Ch. 251..255: Love Slave to the Mafia Boss's Passion Chapter 251-255

Chapter 251: Home Early

"What is it?" I asked after recovering my voice.

"Oh, I was wondering if you needed anything. You were just standing there so…" the maid said politely.

I knew that she meant well but why did she have to sneak up on me?!

"Umm…is Hayden back yet?" I asked the first question that came to mind.

"I’m not sure but the car he usually uses right now is parked in the garage," the maid replied smoothly.

"So, he’s back already?" I asked for confirmation.

"I think so. He did leave this morning but perhaps he came back early. Sorry, I don’t know anything about his schedule," the maid replied humbly.

No, surprises there, honey. Even I know nothing about the specifics of his schedule. I didn’t even know that he was back, and I guess I wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t spotted him just now.

"Alright…thank you," I thanked her.

The maid bowed politely and excused herself. She headed into Hayden’s wing of the mansion, and I figured that she probably had some work to do there. If Hayden is really back, he should come to see me soon. Maybe he got back but has work to do. That was what I told myself as I returned to Hayden’s bedroom to fetch my mobile phone.

When I returned to my art studio, my hands were shaking, and I felt so insecure. Little Hayden was asleep on the floor, probably from boredom because I had locked him in here.

After pacing around the room restlessly for a while, I decided to give Hayden a call before this drove me insane. It was probably nothing. It’s not the end of the world that he came home early from work and it shouldn’t be an unusual thing for him to enter his brother’s wing of the mansion. Afterall, it was his mansion now. I couldn’t explain it, but something made me feel so uneasy about all of this.

"Hayden, are you back yet?" I asked immediately once the line connected.

"Why?" he asked, rightfully confused.

"Umm…nothing really. I think I saw you in the house, but I wasn’t sure…" I said before holding my breath while waiting for his response.

"Good eyes. I’m back, I skipped out on a couple of meetings and sent Luka in my place," Hayden replied casually.

"Were you tired?" I inquired, suddenly feeling worried.

"Not really but there’s some stuff I needed to sort out back here. I’ll head over to see you when I’m done," Hayden said a little sternly.

Sensing that it wasn’t a great time to talk or take up more of his time, I decided to hand up as soon as possible so that he could get back to whatever he was working on.

"Oh, alright. I’ll see you then," I said before hanging up.

Little Hayden had woken up by that time and he looked at me like he knew a secret that I didn’t. The moment that thought ran through my head; was the moment I was convinced that I was starting to lose my mind. I laughed a little to myself before running my fingers through my long hair.

After tying it into a casual bun on top of my head, I clapped my hands together and began focusing on the painting in front of me.

…

"Thank you so much and I’m so very sorry that I can’t be there to deliver this to you in person. I’ll make sure that it is safely delivered to you. Yes, sure…thank you so much again," I said happily before hanging up.

This morning, I received my first payment for the first portrait that I had completed based on the new price range that Hayden had quoted. It was still hard to believe that the price of my work really did increase by ten folds. There was another piece of work that was close to completion as well which meant that I would be getting another payment soon.

Getting your first paycheck or any paycheck is a good cause for celebration, right? Maybe I should get Auntie to prepare a special dinner as a casual way to celebrate my mini success. With that idea in mind, I decided to give Auntie a call. The old woman spoke through the phone in a cheerful voice after I had assured her that she didn’t have to come see me in the studio.

"I’ll get the chefs to cook up something extra nice. Anything specific that you have in mind?" Auntie asked.

"Not really. Any of Hayden’s favorite foods will do," I replied.

As for me, I wasn’t a picky eater. When life was tougher, you didn’t have the luxury to pick and choose your food that much. I could eat just about anything and the food that the chef always served was beyond average. After thanking the old lady politely, I hung up the phone before turning my attention back to the almost complete painting.

If I worked hard on it today, I might finish it before Hayden comes back. Hopefully, Hayden wouldn’t be back late today because it would be a disaster if I had to eat the specially-made dinner alone. This client that this portrait was for was a little bit more of a perfectionist than the first client and he paid a lot of detail on his hairline and his facial hair.

Getting that right was a big challenge for me. Painting hair was just difficult to get the look of the texture right.

By the time it was 6PM, my back hurt and so did my eyes. Little Hayden seemed bored as well. I took a few steps back to look at the overall painting and sadly, I couldn’t call it complete and ready. The hair needed more work although the beard was fine now.

Guess that will have to wait for tomorrow, I couldn’t physically continue right now, not to talk about the fact that I could barely concentrate with my eyes strained.

Suddenly, my phone started ringing. I peered at the screen to see that Auntie was the one calling. She usually doesn’t call me so this might be something urgent.

"Yes, Auntie?" I answered the call.

 

Chapter 252: Into the Darkness

"About your request for a special dinner. I thought that it might be better to set up the dining table in Hayden’s living room. The dining table is bigger there and so is the room. What do you say?" Auntie suggested hopefully.

"Oh sure…I’ll leave it up to you," I replied.

"That’s great. Also, I’ve arranged for some special decorations, if you’re free, it would be great if you can come and have a look. Honestly, I don’t know if I’ve overdone it or not…" Auntie said, and I could hear the uncertainty in her voice.

She went and arranged for decorations. What kind of decorations? Why do we need decorations for a dinner?

It was then that I started to realize that the image of a special dinner that I had in mind was very different and probably humbler and more normal than the one that Auntie had in mind.

"Umm…sure. I’ll head over there now," I said.

"Thank you. I’ll wait for you but you better hurry, Hayden will be back soon…" Auntie said excitedly before the line disconnected.

I shook my head softly to myself before turning to look at the wide-eyed Little Hayden. He looked up at me with a confused look on his face and I wondered if he was confused or if that was his normal and natural face.

"Let’s go, Little Hayden…" I said as I bent down and scooped him up into my arms.

I walked along the familiar path from my room to Hayden’s wing of the mansion with the not-so-little puppy in my arms. Little Hayden grew up again and I could feel it clearly each time I carried him. He got bigger, heavier, and stronger. I was proud of the fact that he was growing up to be a very strong and healthy boy but that also meant that it was physically harder to deal with him.

Carrying him, playing with him and any other physical struggles with him became increasingly difficult for me as he got bigger. I read online that Corgis were not supposed to grow that big and I hoped that I could manage to carry him even when he became full grown.

It wasn’t long before we arrived at the fork path and just when I was about to turn towards the hallway that led down to Hayden’s wing of the mansion, Little Hayden began barking. Simply because he usually almost never barked while in the mansion, I was surprised at his reaction that I started looking around to see what he was barking at.

"Why are you barking, Little Hayden?" I asked him softly as my hand stroked his head down to the middle of his back in an attempt to comfort him.

Little Hayden only started barking louder and louder. I looked around in confusion before looking where Little Hayden was looking; however, there was nothing there.

"You’re not…" I mumbled before trialing off.

I wasn’t certain of it at first but now I was sure that Little Hayden was barking while looking in the direction of the dark and isolated hallway that led to Harvey’s wing of the mansion. A bad feeling came over me and suddenly everything seemed so spooky.

Get a hold of yourself, Malissa. There are no ghosts…right?

"Stop barking and you’re not allowed to go that way, ok?" I said quite sternly.

Little Hayden didn’t stop barking and suddenly he seemed very excited or agitated, honestly, I couldn’t quite tell. However, he began squirming in my arms before kicking his legs wildly.

"Stop! Stop…Little Hayden…" I said as I struggled to keep him in my arms.

Despite my efforts to calm him down, Little Hayden started struggling harder and rougher against my chest and arms. It became a real struggle just to keep holding him in my arms. His nails began scratching at my arms although they were not sharp, it still hurt.

"Calm down, little boy…" I whispered pleadingly.

I couldn’t understand what was wrong with him all of a sudden. There was nothing there that I could see. Did he see something or sense something that I couldn’t?

It happened so suddenly that the next thing I knew, Little Hayden had freed himself from my arms and had landed on the floor at my feet. I didn’t even have the time to bend over to catch him or stop him before the troublesome puppy started sprinting towards the dark hallway.

It felt like I was watching an entire empire collapse right in front of my eyes as reality began to sink in that Little Hayden had disappeared down the hallway that led to Harvey’s wing. No one is allowed to go in there!

Little Hayden ran so fast into the dark hallway, and it wasn’t long before he completely disappeared from my sight as the darkness swallowed him up. I gasped and then my mouth hung open before I placed my hands over my mouth. I was shocked.

What do I do now? Hayden is going to come back soon. Hayden doesn’t allow anyone to go down this hallway into Harvey’s wing. Plus, he also doesn’t really like Little Hayden that much…

If he finds out, what is going to happen to Little Hayden? Does the rule even apply to a dog?

What do I do? What do I do?

My hands started shaking before I started cupping my own cheeks in them. One thing was clear to me, I can’t leave Little Hayden in there. I need to get him out and I need to get him out before Hayden comes back.

I need to get him out before anyone finds out that we’ve entered into Harvey’s wing…

I took three steps forward in a rush and then my body stopped. Am I really doing this?

Am I really going into Harvey’s wing of the mansion? My legs shook like never before.

No one will find out, Malissa.

Hayden will not find out…and if he does…then…

I closed my eyes before I could finish that thought and ran forward into the darkness of the long hallway leading to Harvey’s wing.

 

Chapter 253: Towards the Light

"Little Hayden…?" I whispered.

I knew that I wasn’t supposed to be here, and my fear was quickly taking over me. I didn’t know what I feared more, not being able to find Little Hayden or getting caught that we were in here. It was so dark in the hallway and the sun had probably set. Unlike the first part of my journey in here, I had stopped running and was now proceeding down the dark hallway at a slow walk on my very shaky legs.

Where did Little Hayden go?

The hallway seemed much longer than I had initially imagined. Just how far does this hallway lead? At first there was nothing but empty walls with lamps fixed at even intervals along the wall. However, since none of them were switched on, they were useless and did not provide any light to light the way. I couldn’t see very far in front of me, and Little Hayden was no where in sight.

"Little Hayden! Where are you? Come back to me now…" I shouted in a whisper.

Shouting wasn’t an option because people might find out that I’m in here. I wondered if Little Hayden could hear me because I surely couldn’t hear him. The hallway was completely silent and apart from my rapidly pounding heart, I couldn’t hear anything. Although I strained my ears, I couldn’t hear the familiar sound of Little Hayden’s soft panting.

Just how far did he run off to?

The more I walked forward, the darker it got. I had no idea how far I walked but I presumed that it wasn’t as far as I had thought. It just felt like I’ve walked in so far because I was scared. The atmosphere was silent, desolate, and dark. If someone told me that this place is haunted, I would believe them without a second thought.

A shiver ran through my body, and I stroked my arms up and down with my hand to get rid of the cold.

Goosebumps formed on my skin, but I decided to continue pressing forward. I called in a hush voice to Little Hayden but there was no response. Unfortunately, I couldn’t feel the dog’s presence close to me at all. After walking further, I must have reached the start of what must be Harvey’s wing of the mansion. It was equally as dark as the hallway that led me there.

The only thing that made me feel like I had arrived was the fact that there were now doors on either side of the walkway.

The doors were closed, and I could just about make out their shape. Since the doors were closed, I figured that Little Hayden must have continued running forward along the hallway. I continued along on shaky legs while I wondered how long this hallway was and where it led.

"Little Hayden! Where are you?!" I shouted in a hushed whisper.

Suddenly, just like a miracle, I spotted a ray of light in the distance. It felt like I had literally just seen the light at the end of a very long and dark tunnel. Is Little Hayden there? He must be.

As if the light gave me courage, I started walking faster and faster towards it. I passed along many closed doors as I got closer and closer to the ray of light. It was like having a target gave me strength and I found myself heading towards the light without any hesitation. It didn’t take very long for me to arrive where the ray of light shone onto the floor in the hallway.

When I arrived, I quickly realized that the light came from an ajar door. The door was opened just wide enough for a dog of Little Hayden’s size to slip in. I knew without a doubt that Little Hayden had entered this door and was somewhere in the room beyond. I reached for the door but when my hand touched tis surface, my body froze as questions entered my mind.

How can the light be on? Why is…the light on?

More precisely, who turned the light on? Someone…human is here. Little Hayden could never turn the light on. Did Little Hayden come in here because he knew that someone was in here?

I stood there in front of the door as my mind raced through many questions that didn’t have any answers. My head felt like it was going to burst and so did my heart. I felt like I was about to discover something that I wasn’t supposed to know, and I wasn’t quite ready to take on another shock.

My mind conjured up a memory of a recent day in the past where I had walked past this hallway and thought that I saw Hayden walking into the hallway that led to Harvey’s wing of the mansion.

Is…Hayden here? Why is he here?

After taking in a deep breath to steel my nerves, I slowly applied pressure to the door through my hand and began pushing the door open. I had no idea what to expect beyond the door, but I just prayed that Little Hayden was there and that he was safe. Maybe the room is empty, and I can just grab the dog and get my ass out of here before someone finds us.

The room was silent, and I couldn’t hear any sound coming from the inside. Thankfully, the door didn’t creak when I began pushing it open. Inch by inch, the door opened, and more light flooded into the hallway. When the door was open wide enough, I counted silently inside of my head.

3…2…1!

I stuck my head in through the opened door and peeked into the room. I wasn’t sure what to expect but the clean and luxuriously decorated room wasn’t quite what I had in mind. The room must be very large because from the angle that I had shoved my head in, I couldn’t see much apart from the wall on the opposite side. I had no idea how large the room was.

If there was someone inside, that person had not yet realized that I had started peeking into the room.

 

Chapter 254: Another Reality

The interior decoration of this room and probably the whole wing was very different from that of Hayden’s wing. Instead of the modern luxury style in tones of grey, this room had dark navy walls and the golden patterns did not make it look modern at all.

After taking in another deep breath, I pushed the door opened wider and stuck my head in and started turning to look around at the rest of the room. The lights were on throughout the large room. I wasn’t sure what a room this large was used for, but the room could easily be used to host a small private party. So far, I couldn’t see Little Hayden. Was he even in this room?

Sensing that it seemed safe enough, I slipped into the room.

"Little Hayden…" I whispered.

If the dog was somewhere in the room, he didn’t come running back to me. Now that I was in the room, I realized that the room was even bigger than I thought it was from the limited view that I had just now. The room was large and very long. However, that wasn’t the most surprising thing. The most surprising thing wasn’t the room but what was in it.

"Amelia…" I whispered so softly that I barely heard myself.

I gasped as my eyes travelled along the long walls of the room. Amelia…she was everywhere in the room. Countless portraits of her hung from the walls. There were both paintings and photographs of her captured in frames of various sizes from small frames the size of a small notebook to canvases so large that she appeared life-sized.

Whoever was the owner of this room was clearly a mega big fan of Amelia and her beauty. I knew that Harvey and Amelia were a couple, but I didn’t expect any man to have this many portraits of his girlfriend up on walls. Amelia was shown in various poses and in many different styles of clothing from swimwear to casual clothes to ballgowns and fantasy costumes which I found especially unique.

There was a portrait of her painted as a mermaid with a fish tail lower body and her long blond hair flowing down to cover her breasts and a part of her naked upper body. Very creative and enchantingly beautiful, I had to say. The painter who painted it was clearly very skilled as well and that commission must have costed a small fortune. There were also photos and paintings of her nude.

I couldn’t begin to imagine how Amelia felt having all these portraits of her hung up.

Maybe she didn’t even know about it.

Harvey wasn’t just in love with her, he was frankly quite obsessed with his girlfriend. What happened to them was unfortunate. Hayden must have wanted to preserve Harvey’s wing along with the memories that his brother shared with Amelia here.

I pressed my hands against the sides of my face as I was reminded of why exactly I was here. No, I didn’t come here to admire Amelia’s beautiful portraits. Where is that troublesome dog?

Focusing my attention on the floor instead of the high walls, I walked further into the long room. Suddenly, the wooden floor turned into thick dark navy carpet. It was like I had arrived at a separate part of the room and then I realized that there was a partition separating me from the rest of the room.

The partition was made of carved wood featuring exotic designs that must have come from some ancient folklore that I couldn’t identify.

My instinct told me that Little Hayden was on the other side of this partition and I wondered why he hasn’t returned to my side. The dog must have noticed by now that I was in the room because I must have been so close. Slowly, I walked along the partition until I reached the end of it. If I walk around this partition now, I will surely find Little Hayden on the other side.

I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with him when I found him. Should I hug him first and feel thankful that I got him back or should I hit him to discipline him a little first?

I rounded the partition and came face to face with a very familiar man. Blond hair, blue eyes and dressed smartly in a suit. The man sat on a royal-looking sofa and there on his lap was a happy-looking Little Hayden. The dog lay obediently on the man’s lap with it’s tail wagging around wildly as it seemed to enjoy the feel of the man’s long and beautiful fingers scratching its head.

Hayden…what is he doing here?

I stood there stunned into silence as my eyes continued to take in the scene before me. Hayden continued to play with Little Hayden silently. The two of them seem oblivious to my existence and for a moment, I wasn’t sure if this was even real or if I was even really there. Hayden reached out for his wine glass before putting it to his lips while his hand continued to stroke Little Hayden’s fur.

Little Hayden made cute little sounds as he snuggled closer to Hayden’s body. The two seemed like they were born or made for each other. Why is Hayden here? As far as I was aware, he had not made it back from work. He should be on his way back from work right now. Did he come back early again?

Or had he been here all along?

Another thing that bothered me was why Hayden was leisurely chilling out here in Harvey’s wing of the mansion in a room surrounded by portraits of Amelia. None of this was making sense to me and my head started to throb as I tried my best to reconcile the scene that I saw in front of me with the reality that I knew and understood.

There was another thing that bothered me right from the start. Something felt very strange and then very wrong about what I was seeing. Would Little Hayden ever react like this when he was with Hayden? Those two fought like cats and dogs. Hayden didn’t really get along well with Little Hayden and vice versa.

Would Little Hayden go out of his way to struggle out of my arms and run all the way here to see Hayden?

 

Chapter 255: The Other Brother

"Hayden…?" I called his name questioningly.

An angelic face with piercing blue eyes turned in my direction and my blood ran cold.

His blue eyes watched me intently, but he didn’t seem at all surprised that I was there. My lips felt dry, and my words caught in my throat as he continued staring silently at me. My heart beat so hard and fast that I thought that it would pop out of my chest.

"Wait…you’re not Hayden, are you?" I murmured questioningly.

"What are you talking about? I am Hayden…" the man said with a teasing smile.

"No…you’re not…" I said resolutely.

He can’t trick me.

"You’re not making any sense. If you think I’m not Hayden, then who else could I be?" he asked with a smile as his blue eyes watched my every reaction.

Even his voice was very similar. However, something similar would never be the same.

With all the reasons that had just ran through my brain, I finally knew with certainty that no matter how unbelievably similar this man was to Hayden, he wasn’t Hayden.

This man...he’s not Hayden.

What is going on?

I felt so dumb and stupid as I stood there dumbstruck. The truth was supposed to be obvious, but I was too scared and too shock to admit it.

This man can’t be anyone else but…

I think I had my answer to that question, but it was impossible. I mean, he’s supposed to be…

"Could you possibly be…Harvey?" I asked in a whisper.

There was a pause as our eyes met before the man smiled even wider and began to laugh softly. I wasn’t sure what he found so funny about this situation.

"Harvey? My brother’s dead," he said flatly after his laughter died down completely.

No, this man is definitely Harvey. Unless Hayden had another brother or a twin that I didn’t know about, then this man must be Harvey. I frowned as my mind struggled to wrap itself around this thought. How is this possible? Harvey is dead. I stood with Hayden right at his grave.

I saw the sad and hurt on Hayden’s face as he prayed to his dead brother.

How can he be here like this? However…

"You’re Harvey…" I said in a whisper.

It was like I was saying it just to convince myself that that was the truth.

"You must be Hayden’s girlfriend if you can easily tell us apart. Most people can’t if I put in the effort to pretend a little," the man said followed by a laugh.

"Harvey…" I called his name softly.

"Welcome, Malissa…" Harvey said with an amused look on his face.

"Are you…Harvey? Are you really Harvey?" I asked as my voice shook like mad.

I took a step back in fear and it was like I was ready to turn around and run out of the room at any time.

"Haha…you thought that I was Hayden just now, didn’t you?" Harvey asked with a small laugh.

As I stood there with a stunned expression on my face, Harvey continued to laugh softly before turning his attention to the dog on his lap. His smile transformed into a very gentle and caring one as he looked down at Little Hayden’s upturned face. Hayden never looked at Little Hayden like that.

"Little Hayden, what about some more snacks?" Harvey readily offered as his hand grabbed a dog’s snack and began feeding it to Little Hayden.

I get it now. It’s because of this man and the beef jerkies that he’s been feeding Little Hayden that my dog has gained a tremendous amount of weight in such a short time. Just how many times had Little Hayden been here? The two of them seemed to get along famously and they seemed quite close. That made me believe that Little Hayden must have been here many times before.

"I like dogs, you see…especially corgis…" Harvey said it like a confession of a dirty little secret.

But Hayden told me that he got Little Hayden based on Luka’s recommendation…

"Hayden told me that Luka suggested that he get…" I began saying.

"Nope. He lied. He’s a bad liar too, but I guess you can’t see through him. Most people can’t," Harvey said before his eyes shifted to my face and he smiled alluringly at me.

Harvey was a very handsome man and his look closely resembled Hayden. Perhaps since Hayden was born after him, it might be more correct to say that Hayden resembled Harvey quite a lot. I had mistaken Harvey for Hayden before when I saw his photograph in Hayden’s bedroom. However, Harvey now had short hair which was styled the way that Hayden liked to style his hair.

The way he dressed was also similar. And that only made it harder to distinguish between the two. However, I could tell that their characters were vastly different.

"He lied?" I asked, more surprised than shock.

Well, I guess he couldn’t tell me honestly that his dead brother recommended that he should get a Corgi for me.

"Yes. You got this little doggy here because of me. I suggested that he should buy you a dog, specifically a Corgi. I just told you, didn’t I? I like dogs…" Harvey said as his hand petted Little Hayden’s head lovingly.

That was one difference between the two brothers for sure. Harvey loved dogs while Hayden…probably doesn’t like them so much…? Or maybe he just didn’t quite get along with Little Hayden?

I watched as Harvey continued petting an overly obedient Little Hayden. The dog seemed to melt into a pool of pleasure at his playful caress. Even when he was with me, Little Hayden didn’t seem to have such a good time.

"I like dogs…and they like me too," Harvey continued in a pleasant voice as if he could feel my eyes on him.

That’s not what is important right now. According to Hayden and everyone else for that matter, Harvey is dead. He’s supposed to be dead. However, the man who sat in this royal luxurious chair looked very much alive. He looked so fine, so perfectly functioning, and so damn good looking that it was unfair.