Claire P. O. V
It feels totally insane. How could I be so mad and lock myself up when I’m in a place I might never get to visit again in my life?
So, after I saw Ethan leave with Chen Lien and the others, I went downstairs, planning to explore the whole city-my first time in this foreign place. But when I reached for the door handle, a guard stopped me, asking me not to leave the villa under any circumstances.
“I just want to look around,” I said.
“You still have to wait for Alpha Ethan to come back.”
“I’m not waiting for that jerk to return. I don’t even know where he went or why!” I fumed, feeling like I was arguing over nothing.
“You can wait in your room until that happens.” He tried to touch my hand, but I quickly stepped away. Because I knew if I complied, I’d be locked in that room.
“Can you cooperate with us?” the man asked. “If Alpha Ethan finds out you escaped, it won’t just be you who gets punished; we’ll be dead too.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Dead? Is that your job in contract?” I asked, but he kept trying to touch me. “No! Don’t touch me!” I shrieked.
“Okay, we won’t do that, but please don’t go anywhere until Alpha Ethan returns. Please, because if you leave, it’s not just you who will get into trouble, but we’ll be dead too, and death isn’t in our job contract,” they said hoarsely, begging me not to act recklessly.
This sounded awful. If I obeyed them, I would probably be locked in that room and not let out. But if I defied them and ran away, they would die, meaning I’d be indirectly responsible for their deaths. This is absolutely crazy.
“Alright, but never try to lock me up. Or I’ll report you to Ethan and make sure you’re punished!”
“Sure! Yeah, sure! We won’t do that.” They raised their hands, letting me walk past them, hoping I wouldn’t rebel or do otherwise.
Honestly, leaving Ethan was what I wanted. Still, if someone or a few people died because of my desire, that would be completely unfunny. So I chose to walk towards the back, but they followed every step I took, fear evident in their eyes that I might actually leave.
The backyard wasn’t too big. Unlike the backyard at Ethan’s Packhouse, which bordered the forest inhabited by the Rouge Wolves, only skyscrapers were visible here. Is this what Shanghai is like? Filled with buildings and unfriendly people, so how is it different from Ethan’s Pack?
“If you need anything, please tell us, and we’ll bring it to you.”
I shook my head. “No need, don’t bring anything. I just want to sit until those people return,” I replied.
They quickly left, leaving me alone as if not wanting to be involved with me. When I was alone, I chose to close my eyes, recalling all the memories of me and Sister Alberta, the woman who had raised me since I was little. She also gave me my name and protected me from all the world’s evil.
.
But why did the worst thing happen after everything seemed okay in my life? Why did Sister Alberta leave me? Why did they kill her? Who were those men? And that person, why did he look at me like that yesterday, and why did Ethan suddenly get so angry because I was there? Who is that man, really? Why is Ethan both scared and obsessed at the same time?
“What are you doing here?” someone asked me, startling me.
When I turned around, I saw Ethan Randall, the Alpha, standing with his hands in his pockets, looking at me.
“Oh, my Christ! You almost gave me a heart attack,” I cursed.
“You should have stayed inside and slept.”
“Do you want me to be like a hibernating bear?” I glared at him. “Can you not make me stay inside the room after I’ve come to a new place like Shanghai?”
My words seemed to provoke Ethan, his expression changing instantly. “So, you want to go for a look around?”
“Of course! I want to do it. Didn’t Chen Lien offer to take me sightseeing and grab some snacks at the night market? I want to go,” I said enthusiastically.
No, that wasn’t enthusiasm; it sounded more like coercion, and I tried forcing Ethan Randall to take me out.
At first, I thought Ethan would yell and refuse my request. But I was wrong; he nodded.
“If you want to go so badly, wait until the evening because all the night markets here only open after seven o’clock,” he said.
“You’re really going to take me there?”
“Isn’t that what you want? Then get ready,” Ethan said again.
I couldn’t believe Ethan did that. He agreed to my request. After saying that, he immediately left, returning to the villa, and I didn’t know what he was doing there. Meanwhile, Chen Lien, who had been eavesdropping, approached me with a smile that showed her single dimple.
“This time, what does that smile mean?” I asked, feeling weird after seeing the smile she gave me.
“So you asked him to go? Not me?”
“Didn’t you see that he could kill me for not being in my room?”
“Oh, come on, Ethan’s not that bad.”
“What part of him is the best?”
Chen Lien shook her head. “At least he’s an Alpha respected by his people.” She replied, unsure, but the man smiled as if he didn’t want to say bad things about Ethan when they still had to work together.
“Do you still have work after this?” I asked curiously.
Chen Lien nodded. “Of course. We have to go to another district in five minutes, and since he promised to go with you at seven, we’ll be back before then.”
I nodded. It didn’t matter if I stayed alone in this vast villa as long as I wasn’t locked in and could roam around, even if just in the house. That was good enough for me.
“Claire, are you mad because Ethan said he could kill you just for power and money?”