The lulling of a bird outside woke the window woke the Zodiac Mistress up.

She opened her eyes and momentarily closed her eyes as her iris was not constricted enough to accommodate the sunlight starting to come from the windows, which were partially covered with emerald curtains.

She tried to move her left hand and groaned at the surprise of the sudden pain. Her whole shoulder blade was stinging. She tried to sit up in bed and move her leg, only to wince in pain again.

She somehow sat up, leaning her back against the headboard of the bed, and looked around her surroundings.

She was confused for a moment because her surroundings were in an emerald and golden theme instead of the classic black and grey, but soon the events of last night shot into her mind.

'Fuck only when everything was going to end, everything was going to be fine...Someone must ruin it, it was too close.' She mentally groaned as she thought about the sweet taste of death.

She removed the duvet and looked only to find her leg covered in bandages and she looked at herself dressed in a light green T-shirt and black shorts.

'Who the fuck changed my clothes? '

Before she could think of anything else, her throat burned and cracked. Thirst overpowered every other pain.

"H-Hello!" Her voice cracked due to the thirst, but she still managed to speak the next words with all the energy left in her throat.

"I know you can hear me, so bring me some water." She ordered and waited for some response, but no one answered.

"Miss Captivator-" She again tried to gain some attention and to her own good, someone opened the door.

The door creaked and opened, revealing a man instead of the Cobra mistress which the Zodiac lady anticipated.

The man was dressed in a casual black t-shirt with khaki pants and a diamond snake pendant was hanged around his neck with a bottle of water in his hand.

The Zodiac Mistress was momentarily confused with the unexpected entrance of the man instead of the Mistress, but her eyes caught the image of the water bottle in the man's hand, and her eyes glowed.

"Go fetch it buddy," the man announced as he threw the water bottle at the woman, making her impulsively duck the shot, making the water bottle hit the dashboard of her bed.

She rolled her eyes, but her thirst was too difficult to bear that she still grabbed the bottle and opened the lid, drinking the content hastily.

The man grinned amusingly as he watched the Zodiac mistress drink the whole bottle in one go. 

"I could have poisoned it," he commented, as he took a seat beside the lady's injured leg on the bed.

"I wish you did, "she replied, wiping her mouth with the sleeves of her t-shirt.

"Oh, is it so? -" The man asked amusingly, and the woman rolled her eyes, deciding not to say anything further.

"Why do you wanna die that much?" The man questioned, despite not getting any response. 

"Living is difficult." She huffed, and the man nodded.

"Indeed, it is-"

"Okay, yes- I should introduce myself. Shouldn't I? Myself, Grayson, Grayson Denaley... I should say something like I am pleased to meet you or errr... I don't know, but that would be a lie, as we all know, but anyway, nice to meet you, Miss. Adriana Styles. " The man smiled widely, and Adriana nodded awkwardly.

"Where is Brett? " She asked as the flashbacks of yesterday's events started running in her mind.

"Brett, Who? " The man questioned teasingly, tapping his chin with his index finger and giving a clueless expression.

"Oh, come on- the man who was with me-" she rolled her eyes.

"Oh- yes- yes, that cutie. Well, I should rather refer to him as a hottie, but he is adorably hot-I mean-"

"Oh, stop it- yes, where is he?" Adriana cut Grayson with a frown.

"Ohhhh, he is in my room, my lady." The man replied with a smug smile, making the woman more worried about the safety of her assistant.

"What the fuck he is doing in your bed?"

"Language, miss, and what exactly two hot boys can do alone in a room?" he smirked.

"Just damn answer, man-" Adriana was actually surprised to see someone more dramatic or sassy than her.

"And why should I?" He grinned.

"Okay, don't-" Adriana huffed and unconsciously pouted.

"Awww you are damn cute-" Grayson cooed at her.

"Tell me something I don't know." She rolled her eyes.

"Sassy I like it-"

They both stayed silent for a few minutes as Grayson studied the condition of her leg and she was too annoyed with the cockiness of the man.

"Well...err," Adriana awkwardly started.

"Yes?" Grayson uplifted his gaze and raised his brows.

"He is alright, right?" She asked in a low tone.

"Yes," the man answered truthfully.

'What's their relation?' He wondered, as their relationship seemed deeper than a typical boss and an employee.

He remembered how much the assistant whimpered and pleaded as we took his boss away from him.

The events of last night played in his mind and he also wondered why Sandra, The Cobra's Mistress, was not reconsidering Jake's plan?

He stood up from the bed and looked at the Zodiac Mistress,

"Anything else?"

"Errmmm.... who changed my clothes?" She asked, and glanced away awkwardly.

'Why the fuck am I even questioning this?' She cursed mentally.

"Well, well, we respect women, so we won't allow any man to do something like that." He answered and Adriana nodded.

"I gotta go now," Grayson announced as he turned his back and headed towards the exit.

Once the man was out, the Zodiac Mistress took a long deep sigh and closed her eyes.

"Oh! Yes-" Grayson exclaimed as he butted into the room again, making the Zodiac girl jump in surprise like a surprised cat.

"What?" She questioned placing her hand over her heart and calming her breaths.

"Here, female employees don't do night shifts." He smirked and left the room, leaving a wide eyed, injured woman in bed.

************************

"Pumpkin we can't... Not yet-" The chief caretaker of the Darkmoon Empire tried to make his mistress realise the depth of the deed.

"Maxxy we don't have fucking time-" The Mistress groaned, rubbing her eyes as they were sore and red from a completely sleepless night.

"Pumpkin, but we need to think more properly." He ignored the abusive language his beloved mistress spoke and looked at her sympathetically.

"B-but" she struggled to find anything to say as Max was right.

They were not ready not yet, yet the Mistress's heart was fighting her brain. There was some weird feeling which she was unable to explain. She wanted to end all the shit at that very single moment, but she knew she couldn't, not without a flawless, well thought plan.

"No-buts, Krystal-" The man said in a firm voice, and she nodded as he used her name, indicating he wouldn't take any other things, making her nod reluctantly.

She sighed and suddenly leaned forward in the direction of her caregiver and opened her arms.

Max smiled softly and immediately engulfed her in a bear hug. His left hand patted her back and he ran his fingers through her hair.

She closed her eyes and let her senses take over, feeling each and every comfort from the hug.

"There-there Pumpkin, everything is gon-na be alright, hun," he reassured by whispering comforting words in her ear as a single tear fell from the Mistress of the most powerful gang in the entire underworld.

At that very moment, Krystal was feeling helpless. She was trying so hard not to show her emotions, but Max knew her even more than she knew herself. He seemed to notice her condition.

"Wait Pumpkin-" he said as he withdrew himself from the embrace, Krystal immediately felt cold and empty, but she let him go as she knew Max must have something important on his mind.

Max took his steps towards the drawer and opened it, grabbing a bottle of pills in his hand.

He took two tablets from the bottle and placed it back in the drawer. He poured some water from the jar into a glass which was resting on the top of the drawer and made his way back to Krystal, who was watching him annoyingly.

"Here Take these pumpkin, " he said, passing the sleeping pills to Krystal, and she frowned at them.

"I ain't fucking sleeping-" She scoffed.

*Smack*

"Ouch- old man the fuck" 

"You are sleeping, that's it" He stated as he placed the pills on Krystal's lips, and she reluctantly opened her mouth taking the pills and gulping the water.

*************************

"So, explain: " The lady said as she crossed her both arms, leaning backwards in the chair with a blank expression on her face, her dark brown straight hair were resting flawlessly over her shoulder, without a frizz, her eyes were intimidating, making the buff man in front of her shiver silently at her statement.

"San- I was only helping-" he resorted, but the expressions of the woman didn't even change slightly.

"How?" She asked blankly, but her eyes were intense, as if they were piercing the soul of the man.

"San t-they- s-she is involved with Blake and we need to know their next step or plan our own. "

"How can killing her help us?" 

"I-I- I- am sorry, that was kinda in the heat of the moment." The man said, looking down at his shoes, and the woman sighed.

"How many times do I have to teach you Jake? How many times to control the freaking temper of yours." Sandra questioned sighing in a defeated tone.

"But she was not spitting anything-" he scoffed and Sandra rolled her eyes.

"It's Krystal we are talking about-" She said this while sitting up straight, placing both her hands over her thighs. 

"Yes?" 

"That bitch is not stupid enough to reveal her entire plans trusting on anyone." She said, and Jake nodded reluctantly.

"But I think that girl knows something-"

"Okay, if she knows anything about her plans, at the very moment the news of that girl going missing hit her head, she must have changed everything." 

Jake scratched the back of his neck, "Y-yes."

"Okay, it's the last time I am warning you, Jake." Sandra stated, making Jake nod.

He took some deep breaths and Sandra scrolled through some files on the laptop placed on the table in between them.

"What are we going to do about the girl?" After some moments, Jake asked, and Sandra shrugged. 

"I need to ask her some things." She stated, and Jake rolled his eyes. Standing up from his seat, he exited the room leaving his cousin alone.

*************************