My Words Are Law

Neighbor (9)

"I missed you, Amaryllis." Chryses uttered with a half smile as he went for a hug. 

Amaryllis sidestepped, but he quickly adjusted his direction, and gave her a big hug she did not return. The familiar cologne wafted under her nose, and she was sure the smell would stick to her all the way home.

"Did something happen?" Finally, he parted from her, and she quickly stepped back.

She had just arrived at his temporary office, after talking with Samantha over milk tea, resolute to see through her plan. Amaryllis looked sraight at his face, and frowned at the darkening undereye circles.

"Nothing happened..." Whenever he lacked sleep, his obsession over her safety would rival Mariana's trench, and nothing she says would help him see reason. "Did you have a nightmare again?"

His tepid smile was enough confirmation as he grabbed her hand and made her sit on the lounge chair. Later, he asked his secretary to serve them water. 

"How are you, Amaryllis?" 

She fought the urge to roll her eyes, knowing full well how he'd been keeping tabs on her. "I know the body guards are giving you an hourly update. Don't even try to lie." 

He smiled, exhaling a breath as he leaned on the backrest before closing his eyes. "I'm sorry if that makes you uncomfortable, but it's for your own good." 

She gulped down the exasperated scream at his worn out response. She can't lose her cool now. She has to speak to him as gently as she can or else her plan will be easily foiled. "Fine..." She gritted out. "I can understand your worries a little... Of course I was also scared for my safety after what happened, and I'm thankful that you hired people to keep me safe." 

He opened his eyes and focused on the girl who was desperately searching for the nicest words she could find in her head. 

"However, nobody has ever tried to harm me for over three months now," she continued, making sure to pronounce the worlds clearly. "Don't you think, it's time you also give yourself a break..?" 

When he didn't reply, she cleared her throat and broke eye contact before continuing, "I know we had a contract, but now that some things happened... I'm more at a disadvantage and it's unfair. I mean- Being disowned is also serious, but I almost lost my life, and now I even lost my privacy. You say it's for my own safety, but the way I see it, it's mostly for your self-gratification-" As soon as she returned her gaze at him whose face turned chillingly morose, she immediately closed her mouth with a gulp. He was unusually being lenient, so she unconsciously spoke honestly. 

The water arrived, and the secretary retreated out of the room after noticing the stark atmosphere.

"Anyway... Can you please consider-"

"No." He immediately shut her down.

Amaryllis blinked as she complained, "But you didn't even let me finish-"

"I don't insist to go with you if you ask me not to. Isn't that enough?"

Amaryllis raised her brows, exhaling a huff as she glanced up at the ceiling before looking at him again. His serious face told her he wasn't joking.

"I always had to shout at you at the top of my lungs before you agree!"

"But I did agree."

"Out of all the times I screamed, you only agreed two times."

"My answer remains."

She snapped her lips shut, feeling her heart palpitate abnormally as her eyes narrowed into tiny slits. "Are we going to argue everytime then?"

Taylor rubbed his forehead with a sigh. "Let's convene and talk about this at a later date."

Amaryllis held her chin up as she disagreed. "No."

Usually, it was Chryses saying the word, but today, Amaryllis will change that.

"I want it in contract today. Time spent by two parties shall have a 70 - 30 percent ratio per month. Thirty percent shall be time spent together, and seventy percent shall be my personal time, which does not entail body guards if I am accompanied by other people."

Chryses' face dimmed.

"We made a deal, Amaryllis. Do you honestly think I won't be able to change the contract after today?"

She froze, petrified as she stared at him.

"If you're going to act against what we agreed upon, I'd rather we just end it all here. Get dragged by the media for causing my disownment, along with the secrets you're trying to keep. I wonder what's going to happen to your lovely aunt if word gets out that she has a criminal record, and that she used to work in a bar..? Ivor's strong and smart, but how long will he be able to hold out in such a twisted society? It's probably going to follow him althroughout his life... What do you think, Amaryllis?"

He's livid.

Amaryllis exhaled, slowly as she blinked at his furious face. Ah... What did she expect?

"I can make it all fall apart, until clinging on to me is the only thing you can do."

Now she understood. Whether she signed that contract with him or not, he was prepared to threaten her with all the information he gathered. She wasn't the one who initiated contact. He just made her think she did it voluntarily so that he could drag her deeper in his control.

He stood up, and turned about. "Go home, Amaryllis. We're done talking."

"I'd rather just kill myself," she shot back, glaring in defiance.

"What did you say?" he sputtered, eyes staring in a frenzy as he spun around. He slowly closed the distance. "I dare you to say it one more time."

She flinched away, blinking as a memory flashed back in her mind. The looming figure of a male grinning maliciously at her overlapped with Chryses' figure. "Hurt my family, and I'm going to fight back..." Glancing at Taylor's face made the images even more vivid. She fought for control as she reminded herself that whatever she was seeing had already passed, and that it will not hurt her now. Nevertheless, it became clearer, coming alive like an evil undead.

"I will make you hurt so much you'll wish you never met me..."

Sweat beaded her forehead as she grabbed his tie with trembling hands, struggling to stay in touch with reality.

"You're not the first one who made my life a living hell..."

Tears brimmed her eyes as the face of the monster she had thought she'd forgotten, broke through her dreams. His leering eyes pierced through her soul as he opened his mouth and spoke horrible words.