Deja Vu

Marion couldn't help but blink. She felt that what she saw in front of her eyes was too bad to miss. Just a blink will ruin the moment.

The moment of enjoying the beauty of the creature in front of her.

"How are you? Did London make you forget your best friend that you haven't told anything in a year, huh?" William asked, then motioned for Drake to sit down.

The man chose to lay his ass next to Marion instead of William.

Drake glanced over at Marion. His wish was fleeting, but when the blue bead met Marion's hazel bead, time seemed to stand still for Drake.

Instantly, both the man and Marion experienced a kind of deja vu. As if they had met before.

"Hi ... have we met? I feel like I know you," said Drake suddenly, which of course made Marion freeze even more.

The stiffness was not only felt by Marion but also by William, who had been watching the interaction between his friend and assistant. Of course with disapproval.

"Do you two know each other?" asked William who seemed to be able to read the behavior of the two creatures sitting across his desk.

Marion was still frozen, unable to answer William's question because she might now be in another dimension, or under the influence of the beautiful Drake Wilmer's enchantment.

Drake turned to William. "She is ... a pure blood?" he asked, in terms that were easier for William to understand, but which Marion would never know. Moreover, the girl was still staring at the charming man in front of her.

"Is she your next prey, huh?" Drake asked again, half-jokingly.

This time, Marion blinked, awakened from the momentary magic that had swept her away. She was now fully awake, turning to look at William and Drake in turn.

"Can I go now, Mr. Reynz?" asked Marion. For her, it would be better if she just returned to her room rather than listening to the conversation between two friends who might be disturbed by her presence.

"Okay ... you can go back to your room and rest. I'll call if I need you later."

Marion nodded then got up and left William's room. She returned to her room and asked Leah to come in because there were many things she suddenly wanted to know about William. Also, that guy called Drake.

Leah walked in with steady steps as if she had nothing to fear in this world. Especially if it's only Marion's class, who was chosen randomly by William.

Was William not wrong in choosing someone to be his 'personal assistant'?

Okay, Marion had already said, that she would put quotes around the word personal assistant because she still didn't know William's purpose for hiring her. Is it like what is written in the contract, or is it even worse?

She couldn't even think clearly and positively anymore.

"Did you call me, Marion?" asked Leah, as she drew closer to Marion's desk.

Marion likes it when Leah calls her by her first name. It sounded familiar and Marion felt the same struggle between herself and Leah. It made her feel less alone in the world that William had created for her.

"Yes, Leah ... I just wanted to get information about Mr. Reynz. Given my job which ... you know, I find this too strange," Marion said without hiding anything. She believed that Leah would keep whatever she said.

Meanwhile, the girl seemed to be smiling. "What's with your job, Marion? Is it weird to you? Just ask me anything, and I'll answer it."

Marion seemed to think for a moment, then began to remember the events of the past few days. About the forest, the smell of pine trees, and a pack of dogs or whatever. However, to say it she seemed reluctant.

Should she be honest with Leah about it?

"Uhm ... can you be trusted? I mean like this, you could just cover it all up, right? If you were aiming not to answer honestly, then I wouldn't have asked."

"Depends on what your question is, Marion. If I have to answer and it deserves to be answered, I will."

Hearing the sentence that was just said by Leah which was clearly hanging, made Marion dissatisfied. Of course, Leah worked for William, so everything followed William's orders. While herself? Who can she depend on?

"Well ... I'm just curious, if there's a very reliable employee like you, moreover you've worked for Mr. Reynz long enough, right? Why did that guy hire me as his assistant? Shouldn't he just take you to do it?"

Marion of course could not contain her curiosity. Especially with all her limitations, compared to Leah who has knowledge beyond Marion's expectations, can that girl compete with Leah in terms of ability?

The girl smiled. "May I sit down? Looks like this is going to be a long story."

"Oh, sorry. I forgot to invite you in. Sit down, Leah, comfort yourself."

The girl comforted herself in front of Marion, an ordinary girl who might not be more special than her. However, William had chosen, so she couldn't do anything about it, because she had a pretty clear job. Become Marion's assistant who automatically takes care of her too. Because what she was ordered to do suddenly changed a few days ago.

"Mr. Reynz didn't hire me to be his assistant from the start, Marion. Have you heard anything about caste?"

Marion looked thoughtful. "Of course. I hear that a lot. Doesn't that rule apply in India, right? But what does that have to do with you?"

"Because my caste is that of a servant. Simply put. And you ... have somehow been chosen by Mr. Reynz for him, then from the caste's point of view, you have a place above me. Is this clear enough for you? Or ...."

"No, no. It's pretty self-explanatory, though there's a lot I don't understand."

"You can ask me if you really need anything else. But, Marion ... there are things you may not understand and are not clearly explained here. It's not that we want to trick you. You will understand it slowly. If indeed you are the chosen one, you will know later."

Leah flashed a warm smile, making the doubts that had originally slid into Marion's mind now vanish. That smile was even more sincere than anything she had ever seen before.

"There's actually a lot more, Leah ... but somehow I'm having a hard time getting started. Would you mind if we talked again some other time?" Marion asked, making sure that what she and Leah had been doing earlier wouldn't burden her work and take up her time.

Leah shook her head. "Of course Marion. It's my job, to give you insight and understanding about all this. But, maybe it won't be obvious, or if you expect me to give you a lot of information, you won't get it. I'll tell you slowly. Isn't that going to matter to you?"

Marion answered Leah's question with a nod, as a form of realization that indeed whatever information she wanted to hear she would never be able to get it instantly.

She had even only worked for a few days as William Reynz's assistant. And ... that charming man, who is he?

Marion seemed familiar with the appearance. His face, even his gestures, it was as if Marion had witnessed it many times. Is she dreaming again? Just like what happened in the forest—which wasn't really a fantasy—that had been bothering her until now?

Drake Wilmer ... even saying his name seemed to publish another flavor she couldn't explain. Just like when she first met William.

No ... it's quite different from the time with William. What happened to her? Is she still normal and fine?