A MAZE OF GREED

Edwin grew restless as the time passed. He kept asking Rees about Ruth and if Zoe had contacted him but was assured by the other that he did not receive any message and Ruth must be fine.

Then why does he feel restless all of a sudden?

The meeting was nowhere near to end, and Edwin already wished to wrap it up and head straight to his bed.

~"Rees, see if Elsie has recieved any message from Zoe."~ Edwin ordered after an hour.

The sun had set by now. Rees sighed. He was at the door since the beginning of the meeting, and no man had stepped out of the room yet. Rees was bombarded with questions by Theodora and Douglas, but he avoided them as much as he could.

~"Yes, Master!"~

Rees walked to Elsie's chamber and knocked on the door but received no response.

"Where is Lady Elsie?" He asked the guard who was stationed outside her door.

"Lady left her chamber about half an hour ago." He informed.

Rees nodded then walked towards the garden. If Elsie was not in her chamber and with her cousin or mate, then she must be in the garden.

Rees stopped abruptly and hid behind the wall when he saw Eloise walking by. He was not in the mood of going through another interrogation.

After making sure that the sight was clear, he stepped out from behind the wall, and five minutes later, he found Elsie near the fountain.

Her back faced him. He walked closer to her, and was about to call her name when he noticed someone else in front of her.

It was a cat.

Rees first panicked that it was Zoe. Upon observing keenly, he noticed that it was a different cat and not Zoe. He relaxed a bit.

"Lady Elsie?" He called, but she did not respond.

She had her eyes darkened and focused on the cat who mewed.

Rees's eyes widened. He knew what it meant. Elsie was communicating with the cat. One of the attainments she had learned in the academy- communicating with the animals.

"Lady Elsie?" Rees called this time in panic.

She surprised him by turning around at the speed of light, her eyes troubled and worried. Rees's heart raced fast, seeing fear in her eyes.

"Ruth... Rees she is in danger." Those words froze him in the spot.

"Do not tell about this to Master. At least not untill he is with Lord Augustus."

Rees did not stop for her reply and ran out of there. He could not use his werewolf speed till he was out of eyesight of the humans in 'the great manor'.

But what he and Elsie failed to notice was someone was watching their exchange with curiosity from the floor above.

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Zoe paced in worry, mewing and hissing, glaring at the two guards. She halted in her tracks when she saw Ruth stepping out of the door of the building. She had her head bowed down, avoiding looking at anyone.

Zoe ran to her and started rubbing her feet. But Ruth did not pick her up, nor did she spare her a glance. And for some reason, Zoe did not like that.

She followed Ruth as she took fast and long strides. Not too long after, Zoe realised that Ruth was crying. People had retired to their homes that left the streets of Vincardine abandoned.

Ruth finally stopped near the statue of the originator and broke into tears.

Zoe wanted to ask what happened and why she was crying, but Ruth kept weeping, clutching her chest. Zoe made urging sounds, requesting Ruth to say something, but she did not.

Ruth could not erase those memories from her mind. She felt disgusted and scared. She should never have gone to meet that man.

Giving up on her tries after minutes, Zoe also sat beside crying Ruth waiting for the woman to stop crying or Rees to arrive. She had sent a message with one male cat whom she lured with her womanly ways, and sent him in 'the great manor'.

She knew Edwin's younger cousin had learned to converse with animals and could understand their language even though she had not mastered the skill. But she thought it would suffice the need of the time.

Ruth kept recalling the moments that she had to spend in Harold's office, and she wished to not face it again... period!

*** Ruth shrank back in the chair as Harold's overwhelming presence made her uneasy and distressed. She was shocked to know that the man she thought was his secretary was no one but Harold Davies himself.

Then only does she understand why people warned her about him.

"I... I apologise for miunderstanding you for someone else. But I was told that your secreatary would speak with me about the work." Ruth said timidly.

Harold smiled- the smile that looked harmless yet deceiving.

"It is alright, Miss Moore. So tell me something about yourself. Where do you live? Your family? Where did you work before? Everything." Catching up her eyes again, he whispered intently. "I want to know everything about you!"

Ruth was screaming and begging inside her head for the man to disappear from there. She was confused. Why would he need her personal information? He was not appointed her for a formal job.

She came for the work of a cleaner. Why does he need so much information about her then?

Ruth waited in a hope that he would pick up the hint and move on to the next step in their conversation. But the man waited patiently, still staring hard at her cupid bow-shaped lips.

Ruth answered his questions discreetly. Giving him enough yet not giving out everything.

She even made up a story that her elder brother worked as a guard for the O'Dell family. She purposefully left out the detail that Rees worked as Edwin's bodyguard, for she was sure that Harold Davies- if not impressed by her- would surely look for Rees afterwards and perhaps create some problems.

Harold thought she was just stating the made-up fact and ignored it.

"Sir, it is already late. I think I would take your leave now." Ruth said when she found their conversation going in circles and not reaching any conclusive end.

"Sure, but do not you want to know about the thing for which you have waited for a day?"

That made Ruth conflicted, and she only nodded.

Harold stood straight then paced behind Ruth while telling her the nature of the job.

"You have to be present here early in the morning. All the three floors, all the office rooms, washrooms everything should be cleaned before the official time...."

She heard attentively, although now she doubted if she wanted to work around this man now.

She was lost in hearing his words, that she was startled when his hand lightly brushed her shoulder. She looked up at him appaled. But the man did not apologise and acted as if he had not noticed such a thing.

Ruth focused on her breaths that were changing their rhythm now and then. The hair on the back of her neck stood straight in alarm when she felt Harold's breath fanning the side of her face.

Her eyes widened, and her body went still.

"Do you have any more questions, Miss Moore?" He whispered near her ear.

And she thought he inhaled her scent in between that sentence that made her feel disgusted.

She had enough of this man's flirtatious ways. She turned her head and tried to get up, but he caged her between his hands and did not let her move her chair.

Harold heard when the maid informed his secretary that a woman was waiting for him. He and his secretary were discussing the business matters for hours, but since he heard that, he could not concentrate on his work.

After some time, he excused himself, saying he was tired and needed a walk around, he stepped out of his office to find who the woman was.

And when he found Ruth sleeping like a baby in the chair, he was awestruck by her simple beauty. He stood there observing her, or say stripping her naked with his eyes. Suddenly he turned hard down there at the mere sight of her.

'Where this rose was hidden all these years from me?' He thought.

He was waiting for her to wake up since then, and when she did not, he sent everyone home and told the maid to wake her up and present her to him.

"Sir, p-please. L-let me go." She pleaded.

"Oh, sweetheart, why are you scared, huh? I just want to spend some time with you. We can discuss how much payment you will get and-"

"I... I do not want to work here. Please let me go." This time Ruth's voice came clearer than before.

Harold paused, then turned her head to make her face him. He thought of using the power of compulsion on her, but then he recalled the rule made by Augustus O'Dell.

-A werewolf or any supernatural creature living, visiting, staying as a guest in Vincardine is prohibited by using any of their powers on the humans, irrespective of the situation.-

Harold did not care about the O'Dells, but with the tense atmosphere in Vincardine and the O'Dell family, he did not want to risk anything.

Besides, he liked his chase submitting willingly.

"Why do you want to leave when I can offer you so much than you ever dreamed of? I will give you as much money as you want. Jewellery, clothes, gifts, pearls and diamonds, anything that you say will be yours." His hand slowly trailed upon Ruth's arm that made her skin crawl in disgust.

"You just have to do a simple thing. I am sure you must be skilled in that area too. You just have to make me ha-"

Ruth's teary eyes could not see his face inching towards her anymore, and she did what she should have done the time when his eyes landed on her for the first time.

With all her might, she slapped the man across his face, leaving a red mark printed on his cheek.***