Vernon remained in the room, staring at Dr. Zee with dangerous eyes.
"If I ever find out that you're teaming up with the enemy to fool me, I promise you a slow death, Zee, do you understand?" Vernon asked darkly.
Dr. Zee nodded, "I would never, Mr. Vernon..." He replied clearly.
Vernon didn't trust anyone. He wasn't a fool. That was why he'd decided to keep that young woman close.
Something told him that the young woman was faking her amnesia just so she would be set free, but Vernon planned to keep the criminal close; he'd love to see just how long Nixxia was ready to play amnesia.
He was about to walk out of the hospital room when Dr. Zee called him.
"Mr. Vernon, um, I'd like to tell you something about Nixxia," Dr. Zee mentioned.
Vernon's attention was piqued, he turned his head and stared at Dr. Zee, "Go on," he said.
Dr. Zee cleared his throat, "Well, you see, Nixxia's case might be more than just an amnesia; I would have suggested you let him stay longer in the hospital so that I can take her to see a psychiatrist... she seemed to be losing her mind too," He informed.
Vernon frowned. "How's that my concern, Zee?" Vernon asked, already regretting why he stayed to listen.
"Ah, nothing, it's not your business, Mr. Vernon, I just thought it'd make your interrogation of her faster if she were to be in the right state of mind. When I asked her where she'd come from she said she'd come from some unknown kingdom -"
"Keep shut if you have nothing else to say, Zee," Vernon warned impatiently.
"I'm sorry. Then, for her current condition, she needs ultimate care as she is now like a newborn who knows nothing but is full of curiosity, she needs step-by-step guidance on everything: communication, language improvement, social skills, everything. She knows nothing; I know it's not my business, but as her doctor, I recommend you treat her gently; that way, she'd recover quickly and give you all the answers you want from her" Dr. Zee instructed calmly.
Vernon scowled. "Liability."
Dr. Zee watched Vernon leave the room and sighed in relief, he made the right choice by not mentioning the crazy thing Nixxia had told him.
Vernon would have killed him on the spot if he said it, and for Nixxia's sake, he advised her never to mention it to anyone for her own security, even though he didn't believe her, of course.
But the world of today was a world of wicked opportunities, with how naive and curious Nixxia was, coupled with her memory loss, if she let her absurd story reach into bad ears, she'd be in a human test tube in the next second as they tried to really figure out if she was actually what she said she was.
***
Vernon reached his car and saw Nuxxia sitting in front, sleeping.
He frowned and looked over at Dane, who was staring at Nixxia's face like he'd never seen a woman before.
"What happened?" Vernon's questioned.
Dane was startled and immediately faced his front, "Nothing, Boss, she fell asleep the moment I turned on the air-conditioning." He explained.
Vernon scoffed and entered behind the car, he knew Nixxia was acting all weird and innocent to deceive him but he wouldn't buy into her foolishness, he'd let her know that no one had ever dared to frustrate him the way she had, and he'd make sure Nixxia paid for all the trouble she'd caused him.
"Drive," Vernon instructed.
"Yes, boss," Dane replied and started the car, carefully driving away so that he didn't wake Nixxia up.
He'd been staring at her because he thought he saw something, but he realized that he must be losing his mind to ever think about such impossible things; this wasn't some series or movie; this was real life, and what he had imagined could never be true.
Vernon didn't stare at Nixxia for once throughout the ride; they were getting close to his house, so he was busy texting his servants to prepare a room beside his for Nixxia.
He needed to keep her close and have an eye on her every second of the day; Nixxia was soon going to get tired of playing dumb and coming clean when she realized that there was no escaping for her.
He wasn't going to the beach house; he was heading to his house in the city where everyone, including the media, knew it was his home; no one knew about his beach house, which made him more curious to know how Nixxia had found it. No one could ever convince him to think that Nixxia was a mistake or a coincidence, he saw this situation as a critically thought plan to infiltrate his home, and he knew just who would be responsible for digging up secrets about him that way.
He'd make out time and send a message to them when he got home.
Dane suddenly marched on the brakes and muttered under his breath as he almost ran over a boy skating across the road.
"Ugh!" Nixxia cries out in pain as her head slams right into the dashboard, her forehead sustaining a little injury.
"Hurts." She frowned as she touched her forehead and winced from the stinging pain.
Dane gaped like a fish gasping for air; his eyes traveled from Nixxia, who was funnily eyeing the dashboard, to Vernon, who was glaring at him for driving carelessly.
"Drive, Dane," Vernon ordered, completely ignoring Nixxia, who was trying to figure out why she had hit her head on the dashboard.
Dane sighed in relief and nodded, "Yes, Boss," and he continued driving, after making sure no one else was on his path.
He didn't want to hit someone else, he was currently sitting with the last person he'd hit; hitting more people, he might just run out of space to keep them in the car.
"I'm sorry, Nixxia, you refused the seatbelt, that's why you -"
"Dane," Vernon called darkly.
"I'm sorry, I'll drive," Dane replied, giving Nixxia one last look before he focused on the road.
Nixxia was starting to realize that not all of his Mermen abilities disappeared as Neireda had speculated.
The wound she had sustained from the accident in her lower abdomen was almost healed, which surprised the doctor.
She wouldn't have known that it wasn't normal for humans to heal fast if the doctor hadn't pointed it out saying she had a fast healing as a human.
But Nixxia knew it wasn't about fast healing as a human, she knew it was her magical healing powers still working on her.
Just like now, she could feel the little wound on her forehead slowly tingling; she knew it was healing; she no longer healed instantly as she would as a Mermaid, but she did heal faster than an average human; her new wound would be gone by the next morning.
She slowly turned her head to the back and stared at Vernon, who was busy on the phone.
She stared at the object in his hand and wondered what it was called, Dane had told him that what she was currently sitting in was called a car.
She looked up at the face of the handsome man and imagined him as a Merman. He would have been one of those handsome Mermen who were flooded over by many females to mate them, and many males would be jealous of his beauty.
Vernon could feel the weirdo staring at him but refused to look at her; he was scared he might strangle her with how angry he was.
She dared to look at him; he would just give her a week; if she still didn't come off her nonsense amnesia pretense, he'd kill her.
Nixxia's attention was caught by the shadows of the trees weaving past the slowing car.
She stared at them, wondering what humans did with such tall plants. Was it where they got their medicines just like the Mermen?
The car drove into a tall black gate that opened by itself and into a very large compound.
"Magic," Nixxia muttered as she stared at the gate closing by itself.
Vernon heard her and frowned. Was this girl really daft? He'd find out soon.
The car drove past the interlocked slim path, passing by trees, light poles, and flowers.
Nixxia already loved how natural the place felt; the multiple colors of flowers caught her eyes in the distance; she stared at the different colored flowers, shining and glowing brightly under the sun; it was just as her mother had told him: flowers were most beautiful in the human world.
She wished she could walk already; she wanted to explore the whole place and learn more about humans.
That was her main reason for escaping home: to learn about humans and be free. She was so eager to start walking, she'd walk the whole human world on her feet!
The car slowly pulled around a huge, round water fountain and stopped in front of a tall building.
Nixxia was lost, staring at the water gushing out from a source she couldn't identify and falling freely in the air.
"Magic," She whispered again.
"We've arrived, Boss," Dane announced.
Vernon was already out of the car before Dane finished speaking.
"Get her out of my car," He ordered, lighting a cigarette.
Dane immediately ran over to Nixxia's side and opened the door that Nixxia was trying hard to figure out to open.
"Oh..." Nixxia blinked at Dane in surprise.
"I'll help -"
"Cut the Bullshit, Dane, let her walk," Vernon puffed his cigarette and locked eyes with Nixxia, daring her to pretend in his territory.
Nixxia knew she was hated; she could almost feel the same energy she felt from Pelagius. Why, though? Why did this human hate her so much?
"I can't walk, the healer said so... I said so too, my legs don't work yet, please help me?" She stretched out a hand to Dane.
Dane sighed and wanted to take her hand and help her.
"You'd do no such thing, step away from her; let's see how far she pretends," Vernon stood in front of his tall, white building, his gaze hardened.
"I'm sorry," Dane said and stepped aside.
"Okay... I, I... I try," Nixxia nodded at Dane and forced her leg to move.
She grabbed the door firmly and slid her lower body out of the car, touching her feet to the floor. When she was sure she had found balance with the warm floor, she slowly removed her hand from the door and fell face-first.
"Uh, Hurts!" She groaned painfully.
Dane didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Who the fuck says 'hurts' when hurt, but he dared not make any move or sound with how angry Vernon looked.
"No one touches her until she decides to stop fooling around and walk," Vernon's cold and unfeeling voice rang out his warning before he marched into the house.
Nixxia was left out in the hot sun; her skin was starting to feel like smoked fish, and she was left to wonder, as she crawled toward the tall building for shelter, why Vernon hated her that way, she'd never offended him; or he was just a bad human?