Spider

He sent her a sheepish smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners. But Leticia just kept staring, her expression unreadable. Really? He wants to abduct her? She thought, her mind still racing from the way he'd grabbed her.

"Are you that surprised to see me?" He asked, his voice low and smooth. "You look pale right now." He took a step closer, his smile faltering for a moment.

Leticia's heart raced as she took a step back, her opal eyes fixed on his. She glanced around the hall and thankfully, they were the one ones around. She grabbed his hand and pulled him to the nearest room and locked the door behind them.

She felt a bit at ease so she turned to him. He was smiling faintly,looking handsome in his shirt and pants. His auburn hair was neatly trimmed making him look prim as usual.

"I...I wasn't expecting you, Manuel," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. She admitted to herself guiltily, She's almost forgotten about him.

Manuel's smile widened, and he took another step closer. "Well, you wanted me to be here, and here I am." Before Leticia could say anything, he crossed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. "I missed you, Leticia."

She looked up at his handsome face, his light red eyes beaming at her. For a moment, it felt good to be held in someone's arms like that, but then it hit her like a ton of bricks. She remembered why she was stuck here, and who was responsible for it. Her frown deepened as she pulled away, her hands on his chest. "Why are you here, Manuel?" she asked, annoyance in her voice.

Manuel's smile faltered, and he took a step forward, his eyes locked on hers. "I came here for you," he said, his voice filled with conviction.

But Leticia stepped back, her eyes flashing with warning. "No...no, you shouldn't. You shouldn't be here." She knew that if Devon found out Manuel was here, there would be consequences. Deadly consequences. Yeah, she was mad at Manuel but she doesn't want him dead!

Manuel sensed her worry and moved closer, his hand reaching out to hers. "You don't have to worry so much about me," he said, his voice soft and reassuring. But Leticia knew better. Knowing Devon, if he hears a whisper about Manuel being here, the poor guy won't see the light of another day.

"You don't understand!" Leticia's voice trembled as she gazed up at Manuel, her eyes wide with fear. She took a step back, her hands still clenched in his, as if unwilling to let him go. "If Devon finds out you're here, he'll..." She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.

Manuel's expression softened as he squeezed her hands gently, his thumbs tracing gentle circles on her skin. "Aren't you happy to see me?" he asked, his light red eyes filled with a mix of hurt and concern. He had expected her to be overjoyed, not frightened and shaken.

Leticia's face softened, and she took a deep breath, "I am, Manuel. I really am. But Devon..." Her voice trailed off as she shivered, remembering the brutal way Devon had killed Maddox.

Manuel's grip on her hands tightened. "Which is why I'm here to get you out," he said, his voice firm and determined. He took a step closer, his eyes locked onto hers, his face inches from hers. "After I read your letter, I decided to come as soon as possible."

Leticia's eyes narrowed now , confusion etched on her face. "Letter?" she repeated, her voice laced with skepticism. She tilted her head to the side, her light eyebrows furrowed in disbelief.

Manuel's smile faltered for a moment. "Yes. I got it on Monday."

"Uh, I... Can you tell me what's in the letter?" Leticia asked awkwardly, Manuel frowned slightly, now looking confused

Did she forget she'd written him a letter? "Any problem?" he asked, his voice soft and gentle.

Leticia smiled weakly, her lips trembling. "No... But..." She hesitated, her words trailing off. Before she could continue, Manuel's expression changed, his eyes filling with a tender intensity.

"I have also come to realize my feelings for you, Leticia," he said, "I want you to be mine. I'm sorry you had to go through all this because of me. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

Leticia's heart skipped a beat as she gazed into his eyes, his words sending a flutter through her chest. But somehow, she felt like she belonged to someone else... Devon's claim on her echoed in her mind.

Before she could correct Manuel about the letter and his declaration of love, she heard the sound of a car engine in the distance. Her head jerked towards the window, her heart racing. She rushed to the window and peered out, realizing they were in a closed room in a remote part of the mansion. Her hands turned clammy as she saw Devon stepping out of his car, his eyes fixed on the mansion.

Manuel frowned, his eyes narrowing. "What was that?"

Leticia turned to him, her eyes wide with fear. "You have to leave, Manuel," she whispered urgently, her hands on his arm, pulling him towards the door.

"I'm not leaving here without you," Manuel said firmly, his eyes locked onto hers. Leticia's face pale, her eyes wide with fear.

"You don't understand! Devon can't let me go," she whispered urgently, hoping he'd understand and leave as soon as possible.

"I'll talk to him. He can't keep you here forever," Manuel said confidently, but Leticia knew better. She tried to explain, but her words were cut off by the sound of footsteps echoing outside the room.

Manuel's eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched. "You should go, Manuel," Leticia whispered, her eyes darting towards the door.

"Devon doesn't scare me. Just relax. I'll take care of this..." Manuel tried to coax her, but Leticia knew Devon was not a man to be underestimated.

"You're endangering yourself, Manuel. Please, I'm begging you to leave," Leticia pleaded, her voice barely above a whisper. Manuel's eyes searched hers, sensing something was off. She had written a letter begging him to come for her, yet she was telling him to leave.

Manuel's pale lips thinned. He didn't want to leave but seeing how shaken she was, he decided to listen to her. "Has he done anything to you? Did he really try to... touch you? You can tell me, I'll deal with him..."

Leticia's face flushed, remembering Devon's hands on her skin, his lips on hers. She tried to hide her blush, but Manuel's eyes saw right through her.

"No," she whispered, her voice barely audible. Manuel held her hand, his fingers wrapping around hers. "I'll revisit with a better plan." Leticia couldn't say no, fearing Devon's wrath if Manuel stayed longer. The footsteps outside grew louder, closer.

Without another word, Manuel leaned in and placed a small kiss on her lips. Leticia froze but immediately moved away. Manuel smiled, "Okay then, bye."

"Bye," she murmured in reply . He nodded and left the room, and Leticia breathed out in relief.

She didn't feel sad that Manuel left; in fact, she was grateful he had escaped without Devon's notice. She knew that trying to escape with him would be suicidal, and she couldn't bear the thought of putting him in danger.

When she'd composed herself, she walked out of the room, her heart almost stopped when her eyes locked with a pair of flat red ones.

"If I were you, I wouldn't try to leave with that man," he said, his voice as nonchalant as his expression.

Leticia's heart raced as she tried to defend herself,"I...wasn't..."

"I know," he simply said, his eyes boring into hers.

Leticia's lips parted, but no words came out so he continued, "I won't mention this to Devon, knowing it would upset him," he said,"Though he's likely to find out himself."

Just then, the handsome vampire turned to leave, but not before adding, "Devon is around, and he wants to see you."

Leticia's heart sank, her feet feeling heavy as she followed him. 'Gosh, this guy', she thought, her mind racing with uncertainty. Can she trust him? If it was Luis or Cecil, it would have been good, but this Quynn!

They entered Devon's conference room. About 10 men sat on each side of the rectangular table, their eyes suddenly fixed on her as she entered.

Devon sat at the head of the table, his eyes locked onto hers, his gaze piercing through her. Immediately, her heart leapt, and she felt a flutter in her chest. He raised a brow, his eyes narrowing slightly for he heard that.

"I didn't see you when I returned. Where were you?" he asked when she reached him, his voice low and smooth. Leticia's heart began to pound, making her feel like a guilty criminal. She knew Devon's keen senses would pick up on her anxiety, and she tried to compose herself.

"I was in the mansion," she replied smoothly, wishing her heart would calm down. Devon's eyes didn't leave hers, his gaze burning into her skin.

"Why is your heart beating so fast then? Tried to make another run?" he joked lightly, but his eyes seemed to say otherwise. "Or was it something else?" he probed further though it felt like he knew exactly what had happened.

Leticia batted her lashes, trying to appear nonchalant. "I...I was walking and I saw something,"

"What did you see?" Devon asked, his eyes narrowing, his hand going up to his face, his fingers caressing his chin.

Leticia bit her lips, her mind racing. "A...A spider! I saw a spider!" she exclaimed, trying to sound convincing. Devon's eyes seemed to bore into her soul, as if searching for the truth and Leticia held her breath.

Devon suddenly smiled smugly, his dark red eyes peeking out of the waves of silky black hair on his forehead. They gleamed with amusement. "A spider got your heart racing? I wish I was the spider."

Leticia's face flushed, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. She looked away, her eyes darting around the room. The men were glancing at her and she noticed few of them had red eyes. Oh so they were vampires.

Just as Leticia thought he was done, he added "But this spider was quite different, wasn't it?" he continued, his voice low and husky. Leticia's heart skipped a beat as she felt like he was seeing right through her. "I..." she started, but her voice trailed off.

Devon's eyes seemed to bore into her soul, "Since you were walking alone, it must have found it a convenient time to crawl into your space. Am I right, Kitten?" he asked, his creepy smile taking over. Leticia shook her head, her mind racing. How did he know? Did he see Manuel?!

She decided not to say anything, hoping he'd just stop talking about it. Thankfully, he did.

"Did you miss me?" he asked, his voice soft as though he wasn't interrogating her few seconds ago.

"I don't know." She muttered, looking away from him now.

"Hmn. I know you did," he said, his voice dripping with confidence.

"I'm busy. Wait for me in your room." Leticia sighed in relief and nodded. That was when Devon turned to Quynn who had been standing behind Leticia all these while. "You took longer than expected."

Leticia stared, her eyes wide. 'Will Mr Quynn... Oh no.'

"I got a bit distracted on my way here," Quynn said, his voice calm and flat as usual.

He didn't even glance at Leticia's side, nor did Devon. Leticia left the meeting room, her heart racing with anxiety, hoping Quynn was a man of his words.

***

She walked back to her room, her feet heavy with anxiety. She stayed in her room, her mind racing with thoughts of Manuel. Did Devon see him? And he'd seriously confessed his love for her. Gosh.

If it was like a month ago, Leticia would have considered running away with him and maybe dating him, but now, she needed to stay here. She hoped she's able to explain to Manuel.

As she sat on her bed, lost in thought, she heard a deep voice. "Hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long."

She looked up to see him walking towards her bed , her heart skipping a beat at just how handsome he was. He had changed from the suit he was wearing earlier, now dressed in a red chiffon shirt and tight black jeans that accentuated his chiseled physique. She could literally see his milky skin through the shirt and she blushed. He's dazing. Literally.

He sat close beside her on the bed, his eyes studying her face. She blinked, avoiding his eyes. "Your heart seemed to have calmed down," he suddenly said, his voice low and smooth.

"Now, let's talk about that spider." Leticia's eyes widened and no one needed to tell her he already knows.