Robbin sat in one of his private rooms in the De Lavigne residence, silently watching the laptop screen intently. Ten minutes ago, he had just arrived at his family’s home and ignored the greetings of everyone who passed by him, asking about his vacation plans. Of course, there was something more critical to Robbin then, and he opted not to respond.
Even when he passed Meryl, who inquired about her daughter’s whereabouts, Robbin remained silent and walked away. Not once did he acknowledge Meryl’s presence, who seemed to miss her daughter. Robbin let out a quiet snort. Juliette was still fortunate to have a mother, but he had no one left. Juliette was all he had now, and Robbin was angry that she refused to see that.
She even dared to plan her escape and leave Robbin. Of course, he was aware of his little kitten’s plans. From the reflections in the window and door, he could see that Juliette had purchased something she deliberately hid in hopes he wouldn’t find out. So, Robbin let it happen, playing with the game she had created. Robbin loved games, and this was one of them.
Game of chase.
Let Juliette do what she planned. Robbin loved hunting, and imagining what he would gain at the end of this game filled him with excitement. Then, that night, while Juliette was sound asleep, Robbin entered her room, lay beside her, slipped his hand under her pillow, and checked what was hidden there.
Robbin’s hand touched an object, and as he pulled it out, he found a strip of sleeping pills with a strong dosage. A slight grin, filled with cruelty and sadism, formed on Robbin’s face. His eyes immediately turned to Juliette’s innocent face. One of his free hands reached out to gently caress her cheek, and he whispered, “Did you think you could fool me and run away kitten? Let’s see how far you can run before I catch you.”
Robbin returned the pills to their original place and rose from his position. He leaned down and kissed Juliette’s forehead gently before getting off the bed and walking out. A few days later, Robbin decided to make Juliette’s plan easier. He pretended to forget his wallet, which he had intentionally filled with cash. Then he asked her to make him dinner and deliberately turned off the security system installed in Juliette’s tracker bracelet. Robbin was sure Juliette would do anything to destroy the bracelet. He knew precisely how his beloved kitten thought, and Robbin would make it easy.
For Robbin, it felt fair not to use dirty tactics like installing tracking devices or anything else that would make it easier for him. He believed in himself and would find the woman quickly without breaking a sweat.
He allowed Juliette to put the sleeping pills in her tiramisu cake; he didn’t protest when eating it, even acting as if he were unaware of what was happening. Two hours later, Robbin finally woke up and stretched all his sore muscles from sleeping in an uncomfortable position. The corners of his lips lifted slightly into a smile filled with irony as he looked at the cold food before him.
He then took his phone out of his suit pocket and called his trusted associate, Aldrich. “Get my jet ready now. I’m going back to New York.”
“Understood, sir.”
“What about that coward? What’s his name? Ah! Leo… Leonardo… whatever, so?”
“One of the guards watching Miss Juliette’s apartment reported the man’s presence. He reported that the man slipped something under the door, but he didn’t check because that would give away his presence to Leo.”
“And then?”
“He instructed one of his colleagues to follow where Leo went.”
Robbin stepped into his room and looked at his reflection in the mirror. His free hand busily loosened the tie around his shirt collar. “Good. Turns out your brains can be useful. Continue.”
“Leo is hiding in his late parents’ house, which he sold a few weeks ago.”
“Keep watching, Aldrich. This time, don’t disappoint me.”
“Understood, sir.”
Robbin sighed and blinked, dispelling all distracting thoughts before returning his gaze to the laptop screen. It showed Juliette tearing up a piece of paper in the sink in her apartment. He had watched that video multiple times, and his anger and longing had not subsided. He was angry because Juliette chose that useless man over him, and he missed being apart from her. All Robbin wanted was to touch her until his desires were satisfied and the monster inside him calmed down.
Robbin closed the laptop and stood up. He wore black leather gloves before pulling out a revolver from one of his desk drawers. He slipped the weapon into his suit pocket, took out his phone, and called Aldrich.
“Tell them to leave the location. It’s time for me to pick up my woman.”
After that, Robbin walked out with a grin on his face.
.
.
.
“Where are we going, Leo?” Juliette asked Leo after they entered a deserted highway traversed by a few cars. The man she asked remained silent and glanced at Juliette briefly from the corner of his eye. A sigh escaped Juliette’s lips as she realized Leo wouldn’t answer her question. For a moment, Juliette pondered what would happen to her in the future if she were always on the run. Still, she quickly dismissed all the negative thoughts that crossed her mind and chose to think positively.
Silence enveloped them, and the tense atmosphere was palpable inside the car. Juliette rested her head against the window as the car entered a lonely road with no other vehicles.
“Can we take a break at the rest area, Leo?” Juliette asked again, but this time, her voice was tired. She yawned widely before turning to Leo.
Leo shook his head. “We can’t stop here. Until we’re in a safe area, I’ll find a place for us to rest.”
Leo smiled at Juliette and added, “Go to sleep, Ela; I know you’re still tired. Don’t worry about me.”
“Are you sure?” Leo nodded firmly. She was seeing that made Juliette reluctantly give in and let the darkness envelop her.
But it didn’t last long, as Juliette woke up half an hour later due to the car shaking and Leo’s loud cursing. Startled, Juliette straightened up and looked at Leo with fear and panic. “Leo, what’s happening?”
Leo pressed his lips together, intending not to answer Juliette’s question, but all that intention vanished when he felt a collision at the back of the car. This caused Juliette to scream and her expression to double in intensity. Leo breathed and replied, “We’re being followed, Julie, and now they’re trying to stop us.”
Upon hearing Leo’s response, Juliette immediately turned to look behind her. Sure enough, a few black SUVs with dark windows were driving not far from them. What terrified Juliette even more was that two SUVs began speeding up, surrounding the car’s sides where she and Leo were. “Leo! They’re trying to surround us!”
“Damn!” Leo cursed loudly, then shifted gears and pressed the gas, making the car speed up.
They were in a thrilling chase scene. If Leo slowed down the car, those vehicles would encircle them. Moreover, one SUV behind them was closing the distance and continuously crashing into the back of the car, causing Leo to lose focus and swerve. Still, fortunately, Leo managed to control the vehicle.
Juliette closed her eyes and prayed. Tears were now flowing freely down her cheeks. Her heart was in chaos, and the fear of losing Leo grew stronger. She opened her eyes just as Leo glanced at the rearview mirror to check if the cars pursuing them were falling behind.
Indeed, the cars eager to surround them began to slow down, creating a significant distance between them. Leo breathed a sigh of relief, thinking perhaps their boss had decided to let him and Juliette go, but that was just Leo’s positive thinking. Next, he heard Juliette screaming at him, warning him. Then Leo’s eyes widened as he saw several cars parked horizontally, not far from them, creating a barricade. In shock, Leo instinctively swerved the steering wheel to the right, causing the car to slide off the highway, crash into a guardrail, roll over several meters, and finally stop when the car hit some trees.
The last thing Leo remembered before darkness enveloped him was Juliette’s voice calling his name.
…