Rabbit Hole (Romantic-Suspense)

Chapter 26: Dance

Chapter 26: Dance

3rd Person's POV

"You want me to use you, right?" Alice said, making Lennox parts his lips in shock. For he never has expected the turn of events Alice is making. Little did he know, the moment Alice is trying hard to conceal her nervousness only to confront him.

"Badly," Lennox said, staring with blank with adoration in his eyes, savoring the chills Alice has sent him through her sharp cold, menacing eyes.

Oh—Alice, that's right. This is it. My Alice…

"Then, I will gladly do so," Alice said, voice holding control, without any hint of worry.

It's f*cking now or never.

I'll take control before you do.

She thought, confronting and bracing herself from Lennox's reaction, holding to her resolve, to end Lennox's manipulative mind game.

Awestruck for a moment, Lennox then giggles, breaking the silence he took. Then, his giggling turns slowly to guffaws that echo in the room across the hallway down to the quiet, soundless house's ground floor.

Causing every bird resting on the house's roof, startled, flying away from the instant Lennox's laugh reached them.

Alice, who stands firm in front of the laughing devil, trembles inside, hands turning cold, fear striking from within. That familiar cold feeling washed over her again with a staggering wave. However, she remains calm and suppressing any of those emotions that came out of her.

Don't let him know you're afraid. There's no backing down now. She thought, suppressing the shiver, his maniac laughs giving her.

Shortly after, his sinister laugh seems to calm down, holding down his stomach and mouth. As tears starting to form in the covers of his eyes, he glances back at Alice's severe and agitated face.

Nonetheless, he didn't care. Recovering from the turn and change of mood Alice's just made. He steps forward, leaning down to Alice's sharp stares. He smiles, eyes widen in amusement he says—

"Oh, Alice…I have seen you many times with eyes full of resolve now. But so far…these pair of eyes, I like them."

Lennox continued, putting his arms on his waste. He leans down, tilting his head on Alice's shoulder, whispering—"So? How will you use me? Hmm?"

Feeling the tips of his nose brushes on her neck, sniffing her natural scent, Alice's clenches her fist. But hold in and decided not to push him off of her, for she knows that's what Lennox wants.

To see the genuine reaction she has. To see through the irritation that would spill her thoughts, for he still wonders how she managed to cope up with the flow Lennox had set.

Did I underestimate your coping mechanism? Lennox thought, glancing over Alice's cold eyes staring straight blankly ahead as he leans closer to her ear as if she doesn't get bothered by how Lennox tries to get intimate with her. Then, he remembers something that would trigger her, without any second thought, his enthusiasm get over him, and say—

"Oh! Hey, so do you agree to be an accomplice—"

"Don't flatter yourself." Then, again, he found himself suddenly blocked. Dazed, he pulled back and looks straight into her eyes.

"Huh?" He uttered, couldn't believe how dead serious Alice looks like. Confused about what he might have overlooked, not to expect this turn Alice is continuously making.

For he thought that seeing the situation here herself would crush her heart, making her lose hope in finding Mae and her aunt, resulting in her seeking help to him, to him who has shown full interest in her, to the only one who would do anything for her.

Because that's the most logical pattern, human minds do—

"I'm taking control, aren't I?" Then, it hit him.

"…yes." He said, knowing the unspeakable truths that the table has already turned.

He just couldn't think how and when it happened, but Lennox understood now. That Alice has already made her decision to use him.

Seeing how determined and cold her eyes are dazed him. Awestruck at sight, he stepped back. Catching his head, feeling quite dizzy, he looks down while Alice takes her steps forward. And as if someone who hasn't yet contented, she puts her hand on his shoulder, pushing him slowly backward until the back of his legs hit the bed behind him.

"Then…why don't we start, hmm?" Alice said, after putting Lennox down, that pulled him back to his senses.

Sitting down, Lennox raises his head and meets Alice's gazes. Then at that moment, His eyes strolled down her lips from her eyes as the hint of a self-satisfied smirk plays across his.

Ah, anyways…no matter what happened. The result stays the same…I still get what I want, in the end, she's in control—

His thoughts started buffering when Alice puts her knees down the bed beside his hips, leaning closer. His anticipation of an intimate kiss when Alice touches his face shattered when Alice abruptly grabs his collar, strangling him.

"Lennox…tell me, how did you find me here?" Alice said, staring at Lennox's shocked choking face. Then, a playful, teasing grin flashed through Lennox's face.

"Hah—just when I thought everything would be boring—you're really full of surprised—but don't you this position's quite hot for this conversation—"

"Don't make me repeat myself," Alice said, tightening his necktie, pushing his upper body down the bed.

"Aack—through your phone," Lennox said, struggling, as his face flushes red.

"How?" Alice asked.

"I installed something to track you—"

"Then, what about the project you were saying earlier?" Alice asked, not wasting another moment.

"How about a kiss—ah!"

"The project." Alice pinned him more the moment he tries to bluff. Sensing Alice's boiling anger, he shows a smile of reassurance, making Alice's brows heavier.

"I proposed a project to that person's company." And the second his words sink in. He controls his anger anymore. Letting go of his necktie, she uses her hands to squeezes and strangle him.

Her patience was running out, and her temper was flaring. Rage boiled through her body. Alice barely had a chance to think of her own actions. The only thought running through her head now was getting Lennox to shut up.

"What the hell? You went ahead. I'm not even—what made you think you can do anything as you please—"On the verge of losing control, she blurted out angrily at Lennox. But the moment she let her anger out of her, the moment Lennox took his chance to turn her over and pinned her down.

Hands unguarded, he grabbed her hands down. Alice has suspected this would have happened. Considering Lennox's strength, he would easily lift her. However, he wishes. But it didn't help her calm herself, for she expected this happened with the worst case scenario in mind.

Damn it.

Pursing her lips as she tries to fight back with Lennox's firm grasps, as she tries to move her legs, but when she attempted to kick him, Lennox immediately puts his legs on hers, completely pinning her down.

Getting pushed back down, she glares up at him.

"Alice, you said you're tired of this game, right?" Exhilarated, Lenox said. But instead of answering him, Alice remained silent, gritting her teeth, waiting for an opening.

"Then, let me help you as for someone who wants to take the lead. I suggest you chill and watch me, do the job—oh, hey! This relationship we have keeps on getting exciting, doesn't it—"

"Move." She said, rebuking Lennox's next words. But as playful as he can get, Lennox leans down and say—

"No can do." Then, Alice sighs, putting down his guard, calming herself that makes Lennox raise a brow.

Giving up? He thought. But—

"Lennox, I said..." Alice said, pushing down her head, closing her eyes.

"Move!" She continued, opening her glaring eyes, she charges and goes for a head-butt to Lennox's nose.

"Argh!" Lennox flinches, thrown off guard, grip loosing, Alice immediately took the chance and moved up to his back, putting her weight to pin him down on his chest. She sits down on his back, locking his hand on his back as she puts her hand on his nape, putting pressure. But, Lennox, who seems unaffected, giggles despite his bleeding nose.

"Oh, I see you want this position, huh—"

"Shut the f*ck up." Alice grabs and pulls his shoulder back, harder making him groan in pain.

"Tell me, what the project all about is," Alice said, demanding a more detailed answer.

"Well, I proposed a project with them, in collaboration with their real estate project—"

"You damn—why do you have to interfere?! Do you think I told you everything so that you can do whatever you want?!" Alice yelled out, understanding what project Lennox is talking about. Knowing she has always been avoiding that person's eyes, she thought Lennox's idea would just put Mae and her aunt's life more in danger.

"No, think rationally, Alice. Instead of chasing someone who's already finished the race. Why don't you use a gun and put a bullet through the head of the one ahead of you? That way, you'll never go to worry about its limbs." Lennox said, making Alice paused. Understanding what he means with chasing someone who's already finished the race as the person behind always being one step ahead of her or so, and what he say by its limbs as that person's people—Alice, couldn't argue more, knowing he has a point to save herself the hassle of searching pointlessly.

"What I'm saying is, paralyzed their movement and went for the head." Lennox continued, but Alice, who has been under pressure and stress, couldn't yet grasp the level of risk Lennox is talking about.

"You want me to confront him. Is that what you're saying?!" She said, that despite the easiest route he's proposing she continues to disagree.

"Don't you think that I haven't thought of that already?! Don't you know the lives I've been considering—"

"Whose lives? Mae and her mom's?" Lennox interrupted with a sarcastic laugh. She was about to retort back, but Lennox had his way, and say—

"Alice, where are they? Look around you. This place has probably been abandoned for a long time now. Maybe even before you started searching Mae, tell me. What would you do now, knowing both of them are missing, huh? Are you just going to sit and there wait? Tell me, Alice. Tell me, what options do you have now?" With just that, Alice saw the bigger picture Lennox has been trying to say. Left with no reasons to utter, she couldn't deny the clarity Lennox just blurted out.

"Tsk." She said, letting go of him. Standing up, she dropped her body relentlessly on the chair beside the bed.

Lennox, being freed, sits up and massages his shoulder that Alice could've broken.

Damn, my girl's strong—

As if washed with unknown tension, he shudders inside hearing Alice's cold threatening voice, saying.

"So…with this project, tell me the rest of the plan. Don't leave any details. Try anything funny, and I swear, with this size, I can do anything."

Lifting his eyes up to her, there he says how heavy her gazes are. Reminding him of the eyes, he saw in the past.

That's right—this is my Alice.

He thought, seeing the Alice he met from the past in front of him. Then, a sinister, grim expression takes shape across his face.

"Hah! Now, we're talking." He said, mischievously smiling. Caressing his red marks on his neck that stings Alice's guilt for a moment.

Damn, it looks like I went too hard on him—no, wait a damn minute Alice. This is Lennox. The average conversation won't push him to answer questions correctly.

She thought, bracing herself, not letting Lennox see through the guild she just felt.

–right, if I hesitate and get soft on him, he'll immediately take control from me. I have to establish authority.

Damn, what an odd relationship is this.

From then on, Alice unconsciously started learning to dance in Lennox's tune. Staying inside her aunt's room, Lennox elaborated his plans in proposing the project with the person Alice suspects to be the person behind her friend and her aunt's sudden disappearance and the stalking incident that happened.

Feeling ironic as to how she sits there listening to another stalker planning an attack to another, there she couldn't help but think—

It takes one to know one, huh?

Yet, as Lennox goes elaborating his plan, she couldn't help but feel torn of feeling secure he's not her enemy and feeling afraid of him. Hiding the cringe and shiver, seeing and hearing him knows everything about their target, she sits there. Thanking Lennox is on her side.

"So...what do you think?" After explaining everything to Alice, Lennox said from how he managed to extract information to pointing out their enemy's weaknesses.

Eyes looking at her with enthusiasm, glowing and beaming with anticipation of recognition from her, he awaits, sitting still as Alice judges him.

"Are you sure you want to hear what I think?" Alice said, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Yes! Definitely! It would be great if you can pinpoint a flaw now so that we can polish it more." Lennox nodded, excitedly looking forward to her thoughts, full of energy.

Then, a heavy sigh slipped through her lips, putting her chin on her hand, she looks at him full of disinterest, saying--

"There's no flaw. It's flawless that I can't help but sympathize with my brother."