TRAPPED: Hideo Colombo Book 1

YSOLDE’s POV

He grabbed both of my arms and gently pushed me away from him. My body is still shaking from the fear I felt earlier.

“Hey! It’s okay. You are safe now,” said Hideo.

But I couldn’t raise my face to look at him. Besides being afraid to meet his eyes, I was also ashamed of him because I suddenly hugged him.

“Go on… you can take a bath, so you can get dressed.”

Only then did I raise my face and look at him. I don’t know if I saw the emotion in his eyes correctly when our eyes met before he looked away from me. It’s like… I saw he felt sorry for me because of what happened earlier. I don’t know, I’m not certain. Or maybe I’m just imagining it.

And because I didn’t immediately look away from him, I could also clearly see how in his jaw clenched.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

He sighed. “Get up there and take a shower,” said Hideo, then immediately turned around and walked towards the door to leave the room.

“Hideo!” I called his name when he was about to hold the doorknob. He stopped. I waited a few moments for him to turn-but he didn’t. I let out a deep but gentle sigh again. “Thank you!” I told him, still in tears.

“Take a shower, Ysolde!” That was all he said, and he left the room when he opened the door. I was left alone.

I closed my eyes tightly and took another deep breath and released it into the air. Likewise, I’m sitting on the edge of the bed, but my whole body still feels the same. I’m still shaking with fear, and I’m still in shock because of what that man did to me earlier.

Later, I looked at the open window when I heard a loud gunshot. Even though my knees were still weak, I got up the courage to stand up from where I was sitting and hurried to the window to see what was happening outside the house and why someone had fired a shot.

“Boss! I apologize!” said the man who almost raped me earlier. He was kneeling in the sand with his palms together and begging to Hideo.

Hideo’s jaw tightened again as his eyes stared at his bodyguard. After a while, he tightened his grip on the gun and pointed it at the man again.

“Boss! Please, I’m begging you. Don’t kill me!” the man screamed in fear as he begged him repeatedly. “Don’t kill me, boss! Please, I’m begging you.”

“You know what I hate the most?” Hideo asked firmly. “What I hate most of all is someone who cheats and betrays me.”

He pulled the trigger of his gun again. The bullet hit the tree behind the man.

“It… it won’t happen again, boss! P-please, I just couldn’t stop myself earlier, so I went to her room-”

“Damn!”

Hideo pulled the trigger of the gun again… but this time, the bullet hit the man’s forehead. The man’s body fell into the sand.

My eyes widened in shock when I saw what Hideo did. I was shocked because of what I witnessed, and I could not move from where I was standing. Merciful God! In my entire life… this is the only time I have witnessed such a crime. It didn’t even happen right in front of me, but I could clearly see how Hideo would kill that man.

Tears suddenly fell from my eyes, and I stepped back slightly when I saw Hideo look up and see me through the window. He saw me peeking, and I witnessed what he did. He is a criminal.

Who are you, Hideo? Why is it so easy for you to kill people?

***

I don’t know how long I’ve been soaking in the bathtub. I kept rubbing my arms, body, and thighs because I felt like I could still smell the stench of the man who tried to rape me earlier. Even though he’s dead, I’m still terrified.

“Ysolde!”

I was distracted when I heard a knock from outside the bathroom door. She seems to be the woman who brought me food earlier.

“Ysolde, aren’t you done yet? The boss has been waiting for you for a while.”

My eyebrows crossed when I heard what she said. Hideo is waiting for me? Why? Because I’m the next one he’s going to kill because I witnessed the crime he committed earlier? Because of that thought, my chest suddenly pounded again due to fear. Jesus! What is this life I have entered now? Why do I have to go through this now? Can’t I just go home to my papa? I want to go home! I’m so afraid right now.

“Ysolde!”

I looked at the closed bathroom door. I feel like the doorknob is about to break because of that woman’s repeated turning from outside. But I don’t care. I will not stand in the bathtub just to open it on, and I will not leave here.

Instead, I leaned my back against the side of the bathtub again and closed my eyes as I let out a deep breath. I let the woman keep knocking on the door until she stopped. But just a few minutes later, I suddenly opened my eyes when I heard a loud noise. I looked at the door; it was broken, and I saw Hideo standing in the middle of it. His eyebrows meet as he stares at me.

“What are you doing?” asked Hideo.

I don’t know what to do at this moment. I have no clothes. My naked body was just submerged in the water.

“W-what…” I couldn’t say what I wanted to say to him.

“Damn it, Ysolde! Why are you not answering? Jule called you a while ago.” He retorted.

“Didn’t hear her. I… fell asleep.” I apologized to him. He looks scary now, so if I tell him I don’t care if Jule called me earlier, he might suddenly shoot me like he did to the man earlier. “I’m sorry,” I said again, while I couldn’t look at his eyes properly.

His jaw tightened and he stepped closer to me. Because I was afraid that he might see my naked body, I immersed myself even more in the water.

“W-what, are you doing? I’m naked-”

“The hell I care,” said Hideo angrily, causing me to interrupt my word.

He violently took my hand that was submerged in water and effortlessly pulled me upright in the bathtub, causing me to scream. My God! I panicked and didn’t know how to cover my naked body. When I looked at him, I saw him staring at me from head to toe.

My eyes widened, and I immediately withdrew my hand from him. I covered my chest with one arm, while my other palm I covered between my thighs.

I screamed loudly and pushed him. But he didn’t even move from where he was standing and didn’t even take his eyes off me. “Ahhh!” I screamed again and spun around and dipped my body in the water again. “Maniac!” I feel mixed emotions at this moment. Fear, anger and shame. And I’m sure my entire face is red now because of my embarrassment because he saw my naked body. God! All my life, I was the only one who could see my whole body. Then now… this is all this man will do? “Ahhh!” I shouted again, and I couldn’t stop myself from crying. “Papa! Help me!”

“Shut up, Ysolde!”

“Ahhh!”

“I said shut up if you don’t want me to undress here in front of you and join you there in the bathtub.”

I was stunned suddenly when I heard what he said. I stared at his serious face while he was also staring at me. This Hideo is really shameless! He’s a criminal, he’s rude!

Tears welled up in my eyes.

“Stop crying-”

“Then let me go home!” I shouted at him. “Let me go home, please! I want to go home to my dad. I would rather not be here.”

But he just gave me a sharp look.

“P-please Hideo! I would like to go home!” I begged him. “P-please! Let me go home. I wish to be with my dad.”