Happiness

CHAPTER TWO

"What's the matter, Kai? Got any last message for Mr. Lu?" Lucien Belmont's voice oozed malice the moment I ended the call.

A chill shot down my spine. His words hit me like a punch to the gut, rooting me to the cracked pavement. How did he know I was trying to reach Mr. Lu? The dimly lit corner pressed in around me, as if the city itself conspired to trap me in this moment. A lone flickering bulb buzzed overhead, casting erratic shadows that danced with the pounding rhythm of my pulse.

"Excuse me?" I shot back, forcing my voice steady. Sliding my phone into my pocket, I clenched my fists, my hands trembling slightly despite my best efforts to stay calm. Tension rippled through my muscles, like a coiled spring on the verge of snapping.

Lucien tilted his head, his smirk widening into something more sinister. "Who did you think you were calling, hmm?"

Confusion tangled with fear in my mind. Who the hell was this guy? How did he know me? And more importantly-how did he know Mr. Lu? Had we crossed paths before? The questions churned in my brain, but there wasn't time for answers. My heart pounded in my chest, deafening in my ears. Anger flared, cutting through the uncertainty. Before I could stop myself, I grabbed Lucien by the collar, slamming him against the wall.

"I'm not playing games. What did you just say?" My voice was low, threatening. My grip was tight enough to leave marks, my rage spilling out in the only way I knew how to channel it.

But Lucien didn't flinch. He remained limp in my grasp, completely unbothered. His eyes-cold, empty, and utterly detached-bored into mine, making my skin crawl. Slowly, I let go, taking a step back as unease crept up my spine. My eyes darted around, looking for an escape, but every inch of me screamed that this wasn't going to end well. There was no way out.

"Poor Kai Yan," Lucien murmured, brushing imaginary dust from his jacket. "Always so clueless. You think everyone around you is harmless." His words were casual, almost bored. "You should've learned by now."

The weight of his words pressed down on me, a poisonous fog clouding my thoughts. I stumbled back, my body colliding with something solid-something that wasn't a wall. A dark-skinned man towered behind me, his silence more menacing than any threat. His eyes never left mine, daring me to make a move.

Before I could react, more shadows shifted. Three more figures stepped into the light, encircling me. My chest tightened, panic clawing at the edges of my mind. Every breath felt like a struggle, sharp and shallow, as if the air itself was poisoned.

"What the hell do you want from me?" I demanded, my voice cracking under the weight of fear and anger. I tried to sound strong, but even I could hear the tremble beneath the words.

Lucien chuckled, a sound that felt wrong in the silence of the street. "What do I want?" he repeated, his voice dripping with amusement. "You'll find out soon enough."

That mocking tone shattered the last vestiges of control I had. Rage surged through me like wildfire. I swung at him, desperate to break through this suffocating sense of doom. My fist connected with his gut, but all it did was force a low grunt from his throat-a reminder of just how powerless I really was.

Before I could try again, strong hands yanked me back, one of them covering my mouth with a cloth. The chemical scent hit me like a brick, my vision blurring almost immediately. I thrashed against the grip, every instinct screaming at me to fight, but my muscles grew heavy, my body collapsing under the weight of unconsciousness. The last thing I saw before everything went dark was Lucien's smirk, stretched wide and malicious.

---

Warmth. That's what I felt when I woke up-not the cold, dank air I had expected. Something was wrong. My senses returned slowly, piecing together fragments of confusion and disorientation. Instead of damp, grimy walls, I smelled...lavender? And vanilla. My pulse quickened as I realized I wasn't in some filthy hideout.

The room was oddly comfortable. The kind of place that shouldn't exist in the context of a kidnapping. A soft chair cradled my body, plush beneath me, and my arms were bound tightly to its armrests. A low hum filled the space-probably a heater. The warmth it brought felt artificial, like the calm before a storm.

I tugged against the ropes binding my wrists, wincing as they burned against my skin. Panic rose. How could a place this cozy be the scene of a hostage situation? Nothing about this added up.

The dim lighting made it hard to see, but I could make out sleek, modern furniture. Abstract art adorned the walls-too refined, too expensive for this kind of situation. I strained to see more, but footsteps interrupted my thoughts.

The door clicked open, and light flooded the room. A young woman walked in. Thick glasses sat atop her nose, reflecting the overhead light. Her oversized hoodie made her look unassuming, maybe even harmless at first glance. But the casual way she carried herself, the way she seemed completely unfazed by the situation, sent warning bells ringing in my head.

"Did you...kidnap me?" I croaked, my voice hoarse with confusion and anger.

She smiled, bright and friendly, but it didn't reach her eyes. "No. We're just helping each other."

My blood boiled. "Helping? You tied me to a chair!" I tugged at the ropes again, my wrists screaming in protest. "How the hell is this helping?"

She sighed, as if I was the one being unreasonable. "You'd probably get violent if you weren't tied up. This is for your own good."

I stared at her, disbelief mixing with fury. "How is tying me up for my own good?"

Before she could respond, a voice drifted from the couch behind her. "Just get this over with," a man grumbled, sounding far too relaxed for someone in the middle of a kidnapping. He lounged on the couch in pajamas, his hair a mess, like he had just woken up from a nap.

The absurdity of the scene twisted my stomach. None of this made any sense. I clenched my teeth, trying to suppress the rising tide of dread. "Once we clear this up, you'll let me go, right?"

The girl's smile vanished, replaced by a cold, emotionless mask. "No."

Fear shot through me like ice in my veins. "No?"

"No," she repeated, her tone flat, her eyes unblinking. There was no room for negotiation, no hope in that single word.

My world narrowed to the ropes binding me, to the silent threat in the room. I was trapped.