15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Lily

I scan the empty blood bags on the table. I can't believe Ethan has drunk them all. The sight was unique and sinister. I am still curious why he had to leave so suddenly.

In fact, I am curious about a lot of things, and his leaving so soon should be the least of my concerns now, but him being a vampire is something that I cannot grasp, and I don't think I ever will.

"Unbelievable," I mutter to myself as I manage to get up and clean around the living room.

He had to leave in such a hurry that he forgot his belongings here on my couch: a blazer, sunglasses, and even his watch.

"I wonder how much is this worth?" I say as I look at the expensive-looking watch before me.

I grab my laptop and start to examine the back of the watch, and sure enough, I notice that it is engraved with the name Audemars Piguet. I bet this is worth millions. Of course, it is.

"I need to hear his voice," I whisper to myself as I reach for my phone, feeling a sudden urge to dial his number and call him.

I soon realize that Ethan has already been calling me non-stop. He has also left me so many text messages commanding me to either pick up the calls or call him back as soon as I get this.

"What? Needy much?" I say as I dial the number and call him. He immediately picks up.

"Lily! Lily, God damn it, where have you been?" he says, and it feels as if he is shouting at me.

"Sorry, I guess I must have left my phone on silent."

"No, Lily. You can't do that anymore," he sounds furious.

"Okay. Calm down, Ethan. Let's just talk. You're creeping me out."

I bite my lip as I take a deep breath. Why is he getting angry with me over such a simple thing? Is he alright? Do I sound like a total weirdo? No. I know I'm not.

This is silly. It's just me wanting to hear his voice, nothing more. Nothing less. But what do I get in return? Being scolded for literally keeping my phone on silent.

"Where are you now?"

"At my place. Still in the living room to be more precise," I say, almost winking at the phone as if he can see it.

There's a moment of silence and I think he might have given up trying to talk to me since he hasn't said anything yet.

"Are you sure you are there, Lily?" he finally asks, and I nod.

"Ethan, where else would I go? In fact, why did you leave so quickly? You left most of your stuff here, including this beautiful expensive-looking watch," I say, teasing him, as I admire the watch around my wrist. Although it is too big for me, it still looks amazing.

"Lock your doors, Lily. I will be right there."

"Ethan, is everything okay? Are you sure you're, okay?"

"Just listen to me, Lily. Lock your front door and don't leave your place until I am there."

"You can't scare me, Ethan."

"I am not even trying to. Lily, please. Do as I say."

His words send shivers down my spine. I hope it isn't because of some weird instinct I feel from him, but if it is, then there's no way I could avoid it.

"All right. Whatever you say. I'll lock my doors and wait for you."

"Good girl," he replies, and I smile, taking one last look at the watch before putting it away. He soon hangs up.

I check the time; it is only 10 p.m. The wind won't stop howling. I wonder what can possibly go wrong on this gloomy, rainy night.

There is a huge possibility that I'll fall sick with the flu. Or worse, I may catch a bad cold. That's not good considering I am working tomorrow and facing everyone in the office again.

I try to lay my head on the pillow and close my eyes for a bit, but suddenly there is a knock on the door. My heart starts beating faster as I jump off my bed and run to the door. I have already missed Ethan. He must be here now.

"Uh- hello?" I say as I scan the tall man standing before me. He looks strange, yet his face is so full of life.

"Oh," he utters, smiling, and his teeth shine brightly in the dark.

"Can I help you?" I rub my eyes and turn on the lights to get a better look at him. I get a feeling that I have seen him before. It is like a déja vu.

"No, I mean yes. I am lost in this building," he says, faking a smile. He can't take his eyes off me for some reason.

"Well, I don't know what to tell you. You should just ask someone else. I can't help you," I say, trying to shut the door, but he stops me.

"Are you not going to ask me in for a drink?"

"You are creeping me out, man. Can you just leave? I am busy."

"But I haven't even told you my name yet," he says and tries to step into the house, but something stops him. It's as if an invisible force is preventing him from getting into the house.

"Look, it is late, and I should not have opened the door. So, can you kindly leave? Please."

"But you don't have a choice," he says, flashing his teeth at me. His teeth are pointy like Ethan's. This must be a nightmare.

"Who are you?"

"Someone who has a lot of things to tell you, Miss Snow."

"What? How do you know my name?"

"I know a lot of things about you, Lily Snow."

"You really need to get going," I say, my eyes wide, and he nods.

"I think it is about time you learn more about what has been going on around you," he says and pulls a letter out of his coat.

"What is this?" I take the letter from his hand.

"Consider it a heart-warming letter from someone who's been watching you. I'll be seeing you, Miss Snow." He walks backward, not taking his eyes off me.

I stare at the letter, which has been carefully written in red ink. There is also a small, bloodstained rose taped on the back.

I quickly close the door behind me and make sure it is firmly locked. I should have listened to Ethan and not opened the door to some random stranger.

I run to the bathroom and splash cold water on my face. I have never seen such a person like him before, and it makes me wonder how he knows my name.

The door knocks again but I make sure to not utter a word. I silently tiptoe towards it and place my ear on it.

"Lily? Lily, it is me, Ethan. Open the door, please." Ethan's voice makes me shiver.

It is the sweetest and safest thing I've ever heard, yet I can't help but panic. As I quickly unlock the door and open it, I throw myself at him for a reassuring embrace.

"Ethan. Thank God."

"What happened? Are you hurt? What is with that look on your face?" he asks as he scans me.

"No. I am not hurt. But you must see this. It's a letter from someone."

"Someone?"

"Yes, he was just here. Didn't you see him?"

"My God, Lily. I told you to keep the doors locked," he says, his voice full of fury.

"But you're here now. I didn't expect anyone to come here, so once there was a knock on the door, I assumed it was you, and I rushed to open the door."

"Who was he?"

"I don't know. But I am sure that I have seen him before. His face is too familiar. He couldn't come in."

"Of course, he couldn't. Lily, you can't be serious right now. I can't believe you just opened the door to this freak. Did you also invite him in? Please, say that you didn't."

"Of course, not, Ethan. Who do you think I am, an idiot who invites random strangers into her own house?"

"God damn it, Lily. It is a good thing that you did not invite him in. You can never invite vampires in, or else they will slowly take over your place."

"Vampire? I did not invite a vampire. No, Ethan, I would never-"

"It doesn't matter, Lily. The point is that you could have been killed. You should have just listened to me."

"What are you talking about, Ethan? I don't get it."

"The guy who's just been here. I showed you his profile before. That was Demetrius Daire."

"What?" I say as I feel my heart skip a beat.

"Demetrius is a vampire who has been abusing the company's products. He is not your friend. My only guess is that he is the one behind the FDA and the serious accusations. And it's all because of his sinister nature."

"Wait, please. This is a lot to take in. I can't believe a vampire could be doing something like this," I say, my voice full of disbelief.

"Believe me, Lily, this is a lot worse than you think."

"I had a strong feeling that I had seen him before, but I just chose to ignore it. Certainly, not everyone is like you."

"There are more vampires than you can imagine, Lily. The thing is you can't trust everyone you see. It could be a trick."

"Am I surrounded by them?"

"The entire Rothschild Pharmaceuticals is run by vampires for vampires' sake. The only human standing among us is you."

"So, that is why the FDA is after you, right? Now, I do know what type of substances and drugs you sell."

"I told you that our business is unique. Our drugs are all clean. We don't sell them to just anyone. We have a system. The vampires who are allowed to purchase these products have been tested and verified by the company's system."

"That's good, Ethan, but if the FDA has found out about the real substances you've been selling, then they will definitely put the company under a lot of stress. And then you'll have to be shut down."

"We can't let that happen. We need to do something about it."

"Yeah, but how?"

"I am working on it. But for now, I feel like a massive burden has been lifted off my shoulders because I know I won't have to hide anything from you anymore," he says as he cups my face.

"It's not like I am going to tell anyone," I say, placing my hands on his.

"I know," he smiles.

"Ethan, you need to read that," I point at the letter on my counter. He nods and reaches for it.

"You don't have to worry about Demetrius. He will never step foot in this place, not when I am here. He will be lucky enough to get out alive if he does something to you."

"I know."

"He is a tricky little creature. If he sent this letter, it's probably a sign of his evil intentions."

"What does the letter say, Ethan?"

"Give me a second," he says as he scans through the letter, and his expression suddenly changes.

"Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, he's just playing with me," he says and throws the letter aside.

"Ethan, what is it?" I ask as I reach for the letter.

"Don't, Lily, just leave it," he says, keeping his voice low.

"No, Ethan."

I grab the letter and skim through it at first, then re-read it slowly and carefully.

'Ethan Rothschild. You are such a coward. You have no guts to show your face around me. You're hiding behind a pathetic, yet gorgeous, woman — a mere mortal. How pitiful. You are a disgrace to the vampire world. You are nothing but a pathetic excuse for a creature, and your little company is nothing but a shameful threat to our kind. I will have it burned down to the ground, and you along with it. You can't deny your nature forever. Soon, we will meet again, and then, you will face me.

Yours sincerely,

Demetrius Daire.'

"Why is he after you?" I place the letter down and take a seat. I feel like I had just read a death threat. My knees are weak, and I feel out of breath.

"The truth is I don't even know. This is all news to me," he replies.

"So, you two have a history?"

"No, Lily. It is my first time seeing this freak," he turns his gaze towards me, his face is full of shocked.

"Are you telling me the truth, Ethan? Because if you are not, you should tell me. There's no way I am letting myself get involved in a mess like this," I say.

"You shouldn't have to let yourself get involved with me then," he says.

"What are you saying, Ethan? Is this all some sort of a game to you? This isn't a joke. I don't ever regret being with you."

"I wish it was just a joke, Lily. But unfortunately, it is not."

"So, what's the next move? If he's after you, what is your plan?"

"We need to stop him."

"How are we going to do that, Ethan? He's a freaking vampire. We are just two humans," I pause for a second, and glance at him. He is trying so hard to hide his laugh.

"Say that again?"

"No. I am a human and you're a vampire, and no, I'm not going to let you deal with this alone."

"Lily, please. You can't say things like that. Don't give me any ideas," he says as his eyes travel all over my body.

"What kind of ideas?"

"Lily," he says, and I know he wants me. I can sense it.

"Tell me. What is the kind of ideas you have in mind?" I tease him as I get up and walk towards him.

"You can't even begin to imagine what I have in mind, Lily. I am just happy you are here; safe and all mine," he says, and wraps his arms around my waist.

"What are you thinking, Ethan? I don't understand. Is there a reason why he is after you?"

"I wish I could answer that. He must be after something," he says, his hands traveling to my neck, caressing me.

"He is clearly after the company and its drugs."

"You know, he is not the first vampire to be after me," he says.

"I figured," I reply, my body melting under his touch.

"Come on, you can't stay here anymore."