From Tears To Ecstasy

"Please don't hurt us!" A woman screamed at the top of her lungs. "Please don't kill us; we'll give you anything you want."

A huge man laughed hysterically. He had his face hidden behind a mask and hat and his hands were covered with gloves. "Bye bye." As he set his gun and aimed it towards the family, he continued to laugh.

When he pulled the trigger, the bullet ripped through the woman's neck, leaving a large hole that soon filled with blood and it gushed out. As she collapsed to the ground, a pool of blood formed around her, soaking into her clothing, and she choked to death.

In the dimly illuminated room, Eren Cyrus awoke panting loudly. His entire body was drenched with sweat. Except for the ticking of his alarm clock, the mansion was quiet. With his hand, he located it and switched it off. Eren wanted to stay beneath the covers after his nightmare, but he was afraid that going back to sleep would trigger another bad dream.

He took his walking stick and entered the bathroom carefully, stripping off his wet pajamas and entering the shower. He turned the water to lukewarm and leaned forward, his hands against the wall, the water splashing down his back.

For Eren, life was a long, lazy road. He didn't mind walking it as long as he could do so at his own pace. Growing up, he'd avoid getting close to anyone. He was easygoing at a young age but after the death of his parents and losing his sight, he locked everyone out of his life except his butler, Mr. Lewis, whom he trusted with his life. Eren was well known for being arrogant and pompous and he wasn't well liked by most. 

The fact that he had been born rich might have struck in a few throats, but he didn't flaunt it much. His butler had told him about his parents' deaths and how, after days of searching, they had finally found him. It was murder; his butler had said. And his life is in danger. The murderer will track him down and not let him rest until he has slaughtered his entire family.

Eren has no remembrance of his parents' looks or the way in which they died. He'd only been living in the stories he'd been told about the event that had caused him to lose his sight.

He was having the nightmare yet again, and it had been like that for the past nineteen years. He hadn't been able to identify who the man behind the mask was or who he had shot.

What was the identity of the woman who screamed? What did she mean to him that he had to keep seeing her in his dreams every night? Her face was blurry yet again, and he had no idea why he was experiencing the same nightmares repeatedly.

He couldn't tell Mr. Lewis about his dreams because he knew he'd have to go to the hospital or receive treatment, both of which he hated. It was as though he loved the chance to get away from his issues. That was something he was used to; Hiding and letting his butler take care of his problems. What was the point of getting treatment for his mental illness if he didn't think he'd ever see again? His doctor had informed him that he might as well be blind for the rest of his life since finding a cornea donor was so difficult.

Mr. Lewis, in any case, was in charge of Eren's money. He worked as the Cyrus housekeeper for thirty years or more, and Eren knows nothing else about him. He couldn't recall much from his childhood, and when he tried to picture Mr. Lewis today, all he saw was the man he knew when he was seven.

Eren was never one to do things for the sake of money. He just does four things around the house: wake up, eat, order the maids around, and go back to bed. That has happened several times over the years, and he occasionally speaks with family members when they come to visit.

He had done nothing to earn his good fortune, so it would have been easy for him to waste it, but he couldn't since everything he needed was already in the mansion.

"Young master!" 

Hoping for the best, Eren kept his eyes shut and used his cane to direct himself back into his room.

"Young master!" Mr. Lewis's booming voice cried out. He hurried into Eren's room. "I heard a noise. Are you okay?" He asked.

With a sigh, Eren opened his eyes. Mr. Lewis walked to him and helped him back to his bed. "If you needed anything, you should have rung the bell— I would have called one of your maids." He said, walking to the windows to open them. The sun poured through his window, making the room bright. And even though all he could see was darkness, he could feel it was already bright outside.

His butler approached him with his clothes, but Eren remained silent as he took them from him and dropped them on the bed.

"Put your shirt on—and tuck it in." Mr. Lewis ordered. "I'll call one of your maids to help you to the dinner table." He spoke and was ready to walk away when Eren stopped him with his voice.

"I fired them all," He said calmly, his eyes were shut again and then he flipped it open. His hand clutched the head of his walking cane tightly and he inhaled deeply then slowly exhaled.

Mr. Lewis was taken aback. He gave Eren a quick glance before carefully approaching him. "Sir, what is the matter?—If I may ask."

Eren lifted his clothes from the bed and struggled into it. "Today is the day for new maids to be hired. Am I correct?" Mr. Lewis nodded when he asked.

"Yes, sir," He then replied Eren.

Eren stood up from the bed, using his cane as support as he wore his pants. "As a result, the old ones had to go." Chin up, He smirked. "I fired them all, and I didn't want you to know because you'll try to talk me out of it and convince me to keep them."

"But, sir, I—"

"We should get rid of the ineffective ones and assess the new ones' performance today. We should arrange to welcome the new maids in. Don't you agree?" Eren grinned, reaching for Mr. Lewis' hand for help in getting him out of his room.

"Yes, sir," Mr. Lewis sighed as he took Eren's hand in his, assisting him out of his room to the diner table for breakfast.

Mr. Lewis was tired yet again, and one of the few things he hated about the boy he had raised was his pickiness. Eren constantly has a couple of issues with the maids. He was continually complaining about everything, and nothing ever seemed to satisfy him. To keep his interest, they'd switch maids every month.

Mr. Lewis drew the chair out for Eren and sat him in it. Before letting go of Eren's hand, he made sure he was comfortable. "I'll make some omelet for you."

Eren leaned in close. "Why are you doing the work?" He asked. "Won't the kitchen maid be able to do it?" He smirked. "I didn't let her go."

Mr. Lewis stood straight, his hands behind his back. "Young master," he said. Eren used his voice to locate where he was and concentrated on him when he called. "I told you not to trust anyone since the killers who murdered your parents are still on the loose, so let me do the cooking." He said.

Eren was in pain, and his chest was crushed. He couldn't recollect how the incident occurred, but he remembered his nightmares and the woman who kept pleading with the masked man for mercy for her family. As he grasped his cane hard in his palm, the voice continued ringing in his head. What if she turned out to be his mother? He had thought but he wasn't certain. He had never seen the woman's face before. It was still unclear, as it had been for years, and she called out for mercy. What might the family have done to the man to cause him to murder them so ruthlessly? Or was it all a nightmare?

"Fire her as well." Eren was angered when he said this. He wouldn't let go of his cane, and it was clear he was furious.

"Young master," Mr. Lewis called gently. He was hoping to reach out to him in a gentle manner in order for him to stop being angry.

"She has the power to kill me since I am blind, so fire her as well." His focus had already shifted away from his butler and was now focused ahead.  "We'll also appoint a new person to the kitchen.  Everything in this house has to change today."

"But, what about her family?" Mr. Lewis asked.

"What about them?" 

"You're aware of her situation—and you wanted me to make sure she got the job." He  reminded Eren

Eren scoffed. "Poor people must understand that power belongs to the wealthy.  Besides, you warned me not to trust anyone, and the only person I trust is you, Mr. Lewis." His chin was still raised. "It's likely that my enemies bribed her to poison me. No one knows, yet, I can sometimes feel her gaze on me. They are deadly—" He breathed in. "She won't die if I let her go, so make sure you pay her before she leaves." There was nothing that could be said to make him change his mind because he had so much hatred in his heart already.