Eadlin's date was a complete disaster as I predictable. From the moment they sat down, Fade took over everything. She talked endlessly, complained about the smallest things, and got irritated over nothing, behaving like a brat as usual, while he barely listened. By the time Eadlin got home, he was tired, irritated. He crashed out at the first maid that walked up to him.
He loosened his tie slowly, like he was peeling off the frustration of the night, tossed his keys carelessly onto the table, and let himself fall onto the bed.
"Silence, finally," he said silently.
The quiet wrapped around him immediately, thick, still, almost suffocating in its calm. For a brief moment, it felt like relief. He closed his eyes but something wasn't right. A subtle unease crept in, like a thought just out of reach… something he was forgetting. His eyes opened again, and he stared up at the ceiling as if the blank surface could somehow give him answers.
"…What was it?"
The question lingered, unanswered.
With a tired sigh, too drained to chase the thought any further, he turned to his side and eventually drifted off.
The next morning;
Same routine.
He wakes up, stretch. Shower. Get dressed, everything felt normal.
Eadlin moved toward his closet, adjusting his sleeve slightly as he reached for the handle, ready to grab his jacket and leave.
The moment he opened it
He froze.
The same girl from yesterday, curled awkwardly in the corner, her body slumped like she had completely given up. Her hair was messy, her posture lifeless.
For a second… he just stared.
"…She's still here?" he thought, stepping closer.
Her breathing was shallow, weak, uneven. Not dead, but close enough to make him scared. Without wasting time, he hurried. He searched for the key, grabbed it, leaned forward, and unlocked the handcuff.
The moment the handcuff dropped, her body gave in she fell forward. He caught her before she hit the ground. She was lighter than he expected. She laid on his hands peacefully and so relaxed.
He carried her out carefully and placed her on a chair, then reached for a bottle of water on the table. Twisting it open, he held it out toward her.
"Drink."
No response.
"Hey," he called.
Still nothing from her.
He moved the bottle closer, gently tapping it against her lips. They were dry and cracked. Her eyes fluttered open weakly. Then suddenly;
She grabbed the bottle.
Desperately.
She drank fast, almost violently, water spilling down the sides of her mouth as she gulped like her life depended on it.
Eadlin sat on the stool opposite her, watching quietly.
She didn't stop until her breathing gave out. When she finally pulled away, she coughed lightly.
A knock came at the door.
He didn't move immediately. His eyes were still on her.
"…Don't move," he said calmly.
He stood and walked to the door, opening it just enough.
The maid stood outside, holding breakfast. He took the tray without a word and shut the door. Back inside, he placed the food in front of her. She stared at it for a moment.
Then suddenly;
She attacked it.
With no cutlery.
No hesitation.
Just pure hunger. She fit in more than she could chew.
Eadlin leaned back slightly, watching her, trying to hold in a reaction.
She ate like she hadn't seen food in days, messy, desperate, unfiltered. At some point, she paused and held out a pancake toward him. He glanced at it… then back at her.
"…I'm good," he said.
She didn't argue. She just continued eating. Minutes later, she slowed down… then stopped.
"I'm full…" she said quietly, holding her stomach.
He noticed she hadn't even finished half. Her body probably couldn't take more then suddenly stood and tried to walk away.
He grabbed her wrist.
"Sit."
She hesitated… then sat.
"Who are you?" he asked, watching her closely.
She avoided his eyes.
"…Gabrielle," she replied softly.
Gabrielle.
The name felt familiar.
"…Gabrielle Sulth" he said nodding.
"That would make sense, the connections. That must be how she got in." He thought.
She shook her head immediately, holding her bruised wrist.
"No."
His expression shifted slightly.
"So that wasn't it," he said under his breath.
"Then who are you?" he asked again.
"I… don't know how I got here."
"That's not what I asked," he replied, leaning back, unimpressed.
"I'm serious!" she said quickly. "I slept in my house and woke up here!"
He studied her face carefully.
No hesitation. No clear lie.
To him, it was either she was extremely good at lying…Or she was telling the truth.
"If you're lying," he said calmly, "I'll call the police."
Her eyes widened instantly.
"Police? I didn't do anything!"
"Then explain."
"I can't!" she cried. "Just check your security cameras!"
He paused.
"…What an idea," he thought.
"Fine."
He walked to his system and pulled up the footage.
Front gate.
Nothing.
Hallways.
Nothing.
Room entrance.
Nothing.
Windows.
Nothing.
Again.
And again.
Still nothing.
No entry.
No exit.
He slowly turned back to her.
"…What are you?"
"I—I'm human!"
"Humans don't appear out of nowhere."
He does not believe in magic, maybe he would have drawn it as a conclusion...but this didn't make sense to him.
"I didn't appear out of nowhere!" she snapped, then immediately regretted it.
Without another word, he walked to his safe, opened it, and pulled out a dagger, it looked like it was painted in gold.
The moment she saw it,
She broke.
"Wait—wait—please—!"
She dropped to her knees as he raised it steadily.
"Last chance, I like to start with the pinky" he said calmly spinning the dagger.
"I don't know!" she cried. "I swear I don't know!"
He stepped closer. Her breathing became uneven. Tears filled her eyes.
"I'm not lying!" she sobbed.
Silence fell.
Heavy.
Long.
He dropped the dagger beside him with his palm over it.
A part of him… believed her.
"What if she's a spy… but why was she sleeping on my bed, do spy's sleep this days? It just doesn't add up," he thought.
He looked directly at her. She stared back terrified, confused, broken and for the first time… He wasn't sure which one of them should be more afraid. He reached for his phone and dialed. After a brief discussion on the phone, he looked at Gabrielle and said;
"They're coming up."
"Who…?" she asked.
"I want to believe you, but it doesn't logically make any sense."
A knock followed.
He opened the door.
Two security men stood outside.
"Take her," he said.
They stepped in immediately.
She stiffened.
"Wait, where are you taking me?" she asked, panicking.
"No one is killing you," he said flatly. "Relax."
That didn't help at all, it just made her panic more.
One of the guards held her arm firmly.
"We just need to ask you a few questions, ma'am."
"Find out everything about her. Everything," Eadlin said.
"Yes, sir."
And just like that they took her away, the room fell silent again. This time, the silence didn't feel peaceful.
Gabrielle thought she was going to die as she was taken by the security.
But stepping outside, that was something else entirely. Even as they dragged her away, her eyes refused to stay still; they moved constantly, trying to take everything in, like her mind couldn't decide whether to panic… or admire.
The hallway alone looked like something out of a dream.
Long. Endless. Large or let say massive
The floor polished that they reflected light like glass beneath her feet. Walls lined with paintings that looked far too expensive to even stare at for too long, like just looking at them too much might cost her something.
Everything was quiet, not the peaceful quiet type of quite but the one that feels controlled out of the want and craving of perfection. The kind that made it clear this wasn't her world.
"Move," one of the guards snapped, tightening his grip on her arm.
She winced slightly but didn't look at him. She couldn't because her attention was everywhere else, trying to absorb as much as she could before reality caught up with her again. They passed a wide staircase that is coated with pure gold, curved elegantly, like it had been carved with intention and precision. The railings shone under the light, smooth and flawless.
Above it hung a chandelier.
Huge.
Brilliant.
For a brief moment, she forgot she was being dragged.
This place…
It wasn't just rich.
It was power.
Cold, distant, untouchable power.
Her steps struggled to keep up as they pulled her forward, her feet barely steady against the spotless marble floor.
She didn't even realize when they stepped outside;
Until she felt the air.
Cool.
Fresh.
Different.
It brushed lightly against her skin, softened by the presence of trees surrounding the compound.
In one word…
Amazing.
In two words…..
Lemme here.
Her eyes widened slightly as she took it all in. The compound was massive far bigger than anything she had ever seen before. The kind of place where, if she screamed, her voice might disappear before anyone even heard it.
The lawns are perfectly trimmed, stretched endlessly on both sides, so neat and flawless they almost didn't look real.
Fountains stood in different corners, actual fountains,water flowing smoothly, almost unnaturally perfect. Gabrielle stares like she has never seen one so close before.
Who lives like this?
Her mind struggled to process it.
This wasn't just wealth.
This was generations of it.
Old money.
Powerful money.
Soon, they reached the car park.
She went completely speechless.
They dragged her down the steps, her eyes moving rapidly from one sight to another luxury cars lined up neatly, each one looking like it cost more than everything she had ever owned combined.
Tall pillars stood like silent guards. Security cameras watched from every angle. Even the silence outside felt… controlled like nothing here happened without permission.
Throughout the entire walk, she hadn't seen a single fly not even a mosquito.
That alone felt unnatural.
"Keep moving," the second guard muttered.
"I am moving," she snapped back weakly, her voice lacking the strength she wanted it to have.
They continued walking.
Further.
Deeper.
Until they finally reached the security office. It looked like a police station.
Cold.
Structured.
Unwelcoming.
One of the guards pushed her forward. She stumbled, barely catching herself before hitting the ground.
The questioning didn't take long.
But it felt like hours.
"Name?"
"Gabrielle."
"Full name?"
"Gabrielle… Taphath—" she paused. "Just Gabrielle."
"Address?"
She gave it.
"Occupation?"
"I work at a university cafeteria."
They exchanged glances.
She noticed that, this made her a bit unease.
"Do you know Mr. Eadlin?"
"No."
"Have you ever been here before?"
"No!"
"Then how did you get into the house?"
She hesitated.
"…I don't know."
There it was again that same answer. The one that sounded like a lie no matter how true it was.
They watched her closely, waiting as if expecting her to break but she didn't because there was nothing to confess.
She wasn't lying.
She simply… didn't know.
Hours later..
One of them returned.
"We checked," he said.
"Everything she said checks out."
The other nodded slowly.
"No signs of forced entry. No footage. No record."
A strange silence followed.
"So… can I go now?" she asked quietly but they gave no response.
A few minutes later
He walked in.
Eadlin.
Her body tensed instantly.
He looked at her.
Not angry.
Not calm either.
"There's no record of you entering the house," he said.
She stayed quiet.
"Everything you said is true."
She nodded slowly.
"…I apologize."
She blinked.
Wait.
What?
That wasn't what she expected.
Not even close.
"I might have misjudged the situation," he continued. "That won't happen again."
For a moment, she didn't know how to respond.
So she said the first thing that came to mind
"I could have died…"
Her voice came out smaller than she expected.
"I know," he replied.
Flat.
Unapologetic.
"This guy really didn't have a heart." She thought
"…I also need to get to work," she added. "If I miss another day, I might get fired."
That caught his attention.
Slightly.
"Work?"
"Yes," she said quickly. "I'm not like you. I actually need my job."
One of the guards almost smiled.
Eadlin looked at her for a long moment. Long enough to make her uncomfortable.
"This ends here," he said finally. "You leave. You go back to your life and you never cross paths with me again."
Honestly?
She didn't want to see him again either.
"…Fine," she said. "What a stupid crush anyway" She added silently.
"Say it properly."
She blinked.
"What?"
"Say you won't cross paths with me again."
She stared at him.
Was he serious?
"Are you serious?" the words slipped out before she could stop them.
"…I promise," she said slowly. "I won't cross paths with you again."
For a brief moment
"Good," he said.
She was led into one of the cars, the cold air from the AC hitting her face almost immediately.
They dropped her off at her house.
And only then did it really sink in.
It was over.
She might never see him again.
And maybe…
That was for the best.