A MAZE OF GREED

Thea walked beside Rees wordlessly. She did not know what was going through his head. But she was comforted that finally, he had decided to reveal all the truths.

She recollected what he told her the other day.

*"trust me, whatever is happening, it is connected to our lives- me, you and…"*

She had not paid attention to that before, but now that she gave a thought to it, she wondered what he meant by that.

How could anything that happened in 'the great manor' be connected to them?

She did not utter a word and decided to be patient for some more time. Rees had her hand in his, their fingers laced together. The warmth from his body soothed her distress, but her heart was still pulsating hard against her chest.

They crossed the way that led to the main gate of 'the great manor' and started walking in the directions of the woods.

Thea looked around in confusion. "Rees, the gate has passed."

"We are not using that." Came his curt reply.

She did not persist more, for she was glad that she did not need to face that rude and ill-mannered guard again.

He took her through the borderline of the woods that surrounded 'the great manor' till they reached the tail of the property.

Emerging out of the woods, Thea saw the proud superstructure at a distance, and what stood near her was a familiar building.

She observed keenly and then realised where they were.

"This is the same building where I and Ruth came looking for you that night!" She exclaimed in realisation.

Rees glanced at her through the corner of his eyes. "Yes, it is."

"Why are we here, Rees. I do not get a good feeling about this place." She shivered unnecessarily.

"And why is that?" He was curious.

Thea thought for a moment. "I do not know. But I feel strange near this building. Maybe there is someone's unsatisfied spirit that make this place creepy."

Rees wanted to laugh at her assumption. But then, the building was indeed haunted by an unsatisfied soul- Edwin O'Dell.

"It is not like that, Thea. You feel that way because it is an abandoned and old structure. I bet your opinion will change once we get inside."

Thea turned at him with raised brows. "We are going inside?"

Rees nodded. As they neared the entrance of the building-a metal door- he scanned around to make sure that no one was watching them.

Climbing the stairs, he stopped at the meta door to knock on it in a perfect rhythm.

Thea wanted to smack his head for knocking on the grand metal door when there was a round-shaped bell to use.

But to her surprise, the door creaked open, and a man peeked from behind it. His eyes lit up in recognition when he saw Rees but soon turned confused when he saw Thea.

"Good evening, Rees!" He let them in and closed the door behind them.

Rees nodded, and Thea noticed how his body posture changed suddenly. She could feel his calm and gentle aura changing into a domineering one.

It was the first time that she witnessed how respectfully people treated him. That made her chest swell with pride.

"Good evening! Where is everyone?" Rees asked monotonously.

"They are waiting for you in the middle room on the second floor."

Rees did not say a word and only nodded his head. The man glanced at Thea a couple of times that made her uncomfortable.

'How rude is Rees! He should have at least introduce me to him.' Thea thought after sensing the confusion and apprehension in the man's eyes.

His eyes caught the mark on her neck, and she thought he sniffed the air around her for some odd reason.

Taking that responsibility on her own shoulders, she smiled at the man.

"Hello, my name is Thea Green and I am-"

"My fiancee!" Rees had his hand around her waist immediately as if he was claiming something that belonged to him.

Thea suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at his possessiveness.

'And he expected me to forgive him for touching another woman when he can not even stand another man looking at me.' She scoffed mentally.

The man bowed his head. His face looked relieved for some cause.

"It is pleasure to meet you, Miss Green!"

"Same here!" She returned his gesture with her smile.

She wondered what the man's name was, but before she could ask, she was already turned around by Rees as he fastened his pace in the direction of stairs.

"Rees, slow down, please."

He leaned down to her ear and whispered, "Yes my dear mate. I am a possessive creature and I like to let the world know that you belong to only me. I am not a human but a werewolf, do not forget that!"

That made Thea's complaints stop. They climbed the stairs to reach the second floor of the building. They halted outside a door.

"Thea"

"Huh?" She turned to face Rees.

He looked nervous. Uncertainty was clearly visible in his brown eyes, but his face was set in determination.

"Before we go inside, I want a promise from you."

Thea's brows scrunched in confusion. "What promise?"

He gulped down and said, "I want you to promise me that whatever you will be told and listen in that room, whether you like it or not, you will not doubt my intention and will not get mad at me."

Now Thea was worried. "Rees, you are scaring me. What is happening? And who is waiting for us? Why you brought me here?"

Cupping her face, he stared deep into her eyes. "You will know everything in the next minutes. But first, I want this promise from you."

As she gazed into his eyes, all she could see was sincerity flowing in them.

Taking a deep breath, she agreed. "Okay. I promise you that!"

Rees smiled warmly at her then kissed her on the forehead. "Let's go then."

He twisted the handle of the door to open it wide. Thea eagerly looked inside to see a medium-sized simple room. She followed Rees inside, and then her eyes widened when she saw two people already waiting for them.

*

*

*

In 'the great manor', the arms of the clock indicated the time for dinner. Augustus, Theodora and Eloise gathered in the dining room.

Augustus's grey eyes darted to the two empty chairs at his right, where Edwin and Elsie sat.

Theodora noticed her husband's stare. "Elsie has already eaten and is resting in her room."

Augustus did not bother to ask about Lester, for he knew that he spent most of his time with Edwin in the old building.

That very thing irked Eloise. The breakfast, lunch and dinner were the only times when she could see and speak with Lester. Since he had returned to Vincardine, he was busy with her cousin.

She could not find his time, and whenever she got a chance to be with him, something occurred, and he had to leave. She first thought if he was avoiding her. But then, she realised how stressed he was these days.

She sighed, looking at his empty chair beside Theodora.

"How is Elsie's health now?" Augustus asked while cutting the roasted lamb with a knife on his plate.

"The physician said she is recovering well. There are no bruises left only the bone in her back needs some more time to heal completely." Theodora informed.

"Moon Goddess, bless my child with a long life!" Augustus muttered.

But his words did not go well with Eloise. Her fingers curled tightly around her cutlery.

Her father was always concerned for her younger sister. But never for her.

He never uttered those words or prayers for her when she fell sick. During these days, when Elsie usually preferred to stay in her room, he did not concern himself talking with Eloise.

He never asked her if she was okay. He never bothered with her emotions. And Eloise did not like that.

"Eloise, do not play with your food." Theodora noticed her actions.

Eloise frowned at her. "You do not need to bother about it." She snapped.

Before Theodora reacted, she saw Augustus clenched jaw.

"Eloise! How many times I have told you to be respectful with your mother?!" He raised his voice.

Eloise had enough of this. "And how many times I have told you that she is NOT my mother!"

Theodora sucked a deep breath, for she knew the maids had heard Eloise's loud voice.

Augustus's eyes darkened in anger. Before Eloise could get up to leave, he grabbed her wrist and held her hand firmly on the table.

She was shocked, and a wave of fear touched her heart.

"This is my last warning to you, Eloise. Theodora is my wife, and so is your mother. If I see you insulting her again, I will forget that you are my daughter.

It's been years, Eloise. It's better to accept this reality. Look at Elsie, she had also lost her mother, but she has accepted Theodora as one.

The sooner you get it, the better!"