Taken for vengeance

Joy and unknown

Norah

Two weeks later,

" You should come, Norah. Xander is coming too. "

Lucy said as she intervened, her eyebrows wrinkling, her eyes pleading for me to join her. She had been insisting I accompany her to go clubbing on account of her 20th birthday. I had refused her politely but she had pulled her cards in the form of Xander.

He is my crush from music school, a handsome, charming dude, and my classmate too. I have been crushing on him for about a year now, but our relationship is nowhere going forward from the 'just friends zone' considering the finite time we've spent together.

Duh. That was never going anywhere.

" I have never been to a club before. Moreover, my parents wouldn't let me attend one," I said, remorse that I was refusing her on her birthday evident in my eyes.

She shook her head in disbelief as she said, her blond hair gorgeously falling around her back, her eyes glinting with hope.

" Oh, please don't even start again, I have heard this excuse a million times already. Just a little fun in life wouldn't hurt. ", she rolled her pretty eyes at me, annoyed by the excuse I had given her over and over this year.

The excuse is true though.

Mom and Dad wouldn't let me go anywhere alone. Going to a club would be impossible. They fear the possibility of their rivals harming me or using me to get what they want from my parents. In my defense, I have never experienced a situation of getting harmed by their enemies.

" You have to come with me, Norah. You can't possibly refuse me on my birthday. Please, just this once. "

The wheels of my brain worked to find a reason or an excuse to slip away from here but I came up with any. I gave that some thought as I made a decision.

Just a little fun wouldn't hurt, right?

If I hadn't encountered a situation of getting kidnapped for over 19 years of my life, then such a thing happening today would be a possibility of one in a thousand.

" Okay "

I agreed quietly, assuring myself that the decision wouldn't be a mistake. I have never gone clubbing with any of my friends because of my parents, because of the safety measures I will have to adopt, which I absolutely hate, but this time, I make an exception.

Just this once.

**********

Blue, yellow, and green lights, which should seem flashy but are the opposite, dance in the room as we entered. The large stretch of space is crowded with masses, and the smell of alcohol, sweat, and strong perfumes mingled in the air. The stretch of the space is divided, with a dance floor located in the center, a bar situated on my right, and a few seating of two and four spread around the dance floor.

A guard had let us in after he had checked our ID cards, eyeing me suspiciously at the entrance. I had sent a quick text to Mom too, that I would be late today. I did not bother to mention where I was going to avoid unnecessary interrogations from her. And to ditch bodyguards, of course.

But coming here was worth it.

The room created an atmosphere of fun and lightness, living life to the fullest, and enjoyment. The club felt luxurious, the interior design screaming money.

Lucy, Xander, and some of Lucy's friends had joined us, our outfits were the same as what we had worn to music school. Lucy was in her full glory, wearing a pair of jeans and a sexy red blouse, make-up done in perfection, and her silky blond hair slipping behind her back, making her look extremely gorgeous. I caught Xander giving her side eyes every now and then, his gaze watching her sculpted face, his thin lips curving into a small smile that was giving out affection.

He definitely liked Lucy.

There is no way he would like me.

I wore a simple full-sleeved black turtleneck sweater, a pair of leather pants and boots, minimalistic accessories, and little makeup. No display of skin.

My body was full of scars and scratches, the ones that were given to me as punishment. They were the sign of my struggles and my rescued purity from a monster.

But for any other man, that's was a reason to be grossed out.

He had destroyed me for any other man just like he had stated the night all of this had started.

I shoved all the unwanted thoughts into the farthest corner of my mind as I tried to focus on the delight of liberty that I had in hand for the first time.

We walked to the bar as I scanned the room, skimming all the drunk people, dancing and laughing, living life to the fullest.

I took a seat on one of the stools set in front of the bar counter as Lucy held out a lemon martini toward me, urging me to take it.

We danced, drank, and chatted as time passed, while I got comfortable with the new surroundings, living my golden hours of life. I came back to the seat I had taken before and watched Lucy, Xander, and her friends dance as I sighed.

Suddenly, a shiver runs down my spine, my nape prickling with anticipation, and goosebumps breaking out on my skin. My heart raced at an unusual speed, my stomach filled with a big family of butterflies, and blood rushed through my veins.

I sensed someone watching me.

I looked around the room trying to spot the person, to find the reason for the unusual sensation in my body.

Then, I see him.

The person who was responsible for my discomfort.

The person responsible for my racing heart.

The moment I laid my eyes on him, he took my breath away, and my stomach fluttered from how he watched me, from the way his eyes stayed intent on mine through the crowd.

He stood a few feet away, opposite of me, leaning his body against a pillar in the shadows, an ankle placed on the other, his body relaxed, but his eyes said the opposite.

His gaze was intent on me, the intensity of his eyes piercing through my soul, the heat imprinting in my memory. He watched me like he wanted to claim me, he watched me like he wanted to admire every inch of me, like he wanted to worship me. His admiring gaze stayed on me, and I wondered if he would look at me the way he did now if he got a glimpse of the scars on my body.

I don't think so.

Our heated gaze broke because of the uncertainty in my body, so instead, I took in his features.

His perfectly muscled body was clad in a black three-piece suit, without a tie, his chest muscles and tattoos peeked through from the white shirt, the two upper buttons undone, looking handsome and hot at the same time. His straight chestnut brown hair is perfectly styled in a flowing haircut, his olive skin gleaming in the dim multi lights. My gaze again settled on his face, his facial muscles stiffened, his lips settling in a thin line, not quivering, not twitching, his breath calm unlike mine, his sharp jaw clenching just once.

Something that I couldn't put a finger on passed in his eyes, so fast that I wouldn't have noticed it if I had blinked. His eyes hardened abruptly, the gaze of admiration turning to hatred in a quick second as he watched me.

His face turned neutral, his eyes darting away from me, settling on his drink, his eyes watching the glass like he couldn't bare to look at me another second longer, ignoring me like he didn't want to look at me.

What's wrong?

A ping of pain rose in my chest, as I looked away from his large, tall frame, my gaze again settling on scanning the crowd. My insides were coated with what felt like sadness just by a stranger refusing me his eyes.

He is no one to you, stupid.

I scolded myself internally, for feeling sad about a simple thing. It still surprised me how he affected my mind, just from his gaze.

His stare might have meant nothing, and I was hurt and offended by a stupid thing.

Stupid me.