Chapter 7. Nobody Will Know

Her soul was overflowing with misery. Why did she think he was madly in love? What made her believe that he won't walk away just like the others? She didn't mind her feet that bumped a table, even when barely fixed the tumbling vase. A pint of unluckiness, compared to what she just witnessed.

She made her way to her dearest friend's room. "Kane, pack your things up. We've stayed here for enough time." The boy, Roune, was confused with the sudden interruption. "Huh? But Vi-"

"Do you really want to bother other people for too long? We're just guests here. If the wounds are healed, it's time for us to go back home, right?"

Diverting his eyes, he contemplated her reason. And it was rational. But why the hurry? He thought. "Kane, please. I'm tired."

Eye to eye to watch her plead, he melted. He saw her rushing back to her room right after he gave an assuring "Okay sure."

On their way to the main exit, they came across Ellon. "Where are you guys going with those bags?" He sounded worried, "Aw, we just have grown close. I thought both of you are going to stay for a bit longer." Vionna and Kane felt guilty, leaving in a rush like that. But Kane did not have the courage to say no to his Vivi. "We're sorry. I feel it wouldn't be so appropriate to bother all of you for too long," he explained. The chef let them go with an emotional goodbye.

Inside the cramped taxi backseat, Kane was concerned. "Tell me what happened. What's with that sad look?" He slanted her face with a gentle grip. Nothing but emptiness that she felt. She then took a hold of his arm and lowered it. Her palm was enveloping his. With her gaze fixated on it, "Nothing. I think I'm just miserable," her lips exhibited a fake smile.

. . .

Almost half a day has passed after the pathetic incident. The man they call Hades came near the wooden entrance of her room, planning to invite Vionna for dinner. It was a rough day for him at work. Must be hard dealing with scumbags and dirty businesses. But arriving back at his home, he expected his love to be there, waiting for him. But there was no answer, only silence. He knocked once, twice, three times, few attempts but still nothing. Maybe she has already gone to the kitchen, he thought.

"Ellon, where is she?" His face was tense, showing up at the dining room with no sign of her. The cook foolishly asked, "She?" The sight of Hades losing his temper would be the last thing everybody wanted to see. It was too late, he was already overwhelmed with fear. The fear of being left by the one he loves. "Vionna! Why didn't she say anything to me before leaving? Why didn't you tell me earlier?" He pounded the table with fists, almost furious. "I'm sorry, Sir. I thought you knew." Ellon shuddered, rarely seeing his boss in an aura this dark. Hades ruffled his own hair, making a mess out of it. For seconds, an exhale of a breath could be heard. "Don't worry it's not your fault. I'll be at her room," he hoisted himself up and abandoned the already served food.

Within the room that was previously hers, the bed, the bathtub, the nightstand, everything was clean, everything was quiet. Everything except for the wardrobe that was filled with clothes he bought to please her. Nothing she brought back home, only once touched and worn. There was a note in the middle of the sheet that smelled like her. His fingers picked it up, he then read the whole sentences silently.

"Maybe it's better for me and you to not encounter each other in the first place. This is not what people call faith, just coincidental. I'll be somewhere you wouldn't know. Thank you for taking care of me and Kane. Hope you find your happiness."

Would be very complicated for him to figure out what those words mean. The most effective option he held was only to meet her in person. To have a talk directly with the girl that ran from him. With a swift pull, he picked up his mobile and dialed her phone.

"The number you are calling cannot be reached. Please try again later."

. . .

A new day has arrived, Sean was inside one of the black sedan cars wearing a casual outfit. Dark blue sweater, jeans, and white sneakers should be enough for the duty Hades has given him. Driving his way to the coffee shop Vionna and Kane used to work at, he was anxious. The problem was about his chemistry with Kane. His mind betrayed him by overthinking along the road until he finally stood in front of the building. "Here goes nothing," he chanted.

Opening the transparent door, he ordered a glass of Hazelnut Latte and took a seat. Scanning through the employees, he couldn't find any trait of Vionna or Kane, even though he hoped either of them would be the one who served the latte. Sean finally raised his voice to the cashier near him, "Excuse me, do you know someone named Vionna? She worked here a few weeks ago. I'm her friend." But the man across from him had no clue. All he knew was the boss assigned him to replace someone. That was the only information the bodyguard could get. Feeling a bit disappointed, he went back to a table beside the window.

It was quite a surprise, when all of a sudden two hands tapped his shoulders. No action he could think of except to immediately turn around. Behind him, it was Kane Roune with his friendly smile. "Sitting alone, huh?" The barista spoke before giving Sean company and pulled the seat. Not meeting the one he was supposed to find, but it was fine. The guy in the blue sweater tried digging details from Kane. However, being the amusing person as always, Kane was having a hard time being as serious as Sean.

"Why're you here, Seby? Miss me already? I was only gone for a day."

"In your dreams! How's Vionna doing by the way?"

Kane squinted his eyes as a smirk formed on his lips.

"Today's Monday and you're not the type to go on a vacation… Let me guess, Hades sent you to look for my friend?"

"Okay smartass, I'll give you a yes."

"What is it for me, hm?" He put his hand under his chin, getting closer to Sean. The bodyguard just couldn't believe it.

"Are you kidding me?"

"Yes? Maybe not? I mean, I'm loyal, you know. Convince me first."

"Fine, what do you want?"

"You, on a date with me?" He saw Sean's eyes widened in shock, "I'm bluffing, chill. I'll make a deal just for Seby. Let's go for a drink! Oh and also, let me play at your casino again. Your treat."

Henceforth, they had an agreement. Kane was not so big-mouthed though. He knew her friend Vionna would be okay with Hades gaining her number. Only her number, nothing more. The male barista reminded Sean to keep the deal in mind.

Back inside the car, there was Hades' name on his dialbook, ready to be contacted. "Sir, I couldn't find her. But I got her phone number." His boss from across the line replied, "It doesn't matter. Send it to me and Quinn. Tell her to track the phone's location." And Sean obeyed, just like a good right hand man.

. . .

Upon entering the luxurious office room, there was a sight of the mafia boss sitting on his leather chair. He finished and flipped his phone after some long minutes eyeing the number he got from Sean. Hours later, right when Quinn finally showed up for a report, he had waited while signing off the papers on the dark wooden table. "I'm sorry, Sir. The location is what I couldn't track. Vionna's smart. But there are some of her social media accounts I've obtained." Not quite the information he expected, but not as disappointing. Her timelines were all loose, just a few texts, songs, small daily updates, nothing much. So he made up his mind to send a message on every platform she was on, hoping for a reply about why the girl decided to leave without a word.

Not a single response. He was not desperate, just longing for the woman that used to be there beside him. A connection now he had lost. Even if it was just for weeks, he loved her. He wanted to be closer. The voice within him gave instructions to let her go, to give up, and he did. It was until Quinn Lorier knocked on his door two and a half months later.

"Sir Hades, you need to see this." Quinn showed him the screen display, a Twitch account with a few thousands followers. Not that plentiful, but seemingly professional. "What is this?" He questioned the girl. "This account was registered using Vionna's phone number less than two weeks ago. There are also a PayPal account, Patreon, and a YouTube channel with the same name. I've checked the streams available, apparently I still can't recognize if it's really her or not. Maybe you can take a look for yourself."

Still, after the explanation, Hades kept his cool, "Thank you. Leave the tab here, you can go now." Even so, inside, he was spirited. A glint of hope reached him although he had left all feelings not so long ago.

He sat alone when the door was closed shut. Did he really want to know? Or maybe it was better for them to be separated, just like in the farewell note she wrote. God only knows. But he opened the tab anyway. A girl with the same voice as Vionna, same height, same body type but different hair, she was going live on stream. Are they really the same person? His eyes were focused. Unfortunately, he couldn't see her face, as it was covered in a picturesque dark purple mask, fox-shaped. In this case, she was different, and it made him uncertain.

Couple of minutes in, his attention was distracted by the scar on her lower left abdomen. Thank the lilac crop top for making it visible. "She really is her…" To make sure, he went for one last move. Confirming that his username was anonymous, Hades sent a text to speech donation. An amount that was not cheap from any point of view. It was enough to make the girl on the screen convey a shocked expression to her camera.

"Anon8895, thank you for the donation! Yo, this is insane! The backstory of my scar for a thousand dollars?!" She showed it clearly to the viewers. "Where should I start? In short, it was a normal night before running into trouble. My date didn't show up at first. Accidentally we met in an inconvenient situation where he was attacked. When I thought we were safe, some dude tryna kill us and I blocked the bullet. Good thing I was treated afterwards. I'll give my gratitude to him, I guess. There! Did it satisfy your curiosity, Anon?"

He smiled. The heart that was seeking love for the past two months has found its relief. Yet what she said next was the thing that made him fall silent. "Oh, let me tell you guys a secret. He wouldn't be sitting around and watching this stream, would he?" She looked left and right, moving closer to the facecam. "I once had a crush on that guy. Like, how do I explain this? He was all I wanted before. Wait, not only before, I still think about him now, actually. And damn, don't tell this to anyone, but sometimes I had 'those' kind of dreams about that man. But you know what? I've given up. Fuck those romance shit, dude. Remembering it makes me mad."

And Hades was disoriented. Confused about what he did wrong. What made her upset about him? Everything was fine, so why? Questions popped up and scrambled his mind. But he was not there to step back.

Day after day, he always spared his time to watch one or maybe two of her streams. Not just for no reason, he dug up information using the text to speech feature. It was his only way to contact her, a good enough opportunity. When the dots were finally connected, the time had come for him to give his love a friendly visit. "Carole, is there any free schedule for this week?" He spoke after picking up the phone handle. "Let me check, Sir." The secretary answered. After waiting for a while, "There is, Sir. Three days after today, before and after brunch, 10 AM until 2 PM." Then he delivered his appreciation with a simple thank you.