Misunderstanding

Chapter 13(Nathalie POV)

All I could think about were those long, raw whip marks stretching out across James' back. I could imagine Anthony, kneeling down before me, getting a belt lashed on his bare skin. I couldn't let Chase find out my actual man wasn't James, but Anthony. 

My heart pounded violently as I slowly lowered myself onto the mattress that had been prepared for me. The door suddenly clinked unlocked and a grunt followed by a man stepping inside, I instinctively squeezed my eyes shut and pretended to be asleep.

"Nathalie?" Henry's voice pierced the silence, his tone laced with uncertainty. "Nathalie, are you asleep?" Beneath the thin quilt, my hands clenched into tight fists, 

"Is she asleep?" Chase asked. I could imagine him leaning on the doorway, asking Henry about my consciousness. 

"She's asleep," Henry confirmed. I heard his footsteps heading towards Chase by the doorway. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I can't stop having nightmares about her," Chase's voice reverberated through the room, laden with exhaustion and anguish.

"Angelica?"

"Yeah. Ever since my therapist left and... and Mum passed away, these dreams won't let me be. Dreams of Angelica, killing my father in cold blood, leaving him lifeless and her heartlessly escaping..."

My heart skipped a beat. The Angelica girl killed Chase's father?

"I haven't found any information about the "Lord" who sent her on this mission yet," Henry responded with a sigh. "I figured I would just give up since... it was three years ago and we can't even find Angelica. We haven't even been able to locate Angelica, if that is indeed her real name. She could have undergone plastic surgery."

Lord? The word sent a shiver down my spine. Was the Angelica Chase was talking about, the second girl of the Lord's? My mind raced, recalling the tales I had heard of Angelica - a captivating and intelligent young woman with amazing combat skills, naturally earning the Lord's favor. Three years ago, she had completed an allegedly impossible mission, her reward being a substantial sum of money and her freedom.

"But Tte objective right now is host to Madame's funeral and deal with Nathalie," Henry continued.  Chase's sigh mingled with the fading footsteps as they left the room, with the sound of the door shutting. 

Questions swarmed around my head. 

So, three years ago, Lord had sent Angelica to kill Chase's father, now he had sent me to kill Chase. 

What did Chase ever do to deserve this? Why did Lord want Chase's family dead? If Chase's mum wasn't killed already, would he send someone else to kill her, too?

Frantically, I scrambled to my feet. 

I refuse to kill an innocent person! I would confess everything to Chase, and together, we would find Anthony. We'd call the Police. The Lord would get arrested. Anthony and I would get married, and Chase would provide us with endless money and a mansion. After all, I was preventing him from getting killed and hurt the second time, right?

I hurried toward the door, my hand gripping the handle tightly, twisting it with an anxious fervor. To my surprise, the door swung open effortlessly, and I stumbled out into the corridor.

Where was Chase? 

Where has Chase and Henry gone? However as I arrived at the grand staircase, I heard a voice behind me,"What do you think your doing?"

I spun around to find a girl standing behind me, hands folded against her chest.  Clad in a simple servant uniform, her hair was tied in a messy bun atop her head.

Who are you? I communicated.

"I'm Alice," she responded, stepping towards me.

She knew sign language!

Do you know where Chase is?

"What do you want from him?" she snarled.

My eyes widened at her harsh attitude. "You have the same intentions as Angelica, don't you?" she snapped, flames blazing in her eyes. "I know you do. I won't allow anyone to hurt Chase ever again. He's mine." 

Before I could reply, she shoved me down the stairs. At that moment, everything happened in a blur of chaos and violence. Instinctively, I reached out, grabbing onto her arm in an attempt to steady myself, unknowingly dragging her along with me. She screamed as we rolled down the staircase. The last thing I remembered was hitting my head on the edge of the last stair and Alice laying in a pool of blood beside me.