The Sweetest Temptation
Chapter 162: Guilt

Chapter 162: Guilt

In the box was an innocent fluffy teddy bear... turned into something undesirable for a young child. The bear was in tight ropes, even gagged indicating its suffocation.

It turns out that his gut-feeling was right all along.

Beatrix’ father’s hand trembled as he looked at the letter the bear was also holding. It was glued to its furry hand, but with enough pressure, one could get it free from the toy. His jaw clenched as he smelled the dried iron on it, traces of blood present on the parchment of paper.

He hesitated to open it, but he still dared to do so. This is one way for him to get clues on who’s doing this--threatening him, his family, his daughter.

Beatrix’ father grew anxious by the second. With the life of his eyes slowly turning into fear, he froze in place and dropped the letter to the floor when he read what was written in blood.

"Will she still call you ’papa’ once she knows everything you’ve done?"

***

Damien had his eyes closed as he relaxed on his chair. With the room dark, only the red light directly on him, he released a deep breath that he held for who knew how long.

He was conditioning himself once again for things he didn’t want to do. However, with that wretched woman clearly not learning her place, he knew he had to do something about it.

He didn’t like what he was doing but for the woman he loves, he’d be willing to do it--even move heaven and earth for her.

He thought that after the first torture, she would not do anything about it anymore. He thought that she would never touch Beatrix ever again.

But what happened to her evidently showed that it was not the case.

Clearly, Alina didn’t learn her lesson. She’s as thick-headed as she could be--even more than that.

He would have to do some things unimaginable to her just for her to keep in place. Damien actually honestly felt frustrated with how Alina just wouldn’t stop!

But if that’s what she wants, to get his attention, for him to torture her...

Then he’d definitely give her a dose of her own medicine.

The bones of Damien’s neck cracked when he rotated it for more relaxation. With his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as he swallowed some of his saliva, he took another deep breath then released it, continuing to condition himself for what is about to transpire.

"Damien..."

Damien’s eyes shot open when Xavier’s voice called out to him, saying his name. He did not look at him, but knowing Damien, Xavier knew that he is attentive and that he is waiting for him to continue talking.

"Shall I wake Alina up?"

Damien didn’t say a word. With just his nod, he already gave his order and Xavier complied. With an acknowledging nod as well, he did as he was told, already waking up Alina the same way he did the last torture she had with Damien. He injected a drug to wake her up and it’s only time for her to do so.

"You may go once you are done," Damien said, Xavier attentively listening to him as his voice echoed in the room. "I want to be alone with that bitch. I’ll call you when I need you."

Not saying another word as he understood how Damien wanted things to happen, he left him alone with Alina. Damien then stood up and looked at Alina still passed out on the chair, tied up and gagged. His eyes were condescending, as if having no intentions to be soft on her today.

His footsteps echoed and bounced in the room. As he made way to the harpsichord, he sat down on the seat and positioned his fingers on its keys. It had been so long since he played this instrument and to distract him from his traumas arising before he does the torture, he decided to play once more.

A harpsichord is a keyboard musical instrument in which strings are set in vibration by plucking. It was one of the most important keyboard instruments in European music from the 16th through the first half of the 18th century.

How ironic it is that when he was young, he learned to play the instrument in order to make his mother happy.. As Damien saw an old photo of his mother playing the harpsichord when she was younger. And because of that, he learned in secret--even from his father..

As a young man, he would often go to the attic where the instrument was kept and learned alone. He thought that once he is proficient enough to play the instrument for their mother, he would make her happy.. But then... he never did. He was never given the chance

She ended her life before he could even do so.

He tried to condition himself with loud music as he closed his eyes a moment ago but to no avail, it was not working. Instead, he asked Xavier to bring down the long-kept harpsichord from the attic and decided to play a music he heard from a game he played when he was a child.

He always found the tune of the song foreboding, fitting for a person with malicious and villainous intent--like how this song was dedicated to the unforgiving villain of the story.

His fingers started playing the song "The Castle" from Final Fantasy VIII. It was a song for the story’s villain, Ultimecia. She is a being of pure evil living in the distant future--a sorceress of extreme power, having already destroyed everyone in her own time.

And Damien thought that he would rather let Alina wake up to this tune than to some normal music people are hearing nowadays.

The song echoed loudly in the room. As Damien played the riffs and the rafts of the song, Alina started wincing as the sound of the instrument was way louder than the music he was playing before.

"Nnnggh..."

Damien heard her groan. He looked over the instrument at her and saw her head moving back and forth, feeling groggy as she started waking up little by little.

Alina blinked her eyes a few times. With only the dim red light illuminating the room, she could still familiarize herself in the room where she is.

She knows this room for sure--all too well. She has been here before.

And she is here yet again and she knows why.

It’s because of that damned Beatrix again... and Damien’s making up for it.

She knows she was gagged but unlike before, this time, she could remove it from her mouth by spitting it out with force. It’s as if it was done intentionally--knowing that they would have to speak about it.

What she has done to Beatrix.

Alina spat out the gag from her mouth. With their eyes meeting for a moment as Damien continued to play the harpsichord, she couldn’t help but scoff seeing him play the instrument. It was the first time she saw and knew that he could play it.

"What the fuck are you playing?" she remarked, moving her wrists and ankles that were tied on the chair where she’s sitting on. "You’re going classical now? What... are you serenading me?" she added sarcastically, Damien answering her as he never stopped playing the instrument.

"Yeah... I’m serenading you a song that you may hear for the last time." He kept eye contact, his eyes not leaving Alina’s as he continued talking. "You should be honored."

"Oh, how fucking romantic," Alina retorted, her chin up proudly as she never dared to show him vulnerability even though she is completely under his grasp. "I think I love you more," she added sarcastically, an evil grin appearing on Damien’s face as he continued playing.

"Consider yourself lucky I’m willing to show you this side of me," he started, cocking his head to the side as his fingers continued playing the tune of the song "The Castle". "Beatrix doesn’t even know this side of me--she has never seen me play this instrument."

Alina arched a brow at him, never wavering her eyes from him as she clearly knew that she would be taunted next.

She will never back down and give in to his ways.

Ever.

"Well, how nice," Alina replied, an eerie laugh coming from her before she spoke again. "I fell in love with you once more... knowing that I am the only one who could see you play this--for me even."

The smile on Alina’s face then disappeared. She knew how to hit Damien’s nerve and with that, she did so.

"Shall I kill her totally so you get to play the harpsichord for her, with her corpse on it? Bea--aaah!"

It happened quickly as if in a blink of an eye. Damien slammed his hands on the instrument as he stood up, walking in two large strides towards Alina. He slapped her hard with the back of his hand, stopping her from saying Beatrix’ name.

"You’d be dead before you even try. Shut up and let me teach you a lesson, bitch."