The afternoon sun bled through the heavy velvet curtains of the master suite, casting long, jagged shadows across the floor. Leo sat motionless on the edge of his bed, his head bowed, fingers laced tightly together. The silence of the room was heavy, yet in his mind, it was deafeningly loud with the roar of the fire. He sat there, his mind spiraling into deep thoughts about the accident that had nearly claimed his home and his life.
Several yards away, standing far from him, Leah watched. She remained perfectly still, a silent observer in the corner of the room.
Leo did not see her. He was too submerged in the darkness of his own memories to notice the girl standing in the shadows.
As she watched him, Leah's mind drifted back to her college days. She remembered how she used to stand far away from him just like this, quietly looking at him, admiring the person he was from a distance. A small, sad smile touched her lips.
"I love Leo a lot," she whispered to her own heart.
"I can't even take it if anything happens to him."
The thought that someone was out there, actively trying to kill him, sparked a cold fury inside her. Her resolve hardened.
"Whatever it is, I will face it and I will save Leo at all costs."
"I don't know whether I will live or not. But before I die, I will see you happy and make all your problems and dangers go away."
She looked at his slumped shoulders. She knew that while he looked strong and acted powerful on the outside, he was sensitive.
"I don't want Leo to discover who I am. It will really break his heart or even give him pain. I can't even take it if Leo feels bad because of me."
She kept these words locked deep inside. She knew she would have to face many dangers intended for him, and that meant she would have to lie to his face to keep him from feeling the weight of the truth.
"I know I can't be honest with Leo every time for his sake and happiness, but I have to be loyal and sincere in my heart."
"So, if I lose my life and have to leave Leo and my world, I should not feel bad that I made the people whom I loved feel pain because of me."
She looked at him, the distance between them feeling like an ocean.
"I am really unlucky, Leo. I can't say anything I feel for you in my heart and soul to you."
"I am saying all of my words in my heart in front of you. So you should not listen."
"Now, for me, my love and life do not matter. Only your life and happiness matter."
"I'm sorry, Leo, for lying to you and speaking lies in front of you."
"My name is Leah and I am your classmate and also your employee and a big fan of your selfless nature and attitude and also your songs."
"But my heart speaks true and my actions also speak true."
"I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH LEO. I deeply love you and care for you more than my life and own happiness."
Leah lowered her head, the weight of the unspoken words pressing down on her. Leo had heard none of it; it was a confession meant only for the silence of the room. She wiped her tears quickly, her mind shifting back to the danger at hand.
Who might attack Leo? And why?
Finally, Leo's eyes shifted. He looked up and noticed Leah standing far from him in the room. He blinked, shaking off his daze.
"Miss Elsa?" Leo called out.
"Did you call me?"
Elsa replied, "No."
"Why did you ask like that, Leo?"
Leo looked confused. "I thought you called me."
"No," Elsa said, forced a small smile.
Leo turned away, asking himself in the silence of his mind, Why did I feel Elsa called me by my name? Oh no, I am acting weird in front of a crazy girl.
He turned back to her, his voice more stern now.
"What are you doing here in my bedroom?"
Leah's heart jumped at the mention of the name "Elsa."
My name is Leah, she thought to herself. According to the world, you are Leah, idiot. But now, you are Elsa.
"Speak it out!" Leo demanded.
"Why do you remain silent and think and look somewhere else when I call you or question you?"
"No," Elsa replied.
"I am just thinking about something else. I just want to talk to you regarding..."
Leo cut her off instantly.
"Don't ask me any stupid questions of the fire accident and how it happened!"
"Seriously, I don't know. Maybe it is an accident that happened."
As he spoke, Elsa's mind flashed back to the men she had overheard in the dark room, discussing the attack and their intent to kill Leo.
Without evidence, I should not reveal to Leo about what I listened, she told herself. I have to find the culprit but I have to save Leo.
Leo stood up and approached her, his eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"I don't know why, but you don't look like a housing staff."
"I'm getting some instinct and gut feeling like you are educated and also lying to me."
Elsa felt a jolt of shock.
Oh my God, why is Leo this smart and catching my lies so easily? Are men all this smart?
Leo laughed with a note of frustration.
"Why are you making me get frustrated again and again and you are not answering my questions at all?"
I have to be very careful with Leo, Elsa thought.
"Yes, I am educated and your instinct is right," Elsa said aloud. "I am well educated and also a graduate and a post-graduate as well. But I didn't get a job."
"Why?" Leo asked.
Elsa remained silent.
"Ok, ok," Leo said, waving a hand. "Don't worry, I will get you a job in my company. You don't need to work in my house as staff. Give me your certificates."
Leah remained silent again.
Leo began to walk toward her. Thinking he might touch her, Elsa instinctively stepped backward. Leo watched her with suspicious eyes before turning and walking out of the room.
"Where did I find this weird girl?" Leo muttered to himself. "Who is doing everything weird?"
Leo made his way downstairs to the living room. There, he found Tina, his sister who had just returned from her education in Paris.
Tina hugged him tightly.
"I am so happy to see you, Tina," Leo said.
"I am also so happy, Bro," Tina replied.
As they stood there, Leo's father, Richard, and his mother, Isabella, walked into the living room. Lucy and Ava followed them into the house. Robert, the business partner and long-time friend of Richard, approached and hugged him.
Robert sat on the sofa as the servants began to serve coffee and snacks. He looked at Richard.
"Bro, you know we are friends from years. I like you and your family a lot."
Robert stood up as he saw Leo and gave him a hug. He then turned back to Richard.
"I want to give you a proposal."
"What is it, Robert?" Richard asked.
"Will you get Leo married to my elder daughter, Lucy?"
Leo froze in shock.
Elsa, who was watching from the periphery, felt the world tilt. She was hit with a wave of emotion. Tina embraced Lucy with excitement, but Elsa felt completely overwhelmed. She walked away from the group, hiding in a corner.
She let the tears fall for a moment.
"I should not feel bad and I should be happy," she whispered to herself.
"Because Leo will be happy after marriage and Lucy might be a good girl."
She cried harder, the pain blooming in her chest.
"I think everything is going to be okay and Lucy will take care of Leo."
"If I stay here, I will get emotional and may do anything. I will leave once and for all once all the dangers around Leo are gone. But I have to leave after finding the culprit and exposing him."
"I have to accept the truth. I am a soul, not a human, and I am not a match for Leo."
Feeling the weight of her heartache, Elsa moved through the house and found Isabella, Leo's mother. Isabella was walking fast toward her bedroom, looking distressed. Elsa followed and saw Isabella crying in her room.
"I don't know what to do and how to save my son," Isabella sobbed.
"The priest predicted Leo is in danger and also all the words the priest said about Leo became true since childhood."
"Now, the priest predicts Leo is having danger around him and he should stay away from fire. Dangers will follow him for over six months."
"How can I save my son?"
Isabella wiped her eyes, her voice trembling.
"And now Richard also wants to get Leo married soon. The priest even predicted Leo should not marry in this tough period because it would danger the other person also."
"Even I can't say this to Richard. Richard would never believe this, but the priest's words are true. Leo already fell into danger because of fire over three times. He nearly missed another fire accident at his friend's wedding also."
Listening from the shadows, Elsa was stunned.
"What? Fire?"
"Really? Six months?"
The words "six months" triggered a memory. She remembered the doctor's words about her own six-month survival. It matched perfectly with the priest's prediction of Leo being in danger for the upcoming six months.
She remembered the fire accident in the bathroom. She remembered the strange way the water had passed from her hands, stopping the flames from reaching Leo just in time.