It was Sunday today, not that it was any different than my usual days. I had woken up at 7 and breakfast time was usually 11, which meant I was too early. I started my day by doing some yoga and then went into the bathroom to take a long, hot shower.

I scrubbed myself thoroughly and then wrapped a towel around myself. Minding my business, I went back into the room, not realising the presence of anybody else. I reached the dressing table and began applying moisturizer on my arms and that's when I saw the intruder's face in the mirror.

I shrieked loudly and jumped in my spot to turn around. There he was, Mr. Sean Miller, leaning carelessly against the door, his hands in his pockets.

"What are you doing here, you creep?" I asked, trying to find something to cover myself. The towel barely covered anything, leaving my legs at display.

"Don't sweat. I just need to ask something and then I'll be on my way." He said, walking towards me casually, as if I wasn't half naked in front of him.

My cheeks flushed in embarrassment and I tried to pull the towel down to cover some more of my legs. He was in his tracksuit, probably back from his morning run. His beard was unkept, in need of a shave, but somehow it suited him better.

"And it couldn't wait till laters?" I asked in an annoyed voice.

"Patience isn't my strongest suit, Miss. Woods." He stopped just a few inches away from me and then observed my face. "Tell me, how was your relationship with Elijah?"

"What do you mean by that? He was my father. We had a normal relationship like other father-daughger" I replied.

"And how often did you visit him?" He asked.

"Once, twice per week." I replied, trying to make sense of his questions.

"Did you notice anything suspicious around his death?" He asked.

"Define suspicious." I asked

"Anything that is out of character for a highschool teacher." He explained.

I tried to think of an answer but I couldn't be sure. Everything always seemed normal, a little too normal, which explained the shock I got on his death.

"I don't know." I replied.

"Try to remember. Anything out of ordinary." He asked.

"I don't know. Seriously." I replied. "Look Sean, I don't know about my Dad's past but the person who brought me up, he was a simple man." I didn't even realize I had called him by his first name.

"Okay." He said, although he didn't look satisfied. "See you at the breakfast then."

"Sure." I said.

"And I don't mind the view but you should really hold your towel." He said, the corner of his mouth lifting into a smirk. I followed his gaze and found my towel hanging low at the chest, giving him a clear view of my cleavage. My cheeks started to burn and I turned around to hide myself.

"Jerk."

Once he walked out of the door, I changed into a pair of jeans and top and then slumped on a couch. His question took me back to the memories of my father. My Dad was fit for his age and had kind eyes and a warm smile. He used to be the favourite of his students. He had not many friends but he was respected well among his peers and neighbours.

He was my only family and his death has left me alone in the world. I never knew my mother because I was hardly four when she died. He was everything I had and now he was gone and I was stuck here with strangers.

•••••

Sean

"You are extra hard on yourself today." Lucas said as he watched me do bicep curls with a much heavier weight than usual. I shrugged and moved to the treadmill.

What he didn't know was that I needed to release some pressure one way or another. Seeing her in that tiny towel was messing with my brain and it was better for me to divert my energy somewhere else.

Lately, that little spitfire was getting on my nerves. She was tiny but she knew how to push my buttons. She was stubborn and irritating but somehow, she had me wrapped around her finger. She made me do things I'd never do for anyone and she made me forgive her for things for which I'd cut tongues of others.

After spending half an hour on the treadmill, I took a long bath to cool myself and then made my way downstairs. I was greeted with the sight of Penelope smiling at something Jason said and it irked me. But I knew if I said anything, Lucas would annoy the hell out of me for that. So I just took my seat and poured a glass of milk for myself.

"So what happened to that man you caught?" She said as she stacked the pancakes and poured a lot of maple syrup on top.

"Nothing you should be stressing your little head over." Lucas replied.

"Why? I deserve to know. He was following me." She said. I could see Lucas' jaw ticking. He didn't like her me much, given he didn't like people in general anyways. But he knew not to harm her in any way, an order that came directly from me.

"And he wouldn't be following you in future. That's the only thing you need to know." I interjected.

"What did you do to him? Gave him to police?" She shuddered. If she was shuddering at that then she better not be informed what would really happen to that guy.

"In a way, yes." I said. She doesn't need to know that I was both the police and the law here.

She blinked in return, her light green eyes partially hiding behind her unruly auburn bangs. There was something about her hair that makes me want to lace my fingers through them and.... I cleared my throat to distract myself.

"Well, he needed to be punished for what he did. The law will deal with him." She said, more to herself than us. "I wish he reforms himself after that."

"Hmm." I nodded.

After finishing the breakfast, she went to her room and Lucas and I went to the basement at the back side of our mansion. It was safe hidden place where we carried most of our business to avoid any nuisance.

Lucas and I climbed downstairs and turned to the second door on our left where that man was being kept. The torture by my men had made him almost limp. He was trying to lower to the floor but his chained hands kept him upright.

Lucas moved forwards and woke him up by grabbing him by his hair. Fear rushed through him when he saw us and he began to beg for freedom.

"Quiet." I groaned, not wanting to hear his squeaky voice any longer. "Now listen, you have told us who sent you. But you still haven't told me why. Who killed Elijah Woods and why is Machiavelli after Penelope."

"I don't know." He said.

I walked closer to him to stare right into his dark brown eyes. "You must know something."

"I promise, I don't know." He said. The blood on his body had dried up in several places but there was a fresh cut now, from his nose down to his jaw.

"He says he doesn't know anything Sean." Lucas said. "Is he of any use to us now?"

"None that I can think of." I replied calmly. Lucas pulled out his gun from the pocket of his coat and aimed at his head.

"Wait, wait." The guy trembled.

"Yes." I stopped Lucas.

"Elijah Woods had something against the Machiavelli's. It might---"

"Might. You need to try harder." I whispered.

Tears were spilling out of his eyes as he panicked in agony. "I don't know. I swear I don't have any inside news." He stammered.

"Okay, I believe you." I said and patted his bare shoulder, a silver of hope flickered in his eyes. "Don't worry. I won't let my brother kill you."

"Thank you. Thank you so much." He said, crying.

"I do my handiwork myself." I said and wrapped my hand around his neck. He tried to free himself in panic but my hold was stronger. I watched as his face reddened and his nostrils flared.

It took him around two and a half minutes to go limp. But before the satisfaction of killing him could hit me, a scream reached my ears. Both Lucas and I turned to the source of the voice. And there she stood, her face pale and laced with hottor, her eyes frozen on the dead body of the man I had just killed.

"Penelope." I called her name and her eyes whipped towards me. There was fear in them and something else too-- disgust.

"Shit." I rushed behind her as she attempted to run away.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•