Candle in a Black Hole

Chapter 13

A Six-Star Luxury Hotel, City Centre

The moment the armoured motorcade pulled up before the opulent lobby, the already stifling atmosphere within the vehicle reached a fever pitch. Alex cut a sharp, derisive look at Maya, his deep sea-green eyes brimming with utter contempt.

"I wonder which shock you’ll succumb to first... Hmph. Follow me!" He let out a low, guttural scoff before disembarking without a backward glance.

Maya could feel the waves of sheer fury radiating from him since they were in the car. She hadn't the foggiest idea what had provoked such a foul temper, but she was forced to scramble out of the vehicle, half-running to keep pace with his long, predatory strides.

THUD!!!!

"Ow..."

Maya’s head snapped back as the man in front came to a dead halt, causing her to collide violently with his broad back.

Fortunately, Alex’s heavy hand shot back, seizing her upper arm just in time to prevent her from sprawling onto her backside.

Maya felt the corded muscle beneath his bespoke suit. The scent of expensive cologne, laced with a ghostly trace of tobacco, only heightened the chilling, suffocating aura that surrounded him.

Alex muttered a low curse. He had momentarily forgotten he wasn't travelling alone. Furthermore, according to the custom of the Zandier-owned hotels, when the Master visited, the management would typically prepare pleasures to welcome him. He cast a fleeting glance toward a line of exquisite women waiting in the distance, before snapping a lethal look toward Barshow.

Barshow understood his duty instantly. He lunged toward the manager, issuing a sharp, absolute command to clear the women away and declaring a total ban on anyone interfering with the Master in this zone!

Maya stood bewildered by the bizarre turn of events. She could hear the sound of Alex grinding his teeth, his jawline bulging with tension.

Alex wasn't concerned that Maya might misinterpret the presence of those women; rather, he knew that if anyone caught a glimpse of his lawfully wedded wife’s face now, she would immediately become a target for his enemies and the press. That was something he would never permit.

GRAB!

"Wh-Woah!"

Maya let out a cry of alarm as Alex suddenly snatched her up, hoisting her body over his powerful shoulder as if she were a mere sack of grain.

He set off with swift, steady strides toward the private lift. Even if someone were watching from afar, they would have no way of identifying the woman being carried.

Maya felt as though her insides were being crushed as her stomach slammed against his hard shoulder. The sheer momentum of his pace terrified her into silence, but her mind raced with frantic thoughts. 'Bloody hell! Am I being photographed? At a hotel with a world-renowned playboy like Alex Zandier, while the whole country is hunting for his wife!'

She tried to peer around for a camera lens, but saw only a void. The hotel, usually bustling, was unnervingly silent. Not even a shadow flickered upon the polished marble floors. Only the glittering reflection of the gargantuan chandeliers shimmered beneath them.

'And why the devil are you carrying me, you old brute! I have legs of my own!' Maya cursed him inwardly as the private lift doors hissed shut, sealing the menacing tension within the cramped space.

The 39th Floor, Luxury Suite

The moment they crossed the threshold of the suite, Alex set Maya down with a lack of ceremony that bordered on the rough. "Do as you please. I have preparations for the meeting, but do not make a sound," he commanded, his voice frost-bitten. He strode toward a massive mahogany desk, fully equipped as though it had served as his private sanctum for years.

Maya stood there, utterly bewildered, blinking as she watched his broad back retreat. Her small hands rubbed her midriff, which still throbbed from the impact of his hard shoulder. 'What on earth is wrong with him? Lugging me about like a sack of unhusked rice, only to tell me to go and occupy myself.'

Knock... Knock...

The rapping at the door interrupted her musings. Out of habit, Maya rushed to answer. "B-Barshow."

She recoiled slightly as Barshow entered with a stoic expression, clutching several communication devices. Her inquisitive eyes, however, noticed that he was limping ever so slightly—as though he had sustained a fresh injury.

'Is everyone in this place losing their minds? And when did this human robot get hurt? He was standing guard perfectly well just a moment ago.' Maya looked between the two brooding men in the room with a mixture of confusion and growing suspicion.

"Barshow, see to it that every last image is scrubbed. Not a single frame is to leak," Alex ordered sharply, his eyes never leaving the screen.

'Images? What images?' Maya’s confusion deepened. She decided to settle onto the long sofa by the floor-to-ceiling windows, which offered a panoramic view of the city from the 39th floor.

Since Alex had told her to do as she pleased, Maya produced her thirty-third organ—her trusty smartphone—from the bosom of her dress. Lacking a handbag or pockets, she had tucked it away there, entirely unaware that Alex was stealing a sidelong glance at her actions.

She instinctively opened her social media apps. But then... "Bloody hell! What is this!"

Maya gasped aloud, instantly clamping a hand over her mouth. She shot a panicked look at Alex, terrified he would scold her for the noise. Fortunately, he appeared too engrossed in his work to pay her any mind.

With trembling hands, Maya stared at the images on her feed, feeling a sudden urge to weep. 'Dreadful... they were standing on the opposite side of the road, yet they still had the gall to zoom in for a shot!' The photograph depicted the back of Alex, hauling a woman with light brown hair into the hotel. Although the features were obscured, if her best friend were to see it, she would know it was Maya in an instant!

Understanding finally dawned on her as to why Alex had ordered the immediate deletion. 'Is my husband more sought-after than a Hollywood star? Why must people hunt him like this?' Recalling the armoured motorcade and the security detail, she wondered even more what manner of creature she was living with.

She tried to pinch the screen to zoom in, checking if her face was visible. Suddenly... Flash! The screen went white and refreshed itself. The image had vanished in the blink of an eye!

"A ghost..." Maya nearly shrieked. She tried to scroll through the feed again, but every post featuring that photograph had been purged as though it had never existed. To her irritation, a fresh wave of news popped up instead—photographs of Alex escorting other women with similar hair colours from his past, circulated to divert the public’s attention.

'Hmph! He lets the press run wild with other women, yet for his lawfully wedded wife, he deletes everything in a heartbeat!'

Maya remained entirely oblivious to the fact that the disappearing acts and the fabricated news were part of a sanitisation process. Barshow was currently hammering away at his keyboard, working with manic intensity to scrub the social media landscape, ensuring the identity of Madam Zandier remained an untraceable secret.

Maya sat staring at Alex’s profile, mentally gnashing her teeth. 'You depraved old brute! One moment you're acting as though you're in a murderous rage, and the next, you won't even spare me a glance. I'm so famished my stomach is practically sticking to my spine!' Since the chaos of the morning, the only thing she had consumed was a bottle of expensive mineral water from the side of the sofa, which she had been forced to gulp down to quench both her thirst and the protesting pangs of hunger.

Yet, as she was cursing him in her head, Providence seemed to intervene—he turned to meet her gaze.

Alex looked back with a flat, impassive expression before raising his index and middle fingers, beckoning her with a "crooking" motion to come forward.

'Is he calling a dog or a human being!' Maya was staggered by such a demeaning gesture. However, her slight frame eventually succumbed to his authority. She rose from the sofa and approached his desk with awkward hesitation.

The moment she reached him, Alex lunged to switch off the video feed of his conference, yet he deliberately left the "microphone live," ensuring that whoever was on the other end could hear exactly what was about to transpire!

GRAB!

Alex jerked Maya by her slender waist, hauling her violently onto his powerful lap. He leaned down, whispering into her ear in a raspy, gravelly tone that made her skin crawl.

"Hungry...?"

Though the words suggested sustenance, his actions spoke of a far more sinister appetite. Alex sank his teeth into the ivory curve of her neck with brutal force, causing Maya to recoil in shock.

"Ah—!" Maya let out a cry of agony that vibrated through every nerve. Her small hands instinctively clawed at his brawny forearms, a desperate outlet for her pain and utter revulsion.

"Hmph... why the fuss?" Alex whispered against her earlobe before biting down again on the same spot, then moving to brand fresh marks upon her delicate skin. He acted as though he were repeatedly marking his territory before a captive audience, as the sounds of the meeting continued to drone from the speakers.

Maya could do nothing but bite her lip until it bled, struggling to suppress the tears that threatened to fall from the sheer loathing swelling in her chest. She despised being a mere plaything for his lust amidst his ruthless business games, and she loathed that she had to endure such violation simply to preserve her home and her kin.

"Heh!" Alex let out a low, amused scoff. His piercing eyes betrayed no hint of genuine carnal hunger; instead, they were alight with arrogance and a calculated intent to intimidate. His large hand moved with startling speed, lunging into the bodice of her dress toward her cleavage.

Maya went rigid, her breath hitching as her body turned to stone. 'You lunatic! If you're going to molest me, at least have the decency to mute the bloody microphone!' Maya screamed internally, burned by a humiliation so deep she wished the floor would swallow her whole.

"So this is why it's so substantial... large enough to conceal a smartphone," he remarked flatly, withdrawing his hand. He added a parting comment that made her face sear with heat. "A proper handful, I must say."

He then turned his attention away, summoning Barshow and barking a stream of a foreign tongue—utterly unintelligible to Maya—into the microphone, responding to his associates with seamless fluency.

Maya sat there in a state of total shock. Had he seen her from the very second she had produced her phone? Instead of simply asking her, why did he resort to such a barbaric, lewd display before a dozen people on the line!

Knock... Knock...

The rapping at the door sounded like a life-saving bell. Maya snapped her head toward the sound, her eyes shining as if it were a heavenly signal sent to rescue her from the devil's clutches.

But Alex was not about to release his prey so easily. He turned back to her, biting once more into her neck, which was now mottled with dark, bruised marks. "Go and find something to eat with Barshow..." he growled in a raspy undertone.

He then gripped her jaw firmly, forcing her head back to meet a savage kiss. Alex crushed her slight lips with such force it left her stinging. He nipped at her until she opened her mouth, allowing his heavy tongue to invade her with absolute entitlement. The faint scent of tobacco was bitter and overwhelming, nearly choking her. Maya squeezed her eyes shut, her hands clutching his shirt so tightly the fabric bunched and wrinkled.

Once he had taken his fill, nearly draining the very soul from her, Alex pulled away abruptly. He gave her a slight shove, dismissing her from his lap—a clear signal that she was permitted to flee the room.

The Dining Room, Six-Star Luxury Hotel

Maya followed in Barshow’s wake, her mind drifting in a distant, fragmented haze. Her thoughts were a relentless loop of Alex’s invasive touch upon her breast and the searing ignominy of being held captive on his lap.

Until...

“Madam!! What is your order!” Barshow’s stern voice barked, jolting her so violently she nearly leapt out of her skin.

“Oh... What? I—beg your pardon!” Maya gasped, clutching her chest to soothe her racing heart. “There is no need to shout!”

“I asked what Madam would care to eat,” Barshow repeated with a countenance as flat and impassive as a robot that had just undergone a system reset.

“The menu, if you please,” Maya requested, a flicker of genuine delight returning to her. The hollow ache of starvation at three in the afternoon allowed her to momentarily forget the vivid bruising on her neck and her swollen, stung lips.

Barshow handed over the opulent menu, adding a warning in an entirely toneless voice. “Madam ought to choose something light. Lest you forget, you are expected to dine with the Master again between six and seven this evening.”

Maya froze. Her eager gaze, which had been set upon a colossal steak and a mountain of pasta, fell instantly. She pursed her lips in frustration. ‘Good grief! I intended to feast until I was content and skip dinner entirely!’ She looked up, hoping to negotiate with this ‘human automaton’, but upon meeting Barshow’s void-like stare, she let out a long, defeated sigh. She resigned herself to ordering a simple soup and a light salad to stave off the hunger.

However, as she sat awaiting her meal, a sense of profound abnormality began to settle over her.

The atmosphere was unnervingly silent. She craned her neck to peer about; the entire section where she sat was utterly devoid of people. Not even a table two rows over held a single guest—and this in a six-star establishment in the very heart of the city!

‘What madness is this now? Why is it as deserted as a graveyard?’ Maya wore an expression of sheer bewilderment. Everywhere she looked, she met only vacancy and a chilling, clinical luxury. There were only staff members standing at a vast distance and Barshow, who stood guard as though she were a high-profile convict.

A dark suspicion began to take root in her mind... Had Alex commanded the entire dining room to be cleared simply for her to sit and eat a salad? Or was it because of those leaked photographs—forcing him to confine her within a perimeter where his control was absolute?

When the bowl of piping hot clear soup was served, Maya—who was practically famished—prepared to take a spoonful to quell her hunger. However, a sudden commotion erupted at the entrance, causing her to lower her spoon in curiosity.

Barshow moved instantly, positioning his towering frame to shield her completely, ensuring no prying eyes could catch a glimpse of her face.

Maya was forced to abandon her curiosity and return her attention to the meal, though her ears remained strained to catch the drifting conversation outside.

She nearly choked on her soup when the realisation hit her: she was the cause of the uproar!

It appeared that Maya had unwittingly usurped a table reserved by others; worse still, multiple reservations had been summarily cancelled to accommodate her, sparking a wave of indignation. She looked around once more at the void where no one dared approach. A suffocating sense of guilt and unease rose in her throat. ‘Had I known that a simple meal would cause such a scandal, I should have preferred to starve in my thirty-ninth-floor cell!’

In her flustered state, Maya attempted to swallow the scalding soup too quickly, causing it to sear the wound on her lip.

"Ah—!"

She raised a hand to touch her lip, which was already tender and swollen from Alex’s earlier assault. The moment she made a sound, the onlookers—who had been attempting to maintain a polite distance—turned their collective gaze toward her. Maya went rigid, feeling every piercing stare as she tried to make herself as small as possible.

Barshow tried to mask her presence, but the scrutiny was too great, forcing him to signal for reinforcements.

As her appetite vanished into thin air, Maya cursed herself for not ordering room service. She rose, having taken but a single mouthful, and turned to Barshow.

"Let us... let us return. I shall have this sent up to the room instead."

Barshow glanced at the nearly untouched bowl and replied flatly, "Madam, dining in the suite is not permitted. The Master is occupied with his work."

"Then I shan't eat at all!"

Maya began to catch the hushed whispers regarding her hair colour and the peculiar security detail surrounding her. Gripped by a mounting dread, she reached out to seize Barshow’s arm to drag him away, but he recoiled with startling speed.

"Madam! Pray, do not touch me!"

Maya’s hand remained suspended in mid-air as Alex’s lethal warning from the day before flashed through her mind: no one was to lay a finger on her. She feigned an itch, raising her hand to scratch her neck to hide her embarrassment, but the moment her fingertips grazed her skin, she winced in pain. ‘Good heavens! These are that depraved brute’s bite marks!’

"We are leaving!"

Maya strode away, disregarding the stares of the crowd and ignoring Barshow entirely. She made a frantic dash for the lifts to escape the humiliation.

"Madam!! Use the lift over here! The others do not grant access to the Master’s floor!" Barshow called after her.

Maya faltered, looking back in bewilderment. ‘Does even a residence require a segregated lift?’ She hurried back toward the lift Barshow indicated, desperate to transport herself back to the sanctuary—or prison—of the 39th floor immediately.