Xia's POV:

The world seemed to slow down around me. Frightened parents were pushing their children out of the way and ran, taking cover behind benches.

The ones who had been shot, limped towards another and soon, the place felt more like a war zone than a children's park with puddles of blood from others' bleeding bodies.

The first thing I did was carry Nicolas into my arms, shielding him from all the bullets. I glanced at Ricardo; he looks like he's going to kill someone. He held onto one of my hands and led me to one of the benches, making me crouch behind it.

"Don't move, alright ?" He said, alarmed by the situation. His eyes had darkened and his whole demeanor changed, like a switch turned on.

"What are you doing ? Why aren't you hiding along with us ?" I asked but stopped speaking when I noticed that he had pulled a gun from his waistband.

My breath hitched. He has a gun?

"I don't have time to explain." He said, looking at my reaction when I saw the gun. "Trust me and follow my lead. Can you do that ?"

I couldn't form words with my mind clouded with so much shock so all I did was nod my head in agreement.

"Good." He smiled and kissed Nicolas' head, who was still shivering with fear in my arms.

I saw Ricardo duck under another bench which was a few metres away, occasionally shooting at a car in the distance.

Looking down at Nicolas in my arms, I saw him covering his ears with his tiny hands, squeezing his eyes shut.

Although I wanted to cover my ears too, I decided against it and placed my hands on top of his. He slowly opened his eyes and looked up at me. I didn't miss the wave of shock and fear that shot through his eyes.

I hugged his tiny frame and brought him closer to my chest to cover his eyes, not wanting him to see the bloodshed around us.

After a while, the frequency of bullets reduced and finally stopped. A shrill sound of screeching of tires was heard.

I peeked out of my hiding spot, catching a glimpse of car but could hardly remember it because it went by too quickly.

I unwrapped my arms from Nicolas' body and scanned his body, looking for any injuries. Seeing none, I cupped his little face in my hands and comforted him, "You're safe, alright ? Nobody is going hurt you."

He nodded his head and I lifted my head up, searching for Ricardo. As if on cue, a voice was heard from behind me. "You can stop taking cover now."

I stood up on my feet and turned around to see Ricardo. Now, his hair was messier than it was, his shirt a little muddy and the gun tucked back into his waistband peeked out a little. He looked unfazed as though getting shot at was a normal thing.

"Dadda !" Nicolas said, raising his arms up like he wanted to be carried and Ricardo did so. The terrified little boy placed his head in the crook of his father's neck and wrapped his arms around him.

"Are you okay ?" Ricardo asked, tilting his head.

"She kept me safe." Nicolas said, nodding his head.

I smiled, ignoring the dizzy feeling starting to build up. "No, I didn't. Your father did."

Nicolas looked back at Ricardo and kissed his cheek. Ricardo smiled and returned the gesture.

Damn it, those dimples !

"I want to go home." said Nicolas.

"Alright, Buddy. Let's go." Ricardo agreed.

"Well, um, I'll be going now. Bye." I said, feeling lightheaded and weak. Maybe I'm just overwhelmed. I said to myself.

I started taking deep breaths to calm myself down.

"Hey, what's wrong? Is everyth-" Ricardo asked, but didn't hear the rest of the sentence because soon, darkness enveloped me. In other words, I passed out.

A few hours later...

When I felt myself gaining consciousness, I heard someone whimpering beside me.

I tried to move to know who was next to me, but a splitting pain pierced through my skull as I did. I struggled to open my eyes but failed.

As I did, I squinted my eyes, adjusting to the bright light in the room. It looked like I was in a room. And not just any plain room.

This place looked more than just elegant with gray walls, red velvet curtains, and a crystal chandelier that hung just above me from the white ceiling. A clock hung on the wall, displaying the time 9:35 PM.

It was only then that I turned my head to my side and saw Nicolas. He was curled up into a ball next to me. His head was partially rested on my shoulder and his tiny hands were snaked around my arm.

Wanting to leave the room, I carefully tried removing my hand from his grasp but as soon as I moved, he woke up.

"Go back to sleep." I smiled, running my hands through his curly black hair. He looked at me with his curious dark brown eyes like he couldn't believe that I was in front of him.

"You're-you're awake." He breathed, wrapping his tiny arms around my neck. I hugged him back and soon, he pulled away. When he did, I noticed half-dried tears that stained his cheeks, leaving glistening traces.

"Of course I am." I smiled. "Had you been crying ?"

He didn't answer me but only nodded slightly.

"Don't cry, alright." I said, not wanting him to be all gloomy. "Do you know what happens when you cry ?"

"No." He answered, genuinely clueless.

"The tickle-monster attacks !" I exclaimed started tickling Nicolas.

"St-st-hahaha !" Nicolas laughed, breathlessly trying to speak in between.

I stopped and said, "No crying, alright ?"

"No crying." He repeated.

Just then, the door of the room swung open and revealed a surprised looking Ricardo.

"Oh, you're up." He said, looking at me.

"Mmhm...." I hummed, to tired to speak. I climbed out of the bed and turned around to face Nicolas.

"Thank you for staying with me until I woke up." I said, ruffling his hair. "I have to go now, alright? I'll see you later."

He nodded and said, "Take care, Xia."

I smiled at how he cared. It was so adorable.

Now, I turned to look at the man standing at the doorway. He looked different now. He had changed into something more casual; wearing a white tee and black jeans.

His hair looked a little damp now, making the strands of hair hang over his forehead.

"Thank you for letting me stay here." I awkwardly said. Jeez, why am I getting nervous?

"It's alright." He smiled. "I spoke to the doctor and explained what had happened a few hours back. He said that it was probably the reaction of the sight of blood, or extreme anxiety or fear, that caused you to faint."

I nodded, trying to get those horrifying images out of my head. I don't think that I'll forget that anytime soon.

"I'll leave now. Goodnight." I said, and walked past Ricardo but then stopped and looked behind me and smiled sheepishly mainly due to two reasons.

One, I didn't know how to leave the house and two, I didn't have a car and didn't know where we were.

He chuckled, understanding my unsaid words and spoke, "I'll drive you home."

I wanted to deny his offer but decided against it because I didn't even have my purse to pay the cab driver.

"Alright. Thanks." I smiled. "But what about Nicolas? Are you going to leave him alone here?" I asked.

"Don't worry, there are housekeepers are here. He'll be alright." He said.

I nodded and followed him. I had to have been walking in a mansion. For sure. I was mesmerized by the modern and stylish architecture of the place. It was so beautiful and elegant.

I realized that the mansion's interior was a classic gold and white which made the house look even bigger.

The floors were so clean to the point it shined and so could see my reflection on them. Damn, I look like I just got chased by wolves with my hair looking like that. One could only dream of owning a house like this.

"You coming ?" A voice snapped me out of my daze. I looked in the direction of the voice and saw Ricardo holding a door for me.

"Yeah." I mumbled and quickly reached to where he was standing. We walked through the door and I was instantly met with the sight of four cars; a navy blue Rolls Royce, a matte black Porsche, a silver colored car that looked like it could be a Lamborghini Veneno and finally a white Bentley.

Yes, I know my cars. Growing up with a brother meant that I listened to him talking about cars almost every birthday of his.

Ricardo opened the door of the Bentley for me and I whispered a 'thanks'. I guess chivalry still exists. He turned on the ignition, making the car roar to life. Soon after I told him where I lived, we were off to my apartment.

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