked, his tone casual, yet tinged with curiosity, as he watched Alaric's expression for any hint of an explanation, his gaze narrowing slightly as he awaited the response.
But he got none. Alaric walked around to the passenger side of the car and slid into the seat. The person watched him for a moment and sighed before opening the driver's side door and getting in. As he settled into the driver's seat, he turned to Alaric and asked, "What do you need with the girl's information? I dug up everything I could about her," he said with a confident tone, "I got it all done in under an hour, not bad, if I do say so myself." His eyes locked onto Alaric's, awaiting a response as he started the car and prepared to drive.
Alaric shot him a stern look, his voice firm as he said "Cut the nonsense and drive"
The person beside Alaric didn't dare say another word and calmly drove off, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, his expression neutral, the only sound was the hum of the engine and the soft rush of the wind outside.
•••••••••••••
The police, who had already been stationed at the auction venue to ensure guest security, swiftly responded to the incident, securing the area and beginning to question witnesses. Additional officers and an ambulance soon arrived, and paramedics carefully transported the lifeless body of the bold lady to the hospital for a postmortem examination. Meanwhile, the medics attended to the grieving father, providing what comfort they could. The police also began inquiring with a group of the bold lady's friends, who were visibly shaken and struggling to process what they had witnessed, trying to gather as much information as possible from them.
The bold lady's friends recounted everything to the police, from their arrival at the auction event to the argument that ensued when she tried to kiss someone and failed,
They described how she stormed off, leaving them behind. They described how her father grew increasingly worried when she didn't return after the event and how they helped him search for her, scouring the venue and surrounding areas, until they finally stumbled upon her lifeless body, a discovery that left them all in shock.