A MAZE OF GREED

"Ruth, I am asking you something. Stop trying to come with some lame excuse and start spilling the truth."

By the look on Rees's face, it was clear that Ruth had no choice but to tell him what she was doing in 'the great manor'.

She was currently trapped under his hard gaze in the garden of 'the great manor'. This was the place that she never wished to visit again but was dragged to by Florence.

And now the consequences were inexorable.

"I... I am actually here with a... friend."

Ruth had no idea if she should call Florence her friend. 'If Rees know who Florence is then will his opinion change about me just like others?' Ruth felt uncomfortable with this thought and didn't want it to happen.

"Friend? Who friend?" Rees's voice came surprised.

"Umm... I don't think you know her." Ruth mumbled.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Ruth, you don't have any friends other than Thea and me." Rees said in a deadpan.

Ruth frowned, "Hey! I can have friends other than you two!" She huffed but soon gave up after watching his blank stare.

"Okay, fine! I only have one friend other than you two. To be honest, I don't even know if I should call her one."

Rees furrowed his eyebrows after hearing it. "Ruth, I don't know what you are talking about. But one thing I want to say to you is that you shouldn't be here."

"Why?" Ruth was confused at his statement.

Rees's brown eyes looked around as if he was searching for someone, distress was painted all over his features. "Don't ask me questions. You should go now."

"Rees!" Ruth hissed irritated with his odd behaviour. "What's wrong with you? Why I shouldn't be here?"

"I told you to not ask me any questions, Ruth. Just go right now. This place is not for a person like you, who-"

"is a low life!" Hurt was clearly written on her face as she stared at his brown eyes.

Rees froze in his spot, his eyes wide open. "Ruth..." he whispered unbelievingly.

Ruth's hazel eyes hardened and her face morphed into hurt. "Tell me, Rees. Is that what you think of me? Is that why you don't want anyone to see me with you? Are you... are you ashamed of me?"

"It is not what you think, Ruth. Just listen to me once." He tried to reach for her hand but she backed away from him with tears brimmed her eyes.

"Stop! I think I get it loud and clear! You don't need to explain anything to me."

*

*

*

Edwin stepped inside the guest-chamber with heavy breaths. He was still pissed off with the meeting with his uncle, Lester and Lester's father.

No matter how much they tried, they couldn't find any link to reach their goal. The council was pressurising them with constant reminders and notices about the investigation. And the whole situation was baffling him.

And then there was that annoyingly pestering maid. Moon Goddess must be very upset with him to let him face such a rough day.

"Miss, who-" Edwin's words stuck in his throat, his eyes widened a bit in shock.

"Florence?" He couldn't believe that she dared to come straight to his home. She had never come there before then why now?

"Hello, milord! How are you?" She got up from her seat and deliberately swaying her hips rhythmically walked in his way, she halted at a hand's distance from him.

If Edwin's mood was bad before then now his anger escalated above the heights of mountains.

"What the hell are you doing here? How dare you step a foot inside my house?" His voice boomed in the silence of the chamber, startling Florence a little but she composed herself immediately.

"No hello for me, milord? That's sad!" She pouted her full and plump rosy lips with a sad face.

Not getting any response from Edwin, she crossed the distance between them and slowly encircled her arms around his neck. "Aren't you happy to see me, milord? Since you couldn't come to visit me, I thought I should take efforts to come to see you myself. Don't you like my surprise?"

She was always bold with her words and bolder with her actions. She didn't care that she was dealing with not any other man but Edwin O'Dell and they were not anywhere else but in 'the great manor'.

The adrenaline rush that she experienced at his handsome sight pushed her limits higher than before.

Her voice was seductive, teasing. Her eyes batted innocently trying to cast her charm over the person who stood like a solid rock.

The playful smile on her full and plump lips twitched and slowly turned into pain when Edwin held her hand in his tight grip and slowly pulled it away from his neck. His face was set in anger.

His other hand, held Florence with her neck and with his blazing eyes he stared right in her brown hazel ones.

"Stop playing games, Florence. You know I don't like to waste my time on such foolish things. Now if you are done with it, I want clear answers to my questions or you will be responsible for the conswequences."

Edwin's voice was calm yet dangerous. His words were sharp like razors, ready to slice her up in an instant.

Florence knew that she was playing with fire. Edwin was not like those men with only talks and no deeds. He held that precarious aura around him and believed in actions rather than words.

He could eradicate a person with a snap of his fingers without leaving a trace behind and no one could question him. He was that storm trapped inside a glass jar, ready to plunder and destroy everything around him. And she was nothing but a mere plant in its way.

Mustering all the courage, Florence matched his heated gaze with hers. "You promised to come meet me, but you didn't." Her words came out steadily.

Edwin's lips twitched and an arrogant grin formed on his face. "I don't do promises, Florence, and you know that! I didn't come because I didn't want to."

With that said, he pushed her away from him and she staggered back holding her bruised neck and tears in the eyes.

"Why?"

"Since when I owe you any explanation?" He crossed his arms over his wide chest and cocked his brow.

"You have to give me an explanation. I deserve it after warming your bed for nights!" The bund of patience broke and modesty was never Florence's forte.

Her chest heaved up and down, her every being heated up in fury. She tried hard to encompass that hurt in the corner of her heart but it was too much to bear for even a minute. And that made her came here to daringly match her tormentor's stare.

Edwin's jaw ticked hearing her tone of speech. "You are crossing your line, Florence! Don't forget who you are talking with. Why should I answer a slut like you? Warming my bed for nights doesn't give you any right over me. The sooner you wrap up your mind around it the better."

A loud sob escaped her lips. Her ears burned with the insults that he threw her way. His words prickled her skin like thorns drawing blood out of it in the form of her hot tears.

She kneeled down in front of him and looked up at him through pleading eyes. "Please, don't do this to me, milord! At least show me some mercy for the times we have spent in each other's embrace."

"Florence!"

"I will do everything that you say. Anything. Just please push me away from you. I need you, milord!" She literally begged while putting her self esteem under the wraps.

She didn't care that she had to kneel in front of him and ask for his time. Because she knew that everything that she would need to go through to please this man was worth for. It was only a matter of time that she would get everything that she had ever desired.

When Edwin didn't spare her another glance, she wrapped her hands around his long legs like a vice. "Please, milord. Please! I only need your time and attention. That's all I am asking for."

Not able to bear her drama anymore, Edwin freed himself out of her hold by pushing her away from him.

"You think you deserve my time and attention, Florence?! There are hundreds of women if not thousands at my beck and call. And you think that I will prefer you over them?"

Gripping the back of her head in his tight fist, he made her stand up on her feet. Her face scrunched up in pain that was caused by his tight grip on her hair.

"Look at me and hear carefully. You are nothing but a blunter in my eyes! Yes, that's who you are. Don't ever try to come in my way again or-"

His further words remained unsaid when the venom in his cold voice made a person suck a deep breath. And to his utter shock, that person was not Florence.

It was someone else that Edwin had not imagined meeting in such a situation even in his wildest dreams.