OBSESSION

CHAPTER 3

She's silently crying when the door of her room opens. She quickly wipes her tears and looks over.

"Ashton?" She stuttered.

"Are you okay, Kizia?" He walked towards her. She nodded in response to his question.

He chuckled. "No, you're not." He guided her to stand up. He looked at her from head to toe. "Did Ashwin hurt you?"

She just stared into his piercing eyes. She hesitated whether to admit that not only was she hurt by his brother, but she was also afraid he intended to take advantage of her. But she was concerned that he might not believe her. After all, Ashwin was his brother, and surely he would side with family over a mere servant.

She was very anxious about her safety in this house. Among the four siblings, she only ever talked to Ashton, and she wanted to tell him everything she was feeling, but if it was just about his brother, it was useless! That was a different matter for Ashton.

He ridiculously smiled. "So, silent means yes to me, Kizia." She suddenly became alert to his actions.

"No. H- He didn't hurt me," she stuttered.

He sighed and placed his hand on his forehead. "I know my brother well, Kizia. You don't need to cover for him." He breathed out.

"That old geeze!" He burst out. "He's such a headache." Ashton patted her shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll talk to him, Kizia."

She couldn't help but cry again-not because she was hurt, but because for the first time, someone sided with her. Throughout her life, she had always been oppressed, even by her own family. She had done her best to protect them, but the reality hit her that when she was being oppressed, no one was there to protect her.

Out of her consciousness, she hugged Ashton very tightly. She felt his surprise at her actions, but he didn't push her away. Instead, he patted her head and caressed it.

He sighed. "It looks like Ashwin hurt you a lot."

She sobbed and chose to stay quiet. She was content that she had someone to lean on, even if just a little. She was glad he believed she was hurt by Ashwin, even though she didn't say it. She was grateful to have met Ashton, and she hoped that until the end, she could still rely on him.

She stiffened when she felt Ashton sniff her. "I love your natural scent, Kizia." He raised her chin. "It's very sweet and pleasant."

"A-Ashton..."

"What are you doing here, Ashton?" They were suddenly separated, and the surprise was evident on their faces.

Ashton quickly regained his composure and just smiled as if nothing had happened. She couldn't help but apprehend as Ashwin spoke calmly yet in a deadly tone.

"Just visiting her, Ashwin."

She couldn't understand how Ashton could keep up with Ashwin's sharp gaze. It seemed like he enjoyed seeing his twin brother boiling with anger.

"And why are you hugging her? Who gave you permission to touch what I own?!"

Own? Since when am I his property?

"C'mon, Ashwin! I'm just comforting her. You're giving her a hard time."

"Leave." He calmly said, pointing to the door.

Ashton sighed and reluctantly walked out.

She was frightened. She realized that even Ashton couldn't withstand his twin brother's behavior for long. Or maybe, he did it on purpose because he didn't want things to escalate into a fight.

"Go easy on her, Ashwin. I swear, I won't find you another one," he said before leaving her room.

She didn't bother to dwell on Ashton's last words. What concerned her more was her safety in the hands of his twin brother. His eyes seemed to penetrate her very being.

It's as if he has those piercing eyes that look straight into her as if they're going to stab her.

"You're not allowed to talk to him or go near him, little one." He stepped closer to her, making her heart beat faster than its natural rhythm.

"That's an order." He stared at her sharply. He held her chin and gripped it firmly.

"Failure to obey it would definitely result in severe punishment from me." He suddenly lowered his head and savored her lips.

KIZIA woke up from her deep sleep feeling dark. She sat up in her bed, holding her head. Perhaps it was because of her sudden awakening.

She glanced around the room. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized Ashwin was no longer in her room.

She remembered how he suddenly pulled her onto her bed after kissing her. Ashton wrapped his muscular arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. She buried herself in his strong chest and smelled his masculine cologne. She held her breath as he leaned down and felt his warmth on her neck.

"What are you doing?"

"Shut up, Kizia." She was taken aback by his shout.

"I can't breathe, Ashwin."

"I'll make sure you can't breathe if you keep talking."

"I just can't understand you, Ashwin." There was sadness in her voice.

"You don't need to understand me, little one. All you need to do is follow what I say."

"But I don't like what you're doing."

"I'm your boss, remember that. It's not my job to please someone. Whether they like it or not, they'll have to obey me."

"And what are you doing? What does it have to do with being my personal maid?"

"Too many questions for today, little one. I just need to take a nap now."

She exhaled. "You can do that in your room."

"I want to be here."

She touched her cheeks as she remembered that scene. She felt like she could still smell his cologne. She hadn't expected to have a good sleep with him. His hairy, tough chest kept flashing in her mind. How awful!

Stop it, Kizia. You're not fantasizing about that guy, are you? She scolded herself.

She sighed as she realized something; her master seemed to be in a bad mood. She noticed his constantly changing moods. She felt it was difficult to understand him, and she knew she would never understand him if he continued to be arrogant towards her.

She went out of her room and decided to go to the kitchen. Her stomach was already grumbling. After all, she hadn't had lunch, and she only had bread and noodles for breakfast.

While she was on her way to the kitchen, she admitted that she didn't like the atmosphere of this house. The lights were too dim, and there wasn't even one open window. It was worse than a horror house. There were no other servants she could see, only black-suited guards outside.

She marveled at the kitchen. It was too big and wide. She also thought it was complete with cooking utensils. Well, she could say her masters were millionaires.

When she opened the refrigerator, she expected it to be full, but it was the opposite of what she thought. There were only three chickens and half a tray of eggs.

"Looks like I need to go grocery shopping tomorrow."

She took out a chicken that was still wrapped in plastic. She was about to start cutting it when she paused, feeling arms wrapping around her waist. She tensed as she felt the warmth of the breath on her neck.

She knew it wasn't Ashwin because she recognized his cologne. It wasn't Ashton either because she knew he wouldn't hug her like that.

"Sweetscented."

"W-Who are you?" She tightly gripped the knife.

"Hmm..."

"S-Stop that!"

"Why? Don't you like it?" He hugged her waist tighter.

"You're so attractive, Kizia." She was surprised when he turned her around. "Do you feel the same, Kizia?" He said with a mischievous smile as he grabbed the knife from her hand, noticing her shock.

"X-Xian?"

"Say it again, Kizia."

He was about to kiss her when they heard footsteps at the doorway. They both turned to see who it was.

"Oh, Ashwin! You're too early." He said happily, scratching his head. He put the knife he was holding into the sink and approached his brother.

She couldn't believe how he acted as if nothing had happened earlier. She was really annoyed. She knew she couldn't do anything because she couldn't confront her masters. She pitied herself for that.

"Oh, well, I'll leave first," Xian said before finally leaving the kitchen.

She tightly held onto the sink as Ashwin slowly approached her. When he stopped in front of her, he raised the bag he was holding, which she only noticed now.

"Eat."

"H-Huh?"

"I said eat, eat here."

He placed the bag on the small table in the kitchen. He pulled out a chair and gestured for her to sit.

She approached and sat down. Ashwin sat in front of her and watched her intently.

"Now, eat," he ordered.

She took out the contents of the bag and was literally shocked by what she saw.

"Jollibee? Really?"

She resisted the urge to laugh at the food he brought, fearing his potential anger and the possibility of being thrown into the dragon's lair he had been eyeing earlier.

"What are you waiting for? Eat."

"How about you? Aren't you going to eat?" She stuttered.

"I'm full." He nodded in response.

Instead of asking more questions, she chose to remain silent and eat. But she couldn't help feeling uncomfortable and losing her appetite.

How could she enjoy her food? Ashwin was watching her intently, and it seemed like he didn't miss a single chew or swallow.

How could she enjoy her meal when someone was watching her?

LEO stared at them with his deep ashy eyes, expressionless. He leaned against the wall, observing his older brother and the newly hired personal maid.

He found something intriguing about his older brother, something he needed to investigate further.

"The scars of the past might be forgotten through this newly sprouted flower," he said as he walked away.