Chapter 69

✧Saviour✧

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

Her thoughts were muddled throughout the entire ordeal, blocking out the majority of the ordeal in her mind. She knew only one thing could bring her peace once this was all over…

“You promised…” she couldn’t help but whisper in between her moans as she felt him thrusting deep into her. Leyla arched her back as he kept going, hands grasping at his biceps, fingernails digging into his skin at the reluctant pleasure coursing through her veins…

Matthias looked up at her, lust-filled eyes looking at her in a prodding manner to voice out her thoughts. He was too drunk in euphoria at that moment, feeling her warmth engulfing him, squeezing him tightly inside her. He let go of his grasp in her hair, and used it to cup her flushed cheeks…

“You promised to show mercy…” she continued, letting out a breathy moan when he hit her deep in her sweet spot, hands hastily grabbing purchase on his broad shoulders, “Please…” she begged, unable to voice further coherent words.

Despite being too preoccupied with the feeling of being sheathed inside her, Matthias still had his wits about him, and understood her completely. He couldn’t help but release a dry chuckle as he picked up his pace, grunting whenever she tightened around him.

How could he despise her?

She looked so delectable, begging for her dear Uncle Bill’s freedom as she writhed in pleasure beneath him. It didn’t matter to him why she agreed to tangle with him at this moment, her eyes still shone prettily like jewels to him.

He watched as she struggled to support her weight in her arms, grabbing blindly onto him as she hooked her arms from behind his neck, bringing their faces closer. He could clearly see the tears in the corner of her eyes and he couldn’t help but begin to chase his pleasure at the sight of it.

She could burst into tears any minute now, should he delay answering her. She threw her head back with a wanton moan, her eyelids fluttering closed as she lost strength when she felt warmth pool into her. Her body limply lay still on the floor, leaving Matthias panting with sweat on his brows as he hovered above her.

He couldn’t help but admire her. Leyla still stubbornly refused to look at him, but that didn’t matter. Nothing changed in the desire he felt for her, in fact it seemed to grow stronger.

One more, just one more time, he couldn’t help but think as he pulled her towards him, hands grasping onto her tousled hair firmly, but gently. He saw a glimpse of fear in her as he did so, before she finally turned to look at him.

And he ravished her lips once more as they began their intimate dance anew.

Truly, this was a fair deal, Matthias thought to himself.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

When Leyla awoke from her deep sleep, the whole room was filled with a bright light.

She winced when the sunlight hit her eyes, blinking as it adjusted at the flood of light. She could feel her body sore, parts she didn’t know would hurt making themselves known as she gingerly sat up on her bed, before leaning against her headboard.

She had half a wish that everything that happened last night was just a cruel nightmare, but the stiffness in her body proved it otherwise. She blinked back remnants of sleep as she turned to look at her reflection in her mirror by the vanity.

Last night she had dragged herself half-awake back home. When she finally reached her cabin, Leyla had just barely locked the doors before collapsing in a dreamless sleep on her own bed.

She would have liked to wash away last night’s traces on her body, but she was so exhausted she couldn’t even lift a finger after hitting her mattress. The best she could do last night was to get home without driving herself to insanity because of last night’s events.

Absentmindedly, her eyes trailed down her body, watching the hickeys he’d left on her skin, the dried body fluids making her feel unkempt and sticky all over. Seeing them once more made the shame run deep inside her as tears welled up in the memory of being violated in the most humiliating way.

‘It’s nothing,’ 

Leyla told herself as she tried to even her breathing. She dragged herself to her bath, and began to scrub her body.

‘It’s not that big of a deal, not when you know why you have to do it…’ she kept telling herself.

She only kept scrubbing, rubbing her skin raw until it turned red and her shame was replaced with a numbness as she watched the dirty water flow down the drain. Leyla slowly walked out, robotically putting on some clothes before trudging towards their dining area and sat by the table, staring at nothing…

Belatedly she thought she should get something to eat before heading out to visit her Uncle Bill. She needed to gather her strength after all, she couldn’t afford to show signs of her fatigue.

Immediately she moved to grab the food Mrs. Mona had brought to her yesterday, setting some out on a plate and placing it on the table. She only chose some of the lighter options. While she knew she needed to eat more, for now she couldn’t find the strength in her to even swallow.

Despite not feeling hungry, she dutifully shoved some of the food down her throat, forcing herself to swallow with the aid of some water running down her throat. Once she finished off the last piece of the sliced bread, she caught an odd stack in the corner of her eyes.

She had been so out of it in the last few days, she hadn’t noticed it. It took her a while to realize it’s been lying in wait for several days now, considering the light dust gathering on its surface.

Curiously, Leyla approached the stack of letters, untying the string around them and picking up the topmost envelope to see who it was from. Her eyes widened and hands shook as she recognized the penmanship written across the sheet…

‘Kyle!’ she thought in shock, her heart skipping a beat at seeing his penmanship on it. Immediately she checked the other letters, flipping one after the next with a renewed urgency. Leyla dropped the letters haphazardly on the desk, checking until the last…

All of them were from Kyle.

She braced herself on the edge of the table, steadying her breathing as she glanced at the multitude of letters addressed solely to her. Where did these come from?! Leyla stared at them in shock for a while, before tearing open the earliest letter she should have received.

Tears welled up in her eyes and her hands shook as she began reading the first of many letters Kyle had sent to her. It had been dated back since the beginning of the latest fall season.

Her eyes went to the first line of the letter, choking back a sob…

[My beloved Leyla,]

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

“Thank you, Duke. I sincerely don’t know what else to say. Thank you so much.”

Bill thanked profusely as he bowed deeply to the Duke in front of him with a flushed face out of shame.  He looked a little worse for wear, his last few days difficult, but still held so much hope that everything would be fine. And he was proven right when the Duke dropped the charges against him with no compensation needed.

He was looking much brighter than ever.

“I can never repay you for this mercy you’ve shown me…” he trailed off, tears welling up in his eyes in his ecstatic disbelief over the miracle he was shown. Just then, he saw Leyla entering through the entrance of the police station…

He couldn’t help but beam happily at her arrival.

“Leyla!” He greeted excitedly towards her. Multiple pairs of eyes around them were drawn to the commotion, looking back and forth from Bill and Leyla, including the Duke and the lawyer he was with.

Leyla froze as she momentarily met the Duke’s gaze before looking back at her uncle. Trepidation filled her as she hurriedly went to her uncle’s side.

“Uncle!” she greeted back, grasping onto his arm tightly as though she was afraid to let go. “What’s happening here?” she hurriedly asked.

“It seems congratulations are in order Leyla,” the police officer with them began, with a beaming smile, “The Duke has just dropped all charges against your uncle.” he explained.

Leyla tried to act as though it was a surprise, but the smile on her face was stiff as she now turned to face the Duke.

“I-is that so?” she asked slowly, her head turning jerkily before she fully faced the Duke to give him a respectable bow of her head in thanks despite the deep rage filling her in seeing him, “M-my sin-sincerest gratitude for you, Duke.” She thanked him reluctantly.

There was a rush of emotions circling inside her mind as both she and her uncle bowed in thanks in front of him. Her hands grew clammy on her grip on her uncle’s arms, feeling her body grow colder every second passing with him nearby…

At a distance, nothing seemed amiss to the others despite how awkward Leyla was acting. The people only chalked it up to her innate shyness. No one else noticed her warring emotions, at least, no one else but Duke Herhardt did.

Matthias and Leyla’s eyes met once again, as his lawyer spoke with the police for some last minute details per his instructions. Leyla’s eyes stared at him with deep contempt, to which he stared back challengingly, glancing discretely towards her uncle in a subtle threat.

If she wanted to keep their little affair a secret, she should know better to hide her emotions, starting with stopping her hands from shaking so much.

There was a small upturn on the corner of his lips as he watched her dainty little hands. He could just have easily left it all up to his lawyer to smoothen out the details of Bill’s release alone, but he wanted to come.

He wanted to see his impertinent mistress, Leyla Lewellin.

Memories from last night flooded the back of his mind.

After their coupling had stopped, the annex had gone silent, leaving only their heavy breathing in the air. Bloodstained shirt, torn cuff buttons, their clothes were scattered all over the floor, their figures all disheveled. Matthias only took one look at his messy form, before forcing himself to stand up.

Leyla then remained curled up on the floor, hugging herself. The firelight nearby illuminated her hunched form, casting a soft orange glow on her pale skin, littered with marks, courtesy of him. Her shaky breaths echoing against the cackling fire.

Matthias picked up his discarded trousers, pulling them up smoothly and wore back his dress shirt before plopping down on the sofa nearby to continue adoring Leyla’s naked form. He liked the dark contrast of his marks left on her. It fed the hungry beast inside him with deep satisfaction.

Shame he couldn’t see her face from where he was because she still refused to look at him.

Her long golden locks were pasted on her back with the sweat she accumulated. Prints of his hands, from the rough way he’d gripped her hips and thighs reminded him of how soft she felt in his hands. He thought of calling out her name to make her look at him, but shook the thought away, replacing it with a cigarette…

Still, he couldn’t find it in himself to light it up.

He couldn’t help but watch how she stubbornly refused to move from her fetal position, still turned away from him. It grated on his nerves, he had half a mind to grab her form and force her to do as he wished…

But that wasn’t what he wanted from her.

Losing the desire to smoke, he only discarded the unlit cigarette once more, before he stood back up. He walked towards his adjoined bedroom, brows furrowed with the slight regret of not taking a few extra minutes of taking her on his bed instead.

Matthias felt a slight guilt on having her experience their coupling on a cold hard floor instead of on his plush, and soft mattress. He went back to check on her, and watched as she stiffened up at the sound of his return.

He only scoffed at her childishness, grabbing his hung coat by the rack and tossed it haphazardly over her prone form. She winced at the sudden contact, but still did not move. It was starting to become difficult who was being insulted between them in his mind.

Trying to reign in his emotions, Matthias could only retreat momentarily to his bathroom to get his emotions in order. She annoyed him as much as she satisfied him, which made him at a loss of what to do next.

He took a short shower, resolving to soothe the lingering ache on Leyla, but when he was done, and went back out to gather her in his arms, he found himself alone and bewildered. Leyla was nowhere in sight anymore.

She had run away from him.

He frantically searched around the annex, before he finally came to terms she was gone and left with no goodbye. He saw her discarded blouse, destroyed with the buttons ripped and scattered all over the marble flooring. If he were to look closely, he could also see a few strands of her golden hair left behind.

He also saw his jacket hung carelessly by the rack and couldn’t help but chuckle in amusement. Did she hate the thought of being with him so much she’d rather risk being seen in such a scandalous state of undress to return home?

He was partially thankful he hadn’t gone after her then, for he knew his patience was reaching its limit. Should he have encountered her one more time last night, he believed he could have treated her a lot rougher than before.

And thus he only stared down at Leyla in front of him now, convincing himself he made a wise decision last night. It had just been a few hours since he buried himself in her, and already he could feel the same stirrings he felt for her last night when he found himself bereft of his mistress.

“You made such a noble decision Duke,” the police praised him, bringing Matthias back to the present moment. “Truly you are deserving of the respect and praise as the head of Herhardt House.”

Matthias only briefly thanked him, ending the conversation effectively before leaving the police station in a swift manner. It didn’t take long enough before Leyla, Bill and the other police officers to start moving once more.

Bill went after as Matthias’ chauffeur opened up his door for him.

“Duke, I will never forget this kindness until I die!” Bill thanked him profusely, “Truly I won’t.” He declared earnestly, bowing one last time at him. Matthias only stared at the gardener’s niece, a dark glint in his eye.

“It was nothing, Mr. Remmer.” he replied, watching the way Leyla looked sick at the thought of her uncle thanking him and singing his praises. “I expect to see you in Arvis again.” he concluded, before finally getting in his car.

Leyla all that time refused to smile once more. He couldn’t help the small grin he sent to her as the car door closed between them. Truly he’ll see her once more in a similar state soon.

He’d make sure of it.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

When the Duke had finally left the police station, Leyla felt relief flood her body at his disappearance. They both did some last minute checks on the charges that were dropped before they finally left. Leyla hooked arms with her uncle, resting her head on his shoulder. They talked for a while, Leyla asking what she missed before finally speaking up.

“What do you mean we’re still staying in Arvis?” she asked with a slight frown, “Why are we staying?”

Bill could hardly contain his joy as he squeezed an arm around her comfortingly. She found herself deeply confused as they walked back to their quaint cabin in Arvis.

“Oh it’s all the Duke’s doing really,” he replied bashfully, still sporting a wide grin in his relief, “He told me I could still work in Arvis, and continue living in the cabin.”

“What?” Leyla couldn’t help but ask dumbly. She had hoped they could take this as a chance to move away. “But uncle-” Bill softly held up a hand, wordlessly imploring her to let him continue.

“At first I wanted to refuse my dear, really. I felt so guilty about my neglect that I couldn’t bear to go back to work there.” He admitted, “However, the Duke only told me to take this as a penance for my misdeeds, and work harder in restoring the greenhouse back to its former glory.”

Leyla could only feel the growing pit of dread in her stomach.

“He also proceeded to tell me that my skills and expertise were a crucial part in the restoration, and I thought about it and agreed. I am a gardener, and have worked on the greenhouse for many years. Who better to fix my mistakes than myself after all?” he turned to Leyla, looking for some sort of approval.

“Would the madams allow you to return to work?” Leyla asked him worriedly, to which Bill only smiled softly at her fretting.

“The Duke tells me that Madam Norma welcomes me gladly, and Madam Elysee has conceded to their wishes.” he answered her, “Ah what a godsend the Duke really is Leyla! Our savior he truly is!” he praised.

Leyla could only numbly agree.

Saviour…

Uncle Bill sang him praises and called him their saviour. Leyla wanted nothing more than to shout her contradictions and ruin their image of him. He was a vile and cruel man, and everyone deserved to see him as she saw him…

But at the same time, she wanted to spare her uncle the unbearable guilt he would feel if he knew what she had to do just so he could walk free once more. She couldn’t do that to him.

Thus she kept her mouth shut, doing her best to reign in her indignation until she could calm down.

Uncle Bill proceeded to tell her about how he felt so guilty for destroying such a masterpiece over the last few days. And that perhaps, should he help it be restored to its former glory, he would feel a faint sense of peace in seeing it through.

“Truly it’s the only way I could ever repay the kindness he’s shown us.” Bill finished.

“I understand, uncle.” Leyla softly replied. If only he knew their debt was already being paid, but she’ll take that secret to the grave if she could.

“Truly Leyla, you needn’t worry too much anymore.” Bill tried placating her, “I promise to be careful from now on, I’ll do better in following precautions.” he sighed, stopping in front of the gates of Arvis before pulling her into a tender hug.

Leyla could only watch how her uncle’s vibrancy was slowly returning to him, and hugged him back. Despite her shame, she was happy he was out. She never wanted to see him as hollow as he did ever again.

Suddenly there was a cacophony nearby, growing loudly by the second. They both pulled away and looked to see what the commotion was all about, and Bill could only laugh jovially, at the sight of the servants rushing to greet them.

“Bill! You really are back!”

“Oh thank goodness!”

“We missed you Bill!”

They gathered around Bill, reaching out and hugging and touching him in any way they could. Leyla only stepped back, giving them a wide berth to be sufficiently reunited with her uncle. She watched as they excitedly welcomed him back.

Their joy was infectious that Leyla couldn’t help but smile serenely at the sight in front of her. She turned away, eyes glancing at the beautiful and elaborate gates that seemed to close in on her.

The smile she had slipped, eyes returning to a dull state as the golden emblem was reflected in her eyes.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*