Faint late-morning sunlight filtered through the penthouse curtains.
I woke with a slight ache from holding the same position for too long. The scorching heat of the embrace from behind still pressed flush against me.
Ren held me tight. His face was buried in the crook of my neck. His steady, rhythmic breathing tickled my skin. His heavy arm was draped securely over my waist, as if terrified I would evaporate into thin air.
I shifted slightly to relieve the ache.
"Awake?" His deep, groggy voice rumbled immediately. The arm around me tightened its grip.
"Yes..." I answered, my voice soft and hoarse.
Ren sat up, leaning against the headboard. His disheveled hair fell across his forehead, making him look younger and fiercely handsome.
He stared at me. His eyes meticulously swept over my face and body. The feral wrath from previous days was entirely absent. Replaced by an intense, overwhelming mix of 'possessiveness' and 'yearning'. As if verifying I was truly here. Not a hallucination.
"Are you uncomfortable?" he asked softly. His hand gently tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear.
"A little... Your arm is heavy."
Ren chuckled deep in his throat. But he didn't let go. A calculating glint flickered in his eyes.
He reached into the nightstand drawer and pulled out a tiny silver key.
My heart hammered as I watched him.
He moved to the foot of the bed. He lifted my left ankle, heavy with the metal chain, and rested it on his lap. His thumb lightly stroked the skin chafed raw by the metal ring.
"It's a bit red," he murmured.
Click!
The metallic unlocking echoed in the silence. The heavy chain dropped onto the rug. My ankle was finally free from the binding.
My eyes widened. I stared at him in absolute shock and bewilderment.
"Ren...?"
"I am giving you a break today," he said flatly, setting my leg back on the mattress.
"You can walk freely around this room. You don't have to drag that heavy chain. Go to the bathroom, sit on the sofa, look at the view. Do whatever you want."
He didn't set me free. He merely expanded the cage. Allowing me to flutter around this square room without a tether dragging me down.
"Consider it a reward for last night."
"Thank you." I lowered my head, masking my emotions. A nauseating blend of relief and profound pity.
Ren tilted my chin up, forcing me to meet his gaze. He leaned down and pressed a remarkably tender kiss to my lips.
"I am trying, Yurin. I am trying to be kind to you. I am trying not to be a monster."
"Can you help me?"
He looked at me with the desperate, pleading eyes of a lost child.
"Help me by being good. Help me by loving me. Don't make me become a demon again."
His words were an invisible noose tightening around my throat. He shifted all the responsibility onto me.
If he was cruel, it was because I was stubborn. If he was kind, it was because I was obedient.
The shred of sympathy I felt last night evaporated completely. Replaced by a suffocating pressure that made it hard to breathe.
Rrrrrrr!!!
Ren's phone blared, shattering the fragile peace. The screen flashed his executive secretary's name. Ren frowned, answering with heavy irritation.
"What? I told you I was coming in late today..."
"..."
(The voice on the other end spoke frantically, panic bleeding through the speaker.)
Ren's expression morphed instantly. The irritation vanished, replaced by an explosive, glacial tension. The blood drained from his face. His eyes widened in absolute fury.
"What did you say?!" he roared. He shot up from the bed in a blind panic.
"Who leaked it?!
Who had the fucking nerve?! Where is the stock price right now?!"
"..."
"Goddammit!"
Thud! Ren hurled the phone violently onto the bed, bouncing it off a pillow.
He turned to me. The tender gaze from moments ago was entirely annihilated. Replaced by the feral, cornered eyes of a rabid beast.
"I have to get to the company. Now."
He spoke frantically, rushing to throw on his shirt and slacks.
"What happened?" I asked, feigning innocent concern.
"Corporate secrets leaked. The bidding data for the billion-dollar project just fell into the hands of our competitors."
He ground his teeth, his hands shaking as he fumbled with the buttons. "There is a mole in the company. And I am going to drag that bastard out by the throat before he ruins everything!"
He finished dressing in under two minutes. He marched back to me, sitting frozen on the bed.
"Yurin." He grabbed my shoulders, squeezing so hard my bones ached.
"Do not leave this room today. Lock it tight. Do not open the door for anyone except Aunt Lin."
He spoke without thinking in his panic. How the hell could I possibly leave? He must be losing his mind with stress, I thought blankly.
Ren continued, his voice taut with fear.
"I don't know if the enemy is targeting me... or targeting you! Do you understand?!"
"Y-Yes, I understand."
Ren pressed a bruising kiss to my forehead like a desperate farewell. Then he sprinted out of the room.
Bang! Beep... Beep! Clack! The double and triple security locks engaged consecutively.
He was terrified. Absolutely terrified.
I stared at the sealed door. Silence reclaimed the room.
The corners of my lips slowly curled upward. Not out of malicious joy for his downfall. But because my window of opportunity had finally opened.
Ren was consumed by the chaos. The security protocols would inevitably loosen. And most importantly, I possessed the 'master passwords' I memorized last night.
I reached into the cavity beneath the lamp. I pulled out Zen's tiny phone.
Me: 'He just left. It seems there is a massive emergency.'
In a fraction of a second, the reply popped up.
My Savior > 'That was my doing. :)
My Savior > 'I leaked the internal corruption documents of Varit Enterprise. Their stock is currently in freefall.'
My Savior > 'He likely won't return home today. Or if he does, it will be very late.'
My Savior > 'Are you ready, Yurin?'
My Savior > 'Tonight, we conduct the final dry run of our escape plan.'
My heart hammered violently. A dry run? Inside the penthouse?!
Me: 'How? I cannot leave this room.'
My Savior > 'You don't have to. I am coming inside to you.'
My eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
Is he insane? Entering the tiger's den when the tiger is away, but the den is still swarming with guards?!
My Savior > 'Aunt Lin has cleared the path. The security cameras will go blind at 7 PM.'
My Savior > 'Wait for me. I am coming to personally inspect the wounds on your ankle.'
I gripped the phone tightly, my palms damp with sweat. Blinding terror and thrilling anticipation warred in my chest.
Tonight, this cage would temporarily open. And I would finally see my light once again.