Disheartened

Irene almost passed out from shock when a figure dragged her into a narrow alley and covered her mouth firmly. Her eyes grew wide and her shoulders raised up and down so fast from catching her breath.

Their bodies are so close to each other that she could feel his warm breath. She looked up to see a familiar set of cold eyes urging her to not make a noise. Her cheeks turned crimson when she felt their bodies brush against each other, her face on his broad chest due to the massive height difference. Amiel towered in front of her while his hands slowly moved away from her soft lips.

Irene's body shivered, "Rossi was calling me," Irene tried to walk away but Amiel placed his muscular hands on her shoulders which made her look up to him, "Are you alright?"

'Good thing this alley is poorly lit. He may have seen my face as red as a ripe tomato right now. He is my type. Goodness gracious! How dare I think about this right now?!' Irene shook her head and mentally smacked her face which made Amiel chuckle.

"It was not Rossi," He said, his deep voice sending butterflies to Irene's stomach.

"What do you mean?" Irene asked, confused and worried at the same time.

Amiel sighed, "Someone tried to lure you,"

"Oh, so we are not done with this drama yet. Why can't they just let me leave in peace?" This time, Irene walked away from Amiel and returned to her room. Obviously, Amiel is following her from behind.

When they reached the doorstep of her room, she faced him. "What are you doing?" She raised her eyebrows as she aimed to close the door but Amiel stopped it using his powerful arm.

"I will be sleeping in this room," He pushed the door open from the outside and came in without hesitations making Irene's eyes grow big.

Irene buzzed behind Amiel who took off his coat and tossed it on a nearby chair, "Hey! Is it normal in your world for a man and a woman to sleep together like this? If yes, I am getting major culture shocks from you guys!" She raised her voice.

It was as if the fear of being seen with a man had been deeply engraved in Irene's mind because she was constantly reminded by her manager to avoid doing so. To avoid scandals that may affect her publicity. Just the thought of her and Amiel together in a room makes her face go hot and red.

"What are you talking about? We are getting married soon," Amiel approached Irene who was fuming in a corner and wrapped his arms around her.

Irene glared at him and silently mouthed, "What are you doing?!" Amiel placed his pointer finger on her lips to shut her off.

It was a chilly night, the curtains of the windows blowing violently. He made small gestures shutting all the windows closed and in an instant, a red beam of light coming from his hand crawled from the floor up to the ceiling until it surrounded the entire room.

The room is now sealed with a red and glowy mystical sphere. Amiel sighed and proceeded to sit down on a couch beside Irene's bed as if nothing happened.

"What was that all about?" Irene mockingly gesticulated just as Amiel did it earlier.

His elbows are resting on his lap as he speak, "Are you dumb? I told you earlier, someone is trying to lure you. I casted a spell for that specific someone not to eavesdrop on us,"

Irene placed her hand on her chest and scoffed in disbelief, "Seriously? So you being kind was just all an act? I can't believe you,"

Amiel just layed down on the couch, "Go to sleep." Was all he said.

Stomping her feet, Irene crawled back on the bed, huffing and puffing.

'He is so annoying,' She thought. For an unknown reason, she feels secured and her eyelids begin closing on their own.

The corner of Amiel's mouth rose when he recalled how shocked Irene was earlier when he stepped inside the room. He sighed. Gritting his teeth, he is annoyed at himself for caring too much, a feeling that is so foreign to him.

-

Irene grew up as an orphan. Her maternal uncle and aunt were the one who took her in and treated her as their own child. Some parents would discourage their children from pursuing their dreams of entering the entertainment industry but Ryan and Rona, Irene's uncle and aunt, were different.

At a young age, Irene showed interest in singing. Not only that she is talented, she is also gifted with the kind of face that makes hearts flutter. However, she did not take an elevator to success, she had to climb a steep and slippery ladder to success.

Numerous failed auditions, silent tears, and disappointments seemed to be the constant thing in her life for years until she had her big break, her singing debut which immediately gained popularity.

Not only once, Irene had a reality check whether to continue pursuing her dreams or just quit and do something practical that will help her find a living.

'Maybe singing is not really for me.' She once thought. There are others who are way better than she is while there are also others who made it to the spotlight. It was a discouraging moment. It was like being trapped in a pit where no one could possibly save you.

However, Irene fought so hard for her spot in life. For sure, she also deserves a good life. All the years of suffering was not like a blur, every hardship she faced is still engraved clearly on her mind.

Ever since the day she woke up and found herself stuck in a magical world, the question as to who might have plotted the evil plan of having her abducted and killed never escaped her mind. Irene would start thinking about a lot of other things but she would still end up thinking who has done wrong to experience an unfateful event like that.