Sadistic Obsession

Chapter 7

Since I was almost done putting everything in their right places, I decided to go and see the shop. Though... It was a real wonder of who could be looking for me.

I did have some return customers, but I already posted in my shop page that I would be close for a few days. Upon getting ready, I drove to my shop and saw three people wearing formal suits waiting outside. Their backs were turned towards me so it was hard to tell who they were.

I refused to consider that it could be another group from the Levanti Motors. They might have had successfully taken my parents' house and land without proper compensation, it didn't mean that I would keep quiet about it.

For the past few days, I had also tried looking for a lawyer who could help me with my situation. However, up until now, I found no one to accept my case.

I shook my head to clear my mind even just for a while. The car was parked nearby so I had to walk back to my shop.

"Excuse me..." I said to announce my presence while I fished out the shop keys from my purse. "I'm the owner of the shop. What can–"

My feet automatically froze in place. Even my body seemed to have forgotten how to function upon meeting the gaze of the man I never ever expected to cross paths again.

Kade.

Even after three years, he still had this aura of authority and charisma around him.

It became a little bit hard to breathe. As much as I wanted to act like our sudden meeting didn't affect me, my body refused to cooperate. Even the words I wanted to say had formed a lump in my throat.

Clink.

The shop keys fell on the ground yet my body won't move to get. I could only watch Kade walk towards me in long strides and picked up the keys.

"So... You're the owner of this shop," he said, handing me back my keys. "The sun is rather cruel today. You're all reddish right now."

Words still won't come out of my mouth. Even nodding my head seemed impossible. And with his out of the blue concern, my chest tightened.

I hated how he casually spoke as if he still had an ounce of concern left for me.

"I'd like to take a look of more samples of your work while we talk," he added.

This time, he held my hand to put the keys in my palm. His touch felt like lightning that immediately made my body move.

I had no idea if he truly didn't know that I owned the shop or if he was simply bluffing. If he didn't know, I couldn't also tell what exactly his purpose of coming here.

I walked past him without a word and went to open the shop. Kade's other companions were left outside as we both entered.

No words left my mouth yet. My mind was simply taking its time to process what was going on. And in all honesty...

I didn't know how to act exactly. Should I be mad? I knew I should be after what recently happened. Should I confront him instead?

My gaze followed Kade as he took his time looking at the paintings I made. A subtle heavy exhale left me... How could he act so casually after what happened?

"How much do you charge for a commissioned piece?" he asked, turning towards the counter where I stood.

"It depends on the size and complexity," I replied briefly.

He pointed at the abstract and multi-panel painting that was composed of four canvases. Bloody red, black, white, and varying monochromatic gray were the colors I used to emphasize the continuous curve and loops across the four canvases.

"If it's something like this, how much will it be?"

"It's $3,500."

"It's cheaper than I thought..."

I clenched my fist upon hearing those words. It felt like an insult, but I had to swallow my anger and pretend like it was nothing.

"The documents Jackson told you to sign..." Kade took one last look at the painting and sat comfortably at the couch. "Sign it today."

I knew it.

Maybe I should just give up the thought of him making further investigation of what happened three years ago. It seemed like he had no plans in finding out the truth.

It was a good thing I stood behind the counter, hiding how tight I clenched my fist to muster up the courage to speak out.

"I will never sign it until I am given the right compensation," I said, looking him straight in the eyes.

He smirked.

"Didn't you already get an advanced payment before? Given the small size of the land, you are actually overcompensated."

"Like I said before, I didn't steal any money from the Levanti Motors."

Kade looked away for a few seconds, looking out to the glass window overlooking the small garden of the shop. He then stood and walked up to the counter in a few strides before leaning close where he could look down on me.

"Even after three years, you still refuse to admit it." His gaze clearly lowered as if sizing me up. "But that doesn't matter. I came to personally collect the payment since you already enjoyed three years of freedom."

"Kade Storm..." My voice was firm as I stared daggers at him despite my vision being a little bit blurry.

He seemed to relish at my reaction as he smiled. His hand reached out to me, brushing off a tear from my cheek with his thumb.

"Reyna Clave. I heard about your new art technique. Make one for me and I will consider all your debt paid," he said.

I slapped his hand away from me as I stepped back a little. The back of my hand immediately wiped off the tears from my eyes before they could fall.

"I didn't steal anything from your company so I won't be doing any free labor." I looked away, unable to meet his gaze anymore. "If you still won't pay the land you seized from me until the end of the month, then I will not hesitate to sue."

"I will be heading back to Valtemort tomorrow morning. Pack your things and I'll fetch you at seven in the morning."

I knew my threat wouldn't work on him, given how much power and influence the Levanti Motors and the Storm family had. However... I won't just back down and let him decide things on his own again over something I didn't even do in the first place.

"I am not going back to Valtemort," I told him.

Kade turned his back on me, clearly ignoring my refusal. He then stopped by the door.

"Ah. I forgot to tell you. Your friend... Her name's Faustina if I remember it correctly. Tell her she can start working on the first day of next month," he said before leaving.

Faustina?