Episode5
1253 Words
"Pascal!"
The man snatched Petra's phone and threw it against the wall, shattering it on the floor. "Have you betrayed me?" Pascal grabbed Petra's jaw, but not hard enough to hurt her.
"Pascal..."
"Answer!" Pascal barked.
Petra trembled with fear. Despite being a police officer on an undercover mission, she was still a young cop with little field experience.
"I have never betrayed you!" Petra lied. She had been using him from the beginning.
It wasn't betrayal. Pascal just didn't know he was being used. So, it wasn't Petra's fault. Yes, not her fault!
"I will find out. So just wait until then." Pascal then dragged Petra to another room. It was located at the back and isolated among all the rooms in the mansion.
Petra was roughly pushed into the back room, and Pascal locked it from the outside. Petra immediately pounded on the door, trying to plead.
"Pascal! You misunderstand! Pascal! Open the door!" Petra's cries were ignored as Pascal walked away, anger burning in his chest.
"Damn it!" Petra growled, kicking the table and wincing in pain from her foot.
"He destroyed my phone, there's no electronic device in this room, and the window is barred! How can I escape?" Petra slumped to the floor. Besides the bed and a set of table and chairs, there was another door in the corner of the room, which was the bathroom.
"I hope they're safe." Her thoughts turned to Liam and the team.
Petra sat hugging her knees, memories of the past flooding back. About her meeting with Pascal three years ago.
"You were chased by those men in black suits, right? Come with me!" Petra pulled Pascal's hand, a classmate at the university. They ran through dark alleys and entered one of the flats, Petra's place.
"Sit down, I'll treat your wound," she said. She took a medical kit and sat beside Pascal on the sofa.
"Hold on, this might sting a bit." She prepared an alcohol swab for the bruise on his face.
Pascal winced briefly. His gaze stayed on Petra's serious face as she treated him.
"Petra, why did you save me?" Pascal asked. "We're not close friends. We hardly even talk at the university." His curiosity prompted him to ask.
"What's wrong with helping someone in need?" Petra replied.
Pascal stared at her without blinking. "Petra, do you have a boyfriend?"
The sudden question halted Petra's hand, and she met Pascal's gaze briefly. "I don't have thoughts like that. Graduation exams are coming in a few weeks. I'm just focused on my studies. Why do you ask?" she said, applying a bandage under Pascal's eye.
"If you had a boyfriend, I wouldn't want your lover to see me here at your place. It could cause misunderstandings between us," Pascal explained.
"One day, I will come back to you for the second time after today." Pascal spoke seriously.
"Why? Because you owe me for saving you? No need," Petra waved her hand dismissively.
"No. This isn't about a debt. It's a desire growing in my heart." Pascal cupped Petra's face and kissed her gently.
The sound of the lock opening abruptly ended her recollection. Petra turned to see someone entering.
"Aren't you sleeping?" Pascal stood at the doorway. He saw Petra sitting near the window, with the sky already bright.
"How could I sleep well when you're angry and locked me in here?" Petra retorted.
The dark circles under her eyes were faintly visible. Petra had only managed to sleep briefly before waking up again with a restless heart.
"Eat," Pascal ordered, placing the tray on the round table.
"I don't want to die today," Petra said firmly.
"Do you think I poisoned your food?" Pascal guessed. Petra's silence made Pascal scoff.
"You won't die now. So, eat and finish it." After saying that, Pascal prepared to leave the room. But Petra's voice stopped him.
"Have you found what you're looking for?" Petra asked.
"Just wait. You'll know what will happen to you soon," Pascal said without turning around and then shut the door behind him.
"Pascal!" Petra shouted, frustrated at being ignored.
An idea suddenly popped into her head as she looked at the food tray on the table. "I can get out of here if there's something I can use as a weapon," Petra muttered, her eyes reflecting confidence.
Instead of eating, Petra used a spoon to pry the door open. She remembered how to use it from her training at the academy.
Even a low-level thief could do this. Petra demonstrated her basic skills and succeeded in unlocking the door.
Carefully sneaking out of the room, Petra headed towards the back door, which was closer to an exit.
But unfortunately, the back door was tightly locked. While trying to pry it open again with the spoon, Petra felt something watching her.
Petra knew there were no CCTV cameras here, although it was possible she had been seen walking out of the room earlier within CCTV range.
"Looks like this canary wants to fly outside."
Petra froze. Her whole body shivered. Right behind her was Pascal, staring at her like a ghost in the dark.
"Turn around!" His voice commanded coldly.
Petra hesitantly turned her body slowly. "Let me go, okay?" she pleaded, half begging.
"Go where? Your home is here." Pascal suddenly grabbed Petra's hand, causing the spoon to fall to the floor.
"Ouch, Pascal, that hurts!" The grip on her wrist was strong, as if Pascal would crush her hand.
"Pascal, let go of my hand!" Petra whined, struggling. Her body jolted forward when Pascal pulled her closer.
"You..." Pascal grasped Petra's jaw with his free hand. His eagle-sharp gaze pierced into Petra's anxious eyes.
"Who are you really?" Pascal searched for answers in Petra's eyes.
"Is it true that the data I obtained shows you are actually a police officer undercover as my wife?" Pascal's words were what Petra had expected.
Because no matter how well-hidden, secrets would eventually be revealed. But Petra hadn't expected it to be discovered this quickly.
What if she denied Pascal's accusation? What would his reaction be?
"Pascal, you know I married you because I love you. Why would you think such things?" Petra gently deflected, exploiting Pascal's genuine affection for her.
"I caught one of the intruders at my office. He's still silent, but I'm sure he will reveal everything eventually."
"What do you mean?" Petra was shocked, her eyes widened with worry.
"Hmm, what was his name again? Liam?" Pascal said as if trying to recall.
"Don't touch him!" Petra shouted.
Pascal was surprised by her reaction. But he remained calm, even smirking. "Oh, is he your brother?"
"I heard you lived alone without parents or relatives since college. Your grandmother died before we graduated. Then, a year later, a man named Liam came into your life. A distant cousin who finally kept you from living alone."
Pascal's knowledge of all this impressed Petra. He was no different from a stalker.
However, with the speed of information Pascal had using advanced technology, it was easy for him to find anyone's background in minutes.
"I now know why you married me. You wanted to find evidence of the crime I committed against the governor's son, right? How did that go?" Pascal taunted.
"Bastard!" Petra hissed.
"You've hidden your true identity as a cop so well that you made me trust you. But today, all your efforts must fail, dear. You won't be able to go anywhere anymore."
***
- Writer
