But that face, full of shock and confusion, turned into a blank, furious expression in less than one second.
The air seemed to vibrate with tension as Roman’s anger radiated from him like a palpable force.
Without her knowing, Roman was more than angry because of what she said, and he stomped out of the dining room with a dangerous aura surrounding him.
The sound of his heavy footsteps echoed through the hallway, leaving an unsettling silence in his wake.
"Did you hear that voice?" one of the guards who were patrolling close to the building asked the one beside him, his voice low and cautious.
The faint scent of their cigar smoke wafted through the air, a familiar comfort in the tense atmosphere.
"I hear nothing," the one beside him replied, his eyes scanning the surroundings, as if searching for any sign of trouble.
His hand instinctively went to his gun, a habitual gesture that betrayed his unease.
"Look, I know you because we have been working for the boss since five years ago. I know you heard the voice; I didn’t. Didn’t you?" he asked again, his tone laced with a hint of curiosity.
The sound of crickets provided a soothing background hum, a stark contrast to the guards’ growing unease.
"Yes, I hear it, but Malone, I prefer to be deaf because it is not my business," he said to Malone, the one beside him, his expression a mask of neutrality.
His eyes, however, betrayed a flicker of interest, a hint that he was not as indifferent as he seemed.
"You know, Darrel, it’s okay, don’t lecture me now," Darrel cut him short, because he knows his guard friend would start lecturing right there, and he hated it, all about morals.
The warm glow of the setting sun cast long shadows across the grounds, illuminating the guards’ curious faces.
"But it sounds like a female voice," Darrel said after some time, and then quickly corrected himself, "No, it can’t be; the boss hates women, yeah, it can’t be, never." His eyes narrowed, as if pondering the implications of this new information.
The sound of the wind rustling through the trees seemed to amplify his thoughts, as if nature itself was weighing in on the conversation.
"Yes, indeed, it’s a female voice. Don’t you know, the boss is now living with a fine young lady in the mansion?"
Someone beside him suddenly said, not in a hushed voice, which made the other guard’s ears perk up, and some even started making their way to where the person talking to Darrel was.
The guards’ movements were like a ripple effect, a subtle disturbance that spread throughout the grounds.
"What did you say?" Darrel asked in disbelief, looking at the other guard with round eyes, his expression a mixture of shock and intrigue.
His mouth hung open, as if the words had been snatched from his lips.
"Yes, you aren’t home today, right? Then let me tell you," Helios began, but was cut off by another guard.
"Cut it, Helios, just tell us," one of the guards who was impatient with the tension Helios was creating cut him off.
The sound of their voices was like a spark, igniting a fire of curiosity that spread throughout the guards.
"Okay, fine. Today, like I think around eleven in the morning, I saw Jack driving the Rolls-Royce Wraith, my favorite car. Ahhh, Helios, will you stop it? Everyone, even the boss, knows that you like his Rolls-Royce. Okay, so we just need to hear the story, not your favorite," another guard interrupted Helios, his voice tinged with amusement.
The guards’ laughter was like a release, a momentary distraction from the tension that had been building.
"Okay, then listen. He brought the young lady in and showed her every corner of the house, as if the house would be hers from now on. You don’t know how greatly I’m surprised," Helios said, and all of them resumed what they were doing when they heard the front door opening.
The creaking of the old wooden door echoed through the hallway, a familiar sound that seemed out of place in the tense atmosphere.
"What does he take himself for, to ask me to be his wife, and maybe we will even do those things couples do? No way, I have a lot of things to do than being his wife.
There is no way for that, not even in his dreams. How perverted," Julie said, and kept talking to herself until she reached the gate.
Seeing no one there, Julie slowly turned around to make sure no one was watching, and quickly she walked out of the magnificent gate.
The cool evening breeze rustled her hair as she stepped into the unknown, the sound of her footsteps fading into the distance.
While from one corner of the mansion, more than twenty guards were peeping at the girl who suddenly banged out of the mansion and left through the gate.
Forty minutes later, Julie was walking down the road with nothing - no money, no clothes, just nothing except the nightgown she wore.
Walking absent-mindedly on the road, Julie had no idea that she attracted the attention of three people who were notorious for stealing and raping whoever displayed themselves at this time of night.
"Hey baby," one of them called, and Julie, who was absent-minded, kept walking peacefully, as if she wasn’t in the world.
Meanwhile, back at the mansion, Roman was watching the security footage and saw Julie getting out of the house at 8:30.
Immediately, he rose and strode out of the house angrily. His beautiful, manly legs, full of stamina, descended the stairs quickly as he strode out of the house.
"Where are the rest?" Roman asked coldly when he got out of the mansion door and met one of the guards.
Seeing him, the guard knew something was wrong, and in less than two minutes, all the guards lined up in front of the mansion.
"Get the cars," Roman said and called out to his best men. "Athor, where were you when she got out?" Roman thundered.
"Sorry, sir, I went to the restroom earlier," Athor said, bowing his head deeply.
"We will definitely find her, sir," Author quickly said, because he knew his punishment well, more than anyone else.
"You know your punishment - after she is back, you will go back to repent," Roman said coldly as he got into one of the aligned cars, and gently, they got out of the house.
In the car, Roman was being fed up by what the CCTV footage of the area showed, and easily, they were able to know which line Julie followed, and they followed suit.
But just as the car slowed down, another footage opened, and the guard gasped.
But before the guard could say anything, Roman grabbed the computer, and seeing the video display inside, his knuckles cracked.
The video footage displayed Julie fighting and trying to save herself from the three men, but since she got out of the hospital recently, she was not strong enough to run away or fight them, and the men carried her away as she no longer had the strength to resist.
With his face blank and the aura surrounding him dangerously, Roman, who was now holding the computer, said, "Stop the car," at once, and the car stopped immediately, which the others followed suit.
Immediately, Roman got out of the car, and when he turned left, he saw what he was looking for, the indication to where they have taken her and he quickly strode there while Athor gave instructions to the other guards to search the area, and he followed Roman closely behind, who was walking with his long legs, half-running.
And as he walked forward, looking around the corner, he heard a hushed voice, and immediately, as if his legs got a mind of their own, his legs took him to the last corner.
And seeing one of the men tearing up her nightgown, Roman’s eyes darkened, and just like a flash, Roman’s fist came flying at the person who was on top of Julie.
Roman hated women, but if there was something he despised more, it was violating them. And knowing someone was trying to violate someone he knew, he couldn’t just walk past it or stay at bay.
That was impossible. In a blink of an eye, the three men were laying unconscious on the ground, and quickly, Roman walked to where Julie was laying on the ground with tears streaming down her eyes, but she had no strength to get up or move a finger.
"Julie," Roman called her name softly as he knelt on his knees beside her and take her in his arms, but that was just for a second before she passed out. Seeing her breath getting shallow, Roman grew worried, and quickly, he picked her up in a bridal style and strode out of there with his long legs.