Ariel stepped back as he walked towards her. He hands her a file when he got to where she stood.

“Remember, your name is Celine Bryce. You were the last person to see his father alive, everyone is looking for you.” He informed the puzzled Ariel.

She quickly tore the file open and glanced through the birth certificate belonging to the twenty three years old girl called Celine Bryce.

“Is this even legal?.” She asked in despair.

Axel glanced at his Patek Philipe grandmaster chime watch.

“You have twenty minutes.” He reminded the absent minded Ariel. Realizing herself, she shoved the file in her bag and bolted out the door.

Kyle was waiting patiently in the lounge when Ariel walked in. He waved to spare her the trouble of looking for him. Ariel began to regret the plain white silk blouse and short slitted skirt she picked for the meeting.

It was a five star restaurant, and she was underdressed.

Ariel walked to the empty seat beside his.

He took in the face of the pretty girl he had met at the club.

Those features he fell for were clearer, she was breath taking.

“Sorry I'm late.” She apologized hurriedly.

“It's fine, you're here now, that's all that matters.”

“Arigato.” She bows her head playfully and tucks a few strands behind her ear.

“We didn't get to introduce ourselves properly the last time we met.”

“I'm Kyle, CEO of “Blue Rail.”

“Celine Bryce.” Ariel said , extending her hand for a handshake. He took her perfectly manicured hand in his

“Nice to meet you Celine. I'll cut to the chase.” He said.

“My company is launching a female fashion line, and I'll like you to be out model.”

“Oh my god, I'll absolutely love to.” She snatched the offer in excitement. “Cool.” He hands her a contract. “Go through these and sign them when you're less busy.”

“Alright, she nodded. So far, she liked Kyle's humility.

A CEO of a company as big as Blue Rail had come to meet her himself.

The waiter arrived just then, and placed a dish before Ariel.

She bowed and left. Kyle smiled in amusement when he saw the chicken in Ariel's plate.

“It reminds me of him.” He said fondly.

“Of who?.”

“My dad, he disliked Chicken.”

Ariel was puzzled. That can't be right…

"He ordered chicken wings the day he died.” She revealed before she could stop herself. She regretted it instantly.

All of Kyle's senses stood in attention.

“How do you know he ordered chicken?.”

“It was on the news.” She said immediately.

Kyle leaned back and watched her squirm uncomfortably under his gaze. He was feeling foolish, he must have startled her. He was growing more desperate to find the delivery girl. Ariel's voice brought him back to present.

“I'm glad you got this for me, and I appreciate your generosity. But I came with a full stomach.” She declined politely.

“It's fine.” He smiled.

When the meeting was over, Ariel went home in excitement. She was eager to go through her contract and fill them accordingly. She was only a few steps in when she met Marie, standing by her door with a grave expression.

“Come back to the main house.” She instructed the surprised Ariel and turned to leave when Ariel muttered two strong words.

“NO!.” She declined fiercely.

Marie turned in surprise, her brows creased in confusion, like she was daring Ariel to repeat herself.

“I said No, I shall not be staying with someone who tried to kill me.”

“Axel despises me, it's best we stay out of each other's way.”

“He's your husband, and he is wise. Most of his actions are to protect you.”

“Like throwing me off a six hundred meter height? Protect me from what exactly?.” Ariel unleashed the fury she had tucked away in her heart, her voice broke.

Marie was silent, she grabbed the hem of her apron and looked at the ground like she wanted to punch it.

“Look, I know no explanation makes sense right now, but you got in his way.” She finally found her voice.

Tears began to form in Ariel's eyes. She loved Marie, she was like a mom she never had. But her loyalty to Axel broke her heart. She was willing to choose her master over everyone else, it did not matter wether he was right or wrong.

“I got in his way?.” She scoffed in pain. “I'll be in his face all the time if I move to the main house. Who knows what he'll do to me next?. Why does he want to be in the same space with his enemy? Did he put you up to this?.”

Marie squeezed her apron hard, it was unusual to see Ariel this fierce, she used to be as gentle as a lamb.

“Yes.” She lied.

The truth was Axel was going to be furious if he found Ariel in his space. But Marie was worried sick. A thread snapped on the loom the previous day, and Axel had lost his ability to know the connection between many humans.

Her master could not keep being enemies with Ariel.

They may never be able to return to the sky at this rate.

If they could build a solid friendship at least, maybe Ariel's spirit would forgive her master.

That was the plan from the start, but all her master ever did was pull her triggers in places that hurt.

“Come to the main house.” Marie requested again in a dangerously low voice. “I'm not coming!.” Ariel replied stubbornly. “All my master did was to protect you.” She said again.

“Protect me?!!. Protect me you say? He threw me off a fucking building!!.” Ariel screamed in protest. “I got in his way and stopped him from killing an old man, that's all I did!!. Aside being a bully he's a killer!!!.” Ariel exploded. She looked at the silent woman, the lines on her forehead throbbed in an emotion Ariel could not recognize.

“I watched those children plead for their lives, hungry, tired, and sometimes too weak to speak.” Marie said.

Ariel stood still, her brows drawn together as her eyes flicked on Marie's face, trying to piece together what she’d just heard. Her fingers twisted nervously at the hem of her shirt, and her lips parted slightly, like a question was caught on the edge but wouldn’t come out.

What was she talking about?.

“I watched him silence their cries in the lonely night. I watched him lick their blood off his knife and laugh in satisfaction. I watched my master boil and break the rule of not killing a human to the wind.”

Ariel shook, her hands trembled, her weight buckled under her knees. Marie's words were becoming scary.

What psychopath was she describing?

“I watched him stumble and fall with his festering wounds, running from the kid that managed to escape. It was a perfect chance to end him for good.”

“He was at death's jaw when you saved him from being hit by a truck.

He roams free now, looking for more victims to add to his kill list.”

Everything seemed louder, blurrier, as if they moved too fast for her to catch. Ariel blinked, once, then again—still nothing made sense. Her heart thudded with uncertainty.

“You're no hero Ariel, you saved a serial killer." She turned to the shaking Ariel. "And you know his next victim.” Marie dropped the bomb.