《MARRY ME NOW》 Chapter 1 I was on my way home from work. I had to leave earlier than my closing time. I have been sicktely. I just have to rx, I guess. My body felt sore, easily gets tired, had headaches and so on, I should be worried but I wasn¡¯t because I was never almost sick. That doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t get sick. I sighed, I drove slowly because I felt dizzy, maybe I should juste down and take a cab or something? That would be stressful so I decided to continue my slow drive home. Soon I got home, Carson, my husband, won¡¯t be home by now, he left earlier today to go sign some contracts, which was good because I don¡¯t want him worried about me being sick. Whenever I am sick, Carson stresses himself and refuses to go to work just to take care of me. I giggled remembering the day I had a fever. He refused to go to work so he could be with me. Fulfilling all of my wishes. I am seriously so lucky to have someone like him in my life. I drove into the garage and stopped the car. I got out of my car and locked it, I spotted Carson¡¯s car. Well, that¡¯s a surprise, it was only 2 pm. Maybe he got the contracts and signed them. I¡¯m so proud of him! I guess I can¡¯t hide that I am sick today. I walked to my front door and unlocked it. The sitting room was dead silent. Where was he? It¡¯s either he is here or he¡¯s in his home office. So if he is not here then he would be in his home office. I strolled to his little office and called ¡°Carson?¡± I was replied with silence ¡°Carson?¡± I called again, this time my voice louder. He wasn¡¯t in the sitting room or his office. He must be in our room, then. But that¡¯s odd. I mopped through the stairs to where our room was. ¡°Sweetheart, I am home!¡± I say sweetly. I moved closer to the door, I stopped in my tracks when I heard moans. I giggled. Was he watching porn? ¡°Baby?¡± I called opening the door, my eyes widened, and my heart suddenly beats faster than ever. I could hear my heart beating against my chest, and tears gathered in my eyes. They stopped, and she got off him, I swear I just saw her smirk at me, I heard Carson groan, next to him was the girl I called my best friend. I moved away from the door, closing the door behind me, I turned to walk away. This had to be a dream. Oh god, please let it be a dream. Running out, I went to my car. I didn¡¯t want to be anywhere near them at that moment, but I didn¡¯t know why I waited for like five minutes, Hoping he woulde to meet me and exin this. I drove off, going to only god knows where.N?velDrama.Org holds this content. More tears spilt out of my eyes, why? Why would he do that? I thought he loved me. And why does it have to be with Sara? Someone who was like a sister to me, I can¡¯t believe she would do such a thing. It felt like my heart is been ripped off my chest. My hands started shaking. I had to stop driving, I parked my car on the side of the road and started crying, so hard. You would regret going to him someday! My aunt¡¯s voice screamed at me. He¡¯s going to use and dump you! Don¡¯t return here when he does, I won¡¯t ept you! You should reconsider getting married to him! These made me cry harder. She had been right, I guess. She had always been against my rtionship with Carson. Someone knocked at the window of my car. ¡°Hey, sorry for disturbing you but it¡¯s gettingte and it¡¯s really dangerous out here.¡± A guy said. I slowly turned my head to look at the time. 6:57 pm?? I looked back at the man. ¡°Thank you.¡± I could barely hear myself, not sure if he heard until he nodded his head. ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± He said. I sighed and drove off. I was so confused, I didn¡¯t know what to do, I finally got to the house, and my body felt numb. When I got in, I saw Carson in the sitting room, he was talking to someone on the phone. His eyes met mine for a brief minute and he cuts the line of whosoever he was calling. ¡°Sign that.¡± I looked at where he was motioning at a paper on a paper holder, my eyes widened when I saw its contents. He was going to divorce me? I didn¡¯t want a divorce. Yes, I am angry at him for cheating, my blood was boiling but I didn¡¯t want to divorce him. He¡¯s Carson, the man I married, the man I love. I have always treasured him, told him how much I love him and he told me he loved me too. He showed his love for me in all kinds of ways. I can¡¯t believe this! ¡°Cars-¡± he cuts me off when he snapped. ¡°Just fucking sign it.¡± he snapped. ¡°Carson, you don¡¯t have to do this. We can still make our marriage work out. Please, I love you, Carson, please! Don-¡± ¡°Make what work out, Tessa? I have been in this loveless marriage for three years! Just fucking sign the paper and get the fuck out of my house!¡± He gritted. I was shocked. Loveless. Does he think our marriage was loveless? I was scared to say anything back to him because he looked so angry and I have never seen him this angry before. It scared me. Were you thinking of staying with him after what you saw earlier?? My subconsciousness screamed at me. I just could not imagine not being with him. With tears spilling out of my eyes I moved closer to him, ¡°Carson, please don¡¯t do this, you¡¯ve always said you love me a-¡± he cuts me off again. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t love you, I never loved you, Tessa.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t mean that., I said, it came out as a whisper. ¡°I fucking meant it, sign the papers and fucking leave my house.¡± He gritted out. The re he gave me scared me a lot, with a shaky hand and took the pen, hoping he would stop me from actually signing the paper. My hand moved on the paper, creating my signature. That was it? We were no longer together? I can¡¯t stay here anymore, no. I can¡¯t, I rushed upstairs to the room I was sharing with him, packing my stuff together. More tears flew down my eyes, and soon I was done packing, I went out of the room, and I noticed a smirking Sara behind a door. I still can¡¯t believe she had done this. I looked away from her and walked out. What was I going to do? I have no family, yes my parents are alive, but thest time I saw them was when I was 6-10yrs old. My dad was an abusive man, he abused my mother and me, after some time he left and we never heard from him again, though some of our friends said he was dating a very rich woman. My dad had left when I was 6 years old and my mom left when I was 10 and from what I had heard, she too had run to her lover. The day she left, I was home alone for a day until my aunt came and took me to her house, turned out my mom had pleaded with her to take care of me. But taking care of me was something far from what she did. I became a ve to my Aunt. I couldn¡¯t go to my aunt. She won¡¯t ept me back. How could I have been so foolish? So blinded. I got outside the house and taking a nce at it, I walked away. I had to look for a ce to stay. Where? I have no clue, I could book a hotel room¡­ I sighed frustratingly before stopping a cab. ¡°Nearest hotel please., I said entering the cab. After driving for 10 mins, the cab stopped. I got out and give him his money. I walked into the hotel. ¡°How much for a night?¡± I asked the bartender. ¡°250 dors ma¡¯am.¡± She replied. Oh god. Where else could I go this night? It waste and it looked like it was going to rain. A cold breeze swept through the hotel. I shivered as the cold breeze touched my skin. The amount was much, but hotels around here are pretty expensive. Suddenly it started raining, could it get any worst? The ce started to get crowded. I should book a room before all the rooms would be taken. ¡°Here., I said handing over to her my credit card. After slotting it, I typed my pin and she gave me back the card. ¡°Sorry ma¡¯am, it¡¯s my job to see you to your room, but there are lots of people here and they need to be attended to, but here is a map to your room, it¡¯s on the 5th floor.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, thank you., I said taking the map from her. I dragged my luggage with me and walked to the elevator. Entering it, it moved immediately. It moved for five minutes and stopped. Am I on the 5th floor now? It felt like I have been in here forever. I looked at the little button which said 3rd floor. What the hell? A man walked in. His heavenly smell filled the elevator. Jesus. He is sinfully handsome. Don¡¯t know if he¡¯s even real. Of course, he¡¯s real! I gulped looking away from him, he didn¡¯t even seem to notice me. After 4mins, the elevator stopped. Thank goodness. When it opened there were 4 men in suits, bowing down, at who? me? Oh, they were bowing at this sinfully- gorgeously- handsome- sexy man. Do you have to point that out? Who wouldn¡¯t? ¡°Boss.¡± One of them said. He walked out, going in the other direction, and the men in suits followed behind him. I don¡¯t know why but I forgot all my problems for the 5 minutes I took that ride with him. The elevator moved again. I was on the fifth floor! Oh god. It was moving towards the sixth floor! How big was this building?! After 2 minutes it stopped. I sighed and walked out, I had to find an elevator ride back to the fifth floor. ¡°Ha!¡± Someone shocked me making me scream. My body shook and I held my chest before looking at the guy who did it. He was a handsome guy who wore casual clothing. He smiled showing his adorable dimples. He was so handsome. Not as handsome as that guy in the elevator though. This isn¡¯t what I should be thinking, I just got divorced! But seriously? Was Iparing strangers now? ¡°Hey, I¡¯m Jake, nice to meet you.¡± He said after I calmed down. ¡°I¡¯m Tessa¡­ Nice to meet you too.¡± I replied. ¡°What¡¯s a beautiful damsel like you doing here all alone.¡± He said and I blush. ¡°I was going to the fifth floor, and I might have stayed in the elevator a bit longer and¡­¡± I said and heughed, I don¡¯t know why but Iughed along with him. ¡°You¡¯re so pretty.¡± Oh god. He wasn¡¯t helping, my face was getting redder. ¡°Thank you, do you know the way back to the fifth floor?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s this way.¡± He said pointing to an elevator door. ¡°Thank you,¡± I replied. I walked to the elevator, but there was suddenly red light. ¡°Elevators are been shut down, due to the heavy storm, we hop-¡± ady¡¯s voice said. the other words didn¡¯t pass through my ears. . . . ¡­. Chapter 2 What? What? My eyes widened, what am I going to do? I could have been in my hotel room, on my bed, crying into my pillow if I wasn¡¯t so distracted by some stranger. ¡°There¡¯s a staircase we could use.¡± He said behind me. Thank god! ¡°Oh, there is? That¡¯s a relief.¡± I say and he chuckled but there was a hint of surprise on his face as if he was surprised that I didn¡¯t know there was supposed to be a staircase. ¡°Come with me.¡± He walked forward and I followed behind him. We got to a staircase. A long staircase, if that¡¯s the only way down, I have to use it. Ugh, how was I going to drag my luggage down this staircase? There was so much work. It felt like I could copse at any given moment. My body was weak. We walked down slowly, it felt like I was going to fall. ¡°You okay?¡± He asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± I replied, okay, I was not okay. My legs were giving up, after walking for what seemed to be like forever, Jake halted. For a moment I thought we had reached, ¡°are you sure, you don¡¯t look okay.¡± ¡°I¡¯m perfectly fine-¡± he cuts me off when he came in front of me and bent down. ¡°Hop in.¡± He said. He was going to give me a piggyback ride! ¡°You don¡¯t have to¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± He said firmly. I sighed. If I wasn¡¯t so tired, I wouldn¡¯t have. I hesitantly climbed on his back. He took my luggage and hold it with his free has as he used one arm to hold me and he started climbing down again. After what seems like hours we finally reach the 5th floor, this hotel must be huge. Coming off his back, I blushed looking away. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°No problem, you seem new here, do you know the way to your room?¡± ¡°I¡¯m new, but it would be easy to find it, seeing I¡¯m already on the floor.¡± ¡°I guess this is a good night, here, in case you want to contact me¡­ If you have any problem, you could always reach out to me.¡± He said giving me a contact card. I took it from him, before saying another thank you. I walked away, to find my room. Room 16c After searching for it for a couple of minutes I got there. I entered the room, it was afortable room. I sighed, all I wanted at that moment was to clear my head. I flopped myself on the bed. Third Person¡¯s POV: Tessa tossed around the bed, she could not sleep, and tears streamed down her eyes. She prayed to wake up and see that it was all a dream. To wake up beside Carson and see him looking at her with his caring eyes like he has always done. Things didn¡¯t turn out well for her. She cried for what had happened, she cried for Carson. Cries escaped her lips. She felt sick and had thrown up a couple of times. She remembered her aunt and she knew she would eventually go to her. After all, she has no ce to go, if she stays in the hotel room for a week, she¡¯d be stranded, speaking of money for her to eat and to take care of herself. She had never thought she would ever regret going to Carson. She thought love conquered it all. Was she wrong? The weather wasn¡¯t helping either, it was so cold, that she clutched the duvet closer to herself. Tessa¡¯s POV: I woke with a huge headache, it felt like someone had hit my head with a metal. I groaned standing up from the bed, I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth and take my bath. If I have to go to my aunt¡¯s ce, I had to leave early, it is pretty far from here. Sigh. After I was done, I got ready, throwing my clothes on me. I took bags and walked out, but not before checking if I forgot anything. I walked to the elevator, I pressed open, it opened and I walked in, it was about to close but then it opened again. A man walked in. That sinfully handsome man, again. I gulped looking away, even his aura is scary. He was in a suit. It looks really expensive. Did he notice me? He doesn¡¯t seem to, he didn¡¯t nce once at me. I maintained my ce in the elevator. Soon it dinged and stopped. Oh, thank god! I walked out quickly, going to the exit. Immediately I was out, I called a cab. ~ I was in front of my aunt¡¯s house, should I just go back? Go. If you want to suffer. God, please save me. I inhaled and exhaled a couple of times, before going to the door. I knocked on it. The house hasn¡¯t changed a bit. After a couple of minutes, the door opened, revealing my aunt. A huge scowl formed on her face. ¡°You! What are you doing here?! I told you not toe back here! He¡¯s dumped you already?¡± She screamed at me. I just looked at the floor, my eyes blurry with tears. ¡°Answer me!¡± She shouted when she noticed I wasn¡¯t answering her, was that tears forming in her eyes? ¡°Yes.¡±Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. ¡°Ugh! I knew it! He¡¯s of no good and what are you doing here?¡± She asked me. How was I going to answer such a question? Why was I back? ~ I looked around my old room, it hasn¡¯t changed a bit, I dropped my bags on the table next to me. I was so tired. I sat on the bed, more tears spilling out my eyes, I didn¡¯t know when I fell asleep. ¡°Are you sleeping?! Don¡¯t think I¡¯d let you stay in this house without you working for me! Go and work, the house needs to be clean, I have guestsing.¡± Aunt snarled at me. I quickly stood up from the bed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said. She just red at me and gestured the way I should take it. I sighed walking out of my room. I cleaned the whole house. Everywhere. Even outside the house. I was unusually tiredtely and started throwing up, what is wrong with me? I took my phone, went on google, and typed my symptoms. The first thing that popped up was pregnancy, I can¡¯t be pregnant. But, there¡¯s a chance that I could be¡­ I had to go buy a pregnancy kit. ~ My eyes widened at the kit in my hand. I was pregnant! Oh god, what do I do? ¡°The guests are here! Go meet them.¡± My aunt said, I quickly hid the kit, holding my hand to m back. Why do I have to meet them though ¡°Okay,¡± I replied. ¡°Wait. Put on something nicer.¡± She said walking out of the room. . . . ¡­. Chapter 3 I wore a pink gown, not bothering to check how it looked. I know I look like a mess, whatever guests she has, I don¡¯t know them. I sighed walking out of the room, I mobbed to the sitting only to see aunt smiling widely at two men standing in front of her. ¡°Of course! She would love to go now! Cara!¡± She called beaming, Cara is her only child and daughter, she is a year older than me. Cara waltz in, her face was heavily stashed with makeup, I¡¯m, I¡¯m not surprised. ¡°And, there¡¯s my niece, Tessa, she¡¯s just like a daughter to me.¡± She motioned for me toe closer. Just like a daughter to me my butt. I walked closer, don¡¯t know Why But I already hate the two men in front of me. ¡°Let¡¯s sit down.¡± I sat down on the seat next to Cara, I noticed the side re she was giving me, she has never liked me. The rest was a blur, seriously, I wasn¡¯t even listening, my mind was on so many different things. I felt someone¡¯s eyes on me, looking to the opposite side was one of those men, why was he looking at me? Is there something on my face? I quickly looked away from him, and when I earned a re from an aunt, what was this all about? They talked a bit more, besides me was a blushing Cara, I shook my head sighing, let this be over. It was finally over, and those men left, I went to my room and closed the door behind me, I went to where I ced the pregnancy kit. I can¡¯t believe there is an actual human growing inside of me, it felt so unreal. My room door suddenly opened, revealing my aunt ¡°I need to talk to you.¡± Was the first thing aunt said immediately thereafter entering the room. ¡°Okay,¡± I replied. She smiled at me. Weird. ¡°Here, sit down.¡± She motioned for me to sit down on the bed, I sat down and she sat down with me. Her smile got wider. ¡°I had always known you¡¯d bring nothing but good luck.¡± She said. Okay, this is weird, she had always called me bad luck, what was she talking about? ¡°W-what do you mean?¡± I asked curiously. ¡°You see those men? The one who came earlier? Well, the one who was staring at you, he¡¯s interested in you, I told him that you¡¯re single.¡± She said, where was she going with this? ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± I asked again. ¡°He¡¯s interested in you, and he would love to make you his wife, isn¡¯t that great news?¡± She said, giggling. Why would he be interested in me? I barely know him and neither does he, he barely knows me and he would love to make me his. wife. It sounds stupid. Was she being serious? ¡°I am not interested,¡± I said and she gave me a deadly re. ¡°I¡¯m doing something great for you right now, you should be grateful, and you¡¯re going to get married to him, you have no say in this, you live under me, you are my responsibility.¡± She scolded. Okay, this was insane, she was insane. ¡°Are you being serious right now? I¡¯m not getting married.¡± I said standing up, she was doing this for money. She has always been obsessed with money, she could even sell her right now, but not limited to a child for money. ¡°Listen to me youngdy, you¡¯re going to get married to him, if not leave my house! And I assure you, you¡¯re going to suffer out there I¡¯m doing this for your good.¡± She snarled getting up from the bed. For your own good? She was doing this for her benefit and if I have to leave this house, I¡¯m so not getting married, ever again. ¡°I am leaving,¡± I said going to where my bag was, why did I evene here in the first ce? Because I don¡¯t have any ce to stay¡­? ¡°are you kidding me? I told you! You¡¯re going to suffer out there!¡± She shrieked. What¡¯s up with eating? I ignored her, packing my stuff, I know I¡¯m going to suffer out there, but it¡¯s better. Nope, it¡¯s not. Pushing the thought out of my mind and walking out of the room. ¡°You¡¯re so stubborn, just do what I say and your life would be great.¡± She said. Great? More like hell. Going out of the house, I didn¡¯t nce back, but I could hear her shouting. Where would I go? Why can¡¯t my life be normal? I¡¯m the with child. Oh god, could it get anymore worst? Thrashing my hair and arranging it back, I walked off. ~Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. After walking for what seemed like hours, I got tired. I walked towards the left side of the road, bending down, and I cried. The world sure hate hates me. I cried for what seemed to seem like hours, well it was hours, I looked at my phone. 4 pm?? drops of water hit me. It was going to rain. I looked up at the sky, and just then the rain started, I stood up and ran to the nearest building. I tried to enter, but the door was closed, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not a house, at least it does not look like one. The door opened revealing two bulky In, I gulped, they look so, scary. Aye aye youngdy, you got a card?¡± One said, card? What were they talking about? ¡°Card?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a beautiful youngdy, oh just let her in! Look at the storming!¡± Ady said smiling. She looks nice. ¡°Pleasee in, dear.¡± Thedy said, taking me by the hand and leading me in. to Inside was so warm, there were lots of people, girls with almost nothing on. Everyone looks expensive, what did I get myself into? I gulped again. ¡°It¡¯s okay dear, loosen yourself, you¡¯re fine!¡± She screamed over The loud music, I managed to nod. ¡°Come with me,¡± she said. Should I go wither? I mean, I¡¯m still scared standing here alone. I followed her and we stopped at a ce, ¡°I think she¡¯d be great tonight.¡± She told a man, the man wore a suit. Was she talking about me? The man surveyed me with his eyes, I felt highly ufortable. He smirked. ¡°Yeah, she looks tasty.¡± He said making me gasp. I looked at thedy. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not what you¡¯re thinking and oh dear, you look so tired,e I can offer you a room tonight.¡± She said it felt, sincere. ¡°Okay,¡± I said and trailed behind her. We walked till we reached a door, ¡°here is it! Go have your bath and rx dear, here is the key.¡± She said handling a bunch of keys and left. Oh, thank god! I opened the door and entered, I locked the door with the key room was nice and dimmed and Lighted. Should I have my bath? I mean, I¡¯m really dirty right now. I went to the bathroom and quickly took a bath and threw on some clothes to were going out. I saw a man, well that man of earlier. ¡°Awe, I was expecting you toe out only with a towel.¡± How did he get in here? . . . ¡­.. Chapter 4 I gulped looking at the man before me. It was a setup! What an idiot am I, I should have known. A huge grin stered on his face. He walked closer to me. ¡°Don¡¯te closer!¡± I screamed at him, but he didn¡¯t even seem to hear what I just said. His grin was sickening, I looked around if there was anything I could use to protect myself when he suddenly jumped on me resulting in the two of us falling on the bed. ¡°Help! Somebody help! Please!¡± I screamed for help but no one came. The man pressed his body against mine, he brought his head to my neck and started kissing it, my effort to push him away was in vain. He was so much stronger, tears spilt out of my eyes, ¡°stop, please, don¡¯t do this, I beg of you!¡± I cried. He stood up from me, he quickly unsped his belt I thought this was my chance to escape, but his arm suddenly wrapped around my waist pulling me back. Kicking and screaming did nothing to him. I spotted the vase on the stool behind the bed, I stressed out to reach it, but I couldn¡¯t reach it. Oh god, please save me. Stretching further for it, I finally reached it, I took a hold of it and hit him on the head with it. He released me and held his head. ¡°Ahhh.¡± He growled I took the chance to run. Bolting out of the room, I ran through the long passage, I reached the ce where they were so many people dancing. ¡°Find her!!!¡± I heard him growl, I had to hide. I quickly bent down and hid under the table that was close to me. My heart was beating so fast, what if they caught me? More tears slipped out of my eyes. After some minutes I heard, ¡°where there fuck could she be?!¡± It was that man, he was shouting at someone or persons. ¡°She didn¡¯t leave the club sir, I¡¯m sure she is somewhere around here.¡± One replied. ¡°Go fucking find her!!!¡± He growled. I whimpered, and I might have mistakenly touched something and it fell with a loud noise. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± A man with a deep voice asked. Fear took over me, I froze, and the table was suddenly flipped over. I looked up to see 5men before me, 1 of them was that man. He had a stupid smirk on his face. Suddenly I was grabbed by two men. ¡°Let go of me!¡± I shouted trying to leave their grasp. ¡°Please, I beg of you.¡± I cried and suddenly a man walked towards where we were.¡± ¡°What are you doing, man, she¡¯s Vick¡¯s fiancee.¡± The man said, fiancee?! Something crossed the men¡¯s faces, it was fear. Whoever this Vick guy is, he must be rich or something. ¡°Come with me.¡± The guy said grabbing my arm. He practically dragged me out of the club. ¡°Where are you taking me to?!¡± I screamed at the unknown man. ¡°Home.¡± He replied. Home? What was he talking about? We reached outside and there was a car just beside the door. He opened the car door. ¡°Get in.¡± He said. I should make a run for it. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it.¡± I heard him say. He nodded his head towards the men around, they work for him too? Or whoever this Vick guy is. If I run now, they would catch me. I gulped before entering the car. The door closed and the man came to the driver¡¯s seat and drove off. I looked carefully at the road, just in case I see a chance to escape, so I would know the way back. We were suddenly in a familiar environment. Was he taking me back to my aunt¡¯s? My eyes widened when we stopped just right outside her house. He came out of the car and walked to my door and opened it. ¡°Come out.¡± He said, I climbed down. ~ ¡°Thank you so much, please greet sir Vick for me.¡± I heard my aunt say to that man. She knew who Vick is! I was sitting down on a chair in the living room. ¡°I will.¡± He replied. I heard the door closed and footstepsing closer to where I was. My aunt reached the living room, she was ring at me. ¡°You never listen to me! If that man had raped you. Oh god.¡± She said. My head was down, I couldn¡¯t look at her. ¡°Just do as I say, and you¡¯ll live a wonderful life, Tessa.¡± She said. I didn¡¯t answer her, I couldn¡¯t. If I leave again¡­ You¡¯d regret ever going to him! You¡¯re so stubborn! If I go again the third time, maybe something so much more may happen to me. She¡¯s Vick¡¯s fiancee. My mind went back to what that man had said. ¡°W-who is Vick?¡± I asked my aunt to ignore what she has been saying. ¡°He¡¯s the man I was telling you about, the one who is interested in you.¡± She replied. ¡°Well, I said this before, I¡¯m not interested in him, do I have to say it out loud?¡± I snapped. ¡°You don¡¯t have a choice in it.¡± She snapped back. ¡°What do you mean by I don¡¯t have a choice in it, this is my life!¡± ¡°I might have never said this before, but Vick isn¡¯t someone who takes no.¡± ¡°Stop! I don¡¯t care, I¡¯m not getting married and there¡¯s nothing you or he can do about it.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong.¡± . . . ¡­.N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. Chapter 5 ¡°I¡¯m pregnant.¡± I blurted out. Hoping that would stop this madness. ¡°What? You¡¯re lying.¡± She replied. ¡°I¡¯m not. I¡¯m pregnant and it¡¯s my ex-husband¡¯s.¡± She started pacing around the room. ¡°You¡¯re going to abort that bastard.¡± ¡°No. You don¡¯t tell me what to do.¡± I snapped. She turned to look at me, thest time she looked at me like that was when I was 16, I had broken an expensive architect, by mistake. ¡°You bastard! I¡¯ve had enough! How dare you talk to me like that!¡± She lunged towards me grabbing my hair, tightly. ¡°Stop!¡± I cried, but she didn¡¯t. ¡°You¡¯re going to abort that bastard, do you hear me?!¡± I managed to push her away, resulting in her falling to the floor. Cara came rushing into the room and saw her mum on the floor. She red at me, helping aunt up, I thought she was going to stop, but she didn¡¯t. ~ I cried, trying to clean myself. My body hurts so much. Cara had joined aunt earlier. I can¡¯t believe this is happening, it has to be a dream. A bad dream. After some minutes, I managed to clean myself and entered the bed. My breathing was heavy. Closing my eyes, I waited for sleep toe, but it didn¡¯t. I cried the whole night. I woke up to the sun piercing through my eyes. Did I sleep? I stood up from the bed and went into the bathroom. I took my bath and noticed the red scar on my left arm. I was done, I got out and wore a simple gown. My stomach was grumbling. I haven¡¯t eaten since yesterday. Oh god. And a baby is growing inside of me. I walked out of the room and went to the door leading outside, but there were two men, just beside the door. Who are they? I slowly walked closer to the door, attempting toe out. But they blocked the way. ¡°Excuse me, I have to go out,¡± I said, but they did not reply to me, it was as if they didn¡¯t even hear me. ¡°You¡¯re not leaving this house, at least not until when you¡¯re going to your husband¡¯s house.¡± It was aunt, she was still on this? I turned towards her. ¡°Why won¡¯t you just leave me alone? I¡¯ve told you this before, I¡¯m not getting married.¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing something great for you. You¡¯d thank me for this someday.¡± I didn¡¯t answer her, I turned to look at the men, ring at them. Who do they think they are?Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. I am a human and I have my right to movement. ¡°Let me pass, or I¡¯m going to call the cops.¡± They didn¡¯t even flinch. They were keeping me caged, I hate this. I couldn¡¯t stop the tears that slipped out of my eyes. I hate this feeling. ~ ¡°Here, drink this,¡± Aunt said, sitting next to me on the bed. I¡¯ve been crying all day long. I¡¯m trapped. ¡°I don¡¯t want it,¡± I said. ¡°You have to drink this, it¡¯s good for you, and it would stop the pain you¡¯re going through.¡± She said. I slowly took it from her and dropped it on the table next to me. She smiled. ¡°I¡¯d go bring something for you to eat.¡± She walked out of the room. Immediately after she left, I went to the bathroom and poured it on the floor. I don¡¯t know why, but I didn¡¯t feel like drinking it. I went back to the room and sat down on the bed. A few minutester, an aunt came back with a tray of food in her hand. ¡°Here, you should eat.¡± She said smiling at the empty cup behind me. What did she put in that? I didn¡¯t drink it, so I don¡¯t have to be scared. I looked at the food before me, and my stomach growled. ~ ¡°I heard she is pregnant.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ She will¡­ Uh, had a husband, I gave her a drink that could abort the child¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m leaving for Italy in two weeks, I want the wedding before then.¡± ¡°Yes, of course. I¡¯d prepare her.¡± ¡°Do so-¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this illegal? Forcing someone to get married?!¡± I snapped at the two idiots before me. ¡°Tessa, do-¡± ¡°Tessa what?! I told you, I¡¯m not getting married to anyone and you¡¯re not going to force me to do what I don¡¯t want to!¡± I noticed the Vick guy staring at me, how I felt like poking his eyes and making him blind. I red at him. ¡°I guess we¡¯d have to do this the hard way.¡± I heard him say. ¡°Hard way? Like this isn¡¯t hard enough. Why won¡¯t you just leave me alone? You barely know me and you want to get married to me? That¡¯s stupid and path-¡± he cuts me off with a growl. ¡°Shut up.¡± He looked straight into my eyes this time. He got up from where he was sitting and walked toward me. He looks so scary at that moment. I backed away till my back hit the wall. He reached me and trapped me between the walls. ¡°We¡¯re going to get married, a week from now and there¡¯s nothing you can do about it.¡± He was so close and our bodies touched. I felt disgusted. I needed to push him away. But he seems strong, so strong. Tears slipped down my eyes. I don¡¯t want this. ¡°Please, let go of me.¡± I pleaded, and he replied to me with a growl. ~ I was in my room, bawling my eyes out. Why does this have to happen to me? What have I ever done to deserve this? I sniffed. I took my bag behind me, looking for my phone, I turned the bag around and everything in the bag came out. A card caught my eye. here, in case you want to contact me¡­ If you have any problems, you could always reach out to me. . . . ¡­.. Chapter 6 I don¡¯t think I can reach out to him with a problem like this, I don¡¯t even know him. Yeah. You don¡¯t want to involve him in a matter like this. I think you should reach out to him, who knows, he might be able to help you. Two voices argued in my head, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s proper to reach out to him with a problem like this. Okay, watch yourself getting married¡­ Or signed off. I don¡¯t want that! With shaky hands, I took my phone and typed the number on it. The phone rang, but then it was sent to voicemail. This might be a sign that I shouldn¡¯t call him. Throwing my phone frustratingly at the other side of the bed, Iy down. What an ill fate I have. I shouldn¡¯t havee here in the first ce, if I hadn¡¯t, I would have been living in more proper life. Tears streamed down my eyes, with a headacheing along with them. Suddenly my phone rang. I stretch out to take my phone and looked at the caller¡¯s id. No name. I tapped the ept button before putting it close to my ear. ¡°H-hello?¡± I asked. ¡°You called.¡± Came a cool manly voice. Was it the number I called earlier? ¡°Are you¡­ Jake¡­?¡± I asked.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. ¡°Yes, I am. Jake Carl.¡± ¡°Do you remember? That night at the hotel? I¡¯m Tessa.¡± ¡°Yes, I do. Never thought I was going to hear from you again, how have you been?¡± He chuckled. ¡°I-i¡¯m fine.¡± Say the truth! ¡°Are you? You sound rather down.¡± ¡°No¡­ I mean yes.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± You can sense the worry in his tone. ¡°I¡¯m not okay,¡± I suddenly cried. ¡°It¡¯s a long story, can you help me?¡± I asked hopefully. ¡°Where are you?¡± ¡°At m-my aunt¡¯s, she¡¯s h-holding me hostage.¡± I stammered. ¡°Do you know the location?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I replied and then I told him the location. ¡°Rx, okay? You¡¯d be alright.¡± He assured and I nodded my head even though he would not see me doing it. ¡°I brought you juice, you should drink it all.¡± I heard my aunt¡¯s voice and quickly hid my phone. ¡°What were you doing?¡± ¡°I was uh¡­ Searching for something I kept¡­ In my bag.¡± ¡°Okay dear, drink this.¡± She said giving it to me. I waited, expecting her to leave, but she didn¡¯t. ¡°I would leave when you¡¯re done with the juice.¡± She said with a smile. Who knows what she put in this? I gave her something to abort the pregnancy. Suddenly there was a knock on the door, she walked out. I walked towards the door, trying to make out the voices I was hearing. Had he told someone? Were they the people on the door? ¡°What are you talking about?! I live here with my daughter and niece and no one is pressuring anybody here!¡± I heard my aunt say. The other person said something I still couldn¡¯t make out. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but both girls can¡¯t speak to you now, they are asleep.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t go into my house without my permission! I told you, they are not avable right now.¡± I was going to step out to go to them when a hand suddenly sp my mouth, pulling me back. I tried to scream, but it came out as muffles. Oh, why? ¡°Shh.¡± The person whispered. I tried kicking, trying to make a noise, but the person entangled his legs with mine, stopping me from kicking. Tears streamed down my eyes. I was never going to escape. ¡°See? I told you, I was trying to get sleep myself and then you guys came, oh my, and my blood pressure is high, please go now, I have to rest.¡± Aunt said dramatically. I squirmed trying to break free or at least hit something to make a noise. I noticed the man bringing out something from his pocket. A handkerchief. He was going to make me sleep! I squirmed harder until something fell making a loud noise, he managed to put the cloth on my face, making me fall asleep. Someone, please save me. ??? I stretch out my body. Where it seemed like the mostfortable ce I have ever been in my life. Where was I? My brain suddenly recalled what had happened earlier and I snapped my eyes open. I heard the door opening and footsteps walking closer to me, when the person reached where I was, my eyes widened. Jake. He smiled at me. ¡°You¡¯re finally awake, how are you feeling?¡± His smile was warming and it could light up a dark room. ¡°I-i¡¯m fine¡­ What happened?¡± ¡°Nothing much, what matters now is that you¡¯re okay.¡± I tried to get up, but he stopped me. ¡°I think you should have more rest, stressing yourself now is not good for your health and that of the baby.¡± When he said that the baby making me rx, my baby was okay. I smiled at him gratefully. ¡°How can I repay you?¡± ¡°By taking care of yourself.¡± He said and I nodded my head. ¡°Thank you so much.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to be.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ About my aunt, d-did anything happen?¡± I asked in curiosity. ¡°Nothing much, I¡¯d go bring something for you to eat.¡± He said walking out. I pinched myself on my arm, to know if this was a dream or not. It wasn¡¯t. Tears flowed down my eyes. Tears of joy. I was free once again. I won¡¯t have to see aunt or that man. Ever again¡­ . . . ¡­. Chapter 7 ¡°Tessa, I saw what happened earlier.¡± I turned my head to look at Yvonne, she was giving me a weird look. ¡°What do you mean? And stop with that face, it¡¯s creeping me out.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t pretend that you don¡¯t know!¡± ¡°No, seriously, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°You and Jake! The way you two held each other¡¯s hands today, the way you two looked at each other¡­¡± She said dreamily. Oh god. She was talking about what happened earlier, I had incidentally slipped and Jake caught me. I and Jake have been friends for two years now and nothing is going on between us. ¡°I told you, Jake and I are just friends., I said and she scoffed. ¡°That¡¯s what you always say, even when you know it¡¯s not true, just- fine, but that won¡¯t stop me from shipping.¡± I rolled my eyes mentally. ¡°Did you hear?¡± She asked. ¡°Hear what?¡± ¡°About the boss, he¡¯s going toe to our branch tomorrow, I gotta go do my beauty treatment!¡± The boss, he wasing? I¡¯ve never seen him personally, I have only heard of him. ¡°Okay., I replied. ~ I woke up to someone practically jumping on me, Jesus. I shifted my eyes to see Anne. How did she? ¡°Mommy!¡± She said giggling moving closer to me, she wrapped her hands around my neck. ¡°Hey, baby., I said hugging her back.N?velDrama.Org holds this content. ¡°Let¡¯s go brush our teeth and have our bath?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± She replied. ~ ¡°I¡¯d be going now, please take care of her, and thank you so much., I said to Zara. ¡°Of course, see youter.¡± She said and I smiled and walked out the door. I went to my car and drove off to the office. I recently bought the car from my savings. Just a year after I gave birth to Anne, Jake had helped me secure a job. Not just any job, a job in one of the biggestpanies in the world, and the pay is really good. Though I think he has a connection with the boss. Perhaps, they were a friends I got to the office and walked in, oh god. I was 20minste, I walked faster and finally got to my work department. But it was unusually empty, where are the other people? I saw a cleaner. ¡°Hey, do you know where they-¡± ¡°They are in the conference room, with the boss.¡± She said and my eyes widened. Oh, snap! I quickly took my bag and practically ran to the conference room. I got to it and opened the door. All eyes were suddenly on me. I blushed at the attention that was suddenly on me. I walked closer to the big table, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the disturbance.¡± I said and slowly took a seat to sit down. ¡°You were saying?¡± I heard Jake say, oh thank god! The attention was now off me. Thank you, Jake. ¡°It¡¯s going to be like this¡­¡± And just like that, the meeting went on, damn. How could I not know about this, what if I¡¯m given a query? Soon the meeting was over and the employees started walking out. ¡°Did you see him?!¡± Yvonne screeched, Jesus, my ears. cing a hand on my ear, I asked. ¡°Did I see who?¡± ¡°Austin Kings!¡± She squealed, I¡¯m pretty sure if she does that one more time, I¡¯m going to go deaf. But no, I did not see him. ¡°No., I replied and she looked at me like I just said the most abominable word ever. ¡°Look.¡± She said pointing to a man in that. Jesus. I almost got a heart attack. Was he for real? So handsome, hot¡­ Sinfully handsome¡­ What the hell am I saying? Now I see where all thedies here were staring at, not all though, of course, Jake also has some spotlight, have I ever mentioned Jake is so handsome and so hot? Oh, stop! And you say you¡¯re just friends with him? Yep, just friends. I don¡¯t even think I¡¯m ever going to start a rtionship ever again. ¡°Just his smell alone will melt you, it¡¯s so good.¡± I heard Yvonne say. No doubt she was going to try and get him, she¡¯s obsessed with him. ¡°Wish you the best.¡± ¡°Oh, he¡¯s the best!¡± She mused. I looked at my time. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the office?¡± ¡°Yeah., she replied. We walked forward and then we had to pass where the boss was. Just when we were going to pass him, Yvonne fell to his feet. She did that on purpose. ¡°Oh my. I¡¯m so sorry.¡± She said slowly standing up. She shyly tucked her hair in the back of her ear. I expected him to like say. ¡®Oh, it¡¯s okay.¡¯ But he didn¡¯t, he just stepped away from her and walked towards where Jake was. Rude much? ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked and she just nodded her head. ¡°Let¡¯s go., I said and we walked towards our department. ~ It¡¯s been an hour since we got here and it¡¯s been a boring day. I sighed getting up, I had to go give Jake this file. Did I mention Jake was my senior? I got to the office and opened the door. ¡°Hey,¡± I said smiling at him, he returned the smile ¡°Hey.¡± He replied. ¡°I came to give you this, I¡¯ve done the necessary process,¡± I said giving it to him. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said. ¡°No problem.¡± I turned around at walked out of the office. I got to the elevator leading to my department and entered it, it moved for 3mins and stopped. I came out and walked to my office. My office phone suddenly rang. ¡°Miss Tessa, the boss requested for you toe to his office immediately.¡± Jesus. . . ¡­. Chapter 8 ¡°Are you okay? You look like you¡¯ve seen a ghost.¡± A voice said the person waved at my face, I turned to see Yvonne. ¡°I think I¡¯m in trouble.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°He asked for me¡­ Mr Kings.¡± I said and her mouth formed into an ¡®o¡¯ shape. ¡°Remember? I camete today, what if he wants to fire me-¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, calm down¡­ Maybe¡­ Well, he might just want to know why you werete, I don¡¯t think he would fire you and I could escort you there if you want.¡± ¡°Yes. Please do.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± She chirped with a huge smile on her face. She entangled her arm in mine and we walked towards the elevator. We entered and the door closed and it started moving. ¡°Rx, you look tensed.¡± I heard Yvonne say. I sighed. Soon it stopped and we stepped out and walked towards the reception. Yeah, there was also a reception here for those waiting to see him. ¡°Thank you so much, you can go now-¡± she cuts me off. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I want to be here for you, what are friends for?¡± She said with a friendly smile. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said and walked towards thedy beside the table on the left-hand side. ¡°Mr Kings called?¡± I asked. She shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry ma¡¯am but Mr Kings is not at work now and he never asked for anyone.¡± My eyes widened. Then who called? ¡°Oh. Thank you.¡± I said turning around. Yes! He wasn¡¯t calling me, but who did? ¡°What happened?¡± Yvonne asked. ¡°Unfortunately, he never called,¡± I said. ¡°Oh¡­ Then who called you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± The person did say ¡®boss¡¯ though. Wait. We call some people in higher levels than us boss. ¡°Was the person referring to another person?¡± ¡°Maybe, I suspect the person would be Jake, he always calls you.¡± Ah, yes. What was I thinking? How could my mind just go to Mr Knight? Aren¡¯t I stupid? ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I perturbed you for no particr reasons.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, you might want to go see him, it¡¯s been long since he sent for you.¡± ¡°Yes, I would see youter,¡± I said walking to the elevator. I got in and pressed the 4th floor. It finally stopped and I got out and walked to Jake¡¯s office, but he wasn¡¯t there. I looked around. ¡°Oomph!¡± I collided with a wall. Stupid wall! I looked in front of me to re at it. But it wasn¡¯t a wall, but Mr Kings. Good thing I hadn¡¯t fallen. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry-¡± ¡°Are you blind?¡± He suddenly says with a scowl catching me off guard. ¡°Uh?¡± ¡°Wow, she¡¯s dumb.¡± He said, his dark eyes surveyed me and I felt like punching it. But, he¡¯s my boss. You¡¯re going to let him insult you? ¡°I¡¯m not blind, and I¡¯m certainly not dumb,¡± I stated firmly, he might be my boss, but he shouldn¡¯t insult me. ¡°Excuse me, I don¡¯t have time for this.¡± He said. ¡°Yeah, but you do have time to insultdies,¡± I said. And that¡¯s the stupidest thing ever, go find something better to do. I hissed in my mind but the way he was looking at me said I said it out. Oh, I did! ¡°What¡­ Did you just say?¡± ¡°Nothing, I wasn¡¯t talking to you¡­ I was¡­ Recalling a movie I watched.¡± He raised an eyebrow, amused. Those perfectly shaped eyebrows. Damn. His phone suddenly rang, oh thank god! I gestured that I have to go. This is a huge opportunity! I quickly walked away ncing back only a few times. ¡°Hey, why are you so much in a hurry?¡± I looked at the person in front of me. ¡°You called, right?¡± I breathe. ¡°Yeah¡­ A long time ago, but you didn¡¯te so I had to go do it myself.¡± He said. What? He went to go do what I was supposed to do, I felt so bad, I¡¯m taking advantage of our friendship. Pfft, you didn¡¯t know he was the one calling you though. ¡°Oh, Jake! I¡¯m so sorry, i-¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± What¡¯s up with people cutting me off? ¡°No, it¡¯s not¡­ I feel so bad, how can I repay you?¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Tessa¡­ Besides, it turned out if I hadn¡¯t gone there myself something would have gone wrong.¡± Oh. ¡°Okay,¡± I said with a smile, he suddenly brought his hand towards my face. Was there something on my face? His hand moved towards my ear and he tucked the loose strands of hair beside my ear. Oh. ¡°Thank y-¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± A beautiful voice said. But see what I meant by people cutting me off?N?velDrama.Org holds this content. I turned to see Mr Kings, and with the look on his face, one could tell that he was angry. Well, he has been like that all day, I guess, because this morning at the conference room he wasn¡¯t looking happy, I¡¯m surprised thosedies gawking at him didn¡¯t notice his mood. I don¡¯t me them though¡­ Cause he is sure as hell one good look- Shut up! ¡°Nothing, sir,¡± I replied. I noticed Jake studying Mr Kings, I looked at Mr Kings who was looking at me. A blush crept to my face. ¡°I was telling her, how beautiful she looks,¡± Jake said and my eyes widened, what? that was not what we were talking about. ¡°Are you two dating?¡± ¡°No,¡± I said. ¡°No¡­ Yet.¡± Jake said. What the hell? ¡°I see.¡± Something tells me they know each other so well, yep. I think they do. Who would taunt their boss? because there were taunting looks in Jake¡¯s eyes. They were looking at each other in the eyes, you know, the friends taunting each other thingy. ~ I sighed slumping on my office chair, after a long walk back to my office it felt like I was going to copse. I would have taken some rest, but you see the paper works before me? It says no to rest. I sighed and began doing some paperwork. Ady walked in with an envelope in her hand. ¡°I was asked to give you this, ma¡¯am.¡± She said and gave it to me before walking out. Who sent this? I opened the envelope and my eyes widened at its contents. . . . ¡­ Chapter 9 I looked at the paper in my hands again, you know, just to know if I had read right. Transfer?? Why would they transfer me? I mean it¡¯s not yet time to be transferred.N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. I¡¯d have to go resume there tomorrow. Oh god and it was not just any department, the boss¡¯ office was there. I would have to do my work strictly and make no mistakes. There, I won¡¯t be able to get any help from Jake or Yvonne because it¡¯s a bit far from their offices. My rm suddenly went off startling me. 06:00 pm I kept the paper back in the envelope and ced it inside my bag. I stood up and arranged my things before going over to the curtains to lock them. I took my bag and walked out of the office, I¡¯m going to miss it, I can¡¯t believe this would be thest time I¡¯m going to be here. ¡°Hey, my car broke down. Can you give me a ride?¡± I heard Yvonne say, immediately I got out of the office. ¡°Sure,¡± I replied with a sly smile. ¡°How was work today?¡± She asked as we walked towards my car. We got in before I answered. ¡°It was fine¡­ Except for the part when I got a transfer letter.¡± I said and she gasped. ¡°OMG, we won¡¯t be close to each other again, what if I need help with some files.¡± She said then sighed. ¡°Where were you transferred to?¡± I brought out the transfer letter and gave it to her. She gasped again. ¡°Oh my- wow.¡± She said surprised. ¡°Haha, it¡¯s surprisingly next to Mr King¡¯s office.¡± She said before I could reply. ¡°Yes,¡± I said sadly. Not because I was transferred to where he was, no. But because I was going to be far away from her, we always help each other and other stuff. ¡°You know, I bumped into Mr Kings earlier today,¡± I told her and her eyes widened in interest. ¡°Oh, you did? What happened?¡± ¡°Well, when I was going to Jake¡¯s office, I bumped into him then he said pretty things and I might have talked back at him, he was going to¡­ Well I don¡¯t really know, but someone called him and I left and then I saw Jake and I was telling him how sorry I was for not answering his call, then Mr Kings came and asked if we were dating and Jake said yes.¡± ¡°Are you kidding?¡± She said with augh that stopped immediately. ¡°And then what happened?¡± She asked curiously. ¡°Nothing, except the fact that Jake was taun- wait, do they know each other?¡± ¡°Yeah, they¡¯ve been friends for a very long time.¡± ¡°That exins why,¡± I said starting the car. Yep, the car wasn¡¯t moving. ¡°Anyways, it¡¯s okay. I woulde and see you there from time to time.¡± She said smiling friendly, I smiled back. ¡°You don¡¯t have to stress you-¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, I would love to do it.¡± ¡°Ah, thank you,¡± I replied. I drove for 10mins, before reaching her house. She got out. ¡°Thank you, see you at work tomorrow.¡± She waved and I waved back with a smile before driving off to mine which was 3 blocks from mine. I got out of my car and locked it before walking into the house, it was silent. Where was Anne? I miss her so much. I walked towards her room, hearing gigglesing from it. I opened the door to see her running around the room with Zara running behind her. ¡°Mommy!¡± She called when she caught sight of me, she ran towards me. taking her in my arm, ¡°how are you, baby?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± She replied with a huge grin on her face. ¡°Thank you so much, Zara.¡± ¡°My pleasure.¡± She said with a smile, her eyes still on Anne. ~ I joked in my bed when my rm went off, oh god. I stood up from the bed and went into the bathroom. I brushed my teeth and took my bath beforeing back to my room to dress, I went out of the room and go straight to Anne¡¯s room to check on her. I can¡¯t wake her up, because it was rare. Yeah, the only time I can talk to her is when I get back from work or during weekends or when I have a leave from work. She was sound asleep, I closed the door back and went to the living room where I had kept my bag. The door suddenly dinged, I walked over to it and opened it, revealing Zara. I smiled at her. ¡°Good morning.¡± I greeted. ¡°Good morning.¡± She said back with a smile. ¡°I¡¯d be going now,¡± I said. ¡°So early?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I was transferred and I can¡¯t gote anymore.¡± I said with a smallugh. ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Goodbye, please take good care of Anne,¡± I said and she nodded her head with a friendly smile. ¡°Definitely.¡± She replied and I walked out of the house to my car, I entered and started the car, and t roared to life. ~ I looked around my new office, it was really beautiful and bigger than my old office. And the work I had to do was also very different. My eyes moved to the correspondence in front of me. What am I now? A secretary? A P. A? No way. I took my bag bringing out the letter I got yesterday. shifted to a personal assistant. I choked. Jesus, why didn¡¯t I see that yesterday? Like it¡¯s going to change anything. I¡¯ve got a long day ahead of me. . . . ¡­ Chapter 10 I sighed swirling around with my office chair. it¡¯s been a boring day, I must say. I haven¡¯t done any work because Mr Kings is not at work, and there was no paperwork for me. My office phone rang, I picked up the phone to answer it. ¡°Yes-¡± the person cuts me off. ¡°¡­ file 245.¡± He said and the call died. Rude. But when did he get there though? I could swear he wasn¡¯t in his office 10mins ago. I stood up and walked to the filing cab. After a minute of searching, I found it. I got out of my office to Mr King¡¯s office. He sat on his chair, his eyes solely on the paper before him. ¡°Here¡¯s the file, sir.¡± I gave it to him, I turned around to go back to my office. Myputer beeped, and I looked at it. Oh, thank god! At least, I¡¯ve got something to do. ~ I looked at the time. Noon. I sighed. My door opened, revealing Yvonne, I beamed. ¡°Oh thank god you came,¡± I said and she giggled. She sat down in the chair opposite me. ¡°Did you get his call?¡± She asked I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Whose call?¡± ¡°Jake, he called for you.¡± She replied. He did? I thought I won¡¯t work for him anymore since I got transferred from his department. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I have noint about him calling me. Something popped into my head, oh, his paperwork of yesterday was with me. I grabbed my bag and searched for it, hoping I hadn¡¯t left it at home. Luckily, it was there. ¡°Can you watch here for me? I should go give this to him.¡± I said and she nodded her head with a smile. I walked out of the office, going straight to the elevator, I pressed the 4th-floor button. Where Jake¡¯s office was. I entered and the elevator stopped minutester, I strolled out of it and went straight to Jake¡¯s office. As usual, he was on the paperwork. He looked up to see me, and he smiled and I returned the smile. ¡°I heard you were transferred.¡± He said, I just nodded my head. ¡°Are you okay with your new position?¡± He asked, curiosity written on his face. I wouldn¡¯t say I¡¯m not okay with it, because it¡¯s a nice position, not too much work to do, well maybe there might be more work next time. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I guess,¡± I replied and he raised an eyebrow. Probably not satisfied with my answer. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I said firmly this time with a smile. I didn¡¯t want to bother him, he¡¯s done so much for me,ining would make me feel like a whining bitch. Though I have noint. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s great.¡± He replied. ¡°Yeah, I brought you the paperwork from yesterday.¡± I handed him the papers. ¡°I really should be going now,¡± I said. ¡°Yeah, I would talk to youter.¡± He replied, I smiled and walked out of the office to my office. After some minutes I reached my office. ¡°S-she left to give Mr Jake his paperwork.¡± I heard Yvonne say from inside my office. Someone must be with her, I turned the doorknob, the door opened and I walked in to see Mr Knight¡¯s back, Yvonne was in front of him, her eyes on the floor, her cheeks tainted pink.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. He must have heard me opening the door because he turned to me. He red. ¡°Where were you, miss Tessa?¡± He asked. I thought I heard Yvonne telling him where I was. I cleared my throat. ¡°I went to Mr Jake¡¯s office to give him his pap-¡± he cuts me off rudely. ¡°And is that your job?¡± He snapped. ¡°No, but-¡± he cuts me off. Again. ¡°This should be thest time something like this happens again, if it does repeat itself, I would have no option but to fire you.¡± He said, making me gulp. If he fires me¡­ ¡°Yes sir,¡± I replied and he walked out of the office. I sighed. What if he had fired me? ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked Yvonne who just nodded her head. She seems to be thinking of something. *** THE NEXT DAY *** It was 11 am and just like yesterday, it was boring though I¡¯ve done some paperwork so far. My office phone rang. I took the phone, the person was silent at first but said something after a few seconds. ¡°File f45.¡± Came the husky voice of Mr Kings. I stood up from my sit in the cab and looked for the file, after two minutes of searching, I found the file. I walked out of my office to go to Mr King¡¯s office, I opened his door slightly. As always he was focused on a paper. Don¡¯t know what got into me, I stood there looking at him. More like admiring him. He looked so good, now that I¡¯m thinking that, I think I¡¯ve seen him somewhere before. I didn¡¯t realize what I was doing until he said. ¡°Take a picture, itsts longer.¡± It snapped me out of my trance. I blinked, what the hell was I doing? Now he would think I¡¯m interested in him or something. I opened the door widely before stepping in, I closed the door. I walked to his table and handed him the file. Taking it, his hands touched mine, and I flinched. I noticed he did too. I turned around and walked out, but I felt his eyes on me till I was out. My heart was suddenly beating fast. Jesus. Iid my back on his door. My hands are on my chest. ¡°Are you okay? What happened?¡± I heard the curious voice of Yvonne. I quickly straightened up. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m okay,¡± I said before going over to my office, and she followed behind. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Third Person¡¯s POV ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Yvonne looked curiously at her friend. She wanted to know what happened. After what happened yesterday, when Mr Kings came to Tessa¡¯s office, she had a feeling he might have something for her. The emotions in his eyes when she told him Tessa was at Jake¡¯s office¡­ Jealousy. She knew it was jealousy. She wondered what Tessa has that she doesn¡¯t. She was beginning to have spiteful thoughts against Tessa. But she still has to y her game right. To get Austin Kings. . . . ¡­ Chapter 11 I sat down on my office chair and Yvonne sat on the chair opposite me. My heart was still beating fast, I stood up to go take a bottle of water beforeing back to sit down. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay? You look¡­¡± ¡°I am. Anyways, thanks foring.¡± I said smiling, she returned the smile. Like that, we talked, exchanging stories and all. ¡°Did you hear about the party Mr Kings is holding?¡± She asked. I didn¡¯t hear about it and even if I did I wasn¡¯t going to go. I know she would go. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t,¡± I replied. ¡°Now that you heard, are you going to go?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯d rather stay at home, wait¡­ Is it a day party or a night one?¡± ¡°A night party and it¡¯s okay, I understand why you can¡¯te so I won¡¯t pressure you.¡± She said giving an understanding nod. ¡°Thank you,¡± I muttered. This is so unlike her though, being her normal self, she¡¯d give me reasons to go. But I¡¯m d she understands this time. ¡°No problem, so¡­ How is your job here?¡± She asked. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I haven¡¯t had much work since I got here though.¡± ¡°Oh okay, I¡¯m d you¡¯re okay with it.¡± She replied. After talking for a while, she had to go, her break was over. I had some paperwork to do. Myputer beeped, it was a schedule for Mr Knight. He was going to do business travel? What was my duty again? To give him files, arrange schedules, etc. Oh my- he¡¯s going on business travel which means, I have to follow him? I could always give an excuse, right? Telling him I can¡¯t go, I have a kid¡­ That¡¯s a stupid excuse, most pa has kids but still go on business travels. I could feign I was sick? There was no way I could leave Anne and go to some other country. The business meeting was a day from now, which was next tomorrow. I have to tell him now. I stood up and walked to Mr King¡¯s door, I knocked at it before entering and there he was, his eyes scanning a paper, I¡¯m not surprised. He raised his head to look at me. ¡°Uh¡­ You have a business meeting next tomorrow in London, I wanted to make a request.¡± I said nervously, I had no idea why I was nervous, he sat up and nodded his head for me to continue. ¡°I can¡¯t go with you for the business meeting, I have a kid at home, I can¡¯t possibly leave her here¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s your duty to follow me, there¡¯s nothing I can do about that.¡± He said, his tone leaving no room for argument. I sighed. Frustratingly, I walked out. I went to my office, yeah feigning to be sick is the best idea, he could find someone else to go with him. Soon the day was over and a new day soon came and it got over, it was just like yesterday, but I didn¡¯te in contact with Mr Kings. It was 8 pm and I¡¯d just put Anne to sleep. I was drinking my juice and was also on my phone which suddenly rang startling me. Looking at the caller, it was Jake. ¡°Oh my, you scared me,¡± I said. He chuckled before saying. ¡°I¡¯m at your front door.¡± What? ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t youing to the party?¡± ¡°No, no, I¡¯m not,¡± I replied. I know it¡¯s not because of Anne I didn¡¯t want to go, but I¡¯m not the party type. ¡°Why? Come on, be my date.¡± He said. I blushed. I know he meant that in a friendly way buting from someone like him. ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Come on, I promise it¡¯ll be fun.¡± Seeing him say it in a pleading way made me give up, I could go ande back before daybreak. But still, I¡¯ll be leaving Anne all by herself in this house. ¡°And Anne?¡± I asked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve got that all covered.¡± He said and I sighed. ¡°I¡¯d go get ready then,¡± I said. ¡°Yeah.¡± He replied. The line went off, and I stood up and walked to my room.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. What was I going to wear? Oh god, I have no idea, I shouldn¡¯t have said yes. I¡¯m bad at picking dresses. My phone rang again. ¡°Can you open the door?¡± Jake asked through the phone. ¡°Yeah, sure,¡± I said before going over to the front door and opening it in front of me was Jake, he looks breathtaking. He wore a white suit which suits him so well. Behind him was ady. For a moment I thought she was his date until I remembered ¡®be my date¡¯ so technically she¡¯s not. In her hand was a box. ¡°Hi,¡± I said to her with a smile, and she returned it. ¡°Hey.¡± She replied. Jake nodded his head to her. ¡°Please,e with me.¡± She said walking in. I gave Jake a weird look. He just nodded his head for me to follow her. Looking away from him, I trailed behind her. ¡°So, where are we going?¡± I asked. ¡°To your room, please lead the way.¡± She said and waited for me to walk past her. I walked passed her and soon we were in front of my room. We entered and she dropped the box in her hand on my bed. I watched her open it, my eyes widened at its contents. She brought out a gown. It is so beautiful. A shoe along with it and a beautiful pair of jewellery. ¡°Wow.¡± I was awed at it. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful, uh?¡± She asked. ¡°So beautiful.¡± ¡°Yeah, so let¡¯s get you ready, the party starts in less than an hour.¡± She said. ¡°Wait, I¡¯m the one wearing those?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Oh my.¡± She chuckled. ¡ª¡ª I was looking at myself in the mirror. I know it¡¯s not for me to say, but I looked really beautiful. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Third Person¡¯s POV ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tessa walked out of the room to the living room. Jake was looking at a newspaper, he brought his head up to look at thedy before him. His jaw dropped. He blinked twice. ¡°You look beautiful.¡± He told her and she blushed. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He said bringing out her hand for her to take. She took it and they walked outside to his car. Jake drove for 15mins before reaching where the party was held at. They got out of the car. Jake opened his arm like a gentleman for her to take. She smiled before she entwined her arm with his and they walked in. The door to the part opened for the night couple to walk in. They immediately grabbed everyone¡¯s attention. Almost all eyes were on them. Austin Kings who was busy talking to a business partner also turned towards them. His eyes were solely on Tessa, it widened a bit at how beautiful she looked. He absent-mindedly dropped the ss of wine he was holding to the floor, causing a loud sh of broken ss. . . . ¡­ Chapter 12 Oh my. I shouldn¡¯t havee to this party. There were so many eyes staring in our direction. I looked down unable to look at the people. I snapped my head up when I heard a sh of broken ss. The broken ss was next to Mr Kings, maybe he had mistakingly dropped it. His eyes were right at me, I looked down again. ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡± I heard Jake¡¯s voice, really close to my ear. I nodded and we walked in. He was going towards where Mr Kings was. Oh god, what¡¯s he going to do there? They are friends remember? I sighed walking along with him, we soon reach there and we untangled our hands. ¡°Jake! My man!¡± A dude in a grey suit said, he hugged Jake patting his back. ¡°Who is the beautifuldy?¡± Another guy with a dark red suit asked him. ¡°Ah, this is Tessa, my girlfriend,¡± Jake said making me gasp. Hitting him, I said. ¡°No, I¡¯m, not.¡± ¡°¡­ yet,¡± Jake said, I noticed who he was looking at. Mr Kings. His eyes were solely on Mr Kings when he said that. What game was he ying? Seriously, call him by his name, not Mr Kings, you can call him that when you¡¯re at work! My subconsciousness screamed at me. Yeah¡­ His name is Austin. Mr Kings had a scowl on his face. He took another ss of wine and took a sip from it. Wasn¡¯t he going to say hello to his friends? suddenly stretch his hand to me. ¡°Let¡¯s go dance.¡± He said. I looked at him nervously. I don¡¯t know how to dance this type of dance. The dude in the grey suit chuckled. ¡°Why? You¡¯re scared to dance?¡± I couldn¡¯t help to notice his adorable dimples. He was good-looking the four guys in front of me are good-looking. The one in a white suit, Jake. The one in the ck suit, Mr Ki- Austin. The one in a grey suit still doesn¡¯t know his name. The one in a dark red suit still doesn¡¯t know his name. They all seem to have known each other for a very long time, they might be good friends. Four good-looking friends¡­ But Austin was the most good-looking¡­ Shut up! ¡°N-no, I¡¯m not.¡± Why did I stutter? ¡°You seem scared.¡± The one in the dark red suit said, a little smile tugging my lip, ¡°No, I¡¯m not,¡± I said and I heard Austin snort. I shifted my eyes to look at me, he was looking at me while sipping from his wine. I looked away from him. I took Jake¡¯s hand and he led me to the dance floor, well not before I noticed Austin tensed. Seriously, what is with me and noticing Austin? Okay, I should have told them I was scared of dancing because I don¡¯t know anything about this dance. I looked at the couples in each other¡¯s hands, dancing around the dancing floor. ¡°Rx, it¡¯s gonna be fun.¡± I heard Jake say. Bringing me closer to him, he ced his hand over my waist. Our hands locked. I unconsciously followed his moves. Wow, I¡¯m not that bad. We danced for a couple of minutes, it felt like I was floating in the sky. Just when we were done we parted. ¡°I¡¯d go get something to drink.¡± He said and I nodded my head. ¡°Oh, Tessa! I thought you weren¡¯ting!¡± I heard Yvonne say yfully.N?velDrama.Org holds this content. I turned around to see her, she wore a red short gown, her lips painted red, and her fingernails also painted red. To be truthful, she would have looked really good if the gown she was wearing wasn¡¯t that short. ¡°I wasn¡¯t, Jake suddenly showed up at my house,¡± I told her. ¡°Oh okay, how is the party so far?¡± She asked. ¡°It is okay,¡± I replied. I smiled at her and she smiled back. I turned my head and noticed Austining towards where we were. Yvonne beamed, she stretched out her hand for him to hold, he got to where we were, and he stretched out towards me. Awkward. I thought he was going to ask Yvonne for a dance. She would have been so happy. I looked at the hand stretched towards me then at Yvonne. ¡°May I have this dance?¡± He finally asked. I blushed. Why did he suddenly want to dance with me? Maybe if I dance with him, he¡¯d consider me not going with him on that business travel. I hate to travel. Maybe he would listen to my pleas not to go ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Third Person¡¯s POV ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jake led Tessa to the dance floor, and a minuteter they started dancing. Austin scowled at both of them, for some reason he felt jealous, his jaw clenched and unclenched. ¡°I wonder why Austin is jealous.¡± His friend in the grey suit, Dave said to his other friend in a dark red suit, Carson. ¡°Ye, h, I wonder why. ¡± Carson said in a smirking teasing manner, he looked at Austin. ¡°Why are you like this Austin?¡± He asked, the smirk never leaving his face. Austin ignored them and continued drinking from his wine. The four guys knew each other since kindergarten. Austin, Jake, Dave, and Carson. They were inseparable, sure they fight all the time but they still stocked together. They knew each other so well. ¡°Crushing on your friend¡¯s girlfriend isn¡¯t a good thing, ma,¡± Dave said shaking his head. Austin snorted at the word ¡®girlfriend¡¯ she wasn¡¯t his girlfriend. ¡°So¡­ Jake told me he was going to ask her out,¡± Carson said to Dave. It was a lie but he wanted to get a reaction from Austin. ¡°Yeah, something about asking her to be his girlfriend.¡± That didn¡¯t faze Austin. ¡°I mean, she¡¯s going to spend the night with Jake tonight¡­ In his hotel room, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll fall for him just by seeing him naked.¡± Said Dave. ¡°Shut up!¡± Austin snapped. They smirked. ¡°Why? We weren¡¯t talking about you, oh, now I get, you like her don¡¯t you?¡± Carson said the obvious. Dave was busy looking at Jake and Tessa, she doesn¡¯t seem to like him that way. Jake excused himself from her. ¡°You might want to go dance with, take the spot,¡± Dave said to Austin. Austin didn¡¯t answer him. ¡°I¡¯m sure if Jakees back he¡¯d take her to his-¡± Austin gave him an annoyed look. But he wanted to dance with her, he wanted to feel her close to his body. He wasn¡¯t the shy type. He¡¯s asked so manydies out in the past. But he wasn¡¯t going to ask her out¡­ He wanted to dance with her. He walked towards where she was. As always, he had everyone¡¯s attention. Reaching her he stretched his hand for her, ignoring her friend¡¯s hand stretched towards him. She hesitated before taking his hand, her cheeks tainted pink. Yvonne stared at the two of them. Her eyes suddenly held hatred for her friend Tessa. She couldn¡¯t stand to see them so close so she practically ran away. She went into the other room of the party, where the bar was. She slowly walked to a sit, dropping herself on it, and she cried. She hated Tessa, so much. First, t she got Jake and now she¡¯s after Austin. Austin seems to like her though¡­ She¡¯d do anything to make him hate her. She¡¯d still have to pretend to be her friend to make this work. . . . ¡­ Chapter 13 Dancing with Jake felt like I was walking in the sky. Dancing with Austin felt like- well I don¡¯t know, it¡¯s a feeling I can¡¯t exin. Shut up. I can¡¯t believe I was dancing with Mr Kings. Yvonne should have been the one in my ce right now. She¡¯d be so happy to be in my ce right now. I was a bad friend. I shouldn¡¯t have epted this dance. I closed my eyes hoping it would be over soon. It seems god answered my prayers because the dance got over. I stepped back awkwardly. ¡°I uh, I have to go,¡± I said turning around only to see Jack. ¡°Do you know where Yvonne walked off to?¡± I asked. He nodded, but his eyes weren¡¯t on me, but on Austin. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°She went towards the bar.¡± ¡°Where is the bar?¡± ¡°The door opposite.¡± He replied. ¡°Thank you, I¡¯d talk to you¡­ Later.¡± I said walking off to the door. Turning the door knob. I noticed the room was dimmed lit. Not many people were in it. I entered looking around for Yvonne, but she was nowhere to be seen. I searched harder, I noticed ady just behind a corner, she sat down on a chair, a bottle of wine in her hand. Yvonne. I went towards her. ¡°Oh my god. Are you okay?¡± I asked sitting next to her and taking the bottle of alcohol from her. She smiled. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not okay!¡± She replied smiling wider. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry-¡± she cuts me off. ¡°Question. Do you have feelings for my Austin?¡± She asked. What? ¡°No, I don¡¯t, I promise.¡± Sheughed. ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± She grabbed the bottle from my hand and drank from it. ¡°You have to stop, you¡¯d be hurting so bad by morning,¡± I said. I had gotten drunk a year back at a birthday party I went to with Jake and trust me from what I experienced, I wouldn¡¯t want someone to go through it. Though most people get drunk every day. ¡°Nooo,¡± she whined. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try some? It tastes fantastic.¡± She slurred. ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± I replied. ¡°Common¡­ Just try it, a sip.¡± She choked. ¡°No Yvonne, I¡¯d go ask Jack to take you home.¡± ¡°Why not ask Austin? I wanna go with him instead¡­¡± She choked out. Why was she bringing up Austin? She is drunk and she likes him. Yeah. ¡°You know I don¡¯t talk with him,¡± I said hoping she understands but she red instead. ¡°If it¡¯s to throw yourself at him you wouldn¡¯t hesitate!¡± She snapped. I looked at her, surprised. She is drunk. I reminded myself. ¡°Oh Tessa, I¡¯m so sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to¡± she choked again before she could finish. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯d just go call Jake.¡± I said before turning to go ask Jake, but not before I noticed the frown on her face. I got out of the bar and looked around for Jack. I spotted him where those two guys were, his friends that I still don¡¯t know their names, and Austin. Seeing Austin made my heart beat faster. I wish there was a way I could just bring him here without having to go close to them. My phone¡­ It was in my purse and my purse wasn¡¯t with me. Oh no. What if I¡¯d lost it? I¡¯m so careless. Idiot! I had some of my important IDs in there! I spotted the purse on a table close to where Jake was. Oh, he was with it. Well, I guess I can¡¯t ignore him. I sighed before walking toward him. ¡°H-hey Jake, I want to ask something from you.¡± The four friends who seemed to be in a conversation stopped talking. I grabbed his hand taking him away from them. ¡°Can you do me a favour?¡± I asked. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Yvonne. She is drunk and has no way of returning home, can you drop her off?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah, but then we¡¯ll have to leave.¡± He said. I was d I wouldn¡¯t have to wait here and wait for him to go drop her off. ¡°Yeah,¡± I replied. He smiled before turning back to his friends. He told them they grabbed my bag beforeing back to me. Handing me the bag, we walked off to the bar. Yvonne was still there. An alcohol bottle on her hand. She was going to drink from it but no drop came out. She frowned. ¡°Yvonne, let¡¯s go.¡± I nudged her. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back with prince charming! Ah, my back. Let¡¯s go hmm?¡± She said trying to stand up but she fell back down. I got closer to her, trying to help her up. Oh my- she has more weight than I expected. I gave Jake the will-you-just-stand-there-and-watche-and-help look. Getting it, I came closer and helped her up. ¡°Oh! You¡¯re so strong! You know I like fuc-¡± Yvonne try to say but I cut her off. ¡°Let¡¯s just go now, okay?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± She replied, she threw a hand over my shoulder. Just like that, we walked slowly outside the building. We helped her into Jake¡¯s car. I was worried she might puke in it. Going over to the passenger¡¯s seat and sat down. Jake got in and drove off. ~ ¡°Thanks for the ride,¡± I said to Jake. ¡°No problem. Good night.¡± He said with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s morning,¡± I said with augh. ¡°Yeah. Good morning.¡± He said returning theugh. ¡°Bye.¡± I waved going to my door. I opened the door and walked in. I was worried for Yvonne, we had dropped her off at her house. Her drunken state is terrifying, I would have stayed with her if not for Anne. I sighed going towards Anne¡¯s room, opened the door, and switched on the light. She was sleeping on the bed, her small figure wrapped in pink nkets. I turned off the light and got out of the room. I walked to my room, I looked at the time. 2:46 am. I¡¯ve got 3hrs 4mins to sleep. I was so exhausted that I fell onto the bed without taking off my gown. ??? I woke up when the loud rm pierced through my ears. Why hadn¡¯t they put that stupid party on Friday or something? Groaning, I got up. I went over to the mirror, I screamed, and I covered my mouth from screaming further. I looked like a mess. Makeup smeared over my face. I observed myself more before going to the bathroom. After brushing my teeth and bath. I came out. I wore one of my office suits, and put on some makeup, while I was doing that a face entered my head. Austin. He sure looked handsomest night. I mean, when is he not handsome? ¡°Jesus. Tessa, stop.¡± I told myself. A blush crept to my face as I remembered Austin and I dancing. What the hell was I thinking?! I hit myself in the head. Ow. ~ I entered my office, it was just as I left it yesterday. Dropping my bag on the table I went to open the curtains. I¡¯m not sure Mr Kings was in his office, I pray he shouldn¡¯te to work today. It would be awkward to see him. I sat down on my office chair for 20mins with nothing to do. I sighed. The loud sounding from my office phone startled me. I ced a hand on my beating chest before taking the call. ¡°File 565b.¡± Came the husky voice of Mr Kings. When did he arrive? I never know when hees to work. I got up to look for the file, checking every filed case. After 5mins of searching and still couldn¡¯t find it, I decided to call Mr Kings. I walked to my table and took my office phone to call him. It rang twice before he took the call. ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir, but I couldn¡¯t find the file.¡± He hesitated before he replied. ¡°What do you mean? You¡¯ve checked the safe?¡± He asked. I checked well. I checked all the file cases. ¡°Yes sir,¡± I replied. The call went dead. Seriously? Is that how to end a call where he came from? He should have said ¡®okay, thank you or something like that. My office door suddenly flung open. Mr Kings walking in startled me. He didn¡¯t even nce at me, he walked to the file safe and started looking at every file. Ha! He is not going to see it. What was he thinking? That he would find it then insult me? I walked toward him. I was at his back watching him find the file. He suddenly stopped. He turned around facing me with the file in his hand. My eyes widened. I could swear I searched hard and didn¡¯t see that. He red at me. ¡°What the fuck is this?¡± He asked. His voice is cold. I blushed in embarrassment. ¡°Oh¡­ I did not see that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not surprised you¡¯re blind.¡± He said. Do you see what I mean? I knew if he finds that file he will surely insult me. I red at him. ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not?¡± He asked raising his perfect eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± I said firmly this time. ¡°Why do you always take every opportunity to insult me, we didn¡¯t even know each other till you thought it would be nice to transfer me here, I wish we never met!¡± I snapped. Okay, I don¡¯t know why I said that. But it¡¯s been in me for a long time to say it. I¡¯m feeling something towards him that I¡¯m not supposed to be feeling. I was just giving myself reasons to hate him. I was going to click my leg to the ground when I missed a leg, and I stumbled. Expecting myself tond on the ground but I didn¡¯t, Inded in Mr King¡¯s arms. I gulped. Our faces were so closed that if he or I move an inch our lips would touch. For a moment I got lost in his beautiful hazel brown eyes. My blue ones reflected in his. I don¡¯t know how long we¡¯ve been like this but some parts of me didn¡¯t want this to stop, apart from did. I was distracted when my office door opened. I gasped again. I tried to get out of Mr King¡¯s grip. But he didn¡¯t bulge. To be truthful, a part of me didn¡¯t want him to let go. I managed to shift my eyeball to the door. There stood Yvonne. Her eyes were a bit widened. She suddenly left, probably running from the sound of her footsteps. Just a minute after she left, he released me. Then scowled. ¡°Just be sure to check well next time.¡± And with that, he left. What just happened? Oh my. I have to go see Yvonne. I walked to my table and took my phone before strolling out of the office to Yvonne¡¯s quarter. On reaching there, she wasn¡¯t in her office. I hope she didn¡¯t take that wrong. ¡°Hi,¡± I said to thedy who was about to clean her office. ¡°Uh¡­ Do you know where she went to?¡± I asked her. ¡°She had to go home, she was sick.¡± Thedy replied. I thanked her before going over to my office. She wasn¡¯t even feeling fine, then she had to see that. It was all my fault. How could I be so stupid? I would have to see her now, but I don¡¯t think Mr Kings will let me leave during work hours. When I got to my office. I rang Yvonne. She didn¡¯t answer. After ringing her 5 times and she still didn¡¯t answer it. I decided to go see her after work.N?velDrama.Org holds this content. I stayed in my office for 5 hours. Doing paper works, well I left twice. I looked at the time, it was 4:pm. I arranged the office beforeing out. Strolling outside the building, I entered my car and drove to Yvonne¡¯s ce. I was nning on spending this evening with Anne, but that¡¯s not possible now. I was a really bad mother¡­ On reaching Yvonne¡¯s ce, I knocked at the door which opened momentster. It was Yvonne¡¯s house helper who opened it. She smiled at me. ¡°Come in. Miss Zachery is up in her room.¡± She told me. Bowing down slightly, I thanked her, and I went to Yvonne¡¯s room. It was slightly opened. I could hear someone whimpering. I entered to see a whimpering Yvonne. She was sprawled on the bed. She sat up when she heard a sound. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± She asked. ¡°Yvonne, I can exin¡­¡± ¡°Go on.¡± She replied. ¡°What you saw today was an incident¡­¡± And I told her exactly what happened. She frowned at the part when I told her Austin was the one who didn¡¯t let go. ¡°So, there is nothing between you guys?¡± She asked. ¡°Yes,¡± I replied. ¡°Swear it.¡± ¡°I swear¡­¡± I said. Sheughed happily. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± She said jumping off the bed. ¡°Oh my, I thought you were down¡­¡± She giggled. ¡°Not anymore. Tessa, my friend is celebrating his birthday tonight,e with me.¡± She said ¡°I¡¯d love to, but I¡¯m still exhausted fromst night¡¯s party and I want to spend this night with Anne,¡± I replied. ¡°Come on, please¡­ And besides, Anne would be asleep when you leave the house.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Please Tessa. I promised I would bring you and besides it going to be fun¡­ Please.¡± ¡°Okay, I guess.¡± I blurted out, oh my, what did I just say? I just couldn¡¯t say no to her, she¡¯s a good person who deserves to be happy. She smiled. ¡°Okay, go home and change. I¡¯de to pick you up by 10 pm.¡± She said. . . . ¡­¡­ Chapter 14 I got to my car and drove to my house. I looked at the time 4:30 pm. I drove for 10mins before reaching my ce. As usual, the house was noisy from Anne¡¯s screams. I opened the door to see Anne running everywhere in the house, Zara ran behind her. She stopped when she noticed my presence. ¡°Mommy!¡± Anne shouted running towards me. I bent down and opened my arms for her toe in. Running into my arms, she hugged me. I missed her so much. ¡°How are you baby?¡± I asked. ¡°Pine.¡± She replied grinning, showing her small set of teeth. ¡°What were you guys doing?¡± I asked her. ¡°ying,e mommy.¡± She replied inviting me to y with them. And just like that, we yed. We were technically running around the house. After some time, I asked Zara to go home and asked if she could spend the tonight with Anne. She happily agreed. That didn¡¯t stop Anne from ying though. Anne¡¯s giggles filled the house. Giggling along with her, we fell on the couch. ¡°Baby?¡± I called sitting up. ¡°Yes, mommy?¡± She replied. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I asked chuckling, her hand was dug deep in my bag. ¡°Nothing.¡± She replied. ¡°Nothing?¡± I asked. ¡°Hmm.¡± She replied. ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like nothing,e here, where did you learn how to lie? Silly girl.¡± I said cing her on myp. Her face towards me. Bring my face to her belly, I tickle her. She giggled squealing. ¡°You¡¯re going to lie again?¡± ¡°No!¡± She let out. I stopped. I looked at the time. 5:10 pm. ¡°Okay baby, I¡¯d go prepare dinner, hmm?¡± I said. ¡°Hmm.¡± She hummed in reply. I left her to go prepare dinner. 20minster, I was done. ~ ¡°Let¡¯s watch Dora the Explorer!¡± Anne suddenly eximed. She jumped down from the chair I ced her, and she ran towards the living room. ¡°Anne!¡± I called. She didn¡¯t answer. She just got done eating and she¡¯s already running around. I sighed clearing the table. I went to the living room when I was done. I spotted Anne on a chair, sittingfortably with a bowl of ice cream in her hand. How did she get that? That was in the freezer¡­ ¡°What are you doing?¡± I asked trying not tough because of how the ice cream smeared across her mouth. ¡°Nothing.¡± She replied, trying to hide the ice cream. I shook my head walking toward her. ¡°What did I say about lying?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s bad.¡± ¡°Exactly! Lying is very bad.¡± I told her and just like that, I gave her a lecture about lying. I know I lie sometimes, but it¡¯s only when necessary. After that, we watch Dora together. Anne slept halfway down the show. I took her to her bedroom afterwards. I ced the purple nket around her. Kissing her forehead. I got out. I went over to my room. I heard my phone ringing. Oh. It must have been ringing for a long time. I went over to the bed to pick up the phone. Looked at the caller, Yvonne. I answered the call. ¡°Hey, where have you been? You weren¡¯t answering my calls.¡± Said Yvonne. ¡°Sorry, I wasn¡¯t with it,¡± I replied. ¡°Oh, okay. Are you already getting ready?¡± ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s 7:30, I¡¯d get ready by 9 pm.¡± ¡°Okay and wear something sexy!¡± She said before the call went dead. I sighed before sprawling myself on the bed. I was so tired. I needed to sleep. I wish I hadn¡¯t epted to go with Yvonne tonight. I shut my eyes and I fell asleep before I knew it. I jacked off my bed when my phone suddenly rang. Ah. I managed to keep myself from going back to sleep. Answering the call I said, ¡°hey.¡± ¡°I¡¯m at the front of your house, are you done getting ready?¡± Yvonne asked. I looked at the time, 9:30 pm. Oh. ¡°No, I¡¯d go get dressed now,¡± I said, my voice trailing off. ¡°Okay, I¡¯d be here waiting for you.¡± With that, the call went dead. I groaned getting off the bed. I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth before taking a quick bath. I came out of the bathroom and looked for something to wear in my wardrobe. I spotted my blue gown. Taking it, I wore it. I grabbed my legumes and wore them. I made a bun with my hair. I looked¡­ Okay. Looking at myself in the mirror, I noticed my eyes, they were slightly red. I sighed. Just tonight. After today, I¡¯d not go to parties again. They are so tiring. I took my dark blue jacket and threw it on. I walked out of the room to the living. Zara was on a chair watching TV, when did she get here? I¡¯m not surprised at how she got in though. She has a spare key. I¡¯ve known Zara since Anne was almost two years. Because of my work issues, I had to give her a spare key in case I go to work early. I smiled at her. ¡°Hey, when did you arrive?¡± ¡°2hrs ago.¡± She replied returning the smile. I must have slept deep not to notice she hade. What can I say? I¡¯m really tired, I really shouldn¡¯t have epted to go with Yvonne. ¡°You look tired ma¡¯am, is this ce you¡¯re going that important?¡± Zara asked. ¡°No, yes. Yes, it¡¯s kin-¡± I cut myself when I heard a knock on the door. I sighed and walked to the door. I looked at the peephole. Yvonne. I opened the door. She frowned at what I¡¯m wearing. ¡°Why did you put on a jacket?¡± She asked. ¡°It¡¯s cold,¡± I said. I don¡¯t know how she isn¡¯t cold right now. The gown she wore is exposing. ¡°Take off the jacket, it makes you look¡­ Not okay.¡± She said. ¡°No please, it¡¯s really cold, if I take it off now I¡¯m sure I¡¯d be sick by morning.¡± ¡°Okay fine. Let¡¯s go.¡± She said turning around towards her car. ¡°I¡¯m going Zara,¡± I called. ¡°Okay.¡± She replied. I walked out of the house to Yvonne¡¯s car. Sitting in the passenger seat r¡¯s sit, she drove off. The drive ended after 15mins. Yvonne added a little makeup to her already dolled face before getting out of the car. I could already hear the loud sound of musicing from the ce. My eardrum is going to burst. Yvonne smiled at me. ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡± She said. I walked in with her. The room was dimmed lighted and very crowded. ¡°Come!¡± She yelled through the loud music. I followed her through the mob of sweaty bodies. We stopped after a minute of walking. ¡°Cris!¡± Yvonne eximed hugging a guy. He had dirty blond hair, he wore a white tee shirt, blue jeans trousers and white converse on¡­ And has tattoos and piercings practically all over his body¡­ Except for his neck and face. I never knew she follows Gothic people. He was pretty good-looking. ¡°Happy birthday!¡± She eximed again. ¡°Thanks.¡± He replied and nodded his head towards me. ¡°She¡¯s Tessa, the girl I told you about.¡± ¡°Oh? I didn¡¯t expect her to be this pretty.¡± Cris said. I saw Yvonne roll her eyes. Maybe it was just my imagination. ¡°I¡¯m Cris, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± He introduced himself. I nodded my head. No need to introduce myself, right? Yvonne already did. ¡°Nice to meet you too.¡± ¡°Okay! Enough with the pleasantries! Let¡¯s party!¡± It wasn¡¯t Yvonne nor was it Cris, but a youngdy who had so many tattoos on her. She started jumping around. Okay, I felt highly ufortable for some unknown reason. I sat down on a chair and watched the crowd jump around. ¡°Why are you here all alone, dance with me?¡± I heard Cris say from behind me, when did he get here? I would have danced, I mean nothing is wrong with dancing right? But, I was still exhausted. I wish this would just be over so I could just go home. ¡°No. Thank you.¡± I replied. ¡°Why? At least take something?¡± He asked. I shook my head. I don¡¯t want to take anything alcoholic or I¡¯d probably die by morning. ¡°Come on. Don¡¯t be a party pooper, just take something.¡± He dragged. I noticed Yvonneing toward us. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± She said with a smile. ¡°Wow. She¡¯s also a scaredy cat?¡± Ady with tattoos saiding behind Yvonne. I shifted ufortably. ¡°I just don¡¯t want to take anything¡­¡± ¡°Awee on. Don¡¯t be a party pooper,¡± She eximed. ¡°Just drink a bottle? It¡¯s not going to hurt.¡± She said. I let out a cough when a cloud of smoke suddenly filled my face. I looked behind me to see Cris with a cigarette in his mouth. ¡°Yeah, one bottle is not going to hurt,¡± Cris said and another cloud of smoke escape his lips. I sighed. A bottle of alcohol was suddenly in front of me. I looked at the person holding it to me to see Yvonne. ¡°Come on, live a little!¡± She eximed. I sighed again. One bottle is not going to hurt right? I took the bottle from her. I hesitated before taking a sip. I didn¡¯t know when I drank almost half of the bottle. It wasn¡¯t long before I started feeling dizzy. Darn it! I was exhausted and drank alcohol, can I be any stupid? I let out augh. I¡¯m stupid. Stupid stupid stupid! Iughed again. Drinking more of it. It felt so good. I saw two of Yvonne, two of Cris, and two of that tattooed girl. ¡°Let¡¯s dance? Hmm?¡± I said trying to stand up but failing miserably. I fell on Cris! I giggled. I blinked trying to keep myself from sleeping, but it took over me, I closed my eyes and let the sleep consume me. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Third Person¡¯s POV ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ¡°Well, there it is,¡± Yvonne said referring to Tessa¡¯s lumped body, she smiled. ¡°So I¡¯m gonna fuck her or what?¡± Cris asked. Yvonne scowled at him. She had already told him what to do. All she wanted were pictures of Tessa half naked with him. ¡°Come on,¡± Cris groaned. ¡°How am I going to get her half naked without fucking her?¡± Yvonne didn¡¯t want him to do that with her. It would be so obvious. If she wakes up and finds herself half naked, she wouldn¡¯t think anything of such happened. She¡¯d just wonder how she got half naked and Yvonne would tell her she passed outst night so she took her to a room where she insisted she was hot and wanted to take off her clothes. But if she wakes up and feels something between her legs she¡¯d freak out and probably me her. Yvonne wants her to find out in the office where people would call her slut. And Austin wouldn¡¯t want to be with a slut. ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± She snapped. ¡°Just what I said and I¡¯d get you a girl to fuck.¡± ¡°A girl hotter than her? I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible, you want to ruin her, what difference would it make if I fuck her or not?¡± Cris snapped back. ¡°Please, that¡¯s not part of my n, at least not now, maybe¡­ After the scandal I¡¯d convince her toe to the party Zach is having next two weeks, then you can do whatever you want.¡± Yvonne said and Cris reluctantly agreed. She squealed internally. Her n worked. ??? I stretched out my body, yawning. I was enjoying whatever heaven I was in. Whatever I was on was soft. Ah, my head hurts. I slowly opened my eyes. I noticed I was in a room, which is not mine or Daisy. How did I get here? Jesus. I was about to panic when I remembered I went to a party with Yvonne. How did I get here though? I was exhausted when I hade here. Did I copse? ¡°Sleepyhead! You¡¯re finally awake! I thought I¡¯d have to pour a bucket of water on you!¡± I heard Yvonne say with augh. ¡°Well, good morning to you. How did I get the¡± I screamed when I saw myself in the side mirror. ¡°You¡¯ve forgotten? I had a headache because of youst night. First, you passed out and then I brought you here and you shot out of the bed insisting you were hot.¡± She said unbelievably. Oh. Anne. Office. I jumped out of the bed, ignoring the sharp pain in my head, I asked. ¡°Where are my clothes? ??? I increased my pace in my work building. I was sote. After leaving Yvonne¡¯s friend¡¯s ce, I went home to go get ready for work. Yvonne had to go to work because of the extra paper works she left yesterday. I reached inside the building. For some reason, it felt like the whole building was staring at me. I slowly looked to my right. Yep, they were looking at me. Is there something on my face? My cloth? Oh yeah, because I waste. I ignored them and continued the journey to my office. ¡°I¡¯ve always known she was a slut. I bet she seduced Mr Kings for him to make her his PA.¡± I heard ady sneer. Were they talking about me? ¡°And Jake Hensen.¡± ¡°She is a disgrace to thispany, I hope Mr Kings fires her.¡± Ignore them. I entered the elevator. After 2mins. I got to my office. I hope Mr Kings isn¡¯t around. I camete. I spotted a paper on my table. Who kept that there? I went to it and opened it. Termination Letter? My eyes widened. My heart was suddenly beating faster than usual. They were going to terminate my appointment. I wasn¡¯t thatte¡­ The door suddenly flung open. Yvonne came rushing into me. ¡°Oh my god. It¡¯s all my fault, maybe if I had stayed in that room with you or I hadn¡¯t let you follow me to that party, this wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡± She cried. What was she talking about? ¡°W-what do you mean?¡± I whispered. She took her phone and showed me a video. I gulped looking at it. There was me and a tattooed unrecognised guy. His face was blurred. My name was on it. ¡°What do we do? I heard he fired you.¡± She cried. I blinked the tears away from my eyes. ¡°You see Tessa, I¡¯d have done my best to help you now, but, but I¡¯m sick and my doctor said I¡¯ve to be in the hospital in 30mins, but you¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, you can go to your appointment.¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°But-¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­ I¡¯d just leave¡­ I guess.¡± I didn¡¯t want her to miss a hospital appointment because of me. ¡°Thank you, Tessa, I¡¯de over to your ce in the evening.¡± She said then walked out of the office. I couldn¡¯t stop the tears from flowing down my face. I¡¯ve lost my job. Because of a party. I hesitated before taking my bag, I took out the paperwork that was inside and ced it on the table. I walked out. Still hear the staff talk about me. . . . ¡­. Chapter 15 I reached my car and drove off. What I¡¯ve heard from the staff still lingering freshly in my head. Slut. I¡¯m not a slut¡­ I tried to push those words out of my head but more just kepting. And tears came pouring out of my eyes like it was an ocean. I managed to reach my house. Believe me when I say it¡¯s a miracle I got home without getting in an ident or something. I got inside the house, and the clicking of a spoon filled my ears. Zara must have heard me opening the door as she walked toward me. Her eyes widened. ¡°What happened, ma¡¯am? Are you okay?¡± She asked worriedly. I managed to keep myself from crying. ¡°I got fired,¡± I said and she gasped. ¡°How- why?¡± She asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I suddenly cried. I don¡¯t know why this happened to me. The thought that a man touched me without me knowing is already killing me. They were right. I¡¯m a slut. I shouldn¡¯t have gone to that stupid party. A part of me wanted to me Yvonne, a part scolded against that. It wasn¡¯t her fault, I don¡¯t expect her to keep eye on me like a bodyguard. I can¡¯t believe he just fired me like that. ¡°Oh my¡­ Are you sure?¡± Zara asked nervously. I managed to tell her what happened. She gasped. ¡°I knew you shouldn¡¯t have gone to that party¡­ I tried to talk you out of it but-¡± ¡°I know. It¡¯s my fault.¡± ¡°So¡­ What are you going to do?¡± ??? ¡°Jeez rx. You¡¯re behaving like she¡¯s your wife or something.¡± Dave said unbelievably earning him a re from Austin. ¡°He¡¯s whipped,¡± Carson said shaking his head. ¡°So¡­ Did you do research for the photos well? I mean it looks fishy and I don¡¯t think she¡¯s that type ofdy.¡± Austin didn¡¯t answer him. He doesn¡¯t know why they were at his house, suddenly. ¡°Drinking in the daytime?¡± Carson asked when Austin hadn¡¯t answered. On the left hand of Austin was a bottle of alcohol and on the right hand was a cup filled with alcohol. ¡°Jeez. Is this why you aren¡¯t at work and giving your workers a hard time?¡± Dave scoffed. He still didn¡¯t answer them. He was mad. He had no idea why this was affecting him so bad. Did he have feelings for her? No. He told himself. Dave and Carson both looked at each other and shook their head frustratingly before turning back to look at him. They had research to do. ??? I jocked up when I heard a knock on my door. After Zara had finished interviewing me earlier. I went to my room with a huge headache. Looking at the time, 4:26 pm. I groaned. ¡°Come in,¡± I said. Yvonne walked in. ¡°Oh my, are you okay?¡± She asked worriedly at my situation. I would haveughed if I wasn¡¯t having such a huge headache. My head was pounding. I was far from okay. ¡°No,¡± I replied. She touched me to check my temperature. I knew it was hot. ¡°Oh my god, I think you should go take a bath.¡± She gasped. ¡°How was work?¡± I asked ignoring what she said. My body might be hot but I was cold. I¡¯m pretty sure I would freeze if water was to pour on me. ¡°It was fine¡­ But lonely without you, I can¡¯t believe such a thing happened to an amazing person like you¡­¡± She said. I hate situations like this. I hate when I¡¯m being consoled. And once again without my permission tears streamed down my eyes. ¡°Do you still have the photos?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes. Sara had sent me the photos earlier, she took it from the system.¡± She gave me her phone. There was me and a unknown guy. His face was blurry. What if¡­ What if he¡­ I didn¡¯t feel anything¡­ I mean, if someone touches you down there, you¡¯d know, right? I put my hands over my face and sobbed. My reputation was ruined. I was ruined. ¡°What am I going to do? How am I even going to find-¡± she cuts me off. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯d be able to find him. There were many unknown people with tattoos at that party¡­¡± ¡°It was your friend¡¯s birthday party¡­ I¡¯m sure he would know him.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve asked him already, we even did investigations but we couldn¡¯t find him, please, I could help you get another job.¡± She said nervously. I was going to reply when my phone suddenly rang. I looked at the caller to see it was Jake. I thought he wasn¡¯t ever going to call me again. With shaky hands, I took the phone and answer the call. ¡°H-¡± I cut him off. ¡°Please Jake, I can exin. I seriously don¡¯t know how that happened..¡± ¡°Where were youst night?¡± He asked. He doesn¡¯t sound angry. ¡°A-at Yvonne¡¯s friend¡¯s birthday party,¡± I replied. He hesitated before replying. ¡°I¡¯d call you tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± If it was before, he¡¯d say something funny at the end of the call, but now¡­ I don¡¯t want anything to happen to our rtionship. ¡°What did he say?¡± Yvonne asked. ¡°He said he¡¯d call tomorrow,¡± I replied. I fell back on my bed frustratingly. I wanted to scream. ¡°Oh okay.¡± She said then suddenly started crying. ¡°I wish I hadn¡¯t asked you toe to that party, if I hadn¡¯t all this wouldn¡¯t have been happening.¡± As I said, it¡¯s not her fault, it¡¯s mine. If I had been smarter and if I hadn¡¯t fallen asleep, this wouldn¡¯t have happened. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault Yvonne, it¡¯s mine,¡± I said with a sigh. ¡°If I had been more ca-¡± she cuts me off. ¡°No, it¡¯s mine.¡± ¡°Stop ming yourself, and besides, you¡¯re sick, I wouldn¡¯t expect protection or guardians for someone who isn¡¯t strong,¡± I said and she nodded her head with a smile, wiping the tears strained on her face away. ¡°I went to the doctor today, he said I just need rest and some exercise.¡± She said. ¡°I¡¯m d it¡¯s nothing to be scared of,¡± I said. I couldn¡¯t stand anything bad happening to her, she¡¯s been my friend for two years now, a very good friend. ¡°I have to go home now, I woulde again tomorrow hmm? Take care.¡± She said. ¡°You too,¡± I mumbled. I closed my eyes, I didn¡¯t know when I¡¯d fall asleep again. I¡¯ve been sleeping all day. ??? ¡°You know any man with these tattoos?¡± Jake asked the man behind the bar table. He had tattoos all over his body. He¡¯s been doing this almost all day. He¡¯d to do it¡­ For Tessa. The man inspected the picture again. He nodded his head yes. ¡°Who?¡± Jake asked. ¡°Ah ah ah.¡± He gestured his hand. A sign he wanted money for it. Jake rolled his eyes before bringing out his wallet and cing 50 dors on the table. The man shook his head. ¡°More.¡± Bringing out 30 dors he asked. ¡°How would I know if you know him?¡± ¡°It¡¯s him. Trust me. Cris Alex.¡± He replied with a grin. ??? ¡°So, his name is Cris Alex? You¡¯re sure?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± ~ ??? ¡°Oh my god. I¡¯de- I¡¯d try and see what I can do, please, no matter what, don¡¯t say anything about me, i-i¡¯d pay you well, Okay?¡± ¡°Bu-¡± ¡°Please. You could just say you were drunk and didn¡¯t know what you were doing but you managed to stop yourself before you could you know.¡± ¡°And the photos?¡± ¡°You could always say it was a surveince¡­¡± And just like that she told him what he needed to do and say.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Outside his door was the cops. ¡°Delete this call.¡± She said before the call went dead. Sitting down on her bed, she fumbled with her fingers nervously. She hoped her n would work. She suddenly sneered inwardly. Jake went through all that trouble for her¨C Tessa. She thought that would make everybody hate her. That witch. She thought. She always gets what she wants, ugh. She sneered inwardly. ~ I jocked off the bed when my phone suddenly rang. I noticed the phone was gummed to my face. I must have slept on it. Removing it, I looked at the caller, Jake. ¡°Hey.¡± He said. ¡°Hey,¡± I replied awkwardly. ¡°How are you?¡± He asked when he noticed I wasn¡¯t saying anything else. ¡°I¡¯m good.¡± ¡°Do you know anybody called Cris?¡± That name sounds familiar but can¡¯t recall where I have¨C oh yeah, I know a Cris, Yvonne¡¯s friend. ¡°Yes, why?¡± I asked and he sighed. ¡°You have no clue, do you?¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­¡± ¡°Get ready, I¡¯de to pick you up, by 10 am.¡± He said and the call went dead. What is wrong with him? He doesn¡¯t sound fine. Throwing myself out of the bed, I went to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth before taking my bath. Coming out, I wore a gown. I would have worn a little bit of make-up, but this is not the time to wear make-up. I sighed looking at my pale face in the mirror before whipping around and walking out of the room. I walked to the living room. I saw Zara. Why was she here this early? I looked at the time. 6:56 am. Wow, she came early. I snapped my head back to her when I heard Anne¡¯s voice. ¡°She did that?¡± Her tiny voice said. What were they talking about? ¡°Good morning,¡± I said when I got to them. Zara beamed giving me a friendly smile. ¡°Good morning ma¡¯am.¡± She greeted. Expecting Anne to jump on me or something, she didn¡¯t, instead, she looked at me, then back to Zara. ¡°Don¡¯t be a naughty girl! Greet your mom.¡± I hear Zara say. That hurts. ¡°Good morning, mommy.¡± I heard Anne say, still expecting her toe to me, but she still didn¡¯t. I went closer to her and hugged her. Thank god she responded. ¡°How are you baby?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± She replied. Something was missing here. The yful glint she had whenever I was with her. Was she in need of something? Oh, I have to go out and buy her some of her favourite treatster. ¡°You¡¯ve bathed already?¡± I asked her. Though it was obvious. ¡°Hmm. Mommy Zara bathed me.¡± Anne replied. Mommy Zara? They must have gotten very close. I remembered when she¡¯d just started working here. Anne would do anything to be next to me. Clinging unto me. Crying. It¡¯s a good thing she warmed up to her, right? ¡°That¡¯s wonderful! I¡¯d go prepare breakfast, your favourite, hmm?¡± I said and Anne beamed. ¡°Okay.¡± She chirped. ¡°I can do it, ma¡¯am. You should be rxing, not stressing out yourself.¡± Zara said. I¡¯m so lucky to have her working for me. She¡¯s the type of person who doesn¡¯t care for only herself, but also for others. ~ We finished eating less than an hour ago. My phone rang, I picked it up and looked at the caller. Yvonne. Answering the call I heard Yvonne crying. ¡°Oh, Tessa!¡± She cried. Why was she crying? Oh my, is she okay? ¡°What happened?¡± I asked. ¡°You remember the night you followed me to that party?¡± She asked. How would I forget that? ¡°Well, you see. The guy that had touched you was Cris, he was drunk and didn¡¯t know what he was doing. I asked h-him after those pictures came o-out if he was the one and he said no, but then he remembered yesterday and said he was the one,¡± she said. ¡°We went to the room to inspect and noticed surveince there. But he promised that he didn¡¯t go any further, he stopped himself. I¡¯m so sorry that had to happen to you, Tessa.¡± ¡°O-¡± she cuts me off. ¡°And now, he¡¯s in prison, please, please do something to free him.¡± ¡°How did he get to prison?¡± ¡°Jake! Jake kept him there!¡± She cried. ¡°I believe you can tell him to release him. Please. I¡¯ve known Cris for a long time and he¡¯s a good person and his mom is sick, really sick right now. You¡¯re a good person Tessa, please, fight for the truth.¡± At least I know who is the guy now. I¡¯ve known Yvonne for a long time. She¡¯s a good person. I knew the person didn¡¯t touch me there, I would have felt it. ¡°H-how did the pictures get to the office-¡± she cuts me off, again. ¡°Well you see, when I plugged my phone in the room you were that night¡­ I must have mistakenly¡­ Connected my phone to it and you know my part of my duty¡­ I take videos and pictures from the surveince in the office and send it to the security office, I must have thought it was part of the office pic¡­ Oh, I¡¯m such a bad friend, maybe if I was a bit careful, but I was in a hurry that day.¡± She gave a long speech. Oh. ~ After the talk, I had with Yvonne. She told me about what happened. I wouldn¡¯t say it didn¡¯t answer a lot of questions. I was on the front porch, waiting for Jake. He¡¯d be here any moment. After waiting for another 5mins. His car stopped in front of my house. I walked to it and got in. A familiar scent hits me. ¡°Hi,¡± I said immediately as I sat down. ¡°Hey. About Cris-¡± he said but I cut him off. ¡°He was innocent. He was drunk and didn¡¯t do anything.¡± I said quickly. I don¡¯t know why I said that. But I believe Yvonne and it was obvious he didn¡¯t do anything. He looked at me like I¡¯d gone crazy. ¡°What?¡± . . . ¡­. Chapter 16 ¡°What?¡± I asked Jake because of the look he gave me. ¡°What makes you think so?¡± He asked, clearly disappointed. ¡°I-i just know and Yvonne told me about Cris.¡± He looked at me curiously. You¡¯re such an idiot! You¡¯re defending an almost rapist here! My subconsciousness screamed at me. He didn¡¯t do anything and Yvonne knows him. I know Yvonne, she¡¯s a kind soul. If he was a rapist or something, she wouldn¡¯t have pleaded that much for him. ¡°She¡¯s being arrested.¡± He suddenly said. ¡°Who?¡± I asked curiously. ¡°Yvonne.¡± He spat. I looked at him confusedly for a moment before realizing what he¡¯d just said. My eyes widened a bit. ¡°W-what do you mean, why?¡± I asked and he scoffed out augh. Why was he like this? He was never like this and then all of a sudden¡­ ¡°Tessa,¡± he said when he noticed my expression. ¡°What did she tell you?¡± ¡°Tell me you¡¯re lying,¡± I said and he raised an eyebrow. ¡°Lying about what?¡± He asked. Was he being serious? ¡°About Yvonne.¡± ¡°No,¡± He answered. ¡°I answered your question, now you¡¯ll answer mine. What did she tell you?¡± He asked. I wanted to know why she was being arrested. Tears were threatening to pour out my eyes. Poor Yvonne. Maybe if I answered him, he would tell me everything? No! I had to call her. Digging inside my bag, I brought out my phone. ¡°What are you doing?¡± He asked curiously. ¡°Calling Yvonne.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t.¡± He said. ¡°What did she do?¡± I asked. I waited for what seemed like forever but he didn¡¯t reply to me. ¡°Fine!¡± I snapped before telling him everything Yvonne said. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve always thought you were smarter than this,¡± He said disappointed. ¡°Here.¡± He gave me his phone. Looking at it curiously, a video yed. ~ I sitting on a couch in my living room, it was dark. My eyes were set out the window. It has all been her. I couldn¡¯t believe this. I¡¯ve always thought we were friends. We¡¯d always be there for each other, I loved her as a sister. Bringing my legs to my shoulders, I whimpered. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ shback ~~~~~~~~~~~~ ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything, Tessa, you have to believe me, this is all a misunderstanding,¡± Yvonne cried. She was behind the bars crying. I didn¡¯t know what to believe. After watching that video of Cris admitting she was the one behind this, my mind went nk. ¡°I..¡± I tried to say something but couldn¡¯t get any out of my mouth. ¡°Please, tell them this is all a misunderstanding.¡± She pleaded. ¡°Is it?¡± It left my mouth before I could stop it. And she nodded her head rapidly. ¡°Please get me out of here.¡± She cried. ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t you, I¡¯m here all because of you! I wish I never met you, I wish you never exist!¡± She snapped, suddenly. My lips pressed into a thin line. It was all an act. She never cared for me or our friendship. ¡°I-i¡¯m sorry, Tessa, I di-¡± I cut her off. ¡°It was all an act, wasn¡¯t it? Why did you even pretend to be my friend when you weren¡¯t?! I too wish you never exist.¡± I said. I never thought I would ever say that to a person, but I just couldn¡¯t take what she was saying. She smirked. ¡°Too bad huh?¡± She said. It¡¯s disturbing how one moment she¡¯s pleading like an innocent soul and another moment, she¡¯s like this. ¡°You don¡¯t even feel remorseful and I was worried about you. You know what? I hope you enjoy the time you¡¯d spend here.¡± I said whipping around to go. I felt suffocated just being around her. ¡°Bitch!¡± She spat. ¡°This isn¡¯t over! You¡¯d pay for all you¡¯ve done, you slut!¡± I heard her call. I got outside the station and got to Jake¡¯s car. He was already in it. Getting in, I used my hand to wipe off the tear that slipped out of my eye. ¡°Tessa-¡± ¡°Can you take me home? I think I¡¯m sick.¡± I said. He sighed before starting the engine. We drove for what seemed like hours before I got home. ¡°Thanks for the ride.¡± ¡°Are you going to cry for someone like her? Tessa..¡± ¡°I¡¯m not crying for her.¡± ¡°Then?¡± ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ End of shback ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ¡°Mommy?¡± I heard Anne¡¯s voice. Cleaning the tears that were strained on my cheeks. ¡°Yes, baby?¡± I replied. I looked at her. She was in her pyjamas, her teddy bear in her right hand. She came closer and climbed the couch before sitting next to me. ¡°Why are you crying?¡± She asked. ¡°What? No, I¡¯m not crying baby, something got into my eyes.¡± I lied. She nodded her head, her eyes solely on my face. It was probably red and fluffy. ¡°Come cuddle with mommy?¡± I asked and she grinned and got closer to me. We stayed like that till we fell asleep. ~ ¡°Oh my god. I can¡¯t believe this.¡± Zara gasped. I just nodded my head and continued what I was doing. I didn¡¯t want to talk about it, but Zara being herself pursued me to talk about it. ¡°S-she is in prison now, right?¡± She sighed. ¡°She was a nice-¡± I cut her off. ¡°Can we not talk about this?¡± I asked, slightly annoyed with the topic. I didn¡¯t want to say anything about Yvonne at that moment. ¡°S-sure. I am sorry.¡± She stuttered. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to snap like that,¡± I said. I¡¯ve been snapping at everybodytely. Jeez, you have to stop! My subconsciousness screamed at me. ¡°It¡¯s okay ma¡¯am.¡± She replied with a smile and then got back to what she was doing. I lost my job because of this. My only source of ie. I sighed in frustration. I don¡¯t know why she had decided to ruin me. I¡¯ve never done anything to her. How am I going to get another job? It¡¯s so hard. ¡°Excuse me.¡± I said going to my room. I fell on my bed immediately after I got to it. I whimpered. Jake was the one who helped me get this job¡­ Maybe he could help me get another? Ugh. I¡¯m an ungrateful brat¡­ And careless. If I had been more careful, all this wouldn¡¯t have been happening, if only¡­ I curled myself into a ball on the bed, crying my eyes out. I think I was sick. My temperature was high. My phone suddenly rang, startling me. Taking the call to look at the caller. Jake. Quickly answering it, I ced it on my ear. ¡°Hey¡­ Jake.¡± I felt bad for snapping at him earlier. He was trying to help me and I snapped at him. ¡°Hey. How are you?¡± He asked. He doesn¡¯t seem mad. That¡¯s a good thing, right? ¡°I¡¯m good I guess, you?¡± ¡°Are you? You don¡¯t sound fine.¡± He said making me break down. ¡°I¡¯m not okay,¡± I cried. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I had been stupid to think she cared for me. If I was smart enough¡­ And now, it¡¯s hurting more than it should be. And my job. I lost my job.¡± I cried. ¡°Tessa¡­¡± I cut him off. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I snapped at you earlier.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I know your struggles right now and I¡¯m sorry, you don¡¯t deserve this. And for the job¡­ You could start work on Monday.¡± He said. My eyes widened. In both surprise and confusion.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. ¡°W-what?¡± ¡°You can resume work on Monday.¡± He said. I breathe in relief and happiness. ¡°R-really?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah. Hey, I got to go now, I¡¯d call you by evening.¡± ¡°Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, sure, talk to youter.¡± I said hanging up the call. I squealed quietly. I have to tell Zara. I walked to my door. Why not shock and surprise her with it? My subconsciousness said. Yeah, I should. I looked down at myself. I should probably have a bath so we could go on a walk. I turned around and walked to the bathroom. I took my bath beforeing out. I wore a lemon green gown with matching shoes. I straightened my hair before walking out slowly. So Zara won¡¯t know I wasing. I practically tiptoed to the living room. I stopped behind a wall when I heard sniffles and s little gasp. ¡°She did that?¡± Anne asked. ¡°Yes¡­ She isn¡¯t what you think she is, she¡¯s¡­ I don¡¯t even know if she is your real mother¡­ Well, she¡¯s the one who gave birth to you. But, she doesn¡¯t love you¡­ She just.¡± She whimpered cupping Anne¡¯s face. What was she talking about? I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s your mother¡­ she was talking about me. ¡°She took you away from your dad. He is a kind man-¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I snapped walking towards where they were. I looked at her unbelievably. I can¡¯t believe she was saying this. I snatched Anne away from her. ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked ring at her. ¡°I-i was telling her a story, ma¡¯am. It¡¯s not what it seems.¡± She stuttered. Well, it didn¡¯t look like a story. Clenching my jaw, I said. ¡°Leave my house or I¡¯m going to call the cops.¡± I snapped. Never trust anybody. I was a fool. Trusting everyone. I can¡¯t believe this. ¡°Ma¡¯am I-¡± ¡°Out!¡± I hissed. She looked down at Anne¡­ With a sorrowful eye. She wouldn¡¯t fool me. I won¡¯t let her fool me again. She went over to the couch and took her bag before walking out. She didn¡¯t even try enough to exin herself. Immediately after she got out, Anne snatched her hand away from mine. I gasped at her sudden move. She looked up at me. ¡°Why¡¯d she go? It¡¯s no-¡± I cut her off sternly. ¡°Anne. She has to go.¡± ¡°No! I hate you! She went because of you!¡± She screamed and turned around going in her room direction. ¡°Anne!¡± I called. She didn¡¯t stop for a moment. I blinked away the tears threatening to pour out my eyes. I broke down without knowing. Why is all this happening to me? Just what have I done? I whimpered. Sitting down on the chair. I cried. I was such a crybaby. And all this is all my fault. If I had always spent time with her and never had to bring in a nanny. All these wouldn¡¯t have been happening. My job was just so tight that I didn¡¯t have time for her. But if I didn¡¯t have a job. We wouldn¡¯t have had anything. ~ I got done with dinner and I dished food for Anne. She was up in her room. I had to talk to her. cing the food on the tray, I went to her room. Shey on the bed. Tears were on each side of her face. ¡°Baby..¡± I called going closer to her. I ced the food on the side table next to her bed before sitting on the bed. She sat up from the bed. ¡°Mommy,¡± Her small voice cried. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, mommy.¡± Her voice cracked making me want to cry. ¡°It¡¯s okay, baby. Mommy loves you, okay?¡± I asked cing my hand on her cheeks. I flinched at how hot it was. She nodded her head. ¡°My head hurts.¡± She whimpered. ¡°Come.¡± I took her to the bathroom and gave her a little bath beforeing out. I wore her afy gown before giving her some painkillers. ¡°Here. It¡¯s cheese, your favourite.¡± I said with a huge smile on my face. She said before digging into her food. I watched her eat with a smile. My phone rang. I took it from my pocket before answering it. ¡°Hey. About the case. We could go to court tomorrow.¡± He said. I gasped. ¡°So soon?¡± ¡°Yeah. So we could get this over with.¡± He said. ¡°Okay¡­ Thanks, Jake.¡± I said. Still surprised how he managed to arrange everything for tomorrow. Sighing, I looked down at Anne. She had her head deep inside the te. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I asked with a smallugh. . . . ¡­. Chapter 17 I walked out of the courtroom, my eyes watery, I couldn¡¯t believe I was crying for what she had said. But, it did hurt me, a lot. I wiped my tears away. Stop it. My subconsciousness scolded. ¡°Wait up,¡± Jake called. I wanted to stop and wait but my brain wasn¡¯t obeying my mind. I got out of the courthouse but he got to me before I could walk any further. ¡°Are you okay?¡± He asked. He is so patient, I expected him to be mad or something but as usual, he didn¡¯t show any sign of being mad. I smiled. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m okay,¡± I replied. ¡°You¡¯re sure? You don¡¯t look okay, is it because of her? She got what s-¡± I cut him off. It wasn¡¯t because she got imprisoned or something, just because of how she fooled me all this while. I was such a fool. ¡°Yeah. Can you take me home? I¡¯m so tired¡­¡± I said. He nodded with a smile. After the judge had given both Yvonne and Cris three years in prison. A part of me was happy, and a part of me was sad. Curse that part. I got to the passenger seat and Jake got to the driver¡¯s seat and drove off. The drive, as usual, was silent. After a 20mins drive, we got to my house. ¡°Thanks for the ride Jake, I¡¯d¡­ Call meter.¡± I said. He smiled and then waved. I got into the house and walked to the living room. There, I saw Anne, she was on a chair, a bowl of ice cream ced on her legs as she dug from it, she looked at the screen before her which was ying Dora. She looked in my direction, she probably heard meing. She grinned showing her small set of teeth. She amazes me. ¡°How did you get that?¡± I asked. She pointed to the freezer. A little chair behind it, oh, she must have climbed on that to get it. I walked towards her and sat next to her. When I left the house this morning, she was asleep. I walked towards where she sat. I took the bowl of ice cream from her. She¡¯s had too much already. She whined. ¡°Noooo.¡± ¡°Baby, you¡¯ve had enough of this already, I¡¯d go make you cheese to eat,¡± I said and she stopped whining and nodded her head. Yep. She loves cheese as much as she loves ice cream. I got up and strolled to the kitchen. I prepared her cheese. Today was Thursday. If I go back to work on Monday, how am I going to have time for Anne? I groaned at the thought. I¡¯ve to tell Jake. He¡¯s done so much for me, I know¡­ But. I¡¯d have to call himter. After what happened, I don¡¯t want to hire another nanny. What was Zara even up to? Just thinking about Anne hating me is eating me up. It¡¯s a good thing I found out on time, right? Right. I got done preparing the food and served it to myself and Anne. I tried to clear any form of thoughts from my head. ~ ¡°What am I going to do?¡± I asked Jake through the telephone. ¡°What happened to Zara?¡± He asked. Oh yes, I never told him. I would have told him, but I just didn¡¯t want to say anything about Zara, I felt the less I talked about it, the less she¡¯d be in my mind. ¡°Well..¡± I said. Sighing, I told him what happened. The other end was silent for a few seconds and it felt like hours. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me sooner?¡± He asked. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t finish my statement. I didn¡¯t even know what to say. ¡°You could just reduce your office hours?¡± He asked. Is that possible? I don¡¯t think Mr Kings would allow that. ¡°But, Mr Kings..¡± ¡°I could ask him to reduce your time, it¡¯s okay, don¡¯t think about it.¡± Aren¡¯t I lucky to have someone like Jake in my life? Yeah, I am. ¡°Thank you so much, Jake,¡± I said. ¡°No problem.¡± He replied. Exchanging goodbyes, the line went off. What position am I going to go back to? I hope I¡¯d go back to my old position. You know, the one I was in before I became his PA. It¡¯s less awkward there. And besides, Mr Kings must have already gotten a new PA. There was no way he could go a week without help there. I sighed sitting down on the sofa. *skip to the next Monday* I jacked off my bed when I heard the loud rm. Groaning, I got up. I had shifted my usual morning wake which was usually 6 am but now it¡¯s 5 am. I had to do it. That was the only way I¡¯d have enough time for myself and Anne. I quickly walked to the bathroom and brushed my teeth before taking my bath. I wore my ck feminine suit. It¡¯s always nice to look professional on Mondays¡­ Not only Monday, but it¡¯s my first day in a week, so yeah. I did a little bit of makeup before going out of my room to go to the kitchen. I made breakfast in less than 20mins. I looked at the time. 6:15 am. Okay, that was fast. I quickly strolled to Anne¡¯s room. Opening the door, I saw Anne sprawled on the bed. I walked towards her bed. ¡°Baby?¡± I shook her a bit. She let out a whine but didn¡¯t wake up. Yep. Waking her up takes a lot of time. After 15mins of trying to wake her up, she woke up. I took her to the bathroom. Where she brushed her teeth and took her bath. After getting ready, I took her to the living room and we ate breakfast. ¡°Mommy?¡± She suddenly said. ¡°Yes, baby?¡± ¡°Where is my cheese?¡± I promised to make cheese today for her because yesterday she was whining when I took her bowl of cheese from her. I had to. Or the toilet would be her best friend this morning. ¡°When you get back from school, okay?¡± I said and she nodded her head drinking from her milk. We got done with everything we needed to do. Taking my bag and Anne¡¯s school bag and lunch bag. We went to my car and I drove off to her school. I made sure she was settled in before I went to my working ce. When I got there, I didn¡¯te out immediately. I stayed inside my car for what seemed like hours. I felt nervous like a school girl on her first day in her new school. I snapped out of the trance I was in when I saw the time. 7:59 am. I quickly arranged myself and got out of the car. As I got inside the building, I noticed most of the worker¡¯s eyes on me. That scandal is still up here from what I can see. Ignoring them, I walked toward Jake¡¯s office. Ady suddenly stopped in front of me. She is really beautiful. ¡°Miss Carl! I knew the truth woulde out and it did! Oh, poor you, you didn¡¯t deserve to go through what you did.¡± She said looking at me with¡­ Caring eyes? ¡°Uh..¡± ¡°I¡¯m Gwh and you must be Tessa. I heard what happened¡­ You see, I was also friends with Yvonne but she. She used me to get closer to my ex-boyfriend, I couldn¡¯t believe she¡¯d do something like that. But I was wrong.¡± She let out a quiet sob. Well, I¡¯m not the only one who fell for her tricks. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that-¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to be sorry. We learn from mistakes,¡± She said and I nodded my head. True. ¡°Right now, I have some office work to do. We could talkter?¡± She asked. I mean, there is nothing wrong with making friends right? Yvonne was the only friend I had in this work. ¡°Sure,¡± I said with a smile then continued my journey to Jake¡¯s office. ~ I entered my office. I¡¯m so surprised he didn¡¯t employ a new PA. The office was just how I had left it. Cleaner though. I wish he employed a new PA. There would be so much awkwardness today. Sitting on my office chair. I silently prayed he won¡¯te to work today. Well. God didn¡¯t answer my prayers today as my office phone rang. Groaning I took the call. ¡°File 45d.¡± Came a husky voice that gave me shivers. ¡°In a second,¡± I said to a dead call. Getting up. I went to the file keep and found the file after 2mins of searching. It¡¯s a good thing I found it. I don¡¯t want his insults today. I walked to his office door. I breathed in and out a couple of times before I turned the door knob. On the office chair sat Mr Kings in all his glory. He looks so good. Again, when does he not look good? Shut up. I went to his table avoiding eye contact as much as I can. ¡°Here¡¯s the file sir,¡± I said then quickly turned around and headed straight to the door. ¡°Miss Carl.¡± I heard him call. My hand was already on the doorknob. Pretend you didn¡¯t hear him and walk out that door. But, my body wasn¡¯t responding to my brain. I turned around to look at him. What does he want to do? Insult me? ¡°Yes sir?¡± I replied. I waited for what seemed like hours before he replied. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± He said. I looked at him confusedly. What was he sorry for? That he interrupted me from the walk to my office? ¡°For judging you. Without proper investigation.¡± He continued making my jaw drop. Did he- did he just say sorry? For what happened? Never in a million years would I have thought he would say ¡®sorry¡¯. Gulping, I said. ¡°I-it¡¯s okay s-sir.¡± I stuttered. Damn stutter. I quickly open the door and walked to my office. My heart was beating faster than usual. I would surely copse if my heart keeps beating like this. It¡¯s not normal. I went to the refrigerator and took a bottle of water. Ah. Jeez, calm down, he just said sorry and you¡¯re like this. My subconsciousness scolded me. After minutes, Iposed myself and managed to do some paperwork. Everything felt different to me. The office phone rang. Taking the call, I said to whoever was calling. ¡°Yes? How may I help you?¡± I asked the person. ¡°File ER54.¡± I heard Mr King¡¯s voice and then the call went dead. I sighed getting up to go get the file and it took me 5mins to find it. At least I found it, right? I walked to his office. And ced the file on his table. ¡°What is this?¡± He asked. His face formed a little scowl. Bipr much? ¡°The file you asked.¡± ¡°I asked for file ER54.¡± He said. I looked at him unbelievably. I gave him what he asked for. He¡¯s probably looking for another reason to insult me. ¡°Uhm. This is..¡± I said reading the file number from the file out loud. My eyes widened in realization. This is file FR54. Oops, my bad. ¡°You¡¯re not going to keep this job if you keep being clumsy.¡± He said. He didn¡¯t bother to hide his cold voice. What have I ever done for him to hate me this much? I know I¡¯m clumsy at times but still. ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir, I¡¯d go get the file now,¡± I said spinning around quickly resulting in me almost falling but he caught me. This was the second time we¡¯ve been in this situation. And God, he is so fast, I could swear he was in his sit a second ago. His eyes stared deeply into my eyes. I got lost in his beautiful hazel one for a minute but snapped out of it when the door snapped open with a loud bang. ¡°Baby!¡± Ady¡¯s voice screeched. Mr Kings let go of me immediately and Iposed myself. What just happened? ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± I heard the annoying fake voice again. I looked at thedy. She is very beautiful but the caked makeup on her face was hideous. She wore a seemingly expensive gold-like gown, note that it is short and exposing, and matching heels. A Chanel bag on her left arm. Just the jewellery on her cost more than my house. ¡°I-i tripped and he uh. Caught me before I fell.¡± ¡°He should have just let you fall..¡± She said lowly but enough for me to hear it. She arranged her hair and wore a smile then the cat walked toward Mr Kings. ¡°Oh baby,¡± she practically moaned. I felt highly ufortable. ¡°I missed you so much! I told papa I wasing today and he asked for you toe to dine with us tonight..¡± ¡°Uh. Excuse me.¡± I excused myself and walked out. Woah. .Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. . . . ¡­¡­ Chapter 18 Opening the door, I got out. But for some reason, my body wasn¡¯t moving instead it rxed on the door. I brought my hand to my chest. Why was it suddenly beating fast? If it goes any faster, I was sure it was going to explode. So¡­ That¡¯s his girlfriend. Why was I even thinking about it, of course, she¡¯s his girlfriend. Hitting my head, I thought, what are you doing? Jeez, stop. ¡°Ma¡¯am?¡± I heard ady¡¯s voice, I quickly stumbled away from the door and looked at thedy calling me. She was the secretary. ¡°Uh. Yes? Oh, I was uh¡­ My legs hurt, I just, You know,¡± Iughed nervously. ¡°I¡¯d go now,¡± I said and walked into my office. cing my hand on my chest. I prayed for it to stop beating so fast. It did calm down after minutes but I didn¡¯t do anything for 35mins. Just sat there. Looking at the time, I noticed it was 1:34 pm. Oh, I had to go get Anne from school. Jake said I could be home at 2 pm. Does Mr Kings know? I guess I¡¯d go find out. I stood up and walked to Mr King¡¯s office, silently praying his brte Barbie girlfriend isn¡¯t there. You sound jealous. Pfft. Jealous? Ha! That¡¯s I have got the biggest lie I¡¯ve heard. I was just referring to how she looked. She looked like a brte barbie. With the dress, shoes¡­ I¡¯m not surprised that¡¯s the type of girl he dates. Oh my god. What was I thinking? I have gone crazy. I knocked on Mr King¡¯s office before opening the door and yipee, God answered my prayers this time. I walked closer to the desk. ¡°I-¡± he cuts me off. He seems annoyed though. ¡°I know what you want to say and it¡¯s not yet time, you still have 25minutes, 47 seconds before you leave.¡± He said, he didn¡¯t look up at me even for a second his eyes were fixated on the paper before him. ¡°I just wanted to confirm if you-¡± he cuts me off, again. I don¡¯t know why, but it seems people just like cutting me off. But I think he¡¯s just doing it because he hates me. I mean, he took that chance to fire me before, I bet he¡¯s looking for another. Heughed a little and it was a bitter one. Okay confirmed. He hates me. ¡°You wanted to confirm?¡± He asked. ¡°He told you he told me about it, didn¡¯t he?¡± He asked again. He was referring to Jake. He¡¯s starting to make me think he has something against Jake with the way he said that. ¡°Y-yes.¡± I stuttered. Just why was I stuttering right now? If only he was ugly, I wouldn¡¯t be having a hard time here, jeez. ¡°What a bastard, he likes ady who doesn¡¯t trust him,¡± He said lowly, but it didn¡¯t escape my oversensitive ears. Okay, it wasn¡¯t oversensitive, but I heard it. What did he mean? His jaw was tight when he said that. ¡°I think he¡¯s a fool to friend ady as stupid as you,¡± he said. My fists balled. He¡¯s such a bully. How does it even concern him if Jake is friends with me? ¡°You call him a friend and you don¡¯t trust him?¡± He was doing all he could to make me cry, well, jokes on him, I¡¯m not going to ever make such a rude person like him make me cry.. Ever again. ¡°I never said I didn¡¯t trust or believe him. I just wanted to confirm if I could leave. ¡± I said and his simple reply was. ¡°Yeah, sure. Anything to get you away.¡± He said and I looked at him unbelievably. I hate him so much. And that is it, I¡¯d go look for a job elsewhere. I won¡¯t tell him now though, he might fire me immediately if I say that. What if he fires me and I can¡¯t find any other job? I¡¯d have to find one first, then quit this stupid job. I¡¯m sure there are other jobs with better pay than this. If he doesn¡¯t want to fire me because of Jake he could at least transfer me to other positions, right? I remembered when I started this job, he wasn¡¯t always here and I never knew him. I¡¯d do anything to get that back. ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± I hated myself for saying that, but I had to, it¡¯s formal. I walked out of the office so fast that it hurt. I got to my office and took my bag, I mean, he said I could go now, right? Putting everything in ce and got out. I kept getting in elevators till I was on the 5th floor. Yeah, I probably didn¡¯t mention but this is a 15floor building. It was so huge. I remembered when I started working here, I got lost when I had to use the bathroom and that was when I met Yvonne. She was so nice and sweet. I was really d I got a friend apart from Jake. I never really got along with people. After my dad and mom had left me, I stayed with my aunt. I didn¡¯t go to school for a whole year. Unfortunately, I had to work and make money for school expenses. I did make lots of money, but she took more than half of it and said it was money for the food I ate during my stay at her home. During that same period, she bought expensive things for her daughter. I felt used. I couldn¡¯t say anything for fear that she might kick me out of the house because I had no ce to go. I graduated from high school at the age of 19, and a yearter, I met Carson. I fell in love with him immediately. He was really rich but I wasn¡¯t after him for his money, I wanted to love him. I was so happy when he first told me he loved me. I cried that day. Nobody has ever told me that for a long time. Unlike me, who wanted his love, my aunt wanted his money. She¡¯d always asked me to get money from him but didn¡¯t a want me to have a love rtionship with him because I quote ¡®I know someone who is so much rain cher and he has an interest in you Yep, that¡¯s it. When I told Carson about it. He became about serious our rtionship and asked for my hand a monthter. My aunt was furious and threatened me not to even think of it. But, I was so blinded, that I ran away from her. I mean, it¡¯s a good and bad thing that I did. The good thing was if I hadn¡¯t run away, she¡¯d married me off to a guy I had no idea who he was. Maybe to an old man, who knows? And the bad thing was I ran away only for my heart to be broken two yearster by a man who promised to love, me forever. Oh, my poor heart. I hated talking about Carson, it brings me some unknown feelings. Getting out of the elevator, there was another one I had to enter still. But someone stopped me. Gwh. ¡°Miss Carl..¡± She called. She was too formal. ¡°Oh, just call me Tessa,¡± I said giving her a friendly smile. She returned the smile, but if possible, even friendlier. ¡°Yes. Tessa, So.. You¡¯re going home? It¡¯s not yet 4 pm..¡± She said analyzing me. I nodded my head. ¡°Yes, I am. I have something important to do.¡± I said. for some reason, I didn¡¯t want her to know the real reason why I was going. Il ¡°Oh. Did he let you off? That¡¯s a surprise, does never almost do something like that.¡± She asked. ¡°Yeah, that. It wasn¡¯t easy convincing him.¡± I said. ¡°You know you can tell me anything, right?¡± She asked. I didn¡¯t reply to that. I just met her, it feels weird hearing that from her. I guess she wanted to be friends ¡°Yeah, Sure?¡± I said and sheughed. ¡°It¡¯s okay, no pressure. Anyways, I¡¯d see you tomorrow, okay? ¡°Yeah, thanks,¡± I said walking away. After a few minutes, I got to the first floor. I walked to the exit and was about toe out when I saw Jake walk in. He smiled. ¡°You¡¯re going now? Shouldn¡¯t you have left a couple of minutes ago?¡± He asked. I looked at him confusedly. He flicked his wristwatch at me, showing me what the time was. My eyes widened. It was already 23 minutes past two? Time sure does fly by fast. ¡°Ahhh, I¡¯d go now, talk to youter,¡± I said. ¡°Yeah,ter. Bye love.¡± He said making me smile like there is no tomorrow and he chuckled. I walked away waving like an idiot. I got to my car and drove off to Anne¡¯s school. On reaching there I hurried to her ssroom. Her teacher must be so annoyed for me keeping her waiting for so long. With an increased pace, I reached her ssroom. ¡°Mommy!¡± Anne called immediately she noticed me, running towards where I was, I hugged her. ¡°Miss Carl!¡± Mrs. Mcin scolded. Yeah, it is because I waste. ¡°I¡¯m sorry ma¡¯am, but something happened and I couldn¡¯t make it on time, I promise it won¡¯t happen again.¡± ¡°It better not!¡± She said. I just nodded my head and took Anne¡¯s bag and lunch bag. I looked inside her lunch bag to know if she ate all her food. She did, but I noticed some sweets in it. I didn¡¯t give her sweets today. ¡°Anne?¡± I called bending down to her level. ¡°Who gave you these?¡± I asked referring to the sweets. ¡°Nobody..¡± She answered. ¡°Mrs. Mcin?¡± I stood up calling the teacher. She turned towards me with a questioning look. ¡°Uh, do you know who gave these sweets to Anne?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know who?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Her nanny. I thought you sent her.¡± She said making my jaw clench for a brief second. She was here? To give her sweets? I can¡¯t believe this. I fired her, why can¡¯t she just leave us alone? She? is up to something. After telling Mrs. Mcin I fired Zara and also ask her not to let Zara see Anne. She agreed. ¡°Thanks, we¡¯d be going now,¡± I said grabbing Anne by her hand. Her bag and lunch bag was in my other hand, and we got to the car. ¡°So, you¡¯re not going to tell me who gave you sweets?¡± I asked her again. I already knew but I wanted to hear it from her. After almost a minute of silence, she said. Zara.¡± I hate it when she calls Zara ¡®mommy Zara.¡¯ But, this is not the time to lecture her about that. It looks like a huge storm wasing. I had to go to the mall and get Anne some new clothes. She¡¯s already growing out of the one she has now. Starting the car, I drove off and arrived at the mall a few minutester. Getting out, I went over to Anne¡¯s door and opened it for her, she jumped out. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go get you some clothes!¡± I said. ¡°And ice cream!¡± She said cheerfully. Jumping toward all. She likes ces like this. Whenever I bring her here, she always jumps around screaming ice cream or at times cheese. Or cake. I chuckled and ran towards her. ¡°Wait up!¡± I called. She did. And believe me when I say it¡¯s a miracle. We got into the mall together, I took a cart. I shopped for her clothes first before shopping for foodstuff we did not have at home. ced some food in the cart. Anne was throwing sweets, cakes, bowls of ice cream, etc inside the Cart. Oh, she was going to be the death of me. After shopping, we paid for everything. ¡°Okay, we¡¯re done!¡± said and she said opened a packed cake, and started eating it. I sighed as we walked to the elevator. ¡°Mommy?¡± A, one called. ¡°Yes, baby?¡± I replied. ¡°We¡¯de tomorrow, hmm?¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s see how that turns out,¡± I said as we entered the elevator. It was a 9-story building, which sold different varieties of goods. The elevator stopped. I think someone wasing in, shifting to the other side of the elevator, and someone walked in.N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. The person has a familiar scent. Looking up to see the person, my heart immediately started beating faster than usual. A person I wasn¡¯t nning on seeing, anytime soon. He looked at me and then at Anne who was giving him a huge smile. Carson. . . . ¡­¡­ Chapter 19 I gulped. I could hear the sound of my heartbeat, it was fast and loud. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s heard it too. Why do I have to be in this awkward situation right now? I wasn¡¯t ready for this. ¡°Tessa,¡± He said making me look up at his eyes. That contented look on his face. ¡°It¡¯s you.¡± He said as if he couldn¡¯t believe it. What was I going to say? I felt dumbfounded. And the way he was looking at me wasn¡¯t helping at all. Praying silently that the elevator should stop soon, it didn¡¯t, it looks like it was moving slower than usual. ¡°Answer me.¡± He said. His voice sounded demanding. I remembered when we were together, he was that type of controlling husband. But, we weren¡¯t together anymore and I wasn¡¯t going to let him control me. ¡°I don¡¯t have to,¡± I said. ¡°She¡¯s my child, right?¡± He ignored what I said and looked down at Anne. You wouldn¡¯t need a DNA test to prove he was Anne¡¯s father. There were lots of simrities between them. He bent down towards Anne, but I didn¡¯t know why I pushed her behind me. He noticed this and stood back up, he tucked his hands in his pockets. ¡°Now, you¡¯re not going to let me see my child?¡± The elevator stopped right then and I wanted to cry out in joy. ¡°I¡¯ve every right to see my kid, I¡¯m not going to let you take that away.¡± He said and it was true. Just calm down and face your past, you know you can¡¯t run away from this forever. My subconsciousness scolded. I think she¡¯s right. Let¡¯s just get this over with. But sudden dropping this kind of bomb to Anne that he was her dad is something else. She might be happy. But I don¡¯t want him back in my life It¡¯s your kid¡¯s life he¡¯sing in. ¡°It¡¯d be nice if we go out with my daughter. You coulde too. I¡¯m free tomorrow..¡± He said. He was so awkward. ¡°I can¡¯t¡¯-¡± ¡°Why?¡± He asked cutting me off. My jaw made a quick clench. ¡°I can¡¯t, just say what you want to say here,¡± I said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what got into me, Tessa. Months after you¡¯d left, it kicked in, I searched everywhere for you, tr-¡± I cut him off. I thought he wanted to talk about Anne, and here he was, saying something I don¡¯t want to hear. I¡¯ve moved on with my life. Yes, it was really painful after he had cheated on me. I wasn¡¯t able to get over it for over a year, I kept mourning like I had lost someone important in my life. Well, at a point, he was important. ¡°I thought you wanted to talk about Anne,¡± ¡°Tessa..¡± ¡°Save it. You¡¯re going to talk to her or what? I have something to do right now.¡± I said. He winced slightly at my tone. I don¡¯t have to be nice to him. ¡°Why? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re with another man.¡± Said Carson. Looks at him as if he has gone crazy. How is it even his business? If I have a boyfriend or not, it¡¯s not his concern. ¡°I see you have nothing to talk about,¡± I said grabbing Anne¡¯s arm to walk away, but he grabbed my hand before I could move an inch. ¡°Where are you going? I¡¯m not done talking to you.¡± He was saying something before? Didn¡¯t seem so. Calming myself down, I gave him a go-ahead only for him to go back to the topic if I was in a rtionship or not. ¡°Okay, first off, it¡¯s none of your business an-¡± ¡°So you are in a rtionship,¡± He said, trying to confirm what he said. ¡°I¡¯ve always known you were a slut, I¡¯m sure you went to another guy¡¯s house the moment you left mine, I won¡¯t be surprised-¡± I can¡¯t believe he was saying all these in front of Anne. One moment, it seems like he was trying to apologize and now he was calling me a slut. ¡°Baby?¡± A voice called, a voice I never thought I would ever hear again. The voice of the person, I used to call my best friend ruined my marriage. Sara. So he said all those to me and he is still with her? He has no shame! No decency. My jaw clenched. ¡°Who are you talking t- oh, look who it is¡­ Tessa!¡± She said with a fake smile on her face. I guess she thought she looks good. I¡¯m sure if she heard what Carson said to me earlier, she¡¯d go crazy. ¡°You ran off, so suddenly!¡± She continued. I was chased out of my home, because of her. Who knows if he had other girlfriends while we were together? ¡°And who is the bastard baby?¡± She asked. Okay, that was it. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare call my child a bastard you slut!¡± I snapped furiously. ¡°Why? It¡¯s true.¡± She mused with a tiny voice. ¡°Sara..¡± Carson said. ¡°What?! I¡¯m saying some facts here!¡± She dragged like a stupid baby. I wasn¡¯t going to spend my precious time on her. Time must have gone far by now and I had to cook dinner. I took Anne by the hand and we scurried to the car, I heard Carson¡¯s voice calling my name from behind. We got to the car, locked it, and I drove off. ¡°Mommy? Who is that man?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not time for questions.¡± Third Person¡¯s POV Tessa scurried off to her car as Carson called from behind. ¡°Tessa!¡± He called. His girlfriend, Sara scowled at this. She hated Tessa, so much. When they were friends, her hatred sometimeses out with aggression toward Tessa, but she¡¯d apologize just minutes after. Then, the opportunity to seduce her husband came, and after having an affair with her husband for six months, Tessa found out. She was so d. She¡¯d gotten rid of Tessa and made her husband fall in love with her. For the first time in three years, she¡¯s doubting if Carson loves her. The way he looked at Tessa and the way he ran after her confirmed her doubt. Minutes after Carson practically ran after Tessa¡¯s car, he came back to see a crying Sara. The tear, of course, was fake, but it always got to Carson, he scurried to her side her cooed to her. ¡°I was screaming your name, but you weren¡¯t answering me.¡± You could say she was a good actress. ¡°I¡¯m sorry baby, are you okay? Is the baby okay?¡± He asked rubbing and soothing her stomach, she was with his child. She sniffed and nodded her head a little. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can walk to the car, can you help me?¡± She asked. Carson nodded and gave her a sweet smile. She was with his child and he wanted her and the baby to be okay. Sweeping her off the floor, he took her towards his car ignoring the stares and cheering. He got to the driver¡¯s seat. He still loved Tess. And she had his child. He had to find where she lives and who she was with. ~ By the time I got home, it was 4:54. I put the stuff I bought on the counter trying to stop myself from thinking about what had happened in the mall. When we met earlier, you know before Sara came out of the mall. I would have thought he was single or something from the way he talked to me. But he wasn¡¯t, he was just ying? I never knew they would take their rtionship to a whole another level. I thought. I managed to clear the thoughts out of my mind and made dinner. I and Anne ate infortable silence. Well, not silence because turned her te into a drum, singing a Dora song. Really? By the time we were done eating it was almost getting dark. We watched a movie together. Having the feeling to sleep next to Anne tonight, we slept off in my room. ~ Waking up, I did the usual morning routine. I wore a gown today, I normally wear a suit, but I just wasn¡¯t in the mood so I wore a simple yet professional gown. It reached my knees. I took Anne to school before going over to my office. I wasn¡¯t in my cheerful mode today. I can¡¯t believe I was letting what happened yesterday get to me. You could tell just how much Sara hates me. Friends I had turned out to hate me. Like, what did I ever do to them? Other than friending them. I got to my office. I was d I didn¡¯t see Gwh, not because I didn¡¯t want to see her, like I said, I just wasn¡¯t in the mood. I haven¡¯t gotten any call from Mr Kings since I got here and I was happy about it. I pray he won¡¯te today. The office phone rang, and answering the call, I heard the husky voice of Mr Knight. Spoke too soon. ¡°File 576f,¡± he said as the call went dead. I sighed getting up to go find it. I found it after a minute of search. I looked at the file number, again and again, just to be sure it was the file he asks for. I don¡¯t want what happenedst time to happen again. I strolled to his office and surveyed him for a second while his eyes were fixed on the papers before him. I think he should stop looking so good. It¡¯s a distraction! Not only to me but to otherdies here. Not that it¡¯s my business. ¡°Here¡¯s the file Sir,¡± I said cing the file on his table. I saw his eyes swept over me, as his face contorted into a scowl. I pressed my lips together. Another insult. ¡°What are you wearing?¡± He asked throwing me off guard, I thought he was going to throw me an insult. ¡°Uh¡­ A gown?¡± I said, more like ask. ¡°Why is it so short?¡± He asked again. I looked at him as if he has gone crazy. He seemed to realize what he had just said. ¡°I mean. Uh. It¡¯s so unprofessional.¡± He said. Did Mr Kings just stutter? I looked down at myself. The gown waspletely fine and most people wear gowns to work, I don¡¯t know what he was getting on. ¡°Uh. The gown seems fine.¡± I said to him. He red. He was going to insult me now, by the looks of it. ¡°No. You¡¯re wearing this to seduce another guy, aren¡¯t you? Why? Jake isn¡¯t enough for you?¡± He asked. What have I ever done to him to make him hate me like this? He thinks I¡¯m a slut.. When has what someone thinks about you got to you? I shouldn¡¯t let this get to me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir, but I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°Get out.¡± He said. Ah! Thank God! I turned around and walked towards the door. ¡°Miss Carl.¡± He called before I could touch the door knob. Oh, what does he want now? Groaning inwardly, I turned back around. He hesitated before he said. ¡°Go home and change.¡± He waved me off. What? ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir, but there is nothing wrong with what I¡¯m wearing.¡± ¡°Whose building are you in?¡± He asked. ¡°Uh. Yours?¡± ¡°Right. I don¡¯t tolerate inappropriate dressing in my building, now you¡¯d go change that or don¡¯t consider yourself a staff here anymore.¡± He said, his voice cold. I¡¯m surprised it isn¡¯t freezing in here. Yeah, probably his hotness, keeping it from getting cold. Shut up. He¡¯s such a psycho. ¡°Bu-¡± ¡°I believe I¡¯m done talking to you.¡¯ He said as his eyes went back to the papers. I sighed in frustration and got to my office. I took my bag before going down the elevator. I got to Gwh¡¯s floor and she immediately rushed toward where I was. ¡°Oh my! Tessa! Where are you going? It¡¯s not the near closing time or the real closing time.¡± She eximed. ¡°Yeah, apparently, my dress is too short and I have to go change it.¡± ¡°It looks okay.¡± She said. ¡°I know right? But it isn¡¯t to Mr Kings.¡± I said rolling my eyes. He was just doing this to make me quit. Well, I wasn¡¯t, not till I get another job, that is. Her eyes widened a bit. ¡°Mr Kings thought so?¡± ¡°Yeah. He hates me.¡± ¡°Oh poor Tessa, don¡¯t let this get to you, okay? Just don¡¯tin when he asks you to do something like this, when he sees you¡¯re not bothered, he¡¯s gonna stop. Hmm?¡± She said soothing my shoulder. ¡°Yeah, thanks.¡± ¡°So. I noticed we don¡¯t talk anywhere except here at work, so why don¡¯t I get your number?¡± She asked. I hesitated before answering her. ¡°Sure.¡± We exchanged numbers and bid each other goodbyes. I was now going towards Jake¡¯s floor. I¡¯m sure he¡¯d notice me. I got there and he did. He got to me. ¡°You¡¯re going now? It¡¯s not-¡± I cut him off. ¡°I know, I know. But, Mr Kings thinks what I¡¯m wearing is ¡®inappropriate¡¯ and asked for me to go change it.¡± ¡°What? It¡¯s okay,e.¡± ¡°No, no. It¡¯s no big deal, I¡¯d just go change it and be back in a few minutes.¡± ¡°Well, if you say so.¡± He shrugged. Smiling, I waved at him and walked to the elevator. Getting in the elevators, I got to the second floor to thest. Was going to enter the elevator, but someone walked out of the elevator. Carson. Seriously? What was he doing here? ¡°Tessa!¡± He said immediately he was out. ¡°What are you doing here? If you¡¯re here for Anne, she¡¯s not here.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m here for you¡­ I mean, I¡¯d see Anne but. I came here in search of you. You¡¯ve got to hear what I have to say..¡± ¡°Sorry, but I don¡¯t want to hear anything, especially from you.¡± ¡°Te-¡± someone cut him off. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± I heard the voice of Mr Kings. Great, just great. He was probably thinking I was trying to ¡®seduce¡¯ Carson. By the looks of it. .N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. . . ¡­¡­ Chapter 20 I tucked the strand of hair on my face to my ear and pressed my lips into a thin line. As usual Mr Kings has that annoyed scowl on his face. Should I even answer him? Yeah, he¡¯s the boss, remember? ¡°Uh¡­ This is Carson, my huh¡­¡± I tried to say something, but I don¡¯t just know how to put it. He raised an eyebrow. ¡°My¡­ Ex-husband.¡± That made him scowl, if possible, harder than before but this time it wasn¡¯t at me but at Carson. He¡¯s so grumpy. I looked at Carson¡¯s face to see if he was fazed by this. ¡°Who are you?¡± Carson asked. ¡°I should be asking you that. You¡¯re in my building.¡± Mr Kings said in the same cold tone. I thought I was the only one Mr Kings was being mean to, you know, from the very first day. You have no idea how I am relieved by this. At least I¡¯m not the only one, I thought he had a ¡®special¡± hate for me. ¡°I¡¯m here to see my wi- ex-wife and I have every right to.¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t seem like she wants to see you. You¡¯re going to leave? Or I¡¯m going to have to call the security.¡± Mr Kings say. Why was he even doing this? He hates me! Carson¡¯s jaw clenched. ¡°What are you?¡± He asked. It looks like he was going to throw a punch anytime from now. Just great, he wanted drama. ¡°Carson stop. Can you just leave? I¡¯d talk to youter.¡± I said. I said that only so he could leave. I¡¯m a hundred per cent sure Mr Kings would fire me if a fight breaks out here. Hell, that¡¯s just another reason for him to fire me. I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s doing this so a fight could break out and then he would take that as an excuse to fire me. I noticed his eyes widen at what I said, what¡¯s probably going on in his mind right now is ¡®it¡¯s confirmed, she¡¯s a slut.¡¯ Carson smiled relieved. He was going to say something but Mr King¡¯s cold voice boomed. ¡°I don¡¯t think you know who I am, ¡¯cause if you do this wouldn¡¯t be happening. I won¡¯t waste my time on you, leave or the security could escort you.¡± His jaw was clenched. You could tell he was restraining himself from hitting Carson. ¡°Yeah, bye. Please go.¡± I said to Carson. He smiled and mouthed I¡¯d call youter. With that, he walked out. This was unlikely Carson, though. Normally, he would have made a scene, but I¡¯m d he didn¡¯t. I don¡¯t know who¡¯d win if they fight. Mr Kings. Carson. My subconsciousness argued. Who cares. But I know Mr Kings is a lot more powerful than Carson. No doubt he¡¯s richer too. Since when have I ever cared about who is richer? ¡°I wasn¡¯t joking when I said you should go home and change, if you¡¯re not back in the next 30 minutes, consider yourself fired.¡± He said tucking his hands into his pockets and then walking away. He¡¯s so arrogant. I watched him walk away. I sighed when he was out of sight. After waiting for 5mins I got out of the building, you might be wondering why I waited, well it¡¯s because I wanted to make sure Carson is long gone. I got into my car and drove off. On getting to my house, I changed into a suit, not bothering to check how I looked, I rushed out of the house. I drove back to my working ce. I ignored the weird stares from some of the staff. They¡¯re probably wondering why I¡¯m changed. I got to my office door. Opening the door, I saw Mr Kings standing next to the filing cab. He turned towards the door. He probably heard me opening it. ¡°What took you so long?¡± He asked. I looked at him confusedly. ¡°You¡¯re 3 minutes, 43secondste.¡± He finished. He was counting the time? Again? Wow. ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir, but there wa-¡± ¡°Save it. He said cutting me off. He took a file from the cab and turned toward me. ¡°This is going to be thest time something like what happened earlier happens again or you¡¯re fired.¡± He said and walked out of the office ¡°Yes sir.¡± I sighed when he was gone. Every time he¡¯s around my heart increases at an abnormal rate. I did a little work in my system and also some paperwork, I was d Mr Kings hasn¡¯t called me. Myputer beeped, looking at the message, it was an invitation letter. I read it carefully. Is Mr King getting engaged? It¡¯s not that I¡¯m against him getting engaged or something but there was no way I would go to an engagement of a man who hates my guts. My eyes fell to the part which says ¡®all employees from King¡¯s enterprise are expected to attend really? I don¡¯t think Mr Kings have a good rtionship with his employee so why invite them? As much as I wanted to ask him why and to tell him I won¡¯t go to his engagement party, I couldn¡¯t. Who knows, he might use that as an excuse to fire me. And the engagement was tomorrow night, he didn¡¯t even give us early notice. Groaning, I closed myputer. I heard a knock on the door. I wondered who it could be. It can¡¯t be Mr Kings. He wouldn¡¯t even knock, he would just barge in here. Clearing my throat, I said, e in.¡± Jake walked inside the office. He had the usual smile on his face, a smile which can brighten a dark room. ¡°Jake, I wasn¡¯t expecting you. But it¡¯s a good thing you came, I was getting bored.¡± I said. He chuckled. We talked about how recently we haven¡¯t been talking much. We talked about so many other stuff. And I couldn¡¯t stopughing at his jokes. Myputer beeped, I opened it to look at the message sent. ¡®I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on in there but will you shut up?¡¯ It was a message from Mr Kings. I was being loud? I wasn¡¯t! He¡¯s so rude. ¡°About Austin¡¯s engagement, I wanted to ask if you¡¯d be my date?¡± Jake ask. Jake normally refers to Mr Kings as Austin. Austin is his first name, but I¡¯d never call him that during work period or he¡¯d fire me. He once did that to ady. She had mistakenly called him by his first name and he fired her immediately. Do I really have to go to that engagement party? ¡°Why did he even invite his employees, he has no rtionship with them.¡± I groaned. He smiled. ¡°It wasn¡¯t Austin who invited them. It¡¯s his dad.¡± He said and my mouth fell into an ¡®o¡¯ ¡°So, what do you say?¡± ¡°Yes. But why do they have to give short notice? Jeez.¡± I groaned again. We talked again for a little while and soon enough he had to go. I smiled and asked to walk him to the elevator which he agreed. We stepped out of my office only to see Mr Kings and an elderly man in front of his office. The man was saying something about how proud he is of Mr Kings. He must have noticed us as he turned towards us. ¡°Jake!¡± The man eximed and walked towards Jake. Now I see him, he looks a lot like Mr Kings, they have so much in familiar. But he doesn¡¯t look as cold as Mr Kings. He must be his father. They exchanged greetings as a father and son would. He turned to me when done. ¡°And who is this beauty?¡± He asked. My cheeks turned red. What¡¯s wrong with me? Blushing at an old man¡¯spliment. He¡¯s not really old though, probably in his early 50s. ¡°She¡¯s the one?¡± He asked before anyone could reply to his earlier question. I shook my head frantically. Heughed. ¡°You don¡¯t have to deny it. Jake was barely his female friend, thest one he had was his first love. I¡¯m so happy he¡¯s found another one, I bet his dad would be happy too!¡± He said. Is he really Mr King¡¯s dad? Maybe an uncle? His personality is way different to Mr King¡¯s own. He wrapped his hands around me for a hug and released me a minuteter. ¡°So when is the party?¡± ¡°Yo-¡± he cuts Jake off. ¡°Let¡¯s announce it at Austin¡¯s engagement party!¡± He said. ¡°No, we¡¯re just friends,¡± I said quickly. ¡°I told you, there¡¯s no need to deny it.¡± ¡°Dad.¡± I heard Mr King¡¯s call, but he ignored him. ¡°I forgot! I¡¯m Alex Kings, and you are?¡± ¡°Tessa. Tessa Carl.¡± ¡°What a beautiful name for such a beautifuldy. So are you ready to announce it tomorrow night?¡± ¡°N-¡± I tried to say but Jake¡¯s voice overshadowed mine. ¡°Not yet.¡± He said. I threw him a ¡®what-the-hell-are-you-saying look. Alex¡¯s smile disappeared, but returned a few secondster. ¡°Whenever you¡¯re ready we¡¯re going to have a huge party.¡± He said as his wristwatch beeped. ¡°Well, that¡¯s work calling. Anyways, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Carl.¡± He said. I just bowed my head a little bit and watched him say some things to Mr Kings, he patted his shoulders several times. He left. Mr Kings didn¡¯t bother to hide the re he was sending toward me and Jake. I shifted my eyeballs to look at Jake. He had a smile on his face and it was straight directed to Mr Kings. This is not the first time I have seen both of them taunting each other. Why was he ring at Jake though? I heard they were best friends. They¡¯ve been friends since they were babies. ~ I turned back around and headed straight to my office, I just saw Jake off. I was d there was no work tomorrow and next tomorrow. The engagement must be huge. I mean, I would be surprised if it wasn¡¯t considering he¡¯s a multi-billionaire. It also looks like his girlfriend is from a wealthy family. I got to my office to find my office phone ringing, I quickly got to it and took the call. ¡°He-¡± ¡°What took you so long to pick up? You seem to be trying my patience Miss Carl, I told you. Behave or I¡¯d fire you.¡± I wanted to shout at him for the way he said that. But only God knows my fate if I do that. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr Kings, i-¡± ¡°File F45E.¡± And with that, the call died. I wonder how his past PA took all this. That poor girl, I heard shested for only a week, he must have been hard on her to make her quit that quickly. I got the file and walked to Mr King¡¯s office. Strolling the o table, I dropped the file on the desk and quickly turned around, and walked to the door. ¡°Miss Carl.¡± I heard him call. Oh, why does he have to call now? ¡°About you and Jake-¡± he cut himself off. ¡°Forget it.¡± He said then wave me off. Jeez, I wanted to hear what he was going to say. I turned around and walked out, hoping it would be 2 pm by the time I get to my office. I¡¯ve got tomorrow and next to spend with my daughter! . . .Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. ¡­. Chapter 21 I reached my office and it was nowhere near 2 pm. It seems like today was going slow, sighing in frustration, I threw myself on my chair and began tapping on my table. I hope Mr Kings won¡¯t call me for the rest of the day and thankfully, he didn¡¯t. It soon got to 2 pm. I flung off my chair, arranged the office, and got out of the building. Reaching my car, I drove off to Anne¡¯s school. She sat at a table painting a picture. I smiled as I walked toward her. She looked up at me with a huge grin on her face. ¡°Mommy!¡± She screamed getting off from where she sat. I stooped down to hug her. I released her after a few seconds. She took the drawing she drew and showed it to me. It was a drawing of a woman hugging a little girl. It wasn¡¯t that good, but it was really good for her age. On the drawing was ¡®Anne heart mommy!!¡¯ Oh, my heart. ¡°Aww, baby, I love you too,¡± I said giving her a huge bear hug. ¡°I see you¡¯re here, Miss Carl.¡± I heard the teacher say. I stood straight back up with a smile directed to the teacher. ¡°Yes, sorry. I was 20minste.¡± ¡°Oh, no problem. Bye Anne.¡± She said with a wave before waving Anne goodbye. I took Anne¡¯s school bag and lunch bag before walking out of the school. It was raining so badly. It¡¯s a good thing I¡¯ve got a car. We rushed towards my car. ¡°Mommy? Are we going shopping today?¡± ¡°Not today, sweetie. It¡¯s rainy.¡± Now I¡¯m thinking of it, it¡¯s a good thing it rained, I can¡¯t think of another excuse if it wasn¡¯t raining. She hummed. I drove to the house. Noticing someone on my porch, I wonder who it may be. We got out of the car and ran towards the porch. Seeing who it was, my face shifted into a scowl. What was he doing here? ¡°What do you want here?!¡± I hissed giving him a mean re, I¡¯m sure if looks could kill, he would have been dead by now. ¡°You said you¡¯d talk to meter, so here I am.¡± He said I was going to say something when I noticed Anne was shaking. Was I seriously going to keep her out like this in this weather? I quickly stepped closer to the door, opened it with the keys, and ushered Anne in. She quickly stepped inside. And of course, Carson tried to step inside too. ¡°Not you, what are you even doing here?¡± I asked stopping him froming in. ¡°I already told you.¡± He said. I just noticed he¡¯s shivering too, but that doesn¡¯t mean, I¡¯d let him in. ¡°You should have known I wasn¡¯t truly going to ¡®talk to youter I only said that to make you leave, and would you just GO?! Stay out of my life. You wanted me out of your life and I left what else do you want?!¡± I snapped at him. He winced at my tone. ¡°Te-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you even have a wife? Girlfriend? I wonder what she¡¯d think of youing here! You wanted to talk to your daughter and I have nothing against that, just do it and stop talking to me!¡± I snapped again. He seems to be controlling his anger. Seriously speaking, if anyone has to be angry here, it should be me. He clenched and unclenched his jaw before looking back at me. ¡°Just let me exin, okay? As I said, I don¡¯t know what got into me. I regretted what I did and by the time I realized what I did, it was toote. I searched everywhere for you..¡± He continued saying things that I didn¡¯t want to hear. I would have asked him to stop, but I believe this would be over by the time he was done. ¡°I was broken, I thought being with another woman would help me get over you, but it didn¡¯t. I know you still love me, Tess..¡± Iughed a little at that. Love? No, it was theplete opposite of that. ¡°Love?¡± Iughed. Why was I evenughing? ¡°Do you know what love is?¡± ¡°Yes. Do you?¡± He retorted. ¡°No, tell me.¡± ¡°Love is the capability of caring for someone and I know you care for me, you¡¯ve always done. So. You love me.¡± ¡°No, no. I don¡¯t love you. I hate you. If there¡¯s a word- yeah, there is, I despise you.¡± I said. His nostrils red. ¡°You don¡¯t know the meaning of hate and you do love me, that¡¯s the point, Tessa.¡± He said to me as you¡¯d say to a child. This time, my nostrils red. ¡°Yes, I do know the meaning of hate. I want youpletely out of my life, I hate you!¡± I said stepping in, I mmed the door in his face. A few seconds passed and I heard him fuming. ¡°FUCK YOU, TESSA!! FUCK YOU!!¡± He sounds angry. He kept banging on the door as if trying to open it. Pinning the door shut on every side, I sighed in relief. For a second out there, I thought he was going to hit me. He kept banging and shaking the door. I have to call security. I quickly took my phone from my bag and called security. ¡°DON¡¯T THINK THIS IS FUCKING OVER, TESSA! I¡¯D MAKE YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID, YOU FUCKING WHORE!¡± What was he talking about now? I don¡¯t think he cares for Anne, he is screaming explicit words when he very much knows she could hear him. I can¡¯t believe I was even considering letting him see her, well, this was it. He wouldn¡¯t see or talk to her ever again. I talked to the security, urging them toe to my ce. ¡°Mommy?¡± I felt someone touch me. I jumped back, scared for a second. I looked down to see Anne. Only then, I¡¯d realized I¡¯d been crying. I stooped down to hug her. I was crying on her shoulders. She patted my head with her tiny hand. A few minutester, the screaming stopped. I had forgotten he had mood swings. I had been married to him for 6months till I found out he had BPD. He never thought it would have been nice to tell me before we got married. When we were dating, I noticed his mood swings fast, but I¡¯d just thought he had a bad day or something. A few weeks before I caught him cheating, he had hit me several times and didn¡¯t even bother to apologize. I stayed with him for fear of losing my home. I released Anne as I stood up straight. I looked through the peeping hole. He wasn¡¯t there anymore, had the securitye? ~ I was cooking dinner, and Anne was in the living room, watching Dora. For some reason, I was having headaches. I jumped when my phone rang. I ced my hand on my chest as I took the phone from the shelf, I looked at the caller¡¯s ID. ¡°H-hello?¡± I said. Why was I stuttering now? He¡¯s going to think something happened. ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± Jake asked. I didn¡¯t reply immediately. I breathe in and out trying to calm my calm myself. ¡°Of course, how can I not be okay?¡± I hit myself in the head realizing what I just said. He¡¯s only going to suspect more this time, why didn¡¯t I just give him the usual answer ¡®yes, I am, you?¡¯ I¡¯m such an idiot. ¡°You don¡¯t sound okay, what happened?¡± He asked. I faked augh. ¡°Nothing, what makes you think something happened?¡± ¡°Tessa, I know you and you¡¯re lying.¡± He said. Darn it! He knows me so well. I sighed. ¡°Can we just forget about it? I was kinda down, but I¡¯m alright now.¡± ¡°Okay..¡± I know he wouldn¡¯t believe me and one way or another he is going to get me to say it. ¡°I called to ask how you were. Did the tantrum that happened earlier at your ce-¡± I cut him off. How did he know? What tantrum? He might be talking about something else. ¡°W-what tantrum?¡± Darn stutter. ¡°The dude at your ce earlier.¡± I should have known he knew about it the moment he asked how I was because he asked it weirdly like he knew something happened.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. ¡°W-what do you mean?¡± Why am I still denying it? I mean. ¡°I know what happened Tessa and try working on your lying skills.¡± He said. I furrowed an eyebrow as he could see it. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°How did you know about it?¡± ¡°I came to your ce and saw him screaming out your door, didn¡¯te in cause I figured out you might want some time to yourself. Who is he?¡± He asked. I¡¯ve never really told Jake about Carson. There is no need not to tell him, he¡¯s going to find out anyway or he already knows and wants to hear me say it. ¡°¡­ my ex-husband.¡± He didn¡¯t answer immediately. ¡°What did he want? Did he hurt you?¡± I sometimes wonder what I did to have someone as amazing as Jake in my life. ¡°No, I¡¯m alright. Thanks for inquiring.¡± I said with a surprisingly firm voice this time. ¡°And Anne?¡± ¡°She¡¯s perfectly fine, I¡¯d love for you to speak with her but I don¡¯t think she¡¯d listen, she¡¯s already on Dora,¡± I said. He chuckled. ¡°I¡¯d just speak with another time. I¡¯d call you tomorrow?¡± ¡°Of course! Bye.¡± ¡°Bye.¡± He said. Just like that, my evening turned out great. ~ It was the next evening (8 pm) and I was contemting if I should leave Anne at home or take her with me to the party. She seems hyped today. She was running everywhere in the room, I couldn¡¯t concentrate on what I was doing because of her screams. I think I¡¯d just take her with me. Jake said there¡¯s a room in the building where the party holds I could use after the party. ¡°Anne?¡± I called. ¡°Yes?¡± She replied. ¡°Come let¡¯s go take a bath,¡± I said. She whined. I managed to take her to the bathroom after much protest from her. We took our bath, when we were done, I dressed her in a nicefy gown and made her hair. I looked for something to wear, and after minutes of searching, I found a gown. I¡¯ve got to look nice¡­ I mean, it¡¯s an engagement party, so true, I¡¯ve to look nice. Remember whose engagement party you¡¯re going to? It¡¯s weird because both couples engaging hates me, If they hadn¡¯t invited all staff, I wouldn¡¯t have gone. I sighed, putting on my red gown. It¡¯s pretty long and beautiful. I¡¯ve worn it once since I bought it. I did a little bit of makeup. When I got done dressing I put on a pair of heels. I waited for Jake. He¡¯d be here any minute from now. After waiting for 5mins, my doorbell dinged, I stood up and walked to the door, I looked through the peephole to see Jake. I opened the door. He looked so good. I wonder if he¡¯s real. Realizing I was checking him out, I looked at his face to see if he noticed, and thankfully he didn¡¯t notice. But, I noticed he was checking me out. I blushed. He looks surprised for some reason. He smiled. ¡°You look beautiful.¡± ¡°Thanks, you¡¯re not bad yourself,¡± I said trying to sound normal. He chuckled. ¡°Thanks.¡± His voice was deeper than usual. ¡°Uh. I¡¯d go get Anne.¡± I said and quickly turn around. I took my bag and held Anne by the hand. We walked together to his car. We drove in a not-so-quiet drive, Anne was busy singing a Dora song, technically screaming. After a few minutes, we got to the ce. My eyeballs threatened to fall out because of the expensive cars parked outside the building. They are rich people, so expect rich guests! The decorations outside probably cost more than a million dors. Wow. I felt nauseous looking at this. If I have the money they used for decoration only, I¡¯d probably not have to work ever again. We walked to the building and got inside, it was like someone cast a spell because almost all eyes were on me and Anne. Could it get any worse? I looked down nervously. I felt Jake entangling his hand with mine. I looked up eventually, to meet the eyes of Mr Ki- no, Austin. I can call him Austin when we¡¯re not at work, so yeah. He looked at Jake, then at Anne before his eyesnded on me. I am surprised because he didn¡¯t take his eyes off me for what seemed like minutes, he looked back at Jake but I couldn¡¯t make out the emotions in his eyes. It felt like time stopped at that moment. . . . ¡­.. Chapter 22 In a swift motion, everyone got back to what they were doing, well not everyone. Everyone except Austin and his friend. Oh and his dad also, had a huge smile on his face, if he goes any further, I¡¯m scared his face might tear apart. How can such a nice man have such an arrogant son? Maybe he wasn¡¯t always nice, you¡¯d never know. ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± Jake asked, only then I knew I had been holding my breath. ¡°Yeah, yeah. I¡¯m good.¡± I said trying to catch a breath. He nodded. We walked towards where Austin and his crew were. I watched awkwardly as Jake shook and hugs his friends. Most of them shook hands with me. I remembered two of them, the ones from the party I had attended a while ago¨C Carson and Dave. They had a smirk on their faces, they sure do smirk a lot, I was trying to figure out why they were smirking but couldn¡¯te up with an idea. ¡°Well, Miss Carl, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you again¡­ With Jake, you two are splendid too -¡± someone cut him off. ¡°Babyyy!¡± I heard the annoying voice of Austin¡¯s girlfriend. I don¡¯t know why but I find her really annoying, how does Austin even put up with her? It¡¯s none of my business! She ces kisses practically all over his face. Eww. I wasn¡¯t even the one she was kissing and I found it disgusting. I threw an at Carson and Dave¡¯s faces to see they also have the disgusted look on their faces. I mean, who wouldn¡¯t find that disgusting? You¡¯re just jealous. My subconsciousness said I wanted tough at that. I have no reason to be jealous. Keep telling yourself that. ¡°Daddy, wants us to be at the table.¡± She said pointing at a table, I noticed Austin¡¯s father sat on one of the chairs and next to him was ady, probably his wife. They were smiling at each other like love birds and opposite them was another couple. They were all smiling and talking to each other. Austin just nodded his head. ¡°Oooh, Tessa! I thought you¡¯d nevere! But I¡¯m so d you did!¡± She said. I eyed her suspiciously. She was wearing a long silver thin strap gown, her chest was on full disy, and on her neck also, was a silver ne. She wore silver matching shoes and oh, silver earrings etc. As much as I hate to admit it, she looks really good and expensive. And the fact that those are real silver¡­ She probably spent millions of dors on it. I¡¯m not surprised. She got closer to me, giving me a hug. I have a feeling she¡¯s faking this. I could swear when she walked here, she scowled at me. Her obviously expensive perfume filled my nose. ¡°Thank you?¡± I said, well it was more of a question as I didn¡¯t know what to say. She released me and I couldn¡¯t be any happier. ¡°Oh, and who is this cutie? Your child? Who is the father? I mean, I won¡¯t be surprised if she¡¯s a bastard, poor girl, she has to grow wit-¡±C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. ¡°Loren..¡± Dave tried to say, but she cuts him off. ¡°What? The truth has to be said.¡± I really wanted to hit her, so bad. How dare she call my child a bastard? I gritted my teeth, bringing Anne closer to me. ¡°Like I was saying¡­ Poor girl, she has to grow up with a whor -¡± ¡°Loren stop,¡± Jake said. She rolled her eyes. ¡°Okay fine! Come, baby.¡± She said pulling Austin away. I watched them walk towards where his parents were. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve hated anydy as much as I hate her. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t let her get to me if I were you, Tessa.¡± I heard Dave say. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s always been like that, saying stuff to make people feel bad. Don¡¯t let her get to you.¡± Carson said. For the first time, I feltfortable around Dave and Carson, it almost seems as if they care. I looked at Jake who was giving me an ¡®it¡¯s okay¡¯ smile. I smiled back. The three friends went on discussing themselves. I stood there awkwardly, silently praying the engagement wouldmence soon so I could get out of here. It felt like someone was watching me. I subconsciously looked everywhere until my eyesnded on Austin. He quickly looked away. He¡¯s been staring? Or it was just my eyes malfunctioning? ¡°Tessa!¡± I heard a female voice squeal. Gwh. ¡°I kept looking everywhere for you but couldn¡¯t find you, I thought you hadn¡¯te!¡± She said putting her hands around me for a hug. I¡¯m not surprised she couldn¡¯t find me because the ce is really huge. ¡°And who is this cutie?¡± She said bending down to the level Anne. ¡°She¡¯s my daughter, Anne.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so cute!¡± She said ying with Anne. ¡°I¡¯m Gwh and you¡¯re Anne, right?¡± Anne nodded her head giggling. She stood up to face me. ¡°She¡¯s so cute, I bet she¡¯s going to grow up beautiful, just like her mom.¡± She said. I smiled at her. Everyone was suddenly quiet. We looked forward curiously to see the exchange of rings was about tomence. Everybody walked closer towards them, I followed behind Gwh with Anne in my arms. I watched as Loren basically unts herself. ¡°You know? That gown costs 3 million dors.¡± I heard somebody whispering while pointing at Loren. Gwh must have heard it too as she said to me, ¡°don¡¯t be surprised, after all, she¡¯s getting engaged to a multi-billionaire family and her parents her also multi-billionaires. Do you know theirpanyes third after the King¡¯s enterprise?¡± She asked. That¡¯s probably why she acts like a bitch, pardon mynguage, but I really hate her. Again, you¡¯re just jealous. Shut up. From what I know, The King enterprise is the leading in business, theirpanies are basically on the no. 1 spot. ¡°Her parent¡¯spany is worth over a 200billion dors.¡± Gwh continued whispering to me. She really is one luckydy. I noticed rich people are really arrogant. Well, not all rich people. Jake, for example, came from a really rich family, he¡¯s the second son of the third richest man. And has a lot to inherit. You must be wondering why he works under the King¡¯s enterprise, well he doesn¡¯t have a really good rtionship with his older brother. He wants nothing to do with him, so he stopped working in his father¡¯spany. However, his dad is currently working on sharing hispanies and properties equally between his two sons. You could say he¡¯s working at the King¡¯s enterprise out of modesty and also because Austin¡¯s dad wanted him to. ¡°¡­ and on no. 1 spot is the Kings enterprises, it¡¯s worth over 500billion dors. Austin¡¯s dad recently retired, giving thepany over to Austin, who is doing really good.¡± She said. What¡¯s up with rich people? I wish there weren¡¯t rich people in this world. The couple stood a few inches away from each other. While Loren was watching and adoring Austin, it almost looked like he didn¡¯t want to be there. A man walked towards them with something that looked like a small pillow. I noticed two rings on it. Those must cost a lot. Why am I even bothering about this? My eyes moved from the man to Austin. I could swear I saw his eyes on me. Loren must have noticed this as she looked away from Austin to re at me. She looked back at Austin with a soft smile, just then, soft music began ying in the background and then it was time to exchange rings. For some reason, I didn¡¯t like this part. Everyone¡¯s eyes were on them. I watched Austin take a ring from the pillow. Loren stretched out her hand, a huge smile on her face. It was like everything was in slow motion. He was about to put the ring on her hand, but it fell off his and rolled down, towards my direction. At a point, I thought it was going to roll past me, but it didn¡¯t, instead, it stopped in front of me. My breath hitched. Everyone¡¯s eyes were on me. I looked down at it nervously. What was I going to do? Pick it up? I noticed no one did anything so I stooped down to pick up the ring. I slowly walked towards where the couple was. I gulped giving the ring back to Austin. I noticed the death re Loren was shooting at me. What did I do for her to re at me right now? Jeez. I stepped back to where the crowd stood and watched them exchange the rings. Everyone cheered. ¡°Oh my god, are you okay? You look pale.¡± Gwh said walking towards me. I nodded my head. Jake, Dave and Carson walked toward us. Jake ced a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Are you really?¡± He asked. I nodded my head. I noticed Gwh blushing, she threw a quick nce at Dave before quickly looking away, her face was red as a tomato. Dave must have noticed as he smirked at her, giving her a quick look. ¡°I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s actually thinking of getting married to her, I heard they¡¯ve ced a wedding date already,¡± Carson said, his eyes on Austin and Loren. Loren was busy trying to kiss Austin on the lips, but he isn¡¯t having it. I¡¯m starting to think he doesn¡¯t actually like her. Of course, he does! Why would he want to marry ady he doesn¡¯t love? He loves her. I just hurt myself for thinking that. Jesus, why would such a thing hurt me? I hate Austin. Lies. ¡°He¡¯s probably going to get a divorce after the honeymoon,¡± Dave said shaking his head. ¡°I really don¡¯t know how he stands for her, I can¡¯t bear to be around her,¡± Jake said. At least I¡¯m not the only one who hates her. I noticed blooding out of Gwh¡¯s nose. I gasped. ¡°Oh my god! Gwh are you okay?¡± I asked she nodded her head trying to clean the blood from her nose. ¡°You might stain yourself if you keep doing that, here,¡± Dave said giving her his pocket-handkerchief. I think he was going to say something else but Austin suddenly walked toward us. My breath hitched. My heart suddenly beats faster. Calm down. Calm down. ¡°Congrats man,¡± Dave said giving him a bro hug like he hadn¡¯t said anything against his fiance a minute ago. They exchanged bro greetings and then got on with talking. I just stood there awkwardly. ¡°Hey, I¡¯d be back in 30mins.¡± I suddenly heard Jake¡¯s voice in my ear. When did he get next to me? I nodded my head and watched them walk away, leaving me, Gwh and Anne. ¡°Do you guys want something?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Anne squealed. She was suddenly hyped. She just wants food. ¡°Of course, I¡¯d be here with Anne,¡± Gwh said sitting down on a chair, she ced Anne on herp. I quickly left to go get something. A few metres away from where Gwh was, I copsed with someone. I almost fell but whoever the person was, he caught me. The scent of the person was very familiar. I looked up to see Austin. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry! I was¡­ I was..¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± He said. Did he just say ¡®it¡¯s okay and not insult me? I looked at him again, just to be sure he is Austin Kings, the arrogant boss. It was him. Maybe he¡¯s pulling a prank? Austin Kings doesn¡¯t pull pranks! ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I really am,¡± I said. I know he said it was okay, but you could never predict with Austin. He seems to be out of breath. ¡°Just watch where you¡¯re going, next time.¡± He said. To say I was taken aback was an understatement. ¡°Uh. Thank you?¡± I said. ¡°Question, d-¡± he was about to ask something, I think. ¡°Babyyy.¡± I heard the annoying voice of Loren. I cringed. How does she not find what she¡¯s doing embarrassing? ¡°I was looking everywhere for you, Mr Casey is already here.¡± She said. Austin must have been expecting whoever this Mr Casey is as he walked away. She dragged me into a not really closed room before I could protest. ¡°I¡¯m going to warn you, Tessa, stay away from my man. You¡¯d really not want to know what I¡¯d do to you next time I see you, looking at him like the way you just did, go find your own man, you wore, I thought you were with Jake..¡± She hissed. But didn¡¯t know what gave me the courage to cut her off. ¡°You love him and he loves you, right? It¡¯s funny after all those ims, you still don¡¯t trust him-¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± She hissed cutting him off. ¡°Don¡¯t try to act all brave your pussy, I know you have something for my man, I¡¯d a-¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one being a pussy here, obviously.¡± I wanted to hit her so badly, she¡¯s insulted me enough, but for who she was, I couldn¡¯t. ¡°I can ruin you with the snap of a finger, Tessa Carl. Don¡¯t push me.¡± She said pointing a warning finger at me. ¡°Push you? Why would I do that? I don¡¯t even know why I¡¯m wasting my time on you.¡± I said trying to walk past her to go out of wherever we were. Her face turned red in anger. She grabbed me by my hair pulling me back. I winced at how tight it was. I struggled to try to get out of her grip. ¡°Do you know who the fuck I am?¡± She sounds pathetic, even in the position she was in. ¡°I won¡¯t think twice about destroying you, not even Jake would be able to save you..¡± She said through gritted teeth. I couldn¡¯t see her face, but I bet it¡¯s a bit red. ¡°First, I would start with your stupid child of a bastard!¡± She sneered. I struggled harder and got her to release me. Giving her a sounding p, she squealed like she¡¯s never been hit in her life. I bet she¡¯s never been. ¡°How dare you?!¡± She said attacking me. Howe no one has seen what was going on? She dragged you into a room remember? Oh yeah¡­ How did I allow her to do that? She stepped on my gown. It made a ripped noise. She tore it! I pushed her away from me, trying to cover my exposed legs, I panicked. This is not good! Sheughed at me. ¡°Pathetic. I was thinking of actually letting you be, but after this, I¡¯m not going to, so watch out!¡± She hissed. I watched her as she arranged herself before whipping around and walking away. I tried to stop myself from crying, but I couldn¡¯t. How am I even going to get help? I can¡¯t walk out there looking like this¡­ In my underwear. I hope a miracle would just happen and Gwh woulde right now. Suddenly, I heard someone stumbling in here. The footsteps became louder. Just then, a figure was in front of me, I looked up to see a familiar man. He seems drunk, a bottle of wine in his armpit. He must have noticed me as his eyes widened. He was the man who almost ruined my life. The man my aunt wanted me to get married to before Jake saved me. What was he doing here? Does Austin know him? Or Loren. ¡°You.¡± He hissed. He snapped his fingers and suddenly, there were men in suits everywhere. I panicked. . . . ¡­. Chapter 23 My instincts told me to scream, it took almost a minute for my brain toply and before I could scream, a hand mped against my mouth holding me from screaming. I tried to get away from the person holding me down but it was of no use, my body was held still. Oh no. What have I gotten myself into?! Why does it have to be him? Tears suddenly streamed out my eyes thinking of things that could possibly happen to me. Last time I saw him, I was suppose to get married to him. It was never my will, they were going to force me! All because of the witch I call my aunt. I hope he¡¯s gotten married, I hope..C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. ¡°You didn¡¯t think you could get away from me that easily, did you?¡± He sneered right in my face, his breath stank of alcohol. ¡°Well, you can¡¯t! Nobody can¡¯t!¡± He slurred again giving me a death re. If looks could kill¡­ A whimper escaped me. Lots of question going through my head, I wanted to plead, maybe he¡¯d let me go if I did? Keep dreaming, Tessa. I gave him a pleading eye which says ¡®please let me go.¡¯ He only red harder. ¡®Someone, please save me..¡¯ I internally cried. ¡°No one is going to save you this time! No one!¡± He spat. It was like he¡¯d read my mind. He gave me a sick smile which quickly reformed into a smirk. ¡°It¡¯s like you¡¯ve grown, thest time I saw you, you were all skinny but I still felt attracted to you.. And now, you¡¯re all fresh! You¡¯ve grown hips¡­ You¡¯re more curvy.. Big boo-¡± I cut him off trying to say something. But couldn¡¯t, I felt disgusted being spoken to like that. He continued anyways. ¡°Big boobs. Short story, you¡¯re more attractive now, so it¡¯s a win-win for me!¡± I have no idea what he¡¯s talking about. I never thought my boobs were big, it¡¯s normal, I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s talking about, really. ¡°Quickly, take her outside, to the car, through the back door.¡± He ordered. I dug my legs to the ground so they won¡¯t be able to make me walk, but it didn¡¯t walk, as I was being thrown unto a man¡¯s shoulder. The hand on my mouth left, I screamed hoping someone would hear me, before I knew it we were outside. I thrashed. ¡°Stay still and be quiet!¡± The guy hissed. I cried. What if I never see my daughter again? Someone please save me. Third Person¡¯s POV It was time to cut the engagement cake and everybody surrounded the couple, a small fancy knife was handed to them. Austin looked at the knife then back to the crowd as if he was looking for someone. Well, he was. ¡°Baby.¡± Loren called, he looked back at Loren. She nodded to him so they could cut the cake. In a split second the cake was cut. The crowd pped. Loren was going to feed him some cake but he stopped her and excused himself. He felt something was wrong. He searched for Tessa in the crowd with his eyes, but she was nowhere to be seen. Where could she have gone? He asked himself. Something gave him a feeling that she wasn¡¯t alright. He spotted Tessa¡¯s daughter, and her friend Gwh sitting on a chair. Gwh has a worried look on her face looking at a direction. He walked towards them. ¡°Do you know where Tessa is?¡± He asked Gwh. She shook her head no then frantically said. ¡°She left more than 30 minutes ago. I¡¯m trying not to freak out so I won¡¯t scare Anne. She left to go get something to eat and the -¡± before she could finish, Austin left and went to the ce he saw Tessa earlier. To his clue, she wasn¡¯t there and the back door was slightly opened. He rushed outside. Looking both sides, he spotted some men in ck suit. Ady on one of the guys shoulders, thrashing. Tessa.. He quickly ran towards where they were. It¡¯s a good thing he knows how to run. ¡°Stop!¡± He yelled at the guys immediately he was only a few steps away from them. Tessa¡¯s POV I thrashed crying for them to let me go, but they didn¡¯t pay any attention to me, it was like I wasn¡¯t there. We were next to a pool when I heard a voice yell. ¡°Stop!¡± There was so much authority in the voice and it sounds really familiar. They stopped. I couldn¡¯t see what was going on until I was let down. ¡°What are you doing engagement boy? Shouldn¡¯t you be next to your fiancee?¡± The guy behind all this sneered. I¡¯ve forgotten his name.. Did I ever know his name? Austin¡¯s nostrils red and in a split second in threw a blow at the man¡¯s face. He hissed stumbling back. There were suddenly blood in his mouth. ¡°Hold her!¡± He still manage to say. And I was held again. If he releases me, I might fall into the pool, which was really huge and dark. Please don¡¯t let me fall¡­ Please don¡¯t let me fall! ¡°Let go of her.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± The bad man spat bringing out a gun, the other men followed suit. Jesus. It seems like the one holding me wanted to bring out a gun too, which resulted him leaving me. I fell right into the pool. I gasped for air. I was drowning. ¡°You move and I¡¯d shoot this gun through you.¡± I heard a voice, the voice behind all this. But I couldn¡¯t make out what was happening. I was dying. *** Third Person¡¯s POV *** ¡°You think you can?¡± ¡°Yes! I can! And I would cause you¡¯re a threat here.¡± The bad man threatened. They¡¯ve been like that since the past three minutes. Austin was angry at the men he hired to be bodyguards. It¡¯s been three minutes since he sent a signal to them, with the wristwatch. He¡¯ll fire all of them. 2minster, they arrived and guns were point out towards the bad men. ¡°Put your guns down or..¡± It was hopeless for the bad men. They¡¯d be easily defeated. They had a less powerful gun with each of them. They dropped their guns. Austin red at the men, he wanted to scream at them foringte. But it obviously wasn¡¯t the time. He looked into the pool. Oh shit. He thought. He took off his suit and dashed into the river. It was a miracle he located her quickly as the pool was really huge. He took her out the pool, she was unconscious. Is she dead? His subconsciousness whimpered. She can¡¯t be. Suddenly everyone in the party was outside, a few metres away from him and her. He resuscitated her. After a few minutes she let out a cough. He sighed in relief. The crowd watched with relief. Well, not everyone, Loren was ring down at her with pure hatred in her eyes. Jake walked towards them, bending down, he took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders, she was visibly shaking. Austin stood up. A part of him wanted Jake away from Tessa but he stopped himself from saying anything. He walked off with a visible scowl on his face. Loren followed behind him. Tessa¡¯s POV ¡°Can you walk?¡± Jake asked. It took me a minute before i could reply, my mind was pretty upied. He saved me.. He wouldn¡¯t if he really hates me right? I watched him walk away till he waspletely out of sight. What is this feeling I feel inside? It¡¯s been long I felt like this, I wonder if he feels like this too. Yes, he does, but with Loren. Ouch. ¡°Yes.¡± I replied to Jake. He helped me up. It was a slow walk, we got into the building, it was much warmer in here. He took me to a door, in a long passage. Opening it, I noticed it¡¯s a room, a huge one in fact. A king¡¯s side bed in the middle of the room. ¡°You should get some sleep.¡± He said. Something in his tune was off. ¡°Jake..¡± ¡°Just go to sleep, you look exhausted, we¡¯d talk tomorrow,¡± he said. I nodded my head, I didn¡¯t want to say anything further as he doesn¡¯t seem like he wants to talk. ¡°I¡¯d go get Anne.¡± He said. He got out. I walked over to a chair and sat down. What happened? A few minutester, I heard footsteps in front of the door and then the door opened revealing Gwh with Anne in her arms.. There was no Jake. She entered the room and dropped Anne who came running towards where I sat. She jumped on me. ¡°No Anne, mommy really needs to rest.¡± Gwh said quickly. She was right. It felt like I was going to die if I don¡¯t lie down immediately. I gave Anne a hug anyways, she wrapped her little arms around my neck squeezing me, please don¡¯t go any further. ¡°I was so scared something might have happened, I¡¯m so sorry I cou -¡± I cut her off. ¡°It¡¯s okay Gwh.¡± ¡°You really should rx, get to bed. I¡¯d put Anne to bed then leave.¡± She said with a smile. ~ I couldn¡¯t get up. My body was so exhausted, it refused toply to themandments my brain was giving. I managed to get up after an hourter. I realised I was in a unfamiliar room. How did I get here? Just then, memory fromst night started flowing through my brain. Oh. Again, loads of question began flowing through my brain. What if Austin hadn¡¯t save me? I looked around. On the other side of the bed was a sleeping Anne. I looked at the table next to the bed. There was a paper. ¡®I¡¯m really sorry forst night. I don¡¯t know what got into me, I guess I was (I still am) mad myself for not being able to protect you. There¡¯s a gown hanged in the wardrobe you could wear. I¡¯d see youter :)¡¯- Jake. I smiled at the letter. I bet he didn¡¯t know what to say, he¡¯s never been the type to exin his feelings in a letter. I got up from the bed. I could use the bathroom, right? I really want to use it, this room is so luxurious, I can picture how the bathroom would be. This might be thest time I get to use a room as luxury as this. I walked around the bed to where Anney. The bed was pretty huge. I shook her. Waking up Anne is usually difficult. ~ I walked out of the room with my packed bag and Anne. We were halfway down the Hall when someone grabbed my arm. I don¡¯t know why, but I quickly snatched my hand back. Woah. That wasn¡¯t me, it was all my brain. Loren stepped in front of me. I stepped back. ¡°I know you-¡± she cuts herself off when an elderly woman walked towards us. ¡°Mother.¡± Loren greeted politely. To say I was taken aback was an understatement. Seriously, I never thought Loren and polite go quite well together. It could be an act. Well if it is, she definitely deserve an Oscar for just this act. ¡°What¡¯s going- oh! You¡¯re thedy who fell into the pool, right? Oh you poor beautiful soul!¡± The elderlydy said and did I say she has some features like Austin? ¡°I¡¯m so d my son was able to save youst night! When I heard someone fell into the pool, I didn¡¯t.. was so scared! Thank goodness you¡¯re alive and you have a child!¡± She kept on ranting. ¡°How are you, sweetheart?¡± She asked Anne. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Oh, what a cutie! I bet she¡¯s going to grow up and turn into a beauty queen just like her mother! Have you eaten? I had the cook prepare something,e.¡± She said gesturing for me to follow her. I was quite ufortable with the re Loren kept giving me. How does she not get dizzy from all that? I ignored her and followed behind the woman who is Austin¡¯s mom. . . . ¡­. Chapter 24 The walk to wherever I was walking to took 3 minutes. I¡¯m really not surprised, like I said, this building is huge. We got to a room with a huge dining table. There were ss cups, cutleries etc, arranged on the table. ¡°Please sit and make yourself feel at home.¡± Austin¡¯s mother said with a warm smile. I just nodded my head and sat Anne on a chair, before opening another chair next to her and sat down. Austin¡¯s mother sat opposite Anne and Loren sat from opposite me. My wish of not having her around seems to note to pass. Just a few secondster, A male chef and 3 other female chef walked in with two huge trays of food with them. My eyes widened, how can four people possibly eat that? On one of the tray was huge meat. I gulped down watching the chef cut down the meat. It looked so good. What am I doing? I quickly looked away from the food. Soon enough it was served. It¡¯s a good thing Anne knows how to serve herself. She dug in immediately. Okay, it¡¯s a good and a bad thing. I watched Austin¡¯s mom and Loren ate. They eat really slow and they were using cutleries. I always eat normally with a spoon, never had to use a fork and a knife. I didn¡¯t know how to. I looked at Anne, she¡¯d drop her fork and knife and started using her hand. Oh god. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, she- we¡¯re not just.. used to this.¡± I apologised. ¡°I¡¯m not surprised, you came from a really bad trained home and-¡± Loren try to say, but stopped when Austin¡¯s mom gave her a sharp look. She shut up immediately, murmuring a ¡®sorry¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s okay. Like I said, make yourself feel at home.¡± She said smiling, she looked at Anne with a grin on her face, Anne grinned back then went back to her food. I managed to eat with the cutleries. ¡°So..¡± Austin¡¯s mother began. ¡°I know it¡¯s the wrong time, but I¡¯m Ca, and you must be Tessa, correct?¡± She asked. I nodded my head as there was food in my mouth. Her name is just as beautiful as her. She is a very good looking woman. How¡¯d she know my name though? ¡°Are you with the father of your child?¡± She suddenly asked. I choked on my food. Loren red at me. ¡°No.¡± I replied. ¡°Unfortunately, she cheated on her husband and he did same to get revenge. She might look innocent, mother, but she really isn¡¯t.¡± Loren said. I shifted ufortably. She¡¯d use every chance to give me a bad name. How¡¯d she even know I was cheated on? Of course the part where I cheated isn¡¯t true. For some reasons, I really didn¡¯t want Ca to see me as a bad person. I shook my head. ¡°No, no. I never cheated but he did.¡± The smile returned back to Ca¡¯s face. Hope she believes the truth. She seems to believe though. ¡°It¡¯s his lost, Tessa. You¡¯re a really beautifuldy, I don¡¯t know how someone could possibly cheat on you,¡± She said. ¡°So.. You¡¯re not in a rtionship?¡± She asked. ¡°No.¡± I replied. ¡°What? You¡¯re too beautiful to be single.¡± I heard a male voice. A chair beside me opened and a young man flopped on it. For a minute, I thought he was Austin, but he isn¡¯t.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. He looks a lot like Austin, they¡¯re probably brothers. It¡¯s confirmed, good looks runs in their family. I blushed. I¡¯ve had enoughpliments today. Oh please! Say no more. ¡°Tessa, this is my second son, A-¡± he cuts his mother off bypleting her sentence. ¡°Alec.¡± He said with a flirty smile. ¡°Alec, please stop. You¡¯re making her ufortable.¡± Ca said. True. I was ufortable and shy at this moment. ¡°Am I?¡± He asked me with a smirk on his face. I couldn¡¯t answer him. I heard footsteps. I looked from behind to see Austin and his dad walking towards us. Jesus, could it get any much worst? Loren immediately jumped out of her sit and practically ran to Austin. I watched her call him ¡®baby¡¯ etc, cing kisses on his face. I cringed. She really has no shame. And it¡¯s funny cause he paid no attention to her, instead his eyes was at me, well not anymore, as his eyes was now on Alec¡¯s hand which was now over my shoulder. For a second, I thought he scowled at it, but again, it could be just my imagination. Alec was being really flirty. I guess he¡¯s that type of person. ¡°Alec, I mean it. Stop it, she¡¯s obviously ufortable.¡± Ca scolds Alec. He rolled his eyes at his mom and took his arm off my shoulder. I sighed in relief. Austin and his dad joined the table. It became more awkward. ¡°I see you¡¯re okay, now.¡± Austin¡¯s dad said. I nodded my head. I looked down the whole time, unable to look up to meet the eyes of the people in front of me anymore. ¡°You know, we¡¯re not down there, but up.¡± I heard a voice whisper in my ear making me shiver. I turned my head to where the voice came from to meet Alec in my face. He wasn¡¯t going to stop, was he? ¡°Alec.. are you okay?¡± Austin asked. The way he sounded proved he didn¡¯t ask that to know if he was fine or not but it sounded like he was insulting him. Alec scowled. Oh, they¡¯re that type of brothers who don¡¯t really get along. ¡°Why? She¡¯s single and don¡¯t poke your nose in here, you¡¯re engaged, remember?¡± Alec emphasised. Loren obviously didn¡¯t like what was going on. She nudged Austin¡¯s arm, calling him ¡®baby¡¯ again. I hate it when she calls him that. Oh God, what am I thinking? He¡¯s engaged to her, remember? Austin rolled his eyes, he dropped his fork back on his te which made a loud click. he stood up and walked away. ¡°Austin, where are you going? You haven¡¯t touched your food.¡± Ca said, he ignored her and continued walking. ¡°I¡¯d go talk to him.¡± Loren said and followed behind him. ¡°Don¡¯t get bothered, he¡¯s sometimes like that.¡± Ca said shaking her head. After a few minute we were done eating. Ca and her husband unfortunately had to go somewhere. And Alec got a call. I couldn¡¯t find Jake. I noticed the sky was starting to get dark and no, it wasn¡¯t gettingte, I think there¡¯s going to be a storm. Oh God, how am I going to get home? It became darker in minutes. I don¡¯t think Ca would be able to leave the house now, because of the storm. I sighed sitting down on a chair with Anne on myp. It was getting cold. A minuteter Ca came towards me. ¡°Tessa! I know you want to go home, but unfortunately, the weather won¡¯t allow that. It¡¯s so bad that everywhere has been shut down. It¡¯s cold out here, you can use the room you used earlier, here are the keys.¡± She handed me the keys. I smiled at her gratefully. A part of me is more than happy to use that room again. She walked away. Where was the direction to the room again? I looked around until I saw a long passage. That must be it. I got to the passage and looked for the door. I took me almost two minutes to find it. I opened the door and walked in with Anne and my bag. Anne ran to the bed and began jumping on it. We spent hours together in that room. Anne fell asleep. I tried calling Jake over and over again but his line wasn¡¯t going through. There was nowork. I didn¡¯t know when I fell asleep. ~ I woke up when I heard a knock on my door. Another knock followed quickly after. I could hear the rain pouring heavily from outside the windows and it was already dark. I frowned. I looked at the time 6pm. I got up from the bed and grudgingly walked to the door. I looked through the peephole to see ady in uniform. Opening the door, I saw a tray of food on her hand. She bowed down slightly and stretched out the tray for me to take it from her. I did so and bowed down slightly, thanking her. I locked the door and ced the tray of food on a small table in the room. I heard another knock on the door. I walked to it and looked at the peephole. It was the same girl of earlier. I opened the door. She had some set of clothes on her hand. She stretched it out to me. I thanked her and closed the door. The clothes was really beautiful. One was a tiny gown which seems to be Anne¡¯s size and the other seems to be my size. I ced the clothes on the bed and woke up Anne. I took her to the bathroom and we had our bath. Coming out, we dressed up. I looked at my phone to see 9 missed calls from Jake. I quickly dialled him back, it went through this time. He answered on the third ring. ¡°Hey, sorry. I had to go to a hotel for a meeting and it got shut down cause of the storm.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yes, you?¡± We talked for a while. He can¡¯t leave the hotel tonight, cause it was still stormy. I and Anne ate. Minutester we were done and of course, Anne went back to sleep. I couldn¡¯t sleep anymore. I justid down on the bed. It¡¯s a good thing the room was warm, my house isn¡¯t warm like this. Whenever rain falls, it gets really cold in my house. After practically hours of staying in the roompletely bored, I stood up from the bed and wore my robe. I had to get out of here, it¡¯s so boring. I kissed Anne on the head and walked out, locked the door and I took the keys with me. I walked along therge and long quiet passage. I was practically taking note. There were statues, arts which might be expensive. Yup, every single thing in this house was expensive. Even the floor. The cost of the tiles on the floor could pay my rent for 5 years, maybe even more. Stop thinking about this things. I can¡¯t help myself. I was halfway the hallway when I heard someone clicking a bottle. I turned to the right where I thought I heard the noise came from. It was almostpletely dark. There was no door this way, the ce was a bit wide. ¡°Who is there?¡± I asked. I heard a groan in response. I squinted my eyes trying to get a look at whoever was there. I saw a man figure. Oh God. What if there is a burr in the house. I was about to scream ¡®thief¡¯ but a hand suddenly mmed my mouth keeping me from screaming. The person was right at my back, my back was pressed against his chest. ¡°Shhh¡± I heard the person say. The person was obviously drinking as his breath stank of alcohol. The scent of the person was really familiar. The scent alone kept me calm. The person is Austin. He released me when he was sure I¡¯m not going to scream. I turned to face him. I noticed the scowl that quickly formed on his face. He sneered at me. ¡°What are you doing here?!¡± He snapped angrily. ¡°Um. I was passing by and I noticed someone and uh. Decided to find out if he was a thief or not. I¡¯d just go now.¡± I said. His face softened a bit. A. Bit. I turned around to go but he stopped me. ¡°Wait. Please, don¡¯t go.¡± I heard him say. Did he just say ¡®please don¡¯t go?¡¯ It took almost a minute for my brain to process what he just said. I slowly turned around to face him. I raised an eyebrow in question. ¡°Please, stay.¡± He¡¯s drunk. Remember that. . . . ¡­.. Chapter 25 It took almost a minute before I turned back to look at him. For a second, I thought it was only my imagination. Sober Austin hates me so why¡¯d drunk Austin ask me to stay? Just let him know he¡¯s drunk. ¡°Look, Austin. You¡¯re drunk, go to bed, if you keep drinking like this you¡¯d have a huge hangout by morning.¡± I said. He ignored me and took another bottle of alcohol from a table and opened it. He took a gulp before looking back at me. He raised an eyebrow. ¡°Since when do you care?¡± He asked. I looked at him confusedly. ¡°All you¡¯ve ever done is hurt me.¡± Hepleted. Hurt him? When have I ever hurt him? He¡¯s always been the one hurting me, bullying and calling me names. I wanted to snap at him, but it¡¯d be useless. He¡¯s probably not going to remember by morning. I want him to remember. ¡°Hurt you? When have I ever hurt you, that should be said the other way round.¡± He chuckled. ¡°No, it was said the right way, Tessa. You¡¯re hurting me. A girl has never hurt me the way you do.¡± He said with a sudden re thrown at me. I felt attacked. I didn¡¯t like the way he said the girl. What should I say? I¡¯ve never been this lost in my entire life. ¡°I..¡± I could say anything. To say I was dumbfounded was an understatement. ¡°H-how did I hurt you?¡± The question came to my brain and my mouth spat it out immediately. He took another gulp, rolling his eyes. He stood up from whatever he sat down on and stumbled to where I stood. I was going to take a step back but he held my two arms and technically yank me back. I red. How dare he hold me this way? ¡°Hey, my eyes are up here.¡± He said. I wasn¡¯t looking at his eyes, my eyes were down. I didn¡¯t want to look at those eyes. I hate to admit it, but his eyes have be one of my weaknesses. ¡°Let go of me.¡± I hissed. Why? I feel he¡¯s only going to let go of me if he sees that I¡¯m angry. My hope was shattered when he held me tighter and closer. ¡°You asked a question,¡± he said. ¡°Look at me.¡± He said. ¡°No.¡± He held my jaw and made me look up at him. If he wasn¡¯t holding me up, I¡¯d have fallen in the sight of those eyes. ¡°Now.. was that so bad?¡± He asked. My breath hitched. ¡°I see you¡¯re now unto my brother,¡± He suddenly said. Oh, what was he talking about now? Another opportunity to call me a slut? ¡°And then you ask how you hurt me?¡± He said. I could never understand this man. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°What I meant was, it hurts seeing you all flirty with other men.¡± He said rolling his eyes, like the dumbest person would¡¯ve gotten it. I blinked. Did he just say it hurts seeing me with other guys? Why would that hurt him? I¡¯m not his girlfriend! Or fiancee! He should be telling this to his fiancee. You can¡¯t tell me she¡¯s never talked to another guy. ¡°You¡¯re drunk, Austin, you don¡¯t know what you¡¯re saying.¡± ¡°You know, you gotta believe a drunk man¡¯s word.¡± He slurred. It¡¯s a good thing that he wouldn¡¯t be able to remember this by morning. A very good thing. I wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the embarrassment if he did. ¡°Okay, I get it now, so let go of me.¡± I said. ¡°No. I like us this way.¡± He whispered. Jesus. This man is engaged. Engaged to a meandy, I don¡¯t want her on my back. I felt his eyes on my lips. I was staring at his too¡­ It looks plump and inviting. Tessa, look away. Don¡¯t! Do not spoil the wonderful moment! [Author¡¯s Note: *insert slow romantic song*] His face got closer to mine. Mine was also moving towards his, ignoring the pleas of my brain. I suddenly couldn¡¯t control my body. He let go of me immediately after our lips touched. I wrapped my arms around his neck, his hands go around my waist. The kiss deepened in seconds. It felt like I was in the skies, floating. It became rough, but it was only for a second as an annoying voice screamed. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?!¡± It was Loren. I quickly let go of him and stepped back. She looked between me and Austin for a few seconds before her eyes settled on me. Her eyes held hatred and disgust. ¡°You, you slut!¡± She sneered and walked up to me, she raised her hand at me, just when I thought she was going to hit me.. ¡°Loren!¡± Austin called holding her by the arm she was going to hit me with. She snatched her hand back after a minute. ¡°Austin! You¡¯re going to defend her now? How could you do this? How could you fall into her trap?! She¡¯s a slu -¡± ¡°Stop this, Loren and she¡¯s not a slut, I¡¯ve heard enough of you¡­¡± I didn¡¯t get what he was saying but did he just defend me? Like, he just said I¡¯m not a slut. ¡°Austin, can¡¯t you see? This was all her n all along! She¡¯s a gold digger! Austin, you have to listen to me¡­¡± She reached out to him but he stepped back. She gritted her teeth so hard that I could hear it. ¡°So, what does this mean? It¡¯s over? No, it¡¯s not Austin, I love you so much, I won¡¯t let a cheap slut like her ruin our rtionship!¡± She said to Austin, then came in front of my face. ¡°This would be yourst warning, Tessa. Stay a -¡± she cut herself off when we heard a few stepsing towards this way. A few secondster Austin¡¯s mom and dad stood there. Loren immediately burst out crying. Wow. I looked at Austin, who just rolled his eyes like he saw thating. ¡°Mother! What I¡¯ve been saying all along came to pass! She¡¯s a slut mother, I got here and caught her kissing him, and now, he¡¯s siding her!¡± She cried. ¡°Is this true, Austin?¡± His father asked. Oh god. I¡¯ve gotten myself into a huge mess. What was I thinking? How could I? We could always say no, right? ¡°Yes,¡± Austin replied firmly. His dad looked at him unbelievably and Loren cried harder. ¡°Son, you know you¡¯re engaged! Why¡¯d you done that? I thought you were better than that.¡± That obviously got Austin angry. I was low-key d they were not on me, right now. ¡°I never had a choice of who I was getting engaged to. if she¡¯s not okay with it, then cut off the engagement.¡± He said with a scowl. Well there you go, and I was wondering why he didn¡¯t show affection to her. ¡°No!¡± Loren quickly said. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s okay. I won¡¯t let a thing like that ruin our rtionship, but she needs to stay away from him, father, she¡¯s a slut, a maniptor¡­¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t seduce me, I was the one who kissed her,¡± Austin added. ¡°She responded!¡± Loren snapped. ¡°Is this true, Tessa,¡± Ca asked. I bet she¡¯s going to hate me after this, I can¡¯t keep on making enemies¡­ My head dropped low. I was embarrassed and nervous at the same time. She took my silence as a yes as she sighed before saying ¡°I thought you were better, Tessa. Why¡¯d you done a thing like that? Taking advantage of a drunk man.¡± She sounds angry. I¡¯ve gotten so used to her being nice that I doubt she¡¯s the one who just said that. I shook my head no. ¡°Mom-¡± ¡°Let me finish, Austin!¡± She snapped. ¡°You¡¯ve shown who you really are. I would have thrown you out of my house if it wasn¡¯t thiste. First thing tomorrow, I want you out of my house and do not go back to my son¡¯s office, you¡¯re fired, okay?¡± She said. She turned around and walked away, Loren trailed behind her, clinging unto her, crying, and Austin¡¯s dad trailed behind them. Tears threatened to fall out my eyes. I could tell my face was already red. This is all my fault! Just what was I thinking?! ¡°Tessa..¡± I heard Austin. Walk away. Don¡¯t cause more drama. And I did just that, I walked away. I went back to the room I was in. I shouldn¡¯t have left. What had happened could have been prevented. I cried out as the tears became uncontroble. I fall to the bed and cried into the pillow. Hours passed like minutes and before I knew it, it was daybreak. I quickly stood up from the bed and went around the bed to wake up Anne.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. After a little effort, I woke her up. Should we take a bath? It won¡¯t be okay, especially since the owner of the house seems to hate me now. But, I¡¯ve always thought Anne to brush her teeth, and take her bath early in the morning. Just do it quickly. And that¡¯s what I did. We changed into the clothes of yesterday which wasn¡¯t dirty. I called Jake toe to pick us up. I packed my stuff before we got out of the room. But there stood a visitor ¨C Loren. She smiled at me. ¡°Oh, there you are! Good morning! I was wondering when you¡¯d leave.¡± She said. I am going to follow my instinct to ignore her. I tried to walk away but she held my arm. ¡°Uh uh uh, not so fast, sweetie. You see, well¡­ I wanted to thank you¡­ Because of you, my marriage to Austin is closer. Closer than you can ever imagine, isn¡¯t that fantastic?¡± She said. I could tell she was trying to get a reaction from me. Well, jokes on her, she¡¯s not getting any. I smiled at her. ¡°Congrattions. I¡¯m d I contributed to your happiness.¡± I said. She frowned. That obviously wasn¡¯t what she was expecting. I¡¯m trying to convince myself I¡¯m happy for her, but no, I wasn¡¯t. Isn¡¯t it weird to be crushing on someone¡¯s else fiance? Well, it is, but this fiance doesn¡¯t like his fiancee. So yeah. ¡°Aren¡¯t you jealous? I know you are. Don¡¯t pretend.¡± She said arrogantly. She¡¯s so pathetic. I hate her. ¡°No, no. Not at all, I¡¯m happy for you, really.¡± I said with a smile. she didn¡¯t think she was the only one who could act right? ¡°Ugh! You whore! You think I¡¯d believe you?¡± She asked. I never thought she would. ¡°I know what you¡¯re up to, I¡¯d just quit it if I were you, you¡¯d not like the oue!¡± She said giving me the warning finger. I wasn¡¯t nning on anything. As pathetic as it sounds, I was nning on going to my house and crying my eyes out. Because of what happenedst night. I ignored her. My attempt to walk away failed again as she grabbed me from behind by the hair. I winced from the pain. She pushed me unexpectedly resulting in me falling. ¡°Leave my mommy alone!¡± I heard Anne cry. ¡°Your mommy is a slut you hear me? A whore you bastard!¡± She pushed Anne to the ground. Jesus Christ. I stood up from the floor and walked to Loren. I pushed her to the floor and she fell with a thud. How dare she push my child and then call her a bastard. I took Anne away from the floor. She was sobbing lowly. I rocked her. I heard Loren crying. Wait, Crying? I looked towards her to see Ca next to her. Oh, that¡¯s why. She¡¯s creating another scene. ¡°Oh my God! What happened to you?!¡± ¡°Mother¡­ T-Tessa was threatening to, to..¡± She cried harder. ¡°To what?¡± ¡°She threatened to destroy my womb mother. She said¡­ She said she¡¯d have someone poison me without me knowing of it¡­ I confronted her and she hit me and then she pushed me to the floor¡­ She wants to destroy your grandchildren, mother¡­¡± She cried. Oh, God. She¡¯s getting me in more trouble. ¡°I didn¡¯t say-¡± Ca cuts me off. ¡°Didn¡¯t I ask you to leave by morning?! Why are you still here?! I see you want trouble, right?¡± Ca asked. ¡°She¡¯s-¡± A p on my face cut me off. It took me 2minutes to realize I had been pped. ¡°How dare you give a threat like that?!¡± Ca sneered. ¡°I didn¡¯t, I swear to God!¡± I cried. She wasn¡¯t believing me. Not after what happenedst night. She looked at me with disgust. ¡°Now, I want you out of this house, before I have you thrown out.¡± She said. My phone dinged. I peeped at the screen. A message from Jake. ¡®Hey, I¡¯m outside At the corner, I could see a devilish smirk ying on Loren¡¯s face. ¡°Come.¡± I grabbed Anne¡¯s arm and walked out. With humiliation. . . . ¡­.. Chapter 26 They walk out of the building took a few minutes because of how huge the building is. I wonder if Jake knows what happened. I don¡¯t think he does, he didn¡¯t sound curious when we spoke earlier on the phone. I spotted Jake¡¯s car, parked along other cars. Reaching it, I opened the back door and ced Anne inside. Before going over to the passenger¡¯s sit. Keep a smiley face, he doesn¡¯t have to know what happened. He¡¯s going to find out either way. Two voices argued in my head. I¡¯m such a burden to Jake. I need to start fighting for myself and stop leaning on Jake. ¡°Thanks foring,¡± I said to Jake. After sitting down. He started the car. ¡°You¡¯re always wee.¡± He replied. Normally, I would have smiled, but the situation right now is so overwhelming. I just want to cry. ¡°You don¡¯t look okay,¡± Jake said. I looked down, fumbling with my fingers. Tears were threatening to fall down. ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not okay!¡± I snapped. I have no idea why but I felt like the only way not to cry right now is to sound angry. And then I poured out all that was in my mind. I told him what happened. I told him how I felt. It felt like a load was brought out of my mind now he¡¯s known what had happened. Even if there¡¯s a chance I could go back to work in that stupidpany, I wouldn¡¯t take it. I just can¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°Tessa..¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I snapped.¡± I said. ~ I sighed putting down my phone. I just returned from Anne¡¯s school where I had gone to pick her up. Of course, after talking to Jake yesterday, he had offered some help but I just couldn¡¯t take it anymore. I can¡¯t keep on being a burden to him. I¡¯ve had to act like a grown-up for once. Take care of my own things, but I wish it was simple as it sounds. Life is just not fair. I walked to the kitchen to prepare lunch for Anne, and just when I was in the middle of cooking, the doorbell rang. I wasn¡¯t expecting anybody. I went to the door and looked through the peephole. Loren? What was she doing here? How did she even know my ce? Do not open the door. I wasn¡¯t going to. She is here to cause trouble and I¡¯m definitely not in the mood for her drama. I ignored it and went back to the kitchen to continue what I was doing. The door rang again and again until it finally stopped. Hasn¡¯t she gotten what she wants? She wanted Austin, she¡¯s always had him. I think. She wanted me away from Austin. Now, I¡¯m gone and she still wants drama? Really? Seeing her face makes me want to puke. I finished what I was doing 20minster. I served Anne and then served myself. We were halfway eating when I heard a knock again. Ah jeez. I stood up and walked to the door, I looked through the peephole, and Loren stood there. Doesn¡¯t she give up? Opening the door, I asked. ¡°What do you want?¡± Only then, I realised she was crying. ¡°Tessa,¡± she cried. I gave her a confused look. She¡¯s crying? Why here? ¡°Tessa, I don¡¯t know what¡¯d gotten into me that made me act the way I did to you¡­ I was just scared. I guess I was scared of losing¡­ I was scared of losing Austin, I know that¡¯s a silly excuse, but I.. I..¡± She trailed on. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I asked. To say I was confused was an understatement. Why¡¯d she want to apologise, I thought she was just the normal bitchy girl. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, for what I did Tessa. I¡¯m so sorry, I hope you¡¯d find a ce in your heart to forgive me.¡± She broke down. She looks like a whole new person, probably because she¡¯s not on makeup and her face is beet red from crying. ¡°Please, forgive me, I can¡¯t live knowing that I had offended someone as I did to you, what I did was absolutely wrong and for the wrong reasons. I¡¯d make it up to you, I¡¯d do anything.¡± She said, her palms pping together. She looks really sincere and it seems like she really meant what she said. But, it could be an act. She¡¯s really good at acting. ¡°I can¡¯t forgive you, please leave me alone. You¡¯ve gotten what you wanted right? Just go and leave me alone.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s what you want¡­ For me to leave you alone, I would bu -¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± I said cutting her off, I stepped into my house and locked the door before she could continue. No need to feel guilty, Tessa. I scolded the part of me that was already feeling guilty for interrupting her like that. ~ Iy on my bed reading a novel. Yep, this is officially what I was doing every day since I¡¯ve got no job, though I have applied for some. I hope I get a call from them soon. I still haven¡¯t gotten over what happened yesterday, it¡¯s difficult to get the fact that Loren was actually herest evening, to ask for forgiveness. Why¡¯d she wanted me to forgive her? It just doesn¡¯t seem right, maybe she¡¯s up to something¡­ My thoughts were interrupted when my phone rang. Stretching out to it, I picked it up and answered the call. ¡°Hello, please is this Tessa Carl?¡± A male voice asked. ¡°Yes, why?¡± I didn¡¯t feel good about this call, I¡¯ve never gotten a call from an unknown person asking a question like this. Maybe it¡¯s from one of thepanies I applied for a job?Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. ¡°Yes, please, may I know who is this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a call from the hospital, your daughter, Anne Carl was rushed in here a couple of minutes ago, please your attention is needed.¡± I panicked. Jesus Christ. What happened? Why¡¯d she be rushed to a hospital? He told me the hospital¡¯s name and address. I quickly got up and threw on some clothes. Oh, my baby. I wore my slippers and rushed to the hospital. My child. Oh, God. My heart was racing. I reached the receptionist. And asked for Anne. Unfortunately, she doesn¡¯t know who I was talking about. ¡°Please, check the list again, her name is Anne¡­ Anne Carl..¡± I said I don¡¯t know if she understand what I was saying. I was shaking so much. ¡°Oh here, room 54a.¡± She said. I ran, I ran in search of the room. Please, she¡¯d be okay! Oh God, please! Let her be okay. I mentally cried. I got to room 54a. I turned the doorknob and stepped in. There, I saw a doctor, but that¡¯s all my mind could take as I looked straight at who was on the bed. Anne. My baby¡­ I cried out. This can¡¯t¡­ This can¡¯t be! How¡¯d this happen?! She was in school. ¡°W-what happened?¡± I cried. ¡°She got in an ident.¡± The doctor said. ¡°How?¡± I asked. Not sure if he heard, my voice was low and rasped. ¡°We were going to take the kids on a short trip but then the vehicle wasn¡¯t enough so she had to go with Mrs Dave, her car brakes, unfortunately.. She wasn¡¯t able to control it, she¡¯s also in an emergency.¡± The teacher who I didn¡¯t recognise till now said. ¡°But, Miss Xander here was luckily close when the scene happened, she was able to save both the child and the teacher, it¡¯s a miracle.¡± The doctor said. I looked at who he was talking about to see Loren. ¡°H-how? How was she in the scene?¡± ¡°I was on my way to my work ce when I saw a car getting into an ident, I quickly called the police. Then I saw Anne in there..¡± ¡°This is not the time for stories, the little girl needs blood.¡± The doctor said. ¡°You could take my blood, we¡¯re a match,¡± I said quickly. ~ I sat on a seat outside the room Anne was in. I couldn¡¯t think straight with everything going through my head. ording to the doctor, there wasn¡¯t much damage except that she had a cut which she¡¯d lost an amount of blood from. He said she might wake up any moment from now. But I couldn¡¯t stop myself from crying, knowing what Anne went through was killing me. It kills me that I¡¯m not able to protect her. Someone sat next to me. ¡°Are you okay?¡± I heard the voice of Loren. I owe her a huge thank you. If she hadn¡¯t. I don¡¯t know what would have happened¡­ Maybe she really is sorry for what she did to me? ¡°Yes,¡± I replied. ¡°Thank you, Loren¡­ I don¡¯t¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, you really don¡¯t have to thank me for anything, I¡¯d do anything to let you know how sorry I am for what I did to you..¡± She said with a smile. I nodded my head slowly. . . . ¡­¡­. Chapter 27 ~ I spent three days in and out of the hospital. I went home thrice to prepare food for Anne. She woke up the second day and the doctor said I could take her home on the third day. No, we¡¯re at home. My joy knew no bounds. ¡°Are you crying?¡± Anne asked. ¡°What? No, no, I¡¯m not. My eyes are just watery.¡± I lied. She nodded her head and continued eating her food. Seeing her back home makes me so happy. I don¡¯t know what I would have done if I had loosed her. She finished eating. I took her to her room, we slept together. ~ It was in the afternoon, and we¨C Anne and I were watching a movie. I was d, we¡¯ve been living in peace, not a perfect life but in peace. I heard a click from the backyard. It was sharp and loud. Who could be there? It was definitely not my neighbour. Recently, I¡¯ve not beenfortable in this house, like someone was watching me. I was expecting someer, Loren. She¡¯d asked how was Anne and she¡¯d being over to see how she is. After the help I¡¯ve been getting from Loren, I can say she¡¯s actually a very nice person. She¡¯s being genuine. I stood up and went over to the door leading to the backyard, I heard two voice whispering, but it wasn¡¯t low enough. ¡°You think all these are gonna work? I¡¯ve never seen you go this far just to achieve you know what.¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to work, she believed I¡¯m trying to help her. You just do your part.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re doing all this just so you¡¯d learn how she managed to charm your fiance?¡± It seems like the friend was trying to get what she meant. ¡°Yes, that witch. She bewitched him, that exins why he¡¯s so in love with her. I just have to get rid of pretty little face and this is the perfect chance.¡± ¡°Loren, I¡¯m your friend and I want the best for you, but..¡± ¡°No buts, are you doing this or not? Don¡¯t worry about the cops, I¡¯ve got it. Just do it and then I¡¯d pretend to save her, that¡¯d make her trust me more even if her face is burnt,¡± sheughed a little before continuing. ¡°I could use her niceness against her, just do it. She¡¯s expecting me right now.¡± ¡°Okay, I would. But be sure to get out of the house in 40mins.¡± ¡°Sure. Tessa Carl¡­ You wouldn¡¯t know what hit you.¡± I heard her sinister voice. I quickly looked through the peephole to confirm if it really is Loren. I told you, you couldn¡¯t trust her. My subconsciousness sang. What was I even thinking? Trusting a person like Loren? I¡¯m such a fool. What¡¯d happen in 40minutes? What was their n? She¡¯d been friends with my neighbour and I knew nothing about it. I really- my thoughts were interrupted when the doorbell dinged. My heart rate became faster. Should I open the door? I have to leave the house. I went over to the front door and opened the door to meet her smiley face of Loren. ¡°Hey.¡± She greeted. ¡°Hey..¡± I returned. ¡°Are you okay? You don¡¯t sound okay..¡± She said. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m okay, thanks..¡± I don¡¯t know why I was ying along with her, but I might be able to find out what she¡¯s up to if I do. They¡¯re not going to carry out their n while she¡¯s in the house, would they? ¡°So, how is Anne?¡± ¡°She¡¯s fine, she¡¯s in the living room.¡± She walked to the living room and sat down next to Anne, I watched as she yed with Anne, wasn¡¯t she such a good actress? Should I confront her? I was scared. What if this whole n isn¡¯t only between her and my neighbour? What if¡­ Oh no, I have to get out of here. I looked out the windows for any suspicious activity. I¡¯m so confused. Is it normal for someone to feel unsafe in their own home? Of course, it¡¯s not. ¡°Why are you doing this?!¡± I suddenly asked. Loren looked up at me questioningly. ¡°Why am I doing wh-¡± her phone rang cutting her off. ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯ve to take this.¡± She said and walked out of the house with her bag. Something isn¡¯t right. I walked to the door and turned the doorknob but the door wasn¡¯t opening. Jesus Christ! Who locked the door? Whoever did it is really fast. I shook the door. ¡°Loren! I know you¡¯re behind this! Open the door!¡± I screamed. Call the cops. I went over to the couch where I had dropped my phone, but couldn¡¯t find it there. I panicked and searched harder. ¡°Anne, did you see my phone?¡± I asked. She shook her head no. Oh my God. I rushed to the back door. How did they lock both doors? I¡¯ll have to break the handle. I looked for something to help me break it. I was hitting the handle with it when the fire suddenly breezed through the door. I screamed jumping back. Oh my God. In less than a minute the fire was already getting bigger. I ran back to the living room. What was I going to do? I have to get Anne out of here. There must be a way. If I¡¯m going to die this way, I can¡¯t let Anne go with me too¡­ I looked down at her, she was sitting on the couch. She looks so innocent and vulnerable. I took Anne and ran to the window. To my dismay, it was locked. I could have sworn it was opened. I screamed when a wave of heat hit me, using my body to shield Anne, I ran back to the front door. ¡°Help! Somebody, help, please! Please, anybody!¡± I cried. The fire was getting bigger. Tears streamed out my eyes. ¡°Help!¡± I coughed out. Anne was already coughing out because of the smoke. The fire got closer. I¡¯m the cause of all these. So stupid, trusting people. I put myself and my daughter in trouble. If I die now¡­ Hopefully, I¡¯d be wiser in my next life. But Anne. Don¡¯t give up on her. ¡°Help! H-help please!¡± I coughed, fell to the ground, and can¡¯t breathe. The heat was killing me. Oh my God. Anne, I¡¯m sorry. ¡°Tessa!¡± I heard a voice call. A feminine voice. ¡°Step away from the door!¡± I was out of oxygen. ¡°Mommy!¡± Anne cried. She held my face. ¡°Mommy!¡± She cried harder. ¡°Mommy¡­¡± I heard her shaky voice. The door was suddenly mmed open. Please, Take Anne away from here¡­ ¡°Mommy!¡± I heard her scream again. ¡°Oh my God! We need to get you out of here!¡± I heard the feminine voice again. Only this time, it was closer.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. I cked out. ~ I shot out of the bed. ¡°Anne!¡± I screamed. My heart was racing so fast. My head was hurting, it hurts more as the memory of the fire incident came rushing back into my mind. ¡°Tessa..¡± A voice called from behind me. Gwh. ¡°Oh thank God, you¡¯re okay. I was so scared!¡± She eximed hugging me. ¡°W-what happened- Loren! She¡¯s the one behind all this, s-she tried to kill me, where¡¯s my child, please tell me she¡¯s okay.¡± I cried. ¡°Yes, she is. She¡¯s asleep.¡± She said. I sighed in relief. My mind shifted back to my house¡­ It was burnt, my properties¡­ My important documents are all in there. ¡°My house¡­ We have to call the cops, Loren¡­ She¡¯s behind all this.¡± ¡°You know there¡¯s nothing we could do¡­ Loren could turn all this somehow against you. This is your fault, Tessa,¡± She suddenly said. ¡°You¡¯re too nice, too vulnerable, anyone could use that against you, if I hadn¡¯t gotten to your ce on time, I can¡¯t imagine what would have happened! You put yourself and your daughter in such danger, what were you thinking?¡± She scolded. She¡¯s right. I know she wants to add stupid to her sentence. Stupid? Yes, I¡¯m very stupid. ¡°Jake was here less than an hour ago, an investigation is already going on and so far no clue on what happened, it¡¯s believed your electric circuit might have been faulty which caused the fire. As I said, no one is going to believe anything you¡¯d say about Loren, she¡¯s very rich and powerful, she could turn this against you, the only way you¡¯d get her back is to fight for revenge¡­ Yourself.¡± Knowing what she is saying is true literally wants to make me cry. Loren did such a horrible thing to me, I could have died, worst, my daughter would have also. Who knows what she¡¯s nning now? She wants to get rid of me, she¡¯d go any length to do that. If I was stronger if I wasn¡¯t this vulnerable she wouldn¡¯t be able to do what she¡¯s doing now. She¡¯s doing all this because I let her. I let myself fall easily into her trap. She¡¯s probablyughing right now at how stupid I am. I can¡¯t let her get away with this, I can¡¯t let her keep stepping on me. I have to be a strong independent woman. I have to get her back. To have revenge. I could go any length. But right now, I¡¯ve to mourn for my lost property. . . . ¡­¡­. Chapter 28 ¡°What am I going to do now?¡± I cried when Gwh told me all my things were burnt in the fire. ¡°Where am I going to go from here? What¡¯d I tell thendlord? he¡¯d probably make me pay for his properties.¡± I winced. It seems like life itself hates me, I¡¯ve been through hell since the day I was born. Never a day have I been in peace, well, I was for a period of time. I curled myself on the bed. My body ached, and my head ached. I¡¯ve been crying for the past hour, and no matter how I tried to keep myself from crying, I couldn¡¯t stop myself. The situation was overwhelming. ¡°Tessa, will you just stop crying? You¡¯ve been like that for the past one hour and about the house. A solution will surelye upter,e, you¡¯ve to take a bath.¡± She said grabbing my hand and trying to pull me out of the bed. She sessfully pulled me out of the bed to the bathroom, she instructed me what to do and told me there¡¯d be a cloth waiting on the bed for me. I managed to whisper a thank you. She walked out. I peeled out the clothes on me and stepped into the flowing water. I moaned at how warm it felt. Who would have thought this was what I needed to ease my mind? I stayed in there for only God knows how long before I used the soap. My body smelt of smoke, especially my hair. I washed it all away wishing I could also wash away the memory. It was haunting. I finished what I was doing, I took the towel and wrapped it around my body. I walked out of the bathroom and back to the room. Something seemed different. Oh, she changed the bedspread to a more colourful one and there was a pink gown on top of the bed. I walked closer to the bed, the gown was very beautiful. She wanted me to wear this? She did say she¡¯d put something for me to wear on the bed. I noticed a hairdryer on a chair. My hair was really wet so it could be of good use. I went to it and plugged it into the socket next to it. I turned it on and dried my hair with it. I went back to the bed and threw on the gown.. And underwear. I noticed next to the bed was a ss of water and a sachet of painkillers. Ah, just what I needed. I quickly drank it with a full gulp. I breathe in relief sitting on the bed. I have to see Anne. But I don¡¯t know the way into this house, by the size of the room, I¡¯m guessing the house is not huge nor is it tiny either. I walked to the door and opened it, there was a passage, it wasn¡¯t huge nor was it small. Which way should I go? Left or right? I think it¡¯s the left way, I could hear voicesing from there. I closed the door and walked in the left direction. After a few seconds of walking, I got to what seemed to be the sitting room, but there was nobody in it. I could have sworn I heard voices. I heard it again, I traced it until I could hear the voices clearly. ¡°Mommy, cook these a lot for me.¡± I heard a tiny familiar voice. Anne. ¡°She does? I bet it¡¯s really nice.¡± I heard another familiar voice. Gwh. ¡°Hmm hmm, it is. Who are you cooking for?¡± ¡°For everyone, me, you and your mommy.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Anne. Mommy is alright, I bet she wants to see you right now, I know you want to see her too but let¡¯s cook and surprise her, alright?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Anne squealed. She sounds so happy. It made my heart flutter. I could go back to the room and act like I didn¡¯t know what is going on, right? I didn¡¯t want to ruin their surprise.. I already did but they don¡¯t have to know¡­ I quickly turned back and tiptoed to the room. For a moment, my troubles were forgotten. I wish it¡¯d remain like that, but I¡¯d have to face the harsh reality. I sighed. I got to the room and sat down on the bed. Only then did I realise there was a mirror beside the bed. The gown I had on suits me perfectly. My long hair sprawled everywhere on my shoulders. It needs to be arranged. I don¡¯t want Anne to see me like this. I looked at the mirror again. It has a little wardrobe, I stepped closer to it and opened it. And I saw makeup and ab. I quickly grabbed tob andbed my hair. I sat on the bed and waited for them. Minutester, I heard footstepsing toward the room. Then the room door opened. Anne rushed in with Gwh trailing behind her. She jumped on me. ¡°Mommy.¡± I hugged her. Tears flowed out of my eyes without my permission. I¡¯m not just the type who can handle emotions. ~ After a full disy of emotion back there in the room, we walked to the dining table and yes, I was surprised, there were lots of food. Oh my. ¡°I thought you might be really hungry,¡± Gwh said. I was hungry, but I wasn¡¯t sure if I had enough appetite to eat this much. I¡¯d just eat, I can¡¯t let her effort go to waste. We ate in silence. I was able to finish my food, it was really tasty. I ended up wishing there were more of it. Though my stomach was already filled up. ¡°So¡­ What do you n on doing now?¡± Gwh asked. I could tell she was expecting something me to do something about this. She obviously doesn¡¯t want Loren to get away with it. Well, neither do I. ¡°I don¡¯t know..¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know? You know, you really have to do something about this, if you let her get away she might do something much worst sooner orter, remember, you¡¯ve got a child.¡± She was absolutely right. A huge part of me wanted to get her back, wanted revenge. But what can I do? She¡¯s rich, powerful, obviously, there¡¯s nothing I could do. ¡°I know, but what can I do?¡± I asked. She sighed. Her phone dinged. ¡°Jake is here.¡± She said. She stood up and went away. She came back a minuteter with Jake trailing behind her. I looked down. Unable to look at him, I was ashamed. ¡°No case was charged. Thendlord demands for his property money.¡± Jake said. Normally, he¡¯d first ask how I was. For some reason, I don¡¯t like this Jake. Yeah, he seems like a different man. Not in terms of looks, but character. Something tells me he¡¯s mad. ¡°Oh, how much did he demand?¡± Gwh asked. ¡°54, 000 dors.¡± He said. My eyes widened. 54, 000 dors? Where am I going to get a such a huge amount of money? I barely have anything. But still, I wouldn¡¯t take help from anybody. I caused this, I¡¯d just work myself out. Even after that, I¡¯d never be able to make a such a huge amount of money¡­ ¡°54, 000?¡± I asked, and it came out as a whisper. He just nodded his head. ¡°I could help you save-¡± Gwh offered. ¡°No, no¡­ I don¡¯t need anyone¡¯s help in this, it was all my fault so I¡¯d have to..¡± I sniffed. I have to think of a way to get back on my feet. ¡°How is Anne?¡± Jake asked. Confirmed, he was ignoring me. I don¡¯t me him though, he¡¯s probably thinking not offering help would only make me stronger, well if that¡¯s what he¡¯s thinking then he¡¯s absolutely right. I need to stand, on my own. ¡°She¡¯s perfectly fine, she¡¯s in the living room,¡± Gwh answered. ~ I sat on a chair in the living room, we were all watching a movie, to ease ourselves, Jake left a while ago. But my mind wasn¡¯t here, it was on something else. Thinking. I¡¯ve obviously been too nice. I¡¯m anything but smart. I have to change that. What Loren did woke something in me, she shouldn¡¯t get away with what she did and she wasn¡¯t. I¡¯m done with the people trying to tear me down. How about it bes the other way round? I could get her back with something that doesn¡¯t have to be a crime, it might be a sin, but not a crime. But what? My mom was a very fierce woman, she was strong and ambitious. I know she¡¯s still alive, she ran away to some rich man when I was ten years old and that man was already married with 3 children. That didn¡¯t hold her back. I¡¯d always thought my mom was heartless, not to care about the man¡¯s wife and children, I know she did that to have protection, to pay her debts. She left me isted. She was heartless. I vowed never to be like m, y mom. But, sometimes, you have to be heartless¡­ ¡°Hey!¡± Someone snapped his/her finger in front of me, Gwh. ¡°You zoomed out, I¡¯ve been calling your name.¡± She said shaking her head. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, what -¡± she cut herself off when there was a loud bang on the door. She looked at me confusedly. ¡°I know you¡¯re in there, Tessa! Just let me see my daughter!¡± I heard a familiar annoying male voice. Carson. How¡¯d he even know this ce? Why won¡¯t he just go away and pretend we never knew each other? Well if that¡¯s so hard for him because of Anne, he should go fuck himself because there was no way I¡¯m gonna let him see Anne. Oh my, what was I thinking? ¡°Ignore him,¡± I said.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Who is he?¡± ¡°My ex.¡± ¡°How¡¯d he know this ce?¡± ¡°Great, that was the question going through my head.¡± ¡°Tessa?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You sound¡­ Different.¡± She said. I gave her the ¡®what do you mean look?¡¯ How did I sound different? Oh probably cause I¡¯m bitter. Hearing Carson¡¯s voice brings lots of good and bad memories. Bad memories like when he cheated on me with that bitch Sara, whom I called my friend. What type of people was I friends with? Bitch Sara? Oh my, I really sound different. What¡¯s happening to me? ¡°You¡¯re bing mean.¡± She said slowly. Still don¡¯t know what she meant, I was going to ask her when we heard another bang. Ah jeez. ¡°I think, I¡¯d go check¡­ Who¡¯s there.¡± She said standing up and walking away, I trailed behind her, and we got to a door. She opened it and behold, there was a worried-looking Carson.. And a angry-looking Sara. ¡°Who are you?¡± Gwh asked. Carson ignored her as his eyes were already on me. ¡°Oh thank goodness, thank God you¡¯re okay, I just heard about the fire incident and I got scared. I was worried something happened to you or my daughter.¡± He said. I gritted my teeth. He was so annoying. I found him really annoying, seriously. I get he¡¯s worried about Anne but he has no right to be worried about me, there¡¯s absolutely nothing between us, it¡¯s funny cause his girlfriend is right behind him. If looks could kill, I¡¯d have been ten feet under right now. ¡°Well, I get you¡¯re worried for Anne but I never asked for you to be worried about me, if you¡¯re here to see Anne, why note back some other time?¡± I asked. He looked taken aback by my tone. Probably because he¡¯s never heard me speak this way before. ¡°Tessa..¡± ¡°Are you going to go or not?¡± ¡°See baby? This is why I asked you to take custody of the little girl..¡± Sara whispered, but it wasn¡¯t low enough. She¡¯s been telling him that? Did she even think he could take custody of Anne? What fantasy do they live in? Anne wasn¡¯t asleep but I felt some possessiveness towards her. I don¡¯t want her to grow attached to someone like him. ¡°Guess what, Tessa, my husband and I have decided to take custody of your daughter, Isn¡¯t that great news?¡± Sara said. I reached closer to her, how dare she say that to my face? I pped her. She screamed jumping back like someone had poured boiling water on her body. Speaking of water¡­ ¡°How dare you?!¡± ¡°Tessa! Why¡¯d you do that? I know you¡¯re-¡± I turned around back into the house. I know something to get them away. Water. I walked towards my room direction. I was going to get water from the bathroom in my room. I stopped when I noticed a two buckets full of dirty water. Well, that¡¯s it. Grabbing a bucket, I rushed back outside and without thinking twice I poured the water on them. ¡°Tessa..¡± I heard Gwh. ¡°Ahhhh.¡± They screamed. ¡°What are you? How dare youe all the way here to cause stupid drama? What happened to you staying out of my life? Just fucking stay out of my life, pretend we never knew each other. And forget I had your child. The next time I see you anywhere near me with your stupid custody issue, I¡¯m gonna do something much worst to you, you¡¯d regret ever meeting me, you¡¯d regret knowing my child.¡± I threatened menacingly at Carson. ¡°Get lost.¡± I sneered. ¡°What happened to you?! Why¡¯d you do this?!¡± Carson screamed. ¡°People just.. Change,¡± I said ¡°Now, you¡¯re gonna go?¡± I sneered especially at Sara who was shaking with terror. They just stood there shaking with their clearly surprised faces. ¡°No? Okay, hold on.¡± I said going back into the house, I was going to chase them out of this building. Not every time they mess with someone would they get away with it. I grabbed the second bucket of dirty water and went back outside. ¡°Tessa, n-no d-d-¡± Carson tried saying, but I poured it on them anyways. ¡°Ahhhh!¡± They screamed again. ¡°You gonna go now, or..¡± I said and they ran away. And that¡¯s how you get rid of menace like them. ¡°See what I mean?¡± Gwh said bringing me out of my wild sense. What did I just do? Oh my, I was bing like my mother. No, I wasn¡¯t. Sometimes you have to be mean. Especially to people who try to bring you down. I sighed and went back into the house. Normally, I would have felt guilty for what I did, but I didn¡¯t. In fact, I was wishing I did something much harsher to them. I got to the sitting room and threw myself on the bed. I sighed again. In relief. That would hopefully make them stay out of my life forever. Gwh raised an eyebrow at me immediately after she got to the sitting room. ¡°Okay, okay, I get it,¡± I said. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just..¡± ~ It was 5 in the evening when I heard the doorbell dinged. Oh, there¡¯s a doorbell that the jerk heads, Sara and Carson failed to use. ¡°I¡¯d go it,¡± Gwh said. She went and came back a minuteter. She gave me the ¡®not so sure look.¡¯ ¡°Tessa.. Someone is here to see you¡­¡± She said. It is obvious, whoever this person was, she fears him. It was all in her tone. ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Boss- I mean Austin.¡± She said. My eyes widened. Austin was here, why? My heart rate increased in seconds. ¡°You have to go see him, I told h-¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯d go,¡± I said. She seems scared and nervous, probably because he¡¯s her boss. I was nervous too. I couldn¡¯t deny the huge part of the that eagerly wanted to see him though. I walked to the front door. And there he stood magnificently, in his suit. Ah, he always manages to steal my breath away. Shut up. His eyes swept over me as if looking for something. Then, his eyes settled on my own. My mind went to Loren, does she know he¡¯s here? She seems to be always angry whenever he¡¯s next to me. Angry and jealous¡­ I wonder why. Does she think Austin likes me? Does he? Suddenly, he stepped closer. His scent filled my nose, it was really nice and alluring. He hugged me. My eyes widened. Oh my God, he was hugging me. I didn¡¯t even have the heart to tell him off. He just makes me weak. Why was he doing this? ¡°I was scared. I thought I¡¯d lost you.¡± He whispered. I shivered. Does he like me? Does he feel the spark? Oh my, I was in love with him. And his doing this makes me think he had mutual feelings. My mind went back to Loren. This exins why she hates me so much¡­ Haha, what a loser she was. Something sparked in my mind, I could use him. To get revenge. It¡¯d be sweet revenge. Nothing makes me happy right now than the thought of getting Loren back and Austin here was the key. I hugged him back. . . . ¡­.. Chapter 29 A lot of thoughts were going through my mind. Did I have the heart to use him for revenge? That¡¯d mean hurting him. Why was I even scared of hurting him? he has always used every chance he has got to hurt me. But doing that would be so heartless. Thinking deeply about it discouraged me. I shouldn¡¯t be thinking of something like this. There are lots of other ways I could have revenge¡­ Well, not lots, but there might be a way apart from this. There must be a way. No! There isn¡¯t! This is the only way! There is, actually. Two voices argued in my head. ¡°What do you want here?¡± I asked immediately as we parted. My voice was meaner than intended. He looked taken aback by my sudden tone. I shouldn¡¯t have hugged him back. I hated how my body reacted when he was close to me. I wish I have full control of my body. I once did, but suddenly I didn¡¯t. ¡°I heard what happened,¡± he said after a minute of remaining quiet. ¡°I got so worried,¡± he said. My jaw dropped for a quick second before I clicked it back shut. Worried? Why would he be worried about me? Since when has he ever cared for me? He has never failed to show just how much he hated me. Just once at that stupid engagement party where he managed to save me. Yeah, you owe him your life. No, I do not! That¡¯s just payback for the insults I have gotten from him since the day I first spoke to him. When his mom fired me, he didn¡¯t even do anything about it. I bet he was d his mom did it before he could. He was nothing but a stranger to me now. A stranger I hated so much. Keep lying to yourself. My subconsciousness whispered. As much as I wanted to convince myself that I hated him, I couldn¡¯t deny that I have some sort of feelings for him¡­ That¡¯s one of the reasons that discourages me from using him. It might only make me fall for him more and then hurt myself in the end. I can¡¯t take that risk¡­ And what was I even thinking? Using him to get revenge? It was so unlike me. I wanted to tell him that he has no right to be worried about me but I have a feeling that it might cause unnecessary drama. I just want him to leave. I couldn¡¯t define how I felt with him around. ¡°Uh.. Thanks? You can go now.¡± I said before turning around to go back into the house but his voice stopped me. ¡°Tessa.¡± I heard him call my name which for some reason made me snap. I turned back around to face him. ¡°What?!¡± I snapped at him. ¡°Are you okay?¡± He asked. I scoffed. ¡°Since when did you care if I¡¯m okay or not? What are you trying to get out of this? Why are you even here? For Christ¡¯s sake, we have no connection whatsoever, you¡¯re just a stranger who once made my life hell. Just go away!¡± I snapped. Hopefully, that would make him go away. You could tell he was hurting with the look in his eyes. Don¡¯t fall for it, do not fall for it! I could always just turn around and quickly walk back into the house. And that was what I did¡­ mming the door shut, I rest my back on the door and dramatically slide down. Ah, my heart was beating so fast. I buried my face in my palms. Why do I feel guilty for telling him off like that? I¡¯m not supposed to. He deserved it. He has done much worst for sure. He¡¯s probably one of those people who think others don¡¯t have feelings or others¡¯ feelings don¡¯t matter¡­ At least from what I see. ¡°What happened?¡± I heard a voice startling me. I looked up to see Gwh. ¡°Nothing,¡± I muttered. ¡°It-¡± ¡°I need to rx, I¡¯m really tired.¡± I faked a yawn before getting up and walking into the room. I closed the door before moving over to the bed and fell on it. I¡¯m so stupid, why did I have to talk to him like that?! I thought. But why would I be stupid for that though? I should have invited him into the house¡­ I thought again. Obviously, it wasn¡¯t me thinking all that, it was sleepy me. Lots of scenarios with me and Austin clouded my mind. It was like I was in some sort of trance. ~ Dream ~ ¡°You¡¯re acting like this to cover the way you feel about me but it¡¯s doing the opposite.¡± Austin chuckled. I noticed a little dimple on his cheeks. He looks so good. How can a human be that good-looking and that hot? He¡¯s forbidden fruit, like for real. He had this dangerous aura around him that screamed for me to run. I red at him. ¡°I don¡¯t have any feelings for you and if I do, it is pure hatred.¡± He let out a dark chuckle and walked closer to me. He ced his left hand on my waist. It made me shiver. I wanted more of him. I wanted his hand everywhere on my body¡­ He leaned in and whispered to my ear. ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Your body says something entirely different¡­ I know you want me¡­¡± He whispered seductively. Oh, God. ¡°I- I don¡¯t..¡± I tried to say, but it died in my throat. His soft lips touched my neck. All I wanted to do at that moment was to cling unto him and never let go¡­ ~ End of the first dream ~ I jerked up from the bed breathing heavily. It was just a dream. Just a dream¡­ But it felt surreal.. How could I have dreamt something like that? This is the first time I had a wet dream in almost 3 years. I¡¯m not supposed to dream those types of dreams. Especially not about him¡­ First, he invaded my mind¡­ Now my dreams? I need to stop thinking about him. ASAP. I looked at the clock which was ticking, it was the only noise being made. 12:54 am. I don¡¯t think I could go back to sleep after having that nightmare. Iid back on the bed trying not to fall back asleep. But I failed miserably, I was asleep in minutes. ~ Dream ~ I sat beside Jake and Gwh. We were ying truth and dare with Carson, Dave, Austin and Loren. Loren has been giving me the death re since she got here. I felt ufortable under her stare. The rolling bottle stopped at me. ¡°Ah! Finally, it¡¯s your turn!¡± Dave said. ¡°Truth or Dare?¡± Dave asked¡­ ¡°Uh¡­¡± If I go with a dare, they might ask me to do something I didn¡¯t want to do, I mean¡­ That¡¯s what dare is all about right? ¡°I¡¯d go with the truth..¡± ¡°The person you have feelings for¡­ Is he in our midst?¡± He asked. I choked. I looked at all of them. It was like their eyes were prating me¡­ Especially Austin¡¯s.. ¡°Uh..¡± ¡°You choose truth so you have to say the truth,¡± Jake said. ¡°Yeah, you did,¡± Loren said with an evil glint in her eyes which looked scary as hell. It was like her eyes were prating my soul. I gulped. ¡°I.. I..¡± ~ End of the dream, lol ~ I jerked off the bed when I heard a loud storm. It was just a dream¡­ Only a dream¡­ Okay, that¡¯s it. I¡¯m not going back to sleep again. ~ I walked out of the room. I really need to take a walk, clear my head and think straight. ¡°Finally, you¡¯ve gotten out. I thought you strangled yourself in there.¡± Gwh said dramatically. ¡°Uh.. Sorry, I was uh..¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, I guessed you must be really tired.¡± She said. Well, I wished it was that and not stupid Austin poking through my thoughts and dreams. I mentally rolled my eyes. ¡°Yeah.. I was¡­ I uh, need to go for a quick walk.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± She replied. Before I could take a step, the doorbell dinged. Let it not be Austin! I don¡¯t want to see him ever again¡­ I wouldn¡¯t go get the door either just in case the person in Austin. ¡°I¡¯d go get the door,¡± Gwh said, I nodded my head. I watched her walk away. 4 minutester, she came back with Jake trailing behind her. I sighed in relief. ¡°Hey.¡± I greeted Jake, expecting him to reply back, but he didn¡¯t. I noticed his jaw locked. Was he angry? Was he angry at me? It seems to be me who he was angry. I bit my lower lip nervously. ¡°Is anything wrong?¡± I asked. I looked at Gwh, she still seems to be figuring out Jake¡¯s mood. She walked away quickly. ¡°Talk to me Jake, why are you being like this?¡± I demanded. ¡°You¡¯re after him, aren¡¯t you? You feel something for him, you¡¯ve known me longer than you knew him, how¡¯d you fall for him so quickly¡­ Am I not good en-¡± he cut himself off realising what he was saying. He was clenching and unclenching his jaw. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked. I was going to break down, I didn¡¯t like seeing Jake like this, or seeing him being this mad at me. He was hurting and anyone could tell. He was trying to say something, but it was like he was scared to say it. I wanted him to say it out rather than keep it to himself. ¡°I¡¯m after who? Please, make it more clear, I don¡¯t get what you¡¯re trying to say.¡± ¡°Fucking drop the act,¡± He spat. My eyes widened for a split second. ¡°You¡¯re such a good actress, Tessa. All these while, you¡¯ve been ying the victim. The victim of your own self. After all the research, the evidence all points to you. You¡¯re behind the fire incident¡­ And now that I¡¯m thinking of it, you¡¯re behind everything that has been happening.. Just so you could get sympathies? and get closer to him? I thought I could trust you, Tessa, I thought you were fucking different.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I cried in horror. ¡°Why¡¯d I burn down my own apartment and property?! w-¡± ¡°Jake!¡± I called. I ran after him. His strides were really long that he got outside in seconds. He got to his car and locked the door before I could reach him. ¡°Jake, please, you have to hear me out, I swear, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, I swear to God! Just hear me out!¡± I cried, hitting his locked window. The car screeched and then drove away. I almost fell to the floor with the sudden movement of the car. ¡°Jake..¡± I murmured crying. Why¡¯d he thought I¡¯d do that? What¡¯d I gain from doing something like that? I couldn¡¯t bear losing Jake, I¡¯ve known him for so long, he has always been there for me and now suddenly losing him? I burst out crying. Why was this happening to me? It was like life itself hates me. I¡¯m sure it does. It has never been fair to me. My lips and hands quivered. My eyes were blurry with tears and sobs escaped my lips. Jake¡­ I bent down and buried my face in my palms crying helplessly. I believe someone was behind all this. No one wanted my life to be peaceful after all. ~ I sat on afy chair in the living room. My face was red, my head was beating so fast. I suddenly felt numb. Emotionless. ¡°Why¡¯d he think you¡¯d do that? I thought..¡± Gwh murmured. ¡°You believe I didn¡¯t do it?¡± I spoke for the first time in two hours. ¡°Of course, I do. I believe someone is behind all this¡­ But who?¡± She asked herself. ¡°Thank you..¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to say thank you, though.¡± ~ All day, I have been thinking about Jake. I tried dialling his number countless times, but it wasn¡¯t going. It was okay to believe he changed his number. I sniffed. I¡¯ve lost almost everything. I bit my lower lip sorrowfully, drawing out a little blood. I heard the doorbell dinged. Ugh. Who was it now? Gwh left the house to buy groceries and wouldn¡¯t be back till 6 pm. Anne had her eyes glued to the TV. At least, she¡¯s happy. I got up from where I sat and walked to the front door, I looked through the peephole. Austin. Ugh, what did he want? There was no way I was going to open that door. I swiftly turn around to go back, I could ask him about Jake, he¡¯s Jake¡¯s friend¡­ The doorbell dinged again. I turned back to the door and opened it. ¡°Hey.. How is Jake? Have you heard from him?¡± I asked quickly. His jaws clenched when I said Jake. He didn¡¯t answer me. ¡°Hey..¡±This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. ¡°Who¡¯s in front of you?¡± He asked. ¡°Uh. You?¡± ¡°Then why ask of him?¡± He snapped. ¡°I just. Never mind.¡± The cloth he wore looked so familiar, has he worn them before? I don¡¯t think he wears cloth again after wearing them once¡­ I tried to remember where, it gave me some sort of vibe. The dream. These are exactly the cloth he wore in the dream. Was what I dreamt going to happen? ¡°Uh. Thanks foring, you can go now.¡± I said trying to lock the door but his leg stopped it. ¡°I¡¯m not done talking to you.¡± He said. I red at him. . . . ¡­. Chapter 30 I red at him. I wished nothing but for my re to kill him right now. He was a nightmare! Why did Gwh have to go out? Now of all time? I didn¡¯t want to speak with him. Not after those dreams, I had of himst night. My brain tells me to run far away from this man, his appearance screamed nothing but danger. His smell was intoxicating, attractive and seductive. ¡°What do you mean, we weren¡¯t talking about anything,¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s why I came, to talk.¡± He said. Even his voice was seductive or it was just my brain making these up. ¡°W-what do you want to talk about ¨C ¨C I mean, I have nothing to talk about with you,¡± I said quickly. ¡°Are you and Jake together or were you guys dating?¡± He asked. I choked releasing the door. That was thest question I expected. How did we get to this subject again? ¡°W-what? No, no. We¡¯re not..¡± ¡°Do you like him?¡± He asked. I looked at him unbelievably. Why was he asking these questions? It doesn¡¯t seem like a question a person like him would ask. Though right now, he looks vulnerable and curious. He doesn¡¯t look like his cold demeanor self. Probably because he wasn¡¯t wearing a suit. He had a white t-shirt, which fitted his body so well, his ripped muscles were on full disy, it could get any girl drooling. He had dark blue jeans and white canvas on. Just like that dream. His brown hair was perfectly styled, and his skin glowed. How can someone be this good-looking? His future wife would be one lucky woman. Well, not lucky¡­ He¡¯s sometimes very mean and cold. So cold that you wouldn¡¯t want to be anywhere near him. I wonder where the cold Austin was. I wasn¡¯t used to this side of him. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be asking me this.¡± My voice came out shaky. ¡°Well, it¡¯s just a simple question¡­ If you like him or not.¡± He said with an eyebrow raised. I blinked, looking down at my feet. I love Jake, I love him as a friend¡­ As a brother. He has always been there for me. I would have been nothing if it wasn¡¯t for him. The thought of Jake not being in my life didn¡¯t very well suit well for me. I can¡¯t believe he had used me of a thing like that. I just hope the truthes out. I couldn¡¯t contain the tears that came rushing out of my eyes thinking about what happened earlier. I wish someone would wake me up and tell me it was all a dream. I bit my lower lip to stop myself from crying. It failed miserably. I was in a vulnerable and emotional state. He noticed this and for a second, I thought I saw the worry in his eyes. It could once again be my imagination. ¡°Of course, I love Jake,¡± I cried. An unsettling look passed his face for a second. ¡°I love him like a brother and now he used me of something I know nothing about. He used me of burning down my own apartment and I didn¡¯t, it was all Loren! She burnt down-¡± ¡°What?¡± He looked confused and curious for a second. What was I saying again? Oh, I was talking about Loren. ¡°Loren burnt down my apartment, she was there just before the fire went out,¡± I said firmly. I hope he believes me. Maybe he could get her in Jail. She should be in jail for what she did, if only I have proof¡­ For a minute, I thought he believed me.. I wish he did. ¡°So, it¡¯s true.¡± He said unbelievably. What was true? That Loren burnt down my apartment? Please, let it be it! ¡°You know, I wanted to believe you are different, but you¡¯re not. Loren wasn¡¯t in the country when that happened-¡± ¡°She was, she was at my house..¡± I said cutting him off. ¡°Enough. You¡¯re a very good actress, you¡¯ve yed with people. I have nothing to say to you, like you said earlier we have no connection. But listen, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re up to but whatever it is, I¡¯d advise you to fucking stop it, you don¡¯t want to fucking y with me.¡± He said sternly. It was a threat. It felt like a threat. Just when I thought he¡¯d understand me. I guess he does love Loren, he¡¯s just too cold to admit it. He sounded protective. No one is ever going to believe me, I bet Loren has covered all proof. But, why is Loren out to get me though? If Austin loves her. I bit my lower lip hard to stop myself from crying or whimpering, so hard that it drew blood. Austin looked so scary. One could tell how angry he is. One moment he looked carefree and in another, he looked like a vicious animal. I hated him so much. Why was I even trying to get him to believe me? He stepped away from me, his jaw locked. I wanted to talk back at him but like I said, he looked vicious. What if he hits me.. Does he hit women? With one more nce at me, he turned around and walked to his car and drove off. Still shocked by what just happened, I slowly walked back into the apartment. **** THIRD PERSON¡¯S POV **** ¡°I¡¯m only working with you because we have the same goal,¡± Yvonne said to Loren. Her back was to Loren. ¡°Which is to make Tessa suffer. She isn¡¯t going to get away for putting me in jail and I¡¯d make sure of it.¡± She continued. She was out of jail even when she hasn¡¯tpleted her sentence. Her rich dad had managed to help her. Yes, she is from a very rich family, she only worked at the Kings ltd only so she could get closer to Austin.. She still loves him. She didn¡¯t like Loren but she could also use Loren.. Get revenge on Tessa and she¡¯d manage to do the almost impossible, get closer to Austin. Well, it¡¯s not almost impossible right now, she was sure Austin was against Tessa now.. Her n was working. ¡°True and we¡¯ve done a pretty good job so far,¡± Loren replied. Yvonne and Loren were frenemies. They were friends because they were both out to get revenge on Tessa. And they were also enemies because they like the same man ¡ª Austin. All they had to do now was to get Tessa out of the picture permanently and the way for them to do that was if she leaves the country or she dies. First, she had to go homeless. ~ Gwh shook in fear for the call she just had, her family was in danger. She cried inwardly. She left the house to go see her parents and siblings if they were alright. She was threatened not to call the cops. Your whole family would be dead before the cops arrive. She didn¡¯t know what she¡¯d do if something bad happens to them. Her family were fine. Before she left her family home, she got a text. ¡®They are fine now, but they won¡¯t be if you don¡¯t get Tessa Carl out of your house in the next 3hrs.¡¯ The text read. She looked around frantically. She swallowed hard as she spotted a ck car parked just opposite her parent¡¯s home. She felt eyes on her. She couldn¡¯t see anything inside the car, the sses were tainted pitch ck. She knew whoever was doing this was in that car. She kept staring at it. Her phone dinged again. ¡®What are you staring at? I¡¯d start doing as I was told if I were you.¡¯ The text says. Her breathing became ragged. She quickly walked to her car as fear took over her body. She had to send Tessa away if she wants to keep her family safe. Her family meant so much to her, she couldn¡¯t put them in such grave danger. She pitied Tessa. Tessa has gone through a lot already, she wished there was something she could do to truly help her. She drove off quickly. The ride from her parent¡¯s home to hers was an hour and 20mins long. Her hands were shaking throughout the whole ride. She finally got home, her phone dinged again before she stepped out of the car. ¡®Less than an hour¡­ I wouldn¡¯t waste my time to talk to her if I were you..¡¯ The text says. She was going crazy. She rushed to the front door and knocked on it. In less than 20 seconds, Tessa was at the door, with Anne in her arms. ¡°You have to leave now,¡± Gwh said. She walked past Tessa and walked into the room Tessa was in. She packed the little things Tessa had in minutes. ¡°W-what happened? what are yo -¡± ¡°You have to go now, I¡¯m sorry but I cannot amodate you in my house any longer,¡± Gwh said. One could tell how confused and scared Tessa was. ¡°What are you talking about? Did anything happen? You kno-¡± ¡°There¡¯s not much time, just leave, please!¡± Gwh screamed at her. Tessa swallowed hard. She had no idea what was wrong with Gwh. She had no ce to go. Gwh walked to the front door, opened it and gestured for Tessa to go out. ¡°Why are you doing this right now, you know I have -¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care, okay? Just go away, please.¡± Tessa took a deep breath. She pleaded with her eyes but it wasn¡¯t working. Gwh really wanted her out. She took her small bag and walked out of the house. ¡°Tessa.. I¡¯m so sorry..¡± Gwh said before mming the door shut. Tears slipped out of her face. Once again, she was homeless, with a kid and with nothing on her. Her breathing was shaky. She shivered as the cold air hit her skin. She tried to use her hand to protect Anne from the cold air. She had to look for a ce to stay. She bent down and opened her bag, she took out a body warmer, that was twice Anne¡¯s size and wore it on Anne. She got back up with Anne still in her arm, and carried the bag with her other hand, she had to go look for a warmer ce to stay. It was already reallyte. She quickly left the building, she looked around for a cab, but there wasn¡¯t any around. She walked down the street. For some reason, she felt someone was watching her. She slowly turned around to see a ck car with a tainted window behind her. She could have sworn that this same car was parked just opposite Gwh¡¯s house. She was scared. She wanted to call Jake, but he hates her now. Trying does no harm¡­ She thought. She quickly brought out her phone, she tried to hide it, but she still felt eyes on her. Jake¡¯s phone rang, but he didn¡¯t answer the call. She called again three more times and on the fourth time, he cut off her call. ¡°Mommy?¡± She heard Anne call.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. ¡°Yes, baby?¡± ¡°A man is watching us..¡± Anne said. Tessa panicked and turned around, a man in all ck was suddenly at her front. He smirked. She turned back around to run but another man was also there. She stepped back, only for her back to hit the other man. ¡°What do you want?!¡± She tried to sound fearless, but inside she was shaken with terror. It didn¡¯t take long till she was surrounded by 5 men. They all had smirks on their faces. They walked closer to her menacingly. ¡°Stay away from me!¡± ¡°Take the child to the car.¡± One said. ¡°No! Don¡¯t youe anywhere near me!¡± She screamed. They justughed. One managed to take Anne away from her and took her to the same ck car. Before she knew what was happening next, someone threw her over his shoulders and took her towards the ck car. She struggled and kicked. Whoever carried her was obviously very strong. She was practically thrown into the car which was obviously expensive. She cried as the pain struck her body. She was scared if anything bad happens to Anne, she¡¯d never be able to forgive herself. ~ ¡°Please, I beg of you! Let us go, please..¡± She cried kicking. Two men came and joined her in the back sit as she felt the car move. ¡°Please, don¡¯t harm my child..¡± She heard someone¡¯s phone ring. It wasing from the driver¡¯s sit. ¡°We¡¯ve got her, boss. She¡¯d be out in less than two hours.¡± Someone was behind this, Jake? He might have been ignoring me, but I know Jake wouldn¡¯t do anything to harm me.. I felt someone¡¯s hand up my thigh. I squirmed. ¡°Boss didn¡¯t say anything about not having fun with her, did she?¡± The guy whose hand was on my thigh said. My breathing became ragged. Whoever was behind the was a female. ¡°No.¡± The one driving said. I could see the smirk ying on his face through the small mirror. ¡°Cool, I couldn¡¯t stay here without touching this hot ass..¡± He said as his hand goes further on my thigh. I cried out. ¡°No, please no! I beg of you, don¡¯t do this!¡± ¡°Shhhh, you wouldn¡¯t want to wake up the little angel sleeping behind, right?¡± He whispered. What I feared the most was about to happen, no one to save me. I felt him tugging on my shirt. ¡°You¡¯re going to enjoy every bit of it..¡± He whispered. I tried to yank my hand from his hold, but my strength was nowhere near his. I felt his other hand right up on my chest. I felt sick. I was going to scream but it came out as muffles this time. ¡°I¡¯d give up the fight if I were you..¡± I felt his hot breath fan my ear as I felt a cold metal pierced against the side of my neck. A gun. Oh no. ¡°We¡¯d take turns.¡± I heard the second man¡¯s voice next to me for the first time. Someone, please save me¡­ . . . ¡­¡­ Chapter 31 Oh God, please save me¡­ I cried over and over again. No one was going to help me this time, there wasn¡¯t any glimpse of hope. If anything happens to me, I¡¯d just hope nothing bad happens to Anne. My poor baby deserves a normal life. I closed my eyes and waited for what was going to happen. It was sickening, what was happening. Tears just flew out of my closed eyes. Suddenly, the car stopped. The man redrew his hand from my thigh. I breathe out in relief. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± He asked the dude driving. ¡°The cops.¡± He replied. My eyes widened, and I could scream. The driver rolled down the front window. I was about to scream but a hand mped my mouth, and I felt the cold metal on my head again. ¡°Wasn¡¯t this the car we sawst night?¡± Whoever was outside asked. ¡°Yes, it is.¡± Another one answered. ¡°Search the car, it¡¯s a suspect for the crime happening heretely.¡± ¡°Copy that.¡± A man appeared in the front ss and asked for the driver¡¯s ID. Hope something happens and they get these men to jail. He gave it to him. How I wish the man could see me, then I¡¯d be out of here. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to search your car.¡± ¡°I have nothing in there.¡± ¡°Yeah, but still.¡± ¡°Open your trunk.¡± Another one said. Just as I thought he was going to do as they said, he didn¡¯t instead, he brought out a gun. Two gunshots were heard, and I just had to scream. The car sped off. I heard Anne cry. She must have woken up. ¡°Would you fucking slow down?!¡± The dude next to me snapped. The only thing that had me d about this was that the man could no longer touch me. ¡°No, there¡¯s not much time. We have to get her to the airport now, it won¡¯t be long till they catch up with us.¡± Airport? ¡°Damn it.¡± I heard him swear. In less than 2mins, the car pulled down. The men behind me got out and I was dragged out of the car. I looked around frantically in search of Anne. And just then, she was brought out of the car. ¡°Please, give my child to me please!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± One said with a silly smirk, he was that jerk that had his hands on me. I wanted to p him crazy.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. ¡°Now¡¯s not the time, Zach! We have to get her on the ne!¡± Another one snapped at him. He frowned like a kid denied candy. ¡°Fine!¡± He said with a scowl. ¡°Now listen to me, Tessa. You¡¯re going to behave and get in that ne, or you¡¯d be shot and then your fucking child!¡± He threatened. I shook my head in terror. Anne was ced in my arms. It was like they¡¯d already arranged everything or they worked with someone in charge of this airport because in less than 30mins I was sitting on a ne with Anne next to me. They were going to export us to another country. I have to get out of this ne. There was no way we were going to survive in some unknown country. I was going to stand up when ady in uniform walked up to me. ¡°Please, sit down ma¡¯am. The ne is about to leave.¡± And with that, she walked away without waiting for my reply. I gulped. I was lost. A few words were said and the ne moved. Do not cry. Don¡¯t you dare cry? I looked down at Anne who was looking up at me. She smiled. She had no idea what was going on but seeing a smile on her face gave me hope. I didn¡¯t lose everything¡­ I had her, the most precious thing in my life. ¡°Are you crying?¡± ¡°No no, I just hurt my eyes.¡± ¡°I know where we are,¡± she said. ¡°An aerone!¡± She shouted gaining attention from the people around us. She had always watched cartoons, especially the part where they are on an aerone. She always wanted to enter one. Now I see why she¡¯s so happy. I looked around ufortably as the people stared at us. ¡°Mommy, let¡¯s stay in here forever.¡± I wish we could¡­ Or we could go to a ce much safer, a ce to hide us from the cruelty of the world, but it wasn¡¯t that simple. No matter where I go or where I hide, someone would always look for a way to bring me out of that hiding ce just to cause my life more pain. The fact that I was forced in here was overwhelming, my dream of bing an independent woman was also forced away. Now I have to live in fear for my and my daughter¡¯s life. Remember, even on the ne, you aren¡¯t safe, so you better fucking behave if you don¡¯t want your precious little girl gone. I winced recalling the words I was told before entering the ne. I unconsciously looked around the ne for probably the 100th time now. I knew someone was watching me. My eyes caught the eyes of a stewardess. She was staring straight right at me for a few seconds then looked away. Maybe she works for those people. I stayed silent for the next few hours clutching Anne¡¯s hand. ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re hurting me.¡± Only then I realized I held her hand too tight. I released her hand. I wanted to scream and let the people on this aerone know that there are kidnappers in this aerone¡­ ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m hungry,¡± Anneined snapping me out of my thought. I looked around to see some people eating. Where ever we were being transported to was obviously very far. It feels like forever since we entered this ne. ¡°Uh¡­¡± **** Third Person¡¯s POV **** Gwh couldn¡¯t get any sleep. She toast and turned on her bed, she was worried for Tessa. She felt guilty for sending her away. But what could she do? Her mind wandered off to Jake. He needs to know Tessa is gone. She couldn¡¯t keep such a thing to herself and the people who threatened her wouldn¡¯t know she was the one who told Jake. Would they? With shaky hands, she picked up her phone and searched for Jake¡¯s number. She clicked on it when she found it. He picked up the call on the fourth call. ¡°I have to tell you something about-¡± I believe you don¡¯t want your family gone¡­ Gwh gulped. I¡¯d keep my mouth shut if I were you. She remembered the threats of earlier. And here she was, about to tell someone. She winced. She didn¡¯t want any harm near her family¡­ ¡°What?¡± ¡°Sorry, wrong number.¡± She finally said turning off the call. She needs to put her family in a safe ce¡­ Before she says anything. **** Tessa¡¯s POV **** after hours on the ne. We finally stepped down. When the ne stopped at first, I didn¡¯t know what was happening until I noticed peopleing out. I took the clue and quickly walked out. I knew they were in there, those bad people. And I was right. As soon as I got out with Anne, I heard a few men calling out to me. Those men of earlier. Haven¡¯t they done enough? Transporting me to another country with nothing on me. I have a feeling that they were out to kill me. They would have done that instead of wasting money or time sending me here¡­ So I don¡¯t think that¡¯s it. I bent down and carried Anne in my arms then ran off. It was a good thing this ce was crowded or I would have been caught by now. My legs were giving up. We soon reached a ce where there weren¡¯t many people. ¡°Catch her, you idiot!!¡± I heard a man scream. I know they were talking about me. I looked around, I was trapped! I spotted a huge wall. I could hide behind it. Running over to it. I took refuge. I heard footsteps. ¡°Where is she?!¡± ¡°You see what you¡¯ve caused, you fool!! If you weren¡¯t sleeping running, we could have caught her.¡± One growled. ¡°Ugh, would you just shut up, she couldn¡¯t have gone far.¡± The familiar voice from that car groaned. ¡°Well tell that to the boss and have her kill you!¡± I heard running footsteps again. ¡°Where is she?!¡± ¡°Well, this fucking moron lost her.¡± ¡°Oh really? Was I the only one chasing her?¡± ¡°Would you two stop fighting like morons! Look around. She must be here.. Somewhere.¡± ¡°Mo-¡± Anne almost said out loud. mping her mouth shut, she squirmed. Oh, God. They must be searching now. I closed my eyes, silently praying. I heard their footsteps fade away. I stood there shaking for what seemed like hours. Were they gone? I hope so. I peeped through the corner of the building if anyone was around. It was really quiet. It could be a trap¡­ It could also be not¡­ I waited 3 more minutes. If I leave now and they¡¯re right there, I¡¯m doomed. And if I stay and theye right here. I¡¯m also doomed. My instincts told me nothing but to run away from here. Believe your instincts¡­ . . . ¡­¡­. Chapter 32 I picked up Anne and stepped away from the wall. Still quiet. That¡¯s a good thing, right? I ran towards the same road which lead me to this ce. Minutester, I reached a crowded ce. Anne began crying. She hasn¡¯t eaten anything since we left Gwh¡¯s ce and now, we¡¯re in another country. It was hard to believe. I needed to ask someone what country is this. I was getting attention from people because of Anne. She was crying so loud. I rocked her. ¡°Hey, please excuse me,¡± I spoke to a woman hoping they speak English here. ¡°Hello.¡± She said back. ¡°Uh¡­ What¡¯s the name of this country?¡± I asked. She gave me a weird look. I know, it¡¯s funny. ¡°Switzend.¡± She replied. Oh my. That¡¯s like 10 hours from the US by ne. I thanked her and she walked away. What was I going to do now? I don¡¯t have my phone, I lost it earlier. I had to look for a ce to stay before those people sees me. I can¡¯t take that risk¡­ The cloud was getting thicker by the minute, it was like it was going to rain. It didn¡¯t take long before there were loud sounds of thunder and the people began to run. I looked around for a ce to find refuge but there was no ce. There were closed shops though. I ran towards where my legs took me. And before I knew it. I was in residential areas. And then the rain started pouring. Spotting a refuge in front of an apartment. I ran to it to hide from the rain. Anne began crying again. Ah jeez. I have to look for food for her. I heard her stomach growling. I hope the people in this apartment aren¡¯t at home¡­ The door to the apartment opened suddenly, revealing an elderly woman, probably in her 60s. ¡°Who is ther- Oh, who are you? Oh my, the little girl is shaking! Pleasee in! Come!¡± She invited. I wasn¡¯t supposed to trust anybody. No, I shouldn¡¯t enter her house, what if it¡¯s a trap? Then, what am I going to do? I shook my head no, ¡°Uh¡­ No thanks?¡± She gave me a disappointed look. ¡°But the little girl, she might get sick and you do know medical care is really expensive.¡± She said with a frown. True. I didn¡¯t want Anne sick, that¡¯d only cause more trouble for me, I was not ready to take such a risk and I didn¡¯t want any problem near my baby¡­ But still. Anne was shaking so bad. I looked at the woman again. She doesn¡¯t look suspicious¡­ But never trust anybody! The ones who look innocent almost aren¡¯t innocent. Trust your instincts¡­ I slowly walked toward thedy and she gestured for me to get in. It was very warm and cosy inside unlike outside. I watched her lock the door. ¡°Please, make yourselffortable, I would go get some nkets.¡± She said and disappeared into a corner in the house and came back in a minute with nkets on her hands. Handing them over to me, she asked me to sit down. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be wandering out there¡­ Especially with a child, it¡¯s dangerous!¡± She scolds. I just nodded my head, lost for words. If this ce was safe, then I didn¡¯t want to go out back there¡­ Not until those men are gone¡­ ¡°Do you have a ce to stay?¡± She asked. I didn¡¯t answer her for a minute and that must have given her a clue to continue as she did. ¡°It¡¯s just that you have nothing on you and you look shattered so¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± I replied. ¡°May I ask why?¡± She asked. If I wanted to stay here for hideouts. I have to tell her¡­ So I told her. ¡°Oh my God. You poor souls! Have you eaten? I¡¯d go get something for both of you.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª It took minutes before I managed to put a spoonful of food in my mouth. After we had eaten. She showed us a room where she said we could stay in for the time being. But I wanted to stay in the living room, With a sleeping Anne on me. It was 11 pm. I almost jumped out of my skin when I heard a knock on the door. Oh my, who could be here by this time of night? What if this was all a trap, to begin with? I gulped. It was a trap! I panicked. Marilyn, for which was thedy¡¯s name came rushing into the living room. She gave me a ¡®nothing to be worried about look¡¯. She went to the door and I noticed her look through the peephole. She opened the door and a youngdy walked in. She wore arge jacket on. ¡°Oh! I thought you weren¡¯ting home tonight!¡± Marilyn said relieved. I also breathe in relief. I thought for a second that I was doomed. ¡°Sorry, mom. Mrs Sharon got mobbed and we had to workte.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± They walked towards me. Giving me a view of her. She was very pretty. No doubt, she took her beauty from her mom. I noticed how irritated she suddenly looked. ¡°Who is she?! I thought we agreed on no strangers in the house!¡± She snapped. ¡°Calm down. Come.¡± Marilyn said. Marilyn said grabbing her by her arm and in seconds they were out of sight. Oh God, I was sure now that they were going to have me out of their house. My worries proved wrong as she came back a minuteter to apologize. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I snapped. My mom told me your situation.¡± She said. I couldn¡¯t voice my thoughts so I just nodded my head. She nodded her head too.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. ¡ª¡ª¨C Gwh knew she had to tell someone Tessa was out of her house. She couldn¡¯t say anything about what really happened because she received threats for like the 100th time now. She could always say Tessa wanted to leave and she tried to stop her but she wouldn¡¯t listen¡­ And that was exactly what she told Jake. Jake thought maybe she just went somewhere to clear up her head¡­ And probably her mess. Old Jake would be paranoid and let the cops know immediately. But he changed so much and kept asking himself why. She could be doing all this to y the victim again. We can¡¯t fall for her trap this time. Loren¡¯s voice ranged over and over again in his head. 6 months Later: I jumped when I heard a quiet knock on the window. I have been living a very quiet and not so peaceful life because I was still scared those men might still be searching for me.. doing daily jobs to make small profits so I won¡¯t feel like a burden. The profits were very little¡­ Better than nothing. Marilyn¡¯s voice rang in my head. Marilyn had helped me get an in a small school down the street for Anne to attend. Anne was asleep in the room. I have gotten used to leaving her alone in a room. I heard the knock again. I stood up from the couch and walked over to the window. Kara. I noticed she was always out every night and most times, Marilyn won¡¯t know about it. I believe she was hiding something but who am I to question her? I opened the window and she climbed in. ¡°Oh, thank God you¡¯re awake!¡± She eximed. ¡°Where were yo-¡± I stopped myself before I could finish the question. Ugh. What was I thinking?! ¡°No, no. Don¡¯t judge yourself, any sane person would want to know.¡± She said with a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s something I have been hiding from my mom for three years now¡­ She has no idea where the food we eates from¡­ She has no idea where her medical care moneyes from.. She believes I¡¯m just a normal worker with a normal ie.¡± She said. I raised my eyebrow, confused. ¡°I¡¯m a prostitute. I work at a legal brothel.¡± She confessed. ¡°Oh..¡± I muttered. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell my mom!¡± She pleaded. ¡°She can¡¯t know anything about this, please. Promise.¡± ¡°I¡­ Promise.¡± I said. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said as she walked towards her room. A YEAR AND 4 MONTHS LATER: it was early in the morning. I got up from my bed and did my usual morning routine before walking over to Anne¡¯s bed. I lightly shook her expecting her to jump up like she usually does but she didn¡¯t. I shook her again. ¡°Anne?¡± I called. ¡°Anne,¡± I said lightly tapping her. Worry took over me. ¡°Anne!¡± Oh God, Why isn¡¯t she responding?! ¡°ANNE!¡± I screamed. ¡°Oh my God.¡± Gathering her in my arms, I carried her away from the bed and rushed to the living room. ¡°Help!¡± I screamed. Kara came rushing towards me. ¡°Oh my God, what happened?! I¡¯d go look for a cab.¡± She said rushing out the door. ¡°Oh Anne,¡± I whimpered. Kara came rushing in a minuteter. I got Anne in the cab and it drove off. In less than 20 minutes we got to the hospital. ¡°Somebody help please.¡± My voice died in my throat. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C I sat down next to Anne¡¯s hospital room. I was going crazy. If the surgery isn¡¯t done in three days, I¡¯m sorry to say, then there¡¯s a 95 % chance that you may lose your daughter. I was crying so hard. I¡¯m pretty sure my face was a bit red. ¡°You have to go home now, Tessa. Staying here won¡¯t bring money from heaven¡­ I wish I could help, but I don¡¯t have such an amount of money.¡± Kara whispered. The surgery costs 12, 034 dors. My heart had literally flown away. ¡°Where am I going to get such an amount of money?¡± I cried. I didn¡¯t want to lose Anne. No, I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t. Kara stayed quiet for a minute like she was thinking about something and hen said. ¡°I know you¡¯re not that type of person¡­ But you know where I work right? We could together make such an amount of money in a night¡­ You¡¯re very beautiful, I¡¯m sure men would love to spend a lot on you¡­ ¡± She whispered. My mind didn¡¯t go on what I was going to do, just the money. I need it so bad¡­ I just don¡¯t want to lose my child¡­ . . . ¡­ Chapter 33 ~ **** Tessa¡¯s POV **** After efforts of trying to push him away with no luck, I gave up. Tears gathered in my eyes. I just want to get this over with, so I could get money for Anne¡¯s surgery. Why does he have to be here? Why now? ¡°Let go of me,¡± I said for probably the 100th time now. He must have noticed the tears gliding out of my eyes as his eyes widened. ¡°Are you crying?¡± He asked. If only looks could kill, this man would have been dead by now. Howe people aren¡¯t saying anything about this, it¡¯s abuse! I peeped through his arm and noticed no one was looking at us, they were all busy grinding against someone next to them. ¡°Just let go, please!¡± I cried. He quickly let go. I covered my face, and only then, I realised I was really crying. What the hell was I doing, I shouldn¡¯t be crying in front of him, he doesn¡¯t deserve to see my tears. ¡°What happened?¡± He asked.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. He doesn¡¯t deserve to know anything about me or my daughter either. He¡¯s a stranger to me and always would be. You do love your child, right? A voice whispered in my head which made me break down¡­ Again. ¡°Tessa¡­¡± He called as I walked away from him. Despite my efforts to get away from him, he managed to get a hold of me over and over again. ¡°Thinking twice about this, I know you wouldn¡¯t be here only if you need something desperately,¡± He said. ¡°You have to talk to me, is everything okay?¡± ¡°No! My child¡­ She¡¯s in the hospital,ying there unconsciously..¡± ~ ¡°What?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, the surgery costs a lot¡­ And the doctor said my baby might die if I don¡¯t get the money in less than 3 days. Oh, my baby¡­¡± Tessa cried. His heart leapt seeing her cry like this. She looked so fragile. She was hurting and all he wanted to do at that moment was to hold her close and tell her everything was going to be alright but he also knew she wouldn¡¯t want him that close to her. He has been nothing but a pain to her. Thest time they spoke before now brought nothing but pain to him, how could he have been so harsh to her? How could he not believe her? Maybe if he had, she wouldn¡¯t be going through so much right now. He offered her help. That was the only thing he could do for her right now. And Tessa was d. She was happy she didn¡¯t have to go through with what she came here for. She was going to pay him back his money, for sure. When she gets right back up to her feet. She took down her pride and epted the help from him just because of Anne and also because she knew he wasn¡¯t going to let her do anything that night. She scowled internally. He has no right to tell me what to do and what not to do. She thought. And then she remembered that she had to keep calm for Anne. ~ ¡°Thanks for your help. I¡¯d pay back as soon as I have the money.¡± I said and he frowned. ¡°You don¡¯t need to pay back, Tessa.¡± He said. We were in front of Anne¡¯s hospital room. The surgery ended two hours ago. ¡°Yes, I have to. I don¡¯t want any help from you.¡± I said. It was true. I want no help from this man. I don¡¯t want to take help from someone who had done nothing but contribute to my pain. He might help me now, but that doesn¡¯t mean anything. It does¡­ He just helped save your daughter you ungrateful brat! My subconsciousness screamed at me. You¡¯re just blinded by the love-hate you have for him. My subconsciousness continued. Love-hate? He smirked. ¡°I just helped you.¡± ¡°Yeah, but I said I am going to pay back,¡± I said clearly so he would understand. ¡°That still doesn¡¯t change the fact that I helped you. If I didn¡¯t I am sure you¡¯d be wailing and crying right now.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ No, I wouldn¡¯t, I would have found someone to¡­ Buy me.¡± I said. It was really ufortable to say that. His smile dropped. ¡°You were actually nning on selling yourself? I wonder what type of a role model you are to your child.¡± ¡°I had no choice¡­ You-¡± I cut myself off. What was I doing? I should still appreciate the fact that he helped me. But I seriously don¡¯t have to be nice to him¡­ As I said, I¡¯m going to pay it back. ¡°You can go now,¡± I said looking away from him. ¡°You¡¯re noting back?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m staying in this country.¡± I said. I don¡¯t want to go back to that country anymore since I only get into nothing but trouble. ¡°Why?¡± Anyone could tell he was dragging this conversation. No doubt he was trying to get a reaction out of me. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. Look, I appreciate your help but that doesn¡¯t mean you have any right to ask me questions. Just go away and I will contact you when I have the money to pay you back.¡± He bit his lower lip. ¡°Do you really hate me that much?¡± He asked. I ignored my heart¡¯s sudden unusual beat. ¡°Do you hate me so much that the thought of me being close to you agitates you?¡± He asked again. For a moment, I swear I could have sworn that I saw nothing but pain. Pain? Good. ¡°Uh¡­ You should be going now.¡± I said avoiding his question. What type of a person even asks questions like that? I thought you died¡­ I remembered the words he said earlier. He didn¡¯t just say it, he cried. That was probably the first time I heard him cry. Why would he think I died? Because I haven¡¯t been back to the USA for so long? They all thought I died and decided to let go of it without any investigation. I couldn¡¯t believe Jake. I bet he was d I was out of the picture. I can¡¯t believe I looked up to someone like that. 4 years ago, if someone had told me something like this about Jake, I really wouldn¡¯t have believed it. I couldn¡¯t deny the hate I grew for Jake throughout the years. Not only Jake, all of the people I knew back in the US. If I wasn¡¯t so desperate for money, I wouldn¡¯t have epted his help. And that¡¯s why I¡¯m going to pay him back. I thought. Yeah, you¡¯d spend the rest of your life paying him back. My subconsciousness hissed. Just when I thought he was going to leave with that same painful look on his face, he didn¡¯t. Instead, he stood where he was and tucked his hands in his pockets. He smirked. Ah, what now? ¡°You¡¯re going to pay me back? Okay, I¡¯d be here next week to take back my money.¡± He said. Wait for what? ¡°I said when I have the money.¡± ¡°That would probably take forever, so no. Better have it when Ie back next week.¡± He said. I could tell he was trying to stop himself from smiling. The son of a bitch. I caught myself staring right at his face. Seriously, if he wasn¡¯t this handsome, telling him off would be very easy. He walked closer to me. He kepting closer until he was so close. Jesus. His intoxicating smell hit my nose. I wanted to move away, but my body wasn¡¯t responding to my brain. I gulped. He brought his face close to my ear, his skin touched mine making me shiver. ¡°Understand?¡± I heard him say before he redrew back. Smirking one more time, he walked away. What just happened? I hated the effects he had on me, it makes me hate myself so much. I red at him as he walked away. If looks could kill¡­ ¡°Madam.¡± Ady said, touching my shoulder which snapped me out of my deep thought. ¡°Yes?¡± I replied quickly. ¡°I¡¯ve been calling you.¡± ¡°Oh sorry..¡± I must have really been out of reality. ¡°Your daughter, she will be up in less than two hours. You should go get her some new clothes and food for her to eat.¡± She said. My mind flew. ¡°Thank you. Thank you.¡± I repeated. You can¡¯t me me. I walked back into the room where Anney. Kara sat on a chair next to her bed. She red at me immediately after I walked in. Jeez. ¡°Tessa, you, you!¡± She scolds but then realized she might disturb Anne she got up and dragged me outside the room. ¡°That man helped you! He was willing to give you such a huge amount of money without taking anything from you! How could you be so mean to him?!¡± Kara scolds. She was angry, she¡¯s the type of person who appreciates everything from anyone. ¡°I know, I know. I just couldn¡¯t bear the sight of him.¡± I said. It was true. I have a feeling that danger mighte my way¡­ Again, because of Austin. After all, that was all he has ever brought to my life¡­ And pain. His fiancee¡­ There was no ring on his finger¡­ Did they break up? Or ex-fiancee or ex-girlfriends would want to cause unnecessary drama. They would make a huge meaning out of this for sure. If I¡¯m not mean to him, it would make him want toe closer and then mess with me all over again. I was still pissed for all he had done to me back then in the US. He yed a huge role in mying here. Just when I had thought he would believe me, it was the opposite. He even used me and now he¡¯s here acting as if he had always cared. And Jake¡­ I hope he doesn¡¯t tell Jake he saw me. I don¡¯t want to deal with that man ever again. It was really hard not to believe¡­ He must be a very good actor. ¡°Why? You just met him- Oh¡­ You know him before?¡± She asked. I just nodded my head. She gasped. ¡°Oh my God. That dude is freakin¡¯ loaded! How could you have known someone that rich and you just let yourself and your daughter suffer that much!¡± She eximed. She was going to drag this for sure and knowing her, she¡¯d want me to get more money from him. ¡°You know, from the way he was looking at you earlier¡­ I think he has something for you..¡± She whispered. I rolled my eyes. Something for me my butt. ¡°You know, you take everything seriously. How could you even think of such a thing? I knew from the beginning you¡¯d make a huge thing out of every little thing.¡± I ranted trying to change the topic. ¡°Bu-¡± I cut her off. ¡°I have to go home and get some things for Anne, please watch her for me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to tell me everything when you get back.¡± She said. I ignored her and went back to the room to take my bag before leaving. On getting home, I packed some clothes for Anne and prepared her favourite. My heart shook in joy at the thought of speaking to her. Less than an hourter, I was done. I left the house for the hospital. My heart leapt again, for like the 100th time today. My baby. She sat up on the bed listening to whatever Kara was saying. I walked towards her, bending down, I hugged her, so tight. I let the tears slip out of my eyes. 4 hourster. A nurse walked in with a paper in her hand. Remember earlier? When Kara was questioning me about Austin? She didn¡¯t let it go, and I was forced to tell her everything I knew about Austin. I ended up telling her about everything. It was only then I realized I haven¡¯t really told her much about myself. ¡°Here.¡± The nurse said handing over me the paper in her hand before walking out. My eyes widened seeing the hospital bills. How can hospital bills be this expensive? Jesus. , 2, 770 in US dors. She hasn¡¯t even been here for that long. Just 3 days? I read down through the paper until I saw ¡®all medical bills covered¡¯ covered. I don¡¯t recall paying the 2, 770 dors. ¡®under the name of Austin Kings¡¯ ¡®Total bnce paid: 15, 000. Should have figured it out. Now I¡¯m owing him more debts. Jesus Christ. 3 dayster. I was going back to Anne¡¯s hospital room. In two days, we¡¯d be going back home. I couldn¡¯t be happier. I was sick of this environment. I paused when I noticed a man trying to stand up from where he sat, he was on a cast. I walked toward him to help him. ¡°Can I help?¡± I asked. He looked up at me with a smile. ¡°Yes you can, thanks.¡± He was a young man. Probably in histe 20s. I helped him stand up before supporting him back to his room. ¡°Thank you.¡± I heard him say. ¡°No problem.¡± I was really curious about why he couldn¡¯t walk. But it¡¯s not right to ask him. ¡°I know you¡¯re curious about all this.¡± He said like he read my mind thought. The smile never left his face. He was pretty attractive, his smile only made him more attractive. ¡°I got into an ident a week ago, but don¡¯t worry¡­ The doctor said I would walk again.¡± He said. I don¡¯t know why, but I felt relieved knowing he was going to walk again. ¡°That¡¯s a relief,¡± I said. He nodded his head in agreement. ¡°So¡­ Why are you here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here for my daughter¡­ She¡¯s admitted.¡± ¡°You have a daughter?¡± He asked. He was very surprised. ¡°Yes. Why?¡± ¡°You just look very young.¡± ¡°Oh. Thanks?¡± I said not sure of what to say. ¡°No problem. I¡¯m surprised I haven¡¯t seen you here till today, you must have been here for long also.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I cut myself off when I turned my head towards the wide opened door. Steps away was someone I never expected to see. Ever again. Jake. He too kept staring at me. . . . ¡­. Chapter 34 My eyes widened a bit. What was he doing here? How did he know I was here? Jesus, I wasn¡¯t prepared. I didn¡¯t want to see him anymore¡­ Seeing him brought lots of unwanted memories. The good and the bad ones. I guess Austin did tell him after all, that jerk. I looked back at the man I was talking to. ¡°Uh, I would be going now, see youter?¡± I don¡¯t know why I said that but I just felt the need to go immediately. He nodded with a smile and I walked off, ignoring Jake. This is not just a great time to talk to him, I wasn¡¯t ready. Heck, I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m ever going to be prepared. ¡°Tessa.¡± I heard him call, and my heart race increased. I increased my pace and before I knew it, he held my arm. He sure does have long strides. He stepped in front of me as I tried to keep a straight face. He breathed out in relief. ¡°It¡¯s really you¡­¡± He said. I gave him a pointed look. What? He thought I was a ghost? ¡°What do you want here?¡± I asked. ¡°I heard you were over here, I came as quickly as -¡± I cut him off. I don¡¯t need to be nice to him¡­ Especially what he¡¯s done to me. ¡°Well, you can go back, you¡¯re not needed here.¡± My tone was harsh. Very harsh. He noticed it. ¡°Tessa, I know what I did was uncalled for, I don¡¯t know what made me do something like that but I¡¯m very sorry, I regretted it all, the very minute I found out the truth. And then the proofs about you being dead, it killed me, Tessa.¡± He said. Anyone with eyes could tell how broken he was. The proofs of you being dead. Proof? They thought I was dead? I wanted to ask him what he meant, but no way in hell I was going to stand here and listen to this man. After what he did, I shouldn¡¯t be here standing and listening to him. He wasn¡¯t my friend. True friends know each other. They know what each other would do and what they wouldn¡¯t. Your friends would believe you and not what others say. Right? ¡°I get it, Jake. But you don¡¯t have to say sorry, it¡¯s not going to change anything. Maybe, what happened was a test? Sign? But it revealed something, maybe we weren¡¯t what we thought we were. I moved on from my past life, Jake. I¡¯m not going back. Please, just go away. Forget we ever knew each other, please.¡± I pleaded. And I meant it. Hising back here was like taking a little run back to my old life. ¡°Tessa.¡± ¡°I mean it!¡± I snapped. He looked taken aback by my sudden outburst. Giving him another pointed look, I walked away. Damn, I wasn¡¯t even harsh to Austin as I was to him. Probably because I wasn¡¯t expecting what I got from him. It was called for from Austin, but it was so uncalled for from Jake. They¡¯re both jerks. Immediately I paid off my debt, I wouldn¡¯t let any of them near me, if they try toe near me, I¡¯d call the cops on them and then insult them right to their faces. I got to Anne¡¯s room. ~ **** Third Person¡¯s POV **** ~ ¡°This has to work, I can¡¯t stand the risks if this fails,¡± Yvonne said through the phone to Cedric. ¡°There isn¡¯t any need to worry about this, okay? I¡¯m 99% sure it¡¯s going to work. She¡¯s very vulnerable.¡± Cedric replied. He knew he could get to her after he spoke with her earlier. It was a very easy task. He wasn¡¯t surprised Yvonne had given such a task before he met Tessa, because he thought, as usual, it might be a difficult task which turned out to be theplete opposite. Their target was very easy and he knew he had taken a huge step in this. Cedric has known Yvonne for 3 years now, they were really good friends. Probably because they enjoyed doing the same thing, making people suffer¡­ His mind went back to earlier when he had met Tessa. She¡¯s really beautiful, indeed. He thought. ¡°Oh? Why aren¡¯t you 100% sure? I don¡¯t want this to go wrong, we can¡¯t take such a risk. From what I¡¯ve seen, Austin really loves her and nothing is going to stop him from persuading her now.¡± Yvonneined. For some unknown reason, Cedric¡¯s heart tugged at the thought of Austining after Tessa. Meeting Tessa earlier made a massive impact on his heart. It was something new, or something old he never thought he was going to experience again ¨C love. He shook his head clearing any kind of thought in his head. His task was to bait her and make her fall in love with him, so she wouldn¡¯t go to Austin. He wasn¡¯t nning on actually falling in love though that would make this task much easier he couldn¡¯t fall in love. The thought scared him, not after what he¡¯s been through in the past. He clutched his heart in pain remembering his past. ¡°Cedric?¡± Yvonne called to know if he was still on the call as he didn¡¯t reply for a long time. ¡°Yes?¡± Heposed himself. ¡°Are you okay? I must advise you, be careful with that Tessa girl. I think she¡¯s some kind of witch, she literally makes every good-looking guy she meets fall in love with her.¡± Yvonne said. Her voice was so bitter. It held so much hate. Cedric let out augh. ¡°Really?¡± He asked. If it was true, then he must have already fallen for her ¡®spell¡¯. ¡°Yes, but since this is all about making her fall in love with you, you have to make her believe you¡¯re really in love with her, it¡¯s just for a couple of years, alright?¡± It¡¯s just for a couple of years. Typical Yvonne, she always cared for herself way more than she would care for others, even when she¡¯s the one always bringing up risky ideas. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Cedric, what¡¯s wrong with you? You sound way off,¡± Yvonneined. Then she gasped. ¡°Oh my God, don¡¯t tell me..¡± She cuts herself off with a thought. There isn¡¯t anything actually going to go wrong with this, in fact, the n would work 100% with this. She thought. ¡°Okay, I need to do something now, make sure you see her before nightfall. Bye.¡± She said cutting off the call. Cedric sighed. He took the ss of wine before him and took a sip. He wasn¡¯t sure how long he was going to go pretending disabled. He wasn¡¯t also sure how he was going to keep up with this n. He walked over to his bed andy down. With a hand over his head, memories of earlier when he had met Tessa flew through his brain. He couldn¡¯t stop thinking of her no matter how he tried. ~ TWO DAYS LATER **** Tessa¡¯s POV **** ~ It was Anne¡¯s release say and I couldn¡¯t be happier. It was like things started working out for me suddenly, I managed to get a job also¡­ In a restaurant, it¡¯s really good pay. As much as I wanted to get a job in an advancedpany, I couldn¡¯t. I lost all my credentials. I started gathering money to pay Austin back and thankfully, I haven¡¯t heard from him or Jake. After an hour of collecting all the necessary things and drugs from the hospital, we returned home. It was surely a great day. My phone rang, taking it from my jeans pocket, I looked at the caller¡¯s id. Cedric. . . . ¡­¡­.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 35 Ever since that day I met Cedric at the hospital, we¡¯ve been talking and all. I got to know more about him. ording to the doctor, the cast would be removed from his legs less than a week from now. I was happy for him, I can¡¯t imagine not using your own legs to walk especially being that young. Cedric seems to be a very shy person, well most of the time. I met his mom just yesterday when she hade to pay him a visit. I became really nervous around them when his mom suddenly started talking about how he should start searching for ady. I learnt he hadn¡¯t dated for a few years after the heartbreak he went through in hisst rtionship. I became even more ufortable when his mom said I was the right type for him. I¡¯ve never even thought of being in a rtionship after my divorce from Carson. Cedric¡¯s mom also seems to be a very nice person¡­ And vulnerable, which makes me think she must have been through a lot. I felt like I could rte to her. ¡°Hello,¡± I said as I answered the call. ¡°Hey, you¡¯ve gotten home?¡± He asked. ¡°Yes, we just arrived,¡± I replied. My face suddenly turned pink. It¡¯s been a long since I¡¯ve heard such questions from a male. From the way, he stared at you earlier¡­ I think he has something for you, he may be handsome and all but I don¡¯t think he deserves you, someone like Austin does. Kara¡¯s voice rang in my head. She was officially obsessed with Austin. He sure did look at me like he had something for me but it could only be my imagination. What if it isn¡¯t? Then, oh God. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s nice. I¡¯m sorry if my mom scared you earlier.¡± He said with a nervousugh. Iughed back, nervously. She sure did scare me¡­ With her marriage stuff¡­ ¡°Oh¡­ No problem?¡± I said it was more like a question. I wasn¡¯t sure of what to say. He chuckled. My heart leapt as it reminded me of Jake. ~ **** Third Person¡¯s POV **** ~ Gulping down another bottle of alcohol, Jake winced remembering the words Tessa said earlier. He couldn¡¯t me her, he messed up big time. He knew she didn¡¯t want him anywhere near her, all he could do at that moment was to respect what she wanted ¨C him being far away from her. But he wasn¡¯t ever going to stop checking in on her¡­ ~ 1 week Later ~ Iy down on my bed, on my phone. It was 10 pm. ¡®You looked beautiful, earlier¡¯ Cedric texted this for probably the 10th time. I couldn¡¯t believe he was actually flirting. My face was extremely red. Cedric requested to know where I live a day before yesterday and today he was here at my ce. I found myself smiling at his texts, I just couldn¡¯t help myself. Did I have some sort of feelings for him? ¡®Cedric, you¡¯ve texted that a thousand times now¡¯ I texted back. ¡®I can¡¯t help it¡­ Tessa? Can I ask a question?¡¯ He texted. My heart skipped. Oh my, what was he going to ask now? ¡®Are you in any sort of rtionship?¡¯ He texted after 2 minutes. I thought he must have already noticed I wasn¡¯t in any sort of rtionship. ¡®No, are you?¡¯ I typed but deleted ¡®are you?¡¯ and sent it ¡®No..¡¯ He replied in less than a minute. ¡®I don¡¯t know why I feel relieved by that¡­¡¯ He said. I didn¡¯t know what to say so I didn¡¯t text anything back. He texts me again in a few minutes. ¡®Can I ask another question?¡¯ His text said. ¡®Sure¡¯ I replied. ¡®Would you like to go out with me for dinner tomorrow night?¡¯ He texted. I gulped. He was actually asking me out, Oh my God. I reread the text over and over again to make sure I had read it well. I did read it well. It felt unreal. It took a few minutes for my brain to process it, apparently. ¡®Sure, I¡¯d love to¡¯ I texted back. I bit my lower lip, fumbling with my phone. Wow¡­ ~ It was a normal day, as usual, woke up, prepared and take Anne to school, and Go to work. I got texts from Cedric as well. Reminding me of our date tonight. I left work early. On getting home with Anne, I looked for an item of nice clothing. All my clothes were pretty cheap and most were gowns so I managed to find a nice blue flowery gown. I dressed up and of course, I wasn¡¯t wearing any makeup. I haven¡¯t used makeup since I lost my home. Makeups are expensive and I didn¡¯t really need them.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. Kara had promised to help me with Anne that night. Exactly 6 pm. A fancy white car was in front of the house. Cedric came out. I didn¡¯t know he was this rich¡­ ¡°Hi, you look beautiful..¡± He said with a smile as he got closer to me. I managed to stop myself from blushing. ¡°Tha-¡± A car roaring cut me off. I looked in the direction where it came from, a very expensive-looking ck car was in front of us. I looked at it confusedly. What the hell? The door opened and a casually looking Austin got out, I could have guessed. What was he even doing here? I folded my arms against my chest with a scowl. He got closer. ¡°What do you want here?¡± I asked. I noticed him eyeing Cedric. A scowl formed in the corner of his mouth. But he masked it quickly. He smiled. ¡°I came to get my money.¡± He said arrogantly. ¡°Look, I told you, I¡¯m going to pay you if I¡¯ve gotten the money. You didn¡¯t have toe here, I said I was going to give you a cal-¡± He cut me off. ¡°You think I¡¯m going to wait till we turn skeletons before I get my money back from you?¡± He asked. He just wanted to get me annoyed. He has more than enough money to take care of himself before I pay him back. ¡°Tessa¡­ How much do you owe him?¡± I heard Cedric ask. I looked down ashamed. Way to go Austin, you ruined my date. ¡°I don¡¯t see how it concerns you.¡± I heard Austin say to Cedric. ¡°Don¡¯t mind him, Cedric,¡± I said quickly. Austin looks like he was ready to fight him. ¡°What do you owe him?¡± Cedric asked again. ¡°Well, he had helped me pay for my daughter¡¯s hospital bills..¡± ¡°How much is it?¡± ¡°16 thousand dors. But I told him I¡¯m going to pay back..¡± I¡¯m not sure he listened to what I said as he quickly walked towards his car. I used the meantime shooting res at Austin and telling him to leave. But Austin being Austin, didn¡¯t look like he gave a f*uk of what I was saying. Cedric came back with a paper with him. He handed it to Austin but Austin again didn¡¯t move his hand. ¡°Here¡¯s your money back, you can keep the change., Cedric said. It must have angered Austin as he gave him a menacing look, daring him to repeat what he said. Oh my God, they were going to fight. ¡°Just take it and leave., Cedric said. ¡°I told you, this isn¡¯t your business. She¡¯s the one owing me, not you.¡± Austin said with a scowl. ¡°Well yeah, but I¡¯m paying on behalf of her. You wanted payments right?¡± Cedric asked. Austin¡¯s jaw clenched. ¡°What are you?¡± He asked Cedric. . . . ¡­¡­. Chapter 36 ¡°I think you meant who. I¡¯m giving you back the money she owes, just take it and leave.¡± His jaw clenched. They were going to fight. At least from what I see. But I hope not. What the hell is wrong with Austin? I think he¡¯s enjoying all this, making unnecessary scenes in my life. Ugh. Knowing Austin, he isn¡¯t the type who takes insult very well and that¡¯s an insult to him. He¡¯s probably going to pretend he didn¡¯t hear what Cedric had said then ask him to repeat what he said. I hope, and then maybe Cedric may repeat it less insulting because I don¡¯t want them fighting here. It¡¯s going to create so much noise and the olddy leaving next door hates noise. I remembered thest time Anne had gone off crying so loud, the old Lady suddenly came out with a shotgun, cussing at us. But Austin didn¡¯t, instead, he raised his feast hitting Cedric in his face, Cedric practically flew back with a groan, from the sudden impact. I screamed. ¡°Oh my God! Will you stop?!¡± I screamed at Austin hitting his chest and pushing him away with my tiny fist as he was going for Cedric again. Bad option, it only hurt my hand. Real bad. ¡°I¡¯m tired of you constantly causing trouble in my life, what? Haven¡¯t you done enough? I don¡¯t get why you¡¯re even here, i-¡± he cuts me off. ¡°Tess-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even say my name!¡± I spat disgustedly. ring at him, I turned towards Cedric. I bent down to help him up, there was blood in his mouth. Oh my. ¡°You can follow me in, I¡¯d help you clean this up.¡± I offered, and he nodded his head yes. We slowly walked into the house. I mmed the door shut to make sure Austin got the message. I brought out a chair for Cedric to sit down. His hand was on his jaw, it still hurts. That was quite a blow. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry this happened, I. I didn¡¯t know he was going to be here..¡± I apologized. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Tessa. It¡¯s not your fault.¡± He replied understandingly. ¡°Well, there goes our dinner date.¡± Iughed nervously. ¡°Yeah,¡± He replied ¡°Howe I don¡¯t see anyone?¡± He asked. ¡°Oh, since I was going on a date.. kara decided to take Anne and her mom on a movie date.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± He replied. ¡°You know, we could make our date happen here.¡± He continued. I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Well, we were going out for dinner. We could have dinner here together. Also, I¡¯m dying to taste your food, I bet you¡¯re a very good cook.¡± He suddenly said making me giggle. My cheeks were on fire. Don¡¯t mean to brag, but I¡¯m very good at cooking. This conversation brought a lot of memories of when I was with Carson. ¡°Yes, I¡¯d go prepare something right now,¡± I said like a child on Christmas. ~ Third Person¡¯s POV ~ the sweet aroma of food spreads through the house. Tessa was busy in the kitchen, trying to make her food taste good as far as she can. Cedric smiled. He knew she was putting in so much effort to impress him with her food. It was working. The n. Cedric frowned to himself as the thought of the n came to his head. As much as he wanted to ignore the feelings he knew he was growing for her, he couldn¡¯t. And for the first time, he¡¯s thinking about going through with his feelings and not his n. Technically, they were both the same. But also different, the n stated getting her heartbroken after it was all done. But now he couldn¡¯t think of breaking her heart. She was so fragile. Yep, he was whipped. Now his goal was straight. And much easier. He looked out through the window and noticed Austin¡¯s car. The hate he had suddenly grew for Austin was unimaginable. Not because of what happened earlier, but because he felt like Austin waspeting against him in terms of Tessa. He knew Austin loves Tessa, of course, that was the goal of the n in the first ce, to make sure Austin and Tessa don¡¯t get together¡­ He scowled but quickly turned into an evil smile, the ball was already in his court. He wonders how Austin would feel when he gets together with Tessa. The door to Austin¡¯s car opened and Austin came out looking directly at the apartment. Worries, regrets, and of course jealousy were written all over his face. Cedric smiled imagining the things going on in Austin¡¯s head. He hoped it was scenarios of him having sex with Tessa going through Austin¡¯s head. That would probably kill him. Cedric chuckled and closed the curtains. He walked over to the kitchen. Tessa was still focused on what she was doing. He eyed her. Tessa must have sensed him as she turned around. She smiled, and he returned the smile. ¡°It¡¯s almost ready.¡± She said and turned back to what she was doing. He nodded his head and walked closer to her. Her skin glowed in the not-so-bright light. She looked so inviting. What the hell what he doing?! But he couldn¡¯t stop himself. When he was very close to her, he ced his hand on her waist. She jumped. That was a clue, he went too far. ¡°Sorry, something was stuck there.¡± He lied. A very stupid lie. ¡°Oh. Thanks?¡± She replied nervously calming herself. Her heart had flown away. ¡°No problem, so. Are Kara and the resting back anytime soon?¡± He suddenly asked. ¡°Uh. I don¡¯t think so.¡± She replied. She was done, she served two tes and went over to the dining table and ced the tes. ¡°Looks good.¡± Cedricplimented sitting down. ¡°Thanks.¡± She replied gratefully. Cedric took a spoon of it, his eyes grew. ¡°Wow, it tastes very good.¡± Heplimented. She giggled slightly. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said shyly. They ate silently till half of the te was eaten. ¡°Were you ever in a rtionship with that Austin guy?¡± Cedric asked. It kinda threw Tessa back as she wasn¡¯t expecting that question, she thought he must have already known. ¡°No,¡± Tessa replied. ¡°Ah. Nice. So. I think we have to get to know each other more.¡± Cedric offered. She nodded her head in agreement. ¡°Well, I think so too.¡± ¡°20 questions?¡± He asked. ¡°Sure¡­ As soon as we¡¯re done eating.¡± She replied. He agreed and they continued eating. A few minutester, they were done. They went to the living room and sat down. ¡°So.. Who goes first?¡± Tessa asked awkwardly. ¡°You.¡± He said. ¡°Okay¡­ How¡¯d you get that ident?¡± She asked. She has always been curious since he told her about the ident he had but he never told her how he got it. ¡°I was on my way to see my mom, a truck was headed towards my car and I couldn¡¯t see it on time, it hit my car.¡± He exined. Her mouth formed into an ¡®o¡¯ ¡°My turn, do you have any connection with your ex-husband?¡± He asked. ¡°No, I don¡¯t,¡± I replied. ¡°Uh..¡± She started thinking of what to ask. ¡°Where are you from?¡± She asked. ¡°Britain,¡± He replied. ¡°Do you have any sort of feelings for me? Austin?¡± He asked. His questions are unexpected. Unlike the other questions she had answered almost instantly, it wasn¡¯t the same as this one. Did I have any feelings for Austin? She asked herself Hell. Yeah. Her subconsciousness replied. It was eating her, she wasn¡¯t supposed to feel anything for Austin. It was disgusting, after everything he had done to her but she couldn¡¯t help herself. Austin has always managed to be in her mind, she¡¯d always think of him, either positive or negative. I¡¯m an idiot, seriously. I shouldn¡¯t be having such feelings for Austin, it¡¯s ridiculous. If I can¡¯t convince myself that I don¡¯t like Austin then I would have to force myself to believe so. But it was so hard for her to say ¡®no¡¯ instantly at that moment. Suddenly there were thunders. ¡°I¡¯d go close the curtains.¡± She used that as an excuse. She stood up and quickly walk off. Cedric watched her as she walked away. She does love him. It was surprisingly hard for him to admit it. He would have to change that. To make her love him instead. Hopefully, it was going to be easy. It wasn¡¯t. Not at all. There¡¯d be a time when he would have to use force. He sighed. Minutester Tessa return. ¡°It¡¯ste already. I think you should be heading home?¡± She said. He looked at the time 10:33 pm. And it was raining heavily. The hotel he was staying in would probably be locked up. ¡°In this weather?¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± The situation was awkward for her and she didn¡¯t know how to handle it. ¡°We didn¡¯t finish the game by the way.¡± ¡°Yes. But I¡¯m very tired right now, maybe some other time?¡± ¡°Sure. You can go rx, I¡¯d be fine here.¡± He said. She nodded her head before turning back to her room. She called Kara to make sure they were all okay before she had gone to sleep. ~ Next Two Days Tessa¡¯s POV ~ I dropped Anne in the daycare home before going off to work. I haven¡¯t seen Cedric, but I have heard from him and thankfully, everything was back to normal. And it wasn¡¯t awkward between us anymore. I walked slowly on the sidewalk when suddenly everything was in slow motion. A ck car was heading directly to where I was walking. My eyes widened, oh my God. It was going to hit me. I wasn¡¯t exactly good at running. ¡°Tessa!! Step away-¡± Everything happened slowly and before I knew it I was on the floor with someone on me. ¡°Tessa, are you okay?¡± The voice asked. I was in so much shock that I couldn¡¯t recognize who has the voice. After a few minutes, I was back. Oh thank goodness, I wasn¡¯t hurt. I looked at the person who had saved me. Cedric. ¡°Oh my God, Cedric.¡± ¡°What the hell were you thinking? You could have gotten yourself killed.¡± He said but breathed out a sigh of relief at the end. What was I thinking? I wasn¡¯t thinking anything! That car was going to kill me purposely. It wasn¡¯t an incident, I know it. Jesus. Someone was out to kill me. What if it was those people who had brought us here? Was my daughter safe? ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking about anything, Cedric. Whoever has that car is out to kill me!¡± ¡°I know.¡± He suddenly said. Did he know? At least he doesn¡¯t think I¡¯m crazy or making this up. We got back to our feet. ¡°I think I know who¡¯s behind this.¡± He said. I became curious. Did he know? If we know who¡¯s behind all this, then we¡¯d be able to bring the person down. ¡°Yes. Jake and Austin.¡± He said. There are many Jakes and Austins in this world, he¡¯s probably not talking about the ones I knew. ¡°Jake and Austin who?¡± I asked curiously.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°The ones you know.¡± He replied steadily. I wanted tough, I don¡¯t believe Jake and Austin has anything to do with this. I and Jake might have a nonexistent rtionship right now, he might hate me but I don¡¯t believe he would go as far as wanting me dead. Would he? How did Cedric even know I know someone called Jake? ¡°How did you know I know someone called Jake?¡± I asked. ¡°That night. After we got into your apartment and you were cooking. I noticed Austin wasn¡¯t gone still, I saw him through the window. He made a call with someone named Jake. They talked about something simr to this.¡± He said. It was so unbelievable. There was no way I¡¯m believing this, not until I see proof. ¡°It¡¯s crazy, I know but it¡¯s true. I have proof.¡± He said firmly. My heartbeat raised hearing that. ¡°C-can I see it?¡± I asked. ¡°Sure.¡± He replied bringing out his phone, he yed an audio tape and the voice speaking was very simr to that of Austin¡¯s. That could be forged right? It wasmanding exactly what had happened a few minutes ago. ¡°B-but that¡¯s not¡­ Enough proof.¡± I said. ~ ¡°I-i don¡¯t get why they¡¯d want me dead.¡± I whimpered. ¡°I think it¡¯s because they¡¯re bitter.¡± ¡°Over what?¡± I asked stepping into the house. There was more than enough proof, they did try to kill me. It was very difficult to believe at first and then it turned out to be true after the cops had managed to track down the car. Jake wants me dead¡­ It¡¯s unfortunate, I can¡¯t do anything about it because of how powerful they were. It was sick. A few years back, I would never have believed Jake would do a thing like this. ¡°Are you crying?¡± Cedric asked. ¡°N-no.¡± It came out as a pathetic cry. Cedric came closer to me and encouraged me to cry on his chest. I broke down and did so. It was a really painful moment for me. . . . ¡­¡­.. Chapter 37 ~ 2 weeks Later ~ ¡®You wanna go out for dinner tonight?¡¯ Cedric texted reminding me of what happened thest time we were supposed to go out for dinner. But then Austin ruined it. I¡¯m pretty sure he wouldn¡¯te over here anymore. If he has brains, I¡¯m sure he already knows by now that I found out about their sick n. If I see him here, I¡¯m good to pour a bucket of hot water on him, I swear. If you want to spend your life in jail, then do it. Oh, he tried to kill me? And he didn¡¯t get arrested for it? Goddamn rich people! Both he and Jake can go rot in hell, my hatred for those two is real now. If only there was a way to get them back. Dinner tonight? It¡¯s really hard really to go on these dates when I have Anne. Especially when she was going to sleep in. Last time, she went out with Kara. I¡¯m going to have to put her to sleep before I leave. ~ Next Day ~ I had returned from the dinner and date with Cedric by 2 am and my life will never be the same now. I couldn¡¯t sleep at all, even being exhausted. ¡®Tessa¡­ It might feel so quick to you but it isn¡¯t. The very moment I met you, it was like a spell was cast and everything stopped at that moment. Ever since then my life hasn¡¯t been the same, I can¡¯t go a day without thinking of you, it¡¯s crazy, I know but. I think I¡¯m in love with you. No, I¡¯m definitely in love with you.¡¯ Everything had stopped at that moment. Cedric wasn¡¯t the shy type at all, he always goes straight to the point. I gulped waiting for what he was going to say next. It was very obvious though. Then it came ¡®will you be my girlfriend?¡¯ I¡¯m pretty sure the earth had stopped at that moment. I didn¡¯t reply for what seemed like hours, I waspletely frozen. But I was finally able to say yes. It¡¯s crazy. It feels weird, I was no longer single. I was in an actual rtionship. Jesus. My phone suddenly rang startling me, I rolled over to the nightstand to pick it up. It was an unknown number. Ugh, who would be calling me with an unknown number? I answered the call. ¡°Hello, who is this?¡± I asked. ¡°Tessa, i-¡± Okay that¡¯s Jake¡¯s voice. I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s calling me after what he did, he has no shame. ¡°What the hell is wrong with you?! Like I said, just leave me alone! It¡¯s crazy you called after what you did!¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t act dumb, you know what you did. I¡¯m not going to answer any unknown call again. Because of you. Just stop calling me!¡± I snapped cutting off the call. He did dare call. Okay Tessa, don¡¯t let that spoil your day. I calmed myself. I got up from the bed to the bathroom, did my business, and got out. It was a Saturday. I got out of the room to the living room, my eyes widened at who I saw right in the living room. Austin. My face turned red from anger. He hasn¡¯t seen me as he was facing the other way. I was going to scream at him when I was suddenly being dragged away. ¡°Shhh!¡± Kara shushed. ¡°What? I can¡¯t believe you¡¯d let him in here after wh-¡± I cut myself off, I forgot I haven¡¯t told Kara what he did yet, I wasn¡¯t supposed to tell her now. ¡°After?¡± ¡°Nothing. But why did you let hime in here?! You know how much I hate that man!¡± ¡°I know, but I think we¡¯re in trouble..¡± She said. ¡°What trouble?¡± I asked. ¡°You know the olddy next door? She came here less than an hour ago and said she¡¯s on her way to go sue you, she looked very angry.¡± She said. Ugh, what did I do now? I know thatdy hates me, for no reason in particr. ¡°What did she say I did?¡± ¡°She was talking about how you scratched her yesterday.¡± Oh, she¡¯s going to sue me for that? It was a mistake and I was even helping her, she had asked me toe to help her! I scowled, the next time I see thatdy around me. Calm down! But that doesn¡¯t exin why Austin is here. ¡°And even more trouble. The rent is due next week and thendlord is going to sell this apartment to him.¡± For some reason, I wasn¡¯t exactly surprised. I should have been expecting something like this, all these stupid rich people oppressing the poor, they need to burn in hell. With my jaw clenched, I matched to the living room and stepped in front of Austin, he smirked. Arrogant much? ¡°You¡¯ve probably already heard by now.¡± He said. I was shooting daggers at him with my eyes. ¡°Yes, you tried to kill me but failed and now, you¡¯re trying to get me homeless.¡± I gritted out. He frowned. ¡°What do you mean to kill you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t act dumb! You¡¯re the biggest fool if you think you can get away with this! Out of all the buildings in this environment, you choose this one! Well isn¡¯t that a coincidence?¡± I snapped. The arrogant smirk returned to his face. I wanted to strangle him.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. ¡°I know right?¡± He chuckled. ¡°Such a huge coincidence.¡± He continued. ¡°Why this ce?¡± ¡°I just love the apartment, it looks cosy,¡± He smiled. ¡°I heard you guys don¡¯t have anywhere to go from here but I could share.¡± He shrugged. He was enjoying this. ¡°Share? You¡¯ve got to be kidding me. And by the way, why would a multi-billionaire want to live here when he can get the best apartments?¡± He looked at his wristwatch. ¡°I have to go now, I¡¯d be back when your rent is due.¡± He said walking towards the front door. I was fuming. ~ The doorbell dinged and I went over to the door to get it, there stood a man. He had a huge brown envelope in his hand. ¡°Are you Tessa Carl?¡± ¡°Uh. Yes.¡± ¡°This is for you.¡± He said. I thanked him and he walked away. I closed the door and opened the envelope. wsuit. My eyes widened. ~ ¡°She¡¯s seriously going through this? Why 200 thousand Euro.¡± I had no idea why, but there were chances she wouldn¡¯t win this right? What sort of proof had she even provided? ~ ¡°He did that?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I replied, sadly. By tomorrow, I¡¯d be homeless, again. Kara and her mom would go stay at their family house. They had offered for me toe with them but I can¡¯t. I seriously need to stop being a burden to others. We¡¯d just stay in a hotel for some time and I¡¯d work hard to rent an apartment. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry all this is happening to you, you¡¯re a very innocent soul and don¡¯t deserve to go through any of this,¡± Cedric said. ¡°Thanks. I need to go do something now, bye. I love you.¡± I said. It wasn¡¯t weird to say that to him anymore. It was like I¡¯d gotten used to it. ¡°I love you too, goodnight. We¡¯d talk tomorrow.¡± He said as the line went dead. ~ 3 monthster (sorry for the skip) ~ After I had stayed in the hotel for 3 weeks, I ran out of money. Cedric offered for me to stay at his ce, and after much frustration, I epted. About the Lawsuit, thedy had suddenly dropped it. For no reason in particr. But I think it¡¯s a miracle. After what Austin did, he still didn¡¯t stay out of my life. He always manages to find a way to annoy me. I know he already knows by now that Cedric and I were dating. My rtionship with Kara and her mom was still intact, well not intact. But we were still friends. We hadn¡¯t talked since a week ago when I had a fight with Kara about Cedric. ¡®I just don¡¯t like him, Tess. Something about him just screams danger, i-¡® ¡®Just stop, okay? I think you¡¯re overthinking things. He¡¯s a very good person. You don¡¯t understand..¡¯ ¡®No, you don¡¯t understand. You have to be careful, Tessa.¡¯ What she was saying was getting me mad. I knew from the start that she didn¡¯t like my rtionship with Austin. But what I do in that aspect doesn¡¯t concern her, does it? My rtionship with Cedric was very much obvious. We were heading towards the elevator, our hands locked. The elevator opened and I was not too surprised to see Austin. Wasn¡¯t he going to go back to America? Jeez. He was in a very expensive-looking suit. He looked really good too, probably all the girls in here were gawking at him. Pretty stupid for a good-looking man. His eyes fixated on mine and Cedric locked his hand. . . . ¡­¡­. Chapter 38 It was getting ufortable in this situation, you know, hand in hand with Cedric while Austin was staring at us like it was a normal thing to do. What if he wanted to start another fight? I know he really hates Cedric. It¡¯s so obvious. It¡¯s like he wants to pick a fight with Cedric every time they cross paths. And now they were having a staring contest. We have to leave to avoid any fight. Ugh, I wish Austin would just disappear and I would never have to see him again. I would definitely consider that a miracle. I grabbed Cedric by the arm and practically dragged him past Austin to the elevator. I sighed in relief when the elevator moved. After 4 minutes, we were out of the building. We got back into Cedric¡¯s car. He doesn¡¯t look happy anymore, like earlier when we had arrived, he was angry. At me? Oh no, that¡¯s not good. We literally just started our rtionship. Or he could be angry at Austin. Why would he be? It¡¯s not like they fought up there¡­ But they fought thest time they met at my house, well not fought but Austin did give him a blow, I guess he hates him after that. No doubt. ¡°Cedric, are you okay?¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± He asked, and it came out rude. I bit my lower lip. He must have realised what he did as he tried to amend it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to sound rude.¡± He apologised. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s okay,¡± I replied. And thankfully, he got back to his happy mood before we reached his ce. ~ TWO WEEKS LATER: ~ I squealed at the sight of what I saw on myputer. Oh my God, it actually did sell out. With lots of good reviews. I had used the little money I gathered to make shoes. With the help of a friend, of course. I wouldn¡¯t say the shoes were really bad for me to expect people not to buy them. They were fairly decent. I had drawn the decorations myself and wasn¡¯t expecting them to sell out so quickly. Oh my God, they must have really liked it so much. My phone rang, and I jumped a little. I looked at the caller¡¯s id. Celina. ¡°Hey, Tessa! Did you see it?! Your goods are sold out and the customers are asking for more! I told you, doing business with me is in and simple but-¡± I took the phone away from my ears. She was screaming. When I was sure she was done screaming, I ced it back on my ear. ¡°Oh my, I saw it. It¡¯s so hard to believe!¡± I said. ¡°Yup. So.. What are you nning on doing now? You know¡­ I was thinking you should make more with the money you made from this. You could blow up to a very huge businesswoman!¡± She eximed. That was surprisingly exactly what I was thinking. By doing this, I could change my and my daughter¡¯s life for good without leaning on anyone. Also, I could pay off all my debts. The one I owe Austin right now is my biggest debt. ¡°Yes, definitely,¡± I replied. We talked for a few more minutes about what to do next. I was about to fulfil my dreams. When I was a young girl, I had always wanted to be a businesswoman. I wanted a wide range of business. If I had enough money, I would definitely have added a clothing line to what I¡¯m doing now, but I only have enough for shoes right now. When I was married to Carson, I didn¡¯t tell him about any of this, simply because I thought it was too much to ask from him. And when I had a job, I also feared I would lose a lot if I turned it into a business. Every time I thought of it, that would when an article suddenly pops up about how someone loses so much money from something I was thinking I should do. I felt so discouraged so I decided to stick to a job instead. Cedric doesn¡¯t know anything about what I was doing, I wanted it to be a surprise. I bet he would be so happy to know about this. I¡¯d be very independent. I really want to know how it feels¡­ But patience is the key. I looked at the time, 4:56 pm. Cedric normallyes back from work at 6 pm. I have to prepare something! He really loves it whenever I cook. It would all glide well with what I¡¯m about to tell him. ¡°Anne?¡± I called. She was ying with the toy I bought for her 3 weeks ago. Only God knows how much she loves it. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Wanna join mommy cook?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes!¡± She jumped up and came over to me, we walked to the kitchen. 1 hour Later. I looked proudly at the work I just did. It looked so good¡­ And also tasted so good. Cedric is definitely going to like this. ¡°Good job, Anne.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± She replied licking her fingers. I shook my head. I served the food. Anne wasn¡¯t tall enough to eat at arge table so I served her food at her table. I took her to the room, bathed her quickly and did everything that was supposed to be done. I heard the doorbell ding. He¡¯s here. I strolled over to the front door and opened it. I gave a friendly smile to him. ¡°Hey, babe.¡± He said giving me a hug. I hugged him back. We walked into the house. ¡°Someone looks excited.¡± He teased. ¡°Yes!¡± I replied. ¡°So.. Do you want to go straight to the food or..¡± ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡± He said. I giggled. We sat down at the dining table and I watched him take a bite of his food. He moaned. ¡°This is so good.¡± He said. ¡°Thanks, babe,¡± I replied. I took a bite from my te and we ate. ¡°So.. There¡¯s something I want to talk to you about.¡± I started. He chuckled. ¡°I knew there was something in between that sudden hyper spirit. Go ahead.¡± I smiled and told him everything. By the end of it, I was expecting him to be all smiley and telling me congrattions and all those stuff, but he didn¡¯t. Instead, he frowned. ¡°Since when has this been going on?¡± He asked. Ah jeez. He didn¡¯t sound happy about it. He was supposed to be happy for me. ¡°Uh, A month now,¡± I replied. He gave me a scowl. ¡°And you didn¡¯t think of telling me about it earlier?¡± ¡°I-i wanted it to be a surprise..¡± I stuttered. He scoffed. ¡°I told you, you aren¡¯t supposed to keep secrets from me!¡± He snapped, suddenly. Why was he like this? I know he said that, but not all secrets, right? So stupid of me, once again, I have managed to make him this angry. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°You have to drop it.¡± He said. My eyes widened. He wanted me to drop it? How was I supposed to do that? I can¡¯t on this one. ¡°What are you talking about¡­ You know, you should be happ-¡± He cuts me off. ¡°What the fuck are you trying to get on?¡± He snapped. I froze. ¡°Ced-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even say my name,¡± He said getting up. He got closer to me. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say it twice, Baby, Just do as I said.¡± And with that, he walked away leaving me shaking.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. What just happened? He abused you. No, I¡¯m sure he didn¡¯t mean to do that¡­ I have a feeling that Cedric has anger issues. I mean, that would exin his outbursts. Ah, thank goodness I had already put Anne to sleep. ~ Iy on my bed, thinking about earlier. Why would he ask me to drop it? I love Cedric, but I couldn¡¯t on this one. This was a huge chance for me. If he loves me, he would want me to do what would make me happy. This wasn¡¯t the first time Cedric made such an outburst. It felt like he has done this a thousand times since I had started living with him. He sure does have anger issues. I needed to help him with that. My eyes were betraying me and before I knew it, I was asleep. I think it was going to rain. It felt like someone¡¯s hand was up on my thigh¡­ I wasn¡¯t supposed to be dreaming wet dreams. But it felt so real¡­ I tried to open my eyes but I was just so tired. After much effort, I opened it. My eyes widened and sleep was immediately off me. ¡°Cedric?¡± I said. What was he doing here? We might be together but we didn¡¯t share a bed. I find it weird because we weren¡¯t married or engaged. He had asked several times but I always came up with an excuse. He was the one touching me? Like that? ¡°I came to apologise for earlier¡­ I didn¡¯t know what got into me¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± He apologised. I just stared at him for seconds. What I was thinking was why wasn¡¯t he happy about what I told him earlier? He was supposed to be. That¡¯s what partners are supposed to be like. Be happy for each other¡¯s progress. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Cedric¡­ I just want to know-¡± He cut me off when he suddenly ced his lips on mine. It went on for about a minute before I pulled away. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do any of those, Tess.¡± ¡°Bu-¡± ¡°Tessa, I told you. Just leave it.¡± He sounded so mean, angry. This wasn¡¯t right at all. He shouldn¡¯t be telling me what or not to do in that aspect. What¡¯s wrong with him? I frowned. This is wrong in all aspects. I tried to stand up but his hand tightened on my thigh keeping me in ce. ¡°Let me go, Cedric.¡± ¡°Where are you going?¡± I scoffed. Now he was going to act innocent? Soft? He literally just shouted at me not even up to 3 minutes ago. He has been doing this so muchtely and I have had enough. He has no right to decide what I¡¯m going to do or not¡­ ¡°Anywhere from you. You¡¯re acting strange, you¡¯re supposed to be happy for me and here you are asking me to drop it.¡± I hissed. That didn¡¯t phase him, obviously. He shook his head and tsk. ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking you, baby. I was telling you.¡± ¡°What has gotten into you?!¡± I hissed. I used the strength I had to push him away and thankfully, it made a little impact. I used the opportunity and quickly got away from the bed. And before I knew it, I was backed up on the wall. ¡°Tessa, just listen to me.¡± ¡°Listen to you? You¡¯ve gone crazy, out of your mind. You should listen to me, we might be together but that doesn¡¯t mean you can control me. I¡¯m a grown woman, not a child you tell me what to do, if you¡¯re not okay with what I¡¯m about to do, then let¡¯s break up. I have enough money to find myself and my daughter a ce to stay!¡± I snapped. I haven¡¯t been this angry in months. He looked taken aback by my sudden outburst but recovered from it a few secondster. I felt a sharp pain in my face, and only then I realised he had pped me. How had it escted this far? He just hit me. Something I never thought he would ever do. You¡¯re going to stay with him after this? My subconsciousness asked. Hell no, there wasn¡¯t any way I was going to stay here after all that has happened. I¡¯m done with him. He¡¯s a monster, an abuser. Only God knows how much I wanted to hit him so badly, but it would be useless, I doubt I could bring any other harm to him. I¡¯d just end up hurting myself more. Who knows? He might even hit me again. ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not.¡± ¡°Yes, I am. There¡¯s no way I would spend another minute here!¡± I screamed. ¡°I said you¡¯re fucking not, I swear to God, Tessa, I will fucking kill you before you do.¡± ¡°Let go of me, you son of a bitch!¡± I screamed, cussing at him. Was this the first time I cussed like that? I managed to squirm away from him, I was going to run towards the door but he managed to get hold of me. A cloth was ced over my nose. I cked out. . . . ¡­.. Chapter 39 I fluttered my eyes trying to get them open. How long have I been asleep? It felt like days. After much effort in trying to get them opened. It finally responded. My eyes opened to see those familiar haunting blue eyes. The painful memories came back, I looked at where I was. A bed. With him, what would I be doing here¡­ With him?Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. Oh yeah, he did something to make me fall asleep. I was panicking. What if¡­ What if¡­ ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything¡­ Yet.¡± He said. I snapped out of my thought and jumped out of the bed. I looked for something to use to protect myself and possibly escape. But there was nothing around. He must have taken everything away. I¡¯m sure he knew I was going to try and hit him with something.. I mean, who wouldn¡¯t? I looked down at my body to make sure I was well covered and thankfully, I was. This was the same clothing I worest night. But the room was different, very different. And something tells me we weren¡¯t in that same house we werest night. ¡°Why are you doing this?! Let me go or I swear to God, I¡¯m going to get you arrested!¡± I threatened. He smirked and got up from the bed and started walking closer to me. Only then I realised he was topless. I stepped backwards, looking for anything I could get my hands on to hit him. But there was nothing to use. ¡°Stay away from me!¡± I said getting in defensive mode. He didn¡¯t stop walking closer so I did the next thing in my mind. I kicked him in the guts. He screamed out, crouching down. I used the opportunity and bolted towards the door. I was right, this wasn¡¯t the house we were in. It was apletely different house. I opened the doors to all the rooms, hoping Anne was in one of them safe. ¡°Anne!¡± I called repeatedly over and over again. I stopped searching when I saw her. I gulped knowing who she was with¡­ Cedric. He held her with a gun pointed at her head. He held that smirk on his face as his eyes bored into mine. I gave him pleading eyes asking him not to do it. ¡°Mommy!¡± Anne called repeatedly. ¡°No, please Cedric, don¡¯t do this¡­ Please I beg of you!¡± I cried. He smirked harder. ¡°You know, you shouldn¡¯t have done what you did. Don¡¯t you think you should fix it?¡± He said taking the gun from Anne¡¯s head to point it at his dick. My eyes widened knowing what he meant. He has got to be kidding me. Don¡¯t underestimate him, Tessa¡­ If he¡¯s capable of doing all this¡­ He might also be capable of killing and raping. ¡°Please, Don¡¯t harm my child¡­ Please I beg of you.¡± ¡°Oh her?¡± He pointed the gun back toward Anne. I winced. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sweetheart. I may consider sparing her only if you fix this,¡± He said again. ¡°Just walk back into the room you came out from.¡± He continued. My breathing became ragged. I just wanted to wake up and someone would say this was all a dream. I couldn¡¯t believe this was actually happening. Once again, I managed to put myself and my daughter in danger. ¡°Plea-¡± ¡°Just fucking do it!¡± He snapped. Just do as he says¡­ If you want your child safe. I want her safe. She does not deserve to be in this kind of danger. He gestured his gun for me to turn around and that was what I did. I got back to the room I was in before biting my lip. I shouldn¡¯t havee back here without knowing if Anne is safe or not¡­ But this was the only way she would be safe¡­ For now. I was almost sure he wouldn¡¯t harm her if I do what he asks¡­ I stood there in the room quietly, thinking of what I had to do. I wish I had my phone. This is a nightmare. I couldn¡¯t believe Cedric was the one doing all this. He has been acting all this while. How could I not know? How could I have been so naive in trusting him? This wasn¡¯t the first time I was asked these questions. The door shutting got me out of my deep thoughts. My breath stopped in my throat when I saw him. ¡°Please, tell me she¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°She is. But not for long¡­ I mean, she would be okay if you just do what I want..¡± He said. I didn¡¯t like the way he said it. The way he said it was only hinting at a seemingly obvious thing¡­ Sex. He has to be kidding me, please tell me he was. I could always say no¡­ ¡°From the face, you¡¯re making, I¡¯m guessing you already know what I mean..¡± No, no! I wasn¡¯t going to do anything. If he¡¯s capable of doing all these, then he must be very capable of rape. ¡°Stay away from me, yo-¡± I raised my hand to hit him but he was really quick to grab my hand and before I knew it, I was on the bed with him towering over me. I winced. He smirked. ¡°I have always wanted to do this since the day I met you, Tess. It took so much effort to keep myself from doing this¡­ Don¡¯t bother to fight it, it¡¯s not like you haven¡¯t fucked before. Just do it for your child¡¯s safety.¡± He whispered. I shook my head violently. ¡°No, please no. Don¡¯t do this please, I would do anything you want but not this. Please!¡± ¡°But this is what I want..¡± He whispered kissing my ear lobe. Only God knows how disgusted I was. ¡°Why are you doing this? What have I ever done to you? Just let me go, please.¡± ¡°No.¡± He snapped. ¡°Now fix what you broke earlier.¡± He groaned. I burst out crying. I just couldn¡¯t handle my emotions. I was about to get raped. By someone, I didn¡¯t think would harm me. This really should be a lesson for me. If only a miracle would happen to get me out of this trouble. I felt the weight lift off my body. ¡°Tess..¡± He whispered cupping my face with his hands. He cleaned the tears away. If he was going to do this, why didn¡¯t just do it when I wasn¡¯t awake? I mean, I didn¡¯t want it, but to be awake, and experiencing this was torture. I ced my hand against his chest to push him away, again, he was quick to grab my hand. ¡°I might be able to hold myself now, but that doesn¡¯t mean I would stop myself next time, Tess..¡± ~ *** Third Person¡¯s Person¡¯s POV *** ~ She was beneath him, crying, squirming and whimpering. He wanted her so bad. He wanted to taste her so bad. But what was stopping him right now? Her tears. Maybe he had really fallen for her. All he wanted to do at that moment was to wipe away her tears and tell her she is okay. He has definitely gone soft because if he was his real self, he would have taken her when she was asleep. He would have also done it while she was awake, crying or not. He clenched his jaw and lifted his body away from hers. ¡°Tess..¡± He whispered cupping her face with his hands. She ced her hand against his chest to push him away but he was quick to grab it. ¡°I might be able to hold myself now, but that doesn¡¯t mean I would stop myself next time, Tess..¡± He said and it was true. He wasn¡¯t sure if he could stop himself for long. For long.. Haha, it¡¯s not like she¡¯s going to stay with you for ¡®long¡¯. There are going to find her very soon. What are you going to do then? His consciousness mocked. He wasn¡¯t nning on giving her up anytime soon, he wasn¡¯t sure if he would be able to. There was no way anyone would be able to find them here. What if someone finds out she¡¯s missing? Wow, his mind hadn¡¯t gone there. He could always threaten her to keep her mouth shut and pretend she is happy. She would do anything for her child, right? Definitely. He got up from the bed and walked out of the room. She got up too, dashing towards the door. She needed to know if her baby is okay. And he didn¡¯t say she should stay there. The passageway was empty. He walks real fast. ¡°Anne!¡± She called. She opened almost all the doors in the house, there was almost no hope of seeing Anne until a door opened. ¡°Mommy..¡± Anne came out rubbing her left eye. She must have been crying, Her face was so red. Tessa walked towards her, bending down, she hugged her like there was no tomorrow. ¡°Oh, my baby.¡± She whispered. She almost jumped when she heard a door m shut. She got up, held her daughter¡¯s hand and tried to find where the noise came from. Had he left the house? . . . ¡­¡­.. Chapter 40 ~ I found myself in a seeminglyrge living room. I huge window showed the front of the house. Going over to it. I saw Cedric entering his car and it drove off. He was gone. We need to escape. Hopefully, the front door won¡¯t be locked. Who am I kidding? Of course, it¡¯s going to be locked. My eyes became watery at the thought of not being able to escape from here. I hope Kara already noticed I¡¯m gone. I hope. Kara, She warned you about him. My subconsciousness scolded. I wish I had listened to her, what the hell was I thinking? I knew her long before him. I truly owe her a huge apology. I looked for the front door and found it a minuteter. I pulled out the door. It was locked. Oh, there goes my chance of escaping. I was stuck in a nightmare because of my stupid decision. I looked around the house if there was another door leading outside but there wasn¡¯t. The windows were all locked. I cried hugging Anne to my chest. ~ I almost jumped when I heard someone m the front door shut. Anne was sleeping on me, I must have fallen asleep. On a chair of course. I got up with Anne still asleep. Her stomach was growling. She must be so hungry. Oh, my poor baby. A few secondster Cedric was in front of me. My breath was stuck in my throat. ¡°Hey,¡± He greeted. I red at him. The only thing on my mind right now was to threaten him, possibly hurt him¡­ Now that Anne is with me, he can¡¯t threaten me. ¡°Let me out of this ce or I¡¯m going to¡­ To¡­ Uh,¡± I was lost for words, what was I going to threaten him about, calling the cops? He chuckled. ¡°Give her to me.¡± He said stretching out his hands towards Anne. ¡°No.¡± I snapped. ¡°Do I have to punish you?¡± He asked, clearly annoyed. ¡°Do I look like a child to you?¡± I asked back. He gritted his teeth and stuck his hand in his pocket bringing out a gun. Oh my God. How does he even carry a gun around? ¡°Fucking give her to me. I¡¯m not going to say it again.¡± He snapped. My breathing increased. There was a gun, pointing directly at Anne¡¯s back. Just give her to him. ¡°H-here¡­ Please don¡¯t harm her..¡± I pleaded over and over again. ¡°I won¡¯t¡­ If you do as I say, Tess,¡± He said. ¡°It¡¯s reallyte, you should go prepare dinner.¡± Oh, so he wants to make me his ve. If Anne wasn¡¯t in this, I really wouldn¡¯t have listened to him, I don¡¯t have any other family to be worried about apart from Anne.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. ¡°Okay..¡± I replied. He smiled and pointed towards where I should go. ~ After an hour I was done with everything, I was lost at first but Cedric had helped me out. He said he wouldn¡¯t help next time¡­ Next time¡­ I hope there wouldn¡¯t be a ¡°next time¡± of this. I hope someone would notice I was gone andin. I had fed Anne and myself. Cedric asked me to put her to sleep. I stayed in the room where I had toy Anne down. I hope he was going to let me stay here. The door opened and Cedric showed up. ¡°Is she asleep yet?¡± He asked. ¡°Uh..¡± She was asleep but I fear he was going to ask me toe with him if I told him she was. He walked closer to us. I gulped. ¡°Come.¡± He said grabbing my hand. I was forced to get up on my feet. He dragged me out of the room. Oh my God, what was he going to do with me? ¡°Cedric..¡± I called. He didn¡¯t stop until we were in a room¡­ The room we were in earlier. ¡°Sit on the bed.¡± He said. ¡°Ce-¡± He cuts me off. ¡°Just do it.¡± He barked. Fear consumed me and I went over to the bed, sitting at the edge. He soon joined me. ¡°There¡¯s something I want to tell you,¡± He said. ¡°I love you, Tess, I¡¯m doing this for us.¡± ¡°N-¡± He cuts me off, again. ¡°This is the only way we can stay together forever, I would do anything for us to remain like this. Even if it¡¯s against your will¡­ Others don¡¯t have to know anything about this and that¡¯s why you¡¯d tell them you¡¯re okay and not a word about anything that happened. Your friend, Kara called. Now you¡¯re going to call her back and tell her you¡¯re okay or you¡¯re going to lose your child, I bet you don¡¯t want Anne dead.¡± He said. I shook my head no. Warm and salty tears rolled out my eyes. ¡°So¡­ Are you going to do what I say or¡­¡± ¡°I-i would, please don¡¯t harm her..¡± He smirked. ¡°Good girl.¡± He said rubbing my thigh. He leaned in and pecked my lips. A phone rang. He stuck his hand into his pocket and brought out my phone. Someone was calling me. He looked at me. ¡°You¡¯re going to do as I say.¡± He said. I nodded my head. He gave me the phone. Kara was the one calling. With a shaky hand, I answered the call and ced it on my ear. ¡°H-hello?¡± I asked and Cedric threw a warning re at me. Cocking his gun. ¡°Tessa! I¡¯ve been calling you since yesterday, why weren¡¯t you picking up your calls? I was at your ce and you weren¡¯t there.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry¡­ I Uh, I misced my phone, I just found it.¡± I lied. ¡°Oh okay. But are you okay? You don¡¯t sound okay.¡± ¡°I am. Just¡­ Tired.¡± I lied¡­ Through my teeth. ¡°But why aren¡¯t you at home? I was at your house at 7 pm and you weren¡¯t there.¡± ¡°Oh, We Uh¡­ Went on vacation.¡± ¡°Uh?¡± ¡°I have to put Anne to sleep now, talk to youter,¡± I said hoping then, Cedric would leave me on my phone. Then I could tell her everything. But why would he? I don¡¯t think he¡¯s that stupid¡­ Cedric took the phone from me. ¡°What was the stuttering for?¡± ¡°I-i¡¯m sorry,¡± I said. He rolled his eyes. I noticed he was eyeing me. ¡°Cedric, are you going to let me go? Please don¡¯t keep me like this. I promise I won¡¯t tell anyone.¡± I tried. No harm in trying. ¡°No. Not before I get what I want.¡± ¡°W-hat do you want?¡± ¡°You. I want you to love me¡­ Tess.¡± If he wanted that then he wasn¡¯t going to let go of me. Only God knows when I would be out of here. ¡°Well, There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to love a monster like you,¡± I said. He smirked. ¡°I know you weren¡¯t going to. I would just get everything by force.¡± He saiding closer to me. Grabbing my hands. He kissed me on the lips, it was rough. So rough that it drew out blood from my lips. This was definitely some type of punishing me. I tried fighting him off but my strength was nowhere near his. I just cried as he forced himself on me. ~ *** Third Person¡¯s POV *** ~ ¡°There is definitely something going on mom. I know Tessa, she doesn¡¯t speak like that unless she¡¯s in some sort of trouble.¡± Kara told her mom who nodded her head in agreement. ¡°What do you think is going on?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. You know, I also suspect that her so-called boyfriend, Cedric. He¡¯s up to no Good. What if he has done something terrible to them!¡± ¡°Why would you think so? I don¡¯t see anything wrong with Cedric. He¡¯s a very good person.¡± Kara¡¯s mom said. Kara snorted. ¡°Let¡¯s just call the cops-¡± Her mom cut her off. ¡°Kara! You¡¯re being unreasonable. You heard it yourself, she¡¯s on VA. Wait, on vacation? I thought. But we can¡¯t jump to conclusions now, she said she is going to call you back. Right?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m gonna wait till then. I guess.¡± Kara replied. . . . ¡­¡­.. Chapter 41 ~ The next day, Kara got up from her bed. She didn¡¯t remember actually falling asleep, she had spent the whole night thinking of Tessa and her daughter. She knew something was off. Why didn¡¯t Tessa call her again? Maybe she might call today? Kara didn¡¯t know how to react. What if she calls the cops and asks for help only to find out Tessa and her child are indeed fine? Obviously, it was too soon toin, especially when she spoke to Tessast night and she confirmed that she is okay. She took her phone from the nightstand and dialled Tessa¡¯s number. Which was unusually switched off. She sighed. If she doesn¡¯t hear from her before today ends, she would definitely look for help. She took her phone, again to call Celina, who was Tessa¡¯s friend and business partner. She silently prayed she has some information about Tessa¡¯s whereabouts. ¡°Hey, do you know where Tessa is? I dialled her number over and over again but it¡¯s not going through.¡± Celina said immediately she answered the call. ¡°I was going to ask you the same thing, I managed to get her on the phonest night. But I think something is up, she said she is on vacation.¡± ¡°I talked to her a day before yesterday and she didn¡¯t tell me anything about vacation¡­ Why do you think something is up though?¡± ¡°The way she spoke, she sounded nervous, scared..¡± ¡°You know, the vacation thing is unbelievable. We talked about meeting up yesterday for a business meeting and she went on a vacation. I think we should notice the cops about this, Kara.¡± ¡°True! I would do that immediately.¡± She said. Confirmed, something was definitely going on. ~ **** Celina¡¯s POV **** ~ I spent the whole day wondering why Tessa¡¯s phone wasn¡¯t going through. My guess was that she is busy, I mean, she has been really busytely. Last week, this happened, I tried calling her but she did not pick up my calls, or call me back till the next day. So maybe she would call by tomorrow. But we nned on discussing it today¡­ About the business stuff. Let¡¯s just wait till tomorrow. I was getting ready for a friend¡¯s birthday party, his name is Louis. It starts at 10 pm and here I am starting to get ready by 8 pm. It¡¯s just me, I usually take two hours to get ready or sometimes a little more than that. Austin would be here before 10 pm to pick me up and he hates tardiness, he¡¯s probably going to get extremely angry for me taking so long and that¡¯s why I¡¯m trying my best to be fast. Austin and I have been friends since sophomore year. We met earlier before sophomore but we did not get along at first. Austin is an ignorant nutcrack and a bully. I asked him toe to pick me up because my car was having issues and he was the closest person around to ask. An hour and 40 minutes passed, and a car honked in front of my house. I walked over to the curtains, fixing my earrings. Opening the curtain, a white Lamborghini was parked in front of my apartment. Austin. Ah. I haven¡¯t put on my makeup yet. Rushing over to the mirror, I took out my makeup. And hurriedly paint my face. The car honked again. I knew he wasn¡¯t going toe here. This makes me kinda happy as I won¡¯t see his annoyed face while putting on my makeup. 20 minutester, I was done. I took my bag and walked out of the house. I locked my door and strolled towards Austin¡¯s car. The windows were closed and tainted pitched dark. The car wasn¡¯t locked so I just opened the door and entered. A rush of coldness hit me, the A. C was on. The familiar inviting scent filled my nose. I smiled innocently at Austin who was clearly annoyed and angry. ¡°What took you so long?¡± He groaned starting the car. ¡°Girls¡¯ problems.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the stupidest excuse ever, you are trying to get on my nerves, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Jeez, calm down. You should know that women take so long to get ready.¡± I replied. He eyed me. ¡°Why?¡± He asked. ¡°We have to look good!¡± ¡°Oh really? Even after the time you used trying to look good, you still look ugly.¡± He said shaking his head. ¡°Austin!¡± I gasped punching his arm. ¡°You¡¯re so mean.¡± I pouted. I know I¡¯m not ugly, Austin just has been angrytely. And he¡¯s taking it out on us. When I say ¡®us¡¯ I mean his friends. He rolled his eyes and drove off. ~ Next morning:T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ~ No doubt, we had so much funst night. We were still at the hotel Louis had rented for his birthday party. Yep, it wasn¡¯t a one-night party. For someone as rich as him, it¡¯s fair. There was so much food. I ate so much and now my stomach is hurting. But that¡¯s not going to stop me from eating, the food is just so good to give up. ¡°Do you notice anything odd with Austin?¡± Jodi asked. Of course! Anyone close to him would notice. Don¡¯t know what is going on as he wouldn¡¯t open up to anyone. Austin is the most stubborn person I have ever known. ¡°Yeah,¡± I replied, biting into my stack of chicken. ¡°So what do you think it is? Did you know he refused an offer for gettingid? Heck, he wasn¡¯t even looking at anydyst night. Which is very odd.¡± Jodi eximed. ¡°So odd. And the fact that he has been in this country for 5 months now?¡± It¡¯s weird because Austin never stays more than 3 weeks in a country that is not America. ¡°I have a theory¡­ What if there¡¯s ady he met here and he fell in love with her and she¡¯s refusing him or something like that..¡± I almost choked inughter. Whatdy in their right mind would reject Austin Kings? He¡¯s super rich, super handsome, super hot, super charming. Heck, if I start naming his qualities, it would take forever. And, I don¡¯t think Austin would ever settle down with a woman. He¡¯s a yboy. Well until recently. Maybe there really is ady. ¡°That might be true. We just have to find out..¡± ¡°I¡¯m in. Can¡¯t wait to see-¡± She stopped talking when Austin walked in our direction. He sat back down on the sit he was a while ago, with a ss of wine in his left hand. ¡°Hey, Austin! How are you doing?!¡± Jodi eximed. ¡°Jodi, please don¡¯t,¡± Louis said as he sat down next to Austin. ¡°Wha-¡± My phone rang cutting her off. I looked at the caller¡¯s id to see Kara¡¯s number. Ah thank God she called, I hope she has some information about Tessa. ¡°Hey, do you know where Tessa is? I dialled her number over and over again but it¡¯s not going through.¡± I asked immediately as I answered the call. ¡°I was going to ask you the same thing, I managed to get her on the phonest night¡­ But I think something is up, she said she is on vacation.¡± ¡°I talked to her a day before yesterday and she didn¡¯t tell me anything about vacation¡­ Why do you think something is up though?¡± I said, confused. Vacation? ¡°The way she spoke, she sounded nervous, scared..¡± ¡°You know, the vacation thing is unbelievable. We talked about meeting up yesterday for a business meeting and she went on a vacation. I think we should notice the cops about this, Kara.¡± I replied. The who situation was weird¡­ And scary. Oh my God, I hope nothing bad happened. ¡°True! I would do that immediately.¡± She said. Confirmed, something was definitely going on. I sighed. I bit my lower lip. I just wish Tessa would just call me and tell me she is okay and let¡¯s meet up. What is going on, oh my gosh? And she has a child! ¡°What¡¯s with the sudden face?¡± Riley and Jodi asked me at the same time. They looked at each other for a second then looked away, Jodi¡¯s face already tainted pink. ¡°My friend, I think something bad is going on, we haven¡¯t heard from her since a day before yesterday,¡± I replied. ¡°Oh my God, what happened?¡± Jodi asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know, yet. I just hope she¡¯s okay. And she has a little daughter.¡± ¡°The cops need to be notified immediately,¡± Jodi said. ¡°Yeah, Her friend, Kara is already on that.¡± ¡°What¡¯s her name?¡± Riley asked. Riley is a private investigator and he¡¯s very good at his job, he has so many clients. ¡°Her name is Tessa Carl, her daughter, Anne is onl-¡± I got caught off with Austin¡¯s choke. ¡°What?¡± . . . ¡­¡­. Chapter 42 ~ **** TESSA¡¯S POV **** ~ I frowned. I felt so ufortable. I knew I was still half asleep and didn¡¯t know what made me feel this ufortable. A very familiar feeling between my legs, made me snap my eyes open. I looked around, then at my body. White satin on my body. I winced remembering what happenedst night. He raped me. He¡­ He¡­ I ced my hand on my mouth. what I have always tried to avoid ¡ª getting raped. Tears streamed out of my eyes like a running tap. I looked at the other side of the bed to see Cedric sprawled out and sleeping. I cried out. The white satin sheet was also on him, covering him from his torso to his legs. Oh my God, please tell me I¡¯m dreaming. This can¡¯t be real. I wanted to get up from the bed but I was naked, the only thing covering me was therge sheet, which also covered Cedric. If I got up with it, I might see what I did not want to see. Tessa, this is a chance you could likely escape¡­ Just hit him with something.. And then he would go unconscious. Trying to escape while he was asleep was risky, he might just wake up. But all that was in my head at the moment was to hurt him so bad. Cedric was a heavy sleeper. I stretched out to take the cloth I had on yesterday, it was a huge cloth that wasn¡¯t exactly my size, it reached my knees. I wore it and immediately got up from the bed. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be thinking of a way to harm me if I were you, Tess, trust me¡­ You don¡¯t want to mess with me.¡± He said opening his eyes. ¡°You monster!¡± Without even thinking I took themp from the corner of the bed and threw it at him. He screamed out in pain, cursing. He looked up at me, his face was red in anger. ¡°Bitch! you would pay for that.¡± He stood up from the bed, naked. He definitely had no shame. How does he even do that? I looked away frantically. I took the next thing I could get my hands on which is a little wooden stool next to the nightstand. ¡°Fucking put that down.¡± He warned. It only made me want to hit him more. ¡°No. You let me and my daughter out of this house, then I¡¯d drop it.¡± I said. Heughed. ¡°You haven¡¯t dropped that shit yet? You¡¯re not getting out of here. Just suck it up.¡± He said. I wanted to cry so bad, but that would make him see how scared I was. I didn¡¯t him want to see how broken I was. Wouldn¡¯t that give him give him more pass to torture me? The fact that he raped me was horrifying. How could he do such a thing? What if I get pregnant? No, no. He attempted toe closer to get hold of what I was holding but I held it higher, threatening to hit him with it if ites any closer. ¡°Tessa,¡± He said gritting his teeth. This is probably the first time he called ¡®Tessa¡¯ instead of ¡®Tess¡¯ for two weeks now. ¡°You¡¯re going to put that down. If you think what I did to you was bad, I wonder what you¡¯d think about me¡­ No not me, that would be weird¡­ About someone with your chi-¡± He tried to say but I lost it. I threw it at him, cussing at him. He tried to get away from it, but it hit his arm hard, nheless. He screamed. ¡°Fuck you!¡± He growled and lunged at me. I tried to escape, but he was so fast, his hand wrapped around my throat. mming me into the wall. I winced. His hand around my neck tightened and I thought for a second that he was going to strangle me till death. I hated how close his naked body was close to me. I felt irritated, I wish I had magic powers, I would be out of here in a beat. ¡°You¡¯re fucking testing me, Tess¡­ This wasn¡¯t how I nned on waking up. Hmm¡­ Did you want another round? That¡¯s why you did all this? To pretend you didn¡¯t like it? I know you enjoyed every single bit of it. I could give you if you want it.¡± He was whispering. I shook my head in terror. ¡°No, please no. I beg of you.¡± I pleaded. He can hurt me any other way he wanted but not just with this or Anne. He didn¡¯t listen to my pleadings. I guess this was how he was going to punish me. ~ It¡¯s been hours since the incident this morning. He had thankfully allowed me to use the bathroom. Spending the whole time trying to wash the pain away. But didn¡¯t spend time there, my mind was solely on Anne, luckily I got to see her, talk to her and did normal stuff with her. I have to get out of here. What if I¡¯m never found, does that mean I¡¯d get to stay here for a very long time? Yep. I had to get out of here. But not while he was wide awake. It just won¡¯t work. I swear if there was poison around, I would have definitely poisoned him. The only thing I could do was to knock him off. I had the chance to do it earlier, but my aim wasn¡¯t good enough. I have to aim right.. Or scratch that, I could just hide behind a wall and when he¡¯sing, I would hit him on the head. Never in my life would I have thought I would try to hit someone so hard. I looked around the kitchen for something I could use, but there was nothing around. I¡¯m sure he cleared everything so I won¡¯t try to hit him. After 32 minutes of search. I found an empty bottle of alcohol. This was the only thing I have seen so far that could hurt him. I heard footstepsing towards where I was. I quickly drop it back where I saw it and walked over to the stove. ¡°Hey,¡± Cedric said as he entered. He got closer and pecked me on the cheek. I tried to hide my disgusted face. Was he seriously saying ¡®hey¡¯? His phone rang, and he walked out. I used the opportunity to go take the bottle. I was sure he was going toe back. Nothing is too soon for me anymore. Who knows what he¡¯s going to do next? I hid behind the door waiting for him toe back. 2 minutester, I heard his footsteps. I gulped. Closing my eyes, he stepped in. Without thinking twice I hit him. The bottle didn¡¯t even break. It must be an expensive one. He screamed but didn¡¯t fall to the floor. I kicked him where the sun doesn¡¯t shine. If I had a hammer, I would have hit him with it down there with it. He cried, and he fell to the floor. I had to really escape this time because if I didn¡¯t and he recovers from that, then I¡¯m dead. His body blocked the door so I had to jump over him, in a swift motion, he grabbed my leg. I stumbled and fell down. I cried out when my knees hit the ground so hard, pain spread through my legs. I was going to get back up. Only then I realized he still held my ankle. I tried to use my other leg to push him off, but it was of no use. I was so close to getting out of here. I already knew where he kept the keys. Tears slipped out of my eyes.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ~ **** Sara¡¯s POV **** ~ I ced my hand over my mouth crying. I lost my baby, again. Carson would not be happy with this news. This is the third miscarriage I have had since Carson and I got married. My rtionship with Carson has been going down the hill, ever since he saw that stupid slut, Tessa and her stupid daughter. It¡¯s embarrassing, he wanted to choose that piece of shit over me. I scoffed. My mind went back to the babies I have lost. It was unfortunate, this wasn¡¯t going to help my marriage with Carson at all. I love Carson so much, I don¡¯t want to lose him. I had to tell him anyways, hopefully, he was going to pet and spoil me as he did in myst miscarriage. I parked my car in front of our apartment and walked inside. Carson was taking a leave of absence from his working ce, so he¡¯s home. ¡°Baby?¡± I called. He was probably in our bedroom. I climbed the stairs until I was in front of our room. I heard his mourns. Was he masturbating? I shook my head, silly Carson. I froze when I heard female mourning. What the- I turned the doorknob and my eyes watered at the sight. ¡°Carson!¡± I screamed. I almost thought for a second that thedy next to him was Tessa. She looked so much familiar. It was like she was a replica of Tessa. Anger spread through me. How dare he cheat on me? That motherfucker! ¡°Bitch!¡± I screamed lunging at the girl. . . . ¡­¡­. Chapter 43 ~ **** Sara¡¯s POV **** I literally jumped at thedy, she held the sheets to herself. I took a hold of her hair and dragged it hoping her stupid hair would pull off. How dare she?! Does she want to die? Was that what she want? I¡¯m going to give it to her. ¡°Sara!¡± Carson growled as he got up from the bed and quickly put on his boxers. I ignored him and continued what I was doing.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. The girl was using a hand to hold the sheets to herself, giving me more chances to hurt her. She screamed trying to push me away. ¡°You fucking piece of shit!¡± I hissed at her. The next thing I knew, Carson¡¯s hand was around me pulling me away from the girl. ¡°Let go of me you son of a bitch! I¡¯m going to kill both of you, I swear!¡± I promised and I could do it. His arms wrapped around me tighter. ¡°Would you fucking stop this?!¡± He growled in my ears. I thrashed until I was out of his hold. I turned to him and pped him across the face, really hard. The left side of his face was red. ¡°How dare you cheat on me when I¡¯ve been nothing but faithful! Answer me! Son of a bitch!¡± I took the vase from the side of the bed and almost threw it at him. ¡°Sara!¡± He growled. Oh, that¡¯s just a start, I would throw a hammer at him and this stupid slut the next time. Speaking of hammers. I blew past him and walk to the door which was my dressing room, I dropped a hammer therest night when I was trying to fix my wardrobe. It was night, so I couldn¡¯t get any Carpenter. I saw the hammer. I didn¡¯t care if I was going to kill someone, I just need to put those bastards in their ces. I took the hammer and hurriedly walk back out only to see the room empty. Running out the door, I chased them. ¡°Come back here, I¡¯m not done with you!¡± I growled. ¡°Fucking bitch!¡± I kept cussing at them looking around if I could see them anywhere. This hammer certainly wasn¡¯t going to do anything. Why did I even take the hammer when a gun would be of good use? I could kill that fu*king slut from afar. I got back into the room. I took my gun hidden in my clothes and loaded it. I was breathing heavily. I ran back out. I shot the air, that would startle them right? That¡¯s if they are still inside this God damned house. I heard ady¡¯s scream. Oh, they were in. I quickly walk over to the ce where the scream came from. I heard footsteps running. I ran after them, firing another bullet at them. Of all people, he could cheat with, why someone who looks like Tessa? That bitch Tessa deserves to die a miserable death! They ran down the stairs. Spotting them, I fired another shot. I heard someone groan in pain, Carson. I wasn¡¯t thinking straight. I just wanted that girl dead. They were out of sight before I knew it. ¡°Come back here!¡± I screamed. It came out as a cry. I wanted them dead. I wasn¡¯t afraid to kill anybody. I¡¯ve killed before. I killed my mother¡­ When I was 18. She was a selfish bitch and only cared for herself. It would take forever to exin how I did it and how I manage to cover it all from an ident. But my mom was an evil witch. She deserved what she got. But, did Taylor? Taylor was a friend of mine, I met her when we were both 16. She was this type of good girl that doesn¡¯t like to get in trouble, that doesn¡¯t make her less of a slut though. I had a crush on Mikey, who was also a friend of ours, but not really close. Slutty Taylor knew very well that I had a crush on him but she still went after him and two monthster they were together. I confronted her about it but she said he was the one who had asked her out and it began from there. I was so jealous and still was very in love with Mikey. I just thought the only way to get her out of the picture was to kill her and then I would have Mikey all to myself. I seeded with the help of a friend. Well, I wouldn¡¯t say friend, I met him in a mall and he hit on me, asked for my number. He called me a few times after that. And when it was time to kill Taylor, I told him I was going to give him what he wanted from me ¡ª Sex, if he helped me. He helped me and together we were able to kill Taylor and cover our tracks. It¡¯s been over 10 years since Taylor died and investigations are still going on. It was easy to escape when I was being investigated, I somehow managed to seduce the investigator. I mean, who could resist a beauty like me? Carson and that girl were out of sight. I could swear that a bullet hit Carson because had screamed. Was he dead? I didn¡¯t want Carson dead, I just want him all to myself, I love him so much. ¡°Carson?¡± I called. If I spot that bitch, I swear I¡¯m going to kill her. 3 minutester, I heard the cop¡¯s siren. Oh, they called the cops? I clenched my jaw in anger. My eyes welling up. How could Carson do this to me? The front door burst open. ¡°Drop the gun and put your hands up! Miss!¡± I heard a male cop scream. ¡°I said, drop the gun and put your hands up!¡± There wasn¡¯t any way I was going to go to Jail. No way. But he had a gun with him too, he might shoot me if I turn around. Shakily, I did as I was told. ~ **** Tessa¡¯s POV **** (2 days after Tessa used the bottle on Cedric) ~ After more and more attempts to escape, Cedric always manages to catch me, hitting me and inflicting injuries on me. My body was sore. I was tied to a chair in his basement and haven¡¯t heard from him since yesterday. I screamed so hard that I lost my voice. I just wanted to know if Anne was okay¡­ Oh, God. ¡®I¡¯m going to let you out if you promise to stop these stupid dramas, what were you trying to do? Kill me?¡¯ He scoffed. ¡®Do you really think you could do that? You have tried that shit for probably the 100th time, I would just give up if I were you. You¡¯re not leaving here.¡¯ ¡®I will¡­ Somehow,¡¯ ¡®Oh, like this?¡¯ He said eyeing me. ¡®I believe someone is going to find me and then you¡¯d rot in jail!¡¯ I spat. That infuriated him and he gave me a p. I cried at the harsh contact. ¡®You keep running your mouth, I bet it would shut up if your precious little girl dies.¡¯ ¡®Don¡¯t you dare harm my child?¡¯ ¡®Can¡¯t promise that.¡¯ He said and walked towards the door, then he stopped. ¡®As I said, I would let you out of here if you stop this shit. I¡¯d be here tomorrow and if by then you¡¯ve not made up your mind¡­ I would have no choice but to harm your child since that¡¯s the only way I could get to you.¡¯ He said and walked out, locking the door. I heard the sound of keys dangling from the other side of the door. My heartbeat quickened. I¡¯m just going to tell him I would stop. This man is psycho, he might hurt Anne. what if he already did? He walked until he was in front of me. ¡°Where is my child? Please tell me she¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°She is, For now.¡± ¡°Did you touch her? I swear t-¡± ¡°Rx, I didn¡¯t do anything to her¡­ Yet.¡± He said. He was trying to hide it but I could see something was troubling him. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°I said I didn¡¯t do anything!¡± He snapped. I took that as a clue to shut up. I definitely didn¡¯t want to get hit by him, I was already going through so much pain. ¡°Now, are you going to behave? You know, if you don¡¯t¡­ Your chi-¡± ¡°Okay! I¡¯m going to behave, I promise. Just don¡¯t.. Don¡¯t harm her please.¡± I pleaded. He smirked and said ¡°Deal.¡± He bent down and began losing the rope from my body, I sighed as the tight ropes were off my body. There were red lines all over me. The pain intensified. I tried to stand up, but I couldn¡¯t. Before I knew it, he swept me in his arms. I squirmed. ¡°You don¡¯t want to turn me on, do you?¡± He asked. I stilled. I don¡¯t want him to touch me ever again. I was still recovering from what he didst time. It¡¯s a nightmare. I wish someone would just wake me up and tell me it was all a dream. Why did I have to go trust someone like him? I¡¯m so stupid, I could have prevented this. I always manage to put myself and my baby in danger. I¡¯m sorry, Anne. Tears slipped out of my eyes. ¡°Please, let me see Anne.¡± ¡°No, not before you take a bath.¡± He replied. We reached a familiar door, his room. He opened the door and took me straight to the bathroom. He sat me down in the bathtub. ¡°Take your clothes off.¡± He said, more like amand. I shook my head no in terror. ¡°Take it off, or I¡¯m going to do it for you.¡± ¡°Please, leave¡­ I-I¡¯d do it myself.¡± I pleaded to give him the pleading eyes. ¡°No,¡± He snapped. ¡°Take it off.¡± He repeated. I gulped. He got clearly agitated as he said. ¡°Oh For fucks sake!¡± I screamed as he bent down and started taking off my clothes. ¡°Get off me, you vermin!¡± I screamed. He didn¡¯t stop. ~ I finished using the bathroom, brushed my teeth and wore the big white top Cedric had given me. I didn¡¯t want to wear his clothes, but then I would have to walk around naked. The top was big but short and it reached my thigh. I walked out of the room, to find Anne, of course. The house was quiet. It was a huge house, someone might be doing something on the other side of the house but you won¡¯t hear anything. I learnt that in myst attempt to escape. Cedric had asked me to stay in the room. But my stubbornness and desperation to see Anne wouldn¡¯t let me. I got to a table, there were tworge papers. I was going to ignore it and continue my search when I saw myself in the picture, I gasped and took it. The other picture was a picture of Anne. Huge writing which says ¡®MISSING¡¯ on each paper. I felt relieved. They know I¡¯m missing¡­ I mean, of course, I knew they would find out eventually. Oh, Kara. They¡¯ve probably started a search party. My eyes dropped at the 1 million dors reward. Jesus Christ. Where in the world would Kara get that type of money to pay, if someone indeed finds me? And it wasn¡¯t 1 million dors for finding me and Anne, but 1 million dors for each of us. That¡¯s a fine of 2 million dors. There¡¯s no way on earth Kara could get that type of money. Did she ask Celina? Celina is a millionaire, she could bet thousands of dors but definitely not over a million. Whoever it is, I¡¯d be very grateful. I just want to be out of here. This was definitely why Cedric looked troubled earlier. ¡°What are you doing?¡± A voice snapped. I looked away from the paper to see a very angry-looking Cedric. He snatched the papers away from me and tore them up. ¡°Don¡¯t look at that shit like a glimpse of hope ¡¯cause I promise you¡¯re not goi-¡± Something hit the window shattering it. ¡°I KNOW TESSA CARL IS IN THERE!! THAT TWO MILLION DOLLARS IS MINE!!¡± Whoever was down there was a teenage boy. ¡°I CALLED THE COPS, THEY¡¯D BE HERE SOON, SON OF A BITCH!¡± he shouted again. Oh damn, he could have just waited till the cops were here. How did he even get in here? Nevertheless, A smile crept on my face. I was going to be out of here! Then I could make amendments to my child. He gave me a nasty re and my smile disappeared. ¡°Come here.¡± He said grabbing my arm. I screamed. Less than a minuteter, I heard the cop¡¯s siren. . . . ¡­¡­.. Chapter 44 ~ ¡°Let go of me!¡± I screamed, trying to squeeze my hand out of his tight hold. He threw my body at his and mped his hand over my mouth. He was dragging me to the other corner of the house. Oh God, there was no way he was going to take me again. I heard the front door m open. The cops were screamingmands. I squirmed, trying to get out of his hold. A cold metal was suddenly pressed against my head, and I stilled. Tears streamed out of my eyes. I didn¡¯t want to die. No, I wanted to have my old life back. When it was just me and my child. The thought of not seeing Anne again was terrifying. ¡°Stay still and do what I say or I¡¯m going to fucking shoot a bullet through your skull. Understand?¡± I could hear his pounding heart. Was he scared? I hope he was. He needs to know how it feels to be scared. He pulled me to the far corner of the room. Releasing me, he dared me to say anything. He quickly walked to the door and locked it. I¡¯m sure the cops are already searching everywhere in the house, this house is huge. I panicked, seeing him lock the door. I was so scared if I screamed, he might just get agitated and shoot me. It was a very scary situation. ¡°Please, Cedric, just let me go. I be-¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± He snapped cutting me off. He came over to me and started pulling me along with him to the back door. He stopped when he heard voicesing from there. Oh my God, I was so close to my freedom. He retrieved back. Unconsciously, I screamed. ¡°Bitch.¡± I heard him cuss. He hit me on the head with his pistol, almost knocking me off. My vision was blurry, but I had to stay awake. Whoever was outside the door was using his weight to open the door. I could hear shouts but couldn¡¯t make out what was going on. He had hit me so hard. The door flew open. Three cops stood there pointing their guns at us, or rather, at Cedric. Cedric ced his gun back on my head. ¡°Put the gun down!¡± I heard one of the screams. At that moment, I couldn¡¯t think straight, nor did I know what was going on. It felt like I was going to die at any moment. I felt numb. They were exchanging words. God, please take care of my daughter. Lily, what are you saying? Do you want to die? My subconsciousness scolded. No, I don¡¯t want to die¡­ I don¡¯t want to die¡­ I cried internally. I knew he was threatening to shoot me if theye closer or shoot. No idea what came over me, I bit his hand that was over my mouth. He screamed in pain, stepping away from me. Using the only strength I had in me, I ran away from him, technically limping. Thinking he would just give up and let the cops take him, he didn¡¯t. ¡°Holy fuck, do not shoot!¡± I heard a cop shout. Instead, he raised the gun back up. And shot towards me. Luckily, I couldn¡¯t stand anymore, so I had to fall to the ground, the gunshot passed over my head and hit the wall. Two gunshots were heard at the same time. It felt like slow motion, I tried to find who fired the other gunshot. A cop did. He did immediately Cedric pulled the trigger. Blood sttered over the curtains. Cedric¡¯s blood. I screamed. ¡°Call the ambnce, hurry.¡± One of the cops said. I saw three other cops rush in. Two got next to me. Their mouths were moving and I was sure they were talking to me but my brain wasn¡¯t processing anything. I passed out. ~ **** Kara¡¯s POV **** ~ ¡°Is she going to be okay?¡± I asked the doctor. Thankfully, she wasn¡¯t shot, but there was a huge scar on her head. Well, not technically a huge scar but it was bleeding a lot. I hope nothing happens to her, she has a young child who would definitely need her motherly love. It¡¯s been less than two hours since they were found. It¡¯s sad things like this happen to someone with such a good heart. ¡°Yes, luckily there wasn¡¯t any damage done. We expect her to be awake by tomorrow or next.¡± ¡°Oh okay, thank you,¡± I said. He nodded and walked out of the room. I sighed. Celina would be here soon. She was so relieved when she heard Tessa and her daughter has been found. Anne is with my mom. She was of course sent to the doctor first and ording to him, she was fine but needed lots of rest as she was racking it. I wasn¡¯t surprised when I found out Cedric was indeed behind all this. It¡¯s a messed up situation. He was shot and he¡¯s currently in the emergency room. I wanted him to live¡­ So he could go to jail. That monster. He has caused so much pain. Who knows if he raped Tessa. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he did. I just feel bad for Tessa. ~ *** Third Person¡¯s POV *** After a few minutes of sitting down in silence next to Tessa, Kara needed to go use the restroom. She left, leaving the room extraordinary silent. Three minutester. The doorknob twisted from the outside. Seeing her so hurt, and helpless made his heart limp. She looked so broken. He opened the door wider and walked closer to her until he was on the left side of the bed. Her forehead was stered. For some reason, he med himself. He should have just acted on his feelings for her earlier instead of being mean to her. At that time, he thought being mean to her would hide his feelings for her, but it didn¡¯t. If anything he fell deeper in love with her. And seeing her hurt every time he did or say something mean to her was heartbreaking, but he had to continue doing so. Maybe if he had acted sooner, all this happening now wouldn¡¯t have been happening. He clenched his jaw. He sat down on a chair next to her bed. With a shaking hand, he reached out to her hand. So delicate¡­ Bringing it closer to him and locking it between his hands, he whispered. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Over and over again. He didn¡¯t even realize it when tears slipped out of his eyes. It wasn¡¯t new, but it was rare, Austin Kings rarely cry and when he does, it must be something from his heart. ¡°I¡¯m sorry..¡± That was probably the millionth time he said that, holding her hand. He was going to hurt anybody that hurt her. ¡°I love you.¡± ~ ¡°Ah.¡± Kara groaned. It was less than an hour ago that she heard Cedric passed away and no, it wasn¡¯t from the gunshot. He survived that. Such a pussy, he couldn¡¯t afford to face jail but decided to kill himself. Yes, he killed himself. He had managed to get poison and until now, no one knows who gave it to him but an investigation is on. ~ **** Tessa POV **** ~ I opened my eyes, but quickly close them back as the bright light almost blinded my eyes. Wow, I thought I died. I opened an eye, it wasn¡¯t as bright as before, so I opened my other eye. I heard a familiar giggle. ¡°No, mommy doesn¡¯t want me to be a Barbie, she said barbie is dumb.¡± I heard Anne say. ¡°Mommy is right, you know. Are you sad about it?¡± ¡°No, I believe mommy and my friend also think so,¡± She replied. ¡°So! How is your girlfriend?¡± Anne asked. Oh my God. ¡°I don¡¯t have a girlfriend,¡± Austin replied. Anne gasped. ¡°Really? I thought all cute guys has a girlfriend! You know, even mommy thinks you¡¯re cute, it¡¯s also the same as good-looking, right? She once said yo-¡± I couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°Anne!¡± I called. Oh my God, she was about to expose me. Austin¡¯s ego is already huge, I can¡¯t imagine how bigger it might get if he finds out I actually find him attractive. ¡°Mommy!¡± I heard her call. She ran to me and literally jumped on me. I hugged her so tight, I miss her so much. ¡°My baby..¡± It was over soon. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I asked Austin, rudely, of course. I don¡¯t have to be nice to him. ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t be rude¡­¡± ¡°I think you should listen to your child.¡± He said, a silly smirk on his face. The nerves. ¡°Don¡¯t take what she said to heart, she¡¯s a child and doesn¡¯t know about stuff like that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure a child of her age won¡¯t make up such a lie. You know, there¡¯s nothing wrong in finding someone goo-¡± I cut him off. ¡°What are you even d-¡± ¡°Tessa! Don¡¯t be rude! Especially to the person who helped you out of that danger you were in. You should be grateful.¡± I heard Kara¡¯s voice. She showed up. Wow, I should have known earlier. I¡¯m so stupid at times. Kara came over to me and crushed me in a hug. ¡°Thank goodness you¡¯re okay.¡± ~ Kara finished telling me about everything that happened. It was kinda disturbing that Cedric died. Not that it bothered me though. It¡¯s just, I don¡¯t know how to put it. I wanted him to go to jail for what he did. But I guess some things don¡¯t always go as we want them to. ~ I owe a huge thank you to Austin. I was being rude for no reason. I sighed. The doctor said I could be discharged by next tomorrow. Kara had left with Anne to go make some of my favourite food and bring it back here. I wanted Austin here. A part of me insisted it was just so I could apologize to him and thank him. But the other part says otherwise. It was just like a wishe true and Austin showed up. ¡°Hey.¡± He greeted. I blushed. Don¡¯t ask me why, because I don¡¯t know why. ¡°Hi¡­ Austin, about earlier, I¡¯m sorry for being rude¡­ I do-¡± He cuts me off. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be sorry, Tessa. I should be the one saying that.¡± I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ I love you¡­ I remember hearing those words over and over again when I was asleep. I thought I was dreaming¡­ Was that him? Yes. ¡°W-what do you need to say sorry for? Absolutely nothing¡­¡± ¡°For everything. I have been nothing but intolerable to you. At first, I just felt the need to hurt you. I regret everything, Tessa. If I could turn back time and make everything right, I would..¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°I love you. But at this point, it¡¯s all toote. I couldn¡¯t protect you.¡± He said. He looked so vulnerable at that moment. ¡°I mean, Who said it is..¡± I blurted out. ~ I was more than happy seeing my std testse negative. I was leaving here tomorrow. Investigations were still going on, trying to find out the criminal mastermind and whoever the person was, he/she is really smart. But who would want to hurt me? I just hope they find out. I was advised to go to a depression therapy, and lots more. About Austin, it¡¯s all tooplicated. We kept going back and forth. After what I had said, I managed to tell him off in the end. Letting him know I had no feelings for him whatsoever. Only God knows how much I want that to be true. ~This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. It¡¯s been a day since I was released and I haven¡¯t heard from Austin. I wanted him to at least give me a call. What¡¯s wrong with me? ¡°Tess. Austin is here, he wants to speak to you.¡± She said. I beamed but quickly tried to cover it. After what I have gone through recently, I shouldn¡¯t be thinking of things like this. I got up from where I sat. And walked outside. ¡°What are you-¡± ¡°About what I said thest t-¡± He couldn¡¯t finish his sentence as we heard a loud pitched scream. Anne¡¯s. I panicked. She was in the opposite house ying with her newfound friends. ¡°Mommy!¡± She came to me in the middle of the road. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Ka. She pierced me with a sharp nt.¡± Austin was next to us the next second. ¡°Sorry, baby. Go inside the house okay? I would be there in a minute.¡± I said. She nodded and walked to the house. ¡°Go on,¡± I said to Austin. ¡°About what I saidst time¡­ I mean every single word of it, but trying to convince myself that it¡¯s toote is painful Tess. I need to show you something.¡± He touched his pockets but realized it wasn¡¯t there. ¡°Coming.¡± He said going over to his car. I watched him go. **** Third Person¡¯s POV **** Tessa watched Austin as he walked away to his car. She forgot she was in the centre of the road. But it wasn¡¯t a big deal as cars usually do not use this road. It was a tiny road. She got lost staring at him, not knowing a car was headed her way. Suddenly she heard a voice. ¡°Tessa! Get off the road!¡± Everything happened so fast. The voice sounded so familiar though. Jake. ¡°Tessa!¡± This time it was Austin¡¯s voice. Someone pushed me out. I heard the roar of the engine. And I looked up to see a car speeding away. I was okay. I looked down to see. A familiar face. Jake¡¯s. There was blood gushing out of his mouth. I screamed. He got hit, trying to save me. . . . ¡­¡­. Chapter 45 *** Third Person¡¯s POV *** She stared at the house from a distance, ring at it. After all, she had done, nothing came back the way she wanted, all because of her ¡®enemy¡¯ Tessa. What¡¯s so special about her? She cried. She wasn¡¯t going to let her get away with it. She wanted to kill her even if it resulted in her to jail. She knew she was going to jail anyways. It¡¯s only a matter of time before they¡¯d find out she¡¯s the mastermind behind what has been going on. She wasn¡¯t going to allow Tessa to have her ¡®happy ending¡¯. She believes Tessa is a witch and has bewitched every guy she knows. She still can¡¯t see why men would fall over hills with Tessa. She refuses to see why, to her, Tessa is an ugly witch. She was fuming. Tessa¡­ I would make you pay for all you¡¯ve done¡­ She thought. Hurting her daughter would hurt her more¡­ She thought again, but her daughter was nowhere to be found. She looked around searching for Anne. This wasn¡¯t the first time she¡¯s been here, so she knows that Anne hangs around with her friends often. If only she could get Anne to the centre of the road, she would have just run her over. ¡°No. My mom said not to y on the road.¡± She heard a familiar voiceing from the opposite house. It was Anne¡¯s, she wasing out of a house with 3 other little girls. Her friend wanted her to ride her little car toy on the road. Dang, it. Suddenly, a car pulled up in front of Tessa¡¯s apartment and came out, of Austin. Her blood was boiling. He was still seeing her. Are they in a rtionship now? She had so many questions. Her jaw clenched. She held her fist against the car wheel. Tears slipped out of her red eyes as she watched both of them. Her breathing increased, she wasn¡¯t going to get away with this, no, she wasn¡¯t. ¡°Mommy!¡± A voice cried. Tessa ran towards where the voice came from. After a minute, Tessa was alone on the road. This was a perfect time. There would be repercussions but she didn¡¯t care. She started the car, and without thinking twice, she drove at full speed. But once again, her n yed abortive. She didn¡¯t care to stop. She just drove off. ~ Tessa screamed at the scene in front of her, she fell to her knees sobbing. There was a pole of blood. ¡°Jake, no. Please, Jake. Somebody, he- he- call the cops, oh my God!¡± She cried. Austin came running towards the scene. His eyes widened. He had a beef with Jake very recently, but he was still his friend. They¡¯ve been friends since kindergarten. He bent down. ¡°Jake!¡± But he wasn¡¯t responding. ¡°Shit.¡± He cussed pulling out his phone. ~ **** Tessa¡¯s POV **** I stared nkly at the door before me. My hands were shaking. It¡¯s been 7 hours since Jake has been rushed to the hospital. He had to undergo emergency surgery. We still don¡¯t know if he would make it or not. I hope he does, I do. My rtionship with him recently was almost nonexistent and remembering the memories we had together brought nothing but tears to my eyes. Jake, I was in front of the room he was in. Taking another breath, I turned the handle and walked in. Seeing the condition he was in, I almost choked on my tears. I walked closer to him, but the protection ss over him stopped me. I ced my two hands on the ss, staring at him. He has an oxygen mask on. He had lost lots of blood, so they had to give him blood. I was so affected by his condition. Jake is like a brother to me, I can¡¯t imagine him passing away. Passing away¡­ Don¡¯t even think about something like that, Tessa! I scolded myself. ¡°Please¡­ Get well soon, it¡¯s so hard seeing you like this, Jake¡­ Please..¡± I whispered. Memories of the good times we hade shing back. The first time we met, how he¡¯s been there for me. How he made meugh when I was going on my saddest days. This wasn¡¯t the first time he saved me either. Yvonne. I still have no idea why she hates me this much. Oh, wait I do¡­ It¡¯s because of Austin. I know she loves Austin, it¡¯s turned into a point of obsession. She always talked about him, even before she met him, at times she¡¯d busy herself staring at a magazine cover which had Austin¡¯s picture on it. I noticed we had slightly drifted when those conversations between me and Austin began. I noticed a slight change in her when I was shifted to Austin¡¯s assistant manager. It was a position she would have killed to be in. I thought she¡¯d get over her obsession but she never did. She thinks it¡¯s my fault Austin suddenly took interest him me. A stubborn part of me dislikes Austin for this, if I never got to meet Austin, I¡¯m pretty sure my life would have been normal and I wouldn¡¯t have gone through all this. Probably, my rtionship with Yvonne would still be strong. Do you want that? My subconsciousness asked. No, I don¡¯t want it, I¡¯m just imagining it. I¡¯m just imagining where I would be if I never met Austin. I had two women trying to kill me because of him; He made it clear recently that he likes me. I do too. But I might get another crazydying right at me if I acknowledge it. I just have to let him know I¡¯m not interested. Hopefully, I don¡¯t regret it¡­ No, I¡¯m not going to! Why am I even thinking about him? It¡¯s not like I feel anything for him¡­ As much as I wanted to deny it, I couldn¡¯t. But I could stop myself¡­C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. Just be cold toward him¡­ No! How is that going to help? Suddenly being cold to him? I¡¯m pretty sure that would hint that you sorta like him¡­ Ugh. I wanted to shut that voice speaking in my head. I snapped back to reality when I suddenly hear t beeps. I froze. ¡°Jake¡­ Jake! Doc-¡± I tried to shout but before I could finish, the doctor came rushing in with 2 nurses behind him. ¡°What¡¯s happening? Is he okay?!¡± ¡°Ma¡¯am, I suggest you leave the room-¡± ¡°No, is he¡­¡± ¡°Please.¡± The doctor said. I quickly walked out, my hand over my mouth. Please let him be okay¡­ Please let him be okay¡­ I was crying. It¡¯s all my fault. ~ It¡¯s been almost an hour and I didn¡¯t hear from the doctor. I was outside the hospital room and the doctor still hasn¡¯te out. ¡°Hey.¡± I heard a familiar voice. I looked up from where I sat to see Austin. He looked chill. How could he be so chill at a time like this? ¡°He¡¯s your friend, right?¡± I blurted out. He hesitated before answering. ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Then how can you be so chill?¡± He shrugged. Yep, he was masking his emotions. I sighed. I became an emotional wreck all of a sudden. ¡°What if he doesn¡¯t get up? What am I going to do then? I have a lot to say to him..¡± I cried. My face was a bit red, I could tell. He walked towards the chair I was in and sat down. ¡°You would get over it.¡± He said. ¡°Huh?¡± I was surprised by his response. ¡°I said, you¡¯d get over it¡­ He would want you to¡­ If he dies.¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t say something like that..¡± ¡°Why, you were the one who brought it up.¡± ¡°That¡¯s theplete opposite of the answer I wanted.¡± ¡°You want me t-¡± ¡°Forget it,¡± I cut him off. ¡°Why are you here if you don¡¯t care about him?¡± ¡°Who said I didn¡¯t?¡± ¡°Your actions! I mean¡­ I mean..¡± Couldn¡¯t finish what I wanted to say without bursting into ugly cries. I felt hime closer, his exotic smell filled my nose. It was so rxing¡­ His arms wrapped around me, giving me thefort I needed. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t want you crying over him, Tess.¡± I just wept in his arms. . . . ¡­¡­.. Chapter 46 ~ 20 hourster, I heard from the doctor that he was alright. I was so relieved. He was going to be okay¡­ I looked at the time, 9:50 pm. Another set of doctors walked into the room. They¡¯ve been doing lots of examinations on him. After 10 minutes of checkup, one of the doctors turned to me. ¡°Surprisingly, he¡¯s recovering faster than we expected. He might wake up anytime soon.¡± He said. A huge smile crept on my face. I thanked the doctor. I was overjoyed. The doctors left the room, I walked closer to Jake¡¯s bed. The protective ss was gone, I just want him to get up now. I wanted to hug him. I sat down on a chair beside the bed. Staring at him, I didn¡¯t know when I fell asleep. ¡°Why are you doing this to him? Don¡¯t you see how hurt he is? You keep denying what you feel about him¡­ You might regret all this in the nearest future..¡± ¡°No, I won¡¯t because I don¡¯t feel anything for him. I really don¡¯t.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not a good liar, Tessa.¡± ¡°Who are you by the way?¡± She didn¡¯t answer my question. ¡°Just acknowledge your feelings for once and if you¡¯re not going to, Just let him kno-¡± Someone shook me, waking me up from a very strange dream. I looked up to see Austin, oh he was back. ¡°Do you need a ride home?¡± He asked. I quickly shook my head no. He gave an unusual smile. ¡°That was a quick answer. It¡¯s almost like you want to get rid of me immediately..¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s what I meant,¡± I said before I could stop myself but also couldn¡¯t stop myself from going on. ¡°I know what you want, Austin. But doesn¡¯t lovees from both sides? I don¡¯t love you, I never did, I never will. I appreciate what you¡¯ve done for me and my child and if there¡¯s a way I could pay you back, I would..¡± I said. I have no idea how I stopped myself from shaking. And I kept on saying words I already regretted saying. I stopped when I heard someone cough. I gasped and turned around. Jake. He sat up. Overjoyed and without thinking, I walked closer to him and pressed my lips to his. He was clearly taken aback at first. Breaking the kiss, I hugged him real tight. ¡°Oh my God, Jake. I thought I was going to lose you. Thank God you¡¯re okay.¡± I heard the door to the room open. I released Jake and turned back, And Austin was no longer there. Where did he go? Wasn¡¯t he going to ask Jake how he was? ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± Jake said and I turned back to look at him. ¡°Why did you try to save me? I..¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that what a friend would do? I¡¯m sorry, Tess-¡± ¡°No, no. You don¡¯t have to be sorry about anything, Jake. I should.¡± ¡°No. I did something I would never be able to forgive myself for. When I should have trusted you, I didn¡¯t. You¡¯re only doing this because of my situ-¡± I hugged him again cutting him off. ~ 2 months Later. ~ It¡¯s been two months since the ident and Jake is doing better, it was like the old times when there was me, him and Anne. I haven¡¯t heard from Austin. None of us had. Was he back in the US? Did he forget about me? Has he moved on? Did he find another woman he likes? Another woman he likes¡­ Why do I have strange feelings about that? ¡°Jake? Have you heard from Austin?¡± ¡°No. Why?¡± ¡°Nothing, I¡¯m just curious why he didn¡¯t ask if you¡¯re okay or not.¡± ¡°Knowing Austin, he¡¯s probably bitter about something. He would get over it. If he doesn¡¯t then it might lead to something dangerous.¡± I remembered my conversation with Jake. Why was I even thinking about Austin? Hitting myself in the head. I scolded myself, Jesus Tessa, stop it. What if something happens to him¡­ Oh my God. How do I stop myself from thinking about him? *** Third Person¡¯s POV *** Austin was driving back home. He had gone to see a friend of his. ¡°Just try to forget about her, Austin. You and Jake have been friends for years, you possibly can¡¯t let here between your rtionship with Jake¡­¡± His friend had said. ¡®I don¡¯t love me you, I never did, I never will.¡¯ He was lost in his thoughts and didn¡¯t see when a car was heading his way. It was like a sh¡­ ~ ¡°Oh my God, please tell me he¡¯s okay¡­ Please.¡± Austin¡¯s mother pleaded with the caller, crying. ~ Tessa got a call from Jake informing her about Austin¡¯s situation. Her heart stopped. The ident urred yesterday but just today she was hearing about it. She rushed to the hospital he said he was in, unknowingly wearing two different pairs of slippers. It affected her so much then she would ever think it would if anything happened to Austin. On reaching the hospital, she wasn¡¯t allowed to walk into the room. She was numb and it took so much effort to not cry. I wasn¡¯t supposed to get this worried¡­ I mean yes, but not this way. She thought. A tear almost escaped her eye but she quickly wiped it off. ~ Two Weeks LaterT¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ~ Tessa was in the car with Jake, they were on their way to the hospital Austin was in. Austin was up. She was nervous. She just wanted to see for herself if he was okay. They parked in the parking lot and got out of the car. On getting to Austin¡¯s hospital room. He looked grumpy. Typical Austin¡­ She loosed control of herself and ran towards Austin and hugged him. She cried on his shoulder. ¡°Oh my God, I thou-¡± She didn¡¯t finish her sentence as Austin pushed her off him. ¡°What are you? You don¡¯t just go hugging strangers.¡± Austin said. He was clearly annoyed by this unfamiliardy. Her eyes widened. ¡®strangers¡¯. Was she? This was the old Justin, not the one of recently. She looked at Jake questioningly. Jake just nodded his head and motioned for her toe out with him. Coming out, they bumped into Carson who wasing into Austin¡¯s hospital room. ¡°It¡¯s been the longest time, Tessa..¡± She got in a short conversation with Carson before following Jake. ¡°He doesn¡¯t remember me¡­ D-does he?¡± Jake shook his head no. ¡°H-how?¡± She said shaken. ¡°ording to the doctor, he lost a piece of his memory. The painful part.¡± Jake said. I was the painful part of his memory? She thought. She ced her hand over her mouth. Wasn¡¯t this what she wanted a few months ago? But not this way. Tears slipped out of her eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut and cried. Jake got closer and hugged her. After a minute, they separated. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± She heard a familiar voice. Austin¡¯s mother. ¡°Au-¡± Jake tried to say but she cut him off with a finger. ¡°Haven¡¯t you done enough? It¡¯s because of you he¡¯s like this Tessa, why won¡¯t you just stay out of our lives?¡± She said bitterly. ¡°Listen to me,¡± She continues. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you here, I don¡¯t want you toe near my son anymore, Just leave please!¡± She snapped. There was a youngdy behind her. . . . ¡­¡­. Chapter 47 ??? ¡°Uh¡­ Uh..¡± I stuttered, at loss for words. I couldn¡¯t get my brain to work, everything in me suddenly froze, and my nerves shut down. I felt someone grab me by my arm, waking me back up, it was Austin¡¯s mom. ¡°I said, get out of here, you peasant!¡± She was dragging me out of the room. ¡°No, please! Let go¡± the way she was dragging me was humiliating. ¡°Ma¡¯am..¡± She stopped at Jake¡¯s voice. ¡°Shut up, Jake, I do not want to hear a single word from you! What has this witch done to you?! She bewitched you and Austin! She¡¯s got to leave us alone! She needs to get out of our lives for good! I promised your mother that I would take care of you, treat you like my child, protect you, especially from witches and whores like this thing!¡± She said referring to me. I took in a deep breath, refusing to let it out. ¡°Ever since she came into our lives, it¡¯s been nothing but bad luck, troubles¡­ Can¡¯t you see?? The ¡®thing¡¯ is of no good, I¡¯m sure if your mom was here, she would have been so disappointed about all this, she¡­ Jake, I want you to snap out of it, if you have something for her, she¡¯s a whore, a maniptor, she tried to seduce Austin and then my younger son, thank goodness they didn¡¯t fall for her trick.¡± She continued. I noticed Jake freeze. ¡°Come here!¡± She continued dragging me, I shook my head, Jake couldn¡¯t possibly believe this woman, could he?Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. ¡°No, please, let go of me. I swea-¡± before I could finish, she already dragged me out of the hospital, pushing me to the floor. ¡°Let this be thest time I see you near any of my family or I swear to God, you wouldn¡¯t like what I would do to you.¡± She spat out before turning back to the hospital. Tears unintentionally flew out of my eyes. ??? ¡°What happened? Why do you look so down?¡± Kara asked the moment I stepped into the house. I was going to answer her but I couldn¡¯t even open my mouth. ¡°Tessa, what happened?¡± she asked again. I stared into nk space. It took about a minute to speak. ¡°Austin got into an ident.¡± She gasped. ¡°Oh my God, is he okay?¡± A tear rolled down my face. ¡°He doesn¡¯t remember me¡­ He doesn¡¯t know who i-i am..¡± I stuttered. ¡°oh my God, what of Jake, does he know about this?¡± I scoffed. Does Jake actually believe what Austin¡¯s mother said? If he does, I can¡¯t believe he would be so quick to believe what that woman said after what she did in the past. I can¡¯t believe he let her drag me out like that¡­ I can¡¯t believe I let her drag me out like that. ¡°Yes..¡± ¡°well, wh-¡± ¡°I do not want to talk about it..¡± ¡°Tess..¡± And then I told her everything that happened¡­ Her mouth hanged opened. ¡°That witch..¡± She muttered. ¡°How can he just believe whatever she says¡­ But I don¡¯t think he actually believed, he might call youter on..¡± I hope he does¡­ Kara went back home afterwards. It was soon evening and I was yet to get a call from Jake. I got up from the chair to go prepare dinner. ¡°Where are you going, mommy?¡± Anne asked. ¡°To go prepare dinner,¡± I replied. ¡°Oh okay, but Sofia is going to sing soon, you¡¯ve toe dance with me, mommy,¡± she said, giving me the puppy eyes. I smiled. ¡°Sure baby¡± I went over to the kitchen and began cooking dinner. I looked at my phone literally every to see if Jake called. I sighed. ??? I looked at the time which reads 9 pm. I decided to call him instead, at first it rang¡­ I think he cut it off, the second time, it went to voicemail. It hurts¡­ It really hurts¡­ What should I do now? Just forget about them? The threats Austin¡¯s mother made were still fresh in my mind. She had money, She had power and she could easily do something to harm me and my daughter. I just wanted to know if he¡¯s alright¡­ ¡®Are you sure that all you want to know?¡¯ a voice in my head asked. I shook those thoughts out. The wind blew through my house. Oh, I think it¡¯s going to rain. I stood up and locked the windows. I came back and dialled Celina¡¯s number. She picked on the third call. ¡°Why are you calling me, Tessa? I was going to call you tomorrow but since you already called, I will just tell you what I was going to say. I would no longer be involved in your fashion brand¡­ I want nothing to do with you, it¡¯s-¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I asked. ¡°Oh don¡¯t pretend that you don¡¯t know what is going on..¡± She sneered. I couldn¡¯t believe it was Celina saying all this, the Celina, I knew, or I thought I knew. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a very good actress¡­ You should know that you should go for an audition..¡± And the line went off. I tried dialling back but it went to voicemail. What was happening, why is everyone suddenly against me? ??? Kara¡¯s POV ??? I felt so bad for Tessa, she is going through so much and she doesn¡¯t deserve this, when a problem seems to have been solved in her life, another onees up. I didn¡¯t have Jake¡¯s number, I would have called him as soon as I got home. Who is close to Jake that I know¡­ Celine! How could I have forgotten about her? I dialled her number and she picked up on the 2nd ring. ¡°Hey, have you heard from Jake, Tessa has been trying to reach him..¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t tell you what happened?¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°That Tess girl, she¡¯s been caught.¡± she continued as she told me what happened. It was hard to believe, there was no way Tessa could have been doing all this. There¡¯s just no way she could have been ying us all this while. Why would she act like she was kidnapped what almost a month? What was her gain? She wasn¡¯t really homeless when my mom brought her in. I didn¡¯t believe it until I saw proof. ??? Tessa¡¯s POV ??? I couldn¡¯t sleep the whole night. It was around 6 am when I heard my phone ring. Just when I was about to sleep¡­ I looked at the caller¡¯s ID¡­ Kara. I picked it up. ¡°How could you?¡± That was the first thing I heard. ¡°How could I?¡± ¡°Oh don¡¯t act fucking stupid! I heard everything. You¡¯ve been acting this whole while¡­ The truth is finally out, just admit to it.¡± ¡°Kara..¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even say my name! Now I want you to listen, do not ever try to reach out to me ever again, an innocent man died because of you! You¡¯re disgusting.¡± and with that, the phone went off. What was happening?! Why was all this happening to me, what have I ever done to deserve all this? I cried out. ??? Third person¡¯s POV ??? ¡°It¡¯s easier than I anticipated.¡± She said with a smirk. ¡°Yeah, so what¡¯s next?¡± ¡°Austin would be getting married in less than a month, I want her there..¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that cause problems?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got everything in control, he wouldn¡¯t even see her¡­ And then after that, you can do whatever you want with her.¡± ¡°Living in the same country as them..¡± ¡°they would move back to the US after the wedding, like I said, I¡¯ve got everything under control. You¡¯ve been the best aplice I have has. Here¡¯s your reward.¡± It was a check of 50 million dors. ??? Tessa¡¯s POV ??? My life was torn apart. I had nothing except my daughter, and my business, literally, everything was gone. I ask myself every day, what I did. I¡¯ve got to be dreaming. I- my thoughts was cut off when I heard a knock on the door. Nobody hase to visit me for the past 2 weeks. Who woulde now? I got up and walked towards the door, I looked through the peephole. My breath seized at who I saw. Austin¡¯s mom¡­ What was she doing here? She had that sinister look on her face. It¡¯s hard to believe she was the samedy I met at Austin¡¯s first engagement party. She changed so much. It¡¯s like she¡¯s suddenly possessed by a very evil spirit. And it was like, I was her target. She was onto me for literally no reason. I won¡¯t let that witch oppress me anymore. No doubt in my mind that she¡¯s the one behind all that has been happening in my life. She wanted me out of her life, then why is she here? I should probably just ignore her. And then I heard another knock. Annoyed, I opened the door. ¡°Just what do you want?! I thought you wanted me out of your life, I¡¯m out and here you ar-¡± She cut me off before I could finish. ¡°Would you shut up and listen.¡± Iughed, bitterly. ¡°Why would I? I swear to God if you knock on this door one more time..¡± Before I could finish, she raised an envelope for me to take. I was going to throw a load of insults at her until I noticed it was an engagement invitation envelope. My heart almost dropped when I read Austin & Laura¡¯s engagement invitation. Don¡¯t let her see that side of you, Tessa, That¡¯s what she wants. ¡°And why are you giving me this?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s an invitation. I think you should be there, after all, you are one of the people who made this possible. Thanks for being so vulnerable.¡± She said with a smirk. I grind my teeth. ¡°Leave my house,¡± I said. Her smirk only grew bigger. ¡°Oh, and how is your daughter? That poor girl, she has to grow with a whore like you. I bet sh-¡± I cut her off trying to m the door shut right at her face but somebody blocked it with his/her leg. I looked up to her side, there was a huge man. This motherf*ckers. I turned around into my house. I went to the bathroom and ran the water. When the bowl was full, I carried it. Reaching the door, I pushed it wide open and poured the full bowl of water on them. I heard her scream in agony. I smiled at that. The dude tries toe at me. But I had already locked the door before he could. ¡°I would make you pay for that, you hear me? Do you think you¡¯re suffering now? You would know the true meaning of that word by the time I¡¯m done with you!¡± I heard her say. I blocked my ears blocking out what she was saying. I slide down slowly against the door, crying. Yes, I was crying. Tears flowed freely out of my eyes. Crying at what has been going on in my life. Crying for him. Has he forgotten about me? About what he said to me? Life is not fair. . . . ¡­¡­.. Chapter 48 It waster that night, and for some reason, I felt bad for what I didst night. I was scared. The woman we¡¯re talking about here is a woman with power and I¡¯m just¡­ A nobody. What if she decides to harm my daughter in order to get back at me? She¡¯d surely do something, no doubt in my mind. Should I leave this ce? But then, where in the world would I go? If I decide to leave this country and go back home, I would be left with absolutely nothing. But it¡¯s better than getting hurt. Well, that thought is a fail¡­ I lost my passport. I lost everything. Think, Tessa, Think. I was abruptly stopped from my thoughts when I noticed a ck car stopped only a few feet from my house, I looked through my house window, my neighbours normally don¡¯t use their cars by this time. And I don¡¯t think any of them has a ck Mercedes. Something like this has happened before for me to think nothing isn¡¯t going on. What if she sent them? It was only 2:11 am. I panicked and ran to the house to turn off the lights. I walked to Anne¡¯s room. She was asleep. ¡®God please, don¡¯t let any harme to me and my daughter¡¯ I silently prayed. I heard a knock, a faint knock. I gulped. ¡°Anne, sweetie.¡± I tried to wake Anne up. And then there was another knock. ¡°If she doesn¡¯t answer the door in a minute, then we would have to break through.¡± This time, they rang the doorbell. I needed to get out of here. There was an escape door for emergencies like this, in the corner of the house. I carried Anne and went over to my room. ¡°Mommy?¡± I heard her whisper. ¡°Yes baby, it¡¯s me.¡± I didn¡¯t even have time to answer what she was asking. I put her down on a chair and began packing up, I packed what I needed the most. It was a few of my clothes, Anne¡¯s clothes, my debit card, and every other necessary thing. I carried my bags in one arm, ignoring the pain, and Carried Anne in my other arm. I walked outside the room and hear the front door open, stepsing with it. I panicked and walk faster. Reaching the escape door, there was a car outside. It was also an escape car. I never used it because I haven¡¯t been in an emergency case in this house before and it isn¡¯t mine. if I take it now, how am I going to give it back to thendlord? I had paid 10, 000 dors for a year in this house, I know it¡¯s expensive but at that time I was doing really well in my business. And I loved how it had an escape door, a car, and a road for escape for emergencies like this. I had hanged the key, on the wall in my room, how am I going to go back and get it? I¡¯m not sure they¡¯ve reached the veranda or I would have heard something from here. I decided to risk it, they were going to get to me without a car anyways. I dropped my bags but carried Anne along. ¡°Shh, I heard something.¡± I heard a manly voice say. The sound came from the kitchen. I quietly ran into my room and took the keys. It seemed like they¡¯d already searched here. I quickly ran back to the secret door, my bags were still there. Taking it, I walked to the car and opened it. It made a loud sound. ¡°Quick, enter,¡± I told Anne. I put my bag in the back seat before, entering the driver¡¯s seat. I made a swift reverse and drove off. ¡°Hey!! She¡¯s driving away!!¡± was what I heard before driving off. ¡°Mommy? What about my seat belt?¡± Anne asked. I cussed silently. How could I Have forgotten about that? Halting the car, I reached out to put her seatbelt on her. ??? Third Person¡¯s POV ??? ¡°Mom? Why are you still after that woman? Haven¡¯t you gotten what you want? I thought y-¡± Austin¡¯s mom caught her off before she could finish the sentence. ¡°Of course, dear. I¡¯ve gotten all I want. But, you see my dear, Tessa has put me in so much pain in the past, I think she also should feel those pains. While my son was after her, he didn¡¯t call me all throughout, he came to this country to look for that witch and he hadpletely ignored me, ignoring my calls, and text messages, there was a time, I was so scared thinking something might have happened to him. You have no idea how much pain I went through, dear. I want her to feel that much pain, if possible, worse. I hired hitmen, to bring her child. I want her to be at your engagement party with Austin because I know she loves my son, it¡¯s gonna be painful for her.¡± ¡°Mo-¡± Ciara tried to say, but she cut her off. ¡°And you, you should be pregnant with my grandchild by now.¡± Austin¡¯s mother said. ¡°I know but, he¡¯s refusing to touch me, mom. I keep trying but he just. ¡°Try harder.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s because of her.¡± Ciara said. ¡°No. He doesn¡¯t remember her. As long as he keeps taking that pill, he¡¯s not going to remember her.¡± ¡°I guess..¡± said Ciara. ¡°About, my engagement party, I don¡¯t think she would be there.¡± ¡°Oh trust me, dear. She would be there. That¡¯s why I hired hitmen to bring her child, she would do anything I say if her child is with me¡­¡± ??? ¡°YOU IDIOT!¡± Thug 1 said hitting thug 2 on the head. He winced. ¡°What was that for?!¡± He snapped. ¡°She escaped because of you! We had one job, bring her daughter! I suggested we should do thister today, you know the childes out to y with the neighbour¡¯s child but ¡®NOOOO, people would probably see us, it¡¯s better at nighttttt!¡¯ ¡± He mocked. ¡°I think he¡¯s drunk,¡± thug 3 said. ¡°I think we¡¯re all drunk.¡± thug 4 said with a shrug. ¡°Boss is going to kill us all!!¡± ¡°you mean only you, right?¡± ¡°No idiot, I meant all. Of. Us.¡± Thug 2 said ¡°Who suggested we shoulde tonight even when he¡¯s aware of our drunkenness?¡± Thug 1 questioned. ¡°Him!¡± Thug 3 and 4 said at the same time pointing at Thug 2. ¡°Bastards!! well, why didn¡¯t you two stop me?!¡± Said Thug 1. ¡°Uhm¡­ Because you¡¯re the lead?!¡± Questioned Thug two. ¡°fucker, you¡¯re the second in lead.¡± Thug 1 eximed. ¡°Yo-¡± He was cut off when his phone rang. ¡°oh fuck, it¡¯s boss.¡± ¡°Well, pick it up!¡± He picked up the call, awkwardly. ¡°So, what are you waiting for? I gave you this job like two days ago..¡± ¡°uh¡­¡± ¡°I do not like the sound of that. You know I do not like when someone cks on the job I give to them.¡± He scratched his head, scared. ¡°We uh¡­ We¡­ We lost her boss.¡± ¡°What..¡± ¡°JJ wants to speak with you.¡± He said putting the phone on his colleague¡¯s ear. He whispered ¡®why me!¡± ¡°I DEMAND YOU TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED.¡± Austin¡¯s mother demanded. And then he told her what happened. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you follow her fool!¡± ¡°We, uh¡­ We can¡¯t bring our car in here.¡± ¡°Are you drunk?¡± ¡°no, yes, boss¡­¡± ??? ¡°I want you guys to find her, do note back without that woman, especially the child.¡± Austin¡¯s mother screamed into the phone. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Those fools lost her!¡± ¡°oh my God.¡± ??? After leaving Austin¡¯s mother¡¯s room, Ciara left for Austin¡¯s room. She opened the door without knocking. Austin was looking out the window. She smiled and walked up to him. ¡°The scene is beautiful isn¡¯t it?¡± She asked.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Reminds me of her.¡± He replied. Her heart almost stopped. ¡°Of who?¡± She asked. ¡°Her. I keep getting shbacks of this woman, with no face..¡± ¡°What? Haha. I think you were dreaming sweetheart.¡± He turned to face her. ¡°No, it¡¯s not a dream, wherever she¡¯s out there, she might be in danger.¡± ¡°Austin, stop it. You¡¯re engaged to me, we¡¯ve been together for quite a while, I think thisdy is just an imagination. I should be the only woman in your head.¡± she said. She was scared, were his memoriesing back? If it did, then all their ns are ruined. She knew Austin would stand with Tessa, and then. She looked around the room and spotted his medication, the one they were giving to him so he won¡¯t get his memories back. She noticed it was the same as yesterday morning which means he hasn¡¯t taken it since yesterday morning. ¡®oh my God, he hasn¡¯t taken the drugs since yesterday, I think that¡¯s why he¡¯s having shbacks.¡¯ she thought. ¡°Austin, the sweetheart, since when have you been having images of this woman?¡± ¡°earlier today, why?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing. But here, you need to take your medications.¡± She said. He hesitated before answering. ¡°I don¡¯t need it.¡± ¡°Of course, you need it, babe. The doctor said it would help you recover faster.¡± ¡°I said, I don¡¯t need it,¡± He snapped. She was shocked by his tune, Austin has never spoken to her that way before¡­ ¡°B-but, Austin¡­ You don¡¯t understand¡­¡± Austin was very stubborn, and she knew that. She knew he wasn¡¯t going to listen to her. So she left the room to go call his mother. When Austin¡¯s mom reached his room. She also noticed something different about him, that scared her, what if he suddenly remembers Tessa¡­ ¡°Austin, dear. I heard you refused to take your medications..¡± And just like that, she managed to lure him into taking it with her fake cries. ??? It was bedtime, Austin was in the bedroom, while Ciara was in the room, trying to look sexy for him. She hopes her ns work this time. And she hopes, she gets pregnant with his child. She put makeup on her face, wore very exposing lingerie and waited for him on the bed. Austin came out fully dressed. Her face turned into a look of disappointment. She hoped he woulde out with just a towel around his torso. But all hope wasn¡¯t lost. Austin looked at her, funnily. ¡°Why do you have that on?¡± He asked. ¡°Ohe on baby, don¡¯t pretend you don¡¯t know what I want¡­ And I know you want it as well¡­ And besides, I¡¯m really good at it¡­ Better than that Tess-¡± She cut herself off before she could finish. ¡°Tessa¡­¡± He whispered. ¡°Uh¡­ No, you don¡¯t know anyone called that name sweetie,¡± ¡°It just sounded really familiar.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Oh¡­ Okay¡­ Come to bed baby..¡± she said standing up, she lead him to the bed. ¡°I want this, And I know you do too¡­ She said kissing him on his neck. ¡°touch me, please..¡± She begged. Austin redrew his hand. It was really tempting, it feels like forever since he had sex. ??? Tessa¡¯s POV ??? I drove and drove for minutes, until, I saw a sign on a building which says ¡°Kingstel 5 star hotel¡± it looked expensive but what could I do? We needed to rest. I drove in and packed at the packing lot. I just hope, it¡¯s safe here. . . . ¡­¡­.. Chapter 49 I got out of the car and went over to the back sit. Anne was clearly scared, her eyes widely opened, oh my poor baby. I removed her seatbelt, and she climbed down from the car and held it in my hand. With my other hand, I carried the bags and locked the car. To say I was scared was an understatement. Those men could be anywhere near here. If they¡¯re not, they¡¯d probably find me soon¡­ And then, I shake off the thoughts in my head and walked into the hotel. I booked one of the cheapest rooms in the hotel. I can¡¯t afford to waste money at this time. I thanked thedy I paid after she gave me the room card. Consciously, we walked to the elevator, and after a minute, we reached the room. I opened the door and we got in. Anne was suddenly excited. I smiled at the huge grin on her face. ¡°You like it huh,¡± I asked. She nodded, climbing the bed. ¡°Yes mommy, it¡¯s very pretty.¡± I nodded in agreement. It didn¡¯t take long before she fell asleep. I sighed. I stayed up for a while, but sleep soon consumed me. ??? *** Third Person¡¯s POV *** ??? ¡°it seems you¡¯re ying with me. We had an agreement. I would help you with that shit if at the end she¡¯s tossed over to me-¡± ¡°Calm down, Vick..¡± Austin¡¯s mom said. ¡°of course, I was going to do just that. But you see¡­ I want her to see him get engaged and then Married..¡± ¡°She could see all that while she¡¯s with me Ya know? Where did those morons scare her to?¡± ¡°We¡¯re still trying to find out, she wouldn¡¯t have gone far¡­ We¡¯re still sceptical about the car she used. I¡¯m positive, she doesn¡¯t have a car.¡± ¡°you can find out from the house owner.¡± ??? ¡°I would give you 100, 000 dors if you file a missing carcase.¡± Austin¡¯s mom said to the house owner. ¡°Ma¡¯am, I know Tessa, she was probably in trouble, she¡¯d return it back as soon as she can.¡± ¡°1 million dors.¡± She bargained arger amount. ¡°ma-¡± she cut him off with the wave of her finger and two of her guard walked forward and held the house owner down. ¡°or you die.¡± She continued. The poor man gulped. ??? **** Tessa¡¯s POV **** ??? I stretched out my body. It felt so sore. I struggled to open my eyes, but after a few seconds, I finally got them opened. I looked around, I spotted the clock. 8:23 am. I yawned and sat up on the bed. Anne was still asleep. After a while of contemting if I should leave the bed or go back to sleep. Only lord knows how tired I was. I chose to get up. I needed to freshen up. ??? After we freshened up, it didn¡¯t take a while before Anne started whining that she was hungry. ¡°Okay, okay. I would go get something so we could it,¡± I said. But, for some reason, I was scared to leave her alone in the room. I think I saw a restaurantst night, it¡¯s attached to the Hotel. Sigh¡­ I needed to find a permanent ce we could stay. Why was I even thinking of of a permanent ce, my house rent isn¡¯t due in 9 months. I have to go back there and file a case and a restraining order against Austin¡¯s mom. How hard could that be? It¡¯s going to be hard, she¡¯s rich, powerful. She¡¯s probably higher than thew. Sigh. Why won¡¯t she just leave me alone? I wish I never met her or any of her family. I wish I never got a job in that stupidpany in the first ce. ¡®you really wish that?¡¯ a voice said in my head. ¡°Mommy?¡± I heard Anne say snapping me out of deep thought. ¡°Ah¡­ Come, let¡¯s go get something to eat.¡± I said. She grabbed my hand and we walked out of the room. I asked my way around before reaching the restaurant. After we sat down and ordered food, I immediately began feeling like something is off. Almost no one was in the restaurant. And couldn¡¯t help but feel like I was getting watched. I looked around. Nobody. After our food came, we ate in silence. Again, this could be only my imagination. I prayed it was. Halfway down. We were disrupted. ¡°She was the one who drove the car in.¡± A youngdy said, pointing at me. ??? ¡°No please, I swear, I didn¡¯t steal the car, I used it for escape, please believe me.¡± I pleaded to any cops passing by. I was handcuffed and forced to sit down in this chair for probably more than 4 hours now. I was scared because that woman could be the one behind all this, this was probably her n, get me in prison. It¡¯s so hard to predict with her. Tears slipped out my eyes, if I was charged, Anne could be taken away from me. Then.. It¡¯s over. ¡°Isn¡¯t it nice? We meet again, Tessa.¡± I heard a very familiar voice. I froze. With a gulp, I slowly looked up. Oh my God. Vick. ¡°Yo- you!¡± He smiled, ¡°Yes me.¡± I panicked. Now, no doubt in my mind he¡¯s behind all this. No, he¡¯s doing this with Austin¡¯s mom. I gritted my teeth. ¡°I know you¡¯re behind this,¡± I said showing him my handcuffed hands. ¡°I demand you let go of me.¡± ¡°Oh no, you¡¯re in police custody. you stole a car, remember?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t!¡± I cried out. ¡°I was in danger that YOU probably caused! I only used it to escape, I was going to return it back.¡± ¡°you didn¡¯t before 24hrs ended.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t even up to 24hrs!¡± I eximed. ¡°Record said it was.¡± I wanted to scream. ¡°Well, if you aren¡¯t behind this, then why are you here?¡± ¡°I never said I wasn¡¯t.¡± He said with a smirk, looking amused. ¡°So, you are behind all this.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He replied timidly. I looked over at the cop. ¡°See?¡± I said to the cop. ¡°He just admitted he¡¯s behind it. They framed me, please let go-¡± I was cut off by Vick tsks. He bent down and faced me. ¡°That¡¯s of no use, my love. Have you forgotten who I am?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, nor do I care!¡± I spat, shaking my head furiously. ¡°Well, long story short. I¡¯m above thew. These cops can¡¯t do shit.¡± He cussed. ¡°Where¡¯s my child?¡± I asked ignoring what he said. ¡°Where¡¯s she?! I swear if anything happens to her, i-¡± ¡°You would do what? What can you do, tell me, I¡¯m interested to know.¡± There was nothing I could do, I had nothingpared to these people. It¡¯s scary. ¡°Please, tell me she¡¯s okay..¡± I pleaded. ¡°Oh, she is. But she won¡¯t be for long,¡± he said. My eyes widely opened. ¡°Unless you do whatever I say.¡± He finished. ¡°I won¡¯t do anything you say! Just l-¡± The anger in me said. ¡°Then she dies.¡± ¡°No, no. Please, I beg of you, do not harm her please.¡± ¡°Just imagine if you just listened to us a few years back and aborted that bastard, all this shit would-¡± ¡°Do not call my child a bastard!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that what she is?¡± He retaliated. I shook my head. ¡°No.¡± ¡°You know, love. I don¡¯t like seeing you this way..¡± He said wiping my tears off and I wanted to smack his hand off. ¡°Oh, you do. If you don¡¯t, you¡¯d leave me and my child alone. Why are you still after me? It¡¯s been years, you can¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t find someone else to trap with your stupid marriage offer.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t find any like you¡­¡± He whispered. This moron. He stood up. ¡°I¡¯m going to make an offer,¡± He said. ¡°ept my marriage proposal and you get out of here.¡± ¡°What marriage proposal? I¡¯m not epting anything, just leave us alone!¡± I cried. I can¡¯t believe he was still on this marriage thing, it¡¯s been years, why can¡¯t he just move on? Why was this happening to me? Why such bad luck?! ¡°If you get charged today, you know what happens. You lose your child. Oh and you know, this my friend, he loves very young girls, especially the ones your child ag-¡± He tried to say. I lost it, I couldn¡¯t use my hand so I spat on his face instead. He wiped it off with the back of his hand and before I knew what was happening, he grabbed me by my neck and mmed me against the wall. I winced as the pain rolled through my body. ¡°You¡¯re testing my patience, Tessa. Do not underestimate what I can do.¡± He gritted out. Its breath reeked of cigarettes. ¡°I can¡¯t breathe.¡± I try to say. But his hand only got tighter around my neck. He finally let go, and I fell to the floor, crying. ¡°The choice is still up.¡± He said before walking out. ??? I wanted to see Anne, hear her voice. Hug her, and tell her how much I love her. I want to hear her small voice¡­ When will this suffering stop?Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. ¡°So, when are we charging her?¡± I heard a female voice say. ¡°We were given orders not to, For now.¡± ¡°Oh okay.¡± She replied back. Iy down on the floor. My body ached. My heart ached more. I was scared for my daughter, Vick is known to always do what he says. I was so lost in my thoughts, I didn¡¯t know when someone walked toward me. ¡°Have you made up your mind¡­ Yet? Oh and change of n. If you say yes, you¡¯d get to be with your child. If you say no, she¡¯d be gone, and you¡¯d still be forced to be with me anyways.¡± ¡°Please, tell me you didn¡¯t do anything to her, please.¡± ¡°I told you before, nothing would happen until I get an answer from you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have an answer..¡± my voice came out hoarse. ¡°You do. Just fucking agree, and then, you¡¯d be okay, you and your child.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t be ¡®okay¡¯ with you.¡± ¡°So, is that your choice?¡± He asked. I couldn¡¯t reply. He looked over to the cop. ¡°Charge her.¡± My eyes widened. I sat up ignoring the pains. ¡°No, please, I beg of you¡­ You can¡¯t do this. I didn¡¯t steal anything.¡± ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± He snapped at the cop. ¡°Okay fine! I will, please¡­ I don¡¯t want to lose my child, she¡¯s the only one I have..¡± My voice was cracked. I noticed his smirk at that. He bent down. ¡°You have me¡­¡± He said. ??? ¡°Get in.¡± He said as he opened his car door. I hesitated before entering. It was cold inside. The car was very luxurious, but I felt ufortable in it. ¡°Please, let me see her..¡± ¡°She¡¯s home.¡± He replied as he started the car. He drove off. After a 20 minutes drive, we arrived. I didn¡¯t wait for him to open the car door, I got out. And the house was Luxury as well. ¡°Anne?¡± I called. ??? Third Person¡¯s POV ??? ¡°Oh good. Also, Austin¡¯s engagement is in two weeks. I expect you there. You should bring her also¡­ Oh, it¡¯s fine! I would make sure he doesn¡¯t see her. Hmm hmm¡­ Yes, alright then.¡± And she cut off the call. ¡°It wasn¡¯t how I nned it to go, but everything is even better now, thank you, Vick!¡± Austin¡¯s mother said to herself. Her soon-to-be daughter-inw walked in. ¡°Where have you been?! I was looking for you, Ray said you left early this morning, now why would you do that without telling me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, mom. I was just really emotional.¡± She faked a cry. ¡°What happened, dear?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Austin, no matter what I do, it isn¡¯t enough. You know, he nowins about everything I do! I made him breakfast this morning and he refused to eat it after I told him I was the one who made it.¡± She cried. ¡°Oh dear, I¡¯m so sorry about that.¡± She said giving Ciara a warm hug. ¡°I would talk to him, okay?¡± ¡°Yes. Please do,¡± she said. ¡°And about my gr-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even go there now..¡± Ciara sobbed. ¡°He left the roomst night when I wanted to make your grandchild, he left me hanging, mom.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that boy?!¡± Momma Austin eximed. ¡°I don¡¯t know..¡± She faked another sob. . . . ¡­¡­.. Chapter 50 **** Tessa¡¯s POV **** ¡°Anne?¡± I called again. Oh God, where¡¯s that child? I turned around to look at Vick. ¡°Where is she?¡± I asked. Instead of answering me, he went over to the couch and sat downfortably, staring at me nkly. ¡°I asked, where is she?!¡± I snapped. ¡°You know, you¡¯re not going to see her with that dang attitude.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Calm down and then you would see her,¡± He said rolling his eyes. I wanted to jump on him and strangle him, but then I would be asking for another thing. Calm down, Tessa, calm down. I said to myself. I breathe in and out. ¡°C-can I see her?¡± I asked with my voice low. He raised his eyebrow. This bastard. ¡°You¡¯re not going to add anything?¡± He asked. I looked at him confused. Oh.. ¡°please..¡± I added. ¡°Say the whole sentence together.¡± He said with a smirk ying on his lips. ¡°Can I see her, please?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± He smirked. ¡°If you can find her.¡± This bastard is ying with me. His whole existence is to annoy me. ¡°Please,¡± I said again. ¡°I would show you her room, if you give me a kiss, on the lip.¡± He said. A sadistic smile stered on his face. ¡°I-i would go look for her.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother, you won¡¯t see her and besides, you don¡¯t have the key to the room.¡± He said. Did he lock her in? I wanted to break down, isn¡¯t that what he wants? ¡°You monster..¡± I said. ¡°Oh and she hasn¡¯t eaten all day, if I were you, I would just do what I asked for and then you would go see her and prepare something for her.¡± He said. My child was starving, And it¡¯s all because of me¡­ ¡°You monster..¡± ¡°You¡¯ve already said that,¡± He chuckled. ¡°Now are you going to give me the kiss orr- ¨C -¡± he dragged. It¡¯s for Anne. It¡¯s for my baby. My body suddenly went numb. Consciously, I took a step forward. He patted the couch, indicating I sit next to him. I did. I leaned in and gave him a quick kiss and immediately stood up. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°What you asked for, now p-¡± He cut me off. ¡°It¡¯s that how you kiss? Come, let me teach you how.¡± Oh my God. Why was he tormenting me this way? ¡°Come,¡± He said again. Seeing I hesitated, he gave me a nasty look. ¡°It¡¯s like you don¡¯t want to see her.¡± He said. My eyes became blurry with tears. I swallowed and sat back down. He grabbed me, his lips mmed against mine. He kissed them roughly. ¡°Open your mouth.¡± Seeing, I didn¡¯t do as he said, he touched my boobs, and I gasped at the sudden touch giving him ess to my mouth. His, tongue ran through my mouth. I was going to pull away, but his grip on me was so strong. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to do this, the very first day I saw you.¡± He said between kisses. I managed to pull away. He was going toe after me, ¡°No, please! Just let me see her, please..¡± ¡°Fine!¡± He snapped. He called for someone and in no less than 3 seconds, a youngdy rushed in. ¡°Show her the little girl¡¯s room.¡± He said. She nodded and walked forward, I followed behind her quickly. It was a huge house. Very huge. After three elevator rides, we reached another floor. ¡°When are we going to reach? We¡¯ve been walking for a while no-¡± I cut myself off when I heard sobsing from a room door. ¡°Anne?¡± I cried, walking to the door the cries came from. Thedy came to the door and opened the door with a key. Anne. She sat up from the bed, her eyes wide open as she noticed me. I wanted to cry, but something in me won¡¯t let me. It won¡¯t help anything. Before I could reach the bed, I was already attacked with a hug. ¡°Oh, my baby.¡± Her body was shaking. She had been crying a lot. Are you going to let this slip too? ¡°I¡¯m so sorry..¡± I hugged her tight, it was like she¡¯s fade away if I leave her. I can¡¯t believe how much danger I¡¯ve put the girl in. I can¡¯t believe how much of a bad mother I am. Oh and she hasn¡¯t eaten all day, if I were you, I would just do what I asked for and then you would go see her and prepare something for her. I heard her stomach growl. ¡°Oh baby,e, let¡¯s go get something, so you would eat, okay?¡± I said grabbing her hand. Thedy who brought me here left. How was I going to find my way back? Oh, that elevator. After what seemed like forever, I found my way back. Vick was still on the couch, lying down, lookingzy. ¡°Please, I need to go get something for her to eat.¡± ¡°You can use the kitchen,¡± For some reason, Anne whimpered when he spoke. ¡°No, I want t-¡± ¡°Just use the kitchen, except you want her to starve, nobody is leaving this house,¡± He barked. ¡°if you need anything, ask Amber, the girl who lead you to the thing¡¯s room.¡± He said. He just called Anne ¡®Thing¡¯ and I can¡¯t do anything about it, I tried retaliating, but something tells me, he would let her starve. He knows my weakness. ¡°O-okay.¡± That was all I could say back. ¡°I¡¯d show you the kitchen.¡± I heard thedy¡¯s voice. I nodded. I held Anne¡¯s hand and took her along with me. We reached the kitchen. ¡°There¡¯s everything you would need, what do you want to prepare?¡± she asked. ¡°Uh¡­ Pasta?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± She said giving me a pack of pasta. She put all might need on a table and walked out. I didn¡¯t waste any time, I started cooking. I ced Anne on a chair in the kitchen. ¡°Are you crying?¡± I asked when I noticed tears flowing out of her eyes. ¡°He¡¯s very mean and scary, mommy.¡± We then had a conversation. ~ After a few minutes, the food was ready, she dug into her food. I¡¯ve never seen her eat so fast. That bastard, how dare he do this? And Austin¡¯s mom, too¡­ They are all behind all this. ¡°people step on you all the time because you let them. They hurt you and you do nothing about it, they hurt your child and you let it go,e on, you¡¯ve got to bite back or they would keep doing it, they think you¡¯re weak, why don¡¯t you prove them wrong for once? You could outsmart them all, I know Tessa, you have that fighting spirit in you, you just have to bring it out. Fight them back and they¡¯d know not to mess with you next time. You have to be strong for yourself and your daughter or she¡¯s going to grow up with scars. You should be ready to go to extreme measures for her¡­ What these people want is something you could easily take advantage of. You¡¯ve got to be revengeful.¡± I remembered Kara saying these words to me. She said a lot more. She¡¯s right. I let people do This, I let people harm my baby. No more. No more. It has to stop. It all has to stop. I would make it stop. At all cause. It¡¯s been going on for too long. I just have to think of a way out. Also, a revenge n, to make them regret ever messing with me, oh, they¡¯re so going to regret. I just have to. My thoughts were cut off when I heard Vick calling my name. ¡°Tessa.¡± He snapped. It seemed like he called me way more than once, probably why he looked annoyed. ¡°Y-yes?¡± ¡°What were you thinking?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t fucking try to fool me, you were thinking of a way to escape, right? I know that¡¯s something you know how to do very well, it¡¯s not going to work.¡± Oh, that wasn¡¯t what I was thinking, what would be escaping do at this point? I was thinking of a way to destroy you. That I will. ¡°Yes, I was thinking of a way to escape, but then I realise, it¡¯s not going to be possible,¡± I said, he smirked at that. ¡°d you realized that, it¡¯s evening, Go prepare dinner.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve already eaten.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve not.¡± ¡°You¡¯re rich, I¡¯m guessing you have a maid. Go tell her that.¡± I snapped, at first, he looked taken aback. ¡°I see, you want to act that way cause you have that thing now, and you think she¡¯s safe? You¡¯re in my house, I can take that thing away from you and all you can do is scream and cry,¡± He said then called for someone. I did it again, I¡¯m so stupid. ¡°No, please, I didn¡¯t mean for it toe out that way, I¡¯m sorry¡­ I just¡­ I feel some type of way. It¡¯s hard to describe, I¡¯m scared of this feeling, I haven¡¯t felt it in a long time and I feel doing those kinds of work for you may spark more¡­ I..¡± ¡°What feeling?¡± He asked, looking very interested. ¡°Love..¡± I hesitated. He got closer to me and cupped my face. ¡°You should not be scared of these feelings for me..¡± ¡°But I am. Everyone I ever loved¡­ They all left me with nothing but heartbreaks..¡± I faked a sob. The fact that he was falling for this is mind-blowing, never thought he was this vulnerable. Probably because this is what he wants from me, Love. ¡°I would never break your heart¡­ I love you¡­ When did you begin feeling this way?¡± He said as he ced a kiss on my forehead. I wanted to puke. Faking a smile. ¡°earlier¡­ I don¡¯t know, I just..¡± ¡°Say no more. Come, let¡¯s go to the bedroom.¡±Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. ¡°no, no, no¡­ Um¡­ I thought you wanted me to cook, i-¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­ The cook can do that..¡± oh, he has a cook and he wanted me to cook for him¡­ I would have to, why cook, why does he want me to go to the bedroom with him? No. Just no. ¡°No, I want to be the one to cook for you¡­ A saying, the way to a man¡¯s heart is through his stomach..¡± ¡°You¡¯re already in my heart, love¡± ¡°I¡­ I know but, I really want to cook for you. Please..¡± ¡°Okay babe, it could wait till nighttime.¡± He said. What the hell was I putting myself in? . . . ¡­¡­.. Chapter 51 After about an hour, we¡¯d already eaten. I tried to make excuse upon excuse to sleep with Anne tonight but he keeps rejecting it. ¡°It¡¯s okay, she¡¯d be just fine, I promise.¡± He said. Frustrated, I said. ¡°Why should I believe you? You starved her, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she¡¯s actually okay and yo-¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry I did all that, I was just angry, you wouldn¡¯t give up..¡± He cut me off, apologizing. ¡°But, I promise, I won¡¯t hurt you anymore.¡± He said. He really doesn¡¯t actually care. But I was very close to wrapping this guy around my fingers, he was my only weapon at this time. I could use him against all my enemies and even against himself. He¡¯d be good coverage. I also need information. ¡°I¡¯d stay with her till 2 am,¡± I said. ¡°Tessa,¡± He said sternly. He suddenly looks angry. ¡°You¡¯d do as I say, do not make me punish you.¡± Punish. He grabbed me by my hand and dragged me along with him. It seemed he was taking me to Anne¡¯s room. We finally reached the door he opened it. Anne was fast asleep. ¡°See? She¡¯s fine.¡± He said. ¡°I just..¡± I was going to say but he gave me a nasty re, so I shut up. We walked back to his room. He was far from being wrapped around my fingers, I needed to step up my game. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Vick. I didn¡¯t mean to snap like that, I was just really scared for her..¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± he said. Walking towards a door, probably the door to the bathroom. He wanted something from me tonight, I just know it. I heard the tap running. He¡¯s not going to get anything. He came back out. ¡°you can go use the bathroom now.¡± he handed me a towel, a toothbrush and a sleeping gown. Why would I trust this man with a sleeping gown on me? ¡°Don¡¯t you have other cloth? I need trousers.¡± I said. He burst outughing. ¡°Women shouldn¡¯t wear trousers, babe. They should wear something that would give a man more ess..¡± He said then bit his lower lip. He wasn¡¯t even ashamed to say it. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want to give any man ¡®ess¡¯, I need trousers.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be your husband..¡± he said. I realized I fucked up again, how was I going to make this man think I truly love him if I keep doing this? ¡°I know¡­ But we have to wait after marriage, babe..¡± I said. He looked taken aback when I said ¡®babe¡¯ But he smiled nevertheless. I gave him a smile back. ¡°I like when you call me that..¡± He said. ¡°I bet you do,¡± I replied. ~ It was 5 am and I was already up. Vick was still fast asleep, he was in the far corner of the bed. shback ¡°I would sleep on the floor,¡± I said to Vick. ¡°Why? I told you, I won¡¯t touch you..¡± ¡°I know, it¡¯s just.. Please, I- I¡¯d be morefortable on the floor,¡± I said. His face suddenly turned red with anger. No doubt in my mind now that he¡¯s bipr. ¡°You¡¯d rather sleep on the ground thany with me.¡± He summarized. ¡°No, It¡¯s just, you know¡­ You¡¯ve probably been sleeping on this bed by yourself, I would feel like an intruder..¡± ¡°I really haven¡¯t.¡± He replied. Oh. I made a sad face. I needed to act, that¡¯s the only way I would win this. I turned away from him, looking hurt. ¡°And then you said you loved me,¡± I said. ¡°I do..¡± ¡°If you do, you wouldn¡¯t have..¡± I fought to say it. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have been sleeping with other girls, you would have waited for me..¡± I said with a fake sob. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just..¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, I forgive you,¡± I said. I didn¡¯t want to hear what he had to say, I don¡¯t give a f*uk who he f*uks. ¡°I just need to sleep, I¡¯m really tired. I said, lying down on the edge of the bed. I ced a pillow on the side of the bed and made it seem I just wanted to cuddle with it so he wouldn¡¯t know I¡¯m creating my space. ¡°Tess?¡± he called. I immediately faked snores. I heard him sigh. And before I knew it, I felt him ce a kiss on my forehead. ¡°I love you.¡± He whispered. No, you don¡¯t love me, Vick, you wouldn¡¯t have put me in such pain if you did. ¡°I¡¯m d you feel the same way..¡± He continued. What way? I wanted to ask out loud. The ¡®I love you¡¯ thing? It was all an act, to protect my child. I do love you, never will. End of shback ~ He noticed I was awake. ¡°I want to go check on Anne,¡± I said. He groaned. ¡°It¡¯s like 5 am. Go back to sleep,¡± he said leaving no room for argument. Two dayster. It¡¯s been two days since I came to this house. It¡¯s like hell, having to pretend I love him. I have no progress in my n, it¡¯s frustrating. I was sitting down on a rxation chair close to a pool, and Anne was in the pool ying with her duck. ¡°Is boss home?¡± I heard a male voice say. ¡°No.¡± I heard the house help reply. ¡°Help me give him this, when hees back, make sure no one sees or opens it, not even you or..¡± and then, there was silence. I quickly stood up and walked towards where the conversation came from. ¡°hey,¡± I said. The guy raised an eyebrow. ¡°Hey..¡± He replied. The guy looks familiar for some reason. ¡°What are you doing?! That¡¯s Vick¡¯s Fiance!¡± oh, it¡¯s that dude I met at that club¡­ Where I almost got raped. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you again, Tessa.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me by my name, you¡¯re supposed to call me ¡®boss¡¯.¡± ¡°You said?¡± He looked taken aback. ¡°Vick said his workers should call me boss, and I should report if they don¡¯t and he would have them fired, oh yeah, he gave me permission to fire anyone who disrespects me.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Uh¡­ Sorry, boss.¡± he said. I smiled. ¡°leave,¡± I told the house help. She scurried away. ¡°Give me what you brought,¡± I said. ¡°Bos-¡± I cut him off. ¡°Give it to me or, I would tell Vick you disrespected me and he would have you fired.¡± ¡°I got direct-¡± I snatched it out of his hand before he could finish, he attempted to take it back. ¡°Touch me and I would tell Vick you hit me.¡± I threatened. He immediately stepped back. ¡°Leave,¡± I told him. He hesitated but walked away. A smile crept on my lips. ~ I sat on the chair pretending I was crying. ¡°Tessa!¡± I heard Vick shout my name before he walked in. That guy probably already told him. I sobbed harder. I saw my mode and his face immediately became soft. He rushed to my side. ¡°why are you crying, babe?¡± ¡°h-he insulted me. He came over, and I saw him with your paperwork, I just wanted to help out with it because I was bored and I thought you might be tired when you get back¡­ I thought I was doing my love a favour but then he got mad for literally no reason and threw the papers at me..¡± I sobbed. ¡°And that¡¯s why you stormed in here looking like you were about to kill me, you believe him¡­ You didn¡¯t evene or call to ask me what actually happened but you were ready to kill me, how is this rtionship going to work if you don¡¯t trust me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, babe. I¡¯d get rid of h-¡± ¡°No no, don¡¯t do that. Just tell him toe to apologise.¡± ¡°Done. I¡¯d make it up to you, we¡¯d go have a romantic dinner¡­ Just me and you.¡± He said as his phone rang. ¡°Not tonight¡­ I.. Hmm¡­ Hm¡­ I guess I have to cancel it then¡­ Sure why not? Okay, see you..¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry babe, but the n has to be cancelled. I promise we would go tomorrow night.¡± ¡°Oh, no problem,¡± I said. I was relieved, I didn¡¯t even want to go out with him. ¡°But, you¡¯re going out tonight, right?¡± I asked. He nodded his head.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. ¡°To where?¡± I asked. And then he told me. I was suddenly interested in going. Austin¡¯s mom is going to be there. ¡°I mean, why can¡¯t I follow you to a business Party? Are you ashamed of me? You don¡¯t want others to know about me.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not it. Who would be ashamed to have a sweet candy like you by their side?¡± I managed to pursue him to take me along. ~ ¡°make sure to give her whatever she asks for,¡± I said to the nanny who would watch over Anne tonight. She nodded her head. ¡°Good,¡± I said. I walked with Vick to the car. ¡°You look beautiful.¡± He told me for like the 100th time tonight. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, and looked the other way, I rolled my eyes. We got inside the car and it drove off. After minutes of driving, we arrived. When we entered the party, there was slow music ying in the background. Obviously, rich men and women scattered everywhere, some discussing, some toasting. We walked inside and some people came to greet Vick. ¡°She is a beauty!¡± One old guy eximed. ¡°Thank you,¡± I replied. We walked further, then I spotted Austin¡¯s mom. She noticed Vick. She smiled and waved. We walked towards her. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me you were going to bring her, Vick, but it¡¯s a good thing though, I get to..¡± She stopped herself at a loss of words. I noticed the girl I saw at the hospital, she was giving me a nasty look. Austin¡¯s mom soon followed suit. I returned it back. After a few minutes of discussion, Vick left the table to go talk with some businessmen, I think. Leaving me with these two witches on the table. Thedy came and sat next to me. ¡°I¡¯m Ciara, Austin¡¯s fiancee, I hope that sink in.¡± She said as she stood up. She turned around to walk away, I put my heel shoe on her dress as attempted to walk away, but her silver long gown tore apart. She must have heard it torn apart as she gasped and turned to look at her back. ¡°You make me want to puke, go fix your dress, please take your time,¡± ¡°Mom!¡± she squealed like a spoiled brat. ¡°Why would you do that?! You have no respect or what?! I-¡± I didn¡¯t let her finish, agitated, I took the wine from the table and poured it on her face. She screamed. ¡°Please take your time in cleaning up.¡± both looked taken aback. Everyone was watching by now. Before I knew it, someone grabbed me by my hand and dragged me until we were away from the party. ¡°What the f*uk is the wrong y-¡± ¡°I knew that¡¯s what you¡¯d do! Immediately me me without trying to find out what exactly happened. They started it, they insulted me, they insulted our future babies, they said I¡¯m a whore and I¡¯ve probably already destroyed my womb, they said I may end up giving birth to an imbecile so I shouldn¡¯t try. If you side with them it means you side with these things! You don¡¯t want to have babies with me? Then fine!¡± ¡°No, no, of course, I want to have babies with you¡­ I f*uked up once again..¡± ¡°Yes, you did. But you have to confront them, they insulted our babies. That woman has always hated me for no reason at all¡­ What have I done?¡± I faked a sob. ¡°Please don¡¯t cry..¡± ¡°I would stop when you confront them.¡± He turned around and walked back to the party. A smile yed on my lips. I stood there for about a minute before walking back into the party. I walked towards where Vick was and cling to his arm. ¡°Come on, Vick don¡¯t be ridiculous, don¡¯t tell me you believe her..¡± Austin¡¯s mom said. Oh, This is just the beginning. **** Kara¡¯s POV **** ¡°Really?¡± I pretended tough at the stupid joke Cruz made. He nodded his head as he took another sip from his alcohol. It was annoying the crap out of me, he was taking it slowly. He was the only way I could get some information since he works for Austin¡¯s mom. I have this strong belief that all that is happening now could be made up. Tessa wouldn¡¯t do such a thing. There¡¯s no way¡­ I jumped out of my thoughts when I noticed he already drank the full cup. ¡°More..¡± He was already slurring. I refilled his cup. ¡°So Cruz, you said you love me and you would be honest with me. Would you be now?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°About G. Kings. Is there any gossip?¡± ¡°Yes, haha. That woman is crazy. She nned her own son¡¯s ident and he never really lost his memory, they¡¯re just giving him pills, to make him forget some things. Crazy¡± He slurred. Crazy indeed. I wasn¡¯t exactly shocked I knew that woman was crazy, the first time Tessa told me about her. I just have to look for a way to tell Tessa, without anyone knowing I did¡­ . . . ¡­¡­. Chapter 52 **** Tessa¡¯s POV **** Iy down on the chair reading today¡¯s newspaper, what happenedst night keeps reying in my brain and I couldn¡¯t stop smiling at it. Vick left for work early this morning, he seems to be always busy with work, not that I¡¯mining. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I have to go to work, I have lots of work to do but I promise, it¡¯s all almost done, then I¡¯d be at home with you- I shook the thought off my head. No, he should keep working, I do not need him here. It¡¯s more peaceful andfortable when he isn¡¯t around. ¡°Ma¡¯am, somebody is here to see you.¡± I heard the house help say. Ugh, who is here, I wasn¡¯t expecting anyone and I wasn¡¯t in the mood to. But something in me was curious, so I asked her to let the person in. And then I saw the guy from yesterday. Oh, he came to apologize. I cleared my throat and sat up. I smiled. ¡°So, what are you here for?¡± I asked him. ¡°I came to apologize.¡± He said. I didn¡¯t like the way he said it. It sounded ignorant.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. ¡°Okay.¡± I gave him a go-ahead, anyways. ¡°About, yesterday¡­ I came to apologize for talking back at you, please forgive me¡­ Or the boss would kill me..¡± He pleaded. ¡°Why would I care if he kills you?¡± ¡°Please, I have a wife with two kids, they¡¯d be very sad if I¡¯m suddenly gone, I¡¯m all they have..¡± He pleaded. ¡°I¡¯d forgive you on one condition..¡± He nodded his head for me to continue. I scowled. ¡°Use your mouth,¡± I said. ¡°Sorry. Yes ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°The papers you brought in yesterday¡­ It has some sort ofnguage I do not understand, would you be kind to trante it?¡± ¡°Only bos -¡± He tried to say but I cut him off. ¡°Okay then, go. I do not forgive you. In fact, I would tell Vick you didn¡¯t apologize, you just cam-¡± ¡°Okay, I would tell you¡­ Please don¡¯t.. Please..¡± He pleaded. I smiled at him. ¡ª *** Third Person POV *** Vick sat on his office chair going through some heavy paperwork. He¡¯s been busy the minute he came into the office. He sighed. Suddenly someone barged into his office, he looked up to see Ciara. What does she want, now? He thought, annoyed at her presence. ¡°Vick, what¡¯s wrong with you? Why are you suddenly like this? You became soft and, and¡­ You¡¯re siding with that whore, you were supposed to make her suffer not the opposite!¡± Vick gave her a cold look for calling Tessa a ¡®whore¡¯ ¡°Call her that again and have your throat slit.¡± he threatened and she gasped, looking shocked. She ced her hands on her neck, but immediately gained control back. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t do that, my dad would-¡± ¡°Try me,¡± He said. She gasped again, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?! Vick, this isn¡¯t you. You¡¯re supposed to be on my side. Not hers, you promised you¡¯d do anything to make me happy. And now¡­ She¡¯s using you. You don¡¯t think she¡¯s in love with you, do you?¡± And that was thest straw, he flipped and kicked her out. ~ Tessa¡¯s POV ¡ª I asked him to leave after he tranted it. It was all too easy. Sitting down to read it, my eyes almost dropped. I thought this was a business script or something. I wanted to sabotage something for Vick, something that would hurt him¡­ Something he would cry about. I felt like using him isn¡¯t enough, he would probably find out sooner orter and hurt me¡­ That¡¯s for sure. In other for him not to hurt me, I have to turn the tables. But how? I pushed aside my thoughts and read the whole script. ¡ª It was unbelievable, as rich as Vick was, he still did Task evasion. Are you really surprised? As corrupt as he is? I sighed. This couldn¡¯t do anything for me. It wouldn¡¯t help me get what I want, it would only put me in more trouble. Vick is nearly untouchable, only a more powerful man could bring him down. It¡¯s so scary. I let out a breath. My head was throbbing. Vick is going to propose soon, I know that for sure.. could I say no? Would that get him angry? It sure would. Then he might go back to his old wicked self. And torture me. I mean Tessa¡­ You could get married to him without a prenup and divorce him. You could get half of his wealth. No. That¡¯s not a good idea. It is¡­ You¡¯d have more ess to his properties when you be his wife. The world would know you¡¯re his wife, you could use him of abuse¡­ you could get him in jail. I wanted to block the voice in my head. You could hurt him. Thinking about it, he¡¯s going to make me get married to him anyways. I sat up on the couch. Vick thinks I truly love him. He¡¯s so gullible. True, I could take advantage of this. ~ **** Kara¡¯s POV **** ~ After driving for an hour, I reached Tessa¡¯s apartment. I felt so bad. I don¡¯t know how to speak to her, she must be so mad at me. I understand. I would be too. I just hope she sees how sorry I am. I would make it up to her, but for now.. she¡¯s in danger. I unbuckled my seat belt. Took my phone and got out of the car. I reached and door and rang the doorbell. Someone opened the door. It was an elderly woman. I was surprised. Did Tessa bring any of her rtives? No¡­ As far as I know, she isn¡¯t close to any of her rtives. Besides, the only one she knows is her aunt and from what I know, she isn¡¯t old. I smiled. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m looking for Tessa.¡± She shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s nobody called Tessa here, we just moved in here 3 days ago.¡± She said. My eyes widened a bit. Did Tessa leave? I know her rent isn¡¯t expired, it won¡¯t be till next year and the rent is not refundable. Oh my God. What if something happened to her? What if Austin¡¯s mom¡­ ¡°Thank you,¡± I said to thedy before walking away. I reached my car. Something happened. I believe. She¡¯s in danger¡­ What if she¡¯s being tortured? Poor Tessa. I felt so guilty. Austin¡¯s mom! I know I have her number somewhere on my phone. I searched for the number, but couldn¡¯t find it, I stopped when I saw Jake¡¯s number. Haven¡¯t spoken with him in a while. I dialled the number. It rang, but he didn¡¯t pick up the call. Come on, Jake. I called again and again. The third time calling him, he picked up the call. ¡°Jake¡­ Jake, it¡¯s Tessa.. she¡¯s in danger¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± He asked. He seemed out of breath. ¡°Tessa was at the party just a few days ago,¡± ¡°What party?¡± ¡°Austin¡¯s mom said she saw her Tessa abused her.¡± ¡°What?¡± I said. It was unbelievable. The way he talked about Tessa was like he spites her. It was disturbing. ¡°She was with Vick. Her new target, you see, she couldn¡¯t get us, so she decided to target another rich guy,¡± It was painful to listen to this, but I have to, to get information. He sounded drunk. Vick¡­ His name sounds so familiar¡­ ~ **** Tessa¡¯s POV **** ~ I was in the car with Vick. He had offered to take me on a night out. I was so nervous, my hand was shaking. I tried to hide it. ¡°I have been waiting for the day, Tess.¡± He said with his hand on my hand. I gave him a fake smile, as I tried to stop my hands from shaking. We rode for 10 more minutes until we reached a ce. It wasn¡¯t a restaurant. It was just a ce beautifully decorated. Oh my God.. he was going to propose¡­ My breathing became faster. We reached a swing, and I sat down on it, he bent down, his eyes on mine. ¡°I fell in love with you the day I met you¡­ It hurt you didn¡¯t love me back. And it feels my heart has been fixed now you love me¡­¡± He said. I gave another fake smile. Remember, Tessa¡­ For the safety of your child¡­ For revenge¡­ The voice in my head said. He kept saying stuff, it was blurred out, because I was thinking about something else. His lips moved in the shape of ¡®I Love You and I replied. ¡°I¡­ I love you too.¡± He reached for something in his pocket. It felt like the world stopped moving. ~ I tossed it on the bed. I felt a presence before me. Normally, it¡¯s just me on the bed by this time in the morning, sometimes, Annees toy with me. But I¡¯m sure this wasn¡¯t Anne. I slowly opened my eyes to see Vick. What was he still doing here? Normally by this time, he would be at work. Then I rememberedst night. He was smiling at me. ¡°Morning sweetheart,¡± He said. ¡°why are you still here? I mean¡­ Shouldn¡¯t you be at work?¡± ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m taking the month off.¡± He replied twirling my hair. ¡°Why?¡± I asked. ¡°Why?¡± He asked back, questioning my question. ¡°I mean, I know why¡­ but I just want to hear ite from you.¡± I lied. He chuckled. ¡°We¡¯re getting engaged in two days, getting married in a week.¡± He said. My eyes widened but I quickly covered it. ¡°Oh, I knew that¡­¡± I said with an awkwardugh. He leaned in to kiss my neck. ¡°We have guests today.¡± He said and kissed me on the lips before getting off the bed. I faked another smile. ??? Kara¡¯s POV (the night before) ??? I entered my apartment, exhausted. It was a stressful day. Trying to find out what¡¯s going on. I turned on the TV. And breaking news, Vick Carter is rumoured to be getting engaged by next tomorrow- My eyes widened and increased the volume. He was getting engaged¡­ Do we have any information on the bride, Logan Yes, she¡¯s said to be Tessa Carl¡­ Tessa¡­ I gulped. Well, at least now I know for sure who she is with. I need to go to the engagement party, and I would try to talk with Tessa to let her know what¡¯s going on with Austin¡­ ??? Tessa¡¯s POV ??? The guest we were waiting for, arrived. I stood up from the chair and waited to receive them. Anne was right next to me. The guest walked in, and my eyes widened. Aunt¡­ ??? My nostrils red at the sight of this woman, how dare shee back? I noticed how she was looking at Anne, like dirt. I pushed Anne behind me. Only God knows how I wanted to attack the woman and drag her out of here, but wouldn¡¯t that be too easy for her? She has to get it hard. I needed to teach her a lesson so she wouldn¡¯t think ofing back¡­ In my life ever again. I faked a smile. ¡°Aunt!¡± I walked closer to her and hugged her. She hugged back. ¡°Oh, my sweet angel! I miss you so much.¡± She said. I cringed. I know she didn¡¯t miss me, not at all. She knows Vick is loaded, she¡¯s doing all this to get her share. If only she knew what I had in mind¡­ ¡°I miss you, too, Aunt¡­ Where¡¯s Cara?¡± I asked of her daughter. ¡°Oh! I¡¯m here.¡± Cara squealed as she walked in, her heels clicking on the floor. She wore a very short tight gown, how boobs exposed. And as usual, her face was caked with makeup. I stole a look at Vick as if he was checking her out, but his eyes were solely on me. Dang, he fell hard didn¡¯t he? ¡°Oh hey, Cara, long time no see.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± She giggled kissing my cheeks. ¡°Oh and look at the little one! I miss her so so so much! Thest time I saw her¡­ She was¡­ in your stomach!¡± Cara said awkwardly. ¡°Yeah,¡± I said and walked back to Anne. I didn¡¯t want these people touching my child. I smiled again. ¡°You guys are wee, the maid would see you to your rooms,¡± Vick said to them. He came towards me and kissed me on the cheek. I pretended I liked it and gave him a side hug. The rest of the day was boring, I had to put up with Aunt talking all day long. It was 4 pm and a fashion designer was here. She brought lots of designer gowns, both for the engagement and wedding for me to choose from. I tried on a couple of gowns and couldn¡¯te to a conclusion, not because I don¡¯t like them, don¡¯t get me wrong, they are all very beautiful but¡­ It¡¯s just very disturbing knowing I was getting married to someone I don¡¯t love. But I chose two gowns after everything, reminding myself I had to do this. . . . ¡­¡­. Chapter 53 **** Kara¡¯s POV **** The engagement party was tomorrow, and I had to go. That¡¯s the only way I could reach out to Tessa. I just have to be careful so no one could know what I¡¯m up to, I might likely get killed. I know Austin¡¯s mom won¡¯t think twice if she finds out I know what happened, she wouldn¡¯t think twice about eliminating me. I heard a car pull up. I walked to the window to see Zedd¡¯s car. Oh my God. Did he remember telling me what was going on the other night? If he does, then no doubt in my mind he¡¯s here to kill me. My heart pace increased. He got out of the car, I noticed a gun tucked in his back pocket. Oh my God. The next thing I heard was the doorbell. Calm down, Kara. I calmed myself. You got this. I quickly ran to my room and got my recorder. I started it and his it on my shelf. I walked to the door and opened it. ¡°Zedd!¡± I eximed. He pushed me in, walked in and locked the door. I was scared but I shouldn¡¯t have let him know. He pulled out his gun and pointed it at me. ¡°What¡¯s this, Zedd?¡± I asked, ying confused. ¡°Don¡¯t try to full me, the other night, you managed to get something out of me.¡± ¡°Something like what?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t fuck with me, you know what.¡± He spat. ¡°I really don¡¯t know what you are talking about.. please exin.¡± ¡°Fine! You know what¡¯s going on. You deceived to tell you. You know Austin¡¯s mother is behind all that is going on with Austin and I know you¡¯re a friend of Tessa.¡± Iughed. ¡°Oh, that? Sure I know all that but you think I would tell that slut, Tessa? I despise Tessa, the moment I knew all that have been happening to her¡­ It was all an act. I wanted to know what was going on, not to tell Tessa, I wanted to know what was going on for me¡­ I wanted to know if Tessa is suffering, and if she wasn¡¯t I was going to make sure she does myself! I know Tessa is in love with Austin, I just hoped Austin hasn¡¯t gained his memory back.. and then I decided to ask you but you were the one who wanted to tell me more! And I know Austin¡¯s mom wants her to suffer, it¡¯s fortunate, we have the same goal. I¡¯m willing to help her out¡­ Because, Tessa.. hurt me a lot and I want her to feel the same pain I did. I know Tessa doesn¡¯t love Vick and getting married to him would hurt her, why would I want to stop all these people from hurting her when I want her hurt!¡± I cried. I don¡¯t know what I just said. It was just a blurt, I wasn¡¯t even sure if it made sense, but it seemed he was buying it. Dang, that was some good acting, Kara. He lowered his gun and then tucked it into his pocket. ¡°Well, since you want all that¡­ You can be of great help..¡± My face lit up. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Oh, he was so stupid. I have to be happy I met one of the dumbest men she has. I walked to a chair and sat down, he came and sat down with me. ¡°What sort of help?¡± I asked curiously like I was truly interested.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. The next thing I knew, he had his hand on my thigh. I shook it off. ¡°Kara¡­¡± ¡°Just a minute ago, you had a gun to my face!¡± I snapped. ¡°I¡¯m sorry baby,¡± he said, his hand on my thigh again. I shook it off. ¡°Please¡­ Just one round.¡± **** Tessa¡¯s POV **** Tonight was the engagement party. The house is noisy today. Vick said a special guest wasing today, and I wonder who. Cara was whining about me giving her 50$ to go get her a gown for the engagement party. I knew she was angry, my gown cost 1M$, Anne¡¯s cost 700k$. I told Vick not to bother giving her money, that I would give her for her gown. ¡°What do you expect to do with 50$??¡± ¡°Uhm.. to buy cloth for the engagement party.¡± ¡°Tessa, what could she possibly buy with that money?¡± Aunt asked. I gave her a mean look. ¡°Either you buy the clothes or give me back the money.¡± I snapped. They both look surprised. ¡°Now if you would excuse me, I have something else to do.¡± I walked away. The front door opened and Vick walked in with a man and a woman who seem to be in theirte 50s. This must be the visitors. Vick looked a lot like the old man, yep that¡¯s definitely his father. Vick came to me and kissed my forehead. ¡°Mom, Dad, meet, Tessa.. my wife-to-be.¡± ¡°Oh, she¡¯s so beautiful! Oh my.¡± His mom said hugging me. Do they know their son took me by force? They probably didn¡¯t. ¡°Oh oh, my darling.¡± She said. ~ A few hours Later ~ The engagement party would start in 20 minutes. I was in the car, Anne was next to me, she looked so cute. She looked happy. ¡°You look like Cindere, mommy.¡± She said. I giggled. ¡°Thanks, sweetie, you look like mini Cindere,¡± I said. She giggled. Vick hasn¡¯t seen what I look like and neither have I seen what he looks like. I was very nervous. Well, I didn¡¯t want to go with him. No, you should be nervous¡­ It could spoil your ns¡­ 14 minutes Later, the car pulled up. A man came and opened the car door, we stepped out. There was a luxurious-looking car parked everywhere. I saw Vicking out of a car. He walked to me. Our hands linked, and I smiled at him. ~ Everyone gave a toast. After we had both given each other our engagement rings. No one could see behind the fake smiles I was giving. ¡°Congrattions to the newly engaged couple!¡± I heard Austin¡¯s mom squeal. This witch. She¡¯s never going to leave me alone. What could I possibly do to bring this woman down? Her soon-to-be daughter-inw was behind her, a smirk stered on her face. I felt like giving her an ugly p. I faked smiling. ¡°True, true! My beautiful daughter just got engaged.¡± I heard Aunt. It felt like everyone was against it at that moment. I didn¡¯t want this. I gave Zara a look, the woman who watches after Anne when I¡¯m not around. She nodded her head, understanding what I meant. Vick was talking to some business partners, I think. I walked away. I just wanted to get away from that toxic environment for a minute. I walked and walked then I felt someone grab my arm, whoever it was pulled me to a balcony. ¡°Let go of me!¡± I snatched my hand. I looked at who was it, to see Kara. I sneered. ¡°You.¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re mad at me, Tessa. I mean.. you have every right to know, but this is not the time to apologise, I just have to tell you this, Austin¡¯s mom, she¡¯s the one behind all this.¡± ¡°Oh, I know that!¡± I snapped. ¡°You know? Then why haven¡¯t you brought her down?¡± ¡°You think I wouldn¡¯t have done that if I have the power to?¡± ¡°Then you don¡¯t know anything.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Austin¡¯s mom.. she¡¯s the one behind everything¡­ Austin¡¯s ident, his loss of memory¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ And I have proof. There are eyes on me, Tessa, this has to be quick.¡± She said giving me a small bag. ¡°Take this, only you can do this.¡± ¡°I have to go.¡± ¡°Wait, Ka-¡± I tried to say but she was already gone. I looked around if anyone was watching, but no one was in sight. I opened the bag and brought out what was inside. It was some documents. Hospital documents. Wait how did she get these? And then there¡¯s a recorded tape. I yed it. My eyes widened. Oh, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re shocked about this. Well, now, I do have something to bring that witch down once and for all. I can¡¯t take much time here. I stopped the tape. I would continue once I get home. I hid it in my gown. I walked fast, there was nobody there. And then I heard somebody call my name. ¡°Tessa!¡± The voice sounded so familiar. Jake¡­ I turned around. And Jake was walking towards me. He stopped in front of me. ¡°I would have never believed you were like this, Tessa. The whole time you were using us, i-¡± ¡°Oh shut your face,¡± I said cutting him off. I thought he was going to say something reasonable. I would have loved to hear what he was going to say but¡­ I didn¡¯t have enough time. ¡°Why are you here? I thought we had cut all ties?¡± He gritted his teeth. ¡°Yes we have but-¡± ¡°Good, I need to leave. I can¡¯t waste my time on a pathetic excuse of a man like you.¡± I said cutting him off. He looked taken aback. ¡°Where¡¯s Tessa?¡± He asked. I raised an eyebrow, confused. ¡°Where¡¯s the Tessa who was always scared to hurt others, even her enemies.¡± For a minute, I heard that hurt in his voice. ¡°That Tessa? She¡¯s dead.¡± I said, a smirk stered on my face. I turned around and walked away. ¡°Or there was never that Tessa! It was all just an act??¡± ~ I got to the back of the party. A huge smile on my face. I cat walked towards Austin¡¯s mom. ¡°Oh hey there.¡± I greet. I sat down on one of the chairs at the table, the man she was talking to excused himself and left, leaving me alone with Austin¡¯s mom and her soon-to-be daughter-inw. ¡°Tsk tsk,¡± I tsked. ¡°You know, you¡¯ve been a very bad person, ma¡¯am and I have always wished your evil ways would be exposed¡­ I have always wished I have the power to bring you down¡­ But you see dear, now I do..¡± ¡°Oh, what are you blurting about?¡± She asked annoyed. I leaned closer to her. ¡°I know¡­ I know you¡¯re the one behind your son¡¯s ident, I know you¡¯re the one behind his memory loss..¡± I thought I saw fear pass through her face. Her smile dropped. ¡°And I wouldn¡¯t think of doing anything silly if I were you, the information could be dropped anytime, any moment, and poor, poor Austin¡­ He would be so heartbroken when he finds out what his mom did¡­¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± She asked. She thought I wanted something in exchange? I just wanted her to live in fear until I get the information out. This would end her. ¡°Just don¡¯t say or do anything and you¡¯d be fine, oh not just that, you ha-¡± I got cut off when Vick¡¯s mother walked towards me. ¡°Come,e, my dear, I have to show you off to my friends.¡± She said. I smiled and got up. I turned my head to look at Austin¡¯s mom, and I smirked. She looked so scared. Oh, it felt so great seeing her like this. Soon, everyone would know what that witch did to her son. Austin¡­ My love. . . . ¡­¡­.. Chapter 54 It was rainy. It has been raining for about two hours. I sighed looking through the window. I was tired, I was tired of it all, I just wanted it to be all over. It did seem it was getting over. The door mmed open, snapping me out of my thoughts; I looked at the door to see a very angry Vick, he looked so angry. I have never seen him this angry before. I gulped, I got up from where I sat and walked over to him. ¡°W-wee-¡± I couldn¡¯t finish what I was going to say as his right hand came in contact with my face sending me straight to the floor. I whimpered. ¡°So, it has all been a pretence. All this while, you imed to love me¡­ it was all just an act. You don¡¯t love me, you just want stupid revenge you¡¯re not going to get!¡± His voice cracked at the end. ¡°I loved you, I still do, I was going to give you everything, everything that would make you happy but you choose to y me. To mess with my-¡± ¡°What are you talking about, Vick?¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re going to pretend you don¡¯t know what I¡¯m talking about?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t!¡± And then he said it. He said everything I have been doing. Every word he said, anger ran through them. ¡°I¡¯m going to make sure you pay for it all, and one thing I know is going to kill you inside, it hurting that bastard you call your child.¡± And with that, he walked out of the room. I ran after him. Screaming. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare touch my child, Vick!¡± I cried. He entered her room. I heard screams from Anne. My heart almost stopped. I rushed into her room. There was her, Vick held her with her neck, and her feet were dangling. I cried and cried for Vick to let her go. He brought out a gun from his trouser pocket. ¡°No! No! Please I beg of you, let her go please, I¡¯m sorry.¡± I pleaded, and a sadistic smile was stered on his face. He pulled the trigger. ¡°Ahhhh!¡± I screamed as jumping off the bed. My heart was beating fast, my body wet with sweat; I was crying. And then I heard the voice I dreaded. Vick¡¯s. He jumped right next to me, holding me. ¡°Are you okay, my love?¡±This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯m okay,¡± I said trying to get away from his hold. ¡°It was just a bad dream, that¡¯s all¡­ I¡¯m sorry for waking you up like that¡­ I¡­ I¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± he assured. ¡°You are okay.¡± He continued. He pulled me closer to him. I squeezed my eyes shut. I didn¡¯t want to be there¡­ With him, but what can I do at that moment? I¡¯m trapped. ¡°Can I go see Anne, please?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯ste, you should sleep. I¡¯m sure Anne is just fine.¡± He said, his tone leaving no ce for arguments. Couldn¡¯t sleep the rest of that night. Ciara¡¯s POV ~ I had to do it. The situation was slipping out of our control, with Austin trying to skip his medications, he might regain his memory anytime from now. We couldn¡¯t let that happen, if it does, the n would be ruined. I would be ruined. ¡°Did Austin take his medication today?¡± I asked the maid. ¡°He refused to take it, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Ugh,¡± I grunt. ¡°Give me the drugs,¡± I said to her. She gave it to me and I marched to Austin¡¯s room. There he stood, looking out his window. I couldn¡¯t help but admire him. He¡¯s so perfect. I can¡¯t lose him, no I can¡¯t. That¡¯d be a huge nightmare. I havee this far trying to get him, I won¡¯t let him slip out of my finger like that. ¡°What do you want?¡± I heard him ask, snapping me out of my thought. He was still looking out the window. I smiled and walked toward him. I dropped the drugs on the small table next to the bed. I hugged him from the back. Smiling, I said to him. ¡°I missed you, Austin,¡± I said. He didn¡¯t try to get away from me or anything so I guessed he doesn¡¯t hate me Afterall. I bet he was enjoying it. I wanted to do so much more with him. I wanted him to touch me so bad. ¡°Let go of me.¡± I heard him say. ¡°No,¡± I said. I wasn¡¯t going to let go of him. Never. ¡°We¡¯re engaged, Austin. We¡¯re going to be husband and wife.¡± I smiled at the thought. ¡°This is going to be a normal part of our life.¡± I continued. I felt him grabbing my hand and before I knew it, he yanked my hands off him. ¡°We¡¯re not getting married.¡± He said coldly. I couldn¡¯t help it, tears began streaming out my eyes. Why does he have to be so cold to me? ¡°Mommy said we are. Why don¡¯t you just ept it? We¡¯ve been together for so long! We have always loved each other, you¡¯ve always told me how much you loved me.¡± ¡°I have always loved someone, I have always wanted to tell her just how much I love her.¡± ¡°Yes, and that person is me,¡± I told him confidently, even when I might know who he was talking about¡­ Tessa. ¡°You are not her,¡± he said. ¡°Every day, I get these blurry images of her, but can¡¯t call much, can¡¯t recall what she . ooks like¡­ I just know I love her very much.¡± He said. My heart was pounding in my chest. I collected two drugs. He would recall soon if he doesn¡¯t take this medication, I had to get him to take it. ¡°Please Austin, take your medications. It-¡± he cut me off before I could continue. ¡°Get out of my room.¡± He said. His voice was so cold, so scary. ¡°Austin please!¡± I pleaded. ¡°I¡¯m going to have you thrown out.¡± He said. I had to do something. I can¡¯t afford to lose him, I would die if I did. . . . ¡­¡­.. Chapter 55 Tessa¡¯s POV ~ I didn¡¯t feel so confident anymore. I was scared. I just wanted it all to be over, after the dream I dreamt ofst night, my ways of thinking changed. What if he finds out? I can¡¯t imagine what would happen, can¡¯t imagine what I¡¯d do if anything happens to my child, thinking about it, there is nothing I would be able to do other than scream and cry. I¡¯mpletely helpless. I just have to try and prevent anything of such to happen. All I had to do was¡­ Drop my ns? I could havee this far for nothing¡­ You can continue if you want your child dead, I¡¯m sure you¡¯d love to see your precious little child dead. A voice crept into my head. I squeezed my eyes shut in pain. That can¡¯t happen. No. What if¡­ What if Austin¡¯s Mother tells Vick everything¡­ Oh my God. No, I¡¯m sure she won¡¯t, she wouldn¡¯t do it. She wouldn¡¯t want to ruin her reputation. She knows if she does, it would all be over for her. Why did Vick have toe back into my life? Why? If he wasn¡¯t here¡­ I would have put an end to my troubles by now¡­ And that is Austin¡¯s mom. Why is this happening to me? I let out a sob. I heard a knock on the door, snapping me out of my thoughts. ¡°You okay, baby? You¡¯ve been in there for like an hour.¡± I heard Vick call. I was in the dressing room, I have been here for lord knows how long. ¡°Uh¡­ Yeah, I¡¯m fine. I uh¡­ I¡¯m just, you know¡­ Trying to look my best for you.¡± I lied. I looked like a mess right now. ¡°You know, you don¡¯t have to -¡± ¡°Of course I do!¡± I said cutting him off. ¡°I have to look my best for you, always. It¡¯s the least I can do¡­¡± I said as I began to get ready. It was silent for what seemed like a minute. Then I heard him say. ¡°That¡¯s not the least you can do¡­¡± He said. I gulped. I knew exactly what he meant. ¡°I love you, Tessa. I have hurt you, my love. Words can not describe how sorry I am.¡± Vick said. True, he¡¯s hurt me, hurt was an understatement. I solely remember what he did to my Anne. I have never wanted to hurt anybody, but I wanted to hurt this man so bad, I wanted him to feel the pain I felt. But it seemed impossible to hurt a man like him. Someone like me couldn¡¯t. I was a nobodypared to him. I faked a smile. ¡°I¡¯ve forgiven you, Vick. It¡¯s all in the past now.¡± I told him. I felt his hand on my leg, I felt sick. Oh, God. He nodded and smiled back. ¡°Our wedding is less than a week from now, I was thinking¡­ Why don¡¯t we start trying for a child?¡± He asked. My heart jumped. ¡°W-what are you talking about? I mean¡­ We could wait till¡­ You know¡­ After the wedding, it¡¯s just behind the corner¡­¡± ¡°I know, I know,¡± he cupped my face. ¡°Our wedding is just behind the corner, but I think it would be nice if we start trying for a child now, my love.¡± ¡°Vick¡­¡± ¡°Open the door,¡± I heard him say. ¡°Vick, we¡¯re going out, remember? Please just give me a minute and I would be out. Please.¡± I pleaded. I wasn¡¯t at all ready for what he wanted. I wasn¡¯t ever going to be ready. I just pray, somehow, a miracle would happen and I would out of here. I just want out¡­ **** Bridget¡¯s POV **** It was a good thing boss was refusing to take those drugs. Whenever my young mistress, Ciara asks me to go give him those medications, I dreaded going but what can I do? Getting on young mistress Ciara¡¯s nerves wasn¡¯t a good thing. You¡¯d be asking for a death sentence if you do. I am a mother of two adorable children, if I die today, they would suffer. And I know for sure that which would make my children suffer. She¡¯s threatened me before. It¡¯s just so sad¡­ What is happening to Austin¡­ He doesn¡¯t deserve any of this. Ever since this happened to him the evil that has been lurking in this house is beyond me. I- I snapped out of my thoughts as I heard voices. I quickly hid behind the wall. ¡°¡­ we can¡¯t allow this to go on. The situation is spiralling out of control. We have to do something.¡± ¡°And what are we going to do? This snake has evidence, who knows what else she has¡­¡± I heard Madam say. I knew who they were talking about¡­ When you hear her use the word ¡®snake¡¯ she¡¯s referring to no other person but Tessa. For some reason, she hates Tessa so much, she¡¯s plotted so many ways in getting rid of her but all ns failed. ¡°Don¡¯t you get it, mom? Yes, she has evidence, but there¡¯s nothing she can do! She won¡¯t do anything, not when her child is involved. That¡¯s not what we should be worried about, but rather about Austin remembering her and he is already! That¡¯s the only thing we should be scared about, because¡­ If¡­ If he somehow recalls all his memory of her, then it¡¯s finished. We won¡¯t be able to do anything anymore. And then Austin would throw me out of the house! And you¡­ If it goes out that you were the one behind this¡­ It would all be over for you, you¡¯d not only lose your son¡¯s love, but that of your husband¡¯s and then for sure, you¡¯d lose everything you own, hope you haven¡¯t forgotten you are nothing without your husband.¡± I heard Young Mistress, Ciara say. ¡°Shut up, you clueless brat,¡± Madam said, clearly angry at what she had said. ¡°Have you forgotten you wouldn¡¯t even be in this house if not for my help, so I suggest you watch your mouth?¡± Madam said sternly. ¡°And about Austin, I would go speak with him and make sure he takes every single pill of that medication, I would be the one taking it to him. And don¡¯t worry, my dear. I promised your parents my son would get married to you, I don¡¯t fail my promises.¡± Madam said. Their rtionship has been weirdtely, one thing they look like a mother and daughter who rely on and love each other and then the thing you know, they are like two enemies wanting to kill each other. But why? This was easy to know, they were frustrated¡­ Their n wasn¡¯t going as they nned, it seemed. I have always wondered why they want Austin to keep taking the drugs. Austin doesn¡¯t need the drugs, not at all. In fact, he¡¯s getting his memories back without the help of the dr- wait¡­ What if the drugs aren¡¯t to help him recover but to¡­ Oh my God. It all makes sense now. How didn¡¯t I figure this out before? ¡°My daughter, April, would being home today¡­ So we have to be careful, if she finds anything suspicious, she¡¯s going to try and figure out what is going on and if she does figure out, it¡¯d be done. And none of us would go free, you know, she¡¯s my biggest fear right now¡­¡± Oh my God, young mistress, April wasing home. A smile spread on my lips in relief. It was all over. I just have to figure out how to let her know on arrival. **** Third Person¡¯s POV **** The car door opened, Ady got out. A young, very beautifuldy. she stood for a while before she proceeded he walking forward. She looked d to have been there. ¡®Home sweet home she thought. There were guards everywhere, guarding her like her life was in danger, but it wasn¡¯t. She reeked of power. Ady like this, you¡¯d think she¡¯s everything so she¡¯d be happy. But she didn¡¯t, she didn¡¯t have the one thing that¡¯d keep her happy in life, even with all the money she has. She didn¡¯t have love. She was married, yes. But her married life is like a horror film to her. She was forced to get married. She wished she had this more power than she did back then, probably then she would have been able to avoid it all. ¡°Mom.¡± She greeted her mom with a smile and a hug. ¡°Oh, my child.¡± Her mom greeted back. Returning the hug. ¡°You have no idea how much I have missed you.¡± Her mom said. But April noticed something was off. April was a very smartdy, she could be able to detect stuff like this. ¡°Oh, really mom? In the phone call, it sounded as if you didn¡¯t want me toe.¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I? I just wanted you toe with your husband¡­ It¡¯s been long since I saw him, he doesn¡¯t even bother to check on me anymore.¡± Her mom said, she just said that because she couldn¡¯te up with an excuse and April noticed that as well. However, she brushed it out, she didn¡¯t want her mom to know she was already specting. She smiled. ¡°Mason and I are nning for a divorce,¡± April said. Her mom¡¯s mouth hanged opened. ¡°W-what? Since when? Howe I didn¡¯t know about this? What of your father? What¡¯s he going to think when he hears about something like this?¡± ¡°I honestly thought you¡¯d know something like this was going to happen sooner orter, remember how it all happened? And I¡¯d talk to dad about it all myself. Where is he by the way?¡± April said she didn¡¯t want to tell her mom much. She knew how cunning her mom is. ¡°He¡¯s out of the States, however, he¡¯d be back for Austin¡¯s wedding in a few days.¡± Her mom said. Surprise shed through her face. ¡°Wedding?¡± She asked. ¡°Yes, Austin is getting married¡­ Next week.¡± ¡°Howe I¡¯m just hearing about this?¡± April asked. ¡°Well, you don¡¯t call-¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it. It¡¯s just so unlike Austin¡­ Especially if it¡¯s his¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think it too much. You¡¯re here now, that¡¯s all that matters. Come in,e in, you must be so tired, my dear.¡± Her mom invited her. ~ April managed to escape her mom. She made an excuse and walked away. She stopped at the front door to a small office. This door brought her so many memories. Unwanted ones. ¡°Mom!¡± She shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare shout at me, youngdy! Can¡¯t you see it? I¡¯m doing all this for your benefit, don¡¯t you see it?!¡± ¡°No¡­ You¡¯re doing this for YOUR benefits, what kind of a mother are you?! You can¡¯t be doing this! I love him! Why don¡¯t you just leave us alone-¡± ¡°Your love for him would be what would kill him.¡± Her mom said as she walked towards the table. She took a file and brought out something from it, a picture. Her eyes widened as she saw it. She began to shake her head violently. ¡°No¡­ No!¡± ¡°It either you get married to Mason¡­ Or you watch the peasant die.¡± Her mom said to her. ¡°And if your father or any other person finds out about this¡­ Your love won¡¯t live to see the next day. ¡°I hate you! I hate you so much!¡± She cried. ¡°I¡¯m only doing this for your good, my child¡­¡± She pushed the door handle and took a step into the door. This was where it all happened. She walked in, slowly looking around, and tears slipped out of her eyes. Her mother was evil. When she was a little girl, she thought of her mom as an angel. But as she grew, she came to know what a devil she was, she cared about nothing but her reputation and money. She remembered how her love was snatched away from her, She remembered how she was forced to marry that monster to who she¡¯s currently married. She remembered all the pains she went through. She remembered how she was raped on her wedding night. It was all because of a woman she called her mother. Tears continued to slip through her eyes. She sat down on the office chair. Her eyes shut. The door to the office opened and a woman walked in shutting the door behind her. ¡°Young mistress¡­¡± She called. She didn¡¯t like the way she saw April. April was supposed to be the strongest one. April did not reply. ¡°I have something to say¡­ And i-it¡¯s about your mom and what she¡¯s up to¡­¡± She said. April suddenly looked interested. She went closer to April and bent down, she encouraged herself to carry on, this could end it all. ¡°¡­ Madam..¡± After telling her everything that has happened, she started crying. ¡°But I¡¯m really scared¡­ If they find out I¡¯m the one who told you¡­ They might hurt my children¡­¡± April smiled at her. ¡°You do not have to be scared about anything, your children would be just fine, I promise.¡± She said. Her smile was so warm. ¡°I just pray so¡­¡± She said. ¡°But how are we going to stop them? They are trying to give him the medication again, and from what I noticed, it has a very strong effect, he could go back to square one if he takes the medication again, Young mistress, Ciara won¡¯t let me enter his room any more and he¡¯s nevere out of his room since all this happened¡­¡± ¡°They are there¡­ Now?¡± April asked. She shook her head yes. ¡°Thank you very much, Vera¡­ I¡¯d forever be grateful to you. I¡¯d be right back.¡± April said. ¡°Wait¡­ You might need this¡­¡± She said giving April a picture. April walked out the door. Hiding the picture. She wasn¡¯t going to sit back and watch her brother suffer the way she did. She had to put an end to this madness. It¡¯s a good thing she came before it was all toote. As she got closer to Austin¡¯s room, she noticed her mom and Ciara were at the front door of Austin¡¯s room. There was also a guy in a suit. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± She asked pretending to be clueless. ¡°Oh April, thank God you are here. It¡¯s Austin, he¡¯s refusing to take his medications!¡± ¡°If he continues like this, I¡¯m sorry but something bad might happen to him, he was given drugs to help maintain his brain function.¡± The man in the suit said. ¡°Who are you?¡± April asked. ¡°I¡¯m Dr John McCain.¡± He introduced. ¡°As I was saying, his brain was severely damaged from the ident he had, the drugs are to help him recover. Him skipping the drugs would do more damage¡­¡± He kept repeating himself. Her mom and Ciara just stood there nodding their heads. ¡°That sounds terrible,¡± April said. ¡°Give the drugs to me. I¡¯d make sure he takes it even if I have to force it down his throat.¡± April said. ¡°Yes, please my child¡­ Make sure he takes it.¡± Her mom said. April nodded and walked into Austin¡¯s room without knocking. It reminded her of when they were little, she¡¯d always badge into Austin¡¯s room agitating him. She locked the door when she entered the room. She was kind of surprised the door wasn¡¯t locked. ¡°I thought I told you not to enter my room anymore-¡± ¡°It¡¯s me, Austin.¡± She said. ¡°It¡¯s your little sister.¡± She walked closer to him. ¡°I wasn¡¯t gone for so long and all this happened¡­¡± She continued. Austin did not reply to her. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking¡­ You¡¯re thinking about her.¡± ¡°At least I know I am not crazy.¡± He said. ¡°She¡¯s very beautiful,¡± April said. ¡°The woman you¡¯re thinking about. Go on. Continue, try to remember the first day you saw her.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Of course, you can.¡± She encouraged. She brought out a picture. She looked at it. ¡°Yes, she¡¯s very beautiful¡­¡± ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Does this make you remember her?¡± She gave him a picture. His eyes widened a bit. That was when he got shbacks. shbacks of it all. Oomph! Somebody bumped into me, she looked up and red at me. She looked funny. ¡°Are you blind?¡± He asked the bitch. She red at him even more. ¡°Are you deaf?¡± He asked her when she didn¡¯t reply. ¡°I¡¯m not blind and I am certainly not deaf!¡± She replied with attitude, I was taken aback. No one has ever spoken to him that way. That was his first encounter with her. ¡°Tessa¡­¡± He whispered. He barged out of the room. ¡°Austin!¡± He heard his mother call. April walked out of his room with a smile. ¡°Leave him be. He¡¯s taken the medication. He¡¯d be fine.¡± .Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. . . ¡­¡­. Chapter 56 April walked out of his room with a smile. ¡°Leave him be. He¡¯s taken the medication. He¡¯d be fine.¡± Said April. Austin had driven out of the house. He remembered thest time he had spoken to Tessa. ¡°I think that¡¯s what I meant,¡± I said before I could stop myself but also couldn¡¯t stop myself from going on. ¡°I know what you want, Austin. But doesn¡¯t lovees from both sides? I don¡¯t love you, I never did, I never will. I appreciate what you¡¯ve done for me and my child and if there¡¯s a way I could pay you back, I would..¡± Tessa had said. It brought so much pain to his heart. But he needed to get to Tessa. Now. He hoped she was okay. He hoped she¡¯d receive him. He drove to her apartment. On reaching there he quickly got out of his car and walked to the front door. He rang the doorbell a couple of times, impatiently. The door opened ady stood there with a child. She stared at him. ¡°I need to see Tessa.¡± He said. She didn¡¯t speak for about a minute. She just stared at the good-looking man before her. ¡°Uhm¡­ There¡¯s nobody called Tessa in this house.¡± She finally found her voice. He knew instantly that Tessa must have moved but something didn¡¯t seem right. He had this guy feeling something was going on. ¡°I know the person living here before me was ady called Tessa. My neighbour told me about her. She told me a lot. She told me how she was in danger before she left. She left to save her life.¡± The woman said. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know much. But since you had asked of this Tessa, I just thought I should tell you what I¡¯ve heard about her, maybe it would help you find her. I know very little of the situation but my neighbour had told me about it and you could meet her to tell you all you need to know.¡± The woman said. ¡°That¡¯s her house over there.¡± She pointed at the opposite house. He nodded his head. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said. He cussed in his mind. By Tessa¡­ Is in danger. He didn¡¯t hesitate and walked in the opposite direction. He rang the doorbell. A woman opened the door. She gasped. ¡°You!¡± She said. ¡°Do you perhaps know anything about Tessa¡¯s whereabouts?¡± He sounded broken. She nodded her head and then asked him toe in. He slowly walked into the house to the sitting room. ¡°Please sit.¡± She said. He sat down hesitantly. ¡°Ever since that night when she ran away, I haven¡¯t seen her in person, but I think I know where she is.¡± She said. ¡°Tessa had left in the night. I had noticed a ck car just outside her apartment that night. They had haunted her but I think she escaped as the next day, the car she escaped with was dered missing. I think they might have found her because of that car. I was scared for her. I encouraged myself to go to the police to tell them what I saw, but nothing was done, in fact, I was warned by a cop not to interfere.¡± ¡°I¡¯d advise you not to interfere in this case ma¡¯am, so you wouldn¡¯t be a target. He could kill you or even throw you in prison without you necessarilymitting a crime.¡± A cop had told me. Fearing for my life, I had back down. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear of Tessa for a while not until recently, I got a wedding invitation. I have no idea who sent it. On the invitation was Tessa¡¯s name and a man called Vick. Tessa had once told me of someone called Vick, she told me how her aunt almost forced her to wed this man and her narrow escape. I believe that¡¯s Vick. I believe he is forcing her into this. I believe she¡¯s seeking a way to escape. And I know¡­ Only you can help her¡­¡± The woman said. She very well knew Austin was. Austin hand fisted. He was ming himself. If he hadn¡¯t left when she had rejected him if he had kept oning all this wouldn¡¯t have happened. He now knew all he had to know but he had no idea who is this Vick. ¡°Do you perhaps have anything to identify him?¡± ¡°Yes! He¡¯s everywhere on Google!¡± She said and took her phone to search for Vick. She showed Austin his picture and Austin immediately recognize him. ¡°That bastard.¡± He whispered under his breath. He was going to make sure he paid. Everyone behind this would pay. He walked away. ¡°Wait!¡± The woman called. ¡°I could help in other things¡­¡± She said. ¡°You¡¯ve done enough.¡± He replied and walked out of the house. He got to his car. Entered and immediately made a call. ¡°I need your help now more than ever before.¡± He told the person **** TESSA¡¯S POV ****Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. I finally walked out. There stood Vick smiling at me for a mile and walking closer. I looked down. He walked closed er, and stretch out his hand. Waiting for me to ce my hand on his. I didn¡¯t. In, fact I didn¡¯t want to. I raised my head a bit to look at his face. His smile was gone. He grabbed my hand. ¡°Just minutes ago, you were blurting how you wanted to look good for me¡­ And now you can¡¯t hold my hand?¡± He asked, looking unbelievably. I didn¡¯t. In fact, I didn¡¯t want to. I raised my head a bit to look at his face. His smile was gone. He grabbed my hand. ¡°Just minutes ago, you were blurting how you wanted to look good for me¡­ And now you can¡¯t hold my hand?¡± He asked, looking unbelievably. His hold on my hand was tight. I felt irritated. Only God knew how bad I wanted to hurt this man. ¡°Let go of my hand.¡± . . . ¡­¡­.. Chapter 57 ¡°Unbelievable,¡± He muttered. ¡°Was it all a pretence?¡± He asked suddenly. Almost like he already knew but needed confirmation. I had to drop this pretence. It¡¯s not going to get me anywhere, it¡¯s only going to get me more entangled. That¡¯s why he thinks I¡¯d willingly have sex with him. If he keep pretending, one way or the other, he could manage to pressure me into it. ¡°Why¡¯d you suddenly drop the pretence? You know it was almost going well¡­ Was it because of what I said?¡± He asked. ¡°About us trying for a baby?¡± He asked. ¡°Do you know how fucking easy it would have been to get that from you? Do you know how easy it would have been to rape you?¡± He held both my hands and pulled me closer to himself. Fear gripped me. ¡°Please let go of me, Vick.¡± I pleaded. ¡°No! I¡¯m never going to let go of you!¡± He growled. Different sorts of emotions ran through his face. ¡°I will never fucking let you go!¡± ¡°Ple-¡± ¡°You¡¯re mine, Tessa! Mine!¡± He kept saying, angrily. Suddenly his anger seemed to have vanished. ¡°Please just ept me. Love me please,¡± he pleaded. He sounded broken. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I would do without you. These past few months you¡¯ve been with me are the best months of my life¡­¡± A stranger would feel pity for him in this state, but not me. I know what a monster he is. I shook my head no. ¡°I can¡¯t, i-¡± I try to say but he cuts me off. His anger resurfaced. He was boiling. ¡°Fucking bitch. I even tried to ask you nicely but being a bitch you are you had to spoil it, I¡¯m done ying that nice game. When our wedding dayes, we¡¯d get married an-¡± he was saying but somebody cuts him off. ¡°Boss-¡± the man tried to say, but Vick cut him off. ¡°How dare you fucking interrupt my speech? Fucking bastard!¡± He was so angry, he reached forward to the man, and pulled out the gun the man had in his pocket, without a second thought, Vick shot him right in the chest. I screamed. The man fell to the ground. Cries escaped my lips. ¡°Your fucking daughter would be the next if you don¡¯t behave!¡± He snarled. He was a beast. ¡°Boss,¡± another guy came in. I feared for him. He saw his partnerying lifelessly on the floor. ¡°What!¡± Vick growled as he pointed the gun at him. I could see fear in the man¡¯s eyes. ¡°We got information that one of your greatest enemies is already aware of what¡¯s going on, and we could be attacked anytime soon.¡± The man said. I didn¡¯t know who they were talking about but Vick seems to have known him as he growled. ¡°Just what I had feared.¡± He said. ¡°Prepare the jet, we¡¯d fly out in no time.¡± He told the man. He nodded and walked away. I had Vick¡¯s attention once again. ¡°We¡¯d fly out of the country immediately, and the instant we reach our destination, we¡¯d have our wedding.¡± He said. ¡°No!¡± I cried. I was mortified. I didn¡¯t want to be anywhere near this beast. He grabbed my hand attempting to pull me. I nted my legs on the floor, trying to get away from this man. But he easily overpowered me. He dragged me along with him. He kept dragging me till we reach outside. There were lots of men, all scary-looking men. A helicopter soon got here. Oh no. He was going to take me along and leave my baby here. ¡°No please, I can¡¯t leave my chi-¡± he cuts me off as he told one of the buffed men¡­ ¡°Get the kid.¡± He told him. He nodded and went back into the house. Anne is going to be so scared. He¡¯s going to harm her. ¡°No please Vick, I could go get her myself, please! I beg of-¡± ¡°Just shut up and get on the ride.¡± He said. I didn¡¯t move an inch. He nodded his head to one of the buff men, and before I knew it, I was in the air. ¡°Let go of me¡­ Please! Let go!¡± I pleaded, fighting to escape. He only put me down in the helicopter. Vick climbed on. And the helicopter moved. He left my child with those men¡­ ¡°Vick¡­ Vick¡­ They are going to hurt my child¡­ Please let¡¯s go get her.¡± ¡°Rx, they¡¯re going to get her to a safe ce. She¡¯d be with us soon.¡± He told me. I didn¡¯t believe him. The helicopter flew far away from the house. What could I do? Cries escaped my lips. *** Third Person¡¯s POV *** Two ck vans sped out of the house of Vick. ¡°Where¡¯s mommy?¡± Anne asked her nanny. They were inside one of the vans, with scary-looking men. She was scared. ¡°She¡¯d be with us anytime soon, baby.¡± The nanny tried to console her. Anne nodded her head. The nanny was scared something bad might happen. She didn¡¯t want any harm toe to Anne. She¡¯d protect her at all cost¡­ Just as her mother, Tessa, protected her. She stayed calm, hoping for some sort of miracle. Suddenly the van broke down. ¡°Ah fuck!¡± The driver cussed. He got out of the van. Opened the back seat. ¡°Come to the fuck out!¡± Hemanded the nanny. He was going to put them in the second van. ¡ª Helicopters were flying around the quiet neighbourhood. ¡°Hey! I see something!¡± Someone in one of the helicopters screamed. ¡°Down there!¡± ¡°Carson, we think we¡¯ve found them,¡± Dave told Carson. Carson wasn¡¯t there with him, he was in his car. ¡°I heard,¡± Carson replied. They both knew what to do. Without wasting any time, they sprang into action. They soon reached where the ck vans were. ¡°Block every way out.¡± Said Carson. ¡°Yes, boss.¡± *** The Nanny¡¯s POV *** Suddenly, there were ck cars everywhere. ¡°Fuck, they found us.¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t much we can take them down.¡± One of the buff men said. One of the doors to one of the cars opened, and a man came out. A very good-looking man. He was blonde and tall. He had on a white suit. I don¡¯t think I have ever seen a man as handsome as him. ¡°You know, we could handle this the easy way or the hard way.¡± He told the scary men that had held us captive. Another man came out of another car. Oh my God. He was strikingly handsome. He was brte and tall as well. His piercing blue eyes gazed at me for a moment. ¡°Carson, it seems they aren¡¯t going to back down.¡± He told the blonde guy. ¡°Yes Dave, the hard way it is.¡± Replied the blonde. They were going to save us! ¡°Ahhh!¡± Screamed the buff guys as they ran towards these unknown good looking guys. Quickly, I brought Anne closer to me. Blocking her sight from this terrible view. I too closed my eyes in terror. In less than a minute the noise was gone, I opened my eyes, slowly to see the buff men on the floor. Oh my God. They weren¡¯t dead as they were moving slightly. The blonde guy forcefully brought up one of the buff men. He whimpered in pain. ¡°I did suggest the easy way.¡± He told him. A smirk stered on his good-looking face. ¡°Now, tell me¡­ Where¡¯s your boss?¡± He asked him. He shook his head no. He wasn¡¯t going to tell him where sir Vick was¡­ The brte guy who I think is Dave walked up towards them. ¡°Do you know who he is? Louis Victor¡¯s heir.¡± Dave said to the buff guy. Louis Victor¡­ A well-known leader. And the most powerful too. At this, fear gripped the huge man. As he went on his knees. ¡°Please, I will tell you where he is¡­ Please don¡¯t harm me..¡± he cried. The two handsome young men looked at each other. Both smirked. They waited for him to speak. ¡°From w-what I know, he¡¯s on his way to Scond with Tessa and her daughter. I¡­ I don¡¯t think they¡¯d have gone far by now. If you go after them now; you might catch up with them.¡± He said. He also fill them up with information on where they might know where Vick was. Without wasting any time, they sprang into action. Carson called Austin immediately after he got into his car. ¡°We¡¯ve got lead.¡± He said to him. He gave him all pieces of information he needed to know. **** Tessa¡¯s POV **** It was of no use begging Vick anymore. He got angrier whenever I said please. I sat down with Anne on myp. She was terrified. ¡°Are we going to be okay, mommy?¡± She asked. ¡°Of course, baby. We are going to be just okay be quiet for now.¡± I said to her. I noticed Vick got angrier at the sound of her voice. He hated my baby and I knew he wanted to hurt her to get back at me for what I did. He was a monster and would take pleasure in hurting anybody. I hugged her tighter as I saw Vick ring at her. ¡°Fuck.¡± The rider said. ¡°What what!¡± Vick snapped. ¡°We¡¯re being surrounded.¡± He said. I looked out the window and saw other helicopters. ¡°Keep going,¡± Vick said to him. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea si-¡± ¡°I said keep moving!¡± He screamed at the rider. The rider was very terrified. He gulped. By this time, more helicopters wereing and they were blocking any way Vick¡¯s helicopter could go through. ¡°Fuck!!¡± Vick cussed with so much anger in his voice. He forcefully pulled the rider off his seat. I screamed as there wasn¡¯t anybody riding the helicopter anymore. He was going to kill us all. Vick quickly entered the seat and started riding himself. ¡°Please just stop!¡± Seeing he had no way to go through. He decided tond the helicopter. But not before letting out a rain of cusses. Immediately hended. He dragged me out, forcefully taking Anne from my arms, and he dragged me along with him. ¡°No! No, let go!¡± I cried. He left my child behind. We couldn¡¯t go far as cars came out to block the road. ¡°Ahhh!¡± He growled. Frustrated, he pulled me closer to me, my back towards him. He ced a gun at my temple. Cries escaped me. ¡°Nobodye any closer or I swear I¡¯d pull the trigger!¡± He shouted. From afar, I saw Zara. She ran to the helicopter we used, I saw her carrying Anne. Joy exploded in my heart. They were safe. Suddenly, it feels my heart was going to jump out of my body when I saw Austin getting out of one of the cars. Oh, Austin¡­ How I missed him¡­C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. *** Third Person¡¯s POV *** Tessa couldn¡¯t stop looking at Austin who looked scared. She thought Austin got more good-looking. He dressed the way he normally dressed in a suit, but he was looking hotter. For the first time in Austin¡¯s life, he was scared. Seeing a gun pressed against Tessa¡¯s temple was a terrifying sight. He signalled for everyone to stop moving. Vick seeing this smirked. He knew they wouldn¡¯t do anything as long he got Tessa. The gun still pointed to her temple, he pulled her to a vehicle. Hemanded a guy next to it to move away from it, threatening to shoot if he doesn¡¯t. ¡°Move the cars out of the way now!¡± He shouted. Tessa knew what he was going to do. Without thinking she forcefully freed herself from Vick¡¯s hold and ran away from him. Angry, he was going to pull the trigger. If I can¡¯t have you, Tessa¡­ No one else will. A gunshot was heard. Vick screamed out in pain as he dropped the gun. He was shot right in the hand as he was about to shoot Tessa. Despite the gunshot heard, Tessa did not stop running. She ran freely into Austin¡¯s arm. Holding onto him tightly as if her life depended on him. She couldn¡¯t remember thest time she was this close to him. ¡°Austin.¡± She cried. ¡°Tessa.¡± He said her name holding her right unto him. Tears of joy flowed from Tessa¡¯s eyes. He remembered her, he was okay. ¡°I¡¯m never letting go again.¡± He whispered. She wasn¡¯t going to either. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°I love you too, Austin.¡± ¡°Mommy!¡± They broke the hug. Anne came running towards them. She bent down to hug Anne. Once again, Tessa felt safe. ¡°Fucking let go of me!¡± Vick screamed as the police cuffed him and led him to the police car. ¡°Don¡¯t you know who I am?¡± He screamed. Vick was forced into the police car and was taken to the police station. . . . ¡­¡­¡­ Chapter 58 ¡ª ¡°I¡¯m scared mom, I¡¯m scared all we¡¯ve been working for would go to waste.¡± ¡°Stop saying rubbish! I¡¯m trying to think here!¡± Austin¡¯s mom scolded Ciara. ¡°What¡¯s the point of thinking? Nothing you do ever work out.¡± ¡°How dare you insult me like that? Have you no respect?¡± ¡°Nothing I said was a lie.¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You bi-¡± she was cut off by the sound of the siren. It was quiet for about some minutes and someone walked into the house, it was Austin¡¯s dad. She was shocked to see her husband, she wasn¡¯t expecting to see him until Austin¡¯s wedding day. ¡°Ca!¡± He called her name. He rarely calls her by her name. ¡°Honey¡­ I¡­ I wasn¡¯t expecting you.¡± She stuttered. ¡°I never thought you¡¯d stoop this low, Ca.¡± He said to her. She gulped. He sounded really angry but was calm. Mr Kings (Austin¡¯s dad) had always been calm and gentlemanly. ¡°You¡¯d hurt your own family to get what you want¡­¡± He continued. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± She pretended not to know anything of what he was saying. ¡°I found about all your foul y, you weren¡¯t as smart as you think. If you weren¡¯t the mother of my children, believe me, I¡¯d have done something more than just throwing you in jail.¡± ¡°Sweetheart¡­¡± ¡°Mom, it¡¯s all over. Stop the pretence.¡± April said walking in. Some cops came in along with her. ¡°How long did you think you¡¯d get away with all these?¡± April asked her mom. ¡°April, do not talk to me like that! I¡¯m your mother! I-¡± April signalled, and two cops walked toward Ca. After much resistance from Ca, they cuffed her. ¡°My love¡­ You can¡¯t possibly do this¡­¡± She said to her husband. She looked terrified as the cops took her away. ¡°The divorce letter would be sent to you.¡± He said to his wife. ¡°No!¡± She screamed. Ciara stood there looking scared, embarrassed. April was happy. The cause of her family problem was gone. However she felt for her father, she looked at him, and he looked extremely hurt. She knows how her dad had met her mom. Her mom was from a poor background just like Tessa was. She wondered why her mother hates Tessa even though they had something inmon. She walked closer to her dad and gave him aforting hug. (Recap) April was happy. The cause of her family problem was gone. However she felt for her father, she looked at him, and he looked extremely hurt. She knows how her dad had met her mom. Her mom was from a poor background just like Tessa was. She wondered why her mother hates Tessa even though they had something inmon. She walked closer to her dad and gave him aforting hug. ¡ª- The world soon found out Vick, a notable billionaire was put behind bars and left people wondering why. Several news outlets have been informing people about it. ¡°He was charged with tax evasion.¡± ¡°He was used of human trafficking.¡± ¡°He was charged for several offences which include tax evasion, human trafficking, rape, manughter and would be taken to court¡­¡± Another news outlet confirmed. ¡°Ever since his arrest was made public several victims havee out to say their stories.¡± ¡°Oh my God, mom, what are we going to do now?¡± Cara asked her mom. ¡°We have to get out of here¡­¡± Her mom said. She was scared the police mighte here and arrest her as well. She was still in Vick¡¯s house. ¡°Quick. Hurry up and pack.¡± They both hurriedly packed and without looking back they fled from the house. They returned back to their home town. Cara¡¯s mom knew it was all over. She knew she had to put an end to her evil¡­ She might have escaped now doesn¡¯t mean she¡¯d escape next time. When they got to their hometown, they took a cab to their home. Cara¡¯s mom¡¯s heart jumped each time she hears a siren¡­ She was scared the police might be after her still. After a few minutes¡¯ ride, they got to their home. They got out of the cab and paid the driver. They walked quickly to the front door but suddenly stopped when Cara¡¯s mom spotted her sister. Not sure if she was real or a ghost, Cara¡¯s mom scratched her eyes to be sure she had really seen her sister. ¡°Gina!¡± Her sister called. She looked relieved to have seen her. ¡°Thea¡­¡± Gina muttered. Shocked but was worried. She was worried Thea woulde to find out everything she had done to get her daughter. Why would she even care? She left her daughter for 16 good years without bothering to check on her once. She¡¯s just as guilty as I am. Gina thought. Thea was looking young as ever. Her ever seemingly beauty had not faded away, even after all these years. Her beauty was something her older sister had always been jealous of, she wished she was the sister with the beauty. Tessa, her daughter was a replica of her mother. When Tessa lived with Gina after Thea left, Gina always saw Thea in Tessa. Part of the reason she hated Tessa so much. Thea was looking good as if life has been treating her really good. Gina looked at the car in front of her house. It must be Thea¡¯s. She thought. ¡°Where¡¯s my daughter? Gina¡­ Where can I find her?¡± Thea asked. Gina snapped. ¡°Oh, now you ask of her? What happened all those years?! You left for 16 good years without bothering to check on your daughter!¡± ¡°Gina, believe me¡­ For the years I was away, I wasn¡¯t living as a free woman. I was trapped by the man I had gone with. For years, I cried every day praying for some sort of miracle to free me from the bondage I was in and then recently it happened. The devil who had trapped me was killed. If I should continue, I wouldn¡¯t be able to tell you everything that happened without going insane please just tell me where I can find my daughter, please.¡± Thea pleaded. What was I going to tell her? Gina thought. . . . ¡­¡­.. Chapter 59 ~ **** Tessa¡¯s POV **** ~ It was all over. The nightmares were over, my enemies were gone. Vick was gone. I guessed Austin already knows everything¡­ His mother¡¯s scheme. ¡°Since you have nowhere to go, for now, you cane to live at my family house¡­ Well at least until you get back on your feet.¡± He said. I frowned a bit. I didn¡¯t like him saying it until I get back on my feet. Yes, I want to be independent again, but I didn¡¯t want to leave him. Didn¡¯t he want me? I just nodded my head. ~ It was about a few minutes¡¯ drive, I did not want the ride to end, it was Austin who drove the car. I sat in the back seat with Anne in my arms and Zara next to me. I caught Austin staring at me several times through the mirror. My heart pounded inside my chest. ¡®I love you. He loves me. We got to Austin¡¯s ce. It was really huge. Like extra huge. He did say it was his family home. Austin got out quickly. He opened the door for me. I looked up at him. His handsomeness somehow always manages to take me aback. He stretched out his hand to help me get out. I slowly reached for it. His cold hand sent shivers down my body. With Anne in my other arm, I got out of the car. I stared into Austin¡¯s eyes. He was looking right back at me. Our hands are still in contact. I got lost for a minute. Someone cleared their throat. Snapping us out of whatever we were in. Standing in front of us was ady. She was very beautiful. If beauty was a person¡­ Her aura was calming yet intimidating. She had on a friendly smile. She stretched out her hand. ¡°I¡¯m April, Austin¡¯s older sister. I have heard a lot about you, Tessa.¡± She said. Wow, she knows my name. She studied me. ¡°Have you ever thought of bing a model? You are extremely beautiful you¡¯d have been a sessful one.¡± She said. I blushed. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I am just saying the truth my dear, right Austin?¡± She said making me blush even more. She opened her arms and engulfed me in a hug. ¡°Finally, I meet the loving Tessa. The woman who gave my brother a heart.¡± She took me by my hand and walked me inside the house. Austin and Zara are behind us. ~ I got to know more about April. She was a very sessfuldy. Turned out their mother didn¡¯t only mess with Austin but with her as well. I got more and morefortable with her with each passing minute. Just then a man walked in. I have seen him somewhere before¡­ He was their dad, Alex Kings. His face lit up at the sight of his son. ¡°Austin, my son!¡± He went to Austin and gave him a hug. Austin hugged back. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, believe me¡­ I had no idea she was capable of all those.¡± He was talking about his wife. ¡°It¡¯s all over now.¡± ¡°Yes, I am so d you¡¯re back on your feet again!¡± He said patting his son¡¯s back. He then looked at me. ¡°Tessa¡­¡± ~ For the first time in months, my mind was at peace. I was given a room. It was huge butfy. I gave Anne a bath and then had mine. Anne had immediately gone to sleep immediately after bathing. She was tucked up on the bed. I put on afy dress. My phone beeped. It was a message. The number was private. Pleasee meet me at the bar ¨C in Austin. It was Austin. I looked at the clock and it was 5 pm. Austin wanted to see me. I knew where the bar was. I had seen it earlier. I looked at Anne who was fast asleep. I could go ande back in 10 minutes¡­ I ced a kiss on Anne¡¯s head. Locked the door and walked to the bar. I spotted Austin. He stood up straight when he saw me. How does he keep getting more handsome? I walked closer to him. His manly aura filled me. And at that moment, I wanted to be wrapped in his arms. ¡°All those years, I wanted nothing but to call you mine.¡± He said. I was madly in love with this man. ¡°It¡¯s not toote now¡­ Is it?¡± I whispered. Our faces got closer and closer, and our lips almost touched. When all of a sudden someone spoke through a small speaker. ¡°We have a visitor who requests to see Miss Tessa.¡± A voice says. ¡°Who is it?¡± Austin asked. ¡°She ims to be Miss Tessa¡¯s mother.¡± My jaw dropped. ¡°She ims to be Miss Tessa¡¯s mother.¡± My jaw dropped. There was no way that could be my mom. She left years ago. I did not want that person to be my mother. After so many years of suffering without my mother, I concluded that she hated me. And I hated her too. ¡°You know why she left? She left because you¡¯re a curse, Tessa, a curse!¡± Aunt screamed. ¡°She¡¯s just evil enough to have left you with me, she left me with a curse!¡± ¡°Let her in,¡± Austin said.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. ¡°No!¡± I said. Even if she was my mother, I didn¡¯t want to see her. I wanted nothing to do with her¡­ Not after all I have been through because of her. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see her,¡± I said. ¡°Tessa¡­ I know what you feel and I understand why you don¡¯t want to see her, she left you at a very young age, right, this is just an opportunity to ask her why she did.¡± He said, trying to convince me to talk to my mother. A woman walked in. Mother. She looked better, younger than she had ever looked, her skin blossomed. You could tell she had a wonderful life without me. ¡°Why did youe back, mother?¡± I heard the detest in my voice. She stared me in the eyes. ¡°Tessa¡­¡± She said. ¡°Oh Tessa, my daughter.¡± She walked to me and hugged me. Tensed, I stood still. For a moment, I felt warm in the arms of my mother. I longed for this for a very long time. Then I remembered how she abandoned me and left me with the witch she called her sister. Remembering all I went through with my aunt and the hatred I gathered for my mother when she left me to suffer, I pushed her away. It took her off guard as she fell to the ground. ¡°Tessa!¡± I heard Austin call my name. ¡°I am not your daughter!¡± I screamed. ¡°Yes, you are my child.¡± She cried out. . . . ¡­¡­.. Chapter 60 ¡°What kind of a person would leave their child to suffer? I cried day and night, praying you¡¯de back and take me home¡­ But you never did! You left me to die¡­ You-¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t Tessa, I promise I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Really? Aunt did so many wrongs to me, but everything she said about you was right! You are a whore, a big liar, a-¡± ¡°Stop it, Tessa!¡± She cried. ¡°I promise, I was going toe back. I left so you could have a better life! But my n backfired against me. You can call me a whore, anything you want to call me but not a liar. A whore? That I am, I left you to be with a rich man, hoping to gain something so you would go back to school, if you recall, we had nothing and I did¡­ I was going toe back but he wouldn¡¯t let me. I was kept as a prisoner in his home, I cried and longed every day to see you. Mymunication was limited but I tried to call your aunt, I got her phone number from my old jotter but her line wasn¡¯t going anymore. A month ago, he died from leukaemia and the instant I got my freedom, I began searching for you. I looked for every clue to where you could be and finally¡­ I found you¡­¡± She said crying. I broke down in tears. I did know she went to a rich man but didn¡¯t it was for me. I remembered crying to her, telling her I wanted to go back to school, but she had nothing to send me back. The pain was written all over her face as she cried harder, still on the floor. I knelt in front of her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, mom,¡± I said. She stretched out her arms and pulled me close. ¡°No, you have nothing to be sorry about, my child. I should never have left. I¡¯m so sorry.¡± She said still crying. With my shaky hand, I tried to wipe away her tears. ¡ª¨C Austin invited my mom into his home and made sure she wasfortable. As we walked in, mom engaged me in a conversation. ¡°I heard you had a child.¡± She said. I nodded my head. She smiled gently. She gasped as she entered the house. ¡°This is huge.¡± She said. We walked for a few minutes until we got to the living room. She gasped again. ¡°Oh my, this ce must be really expensive.¡± She said. ¡°Hmm hmm.¡± I hummed. Austin had excused himself earlier to give us space to talk. She sat down on one of the chairs in the living room. I sat down next to her. ¡°Is the child his?¡± She asked. I knew she was talking about Austin. ¡°No mom,¡± I replied. ¡°Then¡­ Whose?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a long story mom.¡± ¡°I am not in a hurry.¡± And I told her everything that had happened after she left. She cried. ¡°My baby, oh my child. I wasn¡¯t here to protect you. I¡¯m so sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay mom¡­ You¡¯re here now.¡± ¡°I¡¯d never leave you again, I love you.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have believed my dear sister would be my greatest enemy.¡± She continued. ¡°She should be in jail. She should be in jail with that monster!¡± ¡°Mom¡­¡± ¡°No, this is uneptable. Something must be done. I would make she doesn¡¯t go unpunished for what she did.¡± Mom promised. From everything I told mom, she was thankful and praised Austin. ¡°I want to see my grandchild.¡± She said. I took her to my room, where Anne was. As usual, she was watching cartoons, stuffing her mouth with popcorn. ¡°Mom!¡± She screamed and ran to me hugging me. ¡°She¡¯s so beautiful.¡± Mom said. ¡°Anne? This is your grandma.¡± ¡°What? I thought you said I didn¡¯t have one.¡± She said. Oh God, this child. I looked at mom, she was hurt by that but was quick to hide it. ¡°Well, you do.¡± ¡°Oh thank God! All my friends have grandmas and I thought I was the only odd one! Well, I¡¯m not anymore!¡± She said. She wrapped her tiny hand around mom¡¯s hand and dragged her along with her. Mom giggled. ¡ª- I spent the rest of the day with mom. ¡°Are you and Austin together?¡± She asked. I had just put Anne to bed. ¡°It¡¯splicated.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a good man, you know?¡± ¡ª¡ª¨C 3 monthster. I continued my business and was making more money than ever. I bought a house. My mom, I and Anne were living together. Mom stuck to her word. She had put her aunt in jail within a week after she found out all that happened. Honestly, I was relieved.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. Austin and i¡¯s rtionship became stronger and everyone knew we were together. It all felt like a dream¡­ Come true. ¡°Do you want to hang out tomorrow evening?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± I told him. ¡°Great. Uhm¡­ Duty calls¡­ See ya tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay bye,¡± I said and cut the call knowing damn well he was going to call back. My phone rang. I blushed and picked up the call. ¡°Say it,¡± Austin ordered. Trying not tough, ¡°say what?¡± I said. ¡°I love you, say it.¡± As always he would keep on disturbing me till I say it. I sighed. ¡°I love you,¡± I said. ¡°I love you too.¡± He replied. ¡°I love you more.¡± ¡°I love you more too.¡± He said. Okay, bye¡­ See you tomorrow.¡± I said and ended the call. The next day, I prepared for my dinner date with Austin. It was at a popr restaurant in town. ¡°You have to look real good for him. Mom had said looking for a fancy dress for me. She was even more excited than me. She ordered a dress from the best fashion shop in town. I sighed, she was so extra. Austin was at my doorstep at exactly 8 pm that evening. He dressed casually and there I was with a gown and heels. He smirked. But why does he have to be so good looking though? We walked to his car. He opened the door and I got in. We drove for 30 minutes. On reaching the restaurant, I was surprised at how empty it was, it was never like this. We both walked in. ¡°why is nobody around?¡± I asked. ¡°I booked this property.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to be too noisy with people around.¡± He said. We took our sits and the attendant came and asked for our orders. He came back without orders. I noticed Austin staring right at my face. I ignored him and downed my smoothie. ¡°You know, you and I are like nachos with jpe?os. I¡¯m super cheesy, you¡¯re super hot, and we belong together.¡± He suddenly said. I spat out my smoothie, Laughing out loud. ¡°What¡­ What was that?¡± He had a huge smile on his face. He was so funny. He did lots of funny stuff to make meugh to the point where my sides hurt. ¡°Enough please.¡± I had so much fun with Austin and when I thought the date wasing to an end, some instrumentalists walked in and started ying. The lights dimmed. ¡°Ooooo, what¡¯s this?¡± I asked. Austin stood up and went down on one knee. ¡°Will you marry me?¡± . . . ¡­¡­. THE END The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!