Ten Million Dollars Mission

c.94- The flashbacks

L's eyes opened.

And she encountered the television displaying a boxing match. "Not again" A sigh escaped between the woman's lips in annoyance. These nightmares never ceased, it seemed. But still, not like before, there were no tears dripping down her cheeks. She was all alone.

Sitting on the couch in a spacious living room, she found herself watching a boxing match. "What kind of nightmare is this even? If this is just a system glitch, Vio needs to work hard. This is not okay at all" Murmuring furiously, L stood up from the couch, wandering around.

Yet, her whole body froze when she stumbled upon the unexpected scene. In a dimly lit room, a woman lied on a hospital bed, her frail body almost lost amidst the sterile white sheets. Her face was pale. Thin, wispy hair clung to her forehead, damp from sweat.

Beside her, a heart monitor beeped rhythmically, the sound a constant reminder of her weakening pulse. An IV drip was attached to her arm, delivering a steady flow of painkillers and fluids to ease her suffering. Tubes snaked from her nostrils, feeding her oxygen.

"What is this feeling?"

With a slight frown, L's palm rested upon her chest when a faint heaviness lingered in the heart, though she couldn't quite pinpoint why everything suddenly felt a little dimmer. As L stared off into the distance, lost in thought, sympathizing, tears began to well up in her eyes.

Tears rolled down her cheeks against her will. She didn't understand why, but the silent tears kept falling, leaving the heart aching in confusing sorrow. "I should leave" L quickly wiped the tears away, inhaling deeply to brush the grief she couldn't comprehend.

"How do I get out? Vio? Vio?" Again, she called out for him, only to realize he would never appear. He had abandoned her completely. At the time, a faint echo rang in her head. "Lilith? Lilith?" "Huh?" With a startled expression, L turned to look at the man. Caleb Rowane?

Oh, she's back to present. A scowl tugged on Caleb's face. Worry was visible to see. "You kept murmuring things in your sleep. Was it a nightmare again?" He expressed his genuine concern in the trembling tone. "No, nothing. I am okay" L beamed, making up a lie.

She might be pretending.

In reality, she could not see Caleb's face clearly even. After having such flashbacks, her vision got worse. Caleb's serene expression and smile she liked were only present in her memory now. For her, Caleb's appearance became a memory that she could not get a hold of.

"Are you sure?" "Mhm" The man sighed, helplessly. The barrier was high and strong to break down, he had to endure it. "We have arrived" Caleb reminded. Causing L to glance to the side. No wonder he was calling her! "Right" A dry chuckle escaped between the woman's lips.

"Tell me if you are not feeling well. We will go back. Don't burden yourself by thinking you must endure the pain and follow me all along" Caleb caressed Lilith's head with a tender gaze upon her. The man, who noticed the abnormal situation, attempted to help.

But he did not know the problem was not a simple one to solve easily. It was a dark and deep problem twisted within L. The root of the problem was she herself, yet nobody was aware. "Mhm, I know. Thanks" L nodded to assure. "Alright. Wait here" Promptly, Caleb rushed out.

He came to open the door for her.

Extending his hand out for the woman to reach. "Be careful" With his help, L managed to step outside. Her strong grip always pained Caleb's heart. He felt guilty for dragging her here, but it was the only option he had in his hand. "Welcome, Miss Lilith" Amara grinned.

She even ignored her young master just to grab L's arm as support. "Hello there" L flashed a beam. "I thought you were busy" Caleb slightly frowned. Disliking the way Amara came to snatch his woman from him. "My, everything is ready now, Young Master. And she's yours"

Amara teased. "Of course, she is mine" Unlike the other times, Caleb did not leave with tomatoes ears. Instead, he even responded proudly. Making the two women look at each other in surprise. "You heard that right? Or did I hear it wrong?" Amara asked Lilith.

Her eyes widened as L shrugged.

"I cannot tell, to be honest" "Please, it is not funny" A sigh escaped between Caleb's lips. It was when the two women let out a laughter. The scene of Lilith laughing with Amara quieted down the man. This one — he needed to paint her smile. It's too pretty to ignore.

When he had time in future, he should paint her smile. Caleb could see himself drowning in her chuckle; it sounded dulcet. A dreamy imagination was about to be met with immoral reality. "My apologies for interrupting the moment but can I please say a few words?"

Being impatient, Caleb brought the two back to reality. "Oh, our Young Master is mad now. You should listen to him, Miss" Amara nudged L. "I think so" "No, I am not mad" Caleb smiled. "See that smile? He is mad for sure" "Really?" L played along as the man sighed in exhaustion.

"Alright, alright. I won't tease you anymore. You may say a few words, Young Master" Amara gestured. "Thank you" Quietly, L observed the man. Paying full attention to hear what he was about say. "I have a dress prepared for you. Amara will help you with everything"

Caleb's gentle gaze rested upon Lilith.

"A dress?" Upon the statement, L's eyes sparkled. NO WAY! It seemed her expectations were not only met but also broken beyond. "Mhm, a dress for you" The man returned a nod. "Miss Lilith, our Young Master put in a lot of effort for today. You will love it for sure"

Amara disclosed, feeling proud.

To portray the shy girl. L lowered her head with a wide grin. "Go on" Caleb stroked the woman's head. "Come on, I will lead the way" Knowing the woman was speechless from joy, Amara stepped in to handle the situation. "Thanks" With no objections, L went after Amara.

"This is your changing room" Amara voiced; capturing the woman's attention. "Oh" L gasped. The new changing room designed only for Lilith Arnold. Wasn't it a perfect dream to live in? "Now, shall we get inside?" Excited tone echoed as L nodded in agreement.

And she was left in a pool of shock when she stepped inside the changing room. Surely, a dress was there. But what made it so exquisite were the jewels on the fabric, which shone brightly under dim light. Caleb spent thousands of dollars on this dress alone and L could tell.

Due to the shimmering jewels, L managed to guess the beauty of dress easily despite the blurry vision. Her last wish, which she believed to be the most difficult, was already halfway fulfilled. She truly could expect much from Caleb. He had never disappointed her.

Although she was stunned, L didn't feel much more than that. Caleb did it and she appreciated his effort. No matter how hard she convinced herself to fall in love with this type of rare man, she could not. There was something lacking in this mission or in her heart perhaps.

"Young Master asked some famous designers to make this dress specially for you. He knew this would look fabulous on you. I mean, a pretty girl like you will definitely rock this dress" Amara always tried to remind Lilith how much Caleb loved her and would do anything for her.

Now that the man was somewhere else, which left the two alone, Amara had a chance to directly divulge to Lilith about Caleb's love. "I can't believe he did so much for me. I don't think I deserve to be loved by him" L pursed her lips to hold back the tears that were building up.

The award-worthy acting skills had returned.

Touching Amara's heart.

"My! Please don't cry, dear. Young Master will cut my salary off if he finds out I let you cry. Please spare this old woman" She joked, making L chuckle softly with tears. Only when Lilith chuckled, Amara soothed herself. She approached the woman, behaving tenderly like a mom.

"Stop crying, okay? Never say such things like you don't deserve this love. Young Master and you complement each other so well. You deserve each other. I believe he is the lucky one to have met you. So, lift your chin up and fall in love with him because you deserve it"

Cupping the cheeks, Amara wiped the tears off gently. It's widely known that a mother's proud smile was the most beautiful thing in the world, and you could see that kind of smile on her face. Unexpectedly, the silence lingered. L silently observed Amara's expression.

Especially that smile.

How could a smile make her feel so warm and loved?