MAYELI.
When I got home, my heart felt really happy. I had gone to see my dad, and it was so nice to see him smile at me again after such a long time. It made me want to talk to Mayeli, the one person I really wanted to thank.
Mayeli, like everyone else, was only interested in the money. But she did something really nice for me this time, and I really wanted to show her my gratitude.
So, with Adam right behind me, I went to her room. I grabbed the door handle and opened it, expecting to find her grumpy and sleeping. But to my surprise, the room was empty. There was no one there.
"Am I seeing things?" I wondered out loud, closing the door and making my way to the kitchen.
It was Mayeli's first time at the mansion, and I was sure she didn't know her way around. She wasn't in the kitchen, and she seemed to have disappeared. It was getting late, and I started to worry.
"Didn't she come back to the mansion after the meeting at the company?" I asked Adam, who was standing behind me.
"She was sent home, Sir!" Adam replied, bowing his head respectfully.
"Then why isn't she here? Where could she be? Where is my bride?" I questioned with a deep voice, feeling my heart race with anxiety.
I couldn't shake this feeling, this desperate need to have Mayeli with me. Even though I thought I despised her and everything she represented, I found myself unable to function without her presence. It was like I couldn't breathe properly without her by my side.
"I... I don't know where she is, Sir Dane!" Adam's stammering only fueled my anger.
"Then find her! Find her now!" I barked, my voice laced with fury, yet underneath, there was an undeniable sense of fear and concern.
Leaving Adam behind, I stormed into the living room, my mind a whirlwind of conflicting emotions.
The mere thought of Mayeli escaping or running away from me cut deep, sending a wave of anguish through me. The possibility of losing her was oddly unbearable.
"Welcome back, sir Dane. Dinner is served!" Miriam's voice broke through my turmoil, and suddenly, it dawned on me. Miriam was always here, always in the mansion, and she knew everything about its workings. She should know where Mayeli is.
"Where is she?" I demanded, turning to face her.
"Where is who, Sir?" Miriam's confusion was evident in her voice for a moment.
"Don't play games with me, Miriam! Where is my wife?" I pressed, fixing her with a serious stare.
"I don't know, Sir! She hasn't been here. I wouldn't even recognize her if she walked in!" Miriam confessed, her voice trembling. It was then that the reality hit me: Mayeli never returned to the mansion.
"Sir Dane, I found her!" Adam rushed up to me, his phone in hand. He showed me the screen, and I couldn't help but grip the phone tightly.
Adam had tracked Mayeli's location, and it was time to see for myself if she was there.
"Let's go!" I commanded, but Adam hesitated.
"We can't leave with you, Sir! Maybe I should go get her," Adam suggested timidly, bowing his head. His suggestion infuriated me.
"She's my wife, Adam, and I won't let you handle anything concerning her! We're going, now, if you want to keep your job!!!" I declared fiercely, my hand clenched into a fist in my pocket as I stormed out of the house and into the car.
Adam took the wheel and wasted no time revving up the car's engine. We bolted out of the mansion grounds, speeding towards Mayeli's location.
As we neared her whereabouts, my heart pounded with anticipation. I half-expected to catch her attempting to flee, but what I witnessed was far more appalling than I could have imagined.
As the car came to a halt just a few meters away from where Mayeli was supposed to be, I felt my fist clench involuntarily.
There she stood in the darkness, my newlywed wife, not alone, but with another man. I couldn't make out his face, but the sight of them together pierced me with a pain I had never known.
I shouldn't feel this furious, this boiling rage coursing through me.
After all, I had Scarlet by my side, and our marriage, too, was forced upon us for some reason. But despite knowing this, I couldn't quell the anger burning inside me.
"How dare he try to take what belongs to the Billionaire himself?" I grumbled, my eyes flashing with hatred.
"I think we should leave now, Dane! She'll come back home once she's done!" Adam suggested, starting the car's engine. But I refused to budge.
"I'm not going anywhere without my bride! Not when someone else has her in his arms!" I declared firmly. Without another word, I flung open the car door and stepped out onto the ground.
"Dane, don't do this!" Adam's desperate plea fell on deaf ears as I brushed past him, my mind consumed by a singular purpose. I charged towards Mayeli, ignoring Adam's protests echoing behind me.
"Dane, please!" Adam's voice rang out loudly, but it was drowned out by the rush of blood in my ears as I closed in on Mayeli and the stranger.
Mayeli turned, her expression shifting from confusion to shock as she realised my intent.
"What is..." she began, but her words were cut short as I unleashed a flurry of punches, each blow driven by pent-up fury and betrayal.
"Stop! Stop it, Dane!" Mayeli's cries pierced the air, her attempts to pull me away from the stranger futile against my relentless assault.
I paid no heed to her pleas, my rage blinding me to everything except the burning desire to make the stranger regret ever laying eyes on her in the darkness.
It didn't matter how charming or attractive he might be to her; I was determined to make him suffer for his audacity.
"Sir Dane!" Adam's voice cut through the chaos as he pulled me away from the stranger's battered form. With a swift motion, the stranger scrambled to his feet and fled, disappearing into the night without revealing his identity.
"You could have killed him!" Mayeli's frightened scream echoed in the air, her concern directed towards the stranger rather than me.
Ignoring her protests, I seized her hand and forcefully led her towards the waiting car. It was futile to argue outside in the open.
"I am not going anywhere with a maniac like you!" Mayeli declared defiantly, wrenching her hand free from my grasp.
"Then where will you go?" I shot back, my glare burning with resentment.
"To his place? So he can satisfy your desires all night? Fuck you all night and fill your pockets with money? If you want money, why not come with me instead?" My voice rose to a crescendo, echoing with frustration and desperation.
"You always think it's about money, don't you?" Mayeli snapped, her eyes already brimming with tears.
"Then what? Why would you agree to marry a cursed and sick man like me, Mayeli? Why?" I thundered, my veins pulsating with anger.
"Because I was forced into it, Dane! Forced! And you have Scarlet, my own stepsister, as your mistress, so why don't you just leave me alone?" Mayeli yelled, her voice filled with frustration and hurt.
"Why won't I leave you alone?" I scoffed, frustration boiling inside me.
"Because you are my WIFE, Mayeli! I own you now! You belong to me! You are my responsibility, and I won't allow another man to even look at you!!!" I declared, my fury blazing through every word.