Haven And Chaos

18) The feel of her hair

"Dammit!" Gale grumbled staring down at the unconscious woman wrapped around with a duvet. He had indeed asked them to bring her over even if it'd be against her will, but nobody told him that she was in this state. "Dammit!"
Luckily they had used the back door.
If the paparazzi captured such a scene, his name would be all over the news. And quelling a scandalous post was the last thing he wanted to waste energy on at such a delicate point in his political life.

His seat as the archduke of Alabama was the very reason he hadn't punished Maya a year ago. He had opted to let the wave of his daughter's death settle before he could secretly take action.
He left a mental note, to be a little more careful about Maya's public appearances especially when a single photo could ruin his life. There were vultures still trying to usurp his position and giving them an easy way would disgrace his family's name.

"Hey!" He poked her cheek but there was no response. "If you're trying to trick me, trust me, it won't work."
Silence.

He let out a sigh straightening. A few steps and he was back at his desk and on his chair. As a hundred thoughts of how to torment her crossed his mind, he settled first on having her see a doctor. It'd be such a waste to punish a dying person. A quick death was too easy for the person who had killed his precious daughter.
Oh how he had planned so much for her!
All the promises he had made to her as she was growing. Now they'd go to waste because of one stupid girl who thought she could climb the social ladder through his family.

Whenever Cindy's lifeless body flashed in his mind, his fists would tighten painfully while imagining all the torturous things he could do to Maya. But it only got more frustrating that her daughter's killer was a girl and her former best friend.

"Call in the doctor!" He instructed his secretary and out down the receiver without waiting for any response.

The clock continued ticking, and soon its usually low sound became ringing bells in Gale's ears. He glared up at it hanging above the door and cursed it in his mind.
Why had they put it back up? He wanted to ask, but no one would have answered.
Annoyed at even the air he was breathing, he rose from his seat and strode towards Maya who seemed as if she was just sleeping away. He had already seen her resting face and it looked also similar to her unconscious face.

Without any particular thought, his right hand moved forward as his body tilted down at a small angle. Just enough for his fingers to pick up some of the fiery long hair. He then let it slip through his fingers like water, savoring the soft sensation it left behind.
Staring at her innocent-looking expression, Gale frowned...but a few seconds later, his facial muscles relaxed. 'She'd not even feel it if I strangled her to death right now. How dare you leave yourself so vulnerable when you're living in a house full of vicious wolves?'

The hand left her hair and tugged the duvet to the side just a little, exposing her pale skin with only a bra strap in sight.
The frown crawled back again. "Did they bring you here- argh! Those idiots! What if someone saw a naked girl being carried by my guards?!"

He quickly covered her up and rose to his full height.
"Why am I always on edge these days? Is it because of you?" He questioned himself throwing Maya a dirty look. A long sigh followed while his hand combed through his black-dyed hair from root to end.
Unconsciously, his mind noted the difference between their hair, a trivial thing that now made his hand itch to touch Maya's hair again.
'What the hell is wrong with me?'

'It's soft, and you know it smells great. You smelled it to sleep last night,' his devil side mocked. But it was indeed speaking a truth that he didn't want to admit. The shampoo she was using suited her hair and he had liked it the previous night.
He thought of asking a maid to check what brand it was so he could purchase more for her. Not out of generosity, but to soothe him to sleep.

He cast his eyes down on Maya once more and gave in to his misplaced desire. Taking a seat next to her body, he permitted his hand to rake through the softness of her long hair, combing it out of her face lest he draw her out of her darkness.
'Is this even right?!' Game wondered as his hand slowed down.

'She belongs to me. Every breath she takes and every word she utters should be to please me!' His devil side hissed coldly, reminding him that if not for her, Cindy would be bubbling with life and jumping around at this very office.

"Blame your shitty luck," he whispered.

********************************

With his entwined fingers positioned beneath his chin, Gale observed silently from his desk as the family doctor examined Maya. "Don't... she'll stay as she is!" He had given a fierce instruction five minutes ago when the middle-aged man had tried to remove the duvet from Maya's shoulder, knowing not that she was naked.

He didn't care whether he was a doctor or even a close friend of the office, no other man was allowed to lay eyes on her. His guards were the last to cross that new rule he had just set.

Such a hypocritical thing to do when the demonesses in his house were all over her.
But he was sure those two wouldn't go as far as to harm her physically. Maybe a few insults and slaps, nothing deep. If she couldn't endure it, then how would she survive in the world he wanted to thrust her into?

Yes, that was her punishment. A life for a life. She'd dedicate her every cell and tissue to the goals Cindy had, and excel. He'd make sure of it.

"Um... My Lord!" The doctor called respectfully as he rose from the couch. "This lady, has she been feeding well?"

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

Their eyes met and Gale felt the fearless spark from the man. He was probably the only person in Alabama who would look him straight in the eye and not cower, aside from his family. Maybe because he was naturally brave, or it had accumulated from his three decades of serving the Gray House.

Gale's father had worked for the imperial family long before they ascended to the throne. Back then, when he was just a naive and carefree teenager, his father was busy paving the way for him. And the present was the future that had been worked hard for. He was therefore determined to keep his position as one of the emperor's close aides and rule Alabama as he saw fit so long as the imperial family approved.

"What I mean, My Lord, is that this young woman needs to eat well. From what I've observed, she's been eating less for a long period hence depriving her body of-"

"Save me the lecture and just write down what they need to give her. I'm not in any way related to her."

The doctor frowned but quickly masked it with a sigh as he looked back at Maya. "Her pulse is weak... So please make sure that whoever is her guardian takes good care of her. We don't want her dropping dead, do we?" He cast a side glance at Gale, taunting him openly.

Gale's jaw clenched. His blood started to boil like water at the man's remarks. The only reason that he hadn't fired him was due to his secrecy policy. That made him the only doctor Gale could trust to examine Maya in any kind of state and not worry about the press or even his father.