Chapter 4 :IMELDA

IMELDA’s POV.

The exterior of the house is nothing compared to the interior. It looks like a king lives here and as much as I want to admire the entire place, I am unable to rest.

I want to leave this place and go back to my resort in Italy. I don’t want to be stuck with a man who thinks scarfs are lady undies.

My thoughts are interrupted when I hear footsteps from the top of the stairs and I look up to see the Zeke guy walking towards me.

“Where is he?”

“Sleeping,” he replies and my forehead curbs into a frown. Here I am having an existential crisis and he is sleeping? Really? I thought he just woke up so how can he be sleeping by now?

“You must be joking right?” I look at him again, “he can not be sleeping. I literally work him from sleep and he—

“That cave,” he cut me off, “how did you get there?"

“What?”

“I ask the questions here, Amber” he replies angrily, “how did you get into the cave and how did you wake him up”

Unlike sleeping beauty, this one looks like he knows exactly what’s going on. The thought of the truth sends shivers down my spine but I keep my calm. I won’t let any of them make me more scared than I already am.

“I heard my name,” I tell him sincerely, “and I went in the direction of the voice. I got into the cave and I saw him. The only thing I had to do was touch the chains and they came off.”

“So you are telling me you broke a five hundred year curse like that, Amber?”

He doesn’t look like he believes me which is making me go crazy. I just want to go back home, I think I'm done with the entire fun today.

“I need to leave.”

“Amber.

“Stop calling me Amber,” I finally snap, “my name is Imelda and I do not know this Amber you talk about okay?”

He peers at me like he is trying to memorize every line on my face. I swallow hard. Maybe I shouldn't have come on this trip.

“The master will soon be awake when the healer comes to check on him. He will tell you if he will let you live or not.”

Till now, I have been trying to be calm but this man thinks I am foolish.

“You must be crazy,” I blurt out and his forehead curves, “you brought me here against my will and now I have to wait for some pretty boy to wake up and tell me if I should leave? Look, I don’t care about the game you are playing but I am leaving and I am leaving now. Do you hear me?”

“You can’t,” he replies nonchalantly, “although this is the heart of New York but you can’t leave unless the person who brings you here takes you back. The master has been asleep for a long time, give him time to adjust to the time difference and he will let you know what he wants from you. You were responsible for his death years ago, you can do this much.”

“What. You can’t—

He doesn’t wait for what I want to say, he only turns around and walks away leaving me more confused than I can ever be. I should have minded my business and not go to the cave and now..

I slump on the sofa and close my eyes. This is so horrible and I do not even want to think about it. I don’t even care for Italy now, I just want to go back to Miami. From Miami to New York is another journey on its own.

“Fuck!” I mutter under my breath. I hate this so much.

If my best friend and my boyfriend didn’t do this to me, I wouldn’t be in this situation at all. I hated them the more, more than the devil himself.

I don’t know for how long I sat there until I open my eyes and I let out a loud yelp.

Sleeping beauty is seated in front of me, his face almost to mine.

I immediately stand up and walk away from him as my eyes catch the clock on the wall. It’s already past 8 in the evening.

Fuck. How long did I sleep? The question is did I actually sleep here?

“You are finished, Imelda.” I mutter to myself.

“You looked calm as you slept.” His deep baritone reaches me and I turn my head to him, “Almost so innocent that I almost believed you did not kill me.”

“Look,” I take my hand through my hair as frustration settles in the pit of my stomach.

“I don’t know who you are or who killed you. I have done my part by waking you up right! Can I at least go mow?”

“This is your new home,” he blurts out.

For a few seconds, I stare at him until I begin to laugh. Now, this is the funniest scenario I have ever had to encounter in my life.

“You must be crazy too,” I tell him, “and I am done having this conversation with you. I am leaving and that’s final. Do you understand that?”

“Try if you can.”

He doesn’t move, he doesn’t even flinch. He just sits there like nothing matters to him.

“Zeke?”

“Yes, master.” He comes rushing into the living room.

“Bring my throne back,” he orders, “sitting on this makes me feel lowly.”

“Yes, master.

“And the horses. I need to see them too.

Zeke and my eyes meet and I can see surprise and disbelief in them. Does this man think we are in the sixteenth century or what?

“And the menservants. Ask one to come.”

I let out another sigh. This man is officially trying to rage-bait me.

“The workers are not here yet, master,” Zeke tells him.

“Did you not make any preparations?” He flares up as his huge frame peels off the couch. This is when I take a proper look at him. He is dressed in a pair of black joggers and a white tee shirt. His hair is falling over the place but it gives him a kind of flare. This man looks like a greek god, someone straight out of a painting.

“You had five hundred years to prepare, Zeke” he says again, taking slow steps towards him.

Five hundred what? My eyes pop open. The truth is bare. I willingly followed a mad man to a mad house.

Without thinking twice, I bolted leaving my bag. It was better to be alive.