Juliette awoke with a throbbing pain in her head. She groaned and found herself lying on her bed. At first, Juliette didn’t understand what had happened. Still, slowly, the events leading up to her unconsciousness began to fill her mind again, piecing together like a puzzle.
Was all that had happened just a dream? No. It was all real. Juliette could distinctly feel the cold, sharp knife against her skin. Remembering that made her shudder with fear. She glanced at the small bed where Pure-Robbin’s gift cat-was sleeping soundly, purring softly. She was grateful that when the psychopathic man came, the servant took Purelk to the park by the site, looked at the digital clock and groaned when she saw the time reading five in the morning. She had even missed dinner because of that psychopathic man. Why did he drug her? Juliette wondered if there was a reason behind the man’s actions. She fumbled with her pants, intending to pull out her phone, but found nothing.
Instantly, Juliette’s face went pale. There was no way that man knew!
.
.
“Juliette? Are you planning to go to the hospital today?” Meryl asked her daughter as they sat at the dining table. It was just herself, Juliette, and Robbin having breakfast, while the other De Lavigne family members opted to have breakfast in their rooms or at the hospital with Daisy’s parents.
Juliette sipped her warm chamomile tea slowly, feeling the warmth seep into her body before shaking her head. “I plan to work and visit Leo. Mom, may I stay over at Leo’s apartment tonight?”
“No.” Suddenly, Robbin spoke flatly and firmly. He slammed the coffee cup he was holding onto the table and stared at Juliette intently. Robbin fixed his piercing gaze on Juliette, “Do you know that the assailant who attacked Daisy is still at large? What if he targets you? Can your boyfriend protect you?”
“Robb…”
Robbin stood up and said again, “I won’t allow it. You and Meryl are my responsibility, as are the other members of the De Lavigne family. Follow my orders, Juliette. This is all for your own good.”
“Alright… but I-” Juliette didn’t finish her sentence because Robbin’s phone rang, and he walked toward the dining room door. Waiting at the threshold, Aldrich immediately followed his master as he stepped out of the room. Juliette and Meryl exchanged glances before letting out a quiet sigh. “What’s wrong with him?”
“You have to understand, ETTE. Robbin has been stressed lately due to Daisy’s case. The media has caught wind of this, and if Robbin hadn’t acted quickly, news of Daisy’s attack would have spread. He’s upset that the perpetrator hasn’t been caught yet,” Meryl explained in a tone full of understanding.
“Oh, I see…” Juliette murmured, then lowered her head, focusing on her nearly empty tea cup. “Mom…”
“Yes, what is it, Ette?”
Juliette opened her mouth to tell her mother what had happened to her. She wanted to share everything, but she hesitated. She didn’t want to involve her mother in her problems. Juliette didn’t want her mom to fall under the radar of that psychopathic man.
.
.
Fortunately, before her phone was taken, Juliette had already made an appointment with Henry. So here she was, sitting at one of the tables in the corner of D’moon restaurant. Juliette tapped her fingers on the table’s surface, feeling anxiety envelop her. She impatiently awaited Henry, who seemed to be running late, glancing around, hoping to spot a familiar figure.
Once again, Juliette looked at the watch encircling her wrist. She was eager to discuss ‘Master D’ with Henry, who had become a terrifying shadow. She believed Henry could find the whereabouts and identity of that man. However, they first needed to discuss, yet Henry still had not arrived.
Juliette began to worry that Henry thought she was making things up and wasn’t taking her seriously, deciding not to show up. Or perhaps that psychopathic man had contacted Henry using Juliette’s phone and said the meeting was cancelled. Juliette would have no choice but to go to Henry’s place if that were the case.
Juliette nervously bit her lip, her anxiety mounting over what might happen. Her impatience started to overwhelm her. She desperately wanted to contact Henry using the phone she carried, but it was too risky since that psychopathic man had already tapped her phone. So Juliette decided to wait another half hour; if Henry still didn’t arrive, she would go to his house, regardless of the danger.
She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t notice someone pulling the chair across from her. Juliette jumped in surprise when she saw the face of a man she recognized-Christian. “Hi, kitten.” Juliette felt her body freeze instantly when the man called her the same name as Master D. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Despite her heart racing, Juliette took a deep breath and tried to appear as calm as possible. “What are you doing here? Aren’t you at the hospital?”
“I’m off.”
“Off?”
“Yes, I also work as a doctor, and coincidentally, one of my family members had an incident, so I was there, but luckily, I get to see you.”
“Oh, I see.” Juliette placed both her hands under the table, hiding her clenched fists. “So, why are you here now?”
“This is my favourite restaurant. I always come here because the food is good, and I can enjoy the view.” Christian said while directing his gaze toward a building. The building was where Juliette worked as a designer, the studio and office she frequented.
Instantly, Juliette paled further upon realizing this. She hurriedly tidied up all her belongings on the table. “Where are you going?” Christian asked casually, but his tone seemed to hide something unspoken.
“I just remembered that I still have to discuss something with my boss before he goes to a seminar.”
“Oh, I see.”
Juliette stood up and walked quickly toward the cashier without saying anything more. She paid for her meal before running out of the restaurant as if being chased by a ghost. Juliette didn’t glance back at the spot where Christian sat calmly.
No. Juliette felt a sense of unease, her subconscious sending her warnings; she thought Christian might be that man.
Master D.
Although she was unsure, Juliette had a strong feeling, but who knew? She could not be entirely sure because she still suspected Dion.
The phone in her bag vibrated as Juliette entered her workspace, which was filled with dress designs. She pulled her phone out of her bag and saw a notification message.
Juliette felt her entire body go weak as she read the message sent by Master D.
“Naughty kitten.”
Then Juliette received another message from Master D: a photo of a man standing on the sidewalk, waiting for the pedestrian light to turn green.
The photo was of Henry.
Not long after, Juliette’s phone rang, and Leo’s name appeared on the screen. With trembling hands, Juliette answered her boyfriend’s call. “Leo?”
“Julie…” Leo called her name with a trembling voice. “Henry, my good friend, he had an accident. He died at the scene.”
Instantly, Juliette collapsed to the floor.
Once again. She was the reason someone was hurt. She was the reason someone became a target of Master D.
…
V