4. Abandoned Hotel Building

The hotel Maura thought of was not the same as the reality.

She was already standing in front of an abandoned-looking building. There was a tall gate with a pointed shape on it. The lighting was minimal, but Maura could still see several men in black suits walking around the grounds. Maura guessed that they were bodyguards.

Maura immediately thought of the incident four months ago. When a client who turned out to be a man from the past held her captive, Maura was also invited to this kind of place. The aura was not pleasant. For some reason, Maura felt worried. What if the person inside, who helped her four months ago, turned out to want to do something wrong?

Maura's steps moved backward. She was just about to turn around, but the sound of the gate opening jolted her consciousness. Maura's body stiffened, turning her gaze to the gate already opened almost halfway, and three men in black suits appeared approaching her. Their gazes were stern without any emotion on their faces.

"Maura?" asked one of the men.

Maura flinched for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, I'm Maura," she said flatly.

The men in front of her looked at each other and nodded. Then one of the men on the far right advanced towards Maura.

"Master has been waiting for you," he said in a low, mysterious voice.

Maura's brow furrowed. "Sir? Who's the master you're referring to?"

"The one who invited you here," the man replied.

"He's inside? Why not meet me directly?"

But the three men did not answer. They motioned for Maura to enter the building. Maura followed behind with a hesitant expression. As Maura walked from the gate to the yard, she saw that there were more men in black suits. The building was L-shaped. Many barrels contained who knows what, Maura also saw not too big rooms separated from the main building.

Entering the building, several curious eyes searched Maura as if she was a prisoner. I don't know. Maura could not think positively in a place like this now. Fortunately, Maura had told Audric that if she didn't return in an hour, come with the police.

Maura had already arrived at the elevator. The three men stopped. One of them said, "You go up. Top floor. The master asked you to go there himself."

"Wait, you're not coming?" asked Maura looking at the three men in front of her in turn.

"No, no, no. The master ordered us to tell you to come alone."

Maura snorted with laughter. "How mysterious," she muttered.

"Be wary of anyone who tries to get you to see him. The master will see you himself." The man spoke in a mysterious tone, sparking Maura's curiosity.

But not wanting to waste time, Maura chose not to ask further questions. She entered the elevator-don't imagine an elite elevator, this elevator was in disrepair and looked like a junk machine. Maura staggered a bit as the elevator moved up with vibrations. She almost panicked that the elevator would fall.

The elevator doors opened when they reached the third floor. Maura's face was immediately flabbergasted at the sight of a group of men with muscular muscles. A room stretched wide filled with several gambling tables and some gaming equipment. Laughter and the sound of fighting blows in the air greeted the ears. But Maura's arrival made some of the men's eyes shift.

When Maura began to step rather hesitantly from the elevator, the men's curious faces turned into interested and hungry looks. Mischievous grins appeared on some faces. Maura watched one by one, and seductive whistles filled her ears. There was a special place for boxing training that was separated by a wire fence. Several men were having a boxing match at that place.

"Miss. Who are you?"

Maura gasped and looked back. A man in a sleeveless T-shirt shook his head with both eyebrows raised. Among the other men who showed interest and mischievous grins, this man showed an emotionless face.

"A-ah... to see..." Maura was suddenly at a loss as to how to address the man who invited her here. "Oh, sir! I'm here to see you, sir."

"Sir?" The man looked even more confused, making Maura feel afraid of making a mistake. But a second later the man nodded in understanding. "Oh, he invited you here?"

Maura's head nod was the answer. Maura's wary gaze seemed to be noticed by the man in front of her.

"You have nothing to fear from me," he replied with a chuckle. Not scary at all, but still suspicious to Maura. "I will take you to the master."

For some reason Maura instantly forgot about the orders of the three male guards downstairs. She just obeyed the words of the man in front of her. Maura walked behind the man, following him down the path of the other men who began to approach. The man in front of Maura raised one hand in greeting to the other men, and several men seemed to raise the letter O with meaningful smiles.

Maura frowned. The interaction of the man in front of her with the other men felt suspicious. Maura suddenly had a bad feeling. The further she walked, the more Maura was approached by other men who looked hungrily at her. When the man in front of her suddenly stopped, Maura's body stiffened instantly, feeling even more anxious. The man turned around, looking at Maura intently.

"Where is Sir?" asked Maura.

For a few seconds the man watched Maura, then chuckled. "You're so easy to fool," he said, curving a mysterious grin.

Maura moved backwards. Only then did she remember the words of the three bodyguards on the lowest floor: be careful with anyone who tries to get you to meet him.

"You wish to see Master?" the man asked, then chuckled. "Master is not here. You'd better be with me. Spend the night with me, okay?"

Maura's heart skipped a beat. Her whole body suddenly stiffened. She forced her limp legs to move backwards. The man gave a code to someone behind Maura. Then when Maura had not fully turned her body backwards, someone smothered her mouth and turned her body back to the front. Maura glared in panic while hitting the back of whoever's hand.

"Hey, I'm so sorry I had to teach you a lesson," said the man in front of Maura. He bent down to bring his face to within an inch of Maura's face.

"You shouldn't just trust a stranger. Did the three guards downstairs not warn you?" the man continued with a smirking laugh.

Maura looked sharply at the man in front of her in a gagged position. Both of his hands were locked from behind by who knows who. There seemed to be two men holding Maura behind. Maura's body was still rebelling so that it could be released. But her strength, which was already strong, was of course inferior to the strength of the burly man who held her hands.

"Ah, instead of you being left alone, it's better to 'play' with me first. Yes?"

It didn't seem like a question because the man stretched his neck muscles with his eyes closed. It was as if the man was planning something and now wanted to carry out his plan without the need for consent. Maura stiffened. She jerked harder and harder so that the man's hand behind her could be released. But the more Maura tried, the tighter the man behind her locked her hands.

"Shut up!" The man behind Maura snapped. "Shut up, no?!"

In the smothered position, Maura screamed repeatedly. The man in front of her looked annoyed. His teeth were gnashing. He stepped closer to Maura until there was no more distance between them. Maura glared and tried to kick the man before her in the leg.

"Damn," the man hissed looking at his own foot. "How dare you!"

In the next second, the man lunged to grab Maura's chin. His gaze was wide. Maura rebelled and screamed even more. There was no one to help here. All eyes watched with curiosity and enthusiasm. They were cheering for the duration to speed up, and Maura felt her heart ache at their words.

The man who gripped her chin now switched to holding her neck. Maura's facial movements were restrained. The man moved forward slowly while tilting his head. His goal was Maura's lips, which were no longer smothered but could not scream freely because her jaw was gripped by the man in front of her. The closer he got, the more Maura screamed and tried to shake her head to get away, the more the man tightened his grip.

That night, Maura already thought that she would not be able to live like before. Maura thought her life would change drastically beyond expectations. Before a thumping sound could be heard signaling someone's body falling to the ground. After that, everything was dark.