ANOTHER SYMPTOM?

"Stop screaming! Would you just stop screaming for one second and open your eyes?" I heard a familiar voice yell at me. When I opened my eyes, I saw Mr. Rowan Greystone.

"What are you doing here?" I asked in confusion. My eyebrows furrowed as my mind went through many reasons that could have brought him to my room. Then, it hit me. "How did you get into my room? I looked everywhere." As it was my first night in that mansion, and I had received the highest number of threats in a day that day, I had shut every opening in my room for safety.

"I... Y'know, I.." his words slurred but then I realized something when I saw a key he had on his other hand.

"You have a spare key to my room? What am I? A prisoner? Am I not entitled to my privacy anymore?" I stood on my bed and flared my hands up. Even while I was standing on the bed, I could barely reach his height. Still, I glared daggers at him and I said, "Mr. Rowan Greystone you have no right! No right to evade my privacy! What is this? Next thing I know, I will find cameras planted everywhere." As I said those words, I remembered how I had gone naked in the bathroom. I rushed to switch on the lights and ran into the bathroom and searched every corner.

"Wait... " He said as he tried coming to where I was but tripped on his own feet and fell. After searching every corner of my bathroom and finding nothing, I came back to my room to see Mr. Greystone sitting on the floor. He looked lost as he looked up at me. "Amanda..." He whispered my name softly. His eyes were glassy and his grey eyes looked so dark like dark clouds on a stormy eyes. The look on his face touched a part of me.

"Are you drunk? Are you sleepwalking? Is this another symptom I should take note of?" I said more to myself as I walked towards him. I bent on my knees and looked at his half-closed eyes. I didn't smell any alcohol on him. I checked his eyes to see that they weren't dilated from exposure to light. So, it wasn't hard drug intake either. He seemed to be a little conscious as he stared directly at me like I was his only hope. "What happened to you?"

That question bugged my mind. I wondered what he had been through that traumatized him so much that he hired three therapists consecutively to help him with it. From my experience, most men don't usually accept that they have been traumatized. That word alone is somehow used on any gender except men. From where I come from, trauma is ignored and it ends up worse, hurting everyone around including the traumatized. So, when a man willingly comes to a therapist for help, it would be when their condition is worse. Something so unbearable to ignore and man up.

I cupped his cheek, caressing it. It was at that moment, I realized how small my hand was compared to his face. This boss of mine was almost a giant. If he had decided to be in a basketball team, I was sure he would do great.

"Amanda..." He whispered my name again before saying something inaudible. Trust me, I was close to him but still couldn't hear him. I leaned in a little with my ear closer to his lip and said. "What did you say?"

Then I finally made out a few words he said. "Sleep...with me." I pulled away immediately and stood up. "You need to go back to your room. I told you earlier. Our relationship is going to be strictly professional, you hear me. Pro-fes-sio-al." Still, he made no move. He remained on the floor looking up at me and it irked me. "The audacity!" I paced about my room, ranting. "You haunted my day and made it horrible. Now, you're after my night too! Argggghhhh!!" I screamed out finally and it helped relieve some stress and alerted Mr. Greystone because the next thing I knew, he rushed to stand on his feet and leave my room.

Before he could get to the door, he fell on the floor. This time, he had completely fallen asleep. I wasn't so heartless to leave him to sleep on the cold floor so I dragged him to lean on my bedframe and covered him up with a blanket. While I covered him up, I noticed how innocent he looked up close with his eyes shut. He looked so different from the sadistic man that had dragged me about on the dance floor.

A part of his hair fell in front of his face, covering half of his left eye. I had this sudden urge to push the hair away so I could look at all of his face clearly. Just before I fell for that tempting urge, I stopped myself midway. The last thing I wanted was for him to wake up to catch me ogling him.

I stood up abruptly and took a duvet and a few pillows. Since he was in my room, I would be sleeping in my walk-in closet. I meant what I said. Our relationship was going to be strictly professional. I would encourage any of his actions to make it something more. It was against the professional code.

When I closed the door to my walk-in closet, I pushed a table to block the entrance. All for precaution so I would get through the night. I lay down and thought to myself. I had barely spent twenty-four hours in that mansion and I had already been through a lot. The offer Beatrice made began to appeal to me. What if it wasn't a trap? What if she just wanted to get me away from her son for whatever reason? Shouldn't I take the chance and go back home? Besides, aside from the recent problems I had because of my cheating ex-fiance, everything was going well for me. I had a stable job, my family and friends, and my normal life.

Maybe, leaving was the best option. That was my last thought before falling asleep.