Chapter 17 - Missing Persephone

*Knock Knock*

Santiago appeared out of his bathroom as the knocking on the door increased. He wondered who was disturbing him so early. Wasn't it already enough that a captive had caused him several insomniac nights? 

He opened the door only to find a huffing and a distressed Anna. She was the same woman who was in charge of Persephone's needs. Looking at the distressed condition of Anna, Santiago knew the matter had to do something with Persephone Marino. 

'What a trouble you are!'

"What happened?" Santiago still asked the question with a calm and collected tone. He had expected Persephone to throw a tantrum soon as it was more than a week since she had arrived on the island. 

"S-sir," Anna horribly stammered. She wasn't able to form the correct words. "Miss Persephone is not in her room. I have searched the whole wing but I wasn't able to find her--"

Before Anna could complete the sentence, Santiago ran towards the security room. Cold sweat drenched his back though he just came out of a bath and the climate condition of the area didn't allow a hot or warm bath. Yes, he was scared. And what was more troubling him was the question of why he was behaving the way he was right now? 

He had to find Persephone as soon as possible. What if she fell into another danger? If last time, Nash hadn't left the empty beer bottles in the basement and Persephone hadn't used it as a weapon to hurt Edward, she would have been r*aped by the sick twat.  

This inexplicable fear wasn't something he had experienced before. 

"Quickly, check the footage of the new wing," Santiago said as soon as he opened the door to find the guards on duty fast asleep. No wonder, she was able to run away from her room. Well, he would discuss their punishment later. Right now, he had to find her rapidly. 

She didn't know yet that there are numerous dangers and traps laid down by him on the island. If she accidentally fell in one of them, he wouldn't be able to protect her. She could lose her life. 

Fearing for their lives, the guards quickly played the footage of the last night. As Santiago's gaze found Persephone's tiny figure, he got out of the room with a dark expression. 

Anna, who was now standing outside the room and waiting for him, gulped in fear. She prayed for the poor woman's life. Did she not know that out of all the people in the world, she must not offend Villain? 

______

Santiago found Persephone fast asleep several feet away from the shore of the ocean. Her head was leaning against the trunk of a tree. Her cheeks were stained with what he could assume as tears.

Instinctively, he traced the patter of her nose and the cute freckles shimmering on her face like twinkling stars in the night sky. Her naturally pink lips were parched and he had an urge to roll his wet tongue on her dried lips. 

For a raven-haired girl, her brows were too light. They were neither brown nor blond but a mixed and confusing color just like her. 

He had an instant urge to shake her and interrogate her about what went down in her crazy mind that she chose to sleep on the open beach and under a tree? Did she not know how dangerous it was to sleep under a tree during the night? Not to mention the beach wasn't a safe place to sleep either. 

He had burned wads of dollars to get her a comfortable bed. Did she not find the room according to her taste? He gave her all the necessary utilities that she needed to survive here on this island as a captor. Heck, she was treated like a guest in a five-star hotel. Still, she chose to run away from him. 

As if Persephone could feel him boring holes into her skull, she opened her eyes. Her eyes widened as she saw Santiago's face a few inches away from hers. A dark look swept on his face and she gulped in fear. 

"I-I wasn't trying to…" Her words stuck in her throat as Santiago's face came closer to hers. 

"You weren't trying to?" Santiago's unusual raspy voice made Persephone more nervous...

"I wasn't trying to run away," Persephone immediately said in a single breath with her eyes shut. 

"Even if you try to, you can't run away by crossing the ocean," Santiago said as he stood straight and caught Persephone's arm to drag her back to her room. 

"Where are you taking me?" Persephone asked breathlessly. 

"Back to your prison," came a nonchalant reply. 

"Please, Villain. I have been extremely obedient from the time I have woken up in this foreign place. I haven't made things difficult for your snitch either, "Persephone lamented. " Don't lock me back there. I'll go crazy. Please." 

"I don't care," Villains said while entering the building where Persephone was locked. 

On the way back, Persephone saw a handful of people watching her getting dragged to the building. They were so unfazed by the scene that it looked like it was so normal for them. 

However, Persephone still couldn't understand one thing -- what on this green earth were these young women doing by getting ready so early in the morning? If she didn't know better, she would have said that they were the princess of some kingdom by the looks of their branded dresses and expensive pieces of jewelry adorned on their bodies.