It's been a week since Mr Arnold..no Nicolas left for his business trip. And things have been quite boring and lifeless since then. Kia has been not the same energetic and bubbly kid I've been seeing her till now. She's more on the silent mode and that's bothering me very much.

During the daytime, she stays with me and in the evening a driver comes who picks her up to take her to the mansion but personally I feel she doesn't like being away from me. The other day Aiden had to come and take her with him to the mansion since she started crying so bitterly saying she'd not go. Although a part of me feels the reason is she doesn't like being there.

Nicolas has also been ridiculously busy. He didn't even make one call when he was supposed to. Kia has been feeling sad and depressed since he left and that's also a worry because it'd affect her health.

I sighed and looked at her who was right now watching Spongebob Squarepants but that's the difference she was only staring at the screen, she didn't seem to be interested in what was going on in the show, unlike the other times when she use to scream and sing along with the characters.

I proceeded to do the nth attempt of calling him. He wasn't picking up, he wasn't even replying to my messages. I don't know what the hell was wrong with him. He was not only being ignorant but also making all of us afraid. Every time I called to him, it'd go straight to voicemail and the worry and fear would multiply in my mind exponentially.

Earlier I asked Aiden if it was the first time he left her and I was right, normally he'd be gone for two or three days, the most he did for four and in those four days, he called Kia at least ten times a day.

The man who couldn't live without talking with his niece for more than three hours, how did he manage to stay without listening to her voice for seven days straight. The fear and suspicion in my mind grew stronger and stronger.

Is he fine?

Is he okay?

Evans and Aiden were equally tensed, the last he talked to them was four days back, and that's why both of them decided to go check on him. Aiden was a bit concerned about leaving me and Kia alone and he stayed back. Evans left in the morning.

I just hope he's safe.

Of course, he'd be.

Stop thinking so negative. The hell is wrong with you, Arielle Summers? He'd be fine.

To stop me from overthinking, I walked to Kia and lifted her up. I held her in my arms." Kia baby, Nicky uncle will be back soon. Don't worry.", I said softly to her but in return, she just hugged me. My heart clenched, she was missing him very much.

"Ari, Nicky uncle always talked to me every time he went on some trip, this time he didn't call even once. Is he angry with me?", she asked me, her lower lip trembling as she tried to stop her tears.

My heart was pounding loudly, I felt a panic surge in my veins as the tears started dropping down from the corners of her eyes making my heartache. I held her closer to me.

"Kia baby listen to me.", I softly wiped the tears off her cheeks. My heart was still pounding loudly and I couldn't help but smile at her. "Your Nicky uncle can never be angry with you. You're his most precious person. I am sure he's just busy, he'll call you as soon as he gets some free time.

She sniffled and her eyes lit up at the very thought of it but the light vanished almost immediately."But he hasn't called for so so many days. Do you think he forgot about me?"

"Of course not. He can never forget his princess.", she smiled back at my words. My heart melted.

"How about we go on a little outing. You'll like it. I'll call Aiden as well."

She nodded her head but she didn't seem to be too excited about the idea.

I quickly called him and explained the whole Kia being sad situation and bless him, he instantly agreed, leaving all of his works in the middle.

It's been an hour or two since we have been out. And to say, Kia's mood has gotten better would be a great lie. Every second thing she sees, she relates it to her Nicky uncle somehow.

It's hurting to see her missing him so much. I feel like in her life if someone is there, it's only her uncle. In the end, I concluded on going home back."Aiden." I turned back to tell him to take us back home but he was talking on some call.

He gestured me to give him five minutes. I turned back to see Kia nowhere. My heart picked its pace but I felt relieved when I saw her across the road staring aimlessly at someone who was sitting alone, keeping his head down.

I shook my head, this girl will give me a heart attack.

"Kia.", I yelled for her but she seemed to be too concentrated in her thoughts. This girl! I internally sighed and started walking towards her.

I was going towards her when a speeding vehicle nearly hit me. Why the hell do people even try to drive when they don't have the f*cking sense of roads. I tried to shake my anger and concentrate on Kia.

But my breath literally left my system when I didn't see her in front of me.

Neither was the man.

There was no one. I panicked and ran to the place where the man was sitting."Kia." I called out her name. My feet ran faster than my heart. Where is she, my God?

I've promised him, I won't let anyone even touch her hair. My mind and heart started racing to the worst case possible.

Oh, God! What will I do, if anything happened to that little girl?

Aiden. My brain sparked, where is Aiden? I need to tell him.

Just when I was trying to call Aiden with my trembling fingers, I heard a blood-curdling scream. I felt the blood flow in my veins and my entire body ran cold.

Kia.

It was Kia's scream which pierced my ears.

"Nicky uncle.", I heard her voice again. For the first time in four years, I felt scared. My heart was beating so loudly that I couldn't even think. The phone fell from my hands as I heard another scream. I frantically ran towards the narrow silent, dingy lane from where I calculated, the screams were coming from.

At this point in time, I was feeling so scared, that I couldn't even bring myself to think straight.

And then I saw the scene that left me frozen with fear and shock.

The man, the same man who was sitting on the bench in a black hoodie had a bloody knife in his hand. He was holding Kia in a deadlock, a sinister smirk on his face as he placed his disgusting hand on her mouth.

My mind went blank as I saw him dragging the sharp edge of the knife across my Kia's neck.

I was panicking so damn much that I felt frozen at my place. Kia caught my sight, her eyes trembling with fear. I quickly shook my head to stop her from indicating any sign.

I reached out to grip the iron rod lying on the ground with trembly hands.

As if I felt a surge of an adrenaline rush, without thinking I hurled the rod at the man, striking him on the head.

He groaned and slumped, dropping Kia. Instantly I grabbed her, holding her to my chest.

"Are you okay, Kia? Did you get hurt somewhere? Did he hurt you? Did he touch you?" I asked her, checking for any bruises. She just shook her head as her eyes were still filled with tears.

"You found me again, Ari.", she clung to me for her dear life. My heart ached, at such a small age, she had to go through such traumatizing sh*t. I tried to hold back my tears as I held her.

"I'm so sorry for leaving you alone, Kia." I hugged her tighter, holding her to my chest."Ari is very sorry."

I heard a sound from behind. The psychopath was gaining his consciousness, F*ck! Didn't I hit him hard enough?

I quickly grabbed her hand, ready to run before he gets up completely but before I could even take a step ahead, I felt a hold on my ankle.

My heart thudded as I looked down to see him gripping my ankle tightly. I tried to shake it off but he just wouldn't let me go, holding me tight. I quickly kicked him in the jaw. He groaned but due to the sudden action, he grabbed my other hand.

Instantly I left Kia's hand and held his wrist that was holding the bloody knife."Kia run and don't look back. You get me."

"Ar-"

"I said RUN.", I yelled at her angrily. She flinched and ran in fright, her tears staining her cheeks. My heart ached as I saw her stumbling her way out of the dingy lane.

"Oh no, you didn't." The man hissed turning me to face him. His eyes went red in anger."She was supposed to be my last. She was supposed to be the last girl I was going to kill. It was going to be the ultimate pleasure." My eyes widened as I realized, he really was some f*cking psychopath murderer. "And now you're going to pay for that, you stupid little girl."

I tried to kick him where it hurts the most but he held my knee between his legs, stopping my movement. He grabbed me by my neck, as I tried to pull the knife out of his hands. He was strangling me, his fingers getting tighter around my neck.

"And you're going to pay with your life, darling." He sinisterly smirked and before I knew he had pulled out the knife and was slashing my stomach, ripping through my clothes. I screamed in pain as he sliced through my skin. "You, stupid woman.", he seethed as he pushed the knife further into my skin. Thick blood seeped out staining the ground."How the f*ck did you even dare get in my way, huh." He barked out as he wiped his bloody knife on my shirt.

He pushed me to the ground, I felt the life of me seeping out with the blood. I watched him in a daze as he smiled and then laughed seeing me bleeding to death. He tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear with a devilish smile. "You were too pretty to die but I hope you rest in peace."

He walked away, his footsteps echoing away as he left me on the ground, my blood pooling around me.

I tried to stay awake but I couldn't. I couldn't stop the pain. I couldn't stop the blood. I couldn't stop my eyes from shutting down.

At least I kept my promise.

Kia was safe.

***