“Hey.”

My ears perked upon hearing that familiar voice.

“What the fuck?! How -- ?!”

“That one is mine.”

My shoulders jolted at what seemed like a gun going off. The guy’s hand loosened around me and soon, I heard him drop down on the ground.

Seconds later, someone took the blindfold off of me and my eyes widened when I saw that it was Clark. He had a serious look on his face and I shuddered seeing how scary he looked like. The usual easy-going aura he always had wasn’t there.

Was this really…Clark?

“Seriously? You’re letting yourself be kidnapped by these fuckers?” Clark sarcastically asked, smirking at me. “Nothing but a bunch of pussies.”

Even the way he was speaking was different.

“For making me go all the way here, you deserve a punishment,” Clark looked at me, an insidious smirk appearing on that handsome face, “boss.”

What?

--

Clark knelt in front of me, gripping my chin. He turned my head sideways, staring at my swollen cheek.

“You’re really frail, aren’t you?” he teased, smirking at me.

I didn’t know what to say, what to react or what kind of face I should make right now. I’m utterly dumbfounded.

What in the world’s happening? Why was Clark here? Was he the one who killed the man lying over there on the floor.

I’m so confused.

Clark saw my distress. The kind smile he had when we first met appeared on his face.

“Are you scared, Drew?”

I blinked at him, still shaking from fear.

“W-what? I’m…”

The hand holding my chin tightened and it made me yelp.

Clark leaned closer, whispering in my ear, “you should be. I’m really irritated right now because of what happened.”

I instinctively backed away from him, shrieking at how scary his voice was. He was amused from my reaction and only laughed at it.

“W-who…who are you?!” I asked, my voice cracking.

“It’s disappointing that someone like you is the next heir of the Orlov. But I can’t really complain. Your father hired me to be your bodyguard and he paid a lot of money to protect your sorry ass,” Clark said.

There was a painful pang in my chest as I listened to his his answer.

Was this…how Clark have always been?

This wasn’t the Clark I fell in love with, right?

This was a different person.

Clark grumbled in annoyance.

“That stupid face really irritates me, you know.”

“...huh?”

“You always have your head in the clouds, that’s why people takes advantage of you,” Clark commented.

He kicked the dead man lying on the ground and I grew pale seeing blood pooling underneath him.

“Only stupid people gets trick by this kind of M.O. And you’re one stupid little fuck,” Clark insulted.

He put the gun in the holster wrapped around his chest before turning to me.

“Hold out your right hand,” Clark ordered, his teeth gritted.

My heart skipped a beat.

“W-what?”

Clark glared at me and repeated, “hold out your fucking hand.”

I quickly did what I was told, holding out my right hand for him. For some reason, I’m getting intimidated.

He lit up a cigarette, smoking it half-way as he neared me. Blowing the smoke in my face, I coughed in disgust.

“W-what’re you gonna do…?” I asked.

“If you dare move you hand, even an inch, I’m gonna do something much worst, you understand?”

My whole body was shaking in fear.

This was much scarier than being kidnapped.

Clark’s…scary.

“Say you understand.”

“I…I…u-under…stand…”

He took the cigarette away from his lips. I trembled after realizing what he was planning to do. I was about to retrieve my hand away from him but what he said made me freeze.

“I told you, if you take your hand away, I’m gonna do something worst.”

Tears streamed down my eyes and I silently sobbed in front of him.

“P-please…don’t hurt me…”

I was expecting he would extinguish the cigarette on my palm but instead, he threw it on the floor.

“You really are frail.”

Looking at Clark, I furrowed my brows.

“W-what’re you…?!”

“What’s your old man even doing to you?” he asked sarcastically. “You won’t be able to survive out there with this kind of body.”

“Huh?”

“As of now, you’re not fit to become a leader of a Mafia group.”

“H-how did you know about…?”

I flushed as he took my hand, intertwining our fingers together.

“I’m going to make you a mob boss, Drew Orlov.”

--

Now that I was saved, I finally saw what kind of place they brought me to. It was a shack in an island. This was the perfect place for people like them to do their dirty work.

They’ve been luring tourists in cruise ships to sell them to pedophiles online. It’s a disgusting business but…

I was staggering, feeling weak from everything that had happened. The swelling of my cheeks hurts but I couldn’t dare complain about it.

Because Clark’s emitting an intimidating aura and it was seriously scaring me.

The coat he had thrown to me earlier covered me from the harsh wind. It wasn’t enough to make me feel warm but it would do.

When we got out of the shack, I was horrified to see dead bodies being piled up by men, around five or so. They all have buff body and scary looking tattoos.

My heart clenched in pain after seeing the teenagers who I was with, lying on the floor, dead.

I bit my lip, snapping my gaze away from the gruesome sight.

“Boss,” one of them called, earning Clark’s attention. “What’re we gonna do about this one?”

We all looked at the man, who I supposed was the ring leader of this business. He was kneeling on the ground, both hands clasped together as if he was praying.

“I…I beg of you please…please don’t kill me!”

Clark smiled at him.

“Take him with us. I have an idea how to kill this idiot.”

--

We were now in a boat, going back to the cruise ship. I stayed quiet on the seat, staring at my shoes as if it’s the most interesting thing in the world.

I couldn’t lift my eyes and look at Clark.

He’s totally different to the Clark I met the first time.

“Stop here,” Clark ordered.

The boat stopped in the middle of the ocean. It was dark but the light from the boat let me see how beautiful the water was up close.

“N-no! What’re you gonna do?! Let me go!”

I was startled to hear the man thrashing against Clark’s guy who was holding his arms behind his back to restrain him.

Clark stood up and walked towards the man who was behind my kidnapping.

My eyes widened when I saw Clark pulling out a knife out of his weapon holster. One of his men brought the leader of the kidnapping towards him.

“Watch carefully, Drew. This is what we do,” Clark said.

He stabbed the man in the feet and I watched in horror as he cut it off, slowly and precisely. The man howled in pure agony, his face warped in pain.

“O-oh my…oh my god…what’re you -- ?!”

I tore my gaze away from the gruesome sight. My stomach churned and I puked in the water, coughing and wheezing from disgust.

I heard Clark snorting.

“Get a grip, boss,” he teased but I ignored him.

Wiping my soiled mouth with the back of my hand, I was trembling. I felt sick and I wanted nothing more to go back the ship, hide under my blanket and forget everything that happened tonight.

Clark tapped the man’s cheek to wake him up. They were putting a metal thing around the man’s other feet.

“No! No! Please…no!”

“Enjoy your time with the sharks, okay?” Clark said, waving a hand at the man.

They pushed him out of the boat and I watched him sink down at the deepest part of the ocean. With all the blood, it would surely attract sharks and the thought of being eaten while still alive, frightened me.

The floor of the boat was covered in blood and it smelled like death. I held my nose to stop myself from smelling it.

Clark noticed my distress and it made him laugh.

“Don’t tell me that’s the first time you see someone getting cut.”

I was staring at him with a pale face. The amused expression disappeared and he was now looking at me in awe.

“Seriously? You’re in a Mafia group and you haven’t seen something like that?”

I couldn’t dare answer him.

I’m scared of Clark.

He sighed in defeat.

“We’ve got a long way to go.”

--

“Kneel.”

“W-what?”

“Don’t make me repeat myself. I said kneel. Or do you want to be punished again, boss?”

“No!”

I gasped out loud, panting as I got up on the bed. Looking around, I realized I was in my cabin room.

“What are you screaming for so early in the morning?”

I snapped my head to the side and saw Clark sitting on his bed, phone in his hand.

Blushing from embarrassment, I lowered my head to avoid Clark’s gaze.

I’m not sure what that dream meant but somehow, it brought feelings that I haven’t felt before. There was tightness in my crotch and it was uncomfortable.

“W-what happened last night?” I shyly asked.

Clark threw his phone on the table, sighing out loud.

“You passed out before we can go back here,” he replied. “You made me carry you all the way here.”

He sounded irritated and it scared me again. He was so different and yet --

“D-does that mean that you’re…you’re really my bodyguard?”

Clark raised a brow at me.

“You’re not that stupid to really forget what happened last night.”

I pouted at him.

Okay, he’s far from the Clark I first met.

“It’s just so surreal…I mean you’re just…”

Different.

Clark stood up. He walked towards me, giving me the camera I had before I was kidnapped.

“Here,” he said, smiling a little. “You don’t wanna lose this, right?”

My heart skipped a beat.

“U-uh…thanks -- ”

The smile on his face disappeared and it was replaced by a sadistic grin.

“Because if you did, everything we went through in this cruise shit will be for nothing,” he said, ruffling my head hard. “Come on, let’s go eat breakfast.”

Clark was about to leave but I stopped him.

“Wait!”

He turned to look at me.

“What is it?”

“All this time you’ve been…lying to me?”

Clark blinked at me and asked, “what do you think? If it wasn’t for me protecting you, you would have been dead by now.”

My eyes widened in disbelief.

“So…ever since we met you’ve been…?”

“Are you really that surprise to know that I’m a bodyguard?”

I nodded a little.

How stupid?! I was jealous with the person who Clark was guarding but all along it was me!

I sighed.

So early in the morning and I’m tired already.

And I’m hungry too.

I was too busy talking to myself that I didn’t noticed Clark was already in front of me. He put a hand on my head, caressing the side that I got hit with last night.

“Tell me if you’re hurting somewhere.”

I stared at him. I could feel my cheeks got hot.

Why?

Even after the drastic change of personality, why do I still like him?

I’m so messed up.

--

Valery ran up to me when Clark and I entered the dining hall.

“Drew!”

She hugged me tight, tears streaming down her eyes.

“I was so worried about you!”

I was touched to see someone genuinely caring for me. It felt nice.

“Thanks, Valery. Sorry I worried you,” I said, hugging her back.

Clark suddenly pulled Valery away from him. There was an annoyed expression on his face. Valery glared at him.

“It’s your fault why Drew got kidnapped!”

Clark made a face.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“It’s your job to guard him, right? What have you been doing last night?!”

I watched the two of them argue. I was dumbfounded because I didn’t knew they were this close to each other.

I froze.

“Valery, you know about Clark being my bodyguard?”

She eyed me, blinking innocently.

“Maybe?”

“What?! How?! When?! Why?!”

I bombarded her with question and she was just backing away from me, waving her hands in surrender.

“Calm down, Drew! I’m gonna explain after we eat breakfast, okay?”

--

“So…to shorten the long story, your parents and Clark’s parents are acquainted…? How?”

The three of us were sitting around the table, eating breakfast. Clark was silently drinking his coffee, ignoring the two of us talking.

Valery forced a grin.

“You see…my parents worked under Clark’s parents a long time ago. In a way, the two of us are kind of like brothers and sisters,” she explained.

“I see.”

I peeked a glance at Clark who was still busy drinking his cup of coffee while browsing his phone.

“You know that I’m from the mob…?” I whispered under my breath.

Valery nodded.

“Yes. I’m sorry I hid it from you, Drew. But I didn’t befriended you just because you’re Clark’s client or anything!” she said, smiling brightly at me, “we’re friends no matter what.”

For the second time, I felt touched again. Valery’s really the best of the friend I could ever have. Never did she judge me for what I am and for that, I’m truly thankful.

I gave her a sincere smile. I’m happy that someone like Valery was in my life.

“Thank you, Valery.”

I noticed Clark stopping midway from drinking his coffee, eyes glued into mine. I blinked at him, silently questioning myself why he was looking at me like that.

Valery clapped her hands, closing the issue between the three of us.

“Let’s just enjoy our cruise vacation, okay?! We came here to take a load of pictures!”

I nodded.

The memory of the gruesome murdering last night lingered in my mind but I forced myself to forget it.

But those innocent people who got their lives stolen away from them…it was so unfair.

I clenched my fists.

I’m never gonna join the Mafia.

I’m never gonna be like them.

Never.

“Hey, guys!” Oleg called.

I watched him walk towards us together with Alyona.

“We’re gonna dock at the island at around 12 pm,” Alyona informed. “Ready your cameras, okay?”

Valery and I nodded.

“Okay.”

Oleg looked at me and his eyes widened upon seeing the bruises on me.

“Hey, what happened to you? Are you alright?”

“Huh? Yeah, I’m fine,” I answered, smiling at him.

We all jolted when Clark slammed the cup on the table and it almost shattered from his grip. He glared at Oleg who backed away from fear.

“W-what’s your problem?” Oleg asked, gulping.

Valery rolled her eyes, hitting Clark’s arm to reprimand him.

“Stop bullying Oleg, Clark.”

“Can’t help it.He’s a fucking idiot.”

I paled, looking back and forth of Oleg and Clark. Do they have some kind of bad blood between them?

“I’m telling dad about you,” Oleg threatened.

Clark sarcastically laughed.

“How about I tell your dad about you?”

Oleg gritted his teeth.

“Whatever! Let’s go, Alyona!”

They walked away from us, with Oleg stomping his feet in annoyance. Valery sighed out loud while Clark shook his head in disappointment.

“What a pussy,” he quietly commented.

“Stop it,” Valery sternly said.

She looked at me and smiled.

“I’m excited to go to the island! I heard they have a lot of historical pieces there,” she said.

I weakly nodded.

“Yeah.”

--