seven

Kao

"Why don't you just tie me up so you can really run my life entirely!?!"

The annoying guy in front of me made a sarcastic surprise look.

"Woah, Kao, I'm not aware that you're into those kind of stuff?!?"

I rolled my eyes and made a move towards the door when the guy stopped me.

"Sit."

He said in a serious tone and I couldn't help but narrowed my eyes at him.

And we ended up staring at each other.

We stayed that way for quite sometime until I realized that I was not made for a staring contest and I had to look away.

"You can't just boss me around!"

I yelled at him as my annoyance grew even bigger.

"I'm not. I'm asking you. Nicely. Sit down. Let's talk."

He said in a softer voice and I didn't know why I ended up sitting opposite him at the make shift dining table for two his people set up very quickly inside the home theater a little after he announced that we could have our lunch there.

"I don't want to talk."

He heaved a sigh before he looked at me.

"Kao, we both know we have a lot to talk about."

I shook my head forcefully, as if doing so could make him understand that I didn't want any of these.

"I don't think so."

I heard him tutted before he regarded me with a guided patience.

"You read the magazine?"

I stared at him for a while.

Where is he going with this!?!

"I did."

I saw him nodded before he raised his eyebrows at me.

"I bet you have many questions to ask me."

I do.

But what for?

"No. I don't."

I lied.

"I read a lot of magazines but it doesn't mean I care about what it says."

Besides, it would not make any difference anyway.

Talking about it would only make me stay longer in this place, with him, and I didn't want that.

"Kao, I know that I have a lot of explaining to do."

I shook my head.

"No you don't."

I replied even though I was still curious as to why he needed to pull that stunt with me last night.

"Kao..."

He trailed off when I raised my head to look at him.

"You, leaving, was enough of an explanation. No need to bother with it."

I saw how his face softened with what I said but I didn't have time to process that action.

"I'm sorry."

He quipped and I didn't know what to make of that.

It had been five years and he suddenly appeared out of the blue kidnapping me just to say sorry!?!

"You know what Pete, if there's nothing else, can I go now!?! I'm not even sure why I'm here. I presume you didn't have your men almost give me a heart attack last night just because you wanted to tell me about your life now, is it?"

He didn't bat an eyelash when he left five years ago-without nothing, not even a high school diploma for himself and now that he claimed to be a man of the world, he decided he wanted to see me!?!

"Unlike you, I have some more things to do to actually live. So if you'd excuse me."

I said and stood up only for him to stand up and blocked my way to the exit.

"You're staying."

I looked up at him.

"I understand if you don't want to listen to me right now. I understand. I'll give you time. But while you're at it, you're staying here. With me. I'll keep you safe and provide for you. I won't let you go through the same difficulties ever again."

If only Pete had done these maybe a year or two after he left, maybe I'd reconsider, but five years!?!

Without anything?!?

And then he just reappeared into my life saying stuff as if he's my knight in shining armor!?!

"I don't know what to say about everything that you just said. But here's the thing, you can't keep me here."

Pete heaved a sigh as he pulled his lips back into a snarl and I couldn't fathom how he was the one who had the nerve to be angry at all.

"Kao, I don't want to argue with you. Alright? And I don't want to make this hard for the both of us. You will stay here. This is your home now."

I looked at him and shook my head there's no use arguing with this guy.

I can't win, but that does not mean I'd lose either.

He had no right to decided and control my life.

We're not even friends.

"I'm going to my room."

I said instead.

The drive to get away from there just became stronger and so I had to finally have a time alone so I could finally put my plan into action.

"You haven't had your lunch yet."

He commented as he moved away from blocking me.

"I lost my appetite."

I heard him sigh before I walked straight out of the entertainment room and back into my room.

I didn't know what the guy was on about for him to think that I would stay here with him just like that.

But whatever it is, I need to make sure that it does not happen.

I had been pacing by the window when I heard me a soft knock on the door.

"Young master, this is Len, I'm here for your lunch."

I blinked at what I heard.

I opened the door and girl number three was standing behind it with a food cart.

"Young master asked me to bring this to you."

I looked at the food on the tray and that was when I realized how hungry I was at the moment.

But I didn't have to let her know that.

I've been accustomed to faking not being hungry for the past years.

"You didn't have to do this, I'm not really hungry."

Len smiled at me.

"It's okay, this is my job. Also, young master insisted that you take your lunch on time young master."

I blinked at her.

"Kao. You can call me Kao."

I corrected here.

What's with the young master bullsvht!?!

I knew that I was not gonna stay there for long so I would not hear the helpers call me that anymore but still, it give me the creeps just by hearing them address me that even just for the moment that I was there.

"Sure young master, Kao."

I shook my head.

"Just Kao. My name's Kao. Not young master."

Len smiled and nodded.

"Young master Pete wants us to call you young master too."

The jerk!

"Well, you can call him that, but not me, okay Len?"

I looked at the food and heard my stomach grumbled.

What a timing!

"Uhm, Len, thanks for the food, I'll take it from here."

She nodded and smiled.

"You're welcome, young master--Kao, you're welcome. You just call on me if you're done so I could clean and get it for you."

Len said as she awkwardly address me with my name when I raised and eyebrow at her with her young master thing again.

"It's okay. No need for that. I'll bring this to you myself."

It's not as if I was not able to work in the service business all these time.

"No, I can do it-."

I smiled at the house help as I grabbed the food cart inside my room.

"I insist."

She looked at me before she nodded.

"-okay."

I smiled before I closed the door on her.

I looked at the food tray and ran a hand on my protesting stomach.

I may hate the one paying for the food but the food did nothing wrong and I just realized I'm so freaking hungry.

And so, there's only one thing left to do.

Eat.

"Young master! You should have just called any of us to get this from your room. You didn't have to come down here for that."

I almost jumped out of surprise when the eldest woman from the three female helpers got out from the door in one corner of the kitchen and walked straight to where I was.

"Oh, I'm sorry if I startled you. You can call me manang Sel, by the way, I'm the head helper here."

I nodded at her.

Just as I presumed.

The middle age lady did exude some air of authority over the rest of the helpers.

But that's not my concern at the moment.

Now that I was fully fed, I must finally make a move for the plan I was able to come up with while I was eating.

"I'm Kao."

I told here so as to not be rude.

"Yes, young master, I know."

I raised my eyebrows at here and gave out an awkward smile.

"Kao, is fine. You really don't have to call me young master."

She smiled before she motioned for the food cart that I had a hard time bringing down the enormous stairs.

"Young master Pete clearly instructed us to address you properly young master."

Of course the jerk did!

Len made that clear earlier.

"I know, but, I don't want you calling me that. It's-, Kao, is fine. Please."

She looked at me before she smiled and nodded.

"Alright. Kao, but only if it's just the two of us, will that be fine? I don't want to get into trouble with young master Pete."

She made it sound like I would really be there for the long run when in fact I was about to leave.

But then again, she didn't know that and so I just had to agree with her.

"I'm glad you found the dumb waiter. Even the staff sometimes found it hard to spot it along the walls."

She commented as she took the food cart from me.

"Huh!?!"

She looked up at me from sorting the plates on the tray.

"The dumb waiter, by the left side of the stairs. Don't tell me you carried the cart all by yourself down the stairs?"

Manang Sel looked at me in horror which entirely made me feel dumber than the dumb waiter.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry young-Kao, next time, just please call any of us to do it for you alright!?! You could have meet an accident with what you did. Young master Pete would not like it."

I nodded at manang Sel.

Not because I cared about what Pete thought, but because I saw genuine concern in her eyes I had not seen from anyone for the past years.

I felt guilty for a while there.

"Uhm, can I, come with you to the kitchen and help you wash these?"

I offered to which surprise the lady yet again.

"What? Oh, no. This is our job. No need for you to wash these by yourself."

I smiled at her.

"It's okay manang, I'm used to doing that kind of stuff. Besides, I'm kind of bored being alone inside my room in this huge house."

Again, it pains me to lie to the nice lady but things had to be done.

"No. Now that you're here, you don't have to that anymore. Someone would do that for you, don't worry."

She said as she pushed the cart towards the dirty kitchen as I failed behind her.

"Now, regarding your boredom, do you want to watch movies? I can have the entertainment room prepared for you. Or how about swimming? We just cleaned the pool this morning. Or if you like, there's a really nice spring just down the hill. I can have someone accompany you there."

My eyes perked up at what she just said.

"A spring?"

A window of opportunity seemed to have opened for me a little wider.

"Yes. Young master Pete discovered it just a few weeks ago in one of his morning jogs. He had it cleaned and improved. Do you want to check it out? Although, it's outside the gates, a little farther away from here. You need to take the car."

I almost clapped my hands with what manang Sel said.

Outside the gates sounded to me exactly the same as freedom.

My plan seemed to have tuned for the better now.

Much.

Much.

Better.

"Can I go now!?!"

I said excitedly I almost wanted to smack myself.

I needed to calm down so as for me not to put myself.

"Oh, yes, let me just call Gup to accompany you. Som was out with Kaleb so I'm afraid the grumpy Gup will have to do."

I nodded at her.

Not really understanding what she just said.

All I was ever thinking was to finally be away from the house and into my freedom.

"You can go prepare while I ask Gup alright?"

I nodded at manang Sel.

As I walked towards the living room with a smile on my face.

Risking falling down the stairs while carrying the food cart despite the fact that there was a dumb waiter at bay seemed worth it after all now that I'm just a few steps away from my shot at freedom.