Harley's POV

My shins burned as I raced through the corridors. The fucking heels I was in did nothing but disable me. I threw them to the side once I left the basement. It pained me since they were red bottoms and probably cost a fortune, but I had to hurry. I could smell smoke fill the air as I sprinted to the kitchen. No one was there. I checked every washroom leading up to here, and she was nowhere to be found.

Retracing her footsteps from earlier, I turned towards the opposite side of the kitchen and saw a small opening that leads to a set of narrow steps. I didn't see her come up here, but who knows. I race up the steps with a quickness. I wish I could rip this fucking dress off. It was tight and halting my movements. I would've worn shorts or something underneath if I had known I'd be on some mission impossible shit. I couldn't help but notice how deserted the entire estate is. We've only come across four guards the entire time we have been here, and Henry took them all out alone.

The stairs led to another dimly lit hallway. Unlike downstairs, there weren't rooms branching off on each side. I could only make out three rooms, to be exact.

"Consuelo!" I hissed, "Consuelo, Are you up here?" I stalked to the first door. It was empty. I moved to the second door after. "Consuelo!" I said a little louder this time. The second room was only a small bathroom with no one in it. "Consuelo, I have Maria!

"What the fuck are you doing?" A voice roared behind me. I jumped at the abrupt noise. It was one of Huncho's guards. A very large one.

"I w-I mean I-" I stuttered all over the place. This was the end of the road for me. How the hell was I supposed to get past this big-ass guard?! So I opted for the best option, and that was simply....tell the truth. "I'm looking for Consuelo, the chef. Do you know where she is?" I asked. I cocked my head to the side like a lost puppy and offered a sad smile to emphasize my distress. He didn't move, only twisted his face in confusion. I moved my mouth to speak to him again since it seemed like telling the truth wasn't working in my favor, but before I could speak, I saw a body walk around the corner towards it.

"Consuelo!" I shouted, jogging towards her. I pushed past the guard, no longer paying him any mind. If he were going to hurt me or stop me, he would have done it by now. Ignoring him seemed like the most efficient option. "Thanks for your help! I found her!" I shouted to the guard and grabbed Consuelo's hand, pulling her with me down the steps. She was elderly, of course, so our steps were slower but that guard was even slower. He just shrugged and went about his day. No wonder Huncho was in a deep shit; his guards couldn't protect him at all.

"Que está pasando?" (What's going on?) Consuelo asked. Once we were in the clear, I stopped us and turned to her.

"Maria told me to come find you. She is waiting for you to take you home." I explained to her. Her face morphed from confusion and frightened to relief and sadness.

"Mi María?" (My María?) She pointed at herself. I guess she really hasn't seen Maria in a long time. She didn't even know Maria was trying so hard to find her and bring her home.

"Yes, she's outside. Let's hurry." I nodded to her and smiled.

"Gracias, Ms. Gianna," (Thank you, Ms.Gianna) she cried.

"It's Harley. Call me Harley." I smiled as tears escaped her eyes. —————————————-

"Finally. Where the fuck have you been?" Emilio barked at me once I made it to the back of the house, where Maria stood with her fingers in her mouth and a frown on her face and looking down at the bricked driveway.

"Sorry." I was out of breath again, but Consuelo followed close behind me. "I tried to get back as fast as I could." I stopped and bent over, placing my hands on my knees to catch my breath. Damn, I did not think that this was how today was going to go. I deserve a day off after this shit.

"Maria, mi muñeca!" (María, my precious doll) Consuelo cried out, making Maria's eyes snap up, and a gasp left her lips. She rushed to her, wrapping her slim arms around her Abuelas thick body and stroking her salt and pepper hair.

"No sé como agradecerle por todo lo que ha hecho," (I don't know how to thank you for everything you've done) Maria cried. "Thank you" she grabbed my hands in hers.

"It was no problem." I gave her hands a firm shake. "Now go, get your life back," I told her, and she nodded and grabbed her Abuela's hand firmly and pulled her with her into the dusk. Once they were out of view, I turned to Emilio, who was preoccupied looking at something else off in the distance.

"What are you looking a-" I began turning to meet what he was looking at. The side of the house was being engulfed in flames. The flames were consuming the greenhouse, taking all the foliage with it. Smoke descended from other parts of the house and the windows, including the center of the estate, the courtyard. I searched around me frantically, looking for another body that wasn't Emilio's. "Where is everyone?" the question left my mouth like a hesitant whisper. Just as I asked, three bodies emerged from the glowing house.

"Fuck." Emilio grunted and rushed towards the forms. I followed behind him; each step I took gave me a clearer image of who was walking towards us. My heart hammered against my chest with every inch.

"Get back," A voice grunted. It was Ralph warning me not to get close to the house. Julian and Pedro walked beside him casually with ash smeared on their faces. A sense of panic washed through me. My eyes frantically searched behind them, waiting for more bodies to come out, but no one did. It was just them.

"W-where is s-sir?" I squeaked out, my eyes still on the enflamed house. No one answered me, but it was most likely because the question came out too soft. "Where is sir? Where is Henry?!" I exclaimed. I've never raised my voice at someone, not to this extent. I fought with myself, but yet my mouth only said what I really wanted to say. I shouldn't care so much that he is in that burning house. He hasn't done anything but cause me pain.

"They're still in the house." Ralph sighed out. At this point, the house was almost completely covered in flames.

"W-wh-why aren't they coming out?" I stuttered. Frustration and nervousness were eating me up. "What are they doing!?" I exclaimed when I sensed no one wanted to answer me. "Fine." I sighed. "I'll find out myself then."

I moved towards the house without any regard for the smoke begging to pour out.

"Harley, stop!" Ralph called after me. "You go in there, and you'll get your ass kicked."

"I don't care." I moved forward into the house. The smoke immediately grasped the walls of my neck. My cough couldn't be suppressed no matter how much I tried. Nonetheless, I kept pushing forward. Henry had tried to tell me that earlier that sir could take care of himself, and I knew he could, but I still couldn't help but think he needed my help. It was ludicrous and slightly narcissistic that I thought he needed my help all of this time. It went beyond just my "assistant" duties, and I didn't want to know why.

Amidst all the smoke, a cast of black was moving around. Although this might be a dumb idea, I surged forward through the smoke. I knew I had stepped into the courtyard because I felt the drop-down and the mushy moss under my feet. I could see the tall brunt bonsai tree peeking through the smoke. I plunge into the center of the courtyard, although I could feel the flames brush against my skin. This place was about to come down. We didn't have much time. The trees were all on fire at this point. It was only a matter of time before this place was dust. I was almost at the black forms when I heard grunting and cursing. I knew that voice. That deep spine chilling voice. I thrust myself towards the voice. The sound increased louder and louder until I was in front of it.

"Sir." I breathed out. My eyes moved to take in the view. Sir was stripped of his expensive suit jacket. His white button sleeves were rolled up, exposing his tattooed forearms. Splats of crimson seeped across his shirt and shoes. His hands were pushed against the gold Buddha, and his arms bulged through his shirt; it looks like it wanted to break against the pressure.

His eyes snapped to me and widened. "Harley?" he breathed out. He lifted his arms away from the statue. His chiseled face was stained with ash and anger. I had only just noticed, but Henry was standing on the other side of the statue. "What the fuck are you doing in here?!" He roared. I physically cringed at the harsh sound.

"I-I c-came to find you." I stammered over my words. Unintentionally tears threatened to spill over my waterline.

"Why!" He didn't waste time walking up to me—his body toward over mine with ease. The heat of the burning house was intense, but the heat of his stare was worse. Sweat was dripping down my thighs and arm. "I told you to stay outside! Why don't you ever fucking listen!" he barked at me. I was confident before, but now I wasn't. I was sad, embarrassed, and most of all angry. Angry that he keeps treating me like a disrespectful slave. Angry that he didn't recognize me, I came in to make sure he was okay.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay! Why was that so wrong?! I wanted to make sure you both didn't fucking die! Because unlike you, I care about people!" I exclaimed. My voice bounced off the walls, making it sound 10x more. Tears were coming out of my eyes by now. I didn't want him to see me upset, so I turned my face away from him. His eyes stayed glued on my face, but he didn't move to talk.

"Leave. Now, Harley." He said sternly and began scrubbing at his forehead like he had the world on his shoulders. So I was right. He didn't care, maybe this was a bad time, but I was too far to stop. I was testing all his patience right now.

"Fuck you." and spat at him and worked my way through the smoke. It was hard to see, and my lungs were burning. My eyesight was getting fuzzy as I ran through the darkness. I could hear sir yell something to Henry, but that didn't make me stop. I kept running, braising flames and shielding myself from the heat. Again, I heard yelling coming from sir, but it was directed towards me now. I could hear him calling my name, but yet I didn't stop. My throat felt like it was closing, and sweat was now pouring down my face. I couldn't run anymore. Before I could stop myself, my knees dropped down to the ground. I no longer had control over my body. My eyes shut as the rest of my body hit the floor.

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Late update!!! Sorry sorry!! but I finally got it up!! I'm traveling abroad rn so it's been difficult to write but I'm gonna make it work as always. I wrote everywhere I went.

Thanks for reading!! Hope you guys enjoy!!

kisses xoxox

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