The Vampire Who Took Me In

It was already evening in Sullerdale City. The entire place was quiet as Hyacinth walked into the road, with the moonlight and street lamps illuminating the area.

Hyacinth fixed her waitress uniform, still smelling faintly of grease and coffee. At eleven o'clock, she was still outside, her feet aching at every step as she decided to walk instead of taking a cab.

For what felt like the millionth time that night, she scowled at the empty road ahead.

"Hah," Hyacinth sighed. "Dad, it seems like you're the child, and I'm the mother here."

Hyacinth remembered the time when Simon, her father, talked to her about taking her car.

"Daddy, I need Venus to get to work," Hyacinth spoke, trying to argue. "If you're going to take it, I need to make an effort twice just to reach the restaurant."

"Come on, sweetie. Walking every day will be good for your legs. The weather is fantastic lately, too," Simon answered, smiling. "

”Besides that, I've got a foolproof strategy for tonight. I've been thinking it over for two days straight, and luck has no choice but to find me at the tables. So, I need to get there early."

Simon was talking about gambling, which he does every night.

Hyacinth sighed and massaged her forehead. Her father wasn't like this before. He's the sweetest person she'd ever met, but when her mother died, everything changed.

He was looking for something to distract him, but in exchange, he neglected Hyacinth.

'I really don't want to be the bigger person here, but...'

She took a deep breath upon looking at Simon, who was now grinning from ear to ear. Her resolve always crumbled when it came to her father.

"What do you say, Hyacinth?" Simon asked, his tone hopeful.

"Fine." She handed over the keys to her beloved old car, Venus, and watched Simon run out of the house like an excited teenager who was going to the arcade to play games.

As Hyacinth turned to the final corner onto their street, her brows furrowed further.

Every day, she felt like she was the parent and Simon was the reckless teenager. Twenty-two years of covering his gambling debts with her wages, and watching him run into the casino every night as if it were his first date.

"What a life." Hyacinth sighed heavily.

Their modest house came into view. Her car, Venus, was in the driveway, but the flowerpot that usually hid her spare key wasn't in its right position.

A bad sign.

Hyacinth was used to being home first before her father, and now that the situation has been turned, her heart skipped a bit.

Her intuition was screaming that something bad would happen tonight.

"Dad?" Hyacinth called as she twisted the doorknob, entering the house.

"In here, honey!"

Simon's voice sounded too bright. Too forced.

That only confirmed Hyacinth's suspicions. In times like this, she knew that her father did something reckless... Again. 

"What have you done this time?" Hyacinth asked as she stepped into the kitchen, where Simon was sitting on the worn table, his face pale, and sweat was accumulating on his forehead.

His usual post-gamble excitement was gone, replaced by something more fragile.

"Hyacinth—"

"It's not like you to come home this early," she interrupted, not letting Simon finish his sentence. "What did you do?"

"My gambling strategy... It didn't work." Simon smiled weakly as he looked at Hyacinth with his pitiful eyes. "Come here. Have some lemonade first—"

"No." Hyacinth shook his head. Her voice was cold and unforgiving. "Dad, just say it. How much do you need to borrow this time?"

Simon swallowed hard. He looked like he was about to sh*t in his pants, and he was hesitating whether to tell Hyacinth the truth.

"None..."

"I don't believe you." Her eyes narrowed. "You won't act like that if you won in your gambling. Just say it. Don't delay it any longer."

Hyacinth was tired of her work, and the only thing she wanted to do right now is to rest. But Simon was making it impossible for her to do it.

"I think... Ten thousand dollars?" Simon finally answered, but he was unsure, too. "My plan was foolproof, Hya! I swear! But I don't know how he saw through my strategy—"

"What?!" 

"I told him I didn't have it! I swear!"

Goodness gracious.

Hyacinth massaged her forehead. She didn't know how to deal with this tonight. She had too much on her plate, and her father isn't even helping.

"Who are you pertaining to?" she asked coldly.

Simon looked away, not even answering the question. "He said I wouldn't get off that easily. So instead of money, he asked for something else..."

Hyacinth walked forward and stopped when she was in front of Simon.

"Dad," she called, now losing her patience. "What do you owe him, and who is this person?"

Simon didn't answer at first. He didn't know how to tell Hyacinth the truth, but he knew how persistent his daughter could be, so he finally answered.

"He wants you..."

Upon hearing those words, Hyacinth felt as if the world had stopped. She felt her blood boiling, and at the same time, her entire body froze.

There was nothing in between. Hyacinth was having all the emotions at once.

The house became silent, and only the sound of the refrigerator could be heard.

But there's another question she wanted answered.

"Who?" she asked again when Simon didn't answer.

Simon took a deep breath before he finally answer, "Rozen Payne..."

The name hit like a slap for Hyacinth.

Rozen Payne, the man who owned nearly every winery in the City. The richest, most feared figure, not just on Sullerdale, but in the entire country. He was known to be cold and ruthless. A man who took what he wanted and destroyed anyone who stood in his way. 

Rumors about him circulated like poison. On how he collected women like trophies, and how he pursued them with terrifying intensity. He's the type of person who always got what he wanted.

Refusal was never really an option.

“You agreed to hand me over to be his s*x slave?” Hyacinth asked, her voice louder than usual as she looked at Simon in disbelief. 

"No! I mean... He swore he'd treat you like gold—"

"You still agreed!" Tears streamed down Hyacinth's face before she could even stop them. "Dad... How could you do this to me when all I did was help you?"

"I had no choice!" Simon shouted back, defending himself. He said he’d kill me if I didn’t give him what I owed. What was I supposed to do—"

"You could have stopped gambling years ago, when you still had the chance!" Hyacinth didn't let her father finish his sentence. "You can prevent this, but you chose not to!"

"You dug this grave, and now, you're dragging me down with you!"

"Hyacinth... My daughter..."

Simon tried to reach out for her, but Hyacinth immediately took a step. She didn't want to be touched by him or even just stay near him.

She couldn't even stand to look at him, nor hear him say her name, especially after what he did.

"I'm leaving. I can't do this anymore."

Grabbing her bag from the floor, Hyacinth snatched the car keys from the counter and stumbled toward the door. 

“Hyacinth! Don’t go! Are you really going to leave your father like this?!”

Simon’s shouts followed her, but they were drowned out by the roaring anger in her ears. If she stayed, she’d be delivered to Rozen Payne like livestock. 

The thought made her sick. It almost made her want to vomit.

She slammed the car door shut and started Venus with shaking hands. Her father stood in the doorway as she reversed out of the driveway, going away from home.

The highway was dark and empty behind her as she drove by. Her speed was too fast. The radio was also turned off so only the sound of her ragged breathing filled the car.

Tears were blurring her vision, but she didn’t care. She was driving with nowhere to go. And as the towering trees and mountains loomed on either side, her heart raced, but still continued driving.

“D*mn you, Rozen Payne,