Chapter 21

"Master?" Ava called for the fifth or maybe sixth time. I heard her calling me, but answering her seemed like a daunting task. I suddenly felt weak, the thought of walking into that house and meeting her mother overwhelmed me. "I am opening the door now, Master," she said. Nodding my head, I watched her move towards the door and open it, patiently waiting for me to step in.

She gestured for me to follow her, and I stepped inside before shutting the door. "Mother!" Ava mumbled, running upstairs. Utilizing the little time I had, I looked around the place. All I could say was that it was small— really small.

There were only two couches, a small television, and three photos hanging on the wall. One was of a young Ava looking chubby and cute, holding an ice cream, her hair tied in two ponytails, and wearing a yellow dress.

The other photo was of a little boy, presumably her brother. He resembled their father more. "Who wishes to meet me?" I heard her mother's voice and turned around to see her descending the stairs, Ava following behind. Her mother's tone was harsh.

"Forgive my intrusion, madam," I bowed my head and mumbled. "I am Damon the Fifth, and I have come here just to lay eyes on you. And also, to seek your consent, I must say, looking at how pretty you are sitting before me right now... it's indeed worth the drive."

"A flatterer, aren't you?" Her mother lifted her head, smiling a little before speaking further. "Have a seat, young man."

"Thank you, madam." I sat down, waiting patiently for both ladies to sit before continuing. "I will not beat around the bush. I would like your daughter to come with me on a business trip."

"And why is that?" she asked almost immediately.

"She will be needed," I simply replied.

"I remember my daughter working as a maid, not your assistant, am I right?"

"Yes, you're right." I exhaled and looked at Ava, grinning widely. She seemed to be enjoying this. "I like your daughter, and I can't bear staying far away from her for a very long time." I went straight to the point.

"How long are we talking about here?"

"Three days, I guess."

"That doesn't seem long. Surely you will be able to survive."

"Pl-ple..." I swallowed, knowing they were all watching. I found it hard to mutter these words; I wasn't used to feeling weak. "Please," I forced the words out, sweat forming on my forehead. "I need her to come with me."

"No," her mother growled. "She can't spend three days with you when she has no relationship with you. You may have money and be her boss, but it will always be no unless..." she stopped, and I urged her to continue.

"Unless what?"

"Unless you're married. But you two aren't, so forget about her traveling with you." She stood up and started moving upstairs. "It was nice meeting you, Mr. Damon the Fifth," you could hear the sarcasm in her voice.

I relaxed on the couch and closed my eyes, feeling defeated. I wasn't used to facing such challenges. I always got what I wanted, but this woman was proving difficult.

"Master?" Hearing her voice directly in my ear, I didn't bother moving away or turning to meet her gaze. "Do you need me to go with you?" I nodded my head. "Then permit me to start calling you by your name." What she said made me open my eyes wide and stare at her. "If you agree to that, then I will come with you." She was smiling, feeling victorious.

"No."

Her face fell. "No? But you said you wanted me to come with you."

"I did," I said, trying to get a reaction from her.

"So why are you now rejecting that?"

"I wanted to see your reaction." Turning my head to face her direction, our faces were only one inch away from each other. Her cheek stained red. "You can call me whatever you like, silly." Biting her lower lip, I gave her lips a quick kiss before standing. "Let's go then."

"You mean now?"

"Yes, now." Raising my right eyebrow, I stared at her. "Do you need to talk to your mother?" She nodded, and I exhaled. "Alright, I will be waiting for you in the car. And don't bother packing; you won't need it." With that, I stepped out of the place, shoved my hands in my pocket, grabbed my phone, and made a call.

"Damon the Fifth, Anna at your service."

"Tell that old man I'm on my way home."

Anna laughed at the other side. "Coming for Zulu, aren't you?"

"Shut up."

"Oh, don't tell me he's shy," she giggled. "Hurry home, I miss you, big brother." Cutting the call, I turned around, still unsure of what she told her mom to convince her to let Ava go.

"You better take care of her," Ava's mother growled, and I nodded.

"I will, thanks, madam." Watching the mother leave, I made way for Ava to step into the car before I did and shut the door. "End of the road," I told the driver, averting my gaze to Ava, who surprisingly looked calm. "You're not asking questions?"

"No."

"Hmmmm."

"Do you want me to?"

"No, I like you quiet." It only took her three minutes before she started barraging me with question after question.

"Where are we going, Damon?" My name rolled off her tongue, and, to be honest, I liked it. "Damon?" Looking at her, I said nothing. She frowned to show that she didn't like my silence.

"You look beautiful."

"I'm not asking that." She sounded angry but blushed anyway.

"Do you trust me?"

"Nope."

"That hurts." Holding my chest, I watched her chuckle. She laughed, and I must say, she looked beautiful while laughing. "Trust me, harm won't come your way. I will take good care of you."

"Oh?"

I nodded my head and touched her cheek. "Yes, my dear Ava. I plan on taking care of you during these days because we won't be alone."

"Okay, Damon." She giggled softly. "It's nice calling your name. Am I the only one that does that, call your name?"

She looked ready to hear a yes from me. "No, my relatives call me by my name," I mumbled before she could talk more. "We have arrived." Holding her hand, we stepped down, and I watched the confusion playing on her face.

"That's a cliff, there's nothing here."

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course not! Why would I trust you?" Smiling, I didn't give her time to think before pushing her off the cliff into the water. Her scream made me chuckle, and then I jumped off myself.

Ava felt her body fall into the water, but it didn't stop there. She kept falling like something was pushing her. But then she couldn't hold her breath forever. A little light below gave her hope that I had that she wouldn't die.

Damon won't succeed in killing me. I will survive.

Arriving there, I suddenly found myself on the ground, surrounded by flowers. "Where am I?" Coughing, I looked around. The place was so huge, and then I noticed a palace ahead, and carriages moving around. No cars, only carriages?

This place is ancient.

"You're alive," Damon chuckled. I stood to my feet, ready to give him a piece of my mind. Moving towards his direction, I lifted my hand and slapped his face, wishing to repeat the same action. But he caught my hand, then threw the other one and caught that too before moving them behind me. He pulled me closer. "Let me go, you bastard!" I yelled. "You tried to kill me. Is this why you asked me to come with you, so you could kill me?"

"Shut up, Ava. It's the only way to get here, and it won't kill you."

"Let go of..." Before I could complete my sentence, he kissed me. Unlike the other kiss, this one seemed deep and rough. Gasping for air allowed him to dive his tongue to meet mine.

I couldn't help but moan. I had never felt anything like this before. My whole body was on fire, a kind of fire I didn't want to extinguish. It gave me pleasure, a pleasure that made me feel insane. Oh my gosh, what was this guy doing to me? He made me feel things that no one else had.

"Hello there." Hearing someone's voice made me jump back. I turned and looked In that direction stood a man with long red hair, blue eyes, and a tall stature. "Damon, you should have asked for a room, not the back of the palace," he commented. My face must have been flushed now, embarrassed by the wet state of my clothes.

"Shut up, Grant," Damon groaned, clutching my hand and pulling me closer to him. "Where are they?"

"They're in the dining hall for breakfast," Grant smiled, indicating that it was still morning here. "You've arrived just in time. Come, join us for breakfast." Grant's eyes then shifted in my direction. "And may I say, you have a fine lady with you."

"Watch your eyes, Grant, before I pluck them off," Damon growled. "This is my woman. Stop staring at her, or I will pull those rotten eyes of yours out of your skull." Damon's words made my whole face turn red. Of course, the water had made my dress slightly transparent.

Grant chuckled in response. "How foolish of me," he said, winking at me before Damon pulled me away.

It seemed like my days in this strange land were going to be interesting and very, very embarrassing.