Page 28 of Light in Your Eyes

"How will I have my meal?" she asks.

She didn't ask about where she could have breakfast in this house, which means that she's still afraid of getting out of this room.

"You'll get it," I say. I'd already thought about it last night. "Someone will bring it for you."

She's silent, but I can feel her uneasiness.

"Don't worry," I say. "It won't be the guys from last night. You'll get to know her soon."

She sighs in relief, knowing that it will be a girl who will come to this room.

"What about you?" she asks with a hint of curiosity in her voice. She must have seen the confusion in my face, because the next thing she says is, "I mean, I know that you can have breakfast anywhere in this house, but I just want to know your usual routines. Do you eat in the kitchen or dining room? Or do you prefer to have your meal inside your room? What about your schedules? Do you have a martial arts practice during the day? When do you train the fighters? Do you go out—"

"I thought I made it clear that I didn't need a goddamn caregiver," I snap, not wanting to hear the rest of her questions.

She doesn't respond to my harsh statement right away, but after seconds pass, she says fiercely, "Then what do you expect me to do?"

I can hear the frustration in her voice.

"Do you really want me to go crazy, being imprisoned in this room like a lost wounded animal? Why don't you just tell everyone in here that I am indeed your caregiver, hired by your brother? If you had done so, I wouldn't have been picked by those jerks, and they wouldn't see me as a slave that they could just use and trash once you're bored with me." Her sob suddenly breaks, letting me know how much that thought has been haunting her.

I can hear her fear all over again in her voice, and my fist instantly shakes with rage again. I hate how she is affecting me this much. I don't know how to respond to her demand yet, so being the cruel man that I am, I turn my back to her.

"Kellan." Layla grabs my arm.

Her touch almost makes me explode. I don't like being touched, literally, by anyone. One who knows me better will be smart enough to maintain a distance from me.

But Layla's touch is even worse. She's shaking, begging for help. To me, she feels fragile as glass. She makes me want to pull her into me, but I want to push her away because I'm afraid that she will shatter.

What the fuck is wrong with me? This girl is making me crazy.

While I'm trying my best to hold my anger, I turn my head again. I can't see her expression when she looks at my face, but whatever it is that she sees, it gives her hope because she says, "Please. I really need your help."

"Make it quick." I can only utter those harsh words.

I know that once again, I made her heart sink, contrary to my intention of helping her.

"My suitcase," she says. "The guard outside didn't give it back to me after inspecting it. I really need it. My clothes are in there. My stuff—"

Those words are enough for me, so without waiting for her to finish her sentence, I step out of my room and shut the door behind me, leaving her alone.

Chapter 11

Layla

I hear the door being knocked, and once I open it, I am greeted by a girl.

She looks about the same age as me. She has shoulder-length brown hair and pretty green eyes.

She smiles at me, and I can already feel her kindness.

When I see the tray of food she's holding, I quickly open the door wider to let her in. I watch as she places the tray on Kellan's desk.

"Thank you so much." I approach her, grateful that she did come to bring me food.

I'm expecting her to say something back, but then she points at the door, as though she's trying to tell me that she still has something else for me. A moment later, she drags my suitcase into the room, and huge relief washes over me. I feel like I can burst into tears.

I was worried that I had lost my belongings.