A Stranger

Nearly a month ago.

Leo was having dinner with the rest of the Cassanos when suddenly, he ordered, "No rumors outside of the mansion. Especially when visitors come, better shut off your mouths."

Randall stopped from slicing his grapes, and turned to him. Vincent chewed slowly. Etienne and Jon Cho continued to eat their food, unbothered by the announcement their leader had made. Leo sighed, adding, "We have a guest on a drab room by the second floor. She's unconscious, and I don't want her impression to settle that we are gossipers, spreading defamation."

Leo picked up the wheat bread and nibbled on it. Randall sighed, asking, "Do we have to let the woman stay here for a while?"

The maids zipped their mouths tight, as if a word can kill them. Leo doesn't even control his temper at most. If he'll lose it, he'll lose it. Leo answered, "We have to. You're the one who got hooked up on an accident, Randall, not us."

He scoffed. Randall's tongue rolled back with his words. Vincent snickered, and Randall mouthed a curse to him. Vincent pointed to himself, surprised by his pissed reaction. Etienne laughed along Vincent's mockery, and Jon Cho sighed with Randall. Leo didn't even have the time to goof around with them.

He's thinking of the way out of this. It's not good to rely on the time. With Jeremy Tyran's new rules every day, if he ever found out a strange and wounded woman resided inside their mansion, with no clue as to where she had been, they'll find themselves inside the coffin. Leo couldn't afford to be dead.

"What's your plan, Leo? I mean, after the woman woke up, what do we do?" Jon Cho spoke up beside Randall. Leo doesn't want to think of a way, because, from the start, when she let the bleeding woman inside the mansion, there's no way out. Leo would know if she's a Telamur citizen in a few days, if her Tempus Moneda lighted up faintly.

No one could escape the truth.

"Honestly, I don't know. I don't want to jump to conclusions that this woman is within the Telamur premises and just ran away from home. We have to think of that, yes, but it's impossible. It's too early to be sure of something yet." Leo took a sip of his coffee as Randall gazed at Jon Cho. Both of them shrugged. They don't go against the rules Leo has implemented.

"We need to find out who is she, for now."

…

He tried, but he failed. Nothing's in the Calvorite section, and even though he had an access with the Telamur site, Jeremy Tyran wouldn't let them use it if they don't have a job to clean up. Leo wouldn't dare to try, since Etienne can trace Leo's computer entering the key code, and he wouldn't be able to erase it.

It's the only downside of being a spy and a CEO at the same time.

Not all businessmen have the power to topple over someone who is as high as the head sectors are. Leo leaned in back on his wheelchair, turning to all of the names at the screen, and found nothing that has the same face as her. He gave up, turned it off, and looked at his phone.

It's already midnight.

"I might as well check if she's still unconscious."

…

He stood out of the door, listening inside. Leo placed his ear in front, wondering if there's any noise he would hear, but there's nothing. He swallowed, holding onto the doorknob, and opened it. No one reacted inside. Leo peeked in right at the bed, and saw she didn't even change positions.

She's tucked in the bed for nearly 5 days. The doctor dropped by early in the morning to check her pulse, and it's turning back to normal. Leo slipped in his hands inside his slack, observing the blankets covering her body, and right to her face. Leo observed her long eyelashes, her smooth cheeks, and her pale lips.

She must be beautiful, but for now, he wouldn't guess.

Leo sat down on the edge of the bed, intentionally checking her bare arms, but the Tempus Moneda must be hiding right on the sheets. He didn't see any flicker of light, so she must be a Calvorite citizen. But his hunch was saying it different. Leo wouldn't be able to sleep a wink tonight if he wouldn't find out…

Something caught his ears. Right from where he was seated, the sound of the heartbeat made him… Leo recognized that beat. From those times he killed rebels, he would hear this sound, and sometimes, it'll replay in his head when he's on the shower.

No matter how many times he tried to distract himself, the heartbeat already proved he's the worst person in this planet for killing those people. The rebels were people, too, but he slain them one-by-one, and sometimes, he would sit down to repent for his mistakes. Only then, there was no time for repentance.

It's just barely turning back around, leaving the person bleeding, and go back to his rat hole. Leo sighed, stood up from the bed, and came up to her side. He peeked right on her wrist, and there was nothing.

Maybe what he heard was his own heartbeat.

"I must be crazy to prove she's a Telamur citizen even though she may be not," Leo concluded. He stood up at the side, watched her breath deeply for a while, and rushed to the door. Leo needed to go to Etienne to prove how Tempus Moneda works.

…

"Did you see anything in the woman's wrist when the doctor is checking her?" Leo gulped down the beer from a shot glass, and poured himself again. Etienne shared the same brand of whiskey, and didn't like the smell of beer, so he settled on a hard one.

"I don't see anything, Leo. What's there to see? I know what you're thinking. She may come from Telamur and ran from here, right?" Etienne asked, sniggering.

"Not impossible at all, Etienne. All those rebels from Telamur who wanted to come down here. Calvorite isn't any better than Telamur. In fact, we're still living in a country, and that's Idris. We're Idris' citizens," Leo pointed out. His words always made sense, and Etienne believed Leo wouldn't found himself getting dumber every day.

"She's a Calvorite citizen, we must hope, but if isn't… you know what happens to us." Etienne turned to the night sky, wondering what he should do to calm their boss down. Leo rested the back of his head on his arms, and watched the night sky unfolding.

"If she's a Telamur citizen, we wouldn't be able to escape the task in our shoulders."