Chapter 2: "One day date with Maxwell Lawson"

Third Person Pov.

Inside the hotel room, a grim expression was seen on Selena’s face.

And for the twentieth time, she uttered the words, “He bought me for two hundred million dollars.”

Biting her lower lips, she glanced at the hotel’s room door.

‘Maxwell bought me for two hundred million dollars. Why?’

In fact, the answer is simple.

The Cline’s auction rule is that ninety percent of the money of the bidders’ winners would go to different welfare, and the remaining one percent would go to the item or person that was bid on; of course, the money would still be donated under that person's name. Meanwhile, the bidders who won the bid had the chance to have a one-day date with the item they won.

Now that Maxwell—a healthy young man, bid two hundred million on Selena—a beautiful young woman, just for a one-day date, only means one thing.

‘He wants to spend a night with me.’ As she thought that, Selena anxiously walked back and forth.

But what fears Selena isn’t the fact that Maxwell would touch her; what she fears the most is…

‘Dwaine must be anxious now. What should I do?’

The fear of making Dwaine worried.

‘Now, all the plans failed because of me. What would we do with Mercian? He must be at a loss right now.’

And without her realizing it, her feet had already taken her outside the room’s hotel.

“I already said this, but you can’t go out without Sir Lawson’s permission,” sternly said by the bulky man who blocked Selena’s way.

“I left my wallet in the hall. After I find it, I’ll come back here as soon as possible,” Selena plastered a smile, trying to negotiate. “What about this?” bending, she took off her high heels and tossed them on the ground. “I’ll even leave barefoot. Now, can you let me go?”

The guard tossed another guard a glance.

Seeing how the guard wavered a little bit, Selena pointed to her phone that was in the guard suit’s pocket and seized the chance.

“If I don’t return within ten minutes, you can keep my phone. As you know, all our clients’ mail and number are on that phone. I also had a lot of important things there.”

‘Please take the bait.’ She constantly prayed in her mind as her hand subconsciously touched her dress pocket, where she had secretly hidden her other phone when the guards had collected her belongings earlier.

‘I only need five minutes to contact Dwaine.’ Selena watched how the guard's eyes started to waver.

And after an extended silence, the guard opened his mouth. However, before a word can escape him, a low voice is heard.

“What are you doing?”

Selena froze on her spot. While the two bulky men immediately had their heads bowed.

Turning around, Selena lifted her head and looked at him.

“I asked, what are you doing?” his voice was calm. But in contrast to his tone, his complexion was cold and dangerous.

As Maxwell approached her, a penetrating cold silence hung in the air. But amidst the silence, Selena can hear her hammering chest.

Maxwell Lawson is infamous for his devilish personality— arrogant, overbearing, and ruthless.  Rumors even said that every employee on Zuiqe feared him. It was to the point that a day wouldn’t pass by without any employees resigning.

‘I think the rumors are true.’ As Selena admitted that to her mind, she could feel her feet take a step backward as Maxwell stepped closer.

‘No. Act calm, Selena. Don’t let him see that you’re intimidated.’ Under his strong presence, Selena managed to stop her feet from moving.

Trying to compose herself, she displayed a light smile, and parted her lips open.

“I just want to find my walle-” yet, her words were stopped when Maxwell walked past her.

In the next seconds, a loud groan was heard.

The bulky man winced in pain as he held his shin that Maxwell kicked.

Selena, who guessed what just happened, had her brows frowned at Maxwell’s figure. ‘What’s up with him?’

Lifting the man’s collars, Maxwell sharply pierced him with a gaze.

“Who ordered you to defy my order?” his voice was threateningly low. Making the man tremble as he crouched down.

“I.. I,” stuttered; the man glanced at Selena.

Selena knew the best way to avoid getting into Maxwell’s wrath was to stay silent. But as she looked at the horror on the man’s face, before she knew it, her mouth already moved on its own.

“I think there’s a misunderstanding here.”

‘What the heck am I doing?’ clenching her hands, Selena looked at Maxwell and continued, “I’m the one who asked them to let me go for a second. I don’t think it’s necessary to hurt your employees like that when they did nothing but to stop me.”

“I’m not talking to you, so shut up.”

But what she got was a warning from Maxwell.

Selena shut her mouth and watched how Maxwell freed the man from his hold.

“Get out of my sight.”

Hearing their boss's order, the two men stood straight and immediately left. Leaving Selena alone with Maxwell.

‘Now they’re gone, it will be no matter of time and,’ Selena nervously glanced at the room’s door. ‘No. I must prevent that from happening. For now, let’s stall time.’

Out of desperation, Selena’s mind was filled with things she could use to prevent Maxwell from touching her. However, the moment she felt his cold fingers on her chin, all her thoughts seemed to disappear instantly.

Maxwell lifted her chin to face him. Upon raising her eyes, Maxwell’s appearance, his sharp black pupils, handsome yet grim reaper-like face, came into her sight.

His gaze wandered around her face like how a beast inspects his prey.

And after some seconds, Maxwell found gazes together as a smirk played across his lips.

He whispered, “Miss two hundred million dollars, should we go now?”

…..

Face disgruntled and cold sweats forming, Selena sharply held her breath.

“Can-can you slow down?”

Hands clutching her seat belt, she shot Maxwell a glare.

Ignoring her words, Maxwell pressed the gas and sped his sports car more. Causing Selena to close her eyes momentarily.

‘Is this how I would die? Don’t tell me he bought me just slowly to kill me?’

There’s no time for Selena to think of a plan to get away with Maxwell, let alone know where he will take her, as her life is on the brink of getting in a car accident with a lunatic.

Eyes pressed closed; Selena tried to ask him one more time.

“Where are you going to take me?”

Silence.

That was his response.

Starting to get irritated, Selena sharply blurted, “I think it wouldn’t hurt you to speak even just one word.”

“…Sir Lawson,” she added in the last second with a formal tone.

Yet, as if she was talking to a wall, no words came next.

‘I want smash his lips with a brick until he talks.’ Refraining from saying those words to him, Selena just quietly shut her mouth and waited for the car to stop.

By the time the car speed went slow, Selena slowly opened her eyes.

The road in front of her was dark.

And in split seconds, her body went cold as thousands of thoughts entered her mind.

‘Why is he taking me in a dark place?’

Placed in an absurd situation, where she was bought by a lavish amount of money and taken into a dark unknown place with a dangerous man, it became normal for Selena to come up with something. And that was…

‘Don’t tell me Maxwell is a psychopath!’

She silently gasped.

‘Now that I mentioned it, he seemed really a psychopath. Not only is he scarily quiet, but the way he treated his men earlier at the hotel, the way he gazed at them and me, is creepy.’

Her hands automatically reached for her phone.

‘Also, if he really wants to have an intimate night with me, instead of wasting his time on driving in the middle of the night, he should have done it in the hotel room.’

‘Now it makes sense. The reason why he freakingly spent two hundred million dollars on me was all because he’s crazy. A psychopath who found pleasure in torturing people.’

Alarmed and tense, Selena wandered her gaze around the road.

‘I must find a way to get out.’

‘And the first thing I should do is to know where this place is.’

However, when the car turned right onto an old street lit by streetlamps, Selena immediately recognized where she was.

Slowly, her tense aura was lessened.

“This is…” Pointing her finger outside, she looked confusedly at Maxwell. “My apartment.”

Stopping the car in front of Selena’s apartment, Maxwell apathetically gave her a look.

And for the first time after getting in the car, she heard him talk.

“Get out.”

It was short, yet cold.

And in a blink of an eye, Selena found herself standing outside of his car with her bag, her cellphone, and a bank note on her hands.

Soon, the sports car in front of her sped its way and disappeared from her sight.

In exchange for two hundred million dollars, Maxwell was granted to have a one-day date with Selena. However, the date that supposedly to last a day, just ended within a half an hour.

………….

As the night went more profound, the moon remained in the sky as its bright light illuminated the massive field of the mansion of the Lawson estate.

At the entrance of the mansion, a line of butlers and maids waited in line. The moment they saw his figure approaching, they bowed and greeted him with respect.

Tailing behind him, his assistant asked, “How was it, sir?”

Maxwell stoically responded with a short, “Mn.” Before tossing his car key to his assistant.

He then dialed a number on his phone and spoke as soon as the other line answered, saying, "It's me."

["The result?"] a man's voice was heard on the other line.

"The plan is sailing smooth."

["What's makes you sure of it?"]

"I told you," loosening his tie, Maxwell went inside his office and continued, "That man will do anything just to get his goal."

"Just wait, and she'll be on our side soon."

["I'll trust you."]

When the call ended, he tossed his phone on his desk.

"Trey."

"Yes, Sir," Trey immediately replied and waited for his boss's order.

"Arrange a room for her."

"I'll arrange it today."

"You must."

Bowing his head, Trey glanced at him. "Yes, I…" he paused and continued, "…understood."

Turning around, Trey slightly cocked his head. 'That look… Is he smiling?'

….

Meanwhile, inside a dimly lit room, a heavy, dark atmosphere prevailed as Dwaine silently sat alone. And as the piece of moonlight cast a shadow on his face, his blue eyes glistened dangerously.