Chapter 3: How true? (So true)

{Iris}

"Tiger?" Iris scowled.

Her feet are not stopping from trudging the bush that's amazingly on this huge mansion.

Iris has almost been played,almost believing that man's lie of a tiger in the mansion.

If he desperately wanted her to stay, he definitely shouldn't have played dumb.

Iris rolled her eyes, fastening her clothes around herself. Her small pulse still held tightly in her palm.

She had not gone against her doctrine just to be stopped by a tactic joke of a tiger being kept as a pet.

"Forgive me, ma'am. I hope he won't be too mad at you. I just wanted to escape." She muttered under her breath, remembering how she tricked the nice woman that had come to give her food.

Iris doesn't do emotional blackmail, but to escape this eternity of suffering that comes in the form of marriage, she would do anything even if it goes against her doctrine.

Suddenly halting her step, for she's just noticed something.

Iris whirled around, seeing how deep she's gone into a stupid Forrest that's not supposed to be in a huge mansion like this.

She remembered how clean the path she took was when she was being led into the house.

But what is this? Could she be lost?

"Goodness!" She massaged her temple, letting out a heavy sign. "Jesus! This is so stupid of him."

Not understanding why a man will grow a forest in his house. Iris wanted to cry. She's been going round without finding an exit.

"Wait," she gasped, hand flying to her mouth for a thought had run through her mind. Her heart trembled, feet shaking beneath her. "Could it be his tactic? Does that mean I'm not the first? Is he a real kidnapper? What...."

A loud beastly growl halts any thoughts from wandering her mind.

Looking up with a frown, her eyes dipped as she inquisitively moved toward where the sound was coming.

Iris made her steps as light as she could, slowing down her breath so she won't attract whatever it's that might be there.

Or maybe could he be telling the truth? Could there really be a tiger?

Pursing her lips, her feet continue trudging towards the sound, using the full moon as her aiding light...It's better to see for oneself than believing a word of a kidnapper.

The growl came again, and this time a little louder and threatening that made Iris winced.

It doesn't sound like a dog, and no, Iris will die before she believes someone will be mental enough to keep a tiger in a place people are living.

"But he doesn't look normal," she tried to argue with herself. "Someone..."

"No!" A loud scream escaped her lips, butt landed on the dusty grass, for Iris had seen something that drove other thoughts far away from her, and made her glued onto the floor.

Matching towards her...in a menacing step is a tiger truly....only that he's not cute with all the saliva drooping down her mouth. Its gaze on the trembling Iris, and a growl escaped the tiger's mouth again...like a sound of someone jubilating seeing a prey it could prey on.

Her breath ragged, tears leaked down her eyes down to her mouth, tasting the salty water on her lips. Iris' heart hammered against her ribs, the rapid beats echoing on her ears.

Where had it all gone wrong? How...when?

She wanted to run, but her feet couldn't even move. Fears licked her at the edge of her consciousness, threatening to consume the little life she had left.

Is she going to die? Without even having a heart to heart conversation with her father.

Now thinking about her father, Iris resists the urge to put the blame on him if she ends up becoming a raging tiger dinner tonight.

Closing her eyes, still curled up on the ground she's. All reasoning left her, the will to escape consumed by the new flames of fear licking through her body.

Iris conceded to her situation...but not without thinking…

"It really will be better getting married to a devil than being served as dinner to a tiger."

"Because of you, and just for today, I've gone against my own rules! Twice!"

Iris eyes flicked open, and they landed on the tiger who's now sitting, pawning on the grassy land.

His expression is void of those menacing gaze, but it's now pawning the ground, angry and probably sulking for being denied a great food tonight.

Iris wanted to believe that this new action and expression of the tiger has to do with the presence of the owner of that familiar voice.

Slowly, she whirled around, her misty gaze meeting the scowl of a man that's come to kidnap her and now saved her from being a tiger's food.

Iris wanted to run to his arm. To hide behind him. To cry on his chest while he comforted her, but she broke down in tears right on the floor.

She couldn't possibly seek comfort from a man who almost killed her. She knows, and she strongly believes that nothing of this would have happened if she's in her hostel.

But because of this man, she experienced a near death situation.

Different kinds of emotions run through her, but the sadness consumes the flame of anger burning through her...sadness, anger and fear of what this man might do to her again.

Everything was so overwhelming she howled into the night.

Iris just couldn't stop the tears. She couldn't stop her heart from racing so loudly. All the feelings for only her to experience. The fears, the betrayal, anger and the sadness.

If only...if only…

"Please..." She cried out, staring at the man who seemed unaffected with her loud growl.

Iris didn't expect otherwise, but she won't deny the pang of anger that hit her when the man shows no sign of humanity.

"Let me go."

"And why should I?" The man wrapped his arms around his midriff, effortlessly leaning against the car. Amused, and maybe surprised at the tantrum this girl is playing.

No! If she thought her cry could get his knees buckle, then she's gotten the wrong guy... because he loves listening to people's cry of agony more than anything else.

"I don't even know you!" Iris angrily wiped her tears, regaining a little of her strength to sit on her knees. "I'm sure you've mistaken me for another girl. I'm not the girl you're looking for. Listen..."

The man sighed. He fetched something out of his pocket, then he moved toward the crawling girl on the floor.

"Here," he scowled, throwing down a phone. "Call your father with that."

Iris scrambled for the phone, ignoring the threatening towering height of the man before her.

No! She could ignore everything now that she's gotten a phone.

After punching her father's line in the phone, his father picked up the second ring.

"D...ad..." Iris' voice cracked. Breathlessly, she hugged the phone to her ear, desperate for even a sign from his father.

No! She wanted to hear his voice. His assurance that he has nothing to do with everything happening to her. "D..ad."

"Iris?"

Iris let out a shaky breath, relieved on hearing her father's voice.

"Dad. Some men... Men... Came to my school today..."

"I'm sorry, Iris!"

"Ugh. No. Don't tell me you know about it, father."

"I'm really sorry, Iris. It's the only thing I can do."

Only thing he can do? To get her married to a man without her knowledge?

Something broke in her. Her world came crashing down before her. For the second time today, Iris felt betrayed... A betrayal that hurts more than being stabbed to death by a two edged knife.

"Why? Dad?"

But the line is dead. The voice she's grown to love turn cold to her ear.

The man she's grown to love her presence left her in the cold hand of death.

The phone slipped out of her hand, leaving Iris' hand to cradle her ear.

It's a lie. She wanted to believe. For the first time, she hoped her father was lying.

"Why?" Iris looked up, matching her eyes with the man's above her. "What have you done to my father?. What have you used to threaten him?"

The man sighed. He bent on his knees, falling in level with the girl. His face contorted in confusion. Going against his rules by keeping what's going on from this girl or telling her since she asked for it.

But Damien didn't want to be wicked. The girl is already feeling miserable enough and stabbing her in the heart could do nothing less of a damage.

Even though he'd like nothing more than seeing her break before him. The sadist in him craved her mental breakdown.

"Listen..."

"Is it money? Is my father owing you?" Iris' lips trembled, dreading the man's answer.

Iris shows her vulnerability, for the first time, she doesn't want him to answer the question. She doesn't want to confirm her fear.

Her father won't do that to her, would he? He won't exchange her for money, would he?

"The name is Damien," Damien sighed. "I thought you should at least know the name of the man you're getting married to. Damien Nightfall."

As Damien moved down to the car, Iris couldn't help but wonder if she could wake up tomorrow and everything turn out to be a dream