ANOTHER CHOICE

EMMY hadn't recovered yet from her initial shock when she suddenly felt a rough palm touching her cheek. It was full of calluses, a sign that the owner of the palm was used to rough work. But it was warm. So warm that it almost melted her slowly freezing heart. 

When she heard him speak, she finally woke up from her momentary gaffe. "You- how- why- what are you doing here?" Then she suddenly thought of the guards that were constantly patrolling outside the mansion. If one of them saw Gage, it would truly be a disaster. "Come inside first."

She pulled him inside her room. Then she closed the balcony door and pulled the curtain over it. When she turned to Gage, she saw the other looking amusedly at her. As if he found her set of actions rather amusing. Which greatly annoyed her.

"Did you just laugh at me?"

"No. I just wonder if you don't have any sense of danger. You just let an almost complete stranger into your room and a man at that – someone who is physically stronger than you. Are you not worried that I might do something terrible to you?"

Emmy stared at Gage who looked like he was really curious why she did what she did. He was indeed right. The normal reaction was for her to shout and call the guards to apprehend the trespasser. But no, her body's first reaction was to pull him inside her room to make sure that the guards of her family wouldn't notice him.

Now that her brain was a bit clearer, that was really stupid of her. But, somehow, even after realizing her mistake, she still didn't think that what he did was wrong. Probably because Gage was not exuding that kind of danger. That type that could easily hurt innocent people. 

"If you plan to hurt me, you would have done it already instead of having this small talk with me right now," she simply said. "Besides, even if you do, I could just activate the alarm in this room and the guards outside and inside the house would immediately come running here. If you want to risk that, then sure, go ahead and hurt me."

Gage seemed surprised by her response. And then he chuckled, looking at her with a soft gaze. "You really are an interesting girl." 

Emmy looked away. She suddenly felt self-conscious with him looking at her like that. She cleared her throat and calmed herself. "How did you get pass all the guards?"

"I found a loophole in the mansion's security and took advantage of that. Then, I went straight here."

Emmy was shocked when she heard that. Any self-consciousness she might have felt quickly disappeared. She could understand a few things from what he said. If he found a security loophole in the mansion that meant that he had been studying the security detail of the place. And if he came straight here, then he was here for her.

Realizing that, she subconsciously stepped back.

Gage probably saw her little action that's why he said, "Don't worry, as you said earlier, I'm not here to hurt you."

Even though he said that, Emmy still put up her guard. "Then why are you here?"

"To warn you. Your fiancé, Cecil Lancaster, he's a very dangerous man. It would be best to back out of your engagement to him."

Emmy's heart suddenly boomed. She had a feeling that Gage probably knew about the secret of Cecil Lancaster. "You could have just told me this without going as far as trespassing at our mansion."

"I couldn't risk being seen with you. In the eyes of everyone, I'm on the side of the Lancasters. If, by some chance, someone from their side saw me talking to you, all the plans that I've made so far would be put to waste. So, I could only go here to meet you secretly," Gage said then his brows slightly furrowed. "Will you back out from your engagement?"

Emmy scoffed. "No, my father won't allow me to."

The furrow on his brows deepened even further. "If you tell him that Cecil Lancaster is a murderer, maybe the Duke would have second thoughts about this marriage."

Sure enough. This man knew about the secret of Cecil Lancaster. – Emmy thought. "That's certainly how a normal father would react. But, sadly, my father had never been a 'normal' father to me." She laughed bitterly. "He already knew that my dear fiancé is not only a murderer but a rapist as well. In fact, he told me about it himself. He even said that he would personally deliver me to him, conscious or not. So, no, he would not have a second thought for this marriage."

Gage appeared dumbfounded when he heard that. He even became quite speechless. Then as if finally registering what she just said, the atmosphere around him suddenly changed. His muscles became tout, his whole body exuding an inexplicable rage. It's as if any second he would attack someone. 

"Why would he do that?"

Emmy looked at the murderous expression on Gage's face. Was her situation the reason for this anger? Somehow, she was a bit happy that she could affect his emotion like this.

"Apparently, I'm the bait." She just shrugged. "He plans to use me to get evidence against Cecil Lancaster and thus, finally putting the other on trial." 

"But you're his daughter. How could he put you in such danger?" Gage said incredulously.

"Beats me."

"Are you fine with that?"

"Do you think I am?" she asked instead.

"No. No one could be fine with that. Unless you're someone with no emotion. Someone who couldn't feel pain, happiness, sadness, or anger. The kind that would just say 'yes' to people of higher authority because they didn't have a mind of their own. And I don't think you're like that at all."

Emmy stared at Gage. Someone she had only met once understood her far better than the person that was supposed to be her family. "You're right, I am not. But despite that, I already accepted my fate. Because no matter how much I object, my father would surely make sure that this wedding between me and Cecil Lancaster will happen. I don't really have the ability to oppose him. No matter whatever plan I hatch, I'm pretty sure my father would have no problems foiling it."

Gage became quite again. "What if you have another choice?"

Emmy raised one of her brows. "What choice?"

Gage then stared straight into her eyes. "You can choose me."