Hellbound With You

The next day.

The sunlight was already streaming through the curtains, landing on Abi’s eyelids. She creased her brows and rolled on the bed as her eyes adjusted to the brightness of the sunshine pouring through.

She thought that she was sleeping on her bed so she raised her hand and reached out for her alarm clock. When her hand didn’t feel that bedside table where she always put her alarm clock on, Abi forced her eyes open and what appeared before her was an empty space and the bedside table was still about a handspan away. ’Who moved my bedside table so far away?’ she thought groggily as she lay back down on the soft bed. Then she looked up at the ceiling and said out loud, in a bewildered whisper, ”this doesn’t look like my room.”

Abigail abruptly sat up and looked around and she was right; this was not the room she grew up in! Realization then finally dawned to her; that she was in a room inside Alexander’s house. She pinched her cheeks and a soft ouch escaped her mouth. It appeared that she wasn’t dreaming. That was right, this was not a dream.

Everything that happened the day before and last night flashed in her mind - the mansion, the maids and butler, the elevator and the visitors. As she remembered it all, disbelief flooded her eyes. She still found it a little hard to believe; that she was actually here doing this, finally fulfilling her wish. She lay back down on the bed with her arms spread wide and she tried to take it all in as her mind drifted back to the gaming session from last night.

She made a mental note to tick that off her wishlist as she thought back to them playing the game together in this very room. She also remembered Alexander’s bored, yet amused, face as he played the game with her which caused a smile to form on her face.

The moment she thought about Alexander, she immediately sprang up and out of the bed and dashed to the bathroom to get ready for the day. When she was done, she fixed her bed before leaving her room with a huge smile on her face. She was eager to see Alexander and greet him good morning.

Abi skipped towards the large doors to his room like the happiest little kid in town. She was about to knock on his door but she hesitated.

What if he was still sleeping?

Maybe I shouldn’t disturb him…

But the sun was already out!

Abi’s head was tilted slightly in contemplation until she decided against knocking on the door, thinking that Alex might already be downstairs anyway. Besides, she really didn’t want to get punished this early in the morning for waking him up.

She descended the large staircase and looked around but the majestic living room was empty. She walked towards the dining hall and the people who welcomed her were only the butler and the maids. They all greeted her good morning and she greeted them back.

Her eyes looked at the large, long table and her spirit became a little gloomy. It looked like she was going to eat alone again this time.

The butler was quick to notice that she was looking for someone so he immediately told her that the master had left the house early this morning with their guest, Ezekiel Qin.

As Abi ate her breakfast, her mind was full of questions about Alexander Qin. She wondered if Alexander had a job and if he did, what that was. Was he like Ezekiel Qin? Was he really an underground king like Kelly’s theory?

Curious, Abi decided to ask the butler for information once she finished her meal, which she devoured quickly.

”Mr- Uhm, Charles… Does Alex work? If so, do you know what he does?” she asked him once the maids left the dining hall, but as expected, the butler didn’t give anything away and simply apologized to her.

”He does work, Miss, but I’m sorry, I am not in a position to talk about the master’s work.” He even bowed apologetically which made Abi feel a little uncomfortable. She quickly forced a smile and stopped the old man from apologizing.

”No need to apologize. I understand, truly,” she said and thankfully, the old man’s expression went back to normal.

”Did Alex leave a message?” she asked again to divert the topic to something else.

Surprisingly, the butler nodded.

”Miss Chen, the master only asked me to remind you about your curfew. He said you should be back no later than twilight,” he told her and Abi thanked him. This was still bugging her. Why did he give her such an early curfew? Did he think that she was a little child who was not meant to be roaming around anymore during that time?

”Miss Chen, are you going out today?”

”Yes. I have work to do, too,” she smiled and the butler told her that he would get a chauffeur to bring her to her destination.

”No, it’s okay. I’ll just call a taxi,” she politely insisted and gladly, the butler agreed.

As the old man excused himself, Abi watched his retreating back. Abi didn’t know why but she found it safer to ask and talk to older people, maybe because she was used to it with her grandparents. As she thought about her grandparents, Abi’s eyes widened in shock! That’s right… her grandparents! Her father! How could she forget about them?!

Abi suddenly missed them. She couldn’t believe that the first person she thought about and looked for the very moment she woke up was not her family, but Alexander Qin! This was totally out of character for her. Usually, she would wake up and think about what to make for breakfast for her dad and grandparents but this morning, those thoughts weren’t there at all!

Her hand slowly moved to her chest when she realized that Alexander Qin had started to occupy her thoughts… a lot! For a moment, at the thought of Alex, she felt her heart skip a beat. What was that? Was she nervous? What was this feeling?

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