Chapter 46

The night is cold and the sky is full of bright stars, they looked like silver birds shining in the darkness. The evening breeze seems rough as it looks like it would rain.

    Williams stood on the balcony, overlooking the activities going on in the compound. Few men in black stood like a statue at the entrance, each standing in the dark with their hands across their backs.

   In the middle, more men and few women including Rosie were spotted, doing different things but still seems to be alert about the surrounding region. Some were standing like wooden images, some seated, but not talking to each other, some just staring at the void, while the rest looked like they were under spell, just glued to a spot, staring at the entrance.

     A lady walked in with a bucket of champagne and a cup. She was dressed in a plain light blue dress, her short blue-dyed hair was neatly combed and she had a sweet smile plastered on her face.

    "Your favorite, sir" She dropped what she was holding and turned to leave.

   "Make sure Melissa eats," Williams said.

  The lady turned, she played with her fingers as she searched for the right words to use so she won't upset the angry boss.

    "She should be fine sir" She sounded uncertain, as she moved her weight to her left leg.

   "I didn't ask if she was fine" Williams half-shouted as she turned to look at her for the first time since she arrived "What did the doctor say?"

   "I- Uhmm- oh, you mean?" She stammered as his intimidating voice raised, Her boss's Green eyes no longer look friendly.
  "Oh! He said she would be fine if she eat and have some rest"

   Williams stared at her angrily for a long time not saying anything, his expression blank as he cleared his throat, noisily, causing the lady to flinch.

    "Bring that with me," He said and walked away, with the lady beside him.

   "Thank you sir" she whispered.

   "Gratitude for losers" Williams cleared his throat as he stopped in front of an elevator.

    As soon as he placed his hand, the elevator scanned Williams's finger and opened it, it closed back as they stepped and began to move up.

   Throughout the short elevator ride, the girl kept looking at Williams's face, and looking away immediately he turned to her. She would smile if their eyes lock and look away, muttering things she knew never made sense.

   "Talk"

  She flinched as she looked up at him, his eyes were glued to the up of the elevator door that shows floor (9) nine. She hold the bucket well and began to look at it like it had something interesting in it.

  "DO NOT MAKE ME REPEAT MY SELF" Williams said through clenched teeth.

  "It's Melissa" she bowed her head.

  Immediately, Williams turned to her like there was a kind of current that drew his head in her direction.

   "What happened to her?"

  "She had refused to eat anything since morning" she sounds genuinely concerned "Not even gotten off the bed to take her bath or had water. She just brush her teeth and went back to sleep, she seems to be leaping a little and kept screaming if she tries to sleep".

   The look on Williams's face was priceless. All hell broke loose as he began to sweat, he look visibly tensed. He removed his gaze from her and focused his attention on the door again without saying a word.

   " Did Luciano get any news about Michael's whereabouts?" He said.

  "Not yet sir," She said "No one has heard from or about him. But don't worry, he will be fine and we will find him soon".

  "He should be" Williams smirked.

  He really should be fine!
The smirk on William's face was indeed priceless, even when he is not happy, the fact alone that Michael's whereabouts were yet to be known when he is dying in the basement, made him smile.

    His mood instantly switched as he remembered Melissa. The poor girl is going through a lot and might as well be wanting to end it all.

    It's been two days and she had been going a bit good, she had tried her best not to cry for a day but end up crying the whole day. She would act well when she sees him and cry when he watched her for the camera and it tears his heart.

   He had something to deal with, something like a family business and school to deal with that was why he left the house so early. He had kept in touch with Melissa's friends and told them that she is sick and would soon be around. He also told the same to Mr. Lopez who immediately reply with a 'get well soon message.

   "Leave us"

    He ordered the lady as she dropped the bucket and rushed out, making sure to close the door gently behind her.

   His heartache more as he saw Melissa curled up in a ball, tucked under the big duvet with a tray of untouched food. The bacon and egg no longer look attractive as the Orange juice was no longer chilled.

   He walked slowly to her side and touched her beneath the blanket, she opened the blanket immediately and began to the sub.

     "Williams, you abandoned me too" she began to cry as she hugged him.

   Williams couldn't really say a word as his throat was hard, he swallowed before he hugged her back and kissed her forehead.

   "I had to do something, Melissa, I am so sorry you were still asleep" he sounded worried.

   Melissa sigh, she looked at him for a while the looked away, breathing heavily. She couldn't just understand what was happening recently.

   Days ago, she was mad at Williams for making a video of her half-naked. She would have willingly accepted to stab him without remorse. She just want to hit him hard and run away as she was feeling.

  But these days looks like she had changed. Since these three days, she had been with him and not go out, she felt so attached to him that she did not feel safe when she couldn't find him.

   Melissa just kept staring at his face as she moved slowly away, feeling like he was a crime.

   "Where are you going?" Williams rushed to her, catching her when she almost fell off the bed "Careful"

  Melissa didn't answer him, she just slipped out of his grip, she steadies herself before getting off the bed. Her legs were slightly shaking and all she could do was wince while she cuss.

    She walked to the bathroom and returned minutes later all wet and looking sad. She ignore the surprised look on Williams's face as she walked to the wardrobe, butt naked.

    "Don't give me that look" She whispered "It's nothing that you have not seen before".

   Poor Williams, he was no longer paying attention to what she was saying. His hungry eyes kept roaming around her body with his mouth open.

     He crossed his long legs and placed his hands on his zipper area, hiding what was threatening to rip his zip open. He groaned as he looked away from a very tempting view, where she had her butt in the air and bent to slip her leg into a pair of yoga pants.

   Melissa jumped on the bed with her new signature sad face, now dressed in an oversize white tee shirt and blue yoga pants. Her red hair seems to dampen and un-combed, her big brown eyes looked bigger with black bags caused by lack of sleep.

   "How do I look?" She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to make them look satisfactory.

   "You look like hell" Williams blurted out.

    Melissa's jaw dropped as she kept looking at Williams like he was an old friend or celebrity crush. Her face blush as she blinked twice.

    "NO!" Williams flinched "I mean you look, hmm, you look" he grinned "You look sweet like a -"

    "Like a raccoon?" Melissa suggested

   "Perfect" He smirked "Like a hungry raccoon".

     The expression on his face was priceless as Melissa smiled. He pulled her close to himself and hugged her tight.

   " They will bring in food any time soon, I called when you were in the bathroom" Williams smiled "And you better eat or you witness the third World War, LIFE!!".

  Melissa giggled, she turned to the other side of the bed and sigh.

   " What happened?" She asked.

     "I don't understand?" Williams gently turned her to face him "What are you talking about?" He looked deep into her brown endowing eyes.
  
    "About us?" Melissa made it sound like the question "What happened between us, as in why the sudden change?"

    "There is no sudden change" Williams lifted her jaw with his index finger "It had been like this all the time but I couldn't just want to accept it".

   " What are you talking about, Williams?".

   "Remember the first day I meet you at school" Melissa nodded "I have been in love with you but I don't want to be committed. Then I saw you and my brother, I knew he had been up to no good because he knows I love you and I had to protect you"

   "Was that why you broke up with your girlfriend?" Melissa cursed herself for asking but she had been dying to ask.

   "Karen was just a contract girlfriend and she knows, she took over from a girl at your ballet class because she was ready for the money" Williams brought her face closer that their lips were almost touching "But for you Melissa, it's love at first sight".

   " What do you mean?" Melissa blinked.

   "I have always loved you, Melissa, more than anything else" He closed the space and kissed her softly "You are mine, and nothing can change it".