Running

THE CEO ALPHA KING
Chapter 20: Running

Writer’s POV
“Hey, are you okay?” Isaac asked, following his sister into her new room. He had noticed that since yesterday, she had been zoning out on conversations and sometimes getting lost in her thoughts.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Why do you ask?” She didn’t look up at him as she folded her clothes into her closet.

“You just… you look lost in thought. Since yesterday, you haven’t been able to get a grip on yourself. It’s the weekend, and I’m going to go get some groceries for the house. Care to follow?” Isaac asked, hoping to get her out of the house today.

“No, no. I’ll just stay right here. You know the king is around; I’ll stay here in case he needs me.” She answered, offering him a small smile.

“Really? Are you really going to be okay without me around?” Isaac questioned.
“Yeah.”
“Okay, about your sister, Kate. She might appear beautiful, but it’s all because of the makeup the designer puts on her. You are way more beautiful than her; stop letting her get to you, okay? You are better than her; I just wanted to tell you that.”

Serena smiled shyly. “Thanks; you are always making me feel great. Thanks ”
“So, when are you going to get groceries? What time?” Serena questioned.
“In an hour, I presume. Have you changed your mind about following me?” Isaac asked.

“No, no. “I just want to know. That’s all.” Serena replied, dropping the clothes and going to lie on her bed.

“I want to sleep.” She added before closing her eyes tiredly.

“Ok, sleep tight. I’ll be with Kendrick,” Isaac said, walking out through the door and shutting it behind him.
Serena sat back up on the bed immediately after Isaac left and checked the time on her phone.
She had two missed calls from Martins, so she decided to return his calls.
“Oh, Martins. I’ve been ignoring your calls and texts. I’m so sorry.” She muttered sorrowfully as she watched the call go through.
But then the words Kate said to her yesterday rushed back into her head.
“Any man who dares to come close to you will only want to use you. I know guys, and that’s why I’m warning you.”
At the recollection, she ended the call before he could respond, her breath labored as she let her phone fall to the bed.
She stood on her feet and paced around for a while before picking up her phone again. She went outside the castle and sneaked into the garage.
She was lucky that there wasn’t a lot of security at the garage. She went to Isaac’s Jeep and opened the truck before climbing into it and slamming it shut.
It was dark and small in there, and she was glad she wasn’t claustrophobic or scared of the darkness.
Ok, Serena. This is for the best; it’s way better than getting Isaac and Kendrick involved. Isaac won’t know that I followed him out; he’ll be confused by my disappearance, so no one will suspect him. After a week, I’ll call him, and boom, we’ll be together after that, Serena thought, switching off her phone as she did.
But then again, Isaac will worry himself to death. Maybe I’ll call him three days later-not a week, but three days later-and inform him of my whereabouts. I really can’t involve him; his escape plan looks perfect, but I should get in trouble by myself. I can’t allow him to get into trouble with me.
Isaac has done what more than a brother would do. He has shown me how much he cares about me; my only regret is not meeting him earlier.
I wish I had really met him earlier. With him, my life would have been so much better and easier. Okay, okay. I need to keep breathing in here. Serena breathed deeply, adjusting herself in the tiny space. Her feet knocked over a spanner, but aside from that, it was manageable.
It was really dark, with little or no air in there, and she hoped Isaac didn’t go around the castle looking for her first.
She didn’t know how long she was going to last, but she could only pray Isaac drove out of the estate soon.
It was another minute when the engines roared, and Serena jerked in surprise, stretching her feet before relaxing to avoid any movement that would give her away.
The car started to move, and she started to feel a little nauseous.
Isaac, on the other hand, has gone back to tell Serena that he was leaving, but having met an empty room, he figured the king must have requested her.
To him, it was just perfect. After working for the king, she will be exhausted, and he will inject her with a syringe that will cause her heart to stop beating as if she were dead.
Then he would tell them that she fainted and eventually died. The king would ask him to take her out of the castle and bury her, and he would gladly do so, paving their path to freedom.
All he needed to do now was get the groceries, get back, and act normal so no one would suspect anything or odd behavior from him.
Upon reaching the three checkpoint gates, he gained entry and swiftly exited the castle. He went past the speed limit, and in a few seconds, he was at the mall.
He double-checked the list of items in his pocket before getting out of his car and heading for the entrance.
But on his way, he bumped into a person that he least expected. Kate. Serena’s half-sister.
As they drove quietly to the mall, Serena could only pray they got there quickly; it was getting harder to breathe.
Eventually, they stopped, and she waited a while after Isaac left before opening the truck and jumping out of it, ignoring the stares of passersby.

She stretched slightly and straightened her hair when she noticed a familiar pair of eyes.
“Martins.” She called in shock. He had been staring at her since she came down from the vehicle.
“Yes, Serena. What are you up to? You haven’t been picking up my calls, either. I am worried,” Martins answered, walking up to her.
No. No. This is not the time to talk to him. He can’t see me; I have to leave. Serena thought it nervously.
Martins looked at her in confusion, which hurt her.
“Um Martins, I’m so sorry, but can we talk later? I’ll call you.” She turned away and attempted to flee, but he grabbed her and quickly dragged her to his car, then shut the door.
“What are you doing?” Serena gasped in shock.

“No, tell me what you are doing-putting yourself in danger. You came out of the truck of a car.” Martins retorted.

“You are angry.” That was all she said.
“Yes, Serena. Yes, I am angry. Why are you putting yourself in danger?” Martins groaned.

She was at a loss for words and could only stare at him with unbelieving intensity. This was not the reaction she had been expecting from him.

“Okay, I need to move you far away from here. I’m guessing that’s what you want.” He mumbled before moving to the driver’s seat and bringing the engine of the car to life.
She slightly relaxed against the seat, peeping out of the window in case she could have just one more glimpse of Isaac. Her heart clenched with disappointment when she didn’t.
It was a quiet drive but they eventually reached a lonely road. She stared at him in appreciation and reached the door, but Martins stopped her.
“Serena.” He called softly.
“Please, let me help you. You need help; tell me why you are running away.” Martins requested.
“I… I can’t tell you.” Serena mumbled, moving her gaze away from him.

“Please, if you’ll just tell me, I can help you.” You need help, right?”
“No, I… I gotta go.” She started to reach for the door once more when his next words froze her in place.
“I know you are the king’s slave. You’re probably running away from him.”
Serena paused, and then she turned back to look at him in surprise.
“I know; a lot of people know. The wolves in particular, and if you are trying to run away from him. You’ll also need to stay hidden, I can help keep you where no one can sniff you out until you are ready to go on your own. You choose; I’m just watching out for you because I care.”

She stared at him in awe, not believing his words. The part where he said he knew didn’t about her being the king’s slave didn’t bother her, but the part where he claimed to care about her got to her. She blushed.

“I’m serious.” He said it again.

“Let me help you. I’m also taking chances; if I get caught with you here, then that will be the end for both of us. The king won’t spare either of us.”

As if on cue, she looked around the lonely road, imagining the king appearing and dragging her back to the estate to face unimaginable pain.

“Take me,” Serena whispered in agreement.
“Are you sure?” Martins stared at her, his eyes brightening with excitement.
“Yes, take me to the place where you’ll keep me safe until I’m ready to go.” She pleaded.
“With pleasure.” Martins smiled briefly before driving off.
They arrived at a massive mansion, and Serena was unable to appreciate its exterior due to a mixture of nerves and excitement. She was free. Martins had been quiet the whole drive, and she was glad.
“So, this is the sitting room. It’s my grandpa’s house. After my grandpa’s death, my dad took up residence here. No one comes here again, and the environment is surrounded by magic, I guess, because no harm comes near the house.” Martins explained, dusting the table with a cloth he’d found.
Serena turned to face Isaac with a satisfied smile on her face.
“Thank you very much for bringing me here.” Actually, I didn’t know where I was going. I guess I didn’t plan everything out very well.” Serena mumbled.
“Yeah. It’s okay. Let me take you to the guest room.” He pointed to a hallway.

The house was bigger on the inside, and she noticed the exquisite furniture and chandeliers hanging above them.

Martin held open a room, and she entered nervously.
She could hardly believe that Martin had offered to help her, so she turned to him.
“Why are you helping me?” She needed to know his real reason.

“No, no big reason. I guess I don’t want you to get hurt.” Martins chuckled.

“Really? That’s just it.” Serena furrowed her brows in confusion.
Martins exhaled before walking closer to the big bed in the center of the room, pulling her alongside him.
“You know, I had a sister I used to care about a lot. She died a few years ago; she was just as fragile as you are and needed my protection. I guess I saw a lot of similarities between you two and felt the need to protect you. So forgive me if I am going too far. I have no control over my own emotions; I can’t control how I feel. I just can’t.” Martins stared deeply into her eyes as he spoke.
She remained still, processing everything he had said, and a sense of relief, joy, and happiness filled her.
And when Martins moved closer and closer to her, she didn’t pull away until his lips slightly touched hers before he sighed, pulling away.

She felt disappointed.

“Let me see what I can find in this old house. Let me make something for you to eat. I’ll go out and get groceries tomorrow. It seems like you are going to need it.” He said, rising to his feet and not giving her time to respond before he left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Serena gasped and stood on her feet. Her hand quickly went to her lips.

Our lips brushed. He tried to kiss me! Her cheeks turned red as she thought about it.

Outside her door, Martins went into another room far from hers and made a call to his dad.
“Dad, I’ve got her here with me at the old house.” There’s a lot to explain; this will be a very big advantage to our plan.” With a devious smirk on his face, he abruptly ended the call.
He breathed out heavily and reached for his lips. For a brief moment, he nearly lost himself. He almost lost himself to Serena, but he knew better than to develop any feelings for her.

***
*Back at the mall. A few hours earlier.
Isaac and Kate kept staring at each other for a while without uttering a word.
Her words to his sister kept resonating in his head, and he couldn’t help but glare hatefully at her.
“Hi, I’m Kate.” Kate extended her hand for a handshake, but he made no move to respond.
“Okay, can we talk? Serena must have told you some weird things about me, but I want to clear it up, okay? I’m not a bad person. So let’s talk, please.” Kate requested.

“Sure. Let’s talk.”