♥ Chapter 7♥
Asher Bennett
9:15 PM – Nightclub – Castellano City
Friday.
I was thrown to the floor, landing hard at the feet of the seated man. My eyes refused to look away from the corpse just a few feet away. The metallic scent of blood was suffocating, and my heart pounded so violently it felt like it would explode.
"Well, well, what do we have here?"
The voice was calm yet commanding and ice-cold.
"A little spy."
I tried to tear my gaze away from the lifeless body, but I couldn’t. Suddenly, a firm hand gripped my jaw, forcing me to look up.
The seated man was terrifyingly imposing. Asian, dark-haired, his black eyes cutting through me like a blade. He was enormous—easily over two meters tall—and his broad shoulders only intensified his overpowering presence. His sharp, angular features were menacing, but it was his gaze that truly unnerved me. He exuded power and cruelty, suffocating and absolute.
"P-Please…" I stammered, my voice completely failing me. "D-Don’t kill me… I won’t say anything… Please…"
He tightened his grip on my jaw, and a sharp pain shot through my face.
"What’s your name?" His voice was razor-sharp, demanding nothing but obedience.
"A-Asher Bennett," I choked out, my entire body trembling with fear.
"Asher Bennett," he repeated slowly, rolling each syllable over his tongue like he was savoring it. Chills ran down my spine, and fear consumed me entirely.
Was he going to kill me?
Then, just as suddenly, he released my jaw, allowing me a brief breath of relief. A small smirk curled his lips, but there was nothing warm about it.
"You’d better not say a word to anyone, Sojung," he murmured smoothly, but the threat laced within his voice was unmistakable.
Sojung? I had no idea what it meant, but that didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was staying alive.
"Y-Yes, sir… I… I promise…" I forced out, but my voice shook uncontrollably.
He crossed his legs like a king on his throne, giving a dismissive nod.
"You can go. But we’ll be seeing each other again soon."
My legs felt weak, barely able to hold me up as I scrambled to my feet. I stumbled twice, but I refused to stop.
I ran as fast as I could, heart hammering so loudly it drowned out the nightclub’s pulsing music. When I reached the crowded dance floor, I stopped, panting hard. The flashing lights and the sound of laughter around me felt so absurdly out of place compared to what I had just witnessed.
My entire body trembled. The scene replayed in my mind on an endless loop—the dead body on the floor, the sickening scent of blood, and those cold, calculating eyes watching me like a predator.
"You can go. But we’ll be seeing each other again soon."
A shiver ran down my spine. I didn’t realize I was crying until I felt the hot tears streaking down my face.
The thought of seeing that man again was terrifying.
Bumping into people, I pushed toward the cashier, trying to look normal despite the adrenaline surging through my veins.
I wiped my tears quickly, forcing a strained smile as I approached the counter.
"I’d like to pay for my entry and drink," I said, struggling to keep my voice steady.
The cashier nodded, listing the total. I fumbled for my wallet, hands still trembling, and paid without another word, avoiding eye contact at all costs.
As soon as the transaction was done, I rushed outside, my pulse still pounding relentlessly.
Pulling my phone from my pocket with shaking hands, I sent a text to Nick.
"Hey, I left early. Met someone and went with him. Don’t wait up. Good luck with Sophia."
A complete lie.
But I couldn’t let him sense anything was wrong.
I needed time—time to process what had just happened.
A taxi pulled up nearby, and I waved it down quickly. The second I got inside, I gave my apartment address to the driver, doing my best to mask my distress.
"Are you okay?" the driver asked, throwing me a concerned glance through the rearview mirror.
"Yeah, just tired," I replied quickly, not wanting to invite any more questions.
The drive home felt shorter than usual, but my mind was spiraling—trapped in every horrific detail of that VIP room. Every single word that man had said.
The second the taxi stopped, I paid without hesitation, muttering a quick thanks before getting out.
I entered my building and saw the elevator doors already open—a stroke of luck since I didn’t have the strength to wait.
I stepped inside, leaning against the wall, my body weighed down by exhaustion and lingering terror.
Furthermore, I wanted to cry again.
But I held it in until I reached my floor.
The moment I unlocked my apartment door and stepped inside, the last of my strength vanished.
I collapsed to my knees in the middle of my living room, and the tears came flooding back.
Sobs wracked my chest, each one heavier than the last.
That man knew my name.
He could find out everything about me.
Would he kill me?
Or was this just the beginning of something even worse?
I cried until there was nothing left inside me, until my head throbbed from the strain. After a long while, I forced myself to stand, my body feeling painfully heavy.
Dragging myself toward my bedroom, I stopped by the bathroom mirror and stared at my reflection.
I looked awful.
Red, swollen eyes, pale skin, but then I noticed it.
A bruise.
Dark marks staining my jaw—a reminder of how strong his grip had been.
As if I needed a physical reminder of just how terrifying he was.
I yanked off my clothes, disgusted by the lingering scent of blood clinging to them. I required it off. Now.
Everything went straight into the laundry basket as I stepped into the shower, turning the water scorching hot.
I scrubbed my skin raw, trying to wash the memory away, but no matter how hard I tried—the scent, the scene, the fear…
It was all still there. Burned into my mind.
Eventually, I stepped out, wrapping a towel around myself, but the exhaustion was crushing.
I barely had the energy to throw on just a pair of boxers before I collapsed onto my bed.
Sleep claimed me fast, but even then—I couldn’t escape.
Because in the darkness of my mind, those black, soulless eyes still watched me.