THREE

I had gotten myself the following day to grab myself something to eat. I wore casual clothing and men's clothing. Because now Seth is here, I can't let my feminine features set free. I'm back to binding my breast. 

I groan. 

I'm not too fond of wearing the binds, but I had no choice. 

I left my room, and after I closed my door simultaneously, Seth came out from his room across mine. 

We were both shocked and awkward about what happened yesterday. I felt terrible for yelling at him. 

"Morning!" He beams a smile.

I guess yesterday's argument didn't affect him at all. 

"Morning," I mumble and start to leave. 

"Wait, Terry," Seth caught up as he walked side by side. "Are you heading to the dining hall?"

"Yes."

"Great, let's have breakfast," then he wraps an arm around my shoulders. I fought him off, but he held on tight and dragged me. 

In the dining, there was a breakfast set up. A buffet with choices of scrambled eggs, bacon, and pancakes. There are other items in this contemporary breakfast. I picked oatmeal with raisins, a bagel with Philadelphia cheese, and orange juice. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but I have the habit of eating light. 

"I'm starving," Seth joins my table with a tray of food to fill up at least four people. 

I almost choked on my juice. "You going to eat all of that?" I say, looking at the mountain of food. 

"Yeah," Seth says with excitement and picks up his knife and fork as he starts with three stacks of pancakes covered in syrup. Cutting a piece and taking a bit, he moans. "Damn, that is one good pancake. 

I scoff as I spoon a bit of oatmeal. "Don't all pancakes taste the same no matter where you get them from?"

"Yeah, but it's all about the person who makes them." He smiled and ate another bite of his pancakes before stuffing his face with eggs and portions of bacon. 

I shake my head and focus on finishing my breakfast. As I spread the creamy white cheese on my bagel and bring it to my mouth, I spot Hugo and Sully entering the dining hall with six children. 

As the two men told the children to get breakfast, I watched their every move. The children look scared and rush to grab anything. Hugo and Sully grab a table and protect the children. I also look around because it can't be just these two executives. I found four men looking like thugs sitting across from Hugo and Sully. 

Bingo. 

Just as expected. Being executives to their boss, they have to have bodyguards. They only brought four men with them. They are confident that nothing will happen to them or the children. 

Judging by the children's ages, they don't look between six and ten. The younger they are, the more expensive they are sold to disgusting perverts. 

Images of my memories had me recall my life when I was in their possession. The woman they call Madam Red, the person in charge of the lives of many kidnapped children, is chosen for their perfect features to sell off worldwide. She chooses five or six children to be sent to the auction. She has them pampered, well-fed, and finely clothed to ensure no markings on any parts of their bodies. I was about to be one of them, but Madam Red had me stay because she saw potential in me. At first, I didn't know what she meant, but when she had me bathed and dressed with light make-up, put me in a private room, and when Hugo entered.

I shut my eyes tight, and simultaneously, my hand squeezes something hard. I broke it. 

"Hey! Terry!" 

Hearing Seth yelling, I open my eyes and see my hand wet from the mixture of blood and orange juice. I hadn't realized that I had broken the glass cup. 

Seth rushes to get the paper towel and wipe the liquid off my hand and the table. "What the fuck were you thinking?" He retorts, but it wasn't because of anger but of concerns. "Be careful."

I watch him in astonishment to see him caring for me. Then I felt the eyes present around me as we made a scene. I glance at other people from their tables, looking while others are turning their heads. Now that I am a man, some people feel uncomfortable seeing a male caring for another male in this manner.

I pulled my hand away from Seth's and took the paper towel from him to care for my injury. "Thanks, I'll take it from here."

"You sure?" He says in concern as his face tells it all. 

"Yeah," I look around for a host. "Excuse me!"

A male host approaches our table, surprised at the table with spilled orange juice mixed with my blood. "I accidentally broke the glass cup, which cut my hand."

"I see. Of course, we will have this clean-up for you." He says. "If you want, I can have someone send you to the infirmary."

"No, that is okay. Thank you." I push my chair and stand. I look at the table with Hugo and Sully having breakfast with the children. 

"Terry, are you sure? I can take you." Seth offers. But I ignore him and focus on the target.

"No, just finish your breakfast," I tell him without looking at him. 

As I waited for the opportunity, I wrapped the paper towel around my hand, hugging it against my chest, and with my free hand, dug inside my back pocket to pull out the tracking device. It was Hugo who stood and walked across to grab more coffee. I had this chance to throw away the bloody paper towel in the same direction as him. 

I reach toward Hugo as he is refilling his cup. I purposely bump into him, placing the tracker in his coffee. 

"Oops, sorry, man," I say apologetically.

Hugo glared at me and said, "No worries." Then he walks off back to his table. 

I grab more paper towels and return to where Seth finishes his breakfast. As I walk away, I peer slightly at Hugo's coffee mug as he raises it to his mouth and drinks it. 

Success.

The tracker is tasteless and tiny, easy to swallow without noticing. So, once Hugo drank his coffee, the tracker was already inside his system. I glance at my watch and tap on the screen to see a GPS marker and a red dot indicating Hugo's position. 

With this, I know where Hugo is going and bring me to that bitch. 

"Terry?"

I snap myself off Hugo and look at Seth. "Um, Seth, I'll return to my room to clean my hand."

"Are you sure you don't want to go to the infirmary?"

He has too much concern for me, and with minor wounds on my hand, it's nothing to fear. 

"I'm okay, and I got my first aid kit with me. Just finish your breakfast. Don't want to waste food." I pulled up a smile, and Seth made a face. 

He blinks his eyes at me before he makes a dumbfounded, goofy expression. I can see his eyes twinkling. 

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I sort of quiver at his expression 

"You smiled."

"And?" 

Is that why he is looking at me like that?

"You have a beautiful smile."

At that moment, my face heats up. I turn my face the other way, hiding my blush. "Shut up. You shouldn't say that to a man, especially from another man." 

"But it's the truth. Has nobody said that you have a beautiful smile?"

I pause and revert my body to face him. 

I dress as a male person who doesn't know if my gender often calls me beautiful. They have never seen a beautiful man, only because I'm female. And I take in those compliments, but the word beautiful coming off from Seth feels different. 

My heart thumped.

I turn to have my back facing him, still blushing. "Just don't randomly call me beautiful out in the open."

"I don't feel ashamed calling you beautiful." Then Seth smiled. A smile that haunted me the first day I met him. His smile is like a sunlight brush, and I can't help but stare at it. 

His words made me blush even more that my whole body was caught on fire. Can he be any smoother? And how can he not be ashamed to call a man beautiful? People here are going to think he is into men. Unless he likes both ends, which I don't, he does. This is Seth we are talking about. I am not close enough to know his personal life where we share secrets with him; I'm more like a buddy. I don't want Seth to feel that way, but it seems he doesn't care what other people think of him. 

Oh God, please kill me now!

"Shut up!" I storm off, increasing my pace, keeping away from him as much as possible with a heated face.