Pictorial Part 3

Zach held her hand as they posed and did what the photographer wanted.

"Show me close affection." The photographer instructed and Zach pulled her waist and scooped her face.

Andromeda was surprised and looked up into his eyes full of love. Maybe she's hallucinating and desperate, but does he still love her? 

She wanted that love, so she encircled her arms around his nape and leaned her forehead to his. They stayed like that for a little while and Zach kissed her lips and her forehead and her nose and back to her lips.

"You two are a perfect couple. Natural photogenic." The photographer said Zach reach her cheeks and wiped the tear on her right. They didn't see it so he wiped it stealthily.

He wrapped her into his arms and hugged her for a while. They wore two different types of gowns and tuxedos and anything she wore was simple yet elegant.

They change after and he receives a call from General Alexandro.

"General?"

"Meet me tonight. I have something to say."

"Okay. Where?" He asked. The old man said the location and he hung up.

He turned to Andromeda who was currently removing her makeup and Kathleen looked like not in the mood anymore. However, he cares no less about the girl and focuses on his fiancée more. He helped her remove the makeup and kiss her lips.

"Stop it." She said coldly.

"What?" He smiled. "You love it when I kiss you." He said they were still in the past, like three years ago. She remained silent but he still smiled as nothing happened between them that broke their hearts.

He kissed her nose lightly and then her lips lightly. She was frozen, her heart melted, and wanted more of that. Her old self, the Andromeda who fell in love with him is coming back. That soft heart woman who would do everything and give everything to the man she loved. That's what Mondragon's are. They will give their all once they love a person.

"I'll drive you home." He reached for her purse. He stood and pulled her up. "You need to rest more. Does your head hurt?"

"A little." She answered.

Maybe she should just forgive him. But what if—he's doing this because her grandfather told him so? What if—she can't give what he wanted and eventually would leave her as he did? She can't survive anymore. Because her love for him was so much that almost nothing left her.

She let him hold her until the car, hugged her, kissed her head, and brushed his fingertips on her arm. Maybe she needed that comfort, but her heart is near to exploding. She's becoming more anxious as time passes, afraid that this is just for show and he doesn't love her anymore.

"Do you still love that chicken carbonara? I told the maid to make it for you."

"Okay." She said and looked out the window.

They reach the house and Andromeda looks at the maids in the same outfit. There are at least three of them, but she hasn't seen the other one before. She remembered a thin woman with curly hair, shorter than the other one taller, and seemed to know martial arts and combat.

"Good Evening Lady Andy, your dinner is ready." The head maid said as they escorted her to the dining table. Chicken and Mushroom Carbonara is served for her. She takes a seat and reaches for the fork.

She can feel a pair of eyes eyeing her waiting for her to eat. She exhales and holds her head a little dramatically.

"I don't have an appetite." She stood and walked upstairs.

"Darling, do you want to eat something else?" Elder Pattinson asked.

"I am fine, General." She said and entered Zachary's room. She closed the door and looked at the bed.

Two years of not being together. Has he ever brought his woman here? She strode to the bed and crawled to reach the pillow. She shoved her face and inhaled Zach's scent. She fell asleep without changing her clothes and removing her shoes.

Something wakes her when the door opens, and she can't hear footsteps. Someone is here to kill her.

***

Zach enters the restaurant and greets General Mondragon. He sat down and reached the water.

"Eat first." Elder Mondragon said.

"It's fine. I can eat back home. Maybe Andy hasn't eaten yet."

"I will be straightforward with you." The Elder said as he held his hands.

"Okay."

"Did you know why I forced the two of you into this arrangement?" Elder asked and he remained silent. "I want you to save my granddaughter from herself. All these years when you left her—she shattered. She lost herself. She doesn't want to survive anymore. Those years that she struggled with wanting to die every day are a big advantage to someone who wanted to kill her. I monitored her and gave her enough safety so she could live. She's my only heiress, Zach. Everyone is after her head."

"You mean—assassins are after her right now?" Zach asked, his brows creased and his heart was pounding.

"Yes. I want you to save her from herself so she can protect herself and fight. She keeps doing extreme things for her to die easily. What you both lost cannot be restored." The Elder said and held both of his hands tightly. "I feel so broken seeing my granddaughter trying to kill her every day that passes. I should hate you for leaving her, but you are the only one that could save her from herself. Please, protect her until the end."

Zach felt so guilty at that moment. It was his entire fault for her leaving her.

"I understand." Now, he has to do what he promised and do his responsibility to her.

***

Andromeda rolled on the bed to the other side away from the door and she lowered her body glowering at the maid with a knife with her. The tall maid smirked at her. Andromeda exhales and holds her chest.

"Damn it! You scared the hell outta me!" She scolded her. The maid slashed the assassin and threw the knife in her direction she expertly caught the handle and played it on her hands.

The assassin flowers and pulls out a gun with a muffler from her back and points it at her. Andromeda's eyes widened and she started walking backward. The Assassins pull the trigger and to the stranger's surprise, Andromeda uses the knife to divert the bullet's direction away from her.

"Why did you bring a gun in a knife fight?" She grumbled.

The Assassin kept on firing and firing but Andromeda was so fast that she lost count of the bullet. Andy exhales and blows the knife that still smokes from all of the hot bullets with a smirk.

"These days have been so boring. Thank you for coming. And did you perhaps make that carbonara? I'm sorry but I am not fond of parsley on top."

Andy threw the knife back to the woman and it expertly caught it. Andromeda ran out to the balcony and jumped down without thinking. She rolls on the grass and hides in the bushes. She looks around and there's not much security around the house. Damn it, how can he locate a house like this. The maids and the guards. Fuck.

She acted so surprisedly when the maid also jumped out from the balcony and in front of her. Andromeda tackled the woman and she was right. The woman was strong. It wasn't on how strong she was. She already thought that her opponent had more than three pieces of equipment to kill her.

Andromeda didn't hesitate to punch the woman on the nose and ducked down from her kicking her wrist for her not to throw whatever the thing was. The woman stood and held her bleeding and a broken nose.

"Andro!" Zachary shouted and the woman looked at Zach who just arrived. 

Andromeda's first rule is not to get distracted. The woman gritted and thought that she was of course distracted but Andromeda took the attack using her finger to hit a certain vein on the woman's neck. The woman looked at her and she collapsed into the ground.

  Damn, she uses all of her power to do that stuff. Bad, girl. She doesn't want to kill anyone with that. Maybe Sabrina could help her save the person she's killing. She still needs her for conformations.

Zachary ran to her and held her.

"Andy, baby."

"I am fine, dummy!" She pushed him and one security guard came running.

Andromeda checks the woman. Her eyes are still open yet she's unconscious.

"What did you do to her?"

"She might die," Andromeda mutters. She hissed and punched the ground. "Damn it. I shouldn't use that at all. So stupid."

  Zachary didn't know what her frustration was about. Was it because she didn't kill the woman and get the job done well or was it too much?