"She is out." John tapped his earpiece, communicating with Van and anyone else connected to him at the time. Instinctively they all knew who he was talking about because there was only one female in the entire mansion.
John could not understand why Van had been a little more lenient toward her than he was with any other worker he had ever had, so much so that he had told them that if she ever tried to escape, no one should stop her. Now she was escaping for real, and they all had to be calm about it.
"Just keep an eye on her," Van replied. "Tell me where she goes afterward."
John was shocked. Van was really serious about letting her go. It was unlike him to let anyone go, let alone someone he bought for twenty million dollars. It was insane.
Everyone had no choice but to obey. Maybe he knew something that they did not, and yes, he actually knew something. John stepped back from the window from where he had seen her. Quickly, he made his way to the back door, the same one that Jade had taken out of the mansion. He followed the same trail as her, hoping to catch her somewhere. His aim was simple, to watch her from a distance, but something struck him.
He made it all the way to the gate but did not catch a glimpse of Jade, not once.
"Where is she?" he asked the guards present at the gate. They were fully armed military men in uniform, and there were more than five of them today because of the president.
"She never got out," one of the guards who understood what he was asking replied. "And there are no other ways in or out of here except this gate. No car ever left."
John did not waste a second. He backed up and retraced his steps. He got to where he had seen her, near the tall green bush with bright red flowers all around it.
"Where could she be?" he wondered, and now he could not ask any questions to the others because Van was listening.
Just then, another guard reported, "She is back in the mansion."
"What?"
"…?"
"Willingly?" Someone asked.
"Yes."
John's jaw dropped. This was probably the strangest thing he had ever encountered, that a person had every chance to escape a place she hated yet returned willingly. There had to be more to it.
John was not the only one perplexed. Van was too. When the report came in, he was listening to the president speaking and did not want to interrupt. He suspected one of two things. Either Jade had fallen in love with him, which was stupid, or she had seen something that made her come back. If the latter was the case, then he must leave before she did something stupid.
"Mark, can you excuse me for a moment?" he requested, not to be polite but not to raise any alarm. This was the was his friend, sure but he is still the President and is often alerted by the slightest uneasiness.
Mark nodded. "Sure, sure. I am here for the food."
Van left immediately. The second he was out of the conference room, he increased his pace. Down the elevator, through the hallway, and into the dining room. The dinner he hosted was going fine. Guests were eating, drinking, and chatting, and he had yet to notice anything out of place.
"Where is she now?" he asked. Well, he whispered because no one else heard but the guard. He got a reply back immediately.
"She just stepped out of the kitchen with a tray."
"She is meant to serve only me." Van turned briskly in the direction of the kitchen, and there she was, draped in the black dress he ordered simply because he saw it online and thought it looked cute.
Instantly, he walked up to her. She did not notice him at first because her eyes were fixed on something else, or was it someone else. But the second he blocked her path, she looked up, startled, like a child looking into her father's eyes when he caught her doing something wrong.
"You are meant to serve only me, remember?" He kept his tone down so that only she could hear it. "So what is this about?"
Jade remained silent. She was caught so unaware and had no time to prepare any answers in her head. Again, she looked away from him, to the table that she was headed for, and Van knowingly followed her eyes. For a second something flashed in his eyes, surprise or was it anger? But it faded just as quickly.
"Look here." Using his finger, he pulled her chin so that she faced him again. "Remember what I told you? No matter who you see, remain in character."
"It's him, he killed my dad," Jade shot back, but quietly.
"So what are you going to do now?" Van asked. He stepped forward on purpose so that she had to move back. He continued until they were far off from the dining room. "What do you want to do?" he repeated and looked down at the tray she was holding, a fruit knife neatly placed on the left. "You want to stab him with a fruit knife? A man who fights with guns and axes. You really think you and your fruit knife stand a chance?"
"You know him," Jade pointed out, trying not to break down into tears. "Were you there? Did you kill my father too?"
"Jade!" Van snapped. "Remain in character. I am warning you and this is the last time I will say it. You know what? Go to the conference room, now."
"But…"
"Now!" he repeated, this time his tone firm.
He quickly snapped his finger at one of the passing guards and ordered him to take the tray from Jade.
"Leave, now." He watched as Jade retreated into the corridor. He saw the tear drop from her face but looked away, she had no idea what kind of world she was in, tears barely moved anyone.
As soon as she was out of sight, he turned, dipped his hand into his jacket, the same place he had taken out his gun from earlier, and headed for the table that Jade was headed for.
"Now to find out who sent this viper an invite to my dinner."