Jade's feet felt unstable as she stepped forward. The office was a lot larger than she expected and impressively organized, but that was really not the bone of contention. He sat behind the desk, he who had no name yet because she was too afraid to ask, and with what she had just witnessed, she might never ask.
Speaking of that, Jade tried to keep her head up the whole time. The floor most likely had something she did not want to see. However, from the corner of her eyes, she caught a glimpse of a man's shoes, nothing more, yet.
"You cooked." He seemed surprised as though he was not the one who had requested a meal. Right in front of Jade, he dropped the pistol in his hand on a stack of documents by his right before looking up at her with a grin.
Jade placed the tray down carefully, her hands still trembling, and he noticed. "You are shaking," he pointed out, and all Jade could do was lie almost immediately.
"It's a bit cold in here." She withdrew her hand, and in a bid to avoid his gaze, her eyes went in the direction she had avoided the whole time, and her body went cold instantly. She tried not to gasp or puke in front of him.
"You will grow accustomed to it," he said nonchalantly, drew the tray closer to himself and rolled up his sleeve. She immediately turned to leave, not wanting to spend another second in this tense vicinity that reeked of blood and violence. "How was he so comfortable eating right next to a corpse?"
"Wait," he ordered, and she paused, not like she had a choice. "I must taste it first. If I like it then you can go, if I do not then you will go with the tray. Isn't that a culinary rule?"
Jade tried not to make a face. She simply nodded and remained silent, watching him pick up the cutlery, ready to dig in. He did not even care that she may have poisoned it for real. She thought she should have just done it and ended this mess once and for all. That would be her sacrificing her life for no reason, so it would still be a loss since his bodyguards would finish her. Then again, she wondered if they were also prisoners and needed freedom from him, doing that might make her a hero.
"It's good." His voice snapped her back to reality. "You may leave," he added, and just like a waiter, she curtsied and headed for the door, adjusting the side of her dress as she did. It was just as uncomfortable as it was revealing, if not worse.
The door closed behind her. Only then did she catch her breath. She paused, closed her eyes briefly, and tried to recollect all she had seen rather than forget it. That image, that dead body, would haunt her for days. For the first time since her arrival, Jade made up her mind to leave the mansion. She did not care how, but she knew she had to leave soon because to her, he was a devil who would kill her soon. It was only a matter of time.
She returned to her room, stood in the center of it, and fell on her knees. It was just as dramatic as that of a Disney princess except there was no prince to break her fall. Tears trickled down her cheeks. In a moment, memories of everything flooded her mind. She wondered if anyone was looking for her, if anyone would ever know where she was, and if she would successfully escape without losing her life. It was all so depressing, and crying was what she needed, so that was what she did until she was satisfied.
Through the rest of the day, she barely saw him even though she made him lunch. This time the bodyguard delivered it on her behalf, stating that he who still had no name did not want to see anyone. It was a good thing though because he left her in the kitchen, giving her the first chance to explore the house. If she were to leave, then she must be very practical about it.
She tested the house in small ways, and by the end of the day she had counted eight visible guards, four confirmed camera placements around every possible exit, and one underground exit that seemed to lead to a tunnel. Most importantly, there were biometric locks and that would be the most difficult to break through. All she knew was that each guard had an access card, so there was only one option, to steal a card, and who better to steal from than the man she saw every day.
She also made him dinner, putting her best work into every detail. She served his tray like in a restaurant. The guard came to take it again and all she did was notice the position of his card in his jacket. There was genuinely no hope with stealing that, not with the depth of his pocket. Anyway, she could not run tonight, that would be foolish, she barely knew anything.
Jade had barely made it back to the bedroom when another bodyguard called her attention from behind in the hallway. She turned briskly.
"Yes?"
"He wants to see you," said the guard. He waited until she closed the distance between them before leading the way, not to the office this time but to his bedroom. She was left to go in alone, and her discomfort did not get any better.
Inside, she saw him seated at a table beside a window draped with thick white curtains. The food was before him untouched. She wondered if he did not like it and drew near before he could demand her presence.
"You called me, sir," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Sit," he ordered, pointing to the chair opposite him, and she did, with no hesitation and no questions asked. "Breakfast was good, lunch was better, and then there is this."
"You don't like it?" Jade asked worriedly, her brows creased. "I am sorry, sir, I…"
"I did not say that," he quickly cut her off. "I have not even touched it yet. I called you because I will be hosting a dinner tomorrow night, and you will be cooking and serving. I want to point out that you might see a lot of familiar faces tomorrow night and regardless of what or who you see, you must remain in character. Clear?"
She hesitated and then nodded. "Yes, sir."
"You must not say a thing to anyone or reply to their questions. You simply smile and move on. A guard will be nearby every time. If you feel pressured they will help you out."
"Okay, sir." She repeated.
He paused and said nothing else. Instead, he began to eat in front of her while she sat there not knowing whether to leave, stay, or feed him. He knew she was unsettled, and she knew he was aware of it. She also wondered if it would be rude to start a conversation with him. Clearly, he was lonely, and there were only men in this house as far as she was concerned.
As if he sensed the weight of her thoughts, he stopped eating and said,
"Tell me about yourself, Jade."