Chapter 13

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It was such a firm grip that Judith yelped in pain. Her bag fell off her lap when he harshly grabbed her wrist, so he picked it up and took it by the handle.

Heath dragged her away with one hand and her luggage in the other. His grip was still firm on her wrist, and she glared at the back of his head.

“Do you know where my destination is?”

“103 East Coast Street, St. Hawk. In front of the Curtis Mansion.”

He pushed her roughly inside a waiting car and threw her luggage at her, and a dull pain struck her thigh.

“Ouch…”

‘Oh my god! This man is incredibly rude. He totally deserves his reputation!’

“Nice to see you again, Miss.”

Judith raised her head to the sound of an unfamiliar voice, and the driver with a neatly trimmed beard greeted her in the rearview mirror. Judith was dumbfounded for a moment and started laughing. Same car, same driver. It was so ridiculous that she felt like she was experiencing some weird deja vu.

The door slammed beside her, and the door next to her opened. It was midsummer, and the car’s engine started as soon as he got inside. Judith glared at his position.

“Can I consider this situation kidnapping?”

“You’ll regret it if you accuse me like that. You don’t know who I am.”

Heath replied and took off his hat. Judith saw his thick and dark eyebrows, and his golden eyes turned a shade darker. It was the perfect eye color for a wild beast with bright red fur.

‘You don’t know who I am?’

Judith knew that he was the boss of the most notorious gang in Waltz. He led the outlaws of the city at night. What else was she supposed to know? Her heart pounded wildly over this crisis.

Did her sponsor really ask this scoundrel to pick her up? No way!

Heath glanced at Judith, who was in a state of panic, and he narrowed his eyes at her.

“Don’t worry about unnecessary things. For the second time, I’m here to bring you safely to your destination. That’s my only purpose.”

His kind words didn’t give her much relief. No matter what he said, her current situation was still kidnapping.

‘Are gangs into human trafficking too?’

While Judith was imagining the worst-case scenario, Heath knocked twice on the window.

“Let’s go.”

The car drove off, and Judith leaned back in his seat.

The busy view of the Waltz Central Station faded away in the distance.

The ride was surprisingly comfortable. Judith rubbed her sore wrist and the dull ache on her thigh when the car pulled out of Waltz’s downtown area and drove down a spacious four-lane road.

Heath didn’t stop her when she pulled out a large map of Waltz City from her luggage. Judith’s eyes went back and forth to the map and the streets to match the direction with the signs.

‘Turn right towards the East Coast… And keep going straight for 5 kilometers.’

Judith had confirmed that the car was indeed heading in the right direction. It was just hard not to be suspicious at first since a gangster was the one who dragged her here, but maybe Mr. Curtis really sent him to pick her up.

But still, it was too early to drop her guard down. Heath’s gaze had been on her ever since they got in the car. He even spoke to her with just one word.

“Name.”

“…Judith Wortherford.”

Her answer made him chuckle in a low sound. What was so funny? Her surname? Judith glared at him.

“Why are you using that surname?”

“It’s none of your business.”

“Do you send letters to Wortherford?”

“You seem to be misunderstanding something, but I am not interested in that crappy orphanage at all.”

Judith already expected his answer, and she bit her lower lip tightly. She had put up with so many things in her life, like her sponsor, the Director, her brothers and sisters in the orphanage; Judith endured everything. But at that moment, she couldn’t stop herself, so she turned her head around, wanting to give Heath a piece of her mind.

“….?”

Judith realized that Heath wasn’t looking at her face or eyes. His gaze was directed down her chin, past her neck, and past the collar of her blouse.

‘Oh, god!’

Judith couldn’t hide her contempt anymore.

“Mr. Ardmore, may I know where you’re looking at?”

“Something I didn’t know before.”

“I’m sorry, but you realize that what you’re doing is an incredibly shameless act, right?”

Judith’s hand instinctively went to her right thigh. Even fools like Peter from Kinsley University, who she thought was very rude, didn’t blatantly stare at her chest like this man.

‘Wait a minute…’

The direction of his gaze was slightly different from her initial assumption. He was staring above her chest and a little below her collarbone. At that moment, Judith felt a sudden chill. The thin metal chain holding the amber pendant felt warm against her skin as if a presence had awakened it.

Judith stopped herself from instinctively reaching out to her necklace and clenched her fist instead. Soon the burning sensation around her neck felt a little unbearable.

‘Does he know anything?’

There were only two people in the world who knew that she was a Maine from Kilgeny. Did her sponsor reveal her identity to his errand boy? To a notorious gangster in Waltz, no less!

Heath quickly raised his head and met her gaze. He didn’t seem to notice anything, nor did he look at her with suspicion, but even so, she wasn’t willing to risk it.

“…What’s your relationship with Mr. Curtis?”

“He’s a long-time client and a business partner.”

“I don’t think an honorable gentleman of Waltz such as himself would have any connections to a gang leader.”

“Honorable?”

Heath’s lips twisted into a smile as if she said something funny. It was clear that what she told him amused him since it lightened up his mood in an instant. He reached out his hand and grabbed Judith’s cheeks roughly.

“Curtis, a gentleman?”

“Oh, my!”

“Young lady, don’t trust your sponsor too much, and keep an eye out for yourself.”

He gripped her cheeks firmly, with his fingernails slightly digging into her skin. His strong hand shook her head to the right, forcing her to look out the window. The towering sight of the skyscrapers in the city reflected Judith’s eyes.

Before she knew it, Heath leaned over her shoulder and whispered sullenly to her ear.

“This isn’t the Western continent where you grew up. It’s not a good, noble society. There’s no distinction between wealth and honor in Waltz. What did you expect?”

“Let go.”

“Do you seriously believe that your sponsor is an honorable gentleman? You stupid girl. General Curtis is a company that manufactures lethal weapons for war. Do you think a person who runs a business like that cares about honor or pride?”

“Let go of me!”

Judith’s cheeks felt numb. Her teeth grazed the insides of her cheeks from his tight grip, and she could taste blood in her mouth. She forced to open her mouth and shot back at him even with an unclear pronunciation.

“It doesn’t really matter the kind of person he is. It doesn’t change the fact that he’s my sponsor.”

“Even if he only saved you for a purpose?”

“What are you trying to say?”

Judith’s voice faltered a little, and she started to feel dizzy. She threw away her last shred of politeness and even a hint of courtesy she kept for Rachel’s former student and glared into the man’s reflection in the window.

“You’re giving me advice? Be wary of Mr. Curtis? If you’re warning me against him, then why are you taking me to Curtis Mansion in the first place?”

“Why should I not? He paid me a large amount of money for this.”

There was no emotion in his voice, and the only thing Judith could feel was his firm grip on her cheeks.

He turned her head towards them, and they were now facing each other. The man looked at her as if he was judging her with his eyes alone.

“You’re not even worth the money.”

“Then why are you doing this to me?”

“Because I don’t like the way you act. You look stupid.”

Of course, his reasoning was ridiculous. However, his eyes looked serious, and he had a cold expression. He wasn’t much of a talker as well.

It was then that Judith noticed he had been in a foul mood from the start. When he saw her in Waltz, he was already furious.

‘Why doesn’t he like me being here?’

As if reading her mind, Heath muttered sternly.

“I get annoyed when I see a naive person like you.”

“What?”

“You look like a dog wagging its tail to its owner after having food thrown at it a few times.”

His words were blunt and held no warmth, contrary to his warm breath fanning her face. Judith’s heart pounded violently in her chest. Perhaps it was because of his dark gold eyes that she felt like a mouse caught in the claws of a bird like a prey. Judith struggled to get away from him.

“You’re such a vulgar man!”

The more Judith twisted her body, the more her necklace fell off underneath her blouse. Just a second, and she would be able to use her abilities on him! Still, it wouldn’t be an easy feat with the way he was gripping her face.

The man watched her struggle against him and smirked.

“People like me are inherently vulgar. If you knew your sponsor associates himself with a person like me, you should’ve gone home.”

After that line, the man let go of her face and retreated away from her. Judith squared her shoulders.

“Stay calm if you don’t want to be dragged to a distant place. Unless you want to be gagged and blindfolded.”

“You’re crazy.”

He never failed to astonish her whenever he said something. Judith couldn’t remember how she was treated as a prisoner of war, but it was probably similar to this. But even in death, she didn’t want to recall those memories again.

Heath leaned his head against the back of his hands with his elbow to the window, just as she remembered five years ago. He wasn’t looking at her anymore, but the atmosphere inside the care was still grim.

“Oh god…”

Judith sighed over the ridiculous situation.

So to sum it up, he was instructed to pick her up and accompany her to her destination just like five years ago. But besides that, he completely loathed her. Wasn’t this whole situation just ridiculous?

‘So what now? Is it my fault that he despises me?”

Everything was absurd. Not only was the man rude to hear, but he treated her harshly too.

Just in time, the car entered the East Coast.

With the sea on the right side, the car drove through a road in the woods and passed a sign saying, ‘103 Street, St. Hawk.’

Soon, after driving through the dense forest road, a huge mansion loomed in the distance. It was an impressive mansion with an ivory exterior wall, a luxurious terracotta terrace and balcony, and a garden with a marble fountain. Judith looked at the back of the driver’s head.

“I’m getting off. Stop the car.”

“Haha, even if you can see the mansion already, it’s still a long way off.”

“Stop the car!”

Judith’s hidden amber pendant momentarily fell off her blouse when she swept up her hair. After seeing her murderous glare in the rearview mirror, the driver’s eyes widened.

The driver pressed the brakes with a squeak, and the car quickly slowed down with a terrifying sound.

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