Candle in a Black Hole

Chapter 10

Maya’s Bedroom, Zandier Estate

Knock... Knock...

The rapping at the door was like the hand of God, wrenching Maya from the frigid cage of silence. She lunged to open it without a second thought.

"B-Barshow? What is it?" Maya stammered, trying desperately to conceal her agitation beneath a mask of normalcy.

"The Master has decreed that should Madam find herself bored, she is permitted to stroll through the rear gardens or visit Mr Frost’s stables," Barshow reported. His voice was flat, devoid of any inflection—the hallmark of a perfectly programmed automaton.

Maya bit her lip until it bled. "And... which way ought I go?"

"Should Madam desire, simply summon the housekeeper. However, if you visit Mr Frost’s stables... pray, do not meddle with things that do not concern you." With those parting orders, he turned on his heel and strode away, leaving a trail of suffocation in his wake.

Maya shut the door and retreated into the room, utterly bewildered. "And where on earth am I to find a maid? I haven't the slightest inkling where they even reside!" She slumped onto the sofa in despair, reaching for her smartphone in hopes of escaping into a series.

However... the moment her fingertip brushed the glass, her eyes widened in sheer horror!

The screen did not respond to her command. Instead, it began to scroll of its own accord, as if possessed by a spectral force. It bypassed her home screen, entered the contacts app, added a new entry, and meticulously saved it under the name... ‘Housekeeper Na’.

"Aaaaagh!"

Maya let out a piercing scream of revulsion. Her hands trembled so violently that the phone clattered to the floor with a sharp thud. She glared at the device as if it were a venomous viper before darting her eyes around the seemingly vacant room.

'He knows... he sees everything... but he simply refuses to acknowledge me directly.' The realisation made her feel as though she were being stripped naked in a public square. Every secret she thought she held had been unceremoniously seized by Alex.

She retrieved the phone with sweat-slicked hands. This time, the screen obeyed her touch, but her sense of security was shattered beyond repair. She stared at the name ‘Housekeeper Na’... it wasn't merely a contact; it was a stark reminder that Alex was terrorising her through the very technology she held in her palm.

Gathering what remained of her courage, she pressed the call button for the newly forced contact. Yet, the moment the signal connected, the call was abruptly terminated—severed with total indifference. She stood frozen, a fool whose last shred of hope had been discarded.

"I only... I truly wished for a breath of fresh air," she whispered to the blackened screen, her voice fractured. The cold rejection only served to prove that, within these walls, she possessed no right to even plead for mercy.

Knock... Knock...

The sound of rapping returned instantly. Maya sprang from the sofa as if launched by a coil. She tore the door open, her heart hammering.

"A-Auntie Na..." A faint, fragile smile managed to grace her lips for the first time that day.

"Madam summoned me?" Auntie Na asked, her tone flat—showing neither resentment for the persistent calling nor pleasure in her service.

"I wish to go for a stroll... to take the air. It’s so suffocating in here; I can scarcely breathe." Maya blurted the words out in a frantic rush, terrified the opportunity might slip through her fingers.

Auntie Na merely offered a curt nod, stepping aside to clear the threshold for her. "Follow me, then."

Maya did not hesitate. She dashed back to snatch her smartphone, clutching it as though it were a vital organ, before hurrying after the housekeeper. A small spark of hope flickered within her: perhaps the sunlight and the green of the grass outside could wash away the sensation of being violated by those invisible eyes within the four walls of her room.

The Formal Gardens, Zandier Estate

The atmosphere of the fordens gardens stood in stark, jarring contrast to the stifling oppression within the manor. The emerald blades of grass, kissed by the soft morning sun, and the pristine air of the three surrounding mountain peaks prompted Maya to draw a deep, cleansing breath for the first time. The ethereal beauty of the landscape was so delicate that she found it hard to believe it had been curated to the tastes of a brute like Alex.

However, that fleeting refreshment vanished in an instant when a towering figure clad in a midnight-black shirt strode toward her with predatory intent.

Maya’s instinct was to retreat behind the manicured shrubbery, but Alex’s piercing gaze locked onto her with the precision of a hawk. He bore down on her like a tiger sighting prey that had strayed from its burrow.

"I-I was merely bored... I wished to be outdoors for a spell," Maya blurted out, her voice fractured and barely intelligible.

Alex offered no verbal reply. Instead, he reached out with a heavy hand, gripping her chin and tilting it upward with absolute entitlement, forcing her to meet his dark, fathomless eyes—eyes that simmered with malice. He curled his lips into a chilling smirk that inspired more dread than comfort.

"Had I not granted my leave... do you truly believe you would have set foot outside to see the light of day, Madam Maya Zandier?" He released his grip, a meaningful smile playing on his lips as he closed the distance until they were mere inches apart. "It seems the digital world is positively ravenous to catch a glimpse of the Zandier granddaughter-in-law..."

He leaned in, his face so close his lips nearly brushed her own. The scent of expensive cologne mingled with that signature, ghostly trace of tobacco assaulted her senses. Terribly startled,

Maya attempted to recoil, but a powerful arm swept around her waist, hauling her slight frame against his broad chest.

"Why so startled? This is your 'husband', after all... Madam Zandier." He lingered on the final word, his voice dropping to a heavy, raspy timber—so potent and aggressive that Maya felt as though she had been branded by his very breath. Only then did he release her, drawing himself up to his full, imposing height.

Alex turned to Auntie Na, issuing a command in a flat yet decisive tone. "Prepare some refreshments for the Madam. Serve them here."

He led the way to a set of elegant garden furniture positioned in the centre of the lawn, acting as the master of her existence, dictating every step she took.

Maya followed, having no other recourse. She sank into the seat, trembling, as she watched the back of the man who held both her secrets and her life in his hands.

At that moment, she could no longer discern which was the more terrifying: the tomb-like silence of her bedroom, or this exquisite garden patrolled by men in black.

Maya felt an overwhelming urge to tear her hair out in sheer frustration. She had only sought to escape the suffocating confines of those four walls for a breath of fresh air; yet, by some cruel twist of fate, she found herself forced to maintain a facade of innocence before this depraved man—a man whose gaze suggested he was ready to devour her at any second.

However, a fresh wave of bewilderment struck her as Auntie Na began to arrange the refreshments on the table. Maya’s brows knit together in confusion. This was no ordinary snack; it was a grand high-tea service, vast enough to provide for an entire battalion.

"Eat," Alex commanded flatly, lifting a fragrant teacup to his lips with an air of aesthetic pleasure. "There is no luncheon here. This shall suffice."

Maya swallowed hard, her hunger finally mounting a protest. Since she had purged her forced breakfast, her stomach was hollow. Gathering what remained of her courage, she ventured a question. "Is there... any fizzy drink?"

Alex flicked his gaze toward her delicate features for a moment before issuing a sharp order to the maid. "Fetch some homemade cola... and bring vanilla ice cream as well."

As the petite pastries touched her tongue, the sweetness infused her system, providing an odd sense of solace to her battered soul. When the effervescent dark liquid was served alongside a scoop of velvet-white ice cream, Maya involuntarily let her youthful side slip through. Habitually, she reached for her smartphone to frame a perfect shot of the exquisite spread for her social media.

Alex narrowed his eyes at her actions, his gaze a mixture of silent inquiry and challenge. He wondered if this seemingly dim-witted woman was clever enough to disable her GPS—or if she was foolish enough to lead the army of netizens hunting for 'Madam Zandier' straight to her digital doorstep.

Just as her finger hovered over the 'post' button, Maya caught his piercing stare. She froze... and her sharp intuition kicked in. The location tag on the screen was glaringly prominent. Terrified, she instantly disabled the function, letting out a heavy sigh of relief.

'That was close... I nearly invited a mob to my own execution,' she thought, surreptitiously patting her chest to steady her nerves.

That subtle movement, however, caused Alex to swallow hard. His eyes were fixed on the movement beneath her garments. The physical measurements he had perused in her file had not lied; Maya possessed a devastatingly 'hidden' figure. Her lush, ample curves had always been camouflaged by her usual modest attire. But today... every garment she wore had been hand-picked by his own command. Every seam was designed to accentuate her provocative silhouette, highlighting her charms until he felt he might lose his mind.

Alex adjusted his necktie slightly, feeling the once-pristine garden air turn suddenly sweltering.

Maya allowed a faint, fleeting smile to touch her lips. The creamy texture of the vanilla ice cream acted as a temporary balm for her wounded heart. Huddled over her smartphone, she felt like a normal person again. She secretly used her thumb to 'unlike' a gossip piece about Alex and several models, her mood souring instantly. 'Hmph... a public husband. He’s nearly the same age as my father, yet he continues to play the perpetual bachelor.'

Yet, while she was preoccupied with the digital world,

Alex’s sharp gaze never wavered from her slight frame for a single second. He watched her small lips as she daintily licked the ice cream. A certain hunger began to stir within him, forcing him to take a sip of water to quell the rising heat. His throat moved in a rhythmic swallow as he watched her. He was already mentally claiming every square inch of her body as his sole, private property.

Alex curled his lip into a smirk before issuing an order in a flat, commanding tone. "Barshow... arrange an extensive medical examination for the Madam."

The command made Maya stop dead. She dropped her phone, her face draining of colour. "I-I have an annual check-up already!" she blurted out in protest. The mere thought of needles made her want to burst into tears.

Alex paid no heed to her plea. He simply lit a cigarette, exhaling a plume of grey smoke with detached pleasure. He looked at her as one might look at a bird trapped in a cage. Barshow bowed his head, instantly coordinating with the estate’s physician via his device.

Maya felt a lump in her throat. The sweetness of the cola and ice cream turned to ash in her mouth. 'All this for a bit of sugar? A full medical exam?'

"Finish up," Alex said, his voice sounding almost reassuring, though it only deepened her dread. "Grandfather Frost will not be returning for dinner this evening."

The implication was terrifying. It meant that tonight, she would have to face him... entirely alone.

Maya looked at the mountain of remaining sweets with a dejected gaze. "It is far too much... I cannot finish it."

Normally, when dining with 'Jum' or 'P’Thee', she would coax them into finishing the plates for her. But this was the Zandier Estate. Alex merely cast a glance at the maids, and they swarmed the table, clearing everything away in a heartbeat as if by dark magic.

Maya could only watch the retreating plates with a sense of profound humiliation. She was stuffed to the point of sickness, yet the true ordeal was only just beginning.