2 The Man with the Dark Aura

The meeting ended after an hour with the sky deeply shaded in black.

As a black sleek car passed by, the passengers inside seem not to mind the hour. Mrs. Stone looked at Maia with steady eyes.

"Madame, your 'husband' called saying he'll be coming home but the meetings ended way too late so I texted him about it."

Maia squinted her eyes at the view passing by their window. Her thoughts were unreadable to Mrs. Stone.

"Don't mind him. Let's go to the villa."

"Yes madame." the chubby little woman signalled the driver.

Maia flipped her phone and browsed the news for the day. On the very top of the list was a picture of a chubby man holding a cigar and smirking at the camera. His dark eyes swallowing all the light around due to its darkness and his thin lips that she never once seen to have smiled mock her.

This is her husband- Mr. Stone- a lookalike of the common druglords hiding in a business suit. The words with the picture state that he already arrived at the country.

"Just flatter him as usual." she glanced once at Mrs. Stone.

"Yes madame."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When they arrived at the Stone Villa, Maia went out first and guided Mrs. Stone with a smile. She followed her behind and just looked straight ahead ordering the driver and the maids.

"Where is my husband?" Mrs. Stone asked without looking at the maid's face.

"Madame, the master said that he was exhausted and directly went to his room without eating dinner. He's been asleep for hours."

The young maid was cowering in fear thinking Mrs. Stone might not like what she would say.

"Maia..."

"Jeanette, try waking up the master. It is not good to let him sleep hungry."

The maid quickly went away.

When there was no one by earshot, Mrs. Stone turned to Maia and whispered, "And I thought you never liked him,"

"We need his connections, nothing else." Maia replied coldly.

"Well then, let's look at what we can have in the kitchen." Mrs. Stone pointed at the kitchen doors.

"As you please madame." Maia bowed and let the little woman walk first.

~~~~~~~~~~

The dishes were served hot by the cook inside the villa. And no matter how wide the whole place is, the aroma of sauteed vegetables and stir fried noodles conquered the air. Maia was silently looking at the dishes before letting the maids place it on the table.

When everything was set, a hearty booming laughter filled the air. On top of the twin staircase in the middle of the villa, a chubby tall man in his forties was stepping down slowly.

"Aha! Wife, you have decided to come home at last." shouted the man while staring at Mrs. Stone.

The chubby little woman smiled gracefully, almost lovingly at the man who spoke. "Dear husband, I am a filial wife. You see I have come straight home after finishing all work for today and tomorrow so I can be with you longer."

Mr. Stone grinned widely and showed his perfectly white teeth.

Maia stole glances at the couple who were named Mr. and Mrs. Stone in the business world.

The couple were so sweet in their short embrace and as Mr.Stone reached the dining table, he pulled out a chair for his wife.

"Ah I want you to meet Daemon," Mr. Stone clapped twice loudly and from a dark corner a tall medium-built man in a black suit appeared. His jaw was tense and sharp, his eyes as grey as the ashes and lips full. He was so tall that when he stood beside Maia she only reached his shoulders. The man was exuding with an ominous aura as if he was ready to kill something as insignificant as a human life. Dark, brooding, and unsmiling, Daemon just nodded at Mr. Stone and bowed a little in front of Mrs. Stone.

Maia felt shivers running down her spine. She stole a glance at his side profile and saw a thin healed scar on his right brow.

"Your new bodyguard?" asked Mrs. Stone.

"More like a butler. He will be doing much work than a bodyguard does."

answered the chubby man with his eyes staring intently at every reaction his wife makes.

"Eat with us then. Maia and Daemon, the both of you." It wasn't a request from the Mrs. Her tone was sturdy and she quickly moved the chair beside her and motioned Maia to sit with her.

Maia quickly sat to get away from the domineering aura she felt with the man. As she sat down and sighed relief, she heard a small chuckle on her left side as the man with ominous aura pulled the chair and sat beside her, making her uncomfortable again.