Linda woke to the sun rays that hit her room. She opened her eyes. Free of exhaustion, taking in her environment. The smell of air, the beauty of the room. It was spacious, and bright, only for her to notice that everything in the room was white, from the walls to the bedsheets, except for the duvet she was covering herself with. It was blue with little floral designs of lilies in pink and grey. Incredibly warm.

The curtains were huge bohemian. With a lining that seemed to have been designed by an Asian designer. It was perfect. She compared this to her own bedroom and concluded that she did not like her own after all. Hers was also clean, relatively smaller than this, yet it was the room that reminded her of so much pain. It was the room that reminded her of her parents and pain. It sparked all the memories of lonely mornings on which she had cried with no shoulders to lean on. They were tough and painful, but she was now more than ready to change that. Ready to change the little grave she'd dug for herself when her parents had died. She had mourned them three and half years. Wasn't that long enough? She would change it.

The cool breeze that washed into the room brought her back to her current surrounding. Where was she again? Oh, the other man's house. Oh goodness have mercy no! Not the man's room. It was his bedroom and on his bed. Where had he slept? She recalled the memory of the night before. He had held her tight and placed his lips on hers. No. Was it? It was the bearded man in her dreams that had done that. But how would that be possible? Their lips tasted so similar. But then she remembered. It was the man, Pill, Mill, Will, Bill. What was it? That was the man that had kissed her both at the police and on this bed. Yes! She had it! Will Mayor. The man. He is the one. Now she remembered perfectly.

She recalled her last boyfriend and cried a little. Where was Jonathan? Wouldn't he at least sacrifice and stay here with her? Wouldn't he kiss her at least? But then she remembered. Jonathan. She had caught him with another model kissing one day when she was on a show. She had come from the runway only to find Jonathan kissing another girl. She was not even a model for Christ's sake. She had been one of the make-up artists whose names Linda did not wish to remember.

What was up with guys? But there was a man. The man who had held her tight last night in her dreams and told her to calm down. No. To come down. Wasn't that the bearded man? She got confused by her own imagination. Either she was imagining things or getting them wrong. She looked around this place. It was beautiful, and going back to her solitary house would be the last thing on her mind right. She would be damned if she went back and left all the cuteness in this place. She slowly moved to the window and gazed at the compound. Its vastness surprised her. There was a gate at the very far distance, and huge luxurious decorations. Who would bring a drunk to her home that looked as good as a person? She was starting to feel unworthy.

Quickly, Linda rushed back to the bed and felt its softness a little bit more. Before being reminded that she would have to leave. After an hour of passing time thoughtfully, she got up again, made the bed, and walked to the bathroom.

"Oh! My God!'' She was again shocked by its massiveness. She had seen luxuries during her time in Milan as a model, but she had not found a single bathroom that looked like this. The mirrors, the towels, the soups, the tab, quickly, she got into the tub and washed her body with all soaps.

This must be his wife's room. She thought, at the sight of other expensive dresses that were on the hungers. He surely doesn't seem old enough to father a daughter big enough to wear clothes this size, but his wife could.

She concluded that his wife would just deal with the fact that she was dressed in her clothes when she met Linda or bumped into her somewhere in this huge palace, and if she is the picky sensitive type, maybe she would just give Linda the dress. For that matter, Linda wore one of the expensive ones so that if rejected by the lady of the house, she would walk away with something expensive. After combing her hair, she went and walked around the bedroom, ensuring if everything was intact. Then she decided that she would give herself a tour after here before finding something to eat. This house's vastness was incredible and she was convinced that eventually, she would land on something here that would spark her creativity and get her back to work.

By the time she finished to take her tour, it was a quarter to 5pm and for someone who had woke up at mid-day, the timing was incredible. It was worth it and where was he? Had she been kidnapped by some stranger and locked up in some mansion like one of the girls she had read about? Although for her case, Linda could vow she would as much love to be kidnapped and lavished in a place like this. To her, it would not be abduction. It would be luxury. The place was big and beautiful. She had seen the gallery, and what seemed like a drawing room. Then she had been to the living room. Four other vast bedrooms and bathrooms, numerous corridors, plus doors that seemed strange she would be damned to open them by herself. Their vastness was a mystery.

She had also gone to the gym downstairs, glared at the make-up center, the indoor swimming pool by the lounge, what seemed like a mini bar close to what she called the lobby, a library, a study room, a kitchen, plus lots of wine and oils from one of the compartments in the basement. That was where she was coming from now. With a bottle of vinegar in her hands. She'd loved vinegar. Her grandmother had always used it for cooking in almost all the meals she would prepare for them on those family visits.

Where was Mr. Mayor? She'd not seen his face all day and from the look of things, perhaps she needed some space. She thought he would be thinking so.

Bill Mayan was at the office. Pacing around. He had lost track of everything. He had lost track of time. He had been distracted and he guessed that was even obvious to the clients he had had to deal with all day. He was hating himself.

Nothing was supposed to come between Bill Mayan and his work. Nothing and nothing at all. But this girl, she had come from wherever she had come, walked into his life, and disorganized it. He was hating himself. It had been long ago when he had vowed that he would not let a woman come in between him and what he stood for.

It was after Dibba, his first girlfriend at college had cheated on him. He had been cute and geeky, spending time doing work that she felt he was not doing enough to keep her. He had loved her yet she had turned her back on him. She had broken his heart. She had said all the hurtful things that he did not want to re-play even after so many years. She had boldly told him he was selfish, all he cared about was himself and his goddamn dreams. That he would never manage to take care of a woman. That he was doomed to fail when it came to maintaining one. then she had walked away from him like that. The next evening, he had found Dibba at their spot, where they used to hang out together, kissing another guy who was the captain of the swimming team not because he'd been the best swimmer in the world, but because he even had more money than Bill. It had hurt and stung.

After that, Bill had gone for a semester at sea program, then started his multimillionaire enterprise. The next thing he had done after that was to go for swimming classes and own the swimming team that he knew Dibba's guys worked for… And thank God the last time he had seen Dibba was three years ago on a plane to Rome. He had sat across while he watched her fumble with the two kids he knew right away she'd mothered. He did not look her way again.

This time, he wondered what he could do to feel better. He had seen the girl lying in his bed a few hours ago. She had been sleeping gracefully, like she had no trouble or care in the world. Still only hours ago she had been in the same bed. Calling her parents, yearning for them not to go. Fighting with invisible forces. Where were they? Was she always getting herself drunk? God, he was disgusted by the thought of it. It was one thing he wanted her to get rid of. But first, like he had promised himself, he would tame her, he would ensure that she regrets drinking before he developed any attachments to her, he would punish her for disgracing him and herself in his own way, then he would make her yearn. Yearn for him.

"I have to go." He mumbled while he picked his coat and walked out of the office

"Mr. Mayan," His secretary called

"Save that for tomorrow Phoebe' He shouted back and left.

Phoebe stared at him in shock and she went back to her desk.