《Fall For Me》


 Chapter 1

    ¡°Valerie can you hurry up?¡± It was summer and of course the sun will be out and shining at it¡¯s peak.  Mrs John a woman well into her 50s with beautiful long blonde hair with a few strands of grey hair, wore a yellow dress reaching ankle length, shiny, and was a perfect fit for the elderly woman, it was a modest dress that showed only her neck area, which was decorated by a ne, it was a rose ne and she wore it elegantly.


    She yelled ¡°Valerie we¡¯re going to bete¡± with a stern voice, Valerie while wearing her famous sage green dress, which was made out of cute pearls and was short and fit her petite body quite nicely, yelled back ¡°I¡¯ming mom, give me five more minutes¡±.


    She hurriedly wore her dress and her four inches heels with her gold jewelry that was given to her by her dad for graduating as Valedictorian of her set, she took her perfume and applied it, she never leaves the house without putting on some cologne, she had one more look at her self in the mirror and smiled so widely, she took her scarf swiftly and rushed downstairs.


    She was careful not to trip as she was wearing heels, when she reached the bottom of the stairs, she was greeted by her mother¡¯s heels whichid on the floor, Mrs John quickly turned, her eyes being fixated onher beautiful daughter with so much contentment in her heart as she gazed upon how elegantly she was looking, her petite body fit right into the dress and she said ¡°turn around¡± with a shrug look she gently turned and the back of the dress revealed itself.


    The dress was a royal blue dress with even pearls, it did more thanpliment her eyes it made her absolutely ravishing, her brown hair was left to flow slenderly on her shoulders, she was for a fact beautiful lookingdy, she noticed her body staring at her and she cheekily said: ¡°you know I got my looks from you right ?¡± With a smile on her face, her mother let out a heartfeltugh and said ¡°Don¡¯t sass me, youngdy, now quickly help me put on my heels¡±, Valerie smiled and helped her mother and in a few seconds it was buckled and they quickly rushed outside when the rest of the family have been waiting for them.


    Mr. John who looked anxious spoke out ¡°Where have you both been?, We¡¯re alreadyte¡± As they both got into the car, Mr. John was wearing a framedpel tuxedo an ash-colored tuxedo, he was just a little bit older than Mrs. John, he had brown hair but grey hair was quite evident in his hair. He started up the car and started driving.


    ¡°You girls look stunning I¡¯m d I¡¯ve such beautiful women in my life and most especially grateful for the one that gave me my daughters¡± he looked at his wife sitting beside him and she gave him a wide smile, he went on to say ¡°please Mr. Smith has invited us to have lunch and we all know how uptight he can be¡± they all nodded in agreement, ¡°All I¡¯m saying is that we can all be in our best behavior and have a lovely lunch¡±.


    Valerie responded ¡± Dad you¡¯ve got nothing to worry about¡± and he sighed in relief, Mrs. John turned back and looked at the second daughter  ¡± I hope you heard what your dad said Gwen¡± She rolled her eyes and said, ¡°It didn¡¯t want to go for this lunch and we all know I just broke up with Steven, why am I being forced to see him?¡± Steven is her ex-boyfriend, who is also Mr. Smith¡¯s son, her mother answered, ¡°My dear he invited us politely, we couldn¡¯t decline, it¡¯s just a harmless lunch¡±.


    Gwen wasn¡¯t exactly thrilled about going to her ex¡¯s ce for lunch, she was a average heighted youngdy, she was well figured and always appreciated her shape, she has siren eyes with long blonde hair, her original hair color was brown but along the line she dyed it and went blondeand was nicknamed the ¡®sultry queen¡¯, she¡¯s popr and well known, there was no doubt she was the prettiest sister amongst the three.


    Everyone wanted to date her but she actually dated Steven, they broke up because he was tired of being pushed around by her and he termed her as bossy on that note they ended things on bad terms, Mr John looked at her through the rear view mirror as he was driving and with a mocking smile on his lips he said ¡± oh please it wasn¡¯t our fault you let go of a good man¡± and they all giggled at the joke well all of them except Gwen and she just rolled her eyes and kept chatting on her phone.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    A couple of minutes passed and they arrived at the gate of the Smith¡¯s and the gate was opened to them, They were all familiar with the ce but they couldn¡¯t help but notice a few changes, For example two new cars was added  at the parking section of the house and they weren¡¯t shocked the Smith¡¯s were rich enough to afford multiple cars, They parked at a free space and got down of the car and adjusted their clothes.


    They were greeted by their butler and he led them the way, Although they were familiar to the building it was just a formality that needed to be followed, When they got to the entrance Mrs john reminded them ¡°now now all smiles people¡± And they walked in one after the other, Valerie was in awe she admired how dazzling the house was, she grabbed the hand of Carmen and they both smiled at each other, it was such a wonderful house.


    The ambiance was quite satisfactory, they were still admiring the house when they were being directed to the dining table, Mrs smith saw them and couldn¡¯t help but smile from ear to ear with a smile stuck on her face she said ¡°Hello and wee I hope the trip wasn¡¯t too stressful¡±


    Mrs. John replied ¡°Oh my dear it wasn¡¯t stressful one bit¡±, they all exchanged pleasantries and Steven locked eyes with Gwen he asked if she was good and she walked past him without a reply, he went ahead to greet the rest especially Valerie, He was well familiar with her, they spoke as they walk towards the dining set, They sat down to eat and enjoy the day, it was all going well until they heard unfamiliar approaching footsteps, They all turned towards the entrance of the dining room to see who were the people approaching.

 Chapter 2

    They saw two men and they were both familiar faces this was Andrew and his father, Valeirie turned red at the sight of Andrew, she couldn¡¯t believe he was there, she had so many questions, What was he doing here ?, Who I¡¯m invited them? The Smiths because Mr Smith¡¯s voice broke her chain of thoughts ¡°Wee Wee, what took you so long?¡± Andrew¡¯s Father replied ¡°Our car broke down but not to worry it¡¯s under repairs now¡± Andrew smiled at everyone.


    He was a tall man, He had brown hair that matched his eye color, he was an attractive young man but Valerie didn¡¯t fall for his looks, of course, his looks added to his attractiveness but he was also calm and soft-spoken, She couldn¡¯t help feel butterflies when he was around and family members knew and couldn¡¯t help tease her for it, she didn¡¯t have friends so she was not particrly a social person.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    , Andrew and his dad made themselvesfortable at the dining table and they all started chatting away, Mr smith asked ¡°So Valerie I heard you graduated top of your ss, Remind me what you studied again¡± She could feel everyone¡¯s prying eyes on her and waiting for her reply, she cursed inwardly, she disliked attention she even tried her best to remain unnoticed all through the dialogue that has been on going throughout their arrival even now she wanted to stay quiet because she didn¡¯t want to say anything wrong or bad most especially not in front of Andrew.


    She knew there was no escaping a discussion now, so she hesitantly said ¡°ounting sir¡± and the older adults were pleased, Mr. Smith asked again ¡°Also do you n on getting a job or continuing to look pretty in your parent¡¯s house¡± They allughed but she felt ufortable because she had not yet decided what to do and she didn¡¯t want to sumb to the nine to five scheme, Although she already knew she would have to start earning she didn¡¯t just want it to be so soon, she spoke with a low but respectful voice ¡°No sir, I believe I¡¯ll get a job as time proceeds¡± Andrew was staring so diligently at her.


    Andrew waspletely lost in his thoughts about her, he knew a few details about her, she had an interest in him but he fell in love with her immediately after he saw her, I mean what¡¯s there not to love? She¡¯s an exceptionaldy whom he wouldn¡¯t mind dating but he didn¡¯t want to rush things with her, He didn¡¯t want to do something they¡¯d both regret, He loved her too much to hurt her, He loved her too much to let her know just how much she meant to him, of course, he was avoiding making any mistakes, just look at her, Andrew has never seen anyone as beautiful as her in his life, He wasn¡¯t particrly ady¡¯s man, he only went on a few dates when his dad forced him too but it was never serious but ever since he met Valerie and fell hard for her he knew she wouldplete him, He didn¡¯t know everything about her just a few things and that¡¯s because they haven¡¯t had a deep conversation about her.


    They just talked sometimes but barely, It wasn¡¯t enough, He wanted all her time, He wanted to know more about her and things he could do deeply and selflessly so he could make her happy, He watched her eat and talk ever so gracefully, She was brilliant, He thought to himself and then he was jogged back to memory by a heartyugh from Mr. Smith, He didn¡¯t know why he wasughing maybe it¡¯s something Valerie had said because it looked like everyone was smiling at the table so he fixed up a smile on his face so he wouldn¡¯t be rude, Mr. John said something concerning a resume.


    Andrew wasn¡¯t paying attention so he was unclear of what they were talking about, Thest thing he had heard was Valerie giving information about her degree, Oh maybe she was applying for a job so soon, He was quite smitten by her looks he was taking in every detail that he lost track of what they were saying.


    He was listening now and could hear that Valerie was asked to submit her resume to Mr. Smith, He saw that she gave a weak smile and he wondered, perhaps she wasn¡¯t psyched about that his thoughts were interrupted by the argumenting from the other side of the table, It was Gwen and Steven arguing


    Gwen dragged the attention from everyone when she yelled ¡°But you called me bossy¡± with a louder tone, Steven immediately replied back ¡°That¡¯s because you are¡±,


    ¡°Oh really?¡± Gwen asked, ¡°Yes you are You¡¯re not only bossy, you¡¯re also selfish and self-absorbed¡±  Everyone knew it was inevitable and surely the argument would surface, Gwen told her parents that she was ready to leave and of course they knew better than to say no cause she would be a drama queen about it, So they rounded up the dinner and discussion and said their goodbyes.


    Valerie was relieved it was over cause she couldn¡¯t stand being the Centre of attention, As they walked out, Andrew knew now was the time, she was done with school and hopefully would be open about spending time with him so he called her ¡°Hey Valerie can I talk to you for a minute¡± She heard a familiar voice, her stomach twisted and she  turned immediately, her heart was beating fast but she managed to keep her cool ¡± I was wondering if you¡¯ll be interested in going out for dinner sometime¡± before she could answer Gwen yelled her name ¡°Valeriemon we are waiting for you¡± She left him standing and hurried off to the car, He cursed Gwen under his breath, He wanted to get a reply from Valerie, When she got into the car and they left the driveway, She immediately got a text that lightened up her face.

 Chapter 3

    She certainly couldn¡¯t stop smiling even after the journey back home wasn¡¯t a pleasant one, She was relieved after her sister and her ex-boyfriend Steven caused a scene and ended up cutting the lunch short, of course, she was ufortable ever since Andrew arrived, but she didn¡¯t mind stealing glimpses at him, she could feel his stare fixated on her body and she didn¡¯t know how to react about it.


    She didn¡¯t know why everyone was so pressed about her finding a job, She didn¡¯t want to bring anything up just yet but here they were talking about resumes she thought to herself, It was time to leave and she was hoping she could get an alone time with Andrew, just for a quick chat but they were heading towards the car and her parents were both there, She was too shy to say anything so she just kept walking, But she heard a masculine voice which was very familiar calling her.


    She couldn¡¯t express how relieved she was that he felt the same about having a chat, she could feel her palm generating sweat, she was too nervous to make a proper reaction, she turned around and saw him heading towards her and all of a sudden her heart raced twice as fast as before, She took time to study him and he was a dashing young man, Then she put up a smile on her face and when then he started to talk, He spoke about going on a date with her when he uttered those words she couldn¡¯t believe it, Wad he asking her out on a date? It all felt unreal, she believed that any moment now her heart would burst into mes, She wanted to reply but words failed her, oh how she wanted to say yes but she just couldn¡¯t then she heard Gwen¡¯s voice calling onto her she wasn¡¯t particrly happy but she was relieved that she wouldn¡¯t have to face him anymore, she hurried to the car and she finally let out a sigh of relief


    Mrs. John was quite curious ¡°What exactly could you too have been talking about¡± and now everyone¡¯s eyes turned to meet that of Valerie¡¯s, She could only smile and shy away from the question but Gwen made sure she teased her ¡°Ouuuu Valerie has got a boyfriend¡± they were allughing then suddenly as if Mr. John was hit by a wave of memories he retorted ¡°And you Gwen, what did I say about being the best version of ourselves today?¡± Gwen didn¡¯t feel any remorse for how she ruined the day and she said ¡°Well Daddy he started it, I couldn¡¯t stay in that toxic environment any longer¡±


    Well, Mr. John loves his girls so much I mean he doesn¡¯t do anything contrary to their happiness but regardless he was so annoyed about how Gwen handled the situation he knew she was immature but she could¡¯ve behaved better, he didn¡¯t want to make a mess of a situation again so he just let it go and he asked Valerie ¡°so what¡¯s the news?¡± Everyone knew she had something for him, it was obvious and ring enough. She couldn¡¯t stand their eyes on her so she had to juste out clean I mean they¡¯ll find out sooner orter ¡°Well it was nothing serious, he just asked if he could take me out on a date sometime¡± and everyone¡¯s eyes widened, Carmen said ¡°so what did you tell him¡± then she remembered she hasn¡¯t given him a reply yet, he texted her after she failed to give him one immediately, she wanted to go on a date with him but she wasn¡¯t sure it was a good idea, Carmen pressured her ¡°so it¡¯s a yes then¡±


    Carmen is the oldest sister, she¡¯s tall, beautiful with a short bob ck hair, she doesn¡¯t talk much but that wasn¡¯t always the case, she was a bubbly young girl before something tragic happened, she fell in love with a guy and they knew it was end game.


    They tied the knot and it was heaven on earth for a year, their lives were going great until one day she waited for him to her back from work, she was already worried and calling him severally soon enough she got a call from the hospital and they told her to rush down to the hospital, her number was in the emergency contacts of his phone and that day her life changed forever.


    He wasing back from work and he got into an ident resulting to him losing his life, her life took a drastic change and she couldn¡¯t cope with the hurt and had to move into her parent¡¯s house.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Valerie stayed at the text message that read ¡°I didn¡¯t get a reply, so Sunday I¡¯lle pick you up?¡± She summoned the courage and texted back ¡®Sure¡¯ she couldn¡¯t even try to hide her excitement, when they arrived she dashed into the house and went straight to her room to rey the day in her head, Her dad went upstairs to her room and knocked on her door, she said softly ¡°yese in¡±  and he opened the door and said ¡°don¡¯t forget what we spoke about¡± of course, she almost forgot but she¡¯ll only be able to concentrate on turning in her resume when she gets back from the date and it was on Sunday.


    It was only a 48 hours wait for no one will get mad she thought to herself so with a smile on her face she told her dad ¡°sure daddy I won¡¯t forget¡±


    Finally the day she has been waiting for finally came, she wore a ruby colored dress that looked stunning on her, she got ready and finally got her text from Andrew ¡± I¡¯m here I¡¯ll be in soon¡± she could feel the rush and she tried to remain calm she walked downstairs and heard a knock on the door, Mrs John was the one that opened the door and soon after her family members gathered around in the room, they all said their goodbyes and Mr John warned Andrew to treat his baby girl right and he assured them he¡¯ll be responsible for her tonight.


    Andrew and Valerie walked out the door together, he opened up the car door and got right in, the drive to the restaurant was a bit awkward as neither of them knew what to say to the other, finally they got to the restaurant it was a decent restaurant and not too far from her house, she had only been to the restaurant once as she the prices in Abnor¡¯s restaurant was too high, they couldn¡¯t afford it all the time, he got down and opened the car door for her, he held her hand and asked ¡°shall we¡±, what a gentleman she thought to herself, they got down and walked into the entrance of the restaurant but as walked alongside Andrew, A man bumped into her and Andrew quickly said ¡°hey watch were you¡¯re going¡± he stopped and turned¡­¡­..

 Chapter 4

    ¡­¡­Andrew was still agitated, he saw that the man had just bumped into Valerie had halted and he didn¡¯t hold back his words and displeasure ¡°Common man you could¡¯ve at least watched where you were going¡± The man walked up close and revealed himself, He was a tall man with wide broad shoulders and a strong jawline, he has intimidating brown eyes that highlights his dark hair, he paid no attention to the angry man holding the girl he had just bumped into, his focus was on the girl herself there was something about her that made him want to stare all day.


    He was in a hurry to an impromptu meeting and he hated tardiness but he could stand here all day and stare at the girl, Carson couldn¡¯t fathom why he was so interested in her, he had met other women but none were like her, he raised his finger and wanted to get more info out of her but his assistant came rushing and reminding him there were going to bete but he just stood there staring ringly at Valerie, Andrew got tired of waiting for an apology so he just took Valerie inside mon Valerie let¡¯s go¡± he took her by the hand and led her inside.


    Oh Valerie so that¡¯s her name, such a beautiful name, his assistant called out to him again ¡°Sir we¡¯re going to bete sir¡± Benson is a very hardworking man he is very dedicated to his job he has unique red hair and wears sses that make him appear too serious, handsome too but he always goes unnoticed when he stands close to Carson his boss, well this time Benson¡¯s call finally jogged the memory of his boss he was about to leave and he saw Valerie¡¯s purse on the floor and he thought to himself well what are the odds it must have fallen off when I bumped into her, delicate and beautiful I hope I didn¡¯t hurt her, he bent over and picked it up and walked towards where his car was parked, he went over and his driver opened the car door for him while Benson got on the other side.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    They didn¡¯t particrly have a typical boss-and-employee rtionship they only kept it professional when it came to work but they were more like friends outside the work field, When they started moving Benson ran over the details so he¡¯d know who exactly called for this meeting and why he, ¡°One of the biggest shareholders for one of yourw firms is threatening to pull out¡± Carson looked uninterested as his mind kept wandering off to the girl he had just met tonight, he replied ¡°now why¡¯s that¡±


    Benson could see that his mind wasn¡¯tpletely focused on the current issue and he wondered why, Carson was a workaholic he had dedicated his life to sess that¡¯s why he¡¯s a renowned billionaire but seeing him acting off was surprising but he answered him regardless ¡°I don¡¯t know his reason but that¡¯s why he asked for this meeting¡± Carson turned and looked Benson in the eye, oh those eyes, it could disorient a person quickly but Benson has gotten used to it over the years and he said, ¡°which one?¡± Benson however couldn¡¯t give a definite answer ¡°It was an anonymous call¡±  He said.


    Carson knew they have to be more reasons why Benson agreed to this meeting it was more of an emergency and before he could say anything Benson said ¡°he¡¯s threatening to go to the media, he said he has some dirt on you¡± Carson chuckled at what Benson just said, people knew better than to threaten Carson ¡°this will be interesting¡±.


    They arrived at a bar but it was deserted, they couldn¡¯t find any other person except the driver sitting in a car at the far right corner, Carson walked in first followed by Benson, He could make himself known just by stepping into a room, his aura retains a sense of intimidation, he walked into a room and saw a man standing behind the counter, the man could feel his presence and without turning back he said ¡°care for a drink¡±


    Carson put on a smirk on his face he knew just who it was, it was Mr. Longe, he was always quite arrogant and he was the only one that could pull off this stunt but he feared Carson deeply, Well Carson wasn¡¯t having any of it today and wanted to get right into business ¡°so what¡¯s the deal? What ¡®dirt¡¯ do you¡¯ve on me?¡± Mr. Longeughed and said confidently ¡°I know knew you are embezzling funds from the firm and I will go public and yes that¡¯s a threat but only on one condition¡±.


    Carson was quite intrigued by the assumptions of Mr. Longe


    ¡°How did youe about such information?¡± Mr. Longe took a sip from his ss of wine and said ¡°I have reliable sources¡±, ¡°Oh really? Carson sat down now making himselffortable, ¡°Yes I do and now you¡¯ve made yourselffortable, we can talk¡± Carson got irritated and he didn¡¯t want to entertain Mr. Longe any longer but he felt the need to clear just one thing before he left ¡°I know you¡¯ve been stealing from the firm¡± Mr longe¡¯s eyes widened from this revtion, he had been stealing but he thought he was sleek enough not to get caught, Carson continued ¡°it¡¯s all in the records, I wouldn¡¯t mind if you withdrew yourself from thepany¡¯s shares cause you¡¯ve done no good for thepany¡± he was about to walk out and he added ¡°make your findings and make sure your information is correct,  i don¡¯t ¡¯embezzle¡¯ money, Infact check out my new project from one of your intels you¡¯ll see why, he moved closer and Mr longe could feel his body shaking, Carson was such an intimidating man, it took a lot of courage to face him, He had a stare that could make the anyone feel helpless and he gulped and said ¡°I-I¡¯m so sorry sir, this misunderstanding will never repeat itself¡± with these apology Carson walked to his car with  Benson who has been standing by corner watching the scene y out, They both got into the car and drove off.


    Valerie and Andrew had a great time, She didn¡¯t know she would enjoy the date and hispany this much Andrew paid and they were about to leave to head over to the car she stood up to grab her purse and a sense of panic ran through her spine, She quickly reacted ¡°My purse isn¡¯t here!¡±

 Chapter 5

    Valerie was looking forward to an exciting evening, she was walking alongside Andrew before a stranger bumped into her and she nearly tripped but she felt Andrew¡¯s hand breaking her fall, The next thing she heard was Andrew talking to the man about almost making her fall, she turned to face the man cause she noticed he had stopped, she was a tall man, he made Andrew look small when he stepped into the light and revealed his face she could look at every detail of his face.


    He was a very attractive man but it didn¡¯t give him the right to bump into random people, she stood there and wondered why the strange man was staring at her, she was expecting an apology at least but he just stood there and was staring so evidently at her, she was confused as to why he was acting so weird, what a strange man, she thought to herself.


    She saw him raise his hand and then the next thing she heard was Andrew telling her toe inside with his hands still wrapped around her, he¡¯s truly a gentleman and she smiled, Such a perfect man, He¡¯s so nice and considerate.


    When they got inside and got their reservation, she could see how lovely the ce was, it¡¯s not like it bothered her that she wasn¡¯t opportuned to visit this ce regrly but she was amazed by how fancy it was, The waiter led them to their table and Andrew¡¯s hands was still wrapped around her, she could feel the warmth his body exudes.


    They got to their table and made themselvesfortable, Andrew couldn¡¯t help but apologize for the incident that just happened ¡°I¡¯m sorry about what happened back there, I hope you¡¯re not hurt¡± Valerie didn¡¯t even think about the pain, she was a lot much smaller than Carson so obviously it¡¯ll sting but she replied with a smile ¡°oh no I¡¯m fine, don¡¯t worry about it, mistakes happen¡± she was just happy to be there with him, they spoke and enjoyed the evening when it was time to leave because it was gettingte, she couldn¡¯t find her purse, she had wondered why I hand felt empty.


    she always holds her phone in one hand and her purse in the other, she knew her phone was with her but she didn¡¯t know what exactly was missing, she then recalled it might be outside, maybe it fell off her when she bumped into the strange man who her she kept thinking about now and then during the date, They stood up and went in search of the purse but they couldn¡¯t find it, she was so disheartened but Andrew assured her that it¡¯ll be returned and she shouldn¡¯t pay much attention towards it.


    She couldn¡¯t do anything about it now so they left the restaurant, he delivered her safely to her house he told her ¡°I  had a nice time and I wouldn¡¯t mind doing all that again some other time, does that sound good to you?¡± She nodded and smiled she got down from the car and got into her house.


    Gwen and Carmen were waiting for her and they needed details but she was tired and told them she¡¯d exin everything the next day before she could go upstairs to her room Gwen stopped her and demanded details ¡°I mean you¡¯re right here, you might as well tell us what happened, we¡¯ve been waiting here for you¡± she knew Gwen will say something like this but she was d Carmen came to her rescue ¡°Gwen stop bugging her, I¡¯m sure she will tell us tomorrow, let her have a good night rest¡± with that being said she climbed up to her room and freshened up.


    She was wearing shorts and a T-shirt, she was tired and wanted to sleep but her mind couldn¡¯t stop wandering back to that strange man, why was he staring at her? maybe he was just confused or lost, she thought, she got a message and when she checked her phone she saw ¡°I enjoyed today, have a goodnight¡± it was from Andrew, he was so nice she couldn¡¯t believe they finally went out on a date, she finally let the thoughts that were wavering in her head subside and she closed her eyes to sleep.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    She got a call and she thought maybe it was Andrew and he wanted to hear her voice, she picked up the phone and saw it was an unknown number, she was a bit surprised but she picked it up anyway ¡°Hello?¡± Carson replied ¡°I¡¯m the one with your purse, I¡¯ll hand over it tomorrow at Wendy¡¯s cafe at 9 AM sharp¡± he hung up the call, She had a mix of emotions, she didn¡¯t know whether she should be happy cause her purse was found or confused at the same time, she slept and anticipated the next day.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be needing the driver tomorrow¡± Carson was talking to Benson, But it was Benson¡¯s job to make sure Carson wasn¡¯t making a mistake or doing anything detrimental to himself or the business so he asked ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°I will be tending to a serious matter, I don¡¯t need a driver for tomorrow¡± Carson casually said, ¡°Okay noted¡±, Benson left Carson alone and he sat and was thinking to himself, I¡¯m d I saw her purse today, how would I have been able to get to her.


    Carson, on the other hand, picked Wendy¡¯s cafe cause it was the closest cafe around the restaurant where he had met her, Unknowingly to him it wasn¡¯t that far from her ce, The next day came and she got dressed and dashed off to retrieve her purse, she got there twenty minutes too early and sat by the corner waiting for him when Carson finally arrived he immediately noticed her the corner and walked up to her, When their eyes met she noticed he was the strange man who bumped into herst night, he sat down and said ¡°well good morning to you¡± she didn¡¯t want to sound impolite so she replied ¡°good morning¡± she didn¡¯t want to entertain any discussion with him.


    She immediately asked for her purse ¡°So where is my purse¡± he handed it to her and she said ¡°Thank you for helping me keep it safe¡± he smiled at her and said ¡± I¡¯m Carson and I want you¡± Her eyes widened at his choice of words and forwardness she thought maybe she didn¡¯t hear correctly then she asked ¡°excuse me?¡± with a much louder tone than she had been using and he repeated it and now with much more seriousness and rity ¡°I want you and I will get you¡± she heard him and figured she had to leave, maybe he was ying a prank or he was simply mad she stood up to leave and he grabbed her hand¡­¡­

 Chapter 6

    Valerie was in disbelief by his actions, she thought to herself ¡®Who¡¯s this man? What sort of madness is this¡¯, She had no idea of how to react she just knew she wanted to get away from him as soon as possible, She wondered why I stranger was saying this to her or was he one of those stalkers she had heard about? Either way, she had to free herself from his grip, he broke her from her wave of thoughts by standing up.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    He went closer to her and held her chin up ¡°You¡¯re mine¡± and with thosest words he left the cafe leaving her with a wave of thoughts and disbelief, she couldn¡¯t fathom his forwardness and somewhat his attractiveness, He was very attractive man.


    She quickly collected herself and marched out of the cafe in a hurry, calling for a taxi and heading straight home, Her drive home was a short one, when she arrived she dashed into the house and went straight to Carmen¡¯s room, she needed to tell someone about it and she thought maybe Carmen will help to decode what she just experienced a few minutes ago.


    ¡°Carmen, Carmen¡± she yelled with worry in her voice, The other hand was in the bathroom, Thepany she works for had a function so they were all given a day off, She was having her much-needed hot bath when she heard Valerie¡¯s voice calling out to her, she could hear the urgency so she thought it best to reply from inside the bathroom ¡°yes Val I¡¯ll be out in a sec¡± she finished up quickly and put on a towel.


    She opened the bathroom door and saw the anxious Valerie pacing around her room, She wondered what had got Valerie in such a worrying state, so she walked over to her and ced a hand on her shoulder, She was curious as to what exactly that got Valerie all worked up ¡°Val, could you please tell me exactly what the problem is?¡±


    Valerie was lost in thought, she didn¡¯t understand what had happened so she didn¡¯t even know whether to tell Carmen or not, she felt uneasy and didn¡¯t want anyone to worry about her, ¡°It¡¯s nothing Carmen, I just wanted toe to talk to you, did I frighten you?¡± Carmen was finding it hard to believe what she just heard ¡°Val you know you can tell me anything¡± With a soothing voice and calm tone, Valerie wanted to tell Carmen but she felt it was nothing and she would probably not see him again and maybe he thought she was someone else and it¡¯s all a misunderstanding, she smiled and hugged Carmen and said, ¡°it¡¯s nothing, I¡¯mpletely fine, why aren¡¯t you at work?¡±


    Carmen replied ¡°Thepany has a function, but that¡¯s not the matter at hand¡± She held Valerie¡¯s hand and said ¡°Val I¡¯m your big sister, You can tell me what the problem is, you know that right¡± Valerie¡¯s shoulder dropped and she wanted to utter the words and tell Carmen all she had experienced just a moment ago ¡°I- I-¡± she stuttered, then Gwen barged into the room.


    Valerie fixed up her posture and smiled, Gwen was wearing a crop top with mini cargo skirts, she had her makeup done and she was looking beautiful, Valerie couldn¡¯t hold back herpliments ¡°Oh wow Gwen, you look so lovely¡± Gwen flipped her hair and replied vehemently ¡°of course I look lovely, it¡¯s nothing new, but thanks anyway¡± Carmen wanted to get Valerie to talk but maybe she didn¡¯t want to talk about it or there¡¯s actually nothing to talk about and I¡¯m just overthinking it.


    Gwen came into Carmen¡¯s room to get a phone charger but then she saw her sisters talking and she was too nosy not to ask ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± With these words, Valerie quickly replied ¡°Oh nothing, I was about to leave, Enjoy your day¡± She dashed out of the room leaving her sisters confused as to why she rushed out, Carmen confided in Gwen and told her about her observation.


    Gwen shut her down ¡°You know how Val can be, she probably wanted to ask you about the whole resume stuff Dad and Mr. Smith were talking about the other day¡± but Carmen said ¡°I know Valerie and this was different she was honestly worried, but then again I might just be overthinking this¡± and Gwen reassured her ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯s fine if she isn¡¯t we¡¯re her sisters, she can tell us anything I mean we¡¯re always here¡± with the air being cleared they both changed the topic and chatted away.


    Valerie was still stuck in thoughts on her bed, She had already thought to herself to clear the thoughts off her mind and she did try not to give any more thought to the situation but she couldn¡¯t help herself, she tried to distract herself but it was of no use, she decided to go downstairs to make lunch for everyone since it was already past noon, she went downstairs and was still deciding on what to cook and she got a notification on her phone, it was from that same unknown number, she was pondered on whether she should reply the message or not, it read ¡°I know you¡¯re thinking about what I said¡± she didn¡¯t want to entertain him any more than she had already, she replied ¡°who are you?¡± going straight to the point so she won¡¯t he wouldn¡¯t think she¡¯s ying his little game, She sent the message and a few minutes passed and she was still waiting for his reply she wondered why he was taking time to reply such an easy question.


    She was still waiting for the answer when her mom came knocking on the door, She was asking for help with the groceries she had just bought, and being the only one at arms reach she swiftly helped to offload the groceries from the car, while still thinking about the stranger, she didn¡¯t know why he was so stuck on her mind, She wanted to open up to her mom and tell her everything, ¡°Mom, I need to tell you something¡±. Mrs. John fixed her eyes on Valerie and asked her to proceed ¡°Go on sweet heart¡± Valerie didn¡¯t know what to say or how to say it, She thought maybe he wasn¡¯t going to message her anymore, ¡°Oh it¡¯s nothing Mom I just wanted to tell you I love you so much¡± Mrs. John smiled and replied ¡°I love you too¡± Valerie couldn¡¯t bring herself to tell anyone. Who was this man and why was he constantly lingering on her mind?

 Chapter 7

    Carson couldn¡¯t believe the beauty Valerie possessed he had been with many other women before with his charm and wealth he was able to get thedies easily and he knew he would never settle for any of them but with Valerie, he couldn¡¯t control his heart, he didn¡¯t want to hurt her in any way possible, he called Assistant Benson and when he came he gave him Valerie¡¯s credit card, ¡± Find out all you know about her I need the know everything possible¡±


    Benson wondered why, I mean his boss had never wanted to know so intensively about any woman he was moved to ask ¡°Why is she of importance?¡± Carson who was initially facing the window turned to face Benson, he stared at him before answering the question he had just asked ¡°Well if it must interest you to know, I want her to be mine¡± Benson tried not to show any emotions and he didn¡¯t want to question Carson¡¯s choices.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get right to it then¡± Benson left to do more research on this sudden love interest and he was shocked as to why he chose her in particr, but regardless he was given a job to do, and on the other hand he was also curious about this new found love that has taken over Carson¡¯s heart.


    Valerie was taking a nap when she got a notification from her phone and just like a reflex action she sprung up and took the phone in her hand, Cleared her eyes with the back of her hand, and viewed the message, Her shoulders dropped when she realized it was from Andrew, This reaction from her made her question herself inwardly, ¡®why am I anticipating his reply?¡¯, She wanted Andrew to text her but deep down she knows that she was desperately waiting for the stranger¡¯s text, She read the content of the message and this time he was asking her out on a movie date tonight, She enjoyed spending time with Andrew and maybe it was the perfect distraction for her, she picked up her phone and knew exactly what to reply, he replied he will be picking her up by 7 PM.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡®What am I going to wear?¡¯ Valerie thought was a movie date so it had to be something really simple and easygoing, she was brainstorming for outfits she could wear for the evening, She normally doesn¡¯t care about the clothes she wears but Gwen on the other hand always worried if she was wearing thetest outfit and the prettiest outfit anywhere she goes, she has this motive to always outshine others and be the best but frankly it was just too much of a headache to worry too much about what to wear and how to be perfect all the time, Valerie always thought best about her sisters, She looks up to the two of them always.


    Gwen walked into the room and saw Valerie deep in thought ¡°Val, what exactly has got you in such a mood¡± Gwen asked with care, Valerie now was broken from her chain of thoughts and she replied ¡°Well Andrew asked me out on a date and I¡¯m clueless on what to wear¡± Gwen¡¯s eyes glistered  ¡°Ou Val, where exactly is he taking you to?¡±


    Valerie didn¡¯t want too many people to find out cause they¡¯d make a big deal out of it as they did thest time ¡°It¡¯s a movie date, I was just thinking I¡¯ll throw on some tees and some trainers, something easy¡± And at this statement, Gwen¡¯s face turned into that of disappointment ¡°I mean it¡¯s okay he¡¯s taking you to the movies but wearing trainers Is so unfashionable that is surely a no but I can help with that¡± Gwen knew her sister had no fashion sense so she decided to step in and help her younger sister


    Gwen opened up Valerie¡¯s wardrobe and she couldn¡¯t say she was surprised but she was surely disappointed, she didn¡¯t know where to start so she just came up with a quick idea ¡°Val you know what?¡± Valerie shook her head sideways ¡°Well why don¡¯t you wear something of mine ?¡± It was more of a directive than a suggestion, Gwen didn¡¯t even wait for Valerie¡¯s reply she took her by the hand and led her to her room, They got to Gwen¡¯s room and it had such beautiful decor, She knew exactly how to beautify everything, She took this small room and made it ssy and pleasing, It had wall stickers and posters, it had beautiful wallpapers thatplimented the color of the paint she had used for her room, It was lc and it went perfectly with the theme of the room, She made Valerie sit on her bed while she picked out an outfit from her wardrobe, she finally settled for a nice crop tees with a baggy pants. Valerie wasn¡¯t particrlyfortable with this outfit but she didn¡¯t want to upset Gwen so she went with it but she had one more question


    ¡°What if I get cold?¡± Gwen smiled shook her head and replied immediately after ¡°Well I guess you¡¯ll just have to wait and see if Andrew is romantic or not¡± Valerie didn¡¯t quite understand what she meant but she went with it anyway, She got back to her room and finished up and she was done before 7 PM, She searched for her credit card because she always takes her credit card everywhere no matter how hard she searched she just couldn¡¯t find it, She thought about it for a while and remembered she didn¡¯t get her credit card from the Stranger, Was he a thief? She thought, But then a thief didn¡¯t want to give me back my purse and he looked rich regardless she decided toin about it when she got back from her date because there was nothing she could do now, She couldn¡¯t help but stare at her phone and wonder why Mr stranger hadn¡¯t texted her back. Andrew picked her up and they arrived shortly at the movies, When they walked into the entrance she wasn¡¯t paying attention and she got brushed by the shoulder she couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of deja vu. Andrew didn¡¯t see the man that just hit her on her shoulder because he was walking ahead of her but he turned back and saw that Valerie stopped walking, She saw the man walking away and she wanted it to be the stranger so badly so she could finally confront him, She immediately said ¡°Hello sir, wait a minute¡±.

 Chapter 8

    The man who was on his phone and wearing a long leather jacket didn¡¯t even realize he had hit someone, Andrew walked over to her and asked ¡°Why did you stop¡± Valerie wasn¡¯t paying attention to Andrew just the man standing in front of her, she spoke to him again ¡°Excuse me sir¡±.


    He finally turned and revealed himself and felt like an eternityter, She finally saw his face, it wasn¡¯t Mr. Stranger she couldn¡¯t help but feel so disappointed but she didn¡¯t want anyone to see her reaction so he just told the man who she had previously stopped ¡°sorry I might¡¯ve mistaken you for someone else¡± The man nodded and left, Andrew, on the other hand, was confused but he didn¡¯t want to read any meaning to it maybe the man just looked familiar, Valerie turned and smiled at Andrew who had been by her side not saying a word, He saw she was now ready to proceed with their date so he said ¡°Shall we?¡± she smiled and walked ahead of Andrew, They paid for the movie and grabbed a box of popcorn and a bottle of soda each.


    They got into the theater and made themselvesfortable, Valerie had no idea about the type of movie they were going to watch and that¡¯s mainly because she hadn¡¯t been able to concentrate and no matter how hard she tried her mind would always linger on that morning and the words the Stranger had told her. It was a rom and it seemed like a pretty interesting movie, When she turned she could see how focused Andrew was on the movie so she decided to take a quick look on her phone.


    Andrew was so eager to pick her up for the date that he decided to ask her to be his girlfriend today, He wanted to be with her every single day, He genuinely wanted to see whatever they had could lead to, The night was a bit awkward, She didn¡¯t talk much throughout the drive and she stopped a stranger and when he spoke to her she tantly ignored his words, Maybe she didn¡¯t hear him he thought to himself but at least she smiled at him so that means he didn¡¯t do anything wrong. He picked a rom movie because he knew girls preferred romance movies to others so he wanted to make it known that he valued her interests but when he turned he saw her on her phone, He was uneasy and different thoughts kept running through his mind, ¡®Am I doing too much? Or Am I being too forward and rushing things with her? Does she feel pressured in any way? but it had just been two dates¡¯, he signed inwardly and thought ¡®Maybe she doesn¡¯t just like mypany, I might¡¯ve misinterpreted the whole thing¡¯.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you like the movie?¡± Valerie looked away from her phone and turned to Andrew, She felt really silly, How could she have been on her phone and now he felt I was not enjoying the evening and she knew she had to fix it ¡°Oh I love it, I was just checking¡­..¡± she didn¡¯t want to tell him she was waiting for the Stranger to text her so she just said ¡°I¡¯m enjoying this movie and yourpany, thank you for this¡± They both smiled at each other and they continued watching the movie.


    When the movie came to an end, the drive back was less awkward because she initiated a conversation that kept them talking about how college was ¡°Do you know I had a really hard time fitting in?¡± Valerie asked Andrew, ¡°Wait really? I doubt that ¡¯cause you¡¯re so loving and beautiful¡± Andrew said this and looked at Valerie passionately, ¡°Keep your eyes on the road¡± Valerie smiled while speaking softly, ¡°You think I¡¯m beautiful?¡± Valerie asked, ¡°I¡¯ve always thought so¡± They both smiled at each other and it was a peaceful moment.


    When they got to the front of her house he wanted eagerly to kiss her and ask her to be his girlfriend but it didn¡¯t feel right just yet so they hugged each other and he watched her get into her house before he got into his car and drove off.


    She got into the house with a huge smile stered on her lips  and she was faced by her family members all sitting by the sitting room it seemed perhaps they were having a conversation and when she walked in they all hushed up, she saw everyone¡¯s eyes fixed on her except her Father¡¯s eyes, She wasn¡¯tfortable with this gathering and she was also curious to know what exactly is going on ¡°Mom what¡¯s going on?¡± she asked her mom but her eyes were pacing all around the room meeting every single one of their eyes but her father¡¯s head was slightly bowed, Mrs. John stood up and looked at her before saying ¡°You should have a seat, this can be a bit overwhelming for you¡±


    Valerie was already getting frightened by the situation and the suspense, She sat beside Carmen and her dad passed the letter around till it got to Valerie, She opened it up and read the content of the letter ¡®Hello my name is Carson Blue, But I rather go by Carson, I would¡¯vee by myself to deliver this message but where¡¯s the fun in that? This is to let you know I¡¯ve fallen in love with Valerie, I am inviting you to my mansion in three days to talk about marriage arrangements, I know this message came as a shock so I¡¯ll give you a few days to digest this news and in three days my driver will pick you all up be ready by sunset.¡±  Valerie didn¡¯t need anyone to tell her who this was, This was that strange man from the other day, who exactly was he? Gwen stood up and started reading what she found on the inte about him ¡°Mr. Carson Blue a renowned businessman and a billionaire, He¡¯s the ¡± Gwen was cut short by Mr. John this time finally raising his head to face her ¡°We¡¯ve heard enough Gwen¡± he turned and looked at Valerie ¡°Val what exactly is this? Why is this man talking about?¡±


    Valerie couldn¡¯t believe what she had just read, It might be a prank, right? Her mom could see she wasn¡¯t paying attention to the question so she intervened ¡°Valerie we need answers¡± This time Valerie looked up and met their eyes and she said ¡°I can exin¡±

 Chapter 9

    The whole house was waiting for Valerie to proceed to talk, She finally arranged the words in her head and she started talking but this time she turned to face Carmen and asked ¡± Remember that day I came to your room and you were in the bathroom and I sounded worried?¡± Carmen didn¡¯t waste time answering the question ¡°Yes Val I remember, why?¡± Valerie breathed subtly and proceeded with her exnation ¡°Well that day I got a call from a stranger whom I had met the night before, he bumped into me and my purse went missing¡± Carmen retorted ¡°Since that day? Why didn¡¯t you say anything ?¡± Valerie continued talking ¡°Well there¡¯s more to it, He started texting me and I thought it was just a harmless prank but now I see it has gone way too far¡± Gwen couldn¡¯t believe that was it to the story because she couldn¡¯t wrap her head around why a billionaire just decided to marry her, She couldn¡¯t help herself and she asked ¡°is that all to the story ?¡± Valerie didn¡¯t want to give more details but now that Gwen had asked she didn¡¯t want to lie either.


    ¡°I got a call from him and he asked me to meet him and Wendy¡¯s cafe,¡± Mrs. John asked ¡°The one close by?¡± Valerie nodded before she continued ¡°I arrived and waited not so long for him, he arrived shortly after and I genuinely thought he intended to give me my purse but he expressed his feelings for me¡± She paused and looked at their expressions then resumed ¡± I can assure you I didn¡¯t see him ever since that day,¡± Mr. John  said with a firm voice  ¡°We will go over to his house tomorrow and no matter what I¡¯ll turn down the marriage request¡± Mrs. John politely asked her husband ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s Val¡¯s choice?¡±


    Valerie was short of words but the question was a bit unclear, What were they asked to be precise, Is it to go over or to marry the stranger?¡±, Mr. John asked to be sure ¡°What exactly are you asking? What is her decision in what matter?¡± Mrs. John got up and went over to where Valerie was sitting and took ced her hands on Valerie¡¯s shoulder and asked her with a calm voice ¡°What do you want?¡±


    The question still made her battle with her thoughts, she wanted to put an end to this madness once and for all, ¡°Let¡¯s go over and reject his offer¡± she replied. Gwen couldn¡¯t believe her sister turned down such an offer, She thought maybe it was an opportunity for her to date a billionaire ¡®I mean if he¡¯s interested in my Val he will fall head over heels for her she thought


    ¡°So it¡¯s settled we¡¯re going over to his house tomorrow, Get ready early so we will put an end to this vexatious situation¡±


    It was the next day and everyone could feel the tension in the house, Everyone was oddly quiet but Carmen had to leave for work she assured them she would be back before it was time for the pick-up, Carmen finished up from work and she left hurriedly because she wanted to pick up a dress for Gwen and she also wanted to arrive on time as she was hurrying she bumped into Assistant Benson just right outside the store and she almost fell but he caught her just in time, She didn¡¯t have time to get into any bickering she just adjusted herself and left to the store, She picked up the dress, Gwen will be so relieved, she thought inwardly and smiled.


    Carmen was walking out of the store and she caught a glimpse of the man she had just bumped into waiting by the car, She noticed he was waiting for someone but she didn¡¯t care and she started walking, When Benson saw  her he quickly rushed to her, ¡°Hey can I talk to you?¡± He asked, She just wanted to be quick but she knew he might just keep following her till she listened to him, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± She said sharply, ¡°Can I get your number and maybe take you out on a date sometime?¡± After hearing this Carmen became agitated and she left abruptly and didn¡¯t give him an answer. He wondered what he might have said to make her so upset, She got home and saw everyone was already dressed, She had to quickly freshen up and put on a red evening dress that looked so captivating on her, The time came and just like Carson had said they was a driver waiting for them. The driver was waiting outside the car for them, He carefully opened the car door and they all got in, The car was so big it amodated the whole family, it had drinks in the car, They all knew this was the most expensive car they¡¯d ever entered.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    ¡°This will be my car someday,¡± Gwen said while taking pictures of the luxurious car, Mr. John said ¡°This one or a simr model¡±, She sharply said ¡°You all know what I mean,ugh now but my dreams wille true,¡± Mrs. John replied ¡°We know hunny¡±, They all giggled, Well all except Valerie who had been so quiet but no one wanted to say anything to her just yet. We finally got to his house and just by looking at his humongous gate I could tell that his house was truly massive, We got in and we were greeted by the exterior it had beautiful flowers which were weing and luxurious.


    Gwen held my hand and whispered ¡°Val this ce is huge, Imagine living in this kind of mansion¡± Everyone knew exactly how Gwen was so it wasn¡¯t new she dreamt about living here.


    The living room was so beautiful they all gasped, This was thergest building they¡¯d ever entered even the Smiths¡¯s house wasn¡¯t as big as this, The living room had the most opulent chandelier, The windows were sorge, The stairs were also endless, The living room had delightful paintings and artworks, This is something I can stare at all day Valerie thought.


    Benson walked towards the family and saw Carmen, Is this  Valerie¡¯s sister? he thought to himself, He didn¡¯t pay much attention when he was researching Valerie, Finally Carmen saw him and remembered he was the man from a few hours ago, Perhaps this could be Carson that has been harassing my sister and he also harassed me a few hours ago, what a man, she felt disgusted, Benson decided to keep things professional, ¡°Wee please this way if you may¡± Assistant Benson signaled the family to the dining area as they walked their footsteps could be heard all around as they approached the dining room.


    Finally, there he was, The man behind all these shenanigans.

 Chapter 10

    I can¡¯t believe this was happening, one minute I was on a date with Andrew, and the next minute, I was in a stranger¡¯s house talking about a marriage proposal, Who would¡¯ve thought?


    why can¡¯t my heart stop beating fast? What is this rush all of a sudden? Before I could ponder one more second on my thoughts, Carson spoke, ¡°Wee to my home, have your seat¡± Why was he in such a mood? Does he think I will marry him? The audacity!, I was about to sit close to my other but Carson objected ¡°The bride should sit close to the groom, don¡¯t you think so?¡± He asked this question staring deep into my eyes, I could see everyone¡¯s eyes widen at this statement, I could see my dad was ready to reply to him but my mom had to calm his nerves by cing her hand on his thigh, I got up and went over to Carson and he cheekily said ¡°Now that¡¯s much better¡± At this point on one said anything not even pleasantries were being exchanged.


    I wondered what today¡¯s oue would be either way I want this whole charade to be done with so I can finally move past this. My dad cleared his throat ready to speak


    ¡°As per your invitation you spoke about marriage,¡± My dad said, Carson smiled.


    ¡°We should talk about this when we¡¯re done eating¡± Carson advised. My dad was not willing to eat as he only came here for the sake of his daughter ¡°Young man, I demand an exnation for all this¡± My dad said


    ¡°Okay since you¡¯re not hungry, you can have your leave¡± Everyone was so shocked, he was so rude and arrogant, I mean you called us just to send us back? ¡°What do you mean? My dad inquired


    ¡°I mean you can get up and leave now,¡± Carson said as he was cutting a piece of meat. ¡°This was aplete waste of time, girls, let¡¯s go¡± My dad ordered us, as we all stood up to leave Carson cleared his throat ¡°All but my new bride¡±


    Huh? What did he just say? My mom got annoyed and asked ¡°You need to be clear, we don¡¯t have time to waste, we¡¯re not your puppets¡±


    ¡°I believe I was clear from the onset,¡± Carson said and smirked. We couldn¡¯t believe what exactly we were hearing and we all knew we didn¡¯t want to be there anymore, my Dad got up in annoyance


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the kind of sick game you¡¯re ying but keep my family out of it¡± My dad spitted


    ¡°Funny how you think I¡¯m ying games,¡± Carson said uninterested in what my dad was talking about, such disrespect I thought to myself, who does he think he is?


    ¡°Why are we here?¡± Carmen said calmly, They all knew the grounds for their invitation but they needed to be clear about their stand of not sumbing to his silly games


    ¡°You seem reasonable, I want to marry her,¡± Carson said pointing directly at me and our eyes widened at this, and I could see my dad about to re up in anger.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m still here listening to this rubbish,¡± My dad said angrily


    ¡°Oh rubbish?¡± Carson smirked and I was thest piece of steak he had left on his page


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave¡± My dad signaled to us. We all hesitantly stood up to leave. Just when we were about to reach the entrance of the dining room we heard a voice.


    ¡°Not so fast.¡± Carson sat back in his chair and crossed his legs. We halted and turned to meet him. Why exactly was he stopping us? Now I¡¯ve had enough of his shenanigans, I just need this day to be behind me once and for all.


    ¡°Leave my bride¡± Carson insisted, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s out of his mind.


    ¡°We are all leaving here¡± My dad insisted.


    ¡°Benson,e in,¡± Carson said in a loud voice, in less than a minute his minion came running in with two muscr bodyguards, This must surely be a dream.


    ¡°This is outrageous,¡± My mom said, I was still standing there in disbelief, I was already clinging to the arm of Carmen, and I just wanted to go home.


    ¡°Leave. My. Bride¡± Carson verbalized aggressively


    This has to be a joke, A silly joke at that, what kind of a man is this? Forcing a family to give up their daughter for marriage I thought this only happens in movies, This must be a joke, I couldn¡¯t stand it anymore.


    ¡°Look Mister, I don¡¯t want to y your sick game,¡± I said sternly, He smiled so widely.


    ¡°She speaks, how lovely¡± He uttered, what a narcissistic man. He was serious about this, I¡¯m not some property, I can¡¯t just follow his word.


    ¡°We¡¯re leaving now,¡± I said firmly


    ¡°No you¡¯re not,¡± Carson said whileughing heartily


    ¡°Is this some sort of joke to you?¡± Carmen said angrily


    Gwen hadn¡¯t said a word so far and normally she is usually the first person to talk and share her opinions but she was oddly quiet.


    ¡°No it is not, I am serious¡± Carson replied


    ¡°This is harassment,¡± My mom said angrily


    ¡°No it¡¯s not, We can do this the easy way or hard way,¡± Carson said with a serious tone, He wasn¡¯t letting this go.


    My family couldn¡¯t believe what exactly was going on, This isn¡¯t what they nned.


    ¡°Take her to her room¡± Carsonmanded one of the bodyguards and before I knew it a big strong man wasing towards me, My dad broke down


    ¡°Please you can¡¯t do this to us, Let her go¡± My dad pleaded


    ¡°We came with three daughters please let us leave with three¡± My mom chipped inText ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°We can do this the right way please this is wrong¡± Carmen expressed her unhappiness. Carson walked up to me slowly, The sound of this shoe was echoing loudly in the room. He held my chin and said¡­..

 Chapter 11

    When he held my chin I felt my heart stop for a moment and I heard his voice uttering  ¡°Wee to your new home¡±, Anger and disgust filled me as I pulled my chin away from his hand.


    ¡°You can¡¯t do this to me,¡± I said angrily


    ¡°But for a matter of fact, I can and I will¡± Carson smirked and said with confidence


    ¡°What makes you think you can get away with this?¡± My dad red up, Feeling helpless. He has never been put in such a position.


    ¡°Oh you don¡¯t know that half of it, You will only be putting your family in danger if you leave now¡± Carson warned, ¡°What in the world is he talking about, I asked this in my mind so as not to get an unwanted reaction from him.


    ¡°I will make sure you all suffer¡± Carson assured us in a low tone, This is the craziest thing I¡¯ve ever witnessed, I¡¯m certain he is not in his right senses.


    ¡°Carmen I know you work in my good pal, Jeff¡¯sw firm, you want to be fired?¡± Carson asked Carmen and she scoffed.


    ¡°Gwen, yes?¡± Carson turned to ask Gwen, This time talking to her for the first time since we arrived


    ¡°Yeah¡± Gwen pushed her hair to the back of her ears and replied with a calm voice


    ¡°I know you¡¯re a social media influencer, you don¡¯t want to get canceled now, do you?¡± Gwen shook her head answering no to the question.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I know where you live, imagine you find it burnt to the ground one day, hmm?¡± My eyes grew wide in shock, He was threatening to burn our house down, Just for a silly marriage proposal. He walked over to his previous seat and sat down on his chair, My Father tried to plead again.


    ¡°What can I do to stop this madness¡± This was the first time I ever saw my dad helpless and begging, I hated to see him this way and it was all my fault, I hated the fact that he was taking advantage of us, And I put us in this situation it is my fault.


    ¡°I¡¯ve said all that I want, Give me my bride,¡± Carson said while looking at me, I was already scared of how serious this was getting, I only bumped into this strange man and now my life took a whole turn because of one incident.


    ¡°Take her to her room, wait let her say her goodbyes¡± I saw my family¡¯s faces, filmed with disbelief and sadness, At this point I started tearing up, I knew it was unavoidable, I saw my dad walking towards me with a drooping, He felt defeated, He couldn¡¯t look me in my eyes. He walked closer to me and hugged me so tight.


    ¡°I am so sorry,¡± He said with a sad voice,  The tears in my eyes started drooping, I didn¡¯t want to believe this was my fate. What about my life? My family? Andrew? oh my days, Andrew was the person I wanted to be with. I don¡¯t even know this man.  One after the other they came to hug me


    ¡°You¡¯re going to be fine, We will find a way¡± My mom reassured me with tears in her eyes, Carmen and Gwen walked up to me to hug me at the same time.


    ¡°This is not the end, be safe,¡± Carmen said before pulling away from me.


    ¡°Walk them out and make sure they get home safely,¡± Carson told Benson, When I saw their backs turned to face me, I was met with the hard realization that this was real, This is my fate, This is my life now, I copsed on the floor and cried, I begged and pleaded with him to let me go


    ¡°Please I can¡¯t stay without my family, I can¡¯t live like this¡± I pleaded, ¡°if you truly love me you will let me go¡± I tried to y smart, I needed to find a way to leave here, I can not possibly be a prisoner forever.


    ¡°Tsk tsk tsk, that¡¯s not how it works bunny,¡± Carson said while still sitting on the chair, He moved his leg, Signaling the bodyguard to take me to my room, Without any further protest he lifted me gently while I cried and struggled for him to let me go. ¡°Wait, bring her phone to me, I don¡¯t want any funny business¡± My phone was handed to him and he smiled, ¡°This is just evil. What did I do to deserve such treatment? ¡°Please don¡¯t do this, please¡± I pleaded onest time.


    ¡°But I already am¡± Carson winked at me and smiled deviously


    I was taken upstairs, The Hallway was big, and I couldn¡¯t see the end of the hallway from the entrance, I had already tired myself out from the crying and the screaming, I was taken to a room with a red door When the bodyguard twisted the knob I met with the cold breeze of the Air conditioner, The room was as big as a house, The ceiling was too high and the chandelier hung beautifully at the center,  The bed alone can upy ten people, Then a sudden wave of sadness heat me, I won¡¯t be able to see my sisters again, I will be here in this big room, Talking to myself, He dropped me down on the bed and exited the room, Iid there still and unable toprehend what just happened to me.


    I got up to see whether I would be able to see my family members through the window, But I couldn¡¯t see anything at all, I guess they must have already left. A part of me didn¡¯t want to believe this was happening to me. I went over to the bed and continued crying as I thought about my harsh reality, I heard footsteps from outside the room and I saw the knob of the door twisting, with my stomach twisting with it.  The door opened and  I instantly felt light and a trail of sweat went down my neck.

 Chapter 12

    I didn¡¯t want to face him the monster that just changed my life within a few minutes, My heart didn¡¯t stop pounding in my chest, The thought of him walking into the room was enough to send my thoughts running wild, I couldn¡¯t prepare myself for what will happen next.


    To my surprise a maid walked in, She was petite with short ck hair. She wore a red dress that reached knee length and wore pantyhose that was transparent and revealed her legs. She had big Doe eyes. She looked gentle and couldn¡¯t look me in the eye. With a nervous smile, she said to me.


    ¡°I¡¯ am J Ma, I¡¯ll be at your service¡±


    She said with her head facing downwards, This cannot be my life, Staying in this ce with all these strangers, This certainly can not be my life. I didn¡¯t respond to her and I could see she grew worried, Maybe she thought I was unhappy with the way she presented herself. She looked more tense now and she said again.


    ¡°I will be at your service any and anytime, I¡¯ll be your right hand always¡± This must be some kind of joke, I will never ept that this is my fate, I can¡¯t be locked up like this, I still didn¡¯t answer the oblivious girl standing at my door, she went on to say ¡°only if you find me worthy of-¡± I cut her short in annoyance. ¡°Do you know what I want?¡±


    J shook her head slowly and I replied ¡°I need a way out of here¡±


    She gasped and looked at me quickly before returning to her previous position. ¡°Ma¡¯am I can¡¯t help with that, sorry Ma-am¡± J said innocently, I grew angry and threw the pillow lying on my bed at her, and I yelled ¡°Leave me alone,  get out¡± I red at her and she hurriedly bowed her head and apologized ¡°I am sorry ma¡¯am I will leave you be now¡± She left the room and shut the door, I sat on the floor and cried bitterly, My outburst was unlike me, I didn¡¯t mean to react that way, And the innocentdy got my bacsh but the frustration is getting to me.


    I won¡¯t be able to see my family members, I am stuck here all because of a man, A man I don¡¯t even know, After a few minutes, My eyes had already gotten swollen from the number of tears I had shed, I was already tired of crying, I heard a knock on the door and I sprung up, It has to be Carson this time, I got prepared to give him a piece of my mind but when the door opened I was J again.


    ¡°You again?¡± I asked in surprise, I was taken aback, considering what had just happened a few minutes ago.


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am¡± With her head still facing the floor J replied.


    ¡°What do you want¡± I said as calmly as possible, it wasn¡¯t her fault I was in this situation, and I shouldn¡¯t me her.


    ¡°Do you mind having a bath ma¡¯am?¡± J said with her head lowered down, Before I could reply an elderly woman came into my room. She had gray hair. She wore a long skirt with a matching top and a belt at the middle of her waist, I could tell her presence was fierce because I could see J bing tense again.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Wee madam, I am Shanice, and I am the head of workers in this mansion,¡± The elderly woman said respectfully.


    ¡°Okay¡± I simply said, I could see her face twisting negatively. But she hid it in a split second and went ahead to ask me about J.


    ¡°This will be your maid, She will be tending to your needs,¡± Shanice said


    ¡°I don¡¯t need one thank you¡± I replied in the most polite way I could, Even after being in such a distraught situation, I still tried to remain as respectful and as calm as I possibly could.


    ¡°Please understand that this is the instruction given,¡± Shanice said hastily, I could already hear the tone of impatience in her voice


    ¡°By who?¡± I said, not ready to give in to whatever they wanted


    ¡°By sir¡± Shanice replied


    ¡°Tell sir I do not care, now leave me be,¡± I said at this point I was already losing my cool.


    ¡°But-¡± Shanice tried to speak but I hushed her up quickly


    ¡°But nothing, now leave,¡± I said, turning my face away from her. When I heard the door close I turned around and saw J still standing there but this time she had a smile on her face, it was subtle but easily seen.


    I¡¯m sure she was smiling at the way I treated Shanice, why else would she be smiling? She seemed like a lovely girl but I don¡¯t n on staying long enough to get to know her.


    ¡°Why are you still here?¡± I asked J who stopped smiling immediately when she heard my voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to tend to your needs, ma¡¯am,¡± J said respectfully.


    ¡°You have been saying that, say something else¡± I already knew what she was told to do, It was already tiring, She looked confused.


    ¡°Shall I make the bath ready for you?¡± J asked innocently


    ¡°You can leave now¡± I dismissed her, She turned and left and I sat on the bed, soliloquizing. I was in deep thought, Looking for ways to leave this harsh reality, Exhaustion crept in and I slowly closed my eyes and drifted into sleep unknowingly, I was so tired from the wailing, that I was deep into sleep when I felt a lingering feeling around me, My heart was pounding and I was in distress, I snapped open my eyes and I found nothing looming around the darkness of my room, I pondered about the possibility of having the stranger that put me in this condition in my room I stayed up for a while before I fell asleep again and the silence continued, I felt a cold breeze on my shoulder, I immediately opened my eyes.

 Chapter 13

    The breeze I felt was from the window in my room, I turned and saw the window was opened, with a creepy creaking noise, But I could feel someone standing over my shoulders, I quickly carried the nket that was under my feet to wrap myself in its warmth, It covered from my feet to my head, It made me feel safe in a way.


    It was morning already, The birds sang their melody, I couldn¡¯t get much sleep, and My eyes kept snapping open at any sound, I didn¡¯t trust this ce I had to be alert, My Dad always said it never allowed a person to catch you off guard, My heart ached at the thought of him, How I¡¯ve missed him so deeply as it has only been a couple of hours. The morning sun brought a new wave of sadness as it shone brightly.


    Iy in the bed with my eyes open, staring into a space, I heard a knock on my door and I heard a familiar voice.


    ¡°Good morning ma¡¯am¡± J greeted with a calm voice


    ¡°Morning¡± There was nothing good about the morning I¡¯m being held against my will, so of course it¡¯s not a merry morning.


    ¡°Do you want to have your bath, Ma¡¯am?¡± J asked politely,  What is it with always asking me for a bath?


    ¡°No¡± I replied without even looking at her. I heard another knock on my door, Who could it possibly be now? When I turned I met eyes with the guy that picked us up from our house, He must be close to Carson, I needed to know why I was being held captive.


    ¡°Where is your boss?¡± I asked him looking right into his eyes


    ¡°I am Benson, I don¡¯t believe we¡¯ve officially met,¡± He said with a smile on his face, Why are they introducing themselves to me? I just wanted to be free, I don¡¯t care about anyone here, I feel like I can¡¯t breathe already.


    ¡°Where. Is. Your. Boss?¡± I said sternly


    ¡°He sent me here to ask if you will be needed anything else, He went out for a meeting¡± Benson answered, Everyone else seemed to be running mad apparently. I had an idea instantly


    ¡°I want to go see my family,¡± I said hoping it would work, That was what I wanted more than anything right now.


    ¡°I am afraid I can¡¯t grant that request,¡± Benson turned me down politely, My shoulders dropped and I didn¡¯t know what else to say


    ¡°You can both leave¡± I signaled them with my hand to let me be.


    ¡°If she is not serving you well we can get a recement,¡± Benson said as he was talking to J, I shifted my gaze to look at J and I could see that she was feeling bad about what had been said, I saw her body movement moved to that of sadness and fear. She didn¡¯t have to be punished because of me.


    ¡°She is doing good, you can leave¡± I asked Benson to step out, He smiled and left swiftly


    J moved forward and asked again


    ¡°Will you have your bath now ma¡¯am? J asked again, I knew if I didn¡¯t listen she would probably be scolded for my sake.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Sure¡± I replied, I saw how excited she was when I epted to finally have my bath, She headed to the bathroom that was at the other side of the room, It was the biggest bathroom she had ever entered, The bathroom was bigger than her room back home, She wore a robe that was hanging at the entrance of the bathroom, It had a soft and cozy texture, It wasfortable to wear. She stepped into the bathroom and met J standing by the corner¡±


    ¡°May I help Ma¡¯am? J asked with her hands folded at the back


    ¡°Help with what?¡± I asked curiously


    ¡°Help you bathe ma¡¯am?¡± J said freely,


    ¡°I certainly did not need anyone to help me have my bath, you can leave¡± I couldn¡¯t believe she was serious about helping me bathe.


    ¡°Ok ma¡¯am,¡± She said while exiting the bathroom, I stopped her halfway and asked


    ¡°Is this how you bathe your boss?¡± I asked curiously waiting for an answer.


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am his assigned maids do,¡± J said, hiding her face. He is so shameless. What else should I expect from a man who kidnapped an innocent girl?


    ¡°You can leave now¡± J proceeded to leave after hearing my words.


    After I saw her walking away from the bathroom door I slowly removed the bathrobe and got into the bathtub, the hot bath was sending a sweet sensation all over my body, It rxed my nerves I could smell the rich fragrance, This was the only soothing thing I¡¯ve felt since I was met with this ill fate, I should¡¯ve listened to J yesterday, Maybe she was just trying to help.


    When I was done I came out of the bathtub, cleaned my hair with a towel, and let it flow on my back, I wore the robe and stepped out, I was met with a neatly arranged bed and J holding a short dress, It was a purple re gown with delicate designs, She held a neckpiece, It was silver and it looked expensive.


    ¡°Who is all these for ?¡± I asked J, It was obvious it was for me but I wanted to confirm.


    ¡°Sir has requested to have breakfast with you¡± J replied


    ¡°Tell Sir, I don¡¯t care and I¡¯m not having breakfast with the person that separated me from my family¡± I yelled at J


    ¡°Ok ma¡¯am, at least dress up please,¡± J said nicely


    ¡°You can leave to tell him now, I can dress myself up¡± I instructed J. She nodded and left, I put on the dress and shortly after I heard a knock on my door, I saw some maids bringing in food and chairs, trying to set up a dining set in my room.


    ¡°What is this?¡± I asked J who was standing by the corner, I was surprised by the new arrangement.

 Chapter 14

    ¡°I told sir what you said, ma¡¯am,¡± J said


    ¡°And so?¡± I inquired more, I needed to know why people barged into the room to set up chairs, tes, and all


    ¡°He decided toe meet you instead¡± J met my eyes and she saw the disbelief, My ears must be failing me


    ¡°What?!¡± I eximed, So now I¡¯m expected to y dress up and tea time with him, I¡¯m not his puppet, The only good thing about the whole breakfast time was that I will be able to confront him and maybe plead enough for him to let me go.


    They set up the table, There were lots of meals disyed and I wondered if it was just for the two of us, J helped with my hair and jewelry and I couldn¡¯t concentrate on anything else, My stomach was turning and twisting, and My nerves were skyrocketing, I just wanted to get the meeting over with, The quicker I can try to convince him the better for me, I would be able to go home and see my family again, I¡¯m sure they¡¯re devastated by this.


    He walked into the room, His dark hair was scattered beautifully, He was a very handsome man I won¡¯t deny that but it doesn¡¯t change the fact that he abducted me.


    ¡°You can leave now¡± He dismissed J and before I could blink I was J exiting the room swiftly. He signaled me toe over to where he was, I walked slowly till I reached his spot, He pulled out the chair for me and I sat down without saying a word, He went over to the other side and sat opposite me.


    ¡°My oh my, you¡¯re are stunning¡± Heplimented while smiling at me, contentment filling his eyes, He stood up and my heart nearly beat out of my chest, But he only wanted to serve the food and when the serving tes were opened I saw shrimps, I am deadly allergic to shrimps, I am sure he didn¡¯t know that, or maybe he knew and he was just trying to poison me either ways I couldn¡¯t eat it. I yed around with the food for a little while before he noticed.


    ¡°You are not eating¡± Carson grew concerned and asked, Curiosity filled his voice.


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t concern you¡± I replied rudely, He only smiled and stopped eating, He was invested in why I wasn¡¯t eating.


    ¡°But it does, Now eat¡± Carson insisted


    ¡°I am allergic to shrimps,¡± I said sternly while looking directly into his eyes. His eyes softened at the epiphany that I could have had an allergic reaction, And in a swift second his soft concern turned into anger.


    ¡°Benson¡± Carson called out to Benson and in an instant Benson came in.


    ¡°Yes sir¡± Benson answered respectfully


    ¡°Everyone involved in making this meal today is fired, I need an immediate substitute,¡± Carson said freely, His decision was drastic but I guess he wanted to keep me safe, I felt bad for the people losing their jobs just because of an allergy they didn¡¯t know about, I decided to speak up


    ¡°Don¡¯t punish anyone, it was an honest mistake¡± I said, shifting my eyes to meet Carson and Benson simultaneously.


    ¡°You¡¯re so sweet,¡± Carson said cheekily,


    ¡°I don¡¯t want that on my conscience,¡± I said


    ¡°If that is what you want, Fine¡± Carson said and smiled at me, I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°Will that be all sir?¡± Benson asked


    ¡°No, call the head cook toe take notes of her allergies, favorites, and anything worth knowing, she¡¯s going to be here for a long time¡± Carson looked at me and winked, I felt anger fill my body as he said that, I can¡¯t possibly think of living here, This is just a fancy prison. Benson left and after a couple of minutes, I saw a man with a long toque and a funny-looking mustache. He bowed and greeted me.


    ¡°Good day Sir, Good day Ma¡± The chef greeted.


    ¡°Go on, list out your allergies and everything he needs to know,¡± The chef said, I got angry with every word that Carson spoke.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, considering I will be leaving soon,¡± I said confidently. Carson smiledText ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You should list them¡± He insisted firmly.


    ¡°I won¡¯t¡± I replied angrily, Carson smiled and dismissed the chef and Benson, When their backs turned to leave, Carson immediately said.


    ¡°You are still upset?¡± Carson asked while drinking the wine In his ss


    ¡°You separated me from my family¡± I replied with tears filling up my eyes.


    ¡°You have toe to terms with it,¡± Carson said as he leaned back in his chair.


    ¡°Why are you doing this to me?¡± This time the tears in my eyes were ready to flow down my cheeks, I saw his face move from amusement to sadness. Maybe he didn¡¯t want to see me cry or upset. If he didn¡¯t want to see me sad then why is he holding me against my will?


    I mustered up the courage to express my feelings and desire to go home


    ¡°You care about me right,¡± I asked him, waiting for a reply.


    ¡°Of course¡± Carson answered


    ¡°Then let me go,¡± I said with tears dropping down from my eyes


    ¡°Why?¡± Carson asked I could see the devious smirk on his lips, He was doing all this on purpose


    ¡°I want to go see my family, if you love me you will let me go¡± I tried to be smart with my words, just maybe he would listen to me, He let out a hystericalugh, Hisugh echoing loud in my room, What exactly did I say that made himugh so hard?


    ¡°That¡¯s now how love works darling,¡± Carson said


    ¡°I know love doesn¡¯t push anyone to kidnap,¡± I said in annoyance, already losing my cool. Carson stood up and adjusted his suit before walking up to where I was seated and he leaned before whispering.


    ¡°You can¡¯t leave, you¡¯re mine¡±

 Chapter 15

    A feeling of angst filled me, I wanted to push him away, I wanted to run and flee from his presence, I wanted to stay as far from him as possible, I couldn¡¯t help but feel helpless, I was all alone in here, He is in charge and I¡¯m nothing but his puppet, I can¡¯t possibly give up now, I have to find a way to leave this hell hole, I can¡¯t spend one more minute in here, I can¡¯t breathe when he¡¯s near, I hate him for what he did to me, I utterly despise him for changing my life for the worse.


    I watched him walk away and leave the room and in a few minutes, some maids stepped in to clear the table and dishes we had just used. After the maids left I saw J walking in with an orange juice


    ¡°Who is this for?¡± I asked, staring sharply at J, I don¡¯t need anything in this house, I just need to leave, I don¡¯t want to stay here any longer, I am being offered juice in a ce where I am being held captive.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am this is for you¡± Janeet held the ss cup nervously, She probably knew I was already worked up after my breakfast with Carson.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want it, take it back,¡± I said sternly while sitting on the bed.


    ¡°Okay ma¡¯am, Is there anything else I can do for you?¡± J asked holding the cup close to her chest, What else will I need except  to leave this ce, That was my greatest desire,


    ¡°No, you can leave¡± This time I turned my back to face her, I didn¡¯t want to see anyone talk more than to speak to anyone, Her constant disturbance was adding fuel to the already existing frustration I was being faced with. Before she closed the door I got an idea.


    ¡°J, I do need something¡± The only thing that came to my mind was to seek an escape route. I needed to explore the mansion and be familiar with the environment. The only issue was to get Carson to agree to my request.


    ¡°Whatever it is ma¡¯am I¡¯m at your service¡± J replied respectfully as she always does. I took a deep breath and arranged my words


    ¡°I need to get familiar with the mansion, I want to explore the mansion grounds¡± I waited for a reaction and she looked shocked at first then confused before she spoke up


    ¡°I will be back ma¡¯am, I need to ask-¡± J tried exining but I needed to be smart, if she should ask then it would cause a big stir and my request would be denied. I had to y safe and fast.


    ¡°I just spoke to Carson, He said I can do whatever I want,¡± I said confidently, I had to try something I couldn¡¯t keep staying in the room and crying all day, I had to implement my n


    ¡°Okay ma¡¯am, Whatever you wish,¡± J said with a faint smile on her lips,


    ¡°Fine¡± I tried to sound subtle but in my head, I was doing cartwheels because of how happy that my n was falling into ce,  But I would have to be observant if I wanted to leave this ce.


    J and I finally stepped out of the room, I told her we needed to be quick and return. We quickly made our way to one of the grand halls, the vastness of the hall was shocking, The paintings gave a rich touch to the hall, Every single corner had a beautiful artwork. It made me wonder why there were so many artworks, maybe he was a lover of art.


    ¡°Wow¡± the word slipped out of my mouth, I wouldn¡¯t me myself, this was thergest building I¡¯d ever seen


    ¡°What happened Ma¡¯am? Perhaps I can get you something?¡± J asked, thank goodness she didn¡¯t hear what I said, maybe I wasn¡¯t audible enough


    ¡°No I am fine,¡± I said while walking slowly in the hallway, The thought came to my head that I needed to look for a ce with an opening, somewhere I could use to escape. The garden, a big mansion like this will surely have a garden that I am sure of,


    ¡°Take me to the garden,¡± I said confidently


    ¡°Which one ma¡¯am¡± J asked respectfully, which one? how am I supposed to answer that?


    ¡°How many are there?¡± I asked curiously


    ¡°Two downstairs and one at the root top at the left wing of the mansion¡± J answered, three gardens, surely the first time I¡¯d hear such, Either way, I was certain I wasn¡¯t going to see the one upstairs I needed something on the ground floor, so it will be easier for me to n my escape now I had to look for a garden, I will be able to analyze well, A garden best for my scheme.


    ¡°Take me to the garden on the ground floor and closer to the gate,¡± I asked J, signaling her to lead the way


    ¡°Okay ma¡¯am,¡±  J said with a look of confusion on her face


    We made our way downstairs, It was a long way down but we took it one step at a time, when we finally reached downstairs I was moved to ask


    ¡°Why would he keep me on the top floor?¡± He is trying to punish me that¡¯s for sure¡± I said while trying to catch my breath, J had a smile on her lips, she wanted tough and it was obvious


    ¡°You are on the second floor ma¡¯am,¡± J said politely with a smile on her lips, Second floor? And it took forever for me to get downstairs?Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    She led the way to the garden and I was amazed by how beautiful it was, it was a sight to behold, it had a variety of flowers, The flower bed was mixed perfectly, and I could sit there for hours taking in its beauty, The gentle breeze that passed over the flowers was rxing, As I was admiring the beauty before me I spotted a lowered fence, just right behind the garden shed, Just before I could properly analyze my discovery, I heard a loud voice, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

 Chapter 16

    We turned to see Shanice walking toward where we stood


    ¡°J you should have known better, madame is not allowed to be out¡± Shanice yelled at J, I saw J lowering her hair and taking the me for me, it wasn¡¯t her fault and I was unhappy seeing her taking fault for me.


    ¡°It was my fault¡± I spoke up


    ¡°She should¡¯ve known better,¡± Shanice said looking at me with annoyance


    ¡°I insisted¡± I replied


    ¡°If you say so madame,¡± She said trying to sound polite, It was obvious she was annoyed.


    ¡°I am sorry ma¡¯am, it won¡¯t repeat itself¡± J apologized to Shanice


    ¡°That¡¯s okay, lead her to her room¡± Shanice ordered, And before I knew I was already headed to my room, At least I had gotten what I wanted, I was going to be free, I needed to utilize the fence, Hopefully, it would be able to scale through and break free from this bondage, I can¡¯t stay here for one more day, I can¡¯t even breath when he is near me, I will escape tonight.


    As I was thinking of my n we reached the door of my room within a few minutes


    ¡°I would like to be alone,¡± I told J softly


    ¡°Okay ma¡¯am, what can I get you?¡± J asked


    ¡°I am fine,¡± I said


    ¡°Okay ma¡¯am¡± Just as she turned to leave, I stopped her


    ¡°I am sorry for putting you in trouble today¡± I apologized to J, she looked me in the eye before dropping her head down quickly


    ¡°It is nothing, I am used to the scolding, Please don¡¯t apologize to me,¡± J said with a cracking voice,


    ¡°How can I make it up to you?¡± I asked I was truly feeling guilty about what transpired a few minutes ago,


    She thought for long before getting an idea as her face lit up


    ¡°Can I know what you would eat for lunch and dinner?¡± J smiled, I didn¡¯t want to eat anything but I was truly hungry and they didn¡¯t know that I was allergic too, I had no other option but to tell her.


    ¡°Pork chops for lunch, spaghetti bolognese for dinner¡± I answered.


    She bowed her head and left. I felt really bad for her. Maybe if I left it would stop or probably reduce the number of scolding she would receive.


    The day went by fast, I didn¡¯t see the monster named Carson for the whole day, I was served lunch and dinner all alone in my room, he seemed to not be around, I thought now would be the perfect time to put my n into action.


    After dinner was served in my room and the table was cleared, J readied the bath for me and I cleaned up and wore the night dress that was provided for me to wear, I waited forplete silence, Iy on my bed pretending to sleep when J came to check on me for thest time that night, there were no clocks in my room so I didn¡¯t know in specific what the time was, I waited for what seemed like forever and I thought probably everyone would¡¯ve fallen asleep by now, I slowly stood up from my bed and adjusted my night robe. I quickly made a false body on my bed with pillows and I covered it up with the nket I was using. I learned this trick when I was younger and my sisters and I were forced to sleep in our rooms. We would make these pillow bodies just so we could stay together. I do miss them so much.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    I carefully opened the door, When I had sessfully stepped out of the bedroom a mischievous smile appeared on my lips, I stepped into the hallway and the dim light of the hallway made it appear dark, I could barely see but I had a familiaryout of the mansion imprinted in my head so I wouldn¡¯t get lost.


    As I made my way downstairs towards the garden I felt my heart beating fast and loud, The rush wasn¡¯t something I¡¯d felt before, I got to the garden and I was met with a space, no one was there and I was grateful of how empty this ce was it makes my work much easier, The air of the garden that brought about tranquility and peace, The flowers were calling to me and if I wasn¡¯t in a hurry to leave this ce I would¡¯ve spent days sitting out here.


    It beckoned on me that time wasn¡¯t on my side and I needed to act very fast before anyone noticed my absence, My eyes finally traced back to the lowered fence I had seen earlier today, it was just behind the garden shed, I slowly made my way to the fence to check if I would be able to jump out of it.


    There were holes in the wall, It was perfect because I could use them while going over the wall, I was filled with excitement, I couldn¡¯t believe I would be leaving soon, and any moment from now, I would be able to see my family again, Then the sudden thought of Carsoning back to take me to his home struck me, What if hees to look for me and take me away again? What if he does terrible things to my family? I don¡¯t want that, I was contemting whether it was a good idea for me to leave or not, It was surely a hard decision.


    I was still battling with my thoughts when I heard distant footsteps and saw a bright shlight shining brightly from inside the house. Maybe it was J, Has she noticed that I wasn¡¯t in bed?


    I don¡¯t want to be caught and then taken back into that room. I need to do something, as I cracked my brain for an idea I decided to hide behind the garden shed while the footsteps were getting louder and the shlight wasing closer.


    ¡°Who is there¡± A man asked In a stern voice

 Chapter 17

    The footsteps kept getting closer, My heart was pounding so loudly, I knew this was the end, If he should catch me now I wouldn¡¯t be able to escape again, I needed help, Someone please help me, I cried internally, I decided to juste out in instead of being caught like a thief, There was nothing I could do, It is over.


    Before I lost all hope I heard another voice,


    ¡°What are you doing out here Chris¡±  A man asked him


    ¡°I thought I saw someone lurking here¡± Chris answered


    ¡°Have you been drinking again?¡± The other man said jokingly.


    ¡°Maybe¡± Chrish replied and they bothughed hard.


    ¡°C¡¯mon man let us go inside,¡± The other man said, I heard the retreating footsteps and I was too ted to move, One minute I was afraid of being caught and the next minute the coast was clear again, This is one of the plenty reasons I needed to leave this ce, I can¡¯t keep living in fear, I needed to go back home, back to myfortable home, Back to my loving family, With that thought I picked up my dress and put one foot into a whole and the other foot into another hole and one at a time I was already at the top of the fence


    When I got to the top of the fence It registered in my head that I would have to jump down, I was scared, But my will to escape was greater than the fear, This jump was the only thing keeping me away from my freedom, I took and deep breath, Put my legs across the fence and jumped down, I heard a tearing sound and when I looked back I could see a piece of my night dress hanging in the fence, I checked to see if any part of my body was revealed but to my luck, it was just the bottom of my dress that ripped off.


    I felt a sharp pain on my arm and I saw blood dripping down from my arm. I must have bruised it while climbing oring down the fence. I tore a part of my nightdress and wrapped my hand with it to stop the bleeding. When I tried to walk I realized I was in pain. I sprained my ankle while I was jumping down.


    The hurt was nothingpared to the freedom I was experiencing, I took a moment to breathe the air outside the mansion. I was so happy that I had forgotten about the pain, I leaped to the open road, The road was cold on my feet, I should¡¯ve brought footwear, it was a cold night, The wind blew fiercely, and I was no longer forced to be confined by the walls of the mansion, I was free from seeing the monster that thought it was right to kidnap me, I was free and free from his shackles, I took a moment to bask in the moment.


    I started leaping and hoping to find help that could take me away from here. My thoughts were interrupted by the re of car headlights. Fear gripped me as the thought of Carson being in the car came to my mind. What if it wasn¡¯t Carson but a kidnapper? The realization of the dangers I¡¯ve opened myself to all in the name of escape dawned on me. I couldn¡¯t help but panic. When the car approached closer, I prepared my mind for the worst toe. I moved to the corner of the road to avoid going head-on with the car.


    As they approached, Panic ran through my body. The car got closer and sped away, Leaving dust to fill the air. I stood there rxed but still very much ufortable with my vulnerability. The encounter reminded me of why I needed to be home as soon as possible. I kept leaping forward, Looking for a way to get home.


    I leaped into the darkness, Eagerly looking for help, Rummaging around for a solution, I saw a light from afar, As it got closer I could see it was a car headlight, Another passing car, This time I should try to ask for help, I can¡¯t be around these walls anymore, I didn¡¯t have time to keep wasting here.


    When the car approached where I was standing, I rushed to the car to ask for help. It was a man. He was a youthful man and He wore a casual outfit. He had a mustache.


    ¡°Hello sir,¡± I said in a panicking voice, Trying to maintain my coolCcontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Hey you look hurt, do you need help¡± He said calmly, Asking in the most polite way possible


    ¡°I do please, I need to get back home, could you drop me off?¡± I asked


    ¡°I should have been home by now but I¡¯m sure I can help you, get in¡± He said while opening his car for me to get in, I know they say ¡®stranger danger¡¯ But I¡¯m running out of options here, And it is dangerous to stand alone in the middle of night of nowhere.


    I got in and I was sure not to be overlyfortable, I didn¡¯t trust him but I needed his help. I was happy I was finally getting back home, Relief soon overshadowed the fear I had.


    ¡°You must be thirsty, drink some water¡± The kind driver offered


    I was thirsty, I had been doing all these stunts and I hadn¡¯t rested. I took the water from this hand and I drank it. After a few minutes I started feeling dizzy. It is surely because I haven¡¯t had enough sleep.


    ¡°So where do you live?¡± The driver asked


    ¡°I live in Oak Streets,¡± I said while yawning and trying to fight off the sleep


    ¡°I¡¯m familiar with that part, I will get you there in no time,¡± The driver said


    ¡°I appreciate you helping me, you¡¯re a nice man¡± I said already resting my back on the seat of his car


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, we all need a helping hand sometimes¡± The driver said and smiled at me, That was thest thing I heard before I slept off in his car.

 Chapter 18

    I woke up with the repugnant smell of antiseptic solution, it filled the room and it made me feel nauseous I carefully and gently sat upright on the bed, My head was hurting badly, I couldn¡¯t see well, My eyes were still blurry from the sleep I had just woken up from, What happened? I asked myself as I continued to trace the event that happenedst night.


    My vision was beginning to be sharp again, I started to recollect the memories of the night, I came out to the garden with the sole purpose of running away, I climbed over a fence behind the garden shed, My arm got injured, When I turned to look at my hand I saw it wrapped, Someone must have brought me here, My thoughts wereing back but slowly, As my vision finally came back I viewed the room I was in, it looked like a clinic of some sort, It doesn¡¯t look like a hospital room though.


    Aha! The stranger in the car offered to take me home, I drank a bottle of water, And that was all I could remember, Where was I? This doesn¡¯t look like my house, A Series of thoughts came running through my mind. What if I have been kidnapped again? Oh, what a fate I have, Escaping a kidnapper and falling right into another one¡¯s trap, I stood up from the bed and the sharp pain filled me, My ankle was hurting really bad, And it dawned on me that I sprained my ankle, After all the pain I went through to escape, I just ended up here, and maybe in even a worse situation than I was before I tried to escape from the mansion. I went out to look through the window, and I contemted on whether I should jump out and make a run for it, But what if I am outnumbered? I can¡¯t risk being trafficked and I can¡¯t risk being killed.


    As I stood there contemting my next move, The knob of the door moved, My stomach twisted instantly, and I could feel every hair on my body rising, I was scared and I didn¡¯t know what to do, When the door opened the fear of not knowing who was at the other end of the door was already sending shivers down my spine, If only I wasn¡¯t so quick to run away, I would have avoided this mess. I shut my eyes, trembling at the thought of who it could be.


    ¡°Oh you¡¯re awake¡± I heard a familiar voice question me, I snapped open my eyes and the devil himself stood in front of me. Carson was beaming at the sight of me. What is he doing here? And how did he find me?


    I stood there with wide eyes and an open mouth, Trying to figure out how he found me.


    ¡°Close your mouth, darling,¡± Carson said while walking towards me, I am sure he was ted that he had found me.


    ¡°How did you find me?¡± I asked with pain in my heart


    ¡°Oh my my, you shouldn¡¯t be surprised I did tell you,¡± Carson said


    ¡°Tell me what?¡± I asked


    ¡°That you won¡¯t be able to escape me, you¡¯re mine¡± My stomach twisted, The thought of never escaping him ran shivers down my spine.


    ¡°I-I, you-¡± I tried to form words but even my head was failing me at this point


    ¡°If you must know, My patrol team did all the work, You didn¡¯t think you could sneak away from them, did you now?¡± Carson said in a mockery tone, oh how I hate him with every fiber of my being, he made me go through all that for nothing.


    ¡°You can¡¯t do this to me,¡± I said firmly


    ¡°But I am already doing it,¡± Carson said and looked and me with a mischievous smile.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°I need to go home, please take me home¡± I knelt and started sobbing, I was running out of options, and I had no idea of what to do next, Pleading was the only thing I could think of


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t just do that¡± Carson sat down and crossed his legs while looking at me


    ¡°How can you say you love me but you love seeing me in pain?¡± I questioned Carson with tears streaming down my cheeks


    Carson got up and walked up to me, He bent down and held my cheeks


    ¡°You think seeing you like this gives me pleasure?¡± Carson said in a serious tone


    ¡°Then let me go¡± I yelled at Carson, releasing my face from his grip.


    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± Carson said


    ¡°Why? Just let me go please¡± I couldn¡¯t hold back the pain I was feeling, The tears were endless, Carson got up and turned his back on me


    ¡°I can¡¯t let you go because you will nevere back,¡± Carson said in a calm voice. Perhaps he was just afraid to lose me, But how could he love someone he just met so passionately?


    ¡°I wille back, Just let me go see my family,¡± I said, I have to be smart if I want to leave here and escape from his clutches.


    ¡°We both know that¡¯s a lie, if you leave I will have to drag you back,¡± Carson said, He wasn¡¯t lying, I will never agree toe back to this vile man who separated me from my family.


    ¡°What can I do to make you believe me?¡± I asked, At this point I was already desperate to leave and go as far as possible away from him.


    ¡°It is simple, Fall in love with me,¡± Carson said with a subtle giggle. It wasn¡¯t just easy to fall in love with an insane person. My freedom is surely not certain if this is the only condition he was offering.


    He saw I was quiet for a while, I sat on the floor and was sobbing, I was desperate to leave and there was no other solution. Carson walked up to me, picked me up from the floor, and held my waist before pulling me closer to his body.

 Chapter 19

    ¡°You¡¯re mine, get it into your beautiful skull,¡± Carson said holding me on my waist, I could feel his breath bouncing off my neck, This brought a tingling feeling in my chest, and my heart danced at this gesture, His stare was intent but soft in a way that made me rx, The tone he had used wasmanding and alluring.


    ¡°Now clean your tears my little rabbit,¡± Carson said with a smile on his face, This was torture, I felt like I was hismodity and I had no say over my feelings


    He let go of my waist and sighed  heavily


    ¡°Why are you sighing?¡± I asked curiously, perhaps he had given in to my request


    ¡°When you¡¯re too close I tend to forget myself,¡± Carson said confidently, That wasn¡¯t what I expected or wanted to hear but I can¡¯t deny the fact that it gave me butterflies, He has a sweet mouth, that¡¯s for sure.


    I got a quick idea to run out for help and alert them that I was being held against my will, maybe then I would be able to escape this madness, when I saw his gaze shifting from me I quickly dashed off to the door. I opened it and made a run for it, screaming for help


    ¡°Someone help, anyone here?¡± I screamed at the top of my voice


    ¡°You don¡¯t know when to give up,¡± Carson said with a loud voice walking behind me


    ¡°Anyone please help, I¡¯m being kidnapped¡± I shouted desperately, clinging on to the hope I had to escape this man.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    When I turned back I saw him standing right in front of me. He put his palm against my mouth


    ¡°Hush up my little rabbit,¡± Carson said, I bit his hand and pushed him away,


    ¡°Get away from me you despicable man,¡± I said with anger filling my voice and tears forming in my eyes.


    ¡°Look around you, do you see anyone here?¡± Carson yelled back at me, I turned and looked around for a few seconds and returned my gaze to him, I was bewildered as I realized that no one was in the whole clinic, Fear and curiosity gripped me at the same time, Why was I in an abandoned clinic? What was he nning to do to me? As he took one step closer I took two steps backward, I was scared of what he would do to me.


    ¡°Why am I here?¡± I said I was ready to go the extra mile to save myself from being harmed


    ¡°Calm down I will never hurt you¡± Carson reassured me calmly


    ¡°I won¡¯t ask again, why am I here? What do you want from me?¡± I didn¡¯t want to die now and not especially in an abandoned hospital, clinic, or whatever this shit hole was made for


    ¡°This clinic belongs to me,¡± Carson said with a rested shoulder and a sad look on his face, he looked  vulnerable but that didn¡¯t exin why he had a clinic in his name


    ¡°What are you doing with the clinic? I asked This strange man keeps getting strange every day,


    ¡°That should be my business,¡± Carson said. He is trying to hide the truth from me. He brought me to an abandoned clinic after separating me from my family and now he¡¯s saying it is his business. This must be a joke because what exactly is happening right now?


    ¡°Are you a human trafficker?¡± I mean it will exin his wealth and his sleek ability to kidnap people


    ¡°You are a silly little rabbit¡± Carson had a smirk on his face now, and I amused him with my serious question, He sees me as a clown, that¡¯s for sure.


    My mind couldn¡¯t stop pondering why Carson possessed a clinic, what was the reason?


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you telling me the reason¡± I asked with suspicion lingering in my head


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave little rabbit¡± Carson headed towards the door and left me standing in the abandoned clinic, I immediately followed him behind his back I was scared, if I didn¡¯t follow him I was uncertain about what would be of me, I didn¡¯t know anywhere here, It seemed like the only viable option I had not that I was given an option either way.


    We headed towards the car and there wasn¡¯t anyone there, Just him which was weird but I thought there¡¯s always a driver avable to take him on rides, Carson walked towards the front seat and opened it


    ¡°Get in¡± Hemanded me to get in, If not for that I was trying my best to not get killed in this clinic and I didn¡¯t know where I would¡¯ve made a run for it. I got in and sat down and I watched him turn to get to the driver¡¯s seat, I sat quietly waiting for him to say something to me, Anything as to why he has a private clinic that no one knew of


    ¡°You keep secrets from the person you love?¡± I said acting smarter than I should


    ¡°Only when it is necessary, now fasten your seat belt¡± Carson winked at me before starting the car. After what he said the car ride was quiet.


    I needed to know who I was dining with, He might be more dangerous than I thought, here I was thinking he was just an abductor


    ¡°You scare me,¡± I said without facing him


    ¡°We all need a good amount of fear in our lives,¡± He said with a straight face


    ¡°You want the person you love to fear you¡± I asked wondering what sort of a man he is. I¡¯ve never seen my father trying to scare my mom well unless for some silly joke or prank, but real fear has never been recorded


    ¡°No, if you truly love me you won¡¯t fear me,¡± Carson said to me, His eyes were on me and he was still driving, This time increasing the speed. Is he trying to get us killed


    ¡°Eyes on the road please,¡± I said already clinging to my seat


    ¡°Why?,  I don¡¯t want to stop staring at you¡± Carson continued staring at me while elerating, we hit a bump and the car started moving uncontrobly


    ¡°Carson watch out!¡±

 Chapter 20

    I shut my eyes tight as we were about to hit a tree, When I heard Carson¡¯sughter I sprung open my eyes checking my body if I was harmed or even still alive.


    ¡°I told you a good amount of fear is good,¡± Carson said as he watched the fear in my eyes slowly turn into annoyance


    ¡°Are you trying to get me killed?¡± I said with anger in my voice, I was certain he had lost his mind and he was involving my precious life with his madnessProperty ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°No, look¡± Carson used his eyes to point at my other hand wrapped around his upper arm, I didn¡¯t realize I had touched him, I quickly removed any body contact we shared and adjusted myself.


    ¡°You¡¯re insane¡± I pushed my hair behind my ears and scoffed


    ¡°I am simply just in love, if I hadn¡¯t done that you wouldn¡¯t have called my name or held my arm for the first time¡± Carson looked at me with a sense of fulfillment, Relishing in what he had just done.


    ¡°Was that your n?¡± I asked


    ¡°Ding ding ding, how did you know?¡± Carson replied sarcastically, I rolled my eyes at his words


    ¡°Whatever, just keep your eyes on the road,¡± I said to Carson and he responded by smirking.


    After I spoke the rest of the car ride was oddly silent. We didn¡¯t say anything and he didn¡¯t tease me. It made me wonder what exactly was wrong with this man, one minute he¡¯s all words, and then the next he¡¯spletely silent. After what seemed like forever we finally arrived at the gate of the mansion, I remembered it vividly it was when I entered through the gates my life had changed forever, I was stuck in this nightmare, When it was opened the grandeur of the house stood greatly before us, I stared at the mansion like it was my first time there, it always amazes me how one man can own something so magnificent andrge.


    Workers were present to receive us, When the car came to a halt, our doors were flung open and they weed us back home, J stood in front of them all, She must have been in trouble because of my escapades, I¡¯m sure she got reprimanded, it was my fault I didn¡¯t choose this life and I¡¯m sure she didn¡¯t choose to be a worker either.


    ¡°Wee Sir and ma,¡± J said as she bowed her head, Carson just walked past them and headed to where Benson was standing they both entered the mansion, They probably had something urgent to talk about as they were talking to each other in a hushed tone and Benson held some files in his right hand


    ¡°Shall we head to your room?¡± J asked


    ¡°Sure,¡± I said quietly I didn¡¯t want to give her any more trouble than I already had, I dislike causing others pain


    We headed to the room given to me after I was separated from my family. When we got in I could feel the air getting thicker. I did my best to escape from this ce, Is this how I will spend all the days of my life? Being some kind of prisoner of a wealthy businessman, I can never ept this fate, I have to do something, I can¡¯t give up now


    ¡°You must be tired, What can I get you ma¡¯am?¡±J asked me as I stepped into the room, I was hungry, I can¡¯t lie, Maybe she heard the rumbling of my tummy and thought it best to ask me or maybe she was just doing her job


    ¡°What do you have?¡± This time I stopped being stubborn and asked


    ¡°Anything you wish to eat¡± J replied, I figured she asked cause she didn¡¯t want to mistakenly and unknowingly give me something I¡¯m allergic to


    ¡°Get me some soup but please leave out any seafood,¡± I said to J


    ¡°Okay ma¡¯am¡± J left within the blink of an eye, I wasn¡¯t always aware of my allergies, One day when I was about five years old we went for a trip to visit my aunt, my mom¡¯s sister, She lives around the seaside of another town, It was winter so we all had thick sweaters on as the weather was chilly, it was almost Christmas by just a few days.


    Before we got to my aunt¡¯s ce, Gwen kept bugging my parents that she was hungry and we all know that a hungry Gwen is a cranky Gwen, They finally gave in and we stopped at a nearby restaurant it was a seafood restaurant and they had a lot of customers but It wasn¡¯t unexpected it was already time for the holidays so a lot of people came here to spend time with their families


    The aroma was spontaneous, and we couldn¡¯t wait to try out the delicacy, We were given a table, and The menu was filled with amazing options like buttery lobster and grilled catfish that had already started to make our mouths water and we ced our orders, They waitress brought the delicacies and without any further hesitation we devoured the food, Every bite filled our mouths with vor and deliciousness. We were all happy about the food but I started coughing with each bite I took but I didn¡¯t let it stop me from eating.


    My throat began to itch uncontrobly, My chest began to burn, my face turned red and I had shortness of breath, My worried parents and confused sisters quickly rushed me to the car and took me straight to the hospital, they had thought I was choking and my mom kept trying to get the food out When we got to the hospital I was treated and they ran a couple of tests on me and that was when they realized that I was having an allergic reaction to seafood After that day I became cautious about seafood, The near-death experience was enough for me to stay clear of seafood.


    I heard a knock on the ¡°Come in¡±

 Chapter 21

    The door opened and it was J and some maids with utensils and what they¡¯ll need to set up the table, another maid was with my food.


    ¡°Sorry ma¡¯am I didn¡¯t ask if you¡¯d like to eat here,¡± J said


    ¡°That¡¯s okay, I¡¯d rather be in here¡± I assured her


    ¡°Okay ma¡¯am,¡± J said


    ¡°Shall we proceed?¡± one of the maids asked politely, I looked over to J who was already looking at me for confirmation and I nodded


    ¡°Yes you may proceed¡± J replied to their question, Once the table was all set up it was left for me to eat


    ¡°Join me J¡± I invited J to the table


    ¡°No ma¡¯am it is against the rules¡± J politely declined my offer,


    ¡°No one will know,e on, I¡¯m sure you must be tired and hungry¡± I insisted


    ¡°No ma¡¯am I¡¯m alright¡±  J declined respectfully


    ¡°One more thing, please call me Valerie, not ma¡¯am, I¡¯m certain I¡¯m not that old,¡± I said and we shared augh


    ¡°Okay Ma- Miss Valerie¡± J shyly said


    ¡°Just Valerie will do,¡± I said


    ¡°Okay Valerie¡± J smiled at me and I smiled back


    waspletely famished, My little adventurest night had left me drained, As I took one mouth full of the soup I couldn¡¯t help but devour it, That was one of the best soups I¡¯ve ever tasted, My taste buds were pleased and my tummy was filled


    ¡°How was it ma- Valerie¡± J held her tongue not to pronounce the word ma¡¯am I wouldn¡¯t say j me her, That was what she was used to


    ¡°It was delicious¡± I didn¡¯t hide my satisfaction. If I were in a restaurant I would¡¯ve given the cook a tip, What an excellent meal, Or was it because I was hungry? Either way, I enjoyed my food.


    J prepared a bath for me and I took a long bath because I felt very dirty afterst night, I felt there was still mud on my body and I wanted every inch of my body to be scrubbed, I got out of the shower and I wore the clothes provided for me.


    I was sure after what I had done I would be confined in this room, But to my surprise that wasn¡¯t the case, I heard a sharp knock on the door and J turned to look at me for permission to open the door and I gave her approval, It was one of the bodyguards.


    ¡°Good day miss, I was sent to give you a tour of the mansion, if you don¡¯t mind please follow me,¡± The bodyguard said, I just wanted to leave this ce I didn¡¯t care about which part of the mansion we were going to, As long as I won¡¯t be in this room all day.


    ¡°Sure,¡± I said, I wanted to say a lot of things but I settled for one word. We stepped out of the room and J followed me behind my back. I figured they sent a bodyguard so I wouldn¡¯t get any funny ideas.


    We walked through the halls and thergeness of the halls will always find a way to amaze me.


    ¡°Where would you like to see first ma¡¯am?¡± The bodyguard asked me, My mind wandered to the garden, I wanted to rx and most especially I wanted to see the fence.


    ¡°The garden¡± I replied, J turned to look at the bodyguard, We probably thought of the same thing at that moment that he wasn¡¯t going to agree because I had used the fence in the garden to try and escape but to my surprise he replied positively


    ¡°Very well miss,¡± The bodyguard said, He led us to the garden and when we got there I shut my eyes to take in the sweet air the garden brought, I sat in the garden, Assimting the peace that came with it, The garden made me forget about all my worries, it had its way of sucking you in.


    After what seemed like a few seconds but it was some minutes after I got up and looked at the fence, Anger filled me as I discovered that the low fence had been elevated to a great height, Even a bird wouldn¡¯t be able to fly over this fence.


    He thinks this little setback is going to stop me from gaining my freedom back, I won¡¯t rest till I¡¯m with my family again, I¡¯m sure they are doing everything in their power to get me out of this ce, I¡¯ve missed them so much, The bodyguard saw me standing there in a resolute positionText ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Will that be all miss?¡± He asked and broke my chain of daydreaming about my happiness, I snapped my eyes sharply at him


    ¡°No take me somewhere else,¡± I said unwilling to go back to my room, when I was out here if felt I still had freedom of my own, Even tho I was still confined into the four walls


    I felt a pinch on my stomach but it was just for a few seconds. I should probably go use the restroom but then that will cancel my tour for today. I will go when I¡¯m done, I¡¯m not even pressed, it was just a few seconds of ufortability.


    ¡°Would you like to see the art gallery¡± J suggested


    ¡°Oh yes how lovely, thank you J¡±  I thanked J, I guess J knew I didn¡¯t want to go back into that room so soon.


    ¡°Follow me miss¡± The bodyguard led us to the art gallery, excitement filled me as it would be my first time getting a tour of a private art gallery


    We got there and the bodyguard sprung open the door. The first art we saw was a sculpture of Cupid. This must have caused a fortune to acquire. I wasn¡¯t an artist, I couldn¡¯t even draw to save myself but I had great respect for artists.


    We walked in and before I saw any more artwork I felt a sharp pain in my stomach and I screamed before I lost consciousness

 Chapter 22

    Thest thing I could remember was the series of pains I felt, My vein popped out, and I held my stomach with agony as I felt a sharp pain in my stomach that refused to leave, The pain doubled and I wondered what was going on at this moment, My head spinning as I tried to get my bnce, I held J, I saw the worried look on her face, The look of concern and confusion and I screamed in pain before I fell to the floor still clutching on my stomach before I lost consciousness.


    ¡°Valerie!¡± J called on to me


    I woke up in my room, My eyes wandered around the room and I saw a figure sitting beside the bed,  I made a low grunt sound, I was still in pain and I felt like throwing up, My eyes were still blurry and weak so I didn¡¯t the person that was beside me.


    ¡°Are you okay little rabbit?¡± I heard a familiar voice and it was none other than Carson¡¯s voice


    ¡°Where am I?, What did you do to me?¡± I had a lot of questions on my mind, I was in a lot of pain and I don¡¯t know why, I was dizzy and nauseous too, And he was the only one in the room when I gained consciousness, something must be wrong.


    ¡°How do you feel?¡± Carson asked with a worried voice, I turned to meet his eyes and all I could see was genuine care and fear.


    ¡°I feel terrible, What happened¡± I asked, I wondered what had made me scream in such agony and pain.


    ¡°You were poisoned,¡± Carson said, but this time his voice switched from that of care to pure anger.


    ¡°Poisoned?¡± When I tried to get up the pain in my stomach became unbearable and my vision became hazy, Carson got up from where he was sitting and rushed to hold me


    ¡°Rest up now, don¡¯t get up¡± Carson carefullyid my head on the pillow, it became difficult to breathe I had to gather myself before I could utter any further words


    ¡°I was poisoned?¡± I asked Carson, A question I already had an answer to, I do have an ill fate because why else will I always find myself in such horrid matters?


    ¡°Yes, As a matter of fact, you nearly died,¡± Carson said mming his hand against the table, I could see he wasn¡¯t pleased about what happened but I wouldn¡¯t have been in this situation or even this house if it wasn¡¯t for him.


    ¡°You brought me here to kill me?¡± I didn¡¯t know what he was capable of, As far as I know, he could be the one that arranged for my demise.


    ¡°Of course not, Don¡¯t be silly,¡± Carson said without facing me


    ¡°Who tried to poison me?¡± I asked, Curious to know the person that wanted me gone


    ¡°I do not know,¡± Carson said


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked again


    ¡°I. do. not. know¡± Carson replied in an angrier tone, I started sobbing, Not because of the excruciating pain I was facing but because of the position he put me in


    ¡°This is all your fault¡± Tears started streaming down my eyes


    ¡°Be assured that I will not rest till I catch the perpetrator¡±  Carson was desperate to catch the offender, I could see it in his eyes and he itched for revenge.


    ¡°If you hadn¡¯t forcefully retained me in this hell hole, nothing of this sort would have happened,¡± I said, I hated him with every fiber of my being


    After I said those words I started coughing, I stretched to get the water but I felt a sharp pain by the side of my stomach, Carson rushed over to give me the water but I smacked it out of his hands


    ¡°Why should I take anything from you?¡± I asked with a loud voice, He got another ss cup and poured another ss of water for me, I drank it slowly because every sip I took came with additional pain, But I knew I was thirsty so I had to drink the water


    ¡°I will never harm you, Never have I ever thought of doing so¡± Carson spoke lightly to me


    ¡°But I nearly died in your house,¡± I said in spite


    ¡°It hurts me more than you think¡± I could hear the genuineness in his words but I turned a deaf ear to his concerns and care.


    ¡°You brought this upon me,¡± I said, still shoving and highlighting the me


    ¡°I need you to answer these questions carefully, can you do that for me?¡± Carson spoke subtly, What happened to the arrogant man? The man who always teased me, I also wanted justice so I was willing to work with him to snag the offender,


    ¡°What would you like to know?¡± I asked


    ¡°I was told you ate soup yesterday, correct?¡± Carson asked, yesterday. How long was I out? It was already the next day,


    ¡°Yes, but it wasn¡¯t any allergic reaction¡± I had cross-checked to be certain if any seafood was inside the soup.


    ¡°I know, Do you suspect anyone?¡± Carson asked, J had asked some maids to bring the food to me, But I didn¡¯t know any of them in specific


    ¡°Not even your personal maid?¡± Carson asked, waiting for a reply. I thought hard, J would not do such evil to me, I am sure she¡¯s not that kind of person.


    ¡°No, she wouldn¡¯t do such¡± I waved off his question


    ¡°You seem to trust her, that¡¯s unwise,¡± Carson asked as he sat down in a wooden chair in my room and crossed his legs


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust her, I¡¯m just a good judge of character¡± I replied backProperty ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Very well then, Aside J do you have anyone else whoes close to you¡± Carson asked me with a serious face,


    ¡°No just J¡± I answered, I groaned because the pain was alreadying back.


    ¡°I will leave you to rest, I will be here if you need anything¡± He walked towards me pulled the nket over me, and took a good look at me before leaving the room.


    ¡°Benson, take all the workers in the mansion in for questioning, The person can¡¯t get away with this¡± Carson ordered.

 Chapter 23

    Carson¡¯s Pov


    I went to Abnor¡¯s restaurant for a business meeting, I told Benson to cancel the meeting but he didn¡¯t, I had no other option but to attend the meeting and be professional, It was about an investment in the restaurant, I was about to invest millions of my money and they weren¡¯t offering a good share.


    The car was ready and Benson was by my side. Benson and I have been friends for a long time but we never let our friendship interfere in our business matters. We always used to say not to mix business matters with our personal lives. But somehow I felt the reason why he pushed me to have a meeting with the owner of the restaurant was because he was connected to the restaurant, When I asked him about him he denied and refused to acknowledge any connection he had with that restaurant, I didn¡¯t want to continue to pry so I let it be.


    We arrived at the restaurant after a long drive, Benson was already rubbing his thighs in nervousness


    ¡°We are here sir,¡± Benson said, Even though I could see that we had arrived already


    ¡°Let¡¯s get this done¡± I fastened up my button as we stepped out of the car, I could see it was a busy day as it was packed with people and I couldn¡¯t care less but Benson stopped me.


    ¡°You might get recognized, let¡¯s use the VIP entrance¡± Benson suggested. That was a good idea, it would save me from meeting a lot of annoying humans I didn¡¯t have time to meet.


    We stepped into the restaurant and we saw a group of men ready to ept us. They walked us to the ce where the meeting was going to be held. Benson¡¯s nervousness became apparent. He avoided eye contact and he was fidgeting. I didn¡¯t want to pry as I felt it wasn¡¯t my ce to ask too many questions.


    I ced my hands on his shoulders, I had to do something to at least calm him down


    ¡°You good?¡± I asked him looking directly into his eyes


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry about me, let¡¯s get this deal,¡± He said as I removed my hands from his shoulder. We nodded and walked into the meeting ce


    ¡°Wee wee¡± Mr Abnor weed us with a wide smile, He was a man well into his 60s, He was Mexican, He had a pot belly, and wouldn¡¯t be caught dead without a cigarette in his mouth


    ¡°Let¡¯s get into it now, shall we ?¡± I said with seriousness which killed the smile Mr Abnor had stitched on his face when I had walked into the door.


    ¡°Very well then, have your seats,¡± Mr Abnor said, We sat down and immediately kicked off on the reason why we were gathered there.


    ¡°I could see your business has boomed ever since my marketing got involved,¡± I said


    ¡°Yes that is true¡± Mr Abnor responded with a smileText ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking for a confirmation, I know it is true,¡± I said back not willing to drag any of this out for too long


    ¡°Yes which is why I am offering a thirty percent share of this restaurant to your firm,¡± Mr Abnor said


    ¡°Our initial share was twenty percent and that was because we were willing to invest in your dying business,¡± I said


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it dying-¡± Mr Abnor said before I cut him off


    ¡°But it was dying, I am asking for a fifty percent share or withdraw myself from your restaurant,¡± I said,ying out my wants


    ¡°Fifty percent is rather too much, let¡¯s make it forty percent,¡± Mr Abnor said, trying to bargain with me.


    ¡°Fifty percent or I leave you stranded like the way you were before I took pity on you,¡± I said. I didn¡¯t care how I came off as long as I was making my point clear. Mr Abnor sighed and asked to be excused. He and hiswyer with other shareholders knew the restaurant would¡¯ve fallen apart if not for I had stepped in. I wanted to ask for more than fifty percent but I didn¡¯t want more than what I offered. As they continued to talk, Benson and I ran through the pros and cons of epting more shares. Fortunately, the only con was that I would have more people on the marketing team to bring in more profits.


    After what seemed like hours, They walked back in looking defeated.


    ¡°Deal¡± Mr Abnor said


    ¡°There you have it,¡± I said. Mr. Abnor walked over to shake my hand firmly.


    We signed the needed documents and we decided to have dinner as I didn¡¯t have anywhere else to go, Benson and I quietly discussed other ns before he got a message from Mr Longe asking for an impromptu meeting. The way the message was being passed across was showcased as a state of emergency.


    ¡°Can¡¯t it be canceled?¡± I asked, Hoping it would be canceled so I wouldn¡¯t have to be anywhere else except my room.


    ¡°I am afraid it can¡¯t be canceled, Sir,¡± Benson said as it was a state of emergency. If it wasn¡¯t something worth my peaceful and beautiful sleep, He is surely going to hear from me.


    We finished up with our meals and we got up to leave. We shook hands with Mr Abnor who was sitting at the same table with us.


    As we walked out of the door I looked down at my watch to check for the time, and I wasn¡¯t paying attention to the person headed towards me, I didn¡¯t realize I had bumped into someone, I heard a male voice calling out to me


    ¡°Common man you could¡¯ve least watched where you were going¡± The man yelled at me. I stopped and turned but  I didn¡¯t see a face from where I was, I could only see two figures, a tall figure and a short one, and walked close to see who had the guts to yell at me, As I went closer and the light revealed my face, I was left star struck at the beautiful person before me.

 Chapter 24

    Carson¡¯s pov


    She waspletely ravishing. She had dark brown hair and the most unique green eyes I¡¯ve ever seen, It sparkled under the moonlight. How could I have been so careless as to bump into such beauty? I wanted to look at her all night, I needed to know her name. If I could I would never let any harme to her.


    I know from there that she had to be mine and mine alone. I didn¡¯t quite understand what was drawing me to her, Was it the eyes? Or the way she looked at me with such innocence that made me want to devour her and hold her all at once.


    I need her, I want her. She can¡¯t slip through my fingers, no matter what, I don¡¯t care about any meeting, I just wanted to be close to her now and always. I moved closer and raised a finger signaling that I wanted to speak with her but Benson had the worst timing


    ¡°We are going to bete¡± Benson came ringing it in my ear, I didn¡¯t care who was waiting, it could be the president and I wouldn¡¯t budge, But the silly man had to take her inside,


    ¡°Common Valerie let¡¯s go¡± Normally I would¡¯ve held her hand but something in me had to let her go, for now.


    Valerie, such a beautiful name for a beautifuldy,


    ¡°Sir we¡¯re going to bete sir¡± Benson reminded me again, Of course I know, He always had this professional lifestyle.


    I finally heed to his call and as soon as I was about to leave I saw her purse lying on the floor. It must have fallen off after our encounter. She is so delicate. Hopefully, I didn¡¯t hurt her in any way, I picked up the purse and smiled and went over to where the car was parked and the door was opened and we headed to the meeting ce.


    Benson finally got information about the message that was sent earlier ¡°One of the biggest shareholders for one of yourw firms is threatening to pull out¡± Benson said


    I didn¡¯t want anything else to be in my head except for the stunning girl I had just met a few minutes ago but I wanted to seem at least a bit interested in whatever Benson was saying


    ¡°Now why¡¯s that?¡± I said casually, my mind still kept going back to those beautiful eyes that looked at me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know his reason but that¡¯s why he asked for this meeting,¡± Benson said looking at me, I could see with my side eyes that his eyes were fixed on me, He must¡¯ve been wondering why I was so distracted. I turned to look and Benson, My stare could kill a man so I heard but somehow Benson had grown unfazed by my res.


    ¡°Which one?¡±  I asked, I needed to know the person who had just stopped me from being with Valerie, oh Valerie, Such a perfect name.


    ¡°It was an anonymous call¡±, Benson replied, Well I guess we will just have to find out. There must be something else Benson was trying to hide, I mean why else would he agree to a meeting thiste, He saw I was wondering.


    ¡°He¡¯s threatening to go to the media, he said he has some dirt on you,¡± Benson said, I chuckled, Now this is more like it, Some drama, I can¡¯t wait to see the nipoop that it was a great idea to threaten me


    ¡°This will be interesting¡± I replied back


    We finally arrived at the designated bar and it was empty as expected. My eyes trailed to the right corner and saw a car with a driver sitting inside. I walked  towards the entrance of the bar while Benson followed behind me, I got in and I heard a familiar and annoying voice


    ¡°Care for a drink?¡± Mr. Longe requested


    I knew this meeting wouldn¡¯t be long, He has been stealing from the firm for a very long time. I didn¡¯t want to fire him or expose him because it would have caused a scandal. After the discussion, I left him shaken and I am pretty sure he would never dare try to threaten me ever again. Now I have to think of a n to get Valerie in my arms


    I didn¡¯t reap out the head of Mr Longe because he helped me meet her today. If he hadn¡¯t called for a meeting I would not have left Mr Abnor and I would¡¯ve missed the opportunity to see an angel. We got Into the car and drove off, I asked Benson to do some research about Valerie, Which he did perfectly, I got the address and everything I needed, We agreed to meet at a cafe close to her house and I handed her purse to her, But I let her know of my intentions and her reaction was expected, I gave room for suspense and I sent out the letter, I knew there was no way I would let her out of my sight again.


    Valerie was devastated to be taken away from her parents, My heart burned when I saw her in such pain, I didn¡¯t want to do that to her but I couldn¡¯t let myself release her either, That same night I went to her room to watch her sleep, She is truly the most beautiful person I¡¯ve ever seen When she got up I hid so she wouldn¡¯t see me, I didn¡¯t want her to be freaked out about my presence. I was overjoyed to know she was finally with me, Even though I can¡¯t be with herpletely I know I can bask in her beauty for as long as we both shall live.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    I had a long day at work and I had a bath and went straight to bed. I was awakened by Benson


    ¡°Carson, Valerie isn¡¯t in her room¡± I punched the wall hard, and it left a hole. I wasn¡¯t just angry at the fact she ran away but I was enraged that she let herself be vulnerable to the dangers of the world. I was not just angry, I was scared.

 Chapter 25

    Carson¡¯s Pov


    ¡°We got a call from one of our patrol teams¡± Benson narrated to me. Why couldn¡¯t she just understand that she¡¯s mine and mine alone?


    ¡°Where is she?¡±  I asked Benson I tried to hide the emotions I was feeling


    ¡°She is passed out in a car,¡± Benson said and the anger and fear welled up inside me, Without a second thought I dashed out, heading towards wherever she was, With Benson by my side we got to the car and there she was, and I saw my little rabbit, safe and in one piece all dirty and lying so vulnerable in the car.


    It was still in the middle of the night but I couldn¡¯t wait to see her, My body and soul ached at the thought that she could be in danger, I wouldn¡¯t have forgiven myself if anything had happened looked all over her body, The filth stered on her body could tell the journey of the night. My eyes trailed to her arm, and I could see traces of dried blood, My heart instantly felt heavy as I thought about the struggles she went through all alone and in the middle of the night, If she hadn¡¯t seen and picked by the patrol team I don¡¯t even want to think about what would¡¯ve happened.


    ¡°Get the car ready,¡± I said, I didn¡¯t want any rumors going on in the mansion not that I cared but It might matter to her, I knew she had to be taken to the hospital but somewhere she wouldn¡¯t be able to escape once she regained consciousness.


    ¡°Would you like me toe along? Benson asked, He probably thought I needed extra help, Because he reasoned that I would be taking her to any public hospital


    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary, Just bring the car here, Be quick¡± Imanded, She needed medical attention but I would never risk losing her in any way, I knew just the perfect ce.


    I lifted her in my arms and put her safely in the back seat, Before driving off, We got to the secluded location, This ce always jogs back unwanted memories, thirteen yearster I still remember everything like it was yesterday, I shook off the thoughts and concentrated on the important personying in front of me as I stood beside her with the car door open,  I picked her up in my arms before taking her to her room Her beautiful hair rested on my arm, she rested in my arms so peacefully, I couldn¡¯t stop looking at her, Her slender necks was beautiful, It makes me want to kiss it and listen to her soft moans, Her lipsplimented her face perfectly. It was pink and slim, I had a feeling it was soft too.


    ¡°Valerie, you will be mine¡± I whispered subtly, hoping she could hear me.


    I rolled up my sleeves and started tending to her wounds, I noticed a part of her ankle was red and swollen, She must have sprained it while going over the fence, that much trouble to get away from me? I thought to myself


    ¡°You can¡¯t escape me¡± I whispered as I used my finger to graze her cheek, I finished the treatment.


    ¡®zing zing zing¡¯  My phone rang loudly, I took out my phone in my pocket and it was Benson. He wouldn¡¯t be calling me unless it was important, so I stepped out for a while to pick up the call.


    ¡°I am in the middle of something Ben,¡± I said trying to remind him why I left the mansion so early in the morning


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be calling If it wasn¡¯t important,¡± Benson defended.


    ¡°Speak then¡± I tried to rush him and I wanted to be close to Valerie at all times, I didn¡¯t want her to escape again.


    ¡°Mr. Longe knows about the girl¡± Benson revealed, That old man doesn¡¯t know when to stop, He can say all the rubbish he wants about me, But he sure made a silly mistake when he came for the one I love so dearly, He will pay¡±


    ¡°What did he say?¡± I asked curiously, The thought of strangling him and making him beg for forgiveness already came to my mind.


    ¡°You should hear it in person,¡± Benson said and we both agreed to talk when I am back. I couldn¡¯t leave Valerie now, She had to be fine and conscious before we leave. I hung up the phone and walked back into the room, I saw her standing by the window and I was ted, I was so d to know she was well, She shut her eyes, she probably didn¡¯t know who was at the other side of the door thus making her scared


    ¡°Oh you¡¯re awake,¡± I said happily, she snapped her eyes open and she saw me with a wide smile, We begged and pleaded for me to let her go


    ¡°Why? Just let me go please¡± I saw that she was in a great amount of pain, I turned my back against her so I wouldn¡¯t witness her agony, I didn¡¯t want to see her in such a great amount of pain.


    She pleaded that she would be back, But that was a lie, I would have to drag her back and I wasn¡¯t ready to separate her from her family the second time, I mean I am a monster but I am not that bad, I smiled inwardly


    ¡°It is simple, Fall in love with me,¡± I gave her an alternatum. She gave no reply and she continued sobbing on the floor.


    I held her waist and pulled her up, I felt warm, I wanted to lock my lips against hers, I had to control myself and let out a sigh.


    ¡°Why are you sighing¡± Valerie asked in such a curious voice


    ¡°When you¡¯re too close I tend to forget myself¡± I had no intention to hide the truth from her.


    Immediately she took to her heels and started screaming at the top of her lungs


    ¡°Someone help, anyone here?¡±  she screamed, A wave of unpleasant memories came flooding in, My heart grew heavy as deja vu hit me.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 26

    I quicklyposed myself and followed Valerie


    ¡°You don¡¯t know when you to give up¡± I yelled


    I walked up close and immediately she turned I held her lips


    ¡°Hush up little rabbit,¡± I said with a low voice, I felt a sting on my hand and I figured she bit into my hand before she pushed me away


    ¡°Get away from me you despicable man¡± She warned but it only made me want toe closer, I could sense fear and anger in her voice but she didn¡¯t have to be afraid of me, I would never hurt her


    ¡°Look around you, do you see anyone here?¡± I tried drawing her attention to the empty ce we¡¯d been standing in, Valerie had a puzzled look on her face. As I stared intently at her I saw her moving backward, It hurt me to see her so afraid of me. Why doesn¡¯t she realize that I love her, nothing more? I can give her the world.


    ¡°Why am I here?¡±  Valerie asked curiously


    ¡°Calm down I will never hurt you¡± I knew she was scared and I wouldn¡¯t me her but at least I had to try to reassure her in the best way I could.


    ¡°I won¡¯t ask again, why am I here? What do you want from me?¡± Valerie had a dead stare on her face, If she was given the opportunity I am certain she would stab me and get away from me.


    ¡°This clinic belongs to me,¡± I spoke up, I hated the memories that came with this ce but I had no other option than to bring her here


    This hospital only brings terrible memories


    ¡°What are you doing with the clinic? Valerie asked again I was already tired of the questions, This wouldn¡¯t help to feed her curiosity


    ¡°That should be my business,¡± I was already anticipating to leave.


    She asked a few more questions about me being a trafficker and it made meugh, If only she knew the purpose his hospital served


    We got to where the car was parked and I ordered her to get in. She sat quietly and I turned to the driver¡¯s seat


    I knew she wouldn¡¯t stop asking me questions


    ¡°You keep secrets from the person you love?¡± I heard a sweet voice say, I could hear her,in, sing,ugh, and do whatever for a whole lifetime


    ¡°Only when it is necessary, now fasten your seat belt¡± I winked at her,  We sat quietly for a while, till she broke the silence


    ¡°You scare me¡± I listened to the words leave her mouth and I was not surprised by her revtion, Although I would want it to change, It will take time


    ¡°We all need a good amount of fear in our lives,¡± I said with a straight face


    ¡°You want the person you love to fear you¡±  Valerie asked, She is smart, which Makes me love her even more


    ¡°No, if you truly love me you won¡¯t fear me,¡± I said while staring at her, I decided to y a trick on her as soon as I fixed my eyes on her while driving


    ¡°Eyes on the road please,¡± I could see that she was already clinging to the seat


    ¡°Why?,  I don¡¯t want to stop staring at you¡± I didn¡¯t want to stop staring though, She was too angelic, Her scattered hair and eye bagsplimented her even more, I elerated and we hit a bump, I steered the wheel in different directions.


    ¡°Carson watch out!¡± Valerie yelled


    Valerie closed her eyes, and I felt her grip on my arm, It felt good and she felt I could have protected her in some way,


    ¡°I told you a good amount of fear is good,¡± I said, smirking, The fear that was stered on her face turned into annoyance,


    ¡°Are you trying to get me killed?¡± Valerie yelled while still holding my arm


    ¡°No, look¡± Her eyes slowly trailed down and she saw her hand wrapped around mine, With the realization she quickly released her grip from my hand.


    The guy ride became silent, I thought deeply about the ce we had just left, and I¡¯m d I could have a good memory there and spend time with my little rabbit. When we reached and the workers were outside waiting for our arrival, I dropped her off at J¡¯s hands, I didn¡¯t want to fire J as I learned Valerie had grown quitefortable with her, and I didn¡¯t want a change that Valerie would not like and I¡¯ve already given her the biggest transition. I met with Benson and we went inside immediately to talk about the matter at hand.


    I was furious to know that Mr Longe knew about Valerie. They must be a snake amongst the workers, I will always protect Valerie, and Mr Longe will suffer greatly if anything happens to her.


    ¡°Speak, how did hee to know? And why do we care¡± I asked impatiently waiting for an answer, Mr Longe was just a puppet, And now why would a puppet think he can talk without its master? Perhaps ourst encounter didn¡¯t send a clear message to him.


    ¡°He has threatened to go public with the news of you abducting Valerie and holding her against her will¡± Benson narrated the text message, I collected the phone from his hand and read it carefully


    ¡°But what¡¯s up with this old man and always going public?¡± I asked with humor,


    ¡°This could ruin your reputation¡± Benson didn¡¯t want to joke around because it could be detrimental to my career


    ¡°We need to apprehend the snake, feeding him with all this information,¡± I said and that was at the top of my least, I always punish a traitor, A message popped in as we conversed about the matter


    ¡°There is more,¡± Benson reveals.


    ¡°Go on¡± I wanted to know what that old man sent.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    ¡°He said and I quote ¡®ept my request or else the girl pays¡¯ that is all¡±.

 Chapter 27

    Carson¡¯s pov


    The blood in my body boiled as I picked up a vase and flung it across the room. He dared threaten my Valerie, He crossed a line and there was no going back.


    ¡°Benson, pull out anything you can find, leading to Mr Longe¡¯s illegal activities¡± Imanded Benson, trying to maintain my cool, He doesn¡¯t know the lengths I would go to for Valerie.


    ¡°You mean everything?¡± Benson asked me curiously


    ¡°Every single thing you can find, and send In some maids¡± I instructed.


    ¡°Will do sir¡± After I said those words, Benson left my side immediately, I was enraged, I wanted to put Mr Longe in his ce, I didn¡¯t think of anything else, He would surely pay for mentioning Valerie¡¯s name, He will regret the day his spy told him about my girl, Such guts, I will have to find the person. Some maids knocked and walked in a few minutes after I had instructed Benson.


    ¡°How may we serve you sir¡± One of my maids, Martha asked, She had been working in the mansion for three years and had grown to be one of my favorites.


    ¡°I want to bathe,¡± I said, already boiling with anger. I needed to cool off.


    They arranged for me to have a bath, When they were done I walked inside and closed the door behind me, Since I met Valerie I haven¡¯t let another woman touch me, they scrub my body, I prefer three to six of them, But something about Valerie made me despise another woman¡¯s touch, I only wanted her to touch me, To ept me for the messed up man that I am, With time she will learn to love me, I spent time in the bathroom, Thinking and worrying about Valerie, Her face was stered in my head, No one had ever made me feel this way, I was ready to do anything for her, I finally got out and wrapped a towel around my waist, When I stepped out I saw the maids waiting for me outside.


    ¡°Has she eaten?¡± I said vaguely and I knew they¡¯d understand because there¡¯s no other person I would care so much about to ask after their well-being, She is making me soft, I don¡¯t mind as long as I¡¯m with her I can be anything she wants me to be. I smiled inwardly


    ¡°Yes sir¡± Martha replied, I nodded and waved my hand dismissing them, Not less than a minute I heard a knock again


    ¡°You maye in,¡± I instructed. They swung in with trays and the like, My table was set up and I sat down to have my breakfast.


    ¡°Anything else sir,¡± Martha asked with a smile on her face, She always had this weing smile.


    ¡°Get one of the bodyguards in here quickly¡± Imanded and the bodyguard marched in at my call.


    ¡°Good morning boss¡± He greeted, I finished chewing before I nodded and spoke.


    ¡°You should give thedy a tour of the mansion¡± I figured she must be feeling trapped, I should at least let her be free in some kind of way. And I figured she would need security in case she tried to run away. I got back straight to having my breakfast


    After some time my table had been cleared and I soliloquized about the next course of action I would have to take to put Mr. Longe down. I heard a chaotic scream and I heard fast approaching footsteps, The bodyguard barged into my room.


    ¡°Sir there¡¯s something wrong with the girl, she¡¯s unconscious,¡± The bodyguard said in a panicked voice, I sprung up with fear and wild thoughts running through my mind, We were justing back from the clinic and she hadn¡¯t fully recovered from the injuries she sustained from her failed attempt of running away.


    ¡°Where is she? Take me there right now¡± I said in a loud and thunderous voice, If I find out Mr. Longe is involved in this. I will make him pay for all the days of his miserable old life.


    ¡°Follow me sir¡± The bodyguard led the way, He had picked her up from the floor and had carried her into her room, I started asking questions on our way to the room


    ¡°What happened? I sent you there to look after her, What is this news I¡¯m hearing¡± I said with anger filling every word that I uttered.


    ¡°Everything was perfectly fine Sir, We got to the gallery and she copsed on the floor¡± After hearing these words from the bodyguard, I quickened my walking step, My heart grew heavy at the thought of the amount of pain she was passing through because of me, Perhaps I should let her leave, She might be safer that way. As we approached her room, The door was opened and I saw her maid standing still beside her.


    ¡°Tell Benson to call a doctor immediately, Go now!¡± I yelled and I rushed by her side, Kissing her hand, I saw her lips turning blue. The fear in my body only heightened more as I saw her in such a state. She didn¡¯t deserve to be punished like this, I turned to the maid that was beside her.


    ¡°Are you just going to stand there? Tell me what happened¡± I demanded and I saw her shaking before she answered my question with a frightened voice


    ¡°We- we were having a tour of the mansion- of your mansion Sir before madame screamed in pain and fell to the floor, losing consciousness¡±  J narrated to me.


    ¡°Did she eat anything?¡± I asked immediately and she said thest word.


    ¡°Yes she had soup¡± J repliedPlease check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    Perhaps she is allergic to soup? I wanted to enquire more about what had caused her to suddenly copse but the doctor came in with Benson. After a few tests, He gave her some injections.


    ¡°She was poisoned,¡± He said to me


    ¡°Food poisoning or allergic reaction?¡± I asked because she might have an allergic reaction to the soup that was served to her earlier.


    ¡°No sir, This was a poison that was intended to kill her¡± The doctor answered.

 Chapter 28

    I nearly lost my bnce, I couldn¡¯t imagine the kind of pain she must have gone through, The pain must have been so excruciating.


    ¡°Kill her?¡± Benson chipped in and with a shocked expression on his face, he turned and looked in my direction. He was expecting a reaction but I had to maintain myposure so the doctor wouldn¡¯t think much about the situation at hand.


    ¡°Yes kill her, In fact, if I had arrived a few minutester than I did then it would have been fatal for her¡± The doctor revealed, The anger in my body knew no bounds, I was ready to explode but I had to keep my anger in check, I maintained my calmposure and looked at the unconscious girl who I loved so much lying helplessly on the bed, Whoever did this to her will surely pay, I looked back at the doctor


    ¡°Will she be okay?¡± That¡¯s the only thing I wanted to know at the moment. I just wanted her to be okay and well, She had already gone through so much and it hadn¡¯t even been a week since she got here. I don¡¯t want her to go through any more pain and suffering just because of me.


    ¡°Yes she will be, I have given her some medication she will regain consciousness shortly¡± The doctor reassured


    ¡°Thanks, doctor, Let me show you the way out,¡± Benson said while escorting the doctor out of the room, I walked up to where Valeriey quietly I gently used my finger to graze her cheeks And carefully ran my fingers down her hair, She looked so beautiful even in her sleep, I can never fathom how one can look so beautiful, I didn¡¯t know it was humanly possible to be this alluring.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    I took a chair and sat close to her, I didn¡¯t want to leave her side, I didn¡¯t want her to wake up to an empty room, I was too scared to leave her side, I wanted to know if she would be okay, Mr. Longe had a hand in this, I have many ways to make him pay quickly but I want him to suffer and beg for mercy and forgiveness, I want him to supplicate before me, I will make sure of that but before then I have to deal with the person that thought it was wise toe into my house and hurt my Valerie in such a way, Even if it was a scratch on her body, The person would¡¯ve paid heavily but to go as far as to poison her to kill her, That was the height of it, To say punishment would be an understatement.


    I heard a low grunt sound, It was Valerie, she was finally waking up.


    ¡°Are you okay little rabbit?¡± I asked with care


    ¡°Where am I?, What did you do to me?¡± She seemed to be in a lot of pain, but she was confused, And I could understand her.


    ¡°How do you feel?¡± I asked looking her directly in the eyes


    ¡°I feel terrible, What happened?¡± Valerie asked


    ¡°You were poisoned,¡± I tried to give her the information she needed, but I couldn¡¯t hide my displeasure.


    ¡°Poisoned?¡± Valerie said with confusion, She tried to get up and I could see how ufortable she was, She lost bnce and I rushed to her side.


    ¡°Rest up now, don¡¯t get up¡± Iid her head on the pillow.


    ¡°I was poisoned?¡± Valerie asked again, And the more she asked the more I felt unhappy and eager to catch the culprit.


    ¡°Yes, As a matter of fact, you nearly died,¡± I said and without much thought, I mmed my hand against the table, I let this happen to her¡­


    ¡°You brought me here to kill me?¡± Valerie asked, but I could understand her plight, I would be mad too if unfortunate events kept happening to me.


    ¡°Of course not, Don¡¯t be silly,¡± I Saadi turning my face away from her. How could I face her?


    ¡°Who tried to poison me?¡± Valerie asked curiously


    ¡°I do not know,¡± I said


    ¡°Why?¡± Valerie asked again


    ¡°I. do. not. know¡± I replied feeling unhappy about the situation. We spoke and she felt devastated and med me for her situation and frankly speaking I couldn¡¯t me her


    ¡°I need you to answer these questions carefully, can you do that for me?¡± I said in a low voice speaking subtly, I felt sad about the events that had yed out, I won¡¯t rest till the perpetrator is found.


    ¡°What would you like to know?¡± Valerie asked


    ¡°I was told you ate soup yesterday, correct?¡± I asked, yesterday. She had a puzzled look on her face before she answered.


    ¡°Yes, but it wasn¡¯t any allergic reaction¡± Vaelrie reaffirmed.


    ¡°I know, Do you suspect anyone?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Not even your personal maid?¡± I asked, I trusted no one, Everyone was a culprit.


    ¡°No, she wouldn¡¯t do such¡± Valerie tried to wave off my question


    ¡°You seem to trust her, that¡¯s unwise,¡± I said. Why would she trust someone she just met? No one will be spared, I don¡¯t care who it is, As long as the person could harm my Valerie, I won¡¯t have mercy.


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust her, I¡¯m just a good judge of character¡±  Valerie replied back


    ¡°Very well then, Aside J do you have anyone else whoes close to you¡± I asked myself with a serious face,


    ¡°No just J¡± Valerie answered, She groaned because the pain was alreadying back.


    ¡°I will leave you to rest, I will be here if you need anything¡± I walked towards her and pulled the nket over her before I left the room. Immediately I left the room I saw Benson waiting outside for me. He knew I would want to move fast.


    ¡°Benson, take all the workers in the mansion in for questioning, The person can¡¯t get away with this¡± I will not spare the person.

 Chapter 29

    The workers gathered in the hall downstairs, waiting for my arrival, I walked slowly. The sole of my shoe was hitting the marble floor which made my arrival known to all the workers.


    I walked over to where Benson stood, I sat down, and crossed my legs. The look on their faces told me that they were already informed about the unfortunate incident that one of them must have caused. Some of them already know how bad it gets when I¡¯m angry but they don¡¯t know that I have never felt this type of way about anyone before. This is the first time I can give my whole heart to someone after my mom passed away. Imagine the great lengths I can go for such a person.


    ¡°Have you briefed them?¡± I leaned towards Benson and whispered.


    ¡°No sir, I was waiting for you,¡± Benson said. He knew I would want to address them first. I nodded and shifted my gaze from Benson to the workers standing in front of me. I stood up and left Benson¡¯s side and walked closer to them. I had a good look at the crowd before I spoke


    ¡°Some, If not all of you already know why I summoned you all here, right?¡± I watched as some of them nodded in unison, while others were too scared to react.


    The head of workers stepped forward and I looked at the elderly woman who had been with me for years but something about her was unsettling, I could see through the mask she put up for everyone to see.


    At this point, I didn¡¯t want to trust anyone and everyone was a suspect.


    ¡°Sir we offer our deepest apologies for what happened to madame, Please be rest assured that we will help with the investigation, we will give our utmost cooperation, we will-¡± Shanice continued bbering and I was having enough of it


    ¡°That will be okay Shanice, now return,¡± I said sharply and she felt embarrassed, of course, I wasn¡¯t buying into the whole speech, The fact is they didn¡¯t have any other choice than to cooperate.


    ¡°Okay sir¡± She bowed her head and stepped back to where she initially stood. I went ahead to look at the people standing in front of me.


    ¡°One or more of you all tried to kill Valerie and not only was it an attempted murder but the person left her in excruciating pain¡± I tried to calm myself down as I already started to yell, The thought of my Valerie being in such pain made my stomach twists and my anger doubled, I picked up a chair and threw it across the room.


    I fixed up my suit and I could see some of them were already shaking


    ¡°Now let¡¯s make this easy, who poisoned Valerie?¡± I asked while using my eyes to scan them for any suspicious body movements, I knew the person wouldn¡¯t outrightly admit to attempted murder.


    ¡°If the person confesses now, He or she will be fired and never to be seen on the mansion grounds, and that is all¡± I lied to get the culprit toe forward, If the person knows He or she is not going to be punished then the person will be moved to own up to the grievous crime that has beenmitted. In my mind, It was either this is done the easy way and we all wrap this up quickly and go on with our daily activities or we can do it the hard way, I also have time for that.


    I saw someoneing raising his hand and I smiled inwardly, I signaled for him toe forward


    ¡°Sir in my opinion you should question the people who made her meal,¡± A short male worker said. It wasn¡¯t such a bad idea but it could be that the meal was poisoned without the knowledge of the people that made her meal, But they were the first suspects.


    ¡°What is your name?¡± I asked the man


    ¡°Steven Sir,¡± The man said


    ¡°You¡¯re smart Steven, That makes you a core suspect,¡± I said, I saw his eyes widen at thest part of the sentence.


    ¡°B-but Sir I-¡± Steven tried to get out of the nasty situation he had just put himself in.


    ¡°Step to the side Steven, if you know you had helped with the preparation of the meal, step forward now,¡± I said, one by one they came out slowly and it was four of them out including J, I signaled for Benson to bring the paper he was holding.


    ¡°If you know you were present in the kitchen on that day, Step forward now,¡± I said with a serious voice.


    ¡°If you joined to serve the meal, step forward now¡± As I said I saw only one person making her way to the side. And only one person stepped to the side, now they were six in number


    ¡°Here it is sir,¡± Benson said and I nodded and Benson returned to where he was standing. I had a smile on my face and this smile only creeps in when I¡¯m about to give everyone a tough time.


    ¡°This is the list of names of the people that helped to prepare the meal and that was present in the kitchen on that day.¡± Everyone got tensed and when I scanned through the names and noticed there were seven names present on the list.


    One by one I called out the names on the list and I was answered with a confirmation of their presence when I finally got to the name I didn¡¯t hear any response, so I called it out again


    ¡°Cynthia?¡± I called out again before I saw a young girl with blonde hair who wouldn¡¯t have passed twenty years old walking out slowly, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen her before.


    ¡°Here Sir,¡± She said without meeting my eyesCcontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Oh so d you could join us,¡± I said sarcastically, When she lifted her eyes and they met mine, she fainted immediately


    Perhaps I have found the culprit.

 Chapter 30

    Cynthia was rushed and was quickly revived by just a sprinkle of water on her face. She regained her consciousness and was confused.


    She looked up at me as I towered above her and the memories before she fell came flooding in.


    ¡°Good morning sunshine,¡± I said with a mocking tone, She quickly got up and regained her bnce


    ¡°I-I- Sir-¡± She tried to formte words with her mouth but I got bored and went straight to the point


    ¡°Why did you poison Valerie?¡± I walked closer to her and questioned her in front of everyone. She moved back a little


    ¡°I did no such thing, Sir, please¡± The fear in her voice was obvious and it made her seem more like a guilty person.


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t youe out when like I said¡± I bombarded her with questions, still moving forward and for every step I took closer to her she took another step backwards


    ¡°I was afraid Sir, I-I could never try to harm someone,¡± She said as tears started to gather in her eyes.


    ¡°Afraid? Because youmitted the crime and you didn¡¯t want to get caught?¡± I kept asking to see if she would break.


    Once she got to the wall, She went on her knees and pleaded


    ¡°Please I will do anything, I didn¡¯t poison anyone, I swear, I promise¡± She cried and begged.


    In a way, I believed she was not responsible for such a devious crime but I wanted to push her


    ¡°You are another key suspect, now join them and go stand at the side¡± Imanded and she scurried off to join them


    I took a good look at them before I turned back to look at Benson who was unmoved by the whole scene that had just yed out


    ¡°Now I will be interrogating the key suspects now¡± No one leaves this hall till I¡¯m done¡± With that being said, Benson led the suspected workers to another free room inside the hall, I interviewed them one after the other and all of them seemed to be innocent.


    I finally called J in and I looked her in the eye and immediately started the questions.


    ¡°You are Valerie¡¯s maid yes? I asked


    ¡°Yes I am Sir,¡± J answered


    ¡°Why did you poison her¡± I asked


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of doing something like that Sir, not especially to someone as kind as Miss Valerie¡± J spoke without any hesitation


    ¡°So what you are saying is that you can poison a person if they are not kind?¡± I asked again, She gulped loudly and figured she had misced her words


    ¡°Pardon me, sir, that is not what I meant at all, I simply don¡¯t have the capacity to take another person¡¯s life regardless of their character traits,¡±  J said


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you taste the food first before serving Valerie¡± I asked


    ¡°My apologies Sir, I wasn¡¯t aware I was supposed to do that,¡± J spoke


    ¡°Then you are not fit for your work,¡± I said


    ¡°Please forgive my foolishness and it will never repeat itself. I assure you¡± J said while bowing her head with respect.


    Before I said anything else one of the bodyguards came running towards me


    ¡°Sir, Madame is in a lot of pain,¡± He said and I ordered Benson to handle things when I was gone. I quickly dashed off to Valerie¡¯s room and I didn¡¯t see her in the bedroom. I heard a sobbing sound and I saw her head over the sink, vomiting.


    The pain in my chest only grew worse when I saw her in such a condition, I held her hair while she vomited in the sink, and I could see she was weak, When she was done sheid on my chest, She was so pale I hated myself for causing her so much pain, I lifted her and took her to the bed.


    ¡°Should I call the doctor sir?¡± One of the bodyguards asked.


    ¡°No don¡¯t bother, He said this will surely happen, She just needs rest,¡± I said


    The urge to make the culprit pay only heightened when I saw her helpless and in pain in the bathroom and now how my pure, little rabbit passed out on my chest. The person will regret ever trying to do such and thinking they could get away with it.


    After I had kissed her on the forehead and left her side, I went downstairs to find Benson still there with the workers murmuring, When they felt my presence theyposed themselves, and with that anger in me I charged to go to the workers building that was different from my mansion and it was just at the back of my mansion.


    The workers¡¯ building was a decent ce. It housed all the workers, I hadn¡¯t been there for a while, in fact I hardly ever entered there. The halls had dim lights but it wasn¡¯t in a bad condition, it was a modest space. The rooms were filled with bunk beds which would amodate six people in a room, it was arge building so the rooms were more than enough for all the workers. I called Shanice since she was the one in charge of them. She will have to show me the rooms and call out the people the room belongs to.


    I started with the first room and I checked out everything, The guards pulled out all the clothes from the wardrobe and searched thoroughly, Still, we found nothing, I had to take a break to go check up on Valerie as I was informed that she was awake again, Her steps were slow and she didn¡¯t have bnce, She didn¡¯t utter a single word to me, probably because she was too weak to speak to me or because she knew I got her into this mess. Each time I saw her the pain in my heart only increased. I went down and we continued our search. We got to a room and started our usual search. Upon searching as the clothes were being removed, A Little ck bottle fell from the pile of clothes.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 31

    I wrapped my hands with a cloth before picking it up, The bottle had nobels, It was hidden in between clothes, I gently opened it up and smelled it and the ce was so repugnant smell that filled the room, It was so choking I quickly shut it close


    ¡°Benson¡± I called out to Benson who was standing by the entrance of the room and who must have probably seen the bottle falling to the floor.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Yes sir¡± He answered quickly, We looked at each other and nodded as if knowing what we wanted to say to each other. There is no doubt that this was the poison that was used to harm Valerie. I carefully gave him the poison to hold onto while I got to the bottom of this whole case once and for all.


    ¡°Shanice, Call out the upants of this room,¡± I asked, eagerly waiting for the culprit so I could punish the person the way I had been nning.


    ¡°Well sir, The thing is, Well¡± Shanice hesitated, I got irritated, couldn¡¯t she see I didn¡¯t care about anything else, I just wanted to bring justice and punish the person ordingly.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have all day, Speak,¡± Imanded with a stern voice while looking directly into the eyes of the elderly woman. She felt shaken and immediately spilled out.


    ¡°Room forty-six, step forward¡±  Shanice yelled and slowly they came out, to my utmost surprise I saw one of the key suspects, J, What are the odds?


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet the upants of room forty six¡± My eyes were fixed on J, Her face was facing down and her hands were behind her back.


    ¡°Will that be all Sir?¡± Shanice and I gave her a dead side eye, She immediately got the message and excused herself


    ¡°Who owns thest locker?¡± I asked while still looking at J.


    ¡°That will be me sir¡± J raised her head and took a step forward, iming ownership of the locker.


    ¡°Hmm, I figured,¡± I said while trying to maintain a calmposure.


    ¡°But Sir-¡± J tried to exin but then I didn¡¯t have time for exnations


    ¡°Shh shh, don¡¯t speak, Benson call the doctor and inquire if this was the same poison that was found in Valerie¡¯s bloodstream¡± And with that, Benson nodded and left to get thest bit of proof I needed, J would be punished for hurting my Valerie, She won¡¯t escape my wrath, But first of all I need to be certain If that was the poison then the case will be closed.


    ¡°Take them to the interrogation room and don¡¯t let any of them leave¡± I instructed one of the bodyguards before I left to check on Valerie again. I was worried about her, and I didn¡¯t want to think about anything else, I wanted to be by her side, helping her to recover but instead, I was stuck with being a detective, But it was needed I wouldn¡¯t let the culprit get away with their almost sessful n, My Valerie is so strong, She fought the poison and won, That is my girl, She effortlessly makes me fall head over heels for her. She is truly special.


    I went up to her room and saw her lying with her eyes open, At first my heart skipped and fear gripped me but when I went over to her bed space and closer to her. She snapped at me.


    ¡°This is all your fault, I¡¯m in so much pain, You caused this, I just wanted to go home, I didn¡¯t ask for any of this,¡± Valerie said, I let out a sigh of relief and smile, But that smile was short-lived when I saw her holding her stomach and turning to the side.


    ¡°Valerie, what is wrong? Are you okay?¡± I asked in a worried voice, I touched her forehead and I could see she was burning up badly, I quickly took off my suit jacket and put a cloth over her head, She turned to the barfing bucket close to her and vomited, the bucket came in handy, I put it over there so she wouldn¡¯t have to go through the stress of walking to the bathroom.


    Slowly she fell asleep again and I couldn¡¯t help but admire how beautiful she was looking. I continued to stare at her beauty before I heard a knock on the door. I turned and saw Benson standing there and I realized he had thest piece of information I needed. I kissed Valerie on her forehead and gently left to where Benson was standing.


    ¡°What is the result?¡± I asked, I crossed my arms and waited for Benson to reveal the truth of the result to me.


    ¡°I am afraid that It is the same poison that was found in Valerie¡¯s bloodstream¡± Benson revealed and my heart went cold immediately, I looked over to Valerie and I whispered under my breath.


    ¡°I will get justice for you¡± I left the room and with Benson following me at my back, We made a stop in my room to get my gun and we walked back to the interrogation room.


    ¡°Summon the workers,¡± I asked Benson. Shortly after they all gathered by the hall, I called out to the workers who were in the interrogation room.


    ¡°Now that everyone is gathered, We found the poison and the person responsible for the condition my Valerie is in right now, J step forward¡± I heard a loud gasp that left everyone¡¯s lips and some people murmured.


    ¡°You despicable girl, you were supposed to serve her not kill her, I should have known, Something was always off about you, silly girl,¡± Shanice said, I waved my hand, signaling her to stop her rants and return to where she was standing.


    ¡°J you have been found guilty of attempted murder and shall be punished ordingly, Kneel¡± Imanded, My eyes turned cold, As she knelt before me, She didn¡¯t say a word, she only cried uncontrobly, She didn¡¯t beg for mercy and pleaded not guilty,


    ¡°Blindfold¡± The bodyguard walked to where she was and covered her eyes with the cloth and I pulled out my gun, I could see the grin on Shanice¡¯s face and the fear and pity on others.


    ¡°This will serve as a lesson for anyone who tries to cross me,¡± I said as I held the gun against her head, ready to pull the trigger.


    ¡°Stop!, don¡¯t you dare¡±.

 Chapter 32

    Valerie¡¯s Pov


    The pain became unbearable, and I woke up at intervals just to struggle to the bathroom to barf, I was in a lot of pain, But I also couldn¡¯t stop thinking about the near-death experiences I¡¯ve been subjected to ever since I arrived at this decorated hell hole. After using the restroom, I carefully walked towards the bed. My eyes were dizzy and I lost the ability to think properly as if that wasn¡¯t enough, I just couldn¡¯t sleep when I wanted to. I only slept when a wave of pain hit and my body did not know how to take it.


    Why would anyone want to punish me? I haven¡¯t even been here enough to cause any problems, What did I possibly do wrong to get such bacsh from someone I don¡¯t even know? I am certain I haven¡¯t given anyone such a wild and troublesome time to push them to want to poison me or even go as far as having murder in their minds and wishing death on me.


    This truly made me sad because not in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I would fall under being a victim of attempted murder, It was truly heinous if I gave it much thought, And then suddenly a wave of pain hit me but this one wasn¡¯t like others, I let out a scream that the bodyguard that was positioned outside at my door rushed in, I could see him from my bed cause my door was not fully closed.


    ¡°Madame, are you alright?¡± He asked, he was already panicking but I was in a great amount of pain to even answer his questions. It felt like my Intestines were trying toe out through my mouth.


    ¡°Ugh¡± I screamed in agony


    ¡°Let me get Sir, Please I will be back in a minute¡± He dashed off, I heard the hurried stomping of his feet and he left my room and rushed downstairs. I was too weak to move, But I summoned thest bit of strength I had and walked over to the bathroom. The vomit kepting, I got so tired I started bawling my eyes out in the bathroom sink.


    I was so busy vomiting I didn¡¯t hear when my door opened and Carson walked to where I was almost vomiting my intestines out and he held my hair and let me finish.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Are you okay? I¡¯m sorry¡± Carson said as he helped me wash my mouth and that was the only thing I remembered before seeing sharp ckness again.


    I woke up again but this time, I just wanted to poop, When I was done, Carson came into the room, and I didn¡¯t have the strength to curse him out, My steps were slow and I am certain I lost my bnce a couple of times, I didn¡¯t utter any word at all to him, I just didn¡¯t have the energy to, I felt like I was going to die, That was the worst I have ever felt in my life and he was the cause of this torture.


    I woke up and I didn¡¯t feel the need to do anything, I justid on the bed with my eyes open, I was feeling better than earlier went up to her room and saw her lying with her eyes open, I saw Carson slowly approach me and I got prepared to give him a piece of my mind.


    ¡°This is all your fault, I¡¯m in so much pain, You caused this, I just wanted to go home, I didn¡¯t ask for any of this,¡± I said with anger, When I looked at his first he had this smile stered on his face and immediately my stomach started to turn, Maybe it was caused by the sudden movement, I held my stomach and turned and groaned in pain.


    ¡°Valerie, what is wrong? Are you okay?¡± Carson asked, Even though I was in lots of pain, It was obvious he was worried.


    He took off my suit jacket and put a cloth over my head. I turned to the barfing bucket and vomited. I¡¯m sure J put it there so I would not have to walk to the bathroom. I haven¡¯t seen her, I hope she¡¯s fine. I wanted to ask Carson about her but I soon fell asleep, but it was a short one as I heard male voices and my eyes opened slowly.


    ¡°Valerie¡¯s bloodstream¡± That was the first thing I heard immediately I fixed my ears to listen to them, Why are they talking about my bloodstream? I quickly shut my eyes in pretense.


    ¡°I will get justice for you,¡± Carson said before they left, Justice? They must have found the culprit, I didn¡¯t know whether I should be sad or happy. The person will suffer a very ill punishment if Carson doesn¡¯t control his anger.


    I needed to see who it was but my only problem was the bodyguard, I waited for about five minutes before I called him in.


    ¡°Hey please I need help,¡± I asked in a low voice


    ¡°Yes, anything Madame?¡± He said, I already knew what I wanted to ask for but I had to convince him.


    ¡°I need chocte, I need something sweet please¡±


    ¡°Okay, Madame I will just ask Sir to get it because I am not allowed to leave your door,¡± The bodyguard said.


    ¡°I am sure your boss will be much more unhappy to find out I asked for something and it wasn¡¯t provided to me instantly,¡± I said.


    ¡°I will be back Madame¡± He left my site and I held my stomach and carefully made my way downstairs.


    I heard a voice echoing from the other room and I made my way there. I hid by the walls and peeped and I couldn¡¯t see who it was properly but I saw a girl blindfolded, And I thought to myself that must have been the culprit.


    ¡°This will serve as a lesson for anyone who tries to cross me,¡±  Carson said as he held the gun against her head, I was shocked and I knew I had to stop this madness.


    ¡°Stop!, don¡¯t you dare,¡± I said as I rushed to Carson and he left the blindfolded person¡¯s side and came to hold me.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be out of bed,¡± He said


    ¡°What is this madness? How dare you put someone¡¯s blood on my hands?¡± I never believed in an eye for an eye.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t meant to see this,¡± Carson said


    ¡°I¡¯m d I came just in time, will the person reveal herself¡± I said


    When she turned I realized it was J, I nearly screamed, I couldn¡¯t believe it, I knew I had to bail her out of this mess cause I believed she wouldn¡¯t try to harm me.


    ¡°Give me time to prove her innocence¡±

 Chapter 33

    Valerie¡¯s Pov


    I needed to do something, I couldn¡¯t just let him execute J, such a young girl, I picked her up from the floor and looked deeply into her eyes and I saw how dead she was already, She already readied her mind for death, My heart ached at the thought of what she must have gone through.


    Carson walked towards me and held my hand tightly


    ¡°Please just give me a day, I know she¡¯s innocent,¡± I said while looking into his eyes, He felt his grip loosen and he nodded.


    ¡°Everyone is dismissed, gather here by this time tomorrow, except J, you will be isted till tomorrow¡± Carson ordered, and slowly everyone exited the hall.


    ¡°Thank you for listening to me,¡± I said


    ¡°How do you want to investigate when you haven¡¯t even recovered?¡± Carson asked with worry in his eyes.


    ¡°Easy, as much as I hate to say it, you will be my assistant in this,¡± I said with a cheeky smile


    ¡°Although you are supposed to be resting, Working together doesn¡¯t seem like a terrible n, I¡¯ll be delighted,¡± Carson said, he smiled so widely that I almost saw all of his teeth, If not that I didn¡¯t want an innocent person being harmed I would¡¯ve never agreed to work with him.


    ¡°So first thing is that I need to sit and at least can I get a good meal? I¡¯ve been throwing up and I haven¡¯t gotten any good food,¡± I said while looking at Carson¡¯s smile that refused to go down, I had been subjected to soup and mashed potatoes, none of which tasted like the way I wanted.


    ¡°What would you like to eat Val?¡± Carson said


    ¡°Scrambled eggs and a big croissant,¡± I said while Carson offered me a seat.


    ¡°Your wish is mymand, Benson you heard my woman,¡± Carson said after a few minutes it was brought to me. When I saw it I was as happy as a child.


    I immediately started devouring the food, I didn¡¯t care about how I looked starved, after stuffing my mouth which I nearly choked on


    ¡°Easy now,¡± Carson said and while I looked at him he still had this smile on his face. Now that I was looking at him he wasn¡¯t a monster. He is very handsome, I looked away quickly and I reminded myself how he separated me from my parents.


    I felt like throwing up and Carson was one step ahead because he also requested a barf bucket, I vomited, and I rested my back on the chair.


    ¡°That was delicious, thank you,¡± I said


    ¡°Anything for you my little rabbit,¡± Carson said


    ¡°Okay now the matter at hand, I¡¯m not a detective but I¡¯m sure J is innocent,¡± I said, and I was certain, I had no doubts whatsoever that she was truly innocent, and she was being framed.


    ¡°Okay how shall we prove it,¡± Carson said, I am sure he just liked being close to me and he wasn¡¯t interested in helping J.


    ¡°First of all, The person must have waited when he or she wasn¡¯t on kitchen duty to n it,¡± I said and Carson nodded


    ¡°It could be true,¡± He said


    ¡°When you saw the bottle, What was the quantity?¡± I asked Carson


    ¡°Well it was almost finished,¡± Carson answered, trying to provide every bit of information he could.


    ¡°That means this wasn¡¯t the first attempt and that is the only bottle,¡± I said


    ¡°That could also be true,¡± Carson said


    ¡°Whenst did I eat apart from the soup that was poisoned¡± I asked


    ¡°Should be before the night you attempted to run away ¡± Carson answered


    ¡°Well I ate throughout the day and nothing happened to me, which means it was the day we had shrimps in my room, I was the target, it had nothing to do with you¡± I analyzed


    ¡°Yes, luckily you are allergic to shrimps and you didn¡¯t say any of it¡± I am so d I didn¡¯t eat that.


    ¡°I need to ask the people in kitchen duty that day some questions, even though I know they are innocent,¡±  I asked, I was determined to prove J innocent and also get closure for myself and find out why someone would want to harm me.


    ¡°Very well then, Benson¡± Carson called out to Benson and he left immediately. Sometimes I think they read each other¡¯s mind because he always knows what to do without being told to do so.


    We waited for a while and I got so anxious I stood and started pacing around the room, I only had one day to serve justice


    ¡°You should rest Val,¡± Carson said


    ¡°No not until I make you realize that you¡¯re wrong, and please don¡¯t kill anyone for my sake, I never asked for any of this,¡± I said as I reyed how J was almost shot in the back of the head if I had arrived a few minutester than I did, Shivers instantly ran through my body and the thought of being responsible for someone¡¯s death and being the cause why such a promising girl should lose he life.


    ¡°Noted¡± Carson sat down with his legs crossed. How could he be so calm? He nearly killed a human being, He nearly killed J a few minutes ago.


    I almost lost my bnce and Carson appeared immediately and caught me before I fell. He assisted me to my seat, while we waited for Benson.


    Benson arrived shortly after, And the questioning started almost immediately.  There wasn¡¯t enough time to question them one after the other, so I figured I could do it once and for all.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    ¡°We gathered you all in here because we believe one of you must have seen something or is an aplice.¡±


    ¡°We will tell you all you need to know¡± One of them spoke up


    ¡°You all worked in the kitchen that day. Carson and I had breakfast together, True?¡±


    ¡°Yes madame¡± They replied collectively


    ¡°I believe my food was also poisoned that day¡± They all gasped and started pleading profusely.


    ¡°Ma we promise, we know nothing about that,¡± They said


    ¡°Exin to me what happened that day,¡± I asked


    ¡°It was a normal day, we woke up early because that day was the first breakfast the both of you shared, It was just us on duty that day ma¡± One of them spoke up


    ¡°Is that all?¡± I asked, there has to be more, I can¡¯t save J with this information they are giving me. I saw they thought hard and when I had given up on getting any more information from them, one of thedies at the back spoke up


    ¡°Well Ma, it was just us but someone else joined when we were about to finish up but she left when we were done dishing out the food, Sir asked for different meals for the both of you Ma¡± As soon as I heard this new piece of information I nearly jumped for joy that I was too weak to do so, I maintained myposure and asked.


    ¡°Well what¡¯s the person¡¯s name,¡± I asked


    ¡°Her name is Yemora, Ma¡±.

 Chapter 34

    I looked at Carson and smiled, I couldn¡¯t hold my excitement, One would think I was happy to y detective. I can¡¯t lie, I am pretty good at this detective thing.


    ¡°Get me Yemora immediately¡± Carsonmanded and two of the bodyguards dashed off to bring Yemora to us. After what seemed like an hour, She was brought to us. She was a talldy, She had short brown hair and brown eyes. She was average-looking and she looked very innocent, No one could ever suspect her of such a crime. They held her by her arms and threw her to the floor. I was upset about how they were manhandling her.


    ¡°Hey, be careful now,¡± I said politely.


    ¡°You are Yemora?¡± Carson asked, And she looked around before bowing her head and nodding at the question.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked her Because she must have been hurt the way they threw her to the floor. I moved closer to where the bodyguards were standing intending to question them


    ¡°We caught her packing her bags and trying to escape,¡± One of the bodyguards said.


    Before I could say anything else I heard sobbing sounds, All eyes turned to Yemora


    ¡°Why did you poison Valerie and You wanted someone else to take the me for your atrocities?¡± I heard Carson¡¯s enraged voice from behind. At this point, Yemora already started wailing and begging.


    ¡°I am so sorry, He made me do it, He said it would only make her sleep, He assured me she wouldn¡¯t be harmed and He said he would make me rich, I am sorry please forgive me¡± Yemora admitted, followed by the gasping sounds from the rest of the workers.


    ¡°You all may leave now, thank you for your cooperation and time,¡±  I said as each of the workers left.


    ¡°Stop all this bbering, Who put you up to this?¡± Carson asked Yemora.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t give me his name, But he was a middle-aged man. He had a big tummy and he wore sses¡± Yemora said.


    ¡°So you did all these because of money? You epted to harm a human being because of your greed?¡± I said as I walked up to where she was standing. She grabbed my leg as soon as I reached close enough for her to touch me


    ¡°Please I¡¯m begging you, please I never wanted to harm you this badly, please forgive me¡± She begged and pleaded, Carson already stood up from my seat as he saw a quick move at grabbing my leg, I held my hand up telling him to worry and not toe close.


    ¡°You are forgiven, But we need the person who sent you to be punished,¡± I said as I freed my leg from her grip


    ¡°Be rest assured little rabbit, There is already a n in progress¡± Carson said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that¡± I had to remind him that I am still not and will never befortable and I still wanted to leave his house.


    ¡°I must admit little rabbit, you did well today,¡± Carson said


    ¡°What did I just say about calling me little rabbit?¡± I said He gets on myst nerves.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°You will always be my little rabbit,¡± Carson said. He sauntered to where I was and held my chin. I tried to push him off but I fell instead.


    I must have fallen hard because the next thing I saw when I opened my eyes was my room. I was lying down on the bed and Carson was still sittingfortably beside me with a smile on his face.


    ¡°What happened?¡± I said


    ¡°I guess you ran out of juice after doing an incredible work at being a detective,¡± Carson said. I am sure he was trying to butter me up, But I mean I did a pretty good job. I am so d I saved J, Speaking about J.


    ¡°Where is she?¡± I asked, As if he already knew who I was asking about.


    ¡°She is out of istion and in her room now¡± Carson answered


    ¡°What about the other one?¡± I asked


    ¡°She is in istion, She still needs to answer a few questions first and then take us to the ce she met with him and they connived to take your life¡± Carson replied


    ¡°Can Ie with you?¡± I mean I was the victim, He has to agree


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you should,¡± Carson said


    ¡°Please¡± I insisted


    ¡°Very well then, If you insist¡± He agreed


    ¡°I will have to shower first, Have Je in please¡± I requested and shortly after he left, J came into my room, She still had a dead look on her face, She couldn¡¯t even look at me, She couldn¡¯t even smile, Why would she? she nearly lost her life because of me. I have hurt her andnded her in trouble many times than I intended.


    We didn¡¯t speak to each other, I just bathed and she readied my dress. When I was done, We got ready to leave the room and go down to meet up where Carson would be waiting for me. I turned to look at her before giving her the warmest hug I had ever given anyone. I felt tears slowly dripping down the shoulder of my dress as the fabric of the dress wasn¡¯t thick.


    ¡°I am so sorry, It was never my intention¡± I apologized to her before pulling her gently away from my body. She wiped her tears and gave me a weak smile.


    ¡°It is nothing, Madame,¡± She said


    When she looked at me I saw how red her eyes were and I smiled at her. We left the room and I met up with Carson.


    ¡°I am ready,¡± I said


    He kept looking at me, I touched myself to see if I had something on my face and I used my tongue to trail my teeth, just in case. And I found nothing


    ¡°If they gave me a journal to write down what I thought about your beauty, I would return the journal and say your beauty is indescribable, it cannot be written down with mere words,¡± Carson said and I smiled hard, I had never beenplimented like this before.


    As we left the house, With Yemora in another car with Benson, It was just me and Carson in his car. We arrived at the ce shortly and we all got down from the car.


    ¡°This is the ce sir where he gave me the poison and we met up only on a few asions,¡± Yemora said, I was looking at the ce when I heard Carson speak up


    ¡°Thank you for your help,¡± Carson said


    ¡°I am so sorr-¡± I heard Yemora¡¯s voice before it was followed by a gunshot and I turned and saw Yemora lying down in her pull of blood


    ¡°Arghhhhh¡± I screamed before I lost consciousness.

 Chapter 35

    Valerie¡¯s Pov


    My eyes opened slowly and I quickly sat upright, such a terrible dream I had.


    It felt so real too, Thank goodness nothing of that sort happened.


    ¡°Hey there little rabbit¡± It was Carson again. He was leaning on the door with his arms folded. Why is he always here when I open my eyes?


    ¡°My head hurts, and I had the most terrible dream¡± I held my head while I tried to recollect exactly what happened.


    ¡°What was the dream about?¡± Carson asked.


    ¡°We drove out and you shot someone¡± I tried to narrate how it was to him.


    ¡°You must have hit your head pretty hard when you fell,¡± Carson said, I hit my head? How? I thought to myself


    ¡°How did I get here again?¡± I asked, I had no memories of being brought back to this room, I mean why would I? I must have been unconscious.


    ¡°We had to drive back immediately you fell, try to remain on the bed for now okay?¡± Carson said.


    ¡°Drive back?, Hold on a minute, it¡­it wasn¡¯t a dream?¡± I said with tears already forming in my eyes.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t,¡± He said with a nk expression on his face.


    What sort of a devil is he? How could he just take a life without thinking twice, He made me witness such atrocity


    That poor girl died because of me, He took her whole future away from her because of a silly mistake?


    Her blood is on my hands, Is this how he shows love? I was disgusted, I kept crying and buried my face in my palms and he came closer to me and put his hands over my shoulder.


    ¡°It had to be done¡± I looked up at him and pushed his hand away from my shoulder.


    ¡°Do not touch me, you are a monster¡± I said in anger, I wanted to p him so badly.


    ¡°She needed to be punished¡± Carson continued to justify the murder he had justmitted.


    ¡°How could you just kill a person? Don¡¯t you have any regard for human life¡± I questioned him, I couldn¡¯t help but feel guilty of her death, I knew I was to be med.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t my intention for you to see what I did today, I never wanted you to follow me, You insisted,¡± Carson said


    ¡°I never knew you were going to kill her,¡± I said


    ¡°She had iting, I will do anything to protect you,¡± He said while staring point nk into my eyes, He is insane, This is too much for me, I have only stayed here for a few days and it had been the worst days of my life, Out of all things this has to be the worst thing I¡¯ve witnessed, I witnessed murder, To think she held my leg and pleaded for this not to happen. It ached my heart.


    ¡°Anything, including taking another person¡¯s life?¡± I asked while cleaning my tears.


    ¡°Anything at all, I will never let any harm befall you¡± I am certain Carson is a crazy person.


    ¡°This did not make me fall in love with you, You are only pushing me away by doing things like this,¡± I said


    ¡°Sooner orter you will be running into my arms,¡± He said with a low voice. He makes me sick. If I had another escape route I would most definitely run away again.


    ¡°I hate you, you are just a terrible person,¡± I saidCcontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Oh I am a terrible person but you don¡¯t hate me, you are just upset,¡± Carson said, His eyes were captivating and scary at the same time.


    ¡°I do mean it¡± He let out a mischievous smile


    ¡°I will leave now, You have your dinner and freshen up and then J will bring you to me¡± Carson walked to the door before I stopped him


    ¡°What do you want to do with me?¡± I questioned, I didn¡¯t want my fate to end up like that of Yemora, I did not know what he was capable of, and I had to be extra careful while dealing with this strange man.


    ¡°You will see¡± Carson left me with so many questions running through my mind, that I was skeptical about going to meet him but then again, I had no choice whatsoever.


    I had my dinner and freshened up, I didn¡¯t want to ask J any questions. She already went through so much because of me. If I was in her shoes I would have left already, or maybe she just didn¡¯t have anywhere else to go.


    We met up with Carson in front of the very same Art gallery where I had fainted, He dismissed J and once we were alone, He asked.


    ¡°Give me your hand and close your eyes little rabbit¡± He looked at me with a smile on his face, I didn¡¯t trust him enough to close my eyes, I had just seen him murder someone today, and I was not about to take any risks with this man, What was he up to?


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t close my eyes and I can walk just fine and I told you to stop calling me a little rabbit,¡± I said


    ¡°You will spoil the surprise,¡± Carson said.


    ¡°I won¡¯t shut my eyes¡± I stood firm, my eyes were wide open


    ¡°Fine, If you insist¡± He went nearer to the door and pushed it open, and I was left speechless.


    Carson had transformed the art gallery with glimmering lights and slow soothing music. It was a mesmerizing sight, unlike anything you had seen before. It had a snug andforting ambiance, It created a magical atmosphere.


    ¡°What is this?¡± I remained impressed by the art gallery


    ¡°It is my way of apologizing,¡± Carson said, Of course, it wouldn¡¯t make up for the life he took but it was truly a beautiful sight.


    He went on to give me a private tour. He showed me amazing paintings. We got to a particr painting that caught my eyes instantly, I didn¡¯t want to stop staring and when I turned to look at Carson I saw how deep he looked into the picture. It probably meant something to him.


    ¡°This was painted by my mother,¡± Carson said, I hadn¡¯t heard him speaking about his mother before, I moved closer and saw the initials ¡®RL¡¯


    ¡°RL?¡± I asked


    ¡°Roseline, That was her name¡± Carson continued looking at the painting.


    ¡°Such a lovely name, where is she?¡± I asked


    ¡°Let¡¯s move on now¡± He ignored my question but I insisted


    ¡°Carson I asked a question¡± I spoke up


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that¡± He said trying to remain calm


    ¡°But you can just tell me-¡± I continued to push for an answer before I was cut off


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t concern you!¡± Carson yelled at me


    ¡°I was only asking a question¡± I reminded him


    He started moving closer to me and I was moving back. He had an angry look on his face and I wanted to leave the art gallery as soon as possible, I kept moving back till my back hit the wall.

 Chapter 36

    Valerie¡¯s Pov


    Why was heing closer to me? I kept moving back, I didn¡¯t know his next move, He seemed to be agitated and upset about my question.


    I already saw what he was capable of today when he killed Yemora.


    ¡°Carson, go back and don¡­don¡¯te any closer¡± I stuttered.


    He kept moving closer to where I was till he finally got to the spot where I was standing. He lifted his finger to touch my chin and I turned my face the other way, not knowing what to expect I heard a soothing voice next.


    ¡°I am sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to yell¡± Carson reassured and when I heard his calm voice I slowly shifted my head and I directed my eyes to his eyes.


    He had a look of remorse, This man is soplicated. He just yelled at me like I did something terrible and now he is using a different voice and demeanor while talking to me. I Instantly remembered how he snapped a few minutes ago and I replied his apology,


    ¡°Okay, Jus¡­just move back¡± I urged. I saw how disassociated he looked. It looked like I had triggered something, But what exactly? The evening was going well until I inquired more about the painting.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help but move closer to you, You look stunning¡± I wanted to get away from this madman as soon as possible. And just like that he smiled at me, I can¡¯t believe this man, He yells and then apologizes and then goes on to tease me.


    ¡°You are crazy, stay away from me¡± I retorted and went to the door. I quickly reached for the handle and tried to open it so I could get away from him and go to my room and lock the doors.


    As I reached the door it was locked and I turned back to look at where I had left Carson and he had the most sinister smile on his lips.


    ¡°Trying to get away from me?¡± Carson dered.


    ¡°Open the door and let me out right now¡± Imanded. He slowly walked to where I stood, just right in front of the door. Every step he took echoed around the room, Which only made my heart beat even faster.


    When he reached where I stood, he pushed me against the wall and took my hands in his. He leaned forward and I felt his breath on my cheeks before he tilted his head he pressed his lips against mine. I was in disbelief. I didn¡¯t want to wrap my head around being kissed by this man. My stomach tingled and I had this weird indescribable feeling. His eyes were closed and our lips were locked together. I tried pushing him away but his grip on my hands was too strong. He finally opened his eyes and pulled away while letting out a sigh.


    ¡°How could I not have a taste? You were too tempting¡± Carson licked his lips as my lipstick was smeared on his lips.


    ¡°Why¡­Why¡± I stammered as my head failed to form aplete sentence, I was still in shock.


    ¡°You get more beautiful every day, I have waited so long to have a taste and I must say that you¡¯re tastier than I had imagined,¡± Carson said as he continued to look at me with his eyes, He looked at my eyes before he trails down to chest, He used his finger to touch my neck before slowly running them through my chest, I closed my legs tights because I felt the need to do so.


    ¡°Stop, Please let me go, Pl-¡± I tried to beg him to stop what he was doing. But his fingers touched my lips and stopped me frompleting my sentence.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Not another word, let me revel in your beauty¡± Carson grinned. My thoughts came running back and I felt angry and upset at what he had just done, I pushed his body away from mine.


    ¡°Why would you even do this?¡± I said as I already had teary eyes, I didn¡¯t want him to touch me


    ¡°It was almost impossible not to touch you,¡± Carson said as he stood upright.


    ¡°How dare you?¡± I said as I pushed him one more time


    ¡°It is not my fault that you¡¯re a walking meal waiting to be devoured,¡± Carson continued smiling.


    ¡°Open this door now¡± Imanded. And to my surprise, he walked to the door and opened it.


    ¡°You can leave, anything else? I heard Carson ask, I hesitated to leave the art gallery because he listened to me. What if it was just another one of his traps?


    After a few seconds had passed I put one of my feet out of the gallery and prepared to dash off but before I left I looked him in the eye


    ¡°Stay away from me, don¡¯te near me¡± I waited for his response.


    ¡°Very well then¡± I looked at him from head to toe before I dashed off.


    After I scurried off to my room I immediately sent for J to make a bath for me. I scrubbed thoroughly because I wanted to stop thinking about the moment I had just shared with Carson. Every minute since I left the art gallery I have been thinking about what happened. Somehow it always brought a tingling feeling to me. After the bath, I sent J away and changed into a nightwear and no matter what I did to distract myself, My mind always found a way to wander back to that moment. It felt unreal but still very real. I finallyid back on my bed and after twisting and turning, Thinking about Carson and told he pressed his lips against mine, I always thought my first kiss was going to be Andrew, oh poor Andrew he hasn¡¯t heard from me, I do hope he is well. I finally fell asleep.


    ¡°Hey there little rabbit¡± I heard a familiar voice and my eyes snapped open almost immediately.

 Chapter 37

    Valerie¡¯s pov


    I immediately turned and fixed my eyes on the door, There was no one there, I sat upright in the bed thinking about the moment Carson and I shared in the gallery room before I bolted out.


    I couldn¡¯t control my thoughts from wandering. Carson had been on my mind. That vile man had the guts to steal my first kiss. He will hear from me first thing tomorrow morning as soon as I step out of my room. Iid my head to rest and after continuous turns and twists on the bed, I finally closed my eyes.


    I was awakened by a knock on the door. Who could be bothering me by this time of the night? ¡°Who is that?¡± I mumbled the question with my eyes closed.


    ¡°It is me, J¡±, I was confused, Why was Jing to knock on my door sote at night? Regardless of how puzzled I was, I still answered her.


    ¡°Come in¡± I heard the creaking noise of the door that indicated that she had opened the door and stepped inside, Then it abruptly closed.


    ¡°May I get the bathtub ready?¡± J asked in a low voice. With my puzzled thoughts, I asked J the question that was reurring in my head after she had spoken about the bath. ¡°Bath? It¡¯s sote at night. Go to bed.¡± I said in an annoyed voice.


    I heard a subtle giggle then approaching footsteps that were heading towards my bedspace. ¡°Ma¡¯am it¡¯s morning,¡± J said


    ¡°It can¡¯t be morning yet, I just slept,¡± I said, slightly opening my eyes and seeing how bright my room was.


    ¡°Perhaps I should give you more time to sleep¡± J teased, I would have agreed but I wanted to see Carson. He had been on my mind all night to the point I was even hallucinating.


    ¡°No dear, there will be no need for that, I¡¯ll have my bath now¡± I sighed inck of sleep.


    A few minutes passed and it was time to get rid of the sleep germs as my mother liked to say.


    I got into the bathtub and immersed my whole body into the hot and foamy bath, My thoughts wandered tost night and my face turned beet red instantly, I scrubbed my body thoroughly to get rid of the thoughtsing to my head but nothing seemed to stop my mind from reying the night.


    When I got out of the shower, J was waiting for me with clothes on the bed. She probably wants me to decide on what to wear today.


    ¡°I have selected these outfits, Please make a pick¡± J mouthed the words in excitement.


    I shifted ufortably from the bathroom entrance to where the clothes wereid out for me to pick. They were different kinds of outfits but they were mostly dresses. I got a weird thought but I decided to ask anyway.


    ¡°What is Carson¡¯s favorite color?¡± I swallowed hard as my face couldn¡¯t hide how embarrassed I was. J cleared her throat and gave me a long stare before answering my question.


    ¡°Yellow ma¡¯am, Why?¡± J asked and I didn¡¯t have any answer to the question, Why was I asking? Why did I bother?


    ¡°Yellow, that is quite odd, I will go with the red dress¡± I shrugged my shoulders and sat on the bed.


    ¡°As you wish ma¡¯am¡± J shed a quick smile before going ahead to dress me up.


    ¡°What is the n for today? I want to meet Carson¡± I asked bluntly.


    ¡°Well sir has arranged for you to continue to tour the mansion grounds, He has asked not to be disturbed and he will be busy,¡± She said.


    So now he¡¯s too busy for me? This man gets on myst nerve. Just this once I was looking forward to seeing him, But wait a minute, why do I even care if he¡¯s busy? It is not like I genuinely wanted to see his face.


    ¡°Okay, I want to explore the archery range¡± I¡¯ve been told that there is a ce like that in this mansion and I¡¯ve been wanting to go ever since.


    ¡°Whatever you wish ma¡¯am,¡± J said


    ¡°Ah ah ah, what did I say about you calling me ma¡¯am,¡± I said as a frown creased my forehead. ¡°I am sorry, it won¡¯t happen again¡± J apologized before she looked at me. I had a warm smile on my face and her face lit up.


    I got dressed and left the room. The bodyguard that was outside my room when I was going through the whole poison crisis was following us at our back. It was probably for security reasons.


    We went out in the open and had to use another door to get to the archery range, Truly this house was massive, and I thought we were going to get lost.


    ¡°Wow,¡± I mistakenly let out when we finally reached the archery range, Which was on the open grounds of the house.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    It hadnes for shooting arrows. and there are targets set up at different distances. It has a cool and focused vibe. The only problem I had was that I didn¡¯t know how to aim to save my life.


    ¡°Go on¡± J nudged me, go forward and try. But I didn¡¯t want to harm myself or anyone by mistake just because of my inexperience


    ¡°Maybe some other time¡± I smiled and we walked to another side of the mansion.


    This time I was taken to the aquarium, Carmen would¡¯ve loved it here. She enjoyed such scenery, It was a beautifully designed wall with arge ss panel showcasing a stunning underwater world. The aquarium is filled with colorful fish, vibrant corals, and maybe even some unique sea creatures. It adds a touch of tranquility and elegance to the house, creating a captivating focal point for everyone to enjoy. As I sat to watch the underwater creatures. I couldn¡¯t help but think about how my life was once peaceful with my family members.


    With that thought an idea finally hit me and I turned to look at J with excitement evident in my eyes.


    ¡°Carson will be away and busy right?¡± I asked


    ¡°Yes, Why?¡± J looked curious. I grinned so widely. ¡°Follow me¡± Imanded J.

 Chapter 38

    Vrie¡¯s pov


    ¡°Is Carson around?¡±


    ¡°No ma¡¯am.¡± I felt a bit sad, did I do anything to make him note back? I was interrupted by J¡¯s little voice.


    ¡°You sound a bit worried should I find his whereabouts?¡± Could J do such, I don¡¯t want her to get into any more troubles as it is now let her be.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother, make me a bath.¡± I said standing up from my bed taking off my lc dress and wearing a robe, I slept off wearing the dress J gave me. J was done preparing my bath when I walked into the bathtub and had a long shower. I blow dried my hair and came out to see J Standing besides my bed with two dresses.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am please pick one.¡±


    ¡°How many times will I tell you, don¡¯t call me ma¡¯am, just call me Vrie.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault, I always forget.¡± She saidying the dresses on my bed.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I looked at the dresses disyed in front of me, there was a blue summer gown with floral designs and there was an orange gown with little pooka dots. ¡°I¡¯ll take this one.¡± I said picking up the orange dress.


    I had breakfast after that and just went for a walk round the garden with J and some bodyguards. Subsequently how my life was everyday in thisrge mansion. I took dinner after a long day of walking around the big mansion.


    ¡°Is he back?¡± I asked J as I came out from the bathroom.


    ¡°No ma¡¯am, are you sure you don¡¯t want me to help check around for him or find information on where he headed to?¡± She said looking up at me with a smile.


    ¡°Why are you smiling? Plus I don¡¯t want you to.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s visible.¡± J said


    ¡°What¡¯s visible?¡±


    ¡°That you like him¡± J said looking at me. I turned to look her straight in the eye.


    ¡°what makes you think I like your boss.¡± I said wearing the earrings that I took offst night.


    ¡°You¡¯ve asked about him like 3 times in the space of two days.¡±


    ¡°So I shouldn¡¯t be concerned, me tobeing concerned doesn¡¯t mean I like him, it¡¯s two different things.¡±


    A bright smile disyed on her face for the first time I have seen her smile this bright. ¡°Okay ma¡¯am let me prepare your breakfast, what should I prepare for you?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much just bacon and eggs. You may leave now.¡±


    The door closed behind me slowly. I don¡¯t like Carson, or do I. Mean his handsome and all that but me liking him is another thing entirely. I can¡¯t believe she told me it was obvious, I¡¯m just trying to be concerned, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t care exactly he would alwayse back home.  I wore my dress and fixed my hair into a sleek low bun. I ate breakfast and went back to my room.


    I slept off in the process of thinking about how life was so cruel to me.


    ¡°Carmen!! ¡± I said running to go and hug her. I missed her so much I felt tears gather in  my eyes again. I looked around and noticed we were in a dark room filled with candles ¡°where are we?¡±


    ¡°Reality Valerie, this is reality.¡± She said sitting down on a chair in front of me . Reality? ¡°Sit.¡± I turned back to see a chair appear out of no where


    ¡°Ma¡¯am? Can you hear me?¡± Someone whispered to me, I felt a little budge on my shoulder. ¡°Ma¡¯am!¡± I woke up all sweaty. ¡°Ma¡¯am are you alright?¡± J asked while touching my forehead.


    I took a deep breath, ¡®why would you think I¡¯m not alright, what happened?¡±Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°You were breathing heavily and shaking alot.¡±


    ¡°I was shakin¡± I said in confusion.


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am that¡¯s why I rushed to know if your alright.


    ¡°Call the doctor immediately.¡±


    She nodded running out my room. Why was I shaking and breathing heavily. My throat ached and I gulped a lot.  After a while the doctor came and I exined weverything that was going on.


    He said it was just a minor stuff and that it will go. ¡°You just need plenty of rest nothing really important, di you have a bad dream to be precise?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should call it bad doctor, I saw myself in a dark room with candles lit around the room. I was so scared and my sister told me it¡¯s reality.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s what made you start breathing heavily, do you have a case of anything rting to restlessness? Or do you feel breathless sometimes?¡±


    ¡°No I don¡¯t have any.¡±


    He sat quietly and wrote down things in his note. What¡¯s going on, honestly I¡¯m tired of this doctoring to see me.


    ¡°Umm you don¡¯t any serious case just watch the intake of food and anything rting to sea food should be strictly prohibited.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir, thank you doctor.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be taking my leave now.¡±


    I sighed after he left my room. J came afterwards J came to check up on me.


    ¡°Are you alright ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Yes I¡¯m alright just don¡¯t let Carson know about this. I don¡¯t want to make him stress himself too much.¡±


    She made a muffled smile, it was getting darker now, what was the time. ¡°I want to watch a movie tonight.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a cinema room in thest floor.¡±


    Wait how big was this ce? There were three archery rooms, three gardens.  Now a cinema, well no doubt he spent alot of money making this mansion.


    ¡°Possible to get me something to eat, not food maybe a ham burger and fries?¡±


    ¡°I can order that for you.¡±


    ¡°oh, thank you.¡±


    She prepared a bath for me before she left to order my dinner. I got into the bathroom and had my normal rituals for that evening. The first time I entered into myrge wardrobe. I found so many expensive collection of different outfits and different exclusive brands from all over the world. I was amazed, I walked around looking at each of the bags and shoes lined up, the shoe sizes were my size. Did he buy them all for me? I scanned through everything, they were all brand new, my gosh.


    I got my satin pajamas and left the big wardrobe. I saw J quietly waiting there for me.


    ¡°I have set up everything for you.¡±


    ¡°Led me there.¡± I said holding her hands, she looked at me sharply


    ¡°Ma-¡±


    ¡°Led me there J.¡± I said looking at her.


    She silently dragged my hand as she walked up to thest floor. ¡°We there yet?¡±


    ¡°Not close ma¡¯am.¡±


    I sighed as I continued walking up the stairs with J holding my hands.


    I got there and the cinema was huge with two massage chairs. I told J to stay with me and watch the movie along but she hesitated.


    ¡°You¡¯re always at my service right?¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am bu-¡±


    ¡°So stay with me.¡±


    We sat down on the message chairs watching Riverdale seasons together, after a long night of rxing we went downstairs to have a good night rest, I told her goodnight before she headed out.


    ¡°Most certainly enjoyed tonight.¡±


    I chuckled ¡°I enjoyed it more.¡±

 Chapter 39

    Valerie¡¯s Pov


    ¡°Ma¡¯am what¡¯s the matter?¡± J asked in curiosity, I casted a longing nce. She chuckled


    softly because she understood the reason why I looked at her that way.


    ¡°What did I say about calling me ma¡¯am? Call me Valerie¡± With these words, I continued


    searching for what I had been looking for.


    ¡°Perhaps if you tell me what it is that you¡¯re looking for, I might just be able to help¡± A bell in my


    head rang and I wondered why I didn¡¯t ask her to help me look for it in the first ce.


    ¡°I need a pen and paper¡± I drummed my fingers nervously. J looked at me I¡¯m sorry and a


    smirk yed on my lips, She blew a frustrated breath and without asking any question, She


    went over one of the cupboards bedside my bed stand and brought out a book and a pen and


    walked over to me and handed it over.


    ¡°Here is it¡± J let out an audible sigh and I shed a quick smile before I collected the book


    and pen and sat on the chair by the table. After a few minutes I stood from the sat and my eyes


    glimmered with hope.


    ¡°I have written a letter to my parents¡± I smiled looking at her. I really missed my parents and everyone.¡± But Vrie you can¡¯t send out the messages. What would you do?¡± J said while I handed her the pen


    ¡°I know, since I can¡¯t get to see them, maybe writing to them might help?¡± I shrugged, folding the paper into half. I went on with my tour around the mansion.


    ¡°Take me to the second garden.¡± J nodded. The walk down there was so long. I felt my legs wobble so hard till I got to the garden.


    It was so beautiful, the pretty different disy of beautiful flowers, the bright blue sky. It was honestly breathtaking. I picked up a sunflower and headed to therge garden swing that was around the corner.


    ¡°Do you need anything ma¡¯am? Should I start your lunch?¡± J asked with her head bowed down.


    ¡°Yes I think you should start now. I¡¯ll take salt and pepper wings.¡±


    ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°No you may leave.¡± she left while I sat down admiring the garden all alone. I thought of so many things, how was everyone doing at home, especially how would Andrew feel when he found out. My whole life just scattered immediately I stepped my feets into this prison. I really just want to go back home.


    I saw a blue butterfly fly around the garden and itnded on my finger. The calm sensation I felt was so beautiful until I heard little footsteps behind me.


    ¡°Why are you sitting down here alone, are you alright?¡± His deep voice lingered behind me.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like your opinion would change about the matter.¡± I said looking down at the flowers.


    ¡°So you¡¯re not gonna tell me?¡± Carson sat down beside me. ¡°You don¡¯t gotta act all mean in front of me.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying I¡¯m weak or something?¡± I asked, looking at him amused. ¡°Let¡¯s not bother ourselves about that, just let me know what¡¯s wrong, you feel sick or something.¡± He said, grabbing my hand. I felt a warm sensation rush down my blood. I was dumbstruck as to how this man made me feel with just a mere touch.


    ¡°I really miss my parents, I really wanna see them and maybe spend some time with them. I wonder how they feel.¡± I said trying so hard to not get emotional. I was holding it back so hard.


    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to protect you honestly.¡±Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    ¡°Protect me from what Carson! Being locked up everyday in this big mansion, I¡¯m sure nobody would want that.¡± I said looking at him.


    ¡°If you know how I feel intoxicated in this big mansion, just let me go.¡± The tears finally left my eyes.


    ¡°My little rabbit, I told you you¡¯re not going anywhere, you¡¯re staying here with me and not-¡± I cut him short


    ¡°Just one time Carson let me see my family, please.¡± I said with tears rolling down my eyes.


    He held my chin using his other hand to wipe off my tears. ¡°I hate it when you cry in front of me, you make me look like I¡¯m a bad person. When the timees you would go, you have to fully re-¡± he got interrupted by a call. He immediately stood up to answer the phone.


    A heavy sigh left my lips as I walked out of the garden. ¡°Wait!¡± Carson said, walking towards me. ¡°I¡¯ll make arrangements for you to go.¡±


    My cheeks burned red, I felt so happy.¡± Thank you thank you thank you!!¡± I said jumping around. I wrapped my hands and him. ¡°Thank you¡± I whispered as I gave him a hug. Wait what!! I came back to my normal senses and pushed him away from me. Gosh what¡¯s wrong with me!!


    Carson chuckled softly walking away. What made me do such a thing? My cheeks burned once again. I heard a little voice besides me


    ¡°Valerie, your lunch is ready.¡±


    I quietly ate my lunch in therge dining hall. I couldn¡¯t forget what happened at the garden, how could I give up so easily. If he didn¡¯t say I would give up easily and I did, I wouldn¡¯t be angry, but he said so and I actually did.


    ¡°You don¡¯t like the food Vrie?¡± J asked. Very concerned. I think she saw my irritated facial expressions.


    ¡°No, no everything is alright.¡± I gave an honest smile.


    Benson walked towards me while I was still having lunch. ¡°Carson said you should get ready before seven.¡±


    ¡°Do you know why he¡¯s taking me out?¡± I asked confused, where is he taking me to?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if he just said I should tell you that.¡±


    After lunch I went for an evening walk before I freshened up to leave with Carson. J picked up a lc short dress and a gold set that went on well with the dress. I wore the dress and waited for Carson¡¯s orders.


    I waited for a long while and I received nothing, J came back to the room to check up on me. ¡°Is Carson not yet back?¡± I was to meet my parents tonight. Where is he?


    ¡°No Vrie.¡± She said with a faint smile. I excused J, still wondering where he was. Iid on my bed, I didn¡¯t even know the time, nothing. I went downstairs to have a little dinner. He wasn¡¯t back up till now. Was he just ying with my feelings? Or he just wanted to trick me about the incident that happened. I felt so hurt, I hardly finished anything on my te and I walked up to my room. I eventually slept off with all the thoughts flowing through my mind.


    I was awakened by a little knock. I tossed my pillow over my face, in the dead of the night. ¡°Who is it?¡± I said grumbling in my sleepy voice.


    ¡°ma¡¯am it¡¯s J.¡± Why is she here again?


    ¡°Come in.¡± I said hearing the creaking sounds of the door indicating she entered my room.


    ¡°Good morning ma¡¯am.¡± She said bowing down.


    ¡°It¡¯s already morning?¡± I said sitting up right looking around.


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± She said, looking at me while she replied politely.


    I had a big streach. Even till now Carson was still on my mind. ¡°Is Carson back?¡±


    ¡°No ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± It¡¯s been three days now and he¡¯s not yet back home, what¡¯s wrong? What if he got kidnapped. Nah he¡¯s a big boy. But still he can still be kidnapped. Vrie calm down.


    ¡°My little rabbit.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±

 Chapter 40

    Carson¡¯s pov


    I looked at the clock ticking loudly. I was fed up of this conference.


    ¡°Can you rap things up?¡±


    Everyone turned to look at me while I clicked my pen on my face impatiently. Mr Sebastian continued to talk. After long talks the conference was over. I got up and headed out. I was in a hurry, I haven¡¯t seen Vrie¡¯s face for 3 days now. I was so worried.


    I used the back door of the huge restaurant to avoid parrazi. Benson opened the car door for me and I entered hurriedly. I sat down quietly thinking about Vrie while the driver took me home. How could I be this obsessed with someone? I thought it wasn¡¯t possible anymore, and she showed me I can love again.


    ¡°Mr Carson!¡± Benson tapped me rapidly.


    ¡°Y-yes!¡±


    ¡°You said you wanted to talk to me.¡±


    Oh ya I did, I was thinking of getting Vrie a gift. ¡°What¡¯s a goog gift to give a girl?¡± Benson stared at me in disbelief ¡°are you just gonna look at me?¡±


    ¡°No, no I mean you haven¡¯t asked me of anything of this sort.¡±


    ¡°Now I¡¯m asking you¡± I said nonchntly


    ¡°Most girls prefer cute things as gifts. I think getting her a flower or a teddy bear would be nice.¡±


    That was it I am gonna buy her ¡°stop at a flower shop.¡± I told the driver. ¡°Which color do you think I should get her?¡±


    ¡°Sir I d-dont kn-¡±


    ¡°Why I¡¯m I even asking you for romantic opinions.¡± I said pouring  myself a bottle of cocktail. After some minutes wended at a flower shop, I wore my sses and ruffled my hair so I won¡¯t be recognized. I got out of the car and walked into the shop


    The dangling sound of the bell sounded through the room when I opened the door. I saw an old woman sitting over the counter.


    ¡°Good day young man. How can I help you?¡± The old woman approached me with an ugly smile.


    ¡°I need flowers.¡±


    ¡°We have different varieties, make a choice young man.¡±


    I don¡¯t know what to pick. Shit I cursed under my breath. ¡°Give me a moment.¡± What was I gonna do? Probably check Google, that¡¯s very foolish, but the only option I had. The first thing I saw was red roses, I¡¯m pretty sure she would love them.  ¡°I¡¯ll take a mixed red roses bouquet.¡± after a while the old woman gave me the boutique. It was reallyrge like I requested, I paid and left the store.


    After an akward silence between me and Benson I arrived my mansion. The butler came out to open the door while I was greeted by the house keepers. I held the flowers and teddy bear in my hand tightly, I walked up the stairs to vrie¡¯s room. I felt so nervous for the first time because of a girl, I could feel my toes curl up and I became sweaty for no reason. What was this feeling. I leaned against the wall to try calm down myself


    ¡°Is Carson back?¡±


    She was concerned, quite surprising. I took a deep breath and walked towards her door, she faced the window with her maid.


    ¡°My little rabbit.¡± I said walking over trying so hard to hide my shaky voice.


    ¡°Huh.¡± Vrie turned around quickly.


    A bright smile disyed on her face. ¡°I got you a present.¡± I said walking over to her bed. The smile got brighter and i felt relieved. Pheww I sighed under my breath, I brought out the boutique from my back and handed it over to her.


    She took the flowers. ¡°Thank you.¡± The smile on her face disappeared immediately.


    ¡°How are you?¡± I signaled her maid to leave us. ¡°Why the sudden mood swing¡± I said looking at her beautiful endowed face.


    ¡°Where were you?¡±


    ¡°Why is that meant to bother you.¡±


    ¡°Because I m- yunno what, I don¡¯t care.¡± She said turning her face away. I know she missed me I sat down look at her.


    ¡°Do you like the flowers, I bought everything for you¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright¡±


    I stood up walking towards the door. ¡°I hope you really like the gifts.¡± I said closing the door and walking to my room. I opened therge doors of my room revealing a dark atmosphere, I hung my coat by the sides of the wall and I dropped my keys in my drawer.  I went ahead to light the Scented candles round my room. I heard a gentle knock on the door. I think it¡¯s one of the maids.


    ¡°Prepare my bath, immediately.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s prepared sir.¡±Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°who left my door opened?¡±


    ¡°Sir you didn¡¯t lock your door when you left.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you may leave.¡±


    I turned back packing my hair into a little bun and tieing a towel below my waist. I was weed with the tangy scent of vani as I  got into the hot tub and soaked for a while, listening to calm music ying from my speakers. I scrubbed myself alone and got out of the hot tub.


    I dried my hair with a towel and tied my robe. I heard a loud thud from my room. What was that sound, it¡¯s so suspicious. I pulled out a gun from my supplies drawer, I loaded my gun and tiptoed to the side of the door opening it quietly. I didn¡¯t see anyone there. I walked out slowly looking around if I could find anyone. No one was here. So what was that ? I walked over to my table to find my dior perfume on the floor in pieces. My other perfumes weren¡¯t in good condition. I looked around for onest time and no one was there. I went I to the bathroom to continue what I didn¡¯t finish. Until I heard another sound. I rushed out of the bathroom immediately to see Vrie looking for something in my cupboard.


    ¡°Vrie!¡± I shouted her name and she froze instantly. ¡°What¡¯s going on here.¡±


    I said moving towards her, she looked at me surprised.


    ¡°I- I¡¯m just cleaning.¡± She looked up at me with my wet hair dripping. I carried her up


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me.¡± Why are you here?¡± I said going closer


    ¡°I told you I just came to clean.¡±


    She kept walking backwards till she reached the wall, I quickly held the opportunity to trap her. I pinned her to the wall quickly. ¡°First you behave like I don¡¯t exist now you¡¯re in my room trying to do what, steal from me?¡± I said looking directly in her green sparkling eyes.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t stealing, get away from me.¡±


    She screamed at me.


    I looked down at her ¡°do you know you tempt me.¡± I looked at her emerald eyes. She swallowed hard looking at me. I moved closer holding her chin up. My hands brussed her lips, moving closer I couldn¡¯t hold the urge to kiss her I pulled her into a kiss. Her soft lips against mine was amazing while her cupcakes scent filled my nose making it more enticing. I felt her moan a little and I stopped to look at her. ¡°If you be a good girl maybe you might be my favorite.¡± Said leaning down to her neck sucking her cor and romancing her, she tried to escape my grip.


    ¡°Ca-car.. Carson pleasee stop.¡± She battled to fight saying those words. I immediately stopped at looked at her.

 Chapter 41

    Vrie¡¯s pov


    Carson walked into my room with his hands behind his back, I bright smile popped up on my face. I mean his so handsome!!


    ¡°I got you a present.¡± He said so calmly walking up to me. He brought out arge bouquet of flowers and handed them over to me.


    The first time I ever got flowers and it was from a man who kidnapped me wow weird things do really happen. I smiled widely collecting the heavy bouquet of flowers. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Wait, wait why was I smiling like a fool after he left me for about 3 days . Was I just a toyto him so he can y with my feelings. The smile on my face vanished, Carson kept a narrow face, I¡¯m sure he was confused ¡°why the sudden mood change?¡±


    ¡°Where were you?¡±


    ¡°Why should that bother you?¡±


    ¡°Because I m-yunno I don¡¯t care.¡± Said turning to look at the window, why was I behaving so childish around him. He deserves all the hate in the world but I felt shy trying to look at him. I¡¯ll assume it¡¯s just the first time seeing him since three days ago.


    ¡°Do you like the flowers, I bought everything for me.¡±


    I tried my best to hide my smile. ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡±


    He stood up to leave ¡°I hope you really like my gifts.¡± He said closing the door behind him. I waited to hear his footsteps became fade.


    I jumped up with so much joy. ¡°Wee!! He bought me flowers, he bought me flowers!!¡± I screamed while jumping all over my bed. Iid on my bed trying to catch my breath. I can¡¯t believe he bought me flowers. That¡¯s so nice. I smiled looking at the boutique on my table.  I needed to tell my sisters about everything. The first thing I thought of my phone.


    Since I couldn¡¯t  send out the letters I wrote for days, I needed my phone. My door  creaked open and J walked in with her head down.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am should I prepare your bath now.¡±


    ¡°When I¡¯m ready for a bath I¡¯ll let you know. You may leave.¡± I excused her. I got a rose out of the boutique. I picked a rose and began to pluck the petals.


    After a while ying with the flowers in my room I rang the bell in my room to call J. After some minutes she came knocking on my door. She came in.


    ¡°Ma- sorry Vrie should I prepare a bath for you.¡± Her head was bowed.


    ¡°Yes, please do.¡±


    She walked into the bathroom to prepare a bath for me. I changed into my robe waiting for her.


    ¡°I¡¯m done she came out with a bright smile on her face. ¡°Thank you.¡± I said walking into the bathtub. The bathbomb was so refreshing.


    After my bath I came out and dressed up,id my hair in a sleek bun. I got out of my room and walked down the hall upstairs trying so hard to tiptoe. I got to the extreme corner of the hall and saw a white long door. I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s his room.


    I let out a faint sigh before opening the heavy door in front of me. I got into the room closing the door behind me slowly. The sweet smell of vani hit me. What a lovely scent, the room was dark with candles around with a dim light by the corners of the room. This room was by far bigger than mine. Where I¡¯m I gonna start. I rushed to the first drawer I saw. I searched the lockers, I couldn¡¯t find anything. I checked his bed side locker but there was nothing there too.


    ¡°Where did he keep it!¡± I said so frustrated at this point, I got to the section were his perfume were on disy. There were alot of expensive perfumes. I picked up one of the perfumes. I mouthed the name of the perfume when I heard a door close. I dropped the perfume back on the shelf and ran behind the door. Kept quiet when I heard the a sharp sound of ss breaking. I held my breath. What was I gonna do. The door opened and I saw a tall figure walk towards the perfume shelf. I prayed so hard when I say the gun in his hand.


    He left the room and closed the door. I let out a sigh of relief, continuing my search. I checked everywhere I couldn¡¯t find it. I saw a drawer that wasn¡¯t opened and I walked over to


    Check it out. I opened the drawee but nothing was there. I closed the drawer sharply.  Until I heard a deep voice behind me.


    ¡°Valerie!¡± It was Carson, I froze in fear. ¡°What¡¯s going on.?¡± He asked looking at me.


    ¡°I- I¡¯m just cleaning.¡± I said still frozen, I looked at his handsome face. He was only tieing a towel below his waist showing off his beautiful body. I felt so weak already looking at him, let¡¯s not even start with how hot he looked with his wet hair.  He helped me get up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me!¡± He saiding closer while I walked back slowly


    ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I told you I¡¯m here to clean.¡± I said bumping into the wall. He pinned me to the wall


    ¡°First you behave like I don¡¯t exist now you¡¯re here trying to steal from me.¡± Wait what, he thinks I¡¯ll steal from him such a jerk.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t stealing, get off me!!¡± I screamed at him trying so hard to release from his grip.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Carson looked at me calmly, his eyes glittered, his sharp jawline and his perfectly shaped lips. He smiled at me looking down at my lips. Wait what?!


    ¡°Do you know you tempt me.¡± He said leaning slower. How did I tempt him honestly I was in shock. I was brought back from my thoughts by a tingling sensation in my stomach. Carson kissed me!!


    Wait what I was too stunned to speak though I enjoyed the tangling sensation hrush down my spine. He broke the kiss looking at my thighs and down to my neck.  I swallowed hard as I felt the sensation of his tangy breath on my skin.


    ¡± ca-car son please s-stop¡± I said trying my best to not moan again. He stopped breathing heavily. I opened my eyes finally. ¡°Tell me what you wanted?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t l-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me Vrie.¡± Carson said looking differently at me.


    ¡°I just wanted my phone.¡± I said looking at him. ¡°Carson I¡¯m fed up of being in this lonely ce.¡±


    He kept quiet looking at me. He walked away into his the room he came from. The audacity!!! Urgh I was fluming with anger, his so inconsiderate and so proud. I adjusted my clothes when I heard the door open again. Carson held my phone in his hands.


    ¡°Here.¡± He said calmly. I tried grabbing the phone from his hands when he moved the phone. ¡°This isn¡¯t funny.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting it to.¡±


    ¡°Urgh! You¡¯re so evil.¡± I said in frustration


    ¡°I¡¯m not, you just think I am.¡±he said tossing my phone on his bed. ¡°Only on one condition would I give you this phone.¡±


    ¡°What condition?¡±


    ¡°I want you to lovee me.¡±

 Chapter 42

    Vrie¡¯s pov


    I stood there dumbfounded looking at this man ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t behave like you didn¡¯t hear what I said¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to confirm if my ears work well.¡±


    He chuckled and looked right into my eyes and he whispered ¡± fall in love with me.¡±


    This man was certainly insane. What type of weird request was that? ¡°Carson, don¡¯t be unreasonable now.¡± I stared at him feeling so sad


    ¡°Until my condition is fulfilled, you¡¯re not going anywhere( he bent to pick up the phone from the bed) love me and then you can leave.¡± He walked out before I cou say anything. What was going on in this man¡¯s head. I felt so defeated. Tears built up in my eyes as I walked out his roomCcontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    What did I do wrong? My life is basically ruined but yet he doesn¡¯t get it I cleaned my tears and walked down to my room. Iid on my king sized bed looking at the white ceiling above me. I felt another teardrop done my eyes, certainly today wasn¡¯t gonna be a good day but wait Carson kissed me I felt the sides of my face lift. A burning sensation filled my checks, why was I feeling this way? Is it cause I have never made out before. Or did I like him. E!! How can someone like him I mean take a look at him, his meant to be in an asylum because of the way he behaves. I heard a knock on my door, I guess it was J


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    Benson opened the door slowly revealing himself. His faded blonde hairplimented his deep blue eyes, elegantly dressed head to toe, what was he doing here?


    ¡°Good morning ma¡¯am¡± he said with his head down. Wait, this man can be polite. ¡°Mr Carson invited you for dinner tonight and I¡¯m here to take you out for shopping.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯m Leaving this mansion right?¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± He said I was so confused. One time he doesn¡¯t want me to Leave his site now he wants me to go for shopping with his assistant.


    I nodded looking at him suspiciously. He turned around to leave


    ¡°Could you do me a favour?¡±


    He turned back to look at me ¡°anything mydy?¡± He said looking at me ¡°I want to see my sister.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t help you with that ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Alright you may leave.¡±


    I watched Benson walk out of the room. A bright smile appeared on my lip, I¡¯m finally gonna leave this dog cage! I was filled with so much joy. J informed me about lunch. I walked down the long stairs to the grand dinning hall. I heard clicking of tes as I got to the table, shit! Carson was already eating. I walked into the dinning and sat down far away


    ¡± All this space is for who? Vrie, what have I always told you?¡± He stopped eating looking at me


    ¡°I want to sit here today.¡± I said serving my food into a te. ¡°Move¡±


    ¡°I want to e..¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to repeat myself little rabbit, move¡± he said so calmly and trying his best to not shout at me. I whined carrying my tes to seat next to him I dragged the heavy chair in front of him and sat down besides him.


    ¡°Why did you sit far away , you scared or something ?¡± He asked cutting through a neatly prepared steak.


    ¡°I¡¯m not scared¡± I said scooping a spoon of mashed potatoes into my mouth ¡°So you want another round? Maybe this time we might do the real thing.¡±


    I choked on my food. I coughed so loud and hard hitting my chest. Carson chuckled looking at me ¡°easy now¡± he said patting my back. I got the ss of water Carson gave me and drank it all up. I was okay but my chest hurt from the rigorous coughing.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t say stuff like that again.¡± I said holding my chest, Carson shifted his chair closer to mine. ¡°Or maybe I should make you feel that way.¡± He said cing his hand by the side of my thighs. I felt an immediate sensation down my back. He moved his other hand holding my hair up.


    ¡°Carson, can you stop!¡± I said pulling my chair away from him. ¡°Alright. Just cause you asked politely.¡±


    We continued to have lunch. Nobody talked in the dining hall, just sat there and continued to here the clicking sounds of tes. I finished my lunch quickly and left the hall. I felt really weird. Urgh who can him the permission touch me.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, your ride is ready.¡± Benson said behind me


    I followed him down to the Mercedes parked right in front of the house. I got in after Benson opened the door for me. I sat down at the back alone while Benson sat in the passenger seat in front. The driver was directed to a store. And I sat down in the back seat admiring everything, from the luxurious interior to every little detail of this car that was handcrafted and add beautifully. I¡¯m sure Gwen would really want to trade anything to be in this car. We got to the store and I was told to use the back door. I got into the store and was weed by a mesmerising scent of exclusive fragrances. I was so hyped up to try everything out from the store. I was greeted by a very nice receptionist


    ¡°Good day ma¡¯am!¡± She said so energetically. Benson stood by the entrance of the main door and the driver stood by the back door.


    ¡°Give me a sec.¡± I should know how much the budget was. ¡°Benson?¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°How much is the budget?¡±


    Benson looked confused? ¡°There is no limit ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°So I can buy the store if I want to?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s no problem.¡±


    Wait, how much is in this credit card? My life just started looking like a movie, never knew I would get a life with so much money. Apart from weird Carson I¡¯m d.


    ¡°Take me to your best sections.¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡±


    She took me to a very fancy room l, which was filled with different bags and clothes. ¡°Valerie?¡± The voice sounded so familiar.


    I turned back


    ¡°Gwen?¡±

 Chapter 43

    Gwen¡¯s pov


    ¡°Mummy, I¡¯m so tired, don¡¯t disturb me.¡± I said pulling my duvet back on my face.


    ¡°C¡¯mon you need to go to the gym.¡±


    True I need to get that captivating body. Izily sat on my bed. ¡°Thanks, you can leave me now¡± I faked a nice smile, while I watched my mum leave my room.


    I rushed to the door and locked it. Urgh so annoying. Iid back on my bed looking at my white ceiling, why was everything in my life not going well. Dreamt of bing a rich sessful girl and getting a rich husband. But yet it¡¯s Valerie that got one, but I¡¯m older than her yet father couldn¡¯t me for her.


    I¡¯m gonna make him mine and only mine alone. I got up from my bed putting on my gym clothes. I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth. I tied my hair into a bun and filled my gym water bottle.


    I got my phone and left my room. I ran down the stairs and went to the kitchen to get some fresh fruits.


    ¡°Why are you going to the gym this early?¡± It was 7:30 already


    ¡°What time I¡¯m I meant to be in the gym?¡± I was clearly irritated. L I¡¯ll


    ¡°You normally, leave the house around 8¡±


    ¡°Who cares what time I leave the house. Nobody, so why should you be bothered?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk to Your father like that.¡± My mother chipped behind me. I grabbed my bottle and left the house.


    I started my daily jogging. I just needed to clear everything on my mind. After a long while of jogging I needed to return home.


    I got back home freshen up and responded to text messages from different brands offering to cooperate with me. Ii heard a knock on my do. Who is that I stood up to open the door. It was Carmen.


    ¡°Come in.¡± I said pointing into my room.


    ¡°Mum keeps onining about your attitude what¡¯s wrong with you? Ever since Valerie left you¡¯ve been acting up.¡±


    I silently looked at her, how should I care when obviously I was pained. I took in a deep breath trying my best to stay calm. ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong with me Carmen.¡±


    ¡°You know you can always talk to me about it.¡±


    ¡°Carmen don¡¯t make me annoyed, just let me be. Nothing is wrong with me.¡±


    ¡°And all of a sudden, you started acting up and losing your family members¡¯ trust, if it¡¯s about va¡­¡±


    ¡°I told you and I¡¯ll repeat it LET. ME. BE!!¡±


    ¡°Gwen, I don¡¯t care what you tell me. Just let me know what¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    I sat down beside her ¡°you¡¯re gonna irritate me soon.¡±


    ¡°I prefer irritating you rather than just leaving here without knowing what¡¯s wrong.¡±


    I sat down and looked at her. Maybe she might get me, should I risk this and say my mind to her? I guess she wouldn¡¯t judge me. I¡¯m sure about that.


    ¡°Just promise you won¡¯t judge me.¡± ¡°I promise.¡±


    ¡°Pinky swear?¡± I bringing out my pinky finger She brought out her ¡°pinky swear.¡±


    We made a pinky promise and I broke it off. ¡°I want Carson so bad.¡±


    Carmen looked at me in shock ¡°are you hearing yourself?¡±


    ¡°I am. I just want Carson so bad, I know I¡¯m not mad I just want Carson.¡±


    ¡°So you want Carson when he clearly said he wanted Valerie. You¡¯re being selfish.¡±


    ¡°I know and I¡¯m not ashamed of it. Who on earth doesn¡¯t want such a soul for themselves?¡±Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Certainly I don¡¯t want him. You can¡¯t have him. Even if you want him you him.¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re judging.¡±


    ¡°Be happy for your sister, Valerie deserves all the happiness in the world and you¡¯re here being a hater.¡±


    ¡°You can leave now I¡¯m done talking to you.¡±


    ¡°I hope you see how selfish you look saying this.¡±


    She stood up and left the room. I wasn¡¯t being selfish, it¡¯s just people saying I¡¯m being selfish. I just want to be loved and cared for at the same time not by anyone. I want Carson and I¡¯ll do anything to break their affair.


    It was almost time for my shoot down town. I needed to look fabulous. And at the same time spend a lot of money to achieve that look. I grabbed my credit card and headed to get a lotte. I walked into Starbucks to get myself one but I changed my mind and decided to get myself boba. I asked for my regr.( that¡¯s a milk tea boba.) I got out and took a cab and get to the salon to fix my hair.


    I showed the hairstylist the hair style I wanted, a ssic bob. ¡°I need it exactly like this.¡± I said showing Darwin my hairstyle. ¡°Should It be this low?¡±


    ¡°Ya. Make it that low.


    I had my haircut and went to get a dress. I got down from my cab and noticed a G wagon parked outside. I wondered who it was, a celebrity for sure. I adjusted my gown before I entered the mall. I walked through the front door. I saw a tall Gigi in front of me.


    ¡°Sir, please excuse me.¡±


    The man stared at me for a while before moving a little to let me pass. I walked towards the counter but no one was there. So I decided to go shopping right away. I got to the sections for elegant dresses, I saw more guards as I approached, I decided to start my hunt for dresses, tried the first one and I didn¡¯t like it so I returned it. Tried the second, it was nice but too loose. I really needed the repetitionist guide. I heard noises from the oth side of the room. I got closer and the voice were getting clearer. Sounded more like someone familiar. The receptionist was talking to someone but I couldn¡¯t see the person¡¯s face.


    Thedy she was talking to turned around to look at other options, where did I remember her from? She dressed so elegantly and feminine. She turned around and it was Valerie


    ¡°Vrie?¡±


    ¡°Gwen!¡± She said with a bright smile on her face. It felt good seeing her again but I dispise her now.


    She ran to hug me while I stood dumbfounded. This would have been me if only father would let me be traded for her.


    ¡°How¡¯ve you been.¡± She said so eager to see me.


    ¡°Been good everything¡¯s going alright.¡±


    ¡°I missed you a lot Yunno just tell mum and dad I mum I miss them a lot.¡±


    ¡°Ma¡¯am¡±

 Chapter 44

    Valerie¡¯s pov


    I ran to hug Gwen so hard but I think she wasn¡¯t in a good mood. Who wouldn¡¯t be in a good mood when they see their sister? How weird.


    ¡°Have you been¡±


    ¡°We are all doing well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so d to see you. Greet everyone, I miss you guys so much.¡±


    Gwen gave a fake smile. ¡°Where is Carson?¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯te with me.¡±


    Her face totally changed until I heard benson¡¯s voice behind me..¡±ma¡¯am, I was giving strict instructions you don¡¯tmunicate with anyone.¡±


    ¡°Opps, I¡¯m so sorry give me a Moment.¡±


    ¡°Ma¡¯am I was strictly told to not allow you talk to anyone. I¡¯ll have to take actions against.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s this? ¡± looking at me curiously.


    ¡°Carson¡¯s right hand man.¡±


    ¡°Time to leave ma¡¯am.¡± Benson said, looking at me, but I didn¡¯t do anything; this was just so unfair. Benson pointed to the hallway leading out the mall. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to go.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an order strictly from Carson.¡±


    ¡°Carson isn¡¯t here to dictate what I do Yunno.¡±


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, it¡¯s an order for carson.¡±


    ¡°Nobody is touching me.¡±


    ¡°Emmm, I think you should go Val.¡±


    ¡°I wanna talk to you.¡±


    ¡°Val just go, I even need to get to a conference. It¡¯s alright.¡±


    Was she pushing me away? She didn¡¯t look like she was in a rush. Firstly she didn¡¯t smile at


    Me when she saw me and she asked about Carson rather than asking me how I¡¯m doing. I nodded and left the shop. The security guard opened the door for me and I sat down inside the car.


    ¡°We would go to another shop to get you something.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell Carson about my encounter with my sister.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡±Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    ¡°Promise!¡±


    I could see a little smile pop up at the corner of his lips. ¡°Promise.¡±


    I felt a little relieved. He wasn¡¯t going to tell Carson about this, I just hope he doesn¡¯t. We got to the next location for shopping and I picked different jewellery and a lot of essories, shoes, perfumes and I got a plushie for J. I¡¯m sure she would be so d.


    We arrived at the mansion after a long day of shopping. The guards carried the bags to my room.


    ¡°Little rabbit you¡¯re back.¡±


    ¡°Why are you still at home? Shouldn¡¯t you be out doing work like always.¡± I said rollover my eyes.


    ¡°So I shouldn¡¯t spend time with you?¡± He said, crossing his legs, looking at me. ¡°Why should you wanna spend time with me?¡±


    ¡°Because I want to.¡±


    ¡°Spend time with nature.¡± I said walking away from him. I walked up the stairs to my room and I saw all therge boxes filled with essories on the floor. I jumped on my bed. Finally back to my big bed. ¡°Today drained me, honestly.¡±


    ¡°It really did.¡± Carson said, walking into my room and closing the door. ¡°What exactly do you want from me?¡±


    ¡°To spend time with you.¡±


    ¡°Why do you want to.¡±


    ¡°To make up forst time. ¡±


    He smiled and walked over to me and sat at the edge of the bed.


    ¡°Can you leave?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m gonna harm you, I¡¯m guessing you still think I¡¯m a bad person.¡±


    ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t, you wouldn¡¯t let me leave this mansion, I don¡¯t have my phone, I can¡¯t talk to my parents.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all for your good.¡±


    ¡°My good you say, being poisoned is for my good? Nothing is for my sake. You¡¯re just selfish, that¡¯s what you are! A selfish man who just wants to use gir-¡±


    ¡°Say one more thing Valerie!¡± He raised his Voice at me.


    ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I say another word?¡±


    He looked down at the red carpet under my bed. He was slowly calming down. ¡°You wanna go?¡±


    Wait, was he asking me that question? ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Alright pack your stuffs.¡±


    He said standing up and walking out the room. I feel something left me. Why was I so weak and helpless? I got down from my bed. Why did he just casually say I should leave? He didn¡¯t want me anymore. I looked up to see J run to help me bnce myself


    ¡°Are you fine mydy?¡±


    ¡°Ya, ya just tired.¡±


    ¡°Let me arrange your stuff, you should rest, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Nope, I¡¯m not doing that. I got you something.¡± She looked at me with so much curiosity. I walked up to the biggest mall bag I saw there. I checked around for the plushie. Luckily I found it sooner. I bought out the big plushie and hid it behind my back.


    ¡°Close your eyes.¡± She held her eyes with her hands. I walked over to her ¡°Open your eyes now.¡±


    She opened her eye and she saw the plushie in my hand. ¡°Is this for me!¡± She said so excitedly


    ¡°Yes it for y-¡±


    ¡°Thank you thank you ma¡¯am.¡± She hugged me so tight. The first time I felt so d after about 2 months in this hell pit. She smiled so widely as she released from the hug.


    ¡°The first time I¡¯m getting a gift, I¡¯m honestly grateful.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal, alright.¡±


    She nodded with a visible smile on her face. ¡°Now let¡¯s pack up this stuffs.¡±


    We began arranging the room and setting things in order. I packed my bags too. J was so confused about me packing. I didn¡¯t have the courage to tell her about what happened between me and Carson.


    ¡°Carson had a girl in his life?¡± I asked folding theundry.


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am. He certainly had so many girls in his life.¡±


    I paused looking at her¡±so you¡¯re saying his a fuck boy?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know? But it¡¯s been two years now and he hasn¡¯t brought any girls into the house again.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what made him stop bringing women home?¡± J kept quiet looking at me.


    ¡°J c¡¯mon tell me¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m strictly not to let anyone know.¡±


    ¡°Ma¡¯am please I d-¡±


    ¡°Tell me what happened.¡±


    She continued to arrange my desk. ¡°She was killed in front of him by his rival.¡±


    My heart stopped beating for a second, I felt so terrible hearing it.


    ¡°I was certainly surprised to see you stay for more than 2 months in this mansion and my boss really likes you. Never seen him do so much for just anyone.¡±


    I dropped my clothes in my wardrobe ¡°I don¡¯t think so, if he did love me why lock me up?¡±


    ¡°Because, he would think you would run away like his mum did to his father. She ran away for another man, and she killed him too.¡±


    I see why he didn¡¯t wanna talk about his mum anymore that day.


    ¡°It¡¯s such a pity he had to go through all this when he¡¯s such a nice man, he deserves all the happiness in the world.¡±


    ¡°Indeed he does.¡±

 Chapter 45

    Carson¡¯s POV


    ¡°She wants to leave,  she wants to leave,  she can leave for all I care.¡± I fumed as I walked to my room,  shutting the door behind me loudly.


    ¡°I took her from that shithole,  brought her to my mansion, and gave her the world,  she didn¡¯t have to work or struggle for anything and she wants to leave?¡± I threw a pillow at my window angrily. The disappointment in my chest, I¡¯ve never felt this angry and helpless in a long time. No woman has ever rejected me,  they always want to be around me but Valerie keeps pushing me away. Two months already and she is still so mean to me.


    Benson opened the door and walked in breaking my chain of thoughts.


    ¡°I want to be left alone!¡± Imanded but he ignored me and walked up to me on the bed.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Vent your frustrations at me but leave the poor pillow alone¡± He teased pointing at the pillow.


    ¡°It¡¯s so sad man! She was so determined not to let me in. I¡¯m Carson,  every woman wants me¡± I boasted


    ¡°She¡¯s a simpledy,  she¡¯s not impressed by luxury. Maybe you should spend more time with her,  get to know her,  show her you are a simple man as well,¡± Benson advised.


    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t let me be around her.  I told her to pack her things¡±


    ¡°You are letting her go? You¡¯re giving up already?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, ours is not a fairytale like beauty and the beast. Maybe I¡¯m not meant to have her¡±


    ¡°Ask her to give you one week to get to know you better¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not begging her for anything anymore,  my ego is hurt. I¡¯ve been good to her,  I didn¡¯t as much as go to bed with her or something yet she keeps yelling to let her go¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t mean what you just said,  you¡¯re just angry. You didn¡¯t keep her all these while just to let her go so soon¡±


    ¡°Oh please Ben! Why are you so persistent?  Someone would think you have a woman in your life¡± I teased


    ¡°Arrgh!  Carson, let¡¯s not go there,  I¡¯ll get a woman soon,  you¡¯ll see.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,  go get a woman first thene talk to me¡± I concluded with a smile ying on my lips.  Somehow,  he had managed to ease the tension. I grabbed my Macbook and ced it on myp. Work has always been a good distraction in emotional times.


    ¡°Shall I get you something hot for the cold?¡± Benson asked.


    I chuckled at the sentence,  ¡°What figure of speech is that? Anyway,  get me Whiskey¡±.  He smiled before heading out of the room.


    Benson has been the only thing close to family ever since my dad was killed.  He has been a friend and a brother,  I respect him so much.  He¡¯s such a cool guy, not arrogant or proud.


    He returned with a bottle of whiskey, a cup of ice, and two sses. ¡°Vo!¡± He smiled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember requesting for a drinking partner,  what¡¯s with the second cup¡± I made a straight face.


    ¡°Well,  we¡¯ll see¡± He poured out some whiskey into the two sses before putting ice in it. He stretched out one ss to me.


    ¡°The firm is moving at a steady state this period,  Mr. Abnor¡¯s restaurant is doing really well thanks to your PR firm and Mr Lounge has been quiet with his threats for a while. You¡¯ve some good thing going on for you¡±


    ¡°Hmm, thanks, man!  Everyone needs a personal assistant that¡¯s always calm and collected.¡± I drank the whiskey in the ss.¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to speak to Valerie on your behalf?¡±


    ¡°No,  let her be¡±


    ¡°Do you love her?¡± Benson asked. The question came as a shock as I lifted my head slowly to his face.  He had a serious expression.


    ¡°Of course,  why else will I bring her here?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not love,  it¡¯s Obsession!  Love is not forceful¡± He blurted,  my brows creased and a displeasing look sat on my face


    ¡°I want her and I get her and make her mine,¡± I emphasized.


    ¡°No,  you want her and you hang around her enough to make her want you. You leave her as a free bird but show her so much love she¡¯d want only you. That¡¯s how it works¡±


    ¡°Whatever,  I¡¯m meeting with Nash Enterprise tomorrow. They look like they¡¯d need our help a lot. Prepare a good proposal presentation for them.  I am interested in 30% shares of theirpany and they can¡¯t resist my offer¡±


    ¡°No one resists an offer from Carson¡± He celebrated,  I stifled a smile before lowering my head to the system.   Benson sat on the bed to check out what I was working on.


    ¡°Mr Lounge¡¯s silence is suspicious, get the patrol team to monitor his movement¡±


    ¡°Copy that,  boss¡±


    ¡°This uing firm looks like it¡¯s really rising fast.  They have a good online presence. I don¡¯t want anypetition at this point,  I need more details on what they offer their client. We need to cut their feathers before they think of growing wings or  flying¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d get the marketing team to look into that¡± He assured.  I showed him their site on my system,  we explored it together for a while before he stood up to leave.


    As soon as he left,  my mind went back to Valerie.  ¡°Obsession,  love!  What does it really matter?¡± I searched for her on my phone and started scrolling through her pictures.


    I admired one of the pictures, her dark brown hairplimented her skin and her green eyes glowed like emeralds. The same features that attracted me to her at first. ¡°Do I really want to let her go? Maybe I should take Ben¡¯s advice and ask her for one week to get to know me.  No-no,  Carson begs no woman. She¡¯d stay here,  I¡¯m not letting her go¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute,  she¡¯s yet to show up to inform me she¡¯s ready to leave¡± I thought to myself.  I got up and walked briskly to the door.


    As I opened the door,  a beautiful figure was standing before me. My heart skipped a beat, my jaw dropped,  I was speechless for a minute.

 Chapter 46

    Valerie¡¯s POV


    ¡°Was I too mean to him?¡± I asked J who was helping me arrange my new items in the wardrobe.


    ¡°Boss is very strict but he is kind.  He treats you differently, you should apologize to him¡±


    ¡°He asked me to leave,  that¡¯s what I¡¯ve always wanted but somehow it feels like a wrong decision now¡± My voice was shaky,  my expression was gloom and doom.


    ¡°You should stay!¡± J advised.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay for one week,  apologize to him when we are on good terms. I¡¯d plead to take my leave. He was so angry when he asked me to leave,  I don¡¯t want him to hurt my family because I left¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± J nodded


    ¡°What?  You don¡¯t believe that¡¯s the reason I¡¯m staying back?  I don¡¯t care if he is hurt or not,  after all he hurt me too.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t hurt you¡±


    ¡°He forcefully took me away from my parents and I¡¯m still hurting. ¡± My face turned red and myshes were blinking fast. I tried to hold back the tears but they rolled out. J walked to my bed,  she reached out to console me but hesitated. I wrapped my hand around her waist and cried on her thigh.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine Valerie. You¡¯ll be fine¡± she patted my back. ¡°I¡¯ll run a bath for you,  you¡¯d have your bath,  change into one of your new clothes,  pack your hair nicely and go have a conversation with boss¡±


    ¡°No,  I don¡¯t want to,¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°You neither want to leave nor have a calm conversation with him,  then what do you want?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡± I sniffed in a sob.


    ¡°Please go have a calm conversation with him. Apologize to him and ask nicely¡±


    ¡°Okay then,  run my bath for me¡± I eventually agreed. J was a smart and sweet girl and that¡¯s undeniable. She was a pretty blond,  in those simple maroon gowns for maids, her beauty was still evident. She had a subtle voice and her words were soothing and assuring. ¡°Your bath is ready,  Valerie¡± She announced as she came out of the bathroom. I took off my clothes,  wrapped myself in a robe and entered the bathroom.


    I¡¯ve had thousands of nightmares ever since I witnessed Carson shoot that maid,  each day feels like I¡¯m washing off the filth of blood. The guilt was stuck in my chest,  the gunshot kept resounding in my head. My mind drifted away as I took my bath. ¡°What kind of man is Carson?  A kidnapper,  a killer and how it never affects his business.  Maybe I should just leave now that he has agreed to let me,  why was I even hesitating?¡± I mumbled to myself as I took my bath.


    I came out of the bathroom,  J was still standing in my room,  she was holding a dress in her hand for me to wear.


    ¡°This will suit you well¡± She presented.


    ¡°Whatever you say¡± I shrugged indifferently, I had my doubts.


    J helped me prepare,  it was almost like Carson¡¯s room was not in this house because I have not intentionally looked this good since I came to this house. I wore the dress she chose,  it was a flowery long gown with a slit up to my thigh-pretty too sexy for just talking to Carson.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think this is too much?  Like I¡¯m simply just going to talk to him not seduce him¡± My brows furrowed as I surveyed the dress. She ignored me and continued dressing my hair.  She thung it into beautiful coils and added a glossy lip stick to my lips.


    ¡°Now you look the part¡± She breathed as she stepped back to examine my beauty.


    ¡°What part?¡±Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Beauty in beauty and the beast. You look ready for your fairytale¡±


    ¡°Oh please¡± I beat the air and stifled a smile.


    I looked up at the mirror,  admiring myself,  it has been 2 months of not exploring my beauty.


    J kept cheering me up as I left the room.  She was more excited about this than I was. I got to Carson¡¯s room,  I took a long breath to reassure myself I was ready to face him. As I lifted my hand to knock on the door,  the door opened-it was like a fairy tale magic, Carson was standing right in front of me and it took me by surprise. I lowered my gaze immediately,  ying with my fingers like a nervous child.


    He was speechless for a minute,  I could feel his jaw drop. ¡°V-Valerie,  what are you doing here? ¡±


    I lifted my gaze slowly to his, ¡°I came to speak to you¡±


    ¡°I thought you were packing up to leave?¡±


    ¡°No,  I changed my mind.  I¡¯d stay¡±. The words flee out with so much confidence than I had before leaving my room. His lips parted with excitement,  there was a spark in his eyes. Now that I was staring at his eyes,  he had shining brown eyes that were hypnosing and at the same time intimidating to look upon.


    ¡°Mirror on the wall,  who is the fairest of them all?  ¡­ My Valerie!¡± There was a smile ying on his lips and even though I tried to fix my gaze on him so he wouldn¡¯t check out my outfit,  his eyes still flickered all over my body.


    ¡°Can Ie in?¡± I asked, cutting short his staring, I was beginning to get shy under his gaze.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,  pleasee in¡± He invited me,  he moved aside and allowed me to enter. He dragged a seat from his work table and put it close to his bed.


    ¡°Have a seat¡± he gestured politely. I mumbled ¡°thank you¡± under my breath before sitting down.


    ¡°Where are you heading out earlier?¡±


    ¡°E-ermm,  not really. I wasing to your room¡±


    ¡°To drag me out of your house yourself?¡± I made a face.


    ¡°You wish¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡± I replied almost immediately and regrettedter because it made me look desperate to remain in his house. He sat down on his bed beside me and kept staring without saying a word.

 Chapter 47

    Carson¡¯s POV


    She was standing right before me, my drop dead gorgeous Valerie,  my breath hanged for a minute before eventually speaking to her. She was starting at me with those green eyes and I could hear my heart thumping loudly in my ears.


    I stood there asking her questions,  lost in her beauty and forgot to invite her in.


    ¡°Can Ie in?¡± She asked in the most polite way she has ever spoken to me.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,  pleasee in¡± I moved aside and let her enter. I wanted to offer her my bed,  after all she was my woman there was nothing wrong in sitting on my bed and having a conversation. Not like I fancy any conversation right now with her,  I just want to lock lips with her.


    Speaking of lips,  her lips are unusually glossy today,  did she do all these just toe see me in my room or was she headed somewhere?  I was curious. I hurriedly pulled out a chair from my work table and ced beside my bed for her to sit.


    She mumbled ¡°thank you¡± like she was shy by my civility, I beamed as she sat down.


    Where you heading out earlier?¡±


    ¡°E-ermm,  not really. I wasing to your room¡± I hesitated before replying.


    ¡°To drag me out of your house yourself?¡± She made a face l couldn¡¯t quite figure out. She wanted me to drag her out or she wants me to sweet-talk her?


    ¡°You wish¡± I retorted.


    ¡°I don¡¯t!¡± She replied almost immediately,  I felt my heart flutter. She bit her lower lips like she regretted saying it but it was toote,  I heard it already. I sat down on my bed beside her,  staring at her in silence.  She tried to avoid my gaze by looking away.  I knew one of us had to start the conversation,  maybe she was waiting for me to start as the man of the house but I couldn¡¯t care less,  I could stare at her all day. She was the one who came to my room to speak to me,  she can get on with it already.


    Like she heard my thought,  she started speaking. ¡°I apologize for being rude to you earlier¡± She paused and look at my face probably to see my expression. Wait,  did she just apologize?  I never thought she could say that word to me. What happened to her in that room just 1 hour after I stormed out angrily?  Maybe a little anger is good as well.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    ¡°Oh,  my little rabbit you melt my heart with your words. This sentence has made all my anger disappear.¡±


    She smiled before proceeding with her statement. ¡°I don¡¯t want to leave with bad blood,  I want us to be in good terms¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you still want to leave? ¡± my face grew pale.


    ¡°I want to know you. Maybe we can have a civil conversation like two adults. I¡¯ve stayed here for 2 months now and we barely have a meaningful conversation¡±. She stared at me as if waiting for my approval.  It was a smart way to avoid my question but I love it. I love how smart she is. I smiled, it was enough confirmation for her she took a deep breath.


    ¡°So what changed?¡± I asked,  not like it was important at this moment. I just wanted to be sure this wasn¡¯t some temporary shit or some prank or perhaps I¡¯m dreaming. ¡°Pinch me, Valerie¡± I requested before she could reply my first question.


    ¡°What?¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°Pinch me¡± I repeated. She didn¡¯t ask further question,  she pinched me softly. Her hand was so soft and warm on my skin,  I wish she wouldn¡¯t stop pinching me.


    ¡°I¡¯m not dreaming¡± I rejoiced loudly.  She shook her head in disbelief with a smile ying on her lips.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could be this yful and childish¡± Sheplimented,  yes that was goodpliment to me.  At least she wasn¡¯t seeing me as a heartless monster. I was nothing close to yful and childish,  in fact I¡¯ve smiled ten times more than I smiled the entire year just sitting with her this evening. The only person I have personal conversations with and probably joke with is Benson and that was on rare asion. You will not see me smile to someone else but here I was beaming with happiness like a well-fed child.


    ¡°I also wanted toe tell you that I¡¯m sorry for being hard on you.  I know it¡¯s not easy epting the reality that you¡¯re now stuck with me.  Maybe I can be a dickhead sometimes but I care about you¡± That was the sweetest and sincerest thing I ever said to someone.


    ¡°Yea,  a dickhead¡± she nodded,  covering her mouth to hold back herughter.


    ¡°Oh,  I also said I care about you or you didn¡¯t hear that part?¡± I teased.


    ¡°Thank you¡± She whispered shyly.


    ¡°Okay,  one good turn deserves another.  So write out your bucket list,  things you¡¯ve always wanted to do from childhood till now that you couldn¡¯t do. I¡¯d make sure you do them¡±


    ¡°Wow,  you¡¯ll grant me all my request?¡± She rejoiced.


    ¡°Yes,  I will except leaving my house.  Don¡¯t ask me to let you go,  I could never grant that request even if I promised.¡± I stood up from the bed.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t ask you to let me go but could I ask that my family be permitted to visit me?  Maybe my siblings coulde spend the weekend sometimes.  It wouldn¡¯t hurt,  I get to stay with you and also see them¡± She proposed.  That was the most irresistible proposal she has ever made to me.


    ¡°I could grant that request¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡± She screamed as she jumped on me.  She threw herself at me in a big hug, her hands were wrapped around my neck and time stood still¡­

 Chapter 48

    Carson¡¯s POV


    She scented so nice, like lemon and rose.  I didn¡¯t want her to let go,  when she tried letting go,  I wrapped my hand around her waist tightly like a man tied to his mother¡¯s apron string.


    ¡°C-a-r-son, please let go¡± She requested.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.  I want to keep you in my arms forever¡±.  She giggled, I heard it. She didn¡¯t struggle,  she remained in my arms until I was ready to let go. When I released her,  she lowered her gaze and turned to leave,  she was too shy to look at me.


    ¡°Valerie!¡± I called.  She didn¡¯t turn to look at me so I caught her hand. She was so shocked,  I felt her body shake like she got struck with lightening.


    ¡®Look at me!¡± I walked to her front and held up her chin. ¡°Please don¡¯t kiss me Carson¡± she whispered. Was she thinking out loud?  Was I meant to hear that?  Hearing the word kiss from her was soothing,  so she was thinking about kiss?  What does she really want?  Does don¡¯t kiss me mean kiss me or did she mean it?


    I kept starting into her green emerald eyes and though she tried to look away at some point,  I held her chin in ce. Her face was so red already,  I couldn¡¯t help but stiffle a smile


    ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I kiss you?¡± I teased


    ¡°Please don¡¯t¡± I let go of her chin and her hand,  she ran off without looking back.


    I heaved a sigh of relief,  if she had stayed any longer I wouldn¡¯t have been able to hold back from kissing her all over her body. She filled the room with her presence,  I took in a deep breath to sniff in hersting perfume. Benson walked in before I could relive the memory adequately.


    ¡°You should really knock before entering my room¡± I cautioned with a straight face.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry boss,¡± He apologized. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes,  why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Your face is so red¡±


    I turned to a mirror behind me and tried to clean my face.


    ¡°I saw Valerie running to her room like she¡¯s being chased,  she didn¡¯t even stop when I greeted her¡± He paused to read my expression. I walked to my bed and sat down.


    ¡°So what exactly are you asking? ¡±


    ¡°I mean,  what did you do to her because she wasing from your room¡±


    ¡°I sent her packing,  are you happy?¡± I picked up my phone and started pressing, ignoring the confused expression on his face.


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t have sent her packing and been blushing here in your room,  will you tell me what transpired or should I go ask Valerie?¡± He threatened, I looked up from my phone and shot him a dead-look.


    ¡°You should know better than to threaten Carson¡±


    ¡°I could never threaten my boss¡± He quickly defended.


    ¡°Well,  she came to apologize to me¡±


    ¡°Valerie apologized?¡± He had question marks all over his face.


    ¡°I was equally surprised,  she decided not to leave and she wants to get to know me-have proper conversations with me¡­¡±


    ¡°She said all that?¡±


    ¡°I could almost call it deja vu because these were the same things you said to me¡±


    ¡°Wow,  she made the first move now you have to do something big for her¡±


    ¡°Yea,  I promised to fulfill her bucket list of request¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that dangerous,  what if she asks to go back home¡±


    ¡°I told her she couldn¡¯t ask that¡±


    ¡°okay,  not bad maybe you two can get to spend some time together using the bucket list as excuse¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡± I nodded


    ¡°How about you get her a phone? Since you collected her first phone,  why not give her another?¡±


    ¡°No,  I don¡¯t want to risk it¡±


    ¡°You can monitor her phone or something.  I feel like she is really bored just staying in her room all day doing nothing.  J is the only thing close to apanion she has¡±


    ¡°What of me?  I¡¯m herpanion¡± I whined like a child,  Benson stifled augh before speaking.


    ¡°You know you¡¯re far from being apanion to her presently¡±


    ¡°Okay, ce an order for an Iphone for my woman,  my woman deserves the best¡±


    ¡°She does¡±


    ¡°By the way,  stop advocating for Valerie like you love her more than I do. I¡¯m a jealous man, I¡¯d kill you if you steal my woman¡¯s heart¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d die before doing that boss¡± He crossed his heart.


    ¡°Silly man¡±.  We bothughed hard before settling to discuss work.


    ¡°I think you might have to travel to Chicago next week¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Their market rate is fluctuating¡±


    ¡°What about the manager? Mypany in Chicago is unstable and I have a manager there?¡± I asked angrily.


    ¡°I spoke to him just now and he is pleading for you toe over¡±


    ¡°Call him,  let me speak to him. What do I pay him for?¡±


    ¡°Calm down,  don¡¯t get worked up Carson.  I think your rivals left us at peace in New Jersey because they know you¡¯re here and went to Chicago.  I know we can fix it¡±


    ¡°Of Course we can,  I just can¡¯t put up with ipetency.¡± Iined angrilly


    ¡°That aside,  our ountant here called me to inform she has sent her report to your email¡±


    ¡°Oh,  really?  Let me check that¡± I dropped my phone and carried my system.


    We discussed at length about work,  scrutinizing reports,  making adjustments,  sorting my meetings and schedules until it waste. When I lifted my wristwatch,  it was already 8pm. I dismissed him to go  get some rest,  he had been up all day. We had dinner in the room already while working.


    After he left,  I took my bath, switched to my pajamas and decided to go y a video game in my movie room. I walked in and saw Valerie watching a movie with her maid sitting on my couch. I almost yelled at J for sitting on my couch.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    I coughed to indicate my presence,  J almost jumped out of her skin when she saw me. She jumped up immediately,  ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir,  madam Valerie asked me to keep herpany¡±


    ¡°You can leave now¡± Imanded.


    ¡°Please let her stay, I¡¯m feeling lonely here¡± Valerie pleaded.


    ¡°I¡¯m here now¡± I consoled as I walked towards the couch where she sat down.  She was quiet,  looking towards the door as Valerie ran out.


    I sat close to her,  she moved away slightly.


    ¡°Cartoon?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡±


    ¡°Is that childish? ¡±


    ¡°No it¡¯s not¡±


    ¡°Okay,  let me watch that with you.  Lay on my chest¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Her pupils widened as she turned to me.

 Chapter 49

    Valerie¡¯s POV


    The room became awkward the moment Juliet ran off,  why was Carson even here?  I¡¯ve never seen him watch a movie before.  He moved closer to me and I shifted farther away.


    ¡°Nickelodeon?¡± He asked in a mocking tone.


    ¡°Yes¡± I replied defiantly


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that childish?¡± He gave a disapproving look


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not¡± I defended


    ¡°Okay,  let me watch that with you.  Lay on my chest¡±


    ¡°What?¡± the room went so quiet, I could hear my heartbeat.  My pupils widened. Now I was done, I couldn¡¯t sit and watch Nickelodeon with Caralone,  I¡¯d go back to my room and leave him to watch what he pleases.


    ¡°I¡¯m feeling sleepy already,  I¡¯d go to my room¡± I said as I got up to leave,  he caught my hand almost immediately and pulled me to his chest. I couldn¡¯t hold back the scream that left my mouth,  I was so shocked.


    ¡°Shhh!¡± He smiled as he held me right to his chest.


    ¡°Let go of me¡± I struggled,  beating his chest continually,  he held my hand with his right hand and caressed it slowly.


    For a moment, time stood still and we were lost in each other¡¯s eyes. I sneezed to halt the stare,  I lowered my gaze and ced my head on his chest gently as he wouldn¡¯t let me go.


    ¡°I don¡¯t bite,  yea?¡± Hemented and I ignored.  Carson¡¯s chest was perfect forying on and his cologne was so nice,  I wish I couldy on him forever.


    I woke on my bed the next morning,  Carson was not by my side. ¡°Wasst night a dream?¡± I dragged myself out of bed sluggish. This house was driving me crazy already


    ¡°Good morning Valerie¡± Juliet greeted as I came out of the bathroom.


    ¡°Hey Juliet,  you left me all by myself yesterday¡± I replied with a stern face as I move towards her.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Valerie, I couldn¡¯t disobey the boss besides you had goodpany¡± She murmured thest words under her breath.


    ¡°You are so rebellious¡± I walked to my bed with my bathing robe.


    ¡°Ain¡¯t you going to get dressed?¡±


    ¡°Yea,  I will but what¡¯s the hurry?¡±


    ¡°Your¡­¡± She started but I cut in before she could make a full sentence. ¡°Where¡¯s Carson?¡±


    ¡°Awwn,  look who is craving Carson¡¯s presence huh!¡± She teasedProperty ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I¡¯m not craving his presence. Just that,  I slept in the couch yesterday and woke up in my bed¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean so?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no news,  this isn¡¯t the first time Boss Carson is tucking you in bed so what do you want to say to him?¡±


    ¡°I just want to¡­ forget it,  you¡¯re bent on misunderstanding me¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± She stiffled a smile.


    ¡°Silly girl,  pass me a dress from the wardrobe¡±


    ¡°By the way,  your sisters are waiting for you downstairs¡±


    ¡°My what? My sisters? How? Carson agreed to my request?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he invited your sisters over. He gave then the permission to visit you as they want to.¡± I got dressed up quickly and hurried downstairs.


    ¡°Valerie!¡± Carmen called out as I ran into her arms.


    ¡°I¡¯ve missed you¡± I cried in her arms.


    ¡°So where¡¯s my hug as well?¡± Gwenmented.


    ¡°Gwen! I¡¯ve missed you guys¡± I hugged Gwen as well.


    ¡°Please sit down¡±.  My heart was leaping with so much excitement,  I was confused on where to start our conversation from.


    ¡°What would you like to take guys?¡±


    ¡°Fruit juice is fine with me¡± Carmen replied


    ¡°I¡¯d love to have wine. I heard Carson runs the PR for Luz wines-one of the biggest wine brands in UK,  I¡¯ve been looking forward to tasting their wine. I heard it¡¯s produced in Mexico.¡± Gwen narrated,  licking her lips.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never really explored Carson¡¯s bar so I don¡¯t really know if there is any wine you¡¯d like¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know your husband¡¯s posession?¡± Gwen asked


    ¡°He is not my husband!¡± I defended


    ¡°Your captor?¡±


    ¡°Gwen stop it!¡± Carmenmanded


    ¡°Juliet,  please get me some fruit juice,  a bottle of Luz wine and 3 sses¡± I ordered. Juliet went for it almost immediately.


    ¡°How have you been?¡± Carmen asked subtly,  caressing my face lovingly with a tear in her eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m coping. Is this how it¡¯ll be forever? Can¡¯t we report to the police or something?  Am I going to be a prisoner forever?¡± I broke down in tears in the middle of the statement.


    ¡°Come on Valerie,  stop being dramatic. You love it here¡± Gwen chipped in harshly


    ¡°I don¡¯t,  I want to be with you guys,  I want to see Andrew.  I miss him¡±


    Juliet arrived with our order and ced it on a stool in front of us.


    ¡°Valerie, breakfast is ready. We have Yorkshire pudding and roasted beef¡±


    ¡°Okay,  thanks. We¡¯de to the dinning soon¡± I replied before Juliet left.


    ¡°Why does she call you by name? You are the boss¡¯ woman¡± Gwenined immediately Juliet left.


    ¡°I asked her to. And she¡¯s the only friend I¡¯ve got in this house¡±


    ¡°A maid?¡± Gwen asked


    ¡°Yea,  so?¡± I replied.


    ¡°I¡¯d kill to be in your position right now¡±


    ¡°Seriously Gwen,  stop it!¡± Carmen ordered.


    Gwen has always been materialistic but I didn¡¯t think it was to this length. She would rather be kidnapped and locked up in a mansion by a stranger than live a free life and find her true love.


    ¡°Breakfast is on the dinning Valerie¡± Juliet announced.


    ¡°Guys,  let¡¯s head to the dinning¡± I invited them. Food was good distraction from Gwen annoying attitude.


    ¡°Wow!  I really love this view¡± Gwenmented as she stepped into the dining,  her eyes flickered around the entire space.


    ¡°How does Carson treat you¡± Carmen asked


    ¡°He¡¯s not bad,  he¡¯s domineering and locking me up here is really suffocating but asides that he tries to be nice to me¡± I replied


    ¡°What of your phone?¡±


    ¡°He took it from me,  he didn¡¯t want me doing anything stupid like dragging him online or calling for help¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry love,  I wish I could help. I wish I had to go through this instead of you,  you still have you life ahead of you,  your career,  your love¡­ Should I plead with him to let you go¡± Carmen said as she caressed my back softly. We stood in the dining room,  a sad tune ying in our heads.


    ¡°No,  he wouldn¡¯t ept that,  he¡¯s obsessed with me. He might get angry and never allow youe over again¡± I nodded in disagreement.


    ¡°Can I sleep over?¡± Gwen broke into the discussion. We turned to her immediately with shocked faces. I was speechless for a while.

 Chapter 50

    GWEN POV¡¯s


    These two had better stop making a pity party out of the whole scenario. What¡¯s better than marrying a rich man and living a luxurious life?  ¡°aaaargh, they make me sick¡± I murmured under my breath.


    ¡°Wow!  I really love this view¡± Imented as I stepped into the dining, my eyes flickered around the entire space. God,  I¡¯d kill to have this all to myself-not literally,  I couldn¡¯t kill a fly even if I want to.


    ¡°How does Carson treat you?¡± Carmen asked. Is that an important question,  he said he loves her of course he wouldn¡¯t hurt her she just has to y her part by satisfying him. Anyway, they already see me as the ck sheep of the family.


    ¡°He¡¯s not bad,  he¡¯s domineering and locking me up here is really suffocating but asides that he tries to be nice to me¡± Valerie replied. There¡¯s nothing suffocating about having all you want without lifting a pin,  can you all be logical for once. I was burning inside,  it took all the self control in me to withhold all the things I wanted to say.


    ¡°What of your phone?¡± Carmen asked


    ¡°He took it from me,  he didn¡¯t want me doing anything stupid like dragging him online or calling for help¡± Valerie


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry love,  I wish I could help. I wish I had to go through this instead of you,  you still have you life ahead of you,  your career,  your love¡­ Should I plead with him to let you go¡± Carmen consoled. ¡°Yeah,  yeah, please do. so I can console my way into his life,  into his wealth and affluence¡±


    ¡°No,  he wouldn¡¯t ept that,  he¡¯s obsessed with me. He might get angry and never allow youe over again¡± Valerie nodded in disagreement.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Can I sleep over?¡± I broke into the discussion. They turned to me immediately with shocked faces. ¡°What?  why are you all starring at me like that?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Carmen asked,  Valerie was speechless.


    ¡°Why what¡±


    ¡°Why would you want to sleepover at Valerie¡¯s ce?¡±


    ¡°I just want to keep herpany. It is suffocating staying here alone¡­¡±


    ¡°Like you care¡± Carmen retorted. Okay,  that was harsh.


    ¡°I¡¯d pretend you didn¡¯t mean that¡± I replied angrily.  I walked towards Valerie and held her hands.


    ¡°I¡¯d love to keep youpany,  let¡¯s see a movie together,  gist about life,  give you a breakdown of things happening outside¡± I persuaded in a sincere tone


    ¡°I¡¯d love this but Carson would not agree. He loves his space¡±


    ¡°Oh please,  he loves his space yet he brought you to stay with him. Girl,  he loves you. You just have to maximize that¡± I convinced


    ¡°Gwen, don¡¯t push it. You aren¡¯t sleeping over and that¡¯s final!¡± Carnen yelled


    ¡°Let Valerie decide¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d love to have you guys sleep over but maybe not today. I have to give Carson some time before asking him for permission.¡± Valerie replied.


    I didn¡¯t want to push it too far so I nodded quietly. We sat down and are. Carmen and Valerie wereughing hard at intervals,  I was too angry and pissed to join in the conversation.


    ¡°Valerie, do you miss Andrew?¡± I broke the good conversation once again.


    ¡°Gwen!¡± Carmen called out sternly


    ¡°I do,  I think about how we were starting off on the right foot, then this!¡±


    ¡°I could call him now so you guys can have a conversation.¡± I suggested


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Carson would like that. I really don¡¯t want him to be mad at me¡±.  Valerie replied. I was getting annoying already,  she couldn¡¯t make any sentence without Carson¡¯s name in it.


    ¡°Carson this,  Carson that.  Valerie¡¯on, Carson is not even around. No one will know you spoke to Andrew¡±


    ¡°But what¡¯s the point of speaking to him when I know I¡¯m never getting out of here¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t say that for sure. Andrew has been worried sick about you. He misses you a lot,  he¡¯d be so happy to hear your voice,  trust me!¡±


    ¡°Okay,  let¡¯s go upstairs to my room. It¡¯s going to be a quick call. I can¡¯t risk anyone finding out I spoke to Andrew.¡±


    I nodded happily and followed Valerie upstairs, Carmen remained at the dinning to help us keep watch.


    The ambiance of this house was breathtaking,  so we entered Valerie¡¯s room. She had a big bed with pillows and teddy bears,  the walls were painted blue with gold trimmings. A small simple  golden chandelier casted a glow over the room. Her windows opened up to the beautiful view of the garden.


    ¡°God,  how can anyone not love this?¡± I thought to myself. I brought out my phone and dialed Andrew¡¯s number, he picked up almost immediately.


    ¡°Hey, Andrew!¡±


    ¡°Hi, Gwen. How are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good. I¡¯ve got a surprise for you¡±


    ¡°O-kay-y, what¡¯s that?¡±.  Andrew asked curiously.  I handed the phone to Valerie quickly.


    ¡°Hi,  Andrew¡± Valerie greeted,  she was so tense, I could hear her best from where I was standing.


    ¡°Val? Valerie?¡± Andrew called out in shock.


    ¡°Yeah,  you recognized my voice¡±


    ¡°I could never forget your sweet voice¡± Andrew replied in excitement


    ¡°That¡¯s so sweet,¡± Valerie blushed. She was grinning from ear to ear.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to reach you for ages.¡±


    ¡°I know right? I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey,  it¡¯s fine. Your sisters told me what happened. I wish I could help,  I¡¯m so d I could hear your voice¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve missed you so much¡± Valerie uttered


    ¡°I wish I coulde visit you or something¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know Andrew,  that¡¯s not possible¡±


    ¡°let¡¯s talk more often over the phone¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a phone,¡± Valerie replied.


    They had a long conversation,  Valerie was smiling andughing hard in between conversations like she wasn¡¯t the one that was insisting on making the call short earlier. As I made to walk out of the room, I went head-on with Carson.


    ¡°Valerie!¡±


    ¡°Carson?¡± I echoed.

 Chapter 51

    Valerie¡¯s POV


    My heart leapt for joy on hearing Andrew¡¯s voice. Somehow I felt guilt for disappearing on him-not like it was my voice. At first, I was so nervous about the conversation because I was afraid of Carson but soon enough I got carried away I¡¯m the discussion. Joking, giggling andughing hard over the phone Then I heard a familiar voice across the room


    ¡°Valerie!¡±


    ¡°Carson?¡± Gwen echoed in fear.


    My heart jumped out of my mouth,  Gwen was startled by the door-she was trying to prevent Carson from entering.  I cut the call immediately and threw it under the pillow. Carson will be mad if he caught me with a phone, much less speaking to another man.


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s your name again?¡±


    ¡°Gwen, Valerie¡¯s sister¡± Gwen introduced


    ¡°Oh, Gwen. I know you are Valerie¡¯s sister. I allowed you guys in after all. Where is Valerie?


    ¡°Sh-he is inside!¡± Gwen stuttered,  she stepped aside for Carson to enter. Carson had this domineering aura,  even Gwen was shivering under his gaze.


    I stood up from the bed quickly,  almost too quickly as I fell back on the bed.


    ¡°Hey,  careful¡± Carson reached out quickly and pulled me back up.


    ¡°Carson,  thank you¡± I replied nervously, sweat beads on my head.  He started at me for a while like I looked suspicious-I know I did look suspicious,  my heart was literally in my mouth


    ¡°I heard your voice across the roomughing and giggling. Who were you talking to?¡±


    ¡°E-erm,  what?¡± I stuttered


    ¡°She was talking to me,  we were having a conversation about our childhood-alot of funny stuff happened¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah¡±


    ¡°Good to know you guys are having fun. Valerie, you look nervous,  what¡¯s wrong babe?¡± Carson asked, caressing my hand. Babe?-that¡¯s strange,  when did that start?  When did we start calling ourselves pet names?


    I hesitated before replying. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Carson. Thank you¡±


    ¡°Alright then,  I¡¯d leave you two. I¡¯d be in my room,  when you are done I need to see you.¡± He ordered. The whole idea of wanting to see me sounded scary,  what did I do wrong this time?


    Carson left for his room,  I brought out Gwen¡¯s phone and handed it to her quickly before we stepped out of the room to meet Carmen. Carmen was supposed to keep watch for us but she was busy exploring the garden. She was a nt lover,  she didn¡¯t even know when Carson entered and walked to the room.


    Gwen and I came down only to discover Carmen was nowhere to be found. After calling out her name for one minute,  she appeared.


    ¡°You were supposed to keep watch for us,  where did you go to?¡± Gwen chastened


    ¡°Keep watch? You guys never said anything like that¡± Carmen replied,  she turned to me immediately, ¡°Carson caught you speaking to Andrew?¡±


    ¡°No,  he didn¡¯t. But he was so close¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry guys¡±


    ¡°Not your fault though. I¡¯m really excited to have you guys around today¡±


    ¡°We are more excited to see you. Dad and mum will be d to hear that you are fine. Gwen,  I think we should leave now¡± Carmen suggested


    ¡°Alright. Val,  don¡¯t forget to ask for Carson¡¯s permission for me to sleep over next time¡±


    ¡°I will miss you guys¡± I couldn¡¯t understand the motive behind Gwen¡¯s insistence on sleeping over at my ce,  it¡¯s not like she likes me the most-obviously she doesn¡¯t.


    The minute they left, everywhere became quiet once again. I was alone and sad once again,  I dragged my feet to my room.


    ¡°Valerie¡± Benson called me from the other side of the room.  I turned slowly to his direction.


    ¡°Carson would love to see you¡± He informed. I nodded and turned towards Carson¡¯s room. Why does Carson want to see me so badly? Did I do anything wrong? I can¡¯t exin the level of nervousness that eats me anytime I¡¯m around him. Is it fear,  anxiety or what?


    I knocked his door lightly,  Benson opened it and ushered me in while he left almost immediately closing the door behind him. Carson was sitting on his bed,  the buttons of his shirt were all opened revealing his Abs and packs.  A ne with a big cross was dangling on his neck-I¡¯ve never noticed it before probably cause I¡¯ve never paid keen attention. Carson was in no way religious so it was quite surprising seeing that ne on him.


    ¡°Come sit on myps¡± He blurted with a smirk on his lips


    ¡°What?¡± my eyes widened, He was too bold-too bold!


    I stood still,  like I was glued to where I was standing. He stood up and walked to where I was standing.


    ¡°Did you miss me?¡± He yed with my cheeks.


    ¡°You wanted to see me Carson¡±


    ¡°Dont you think I deserve a good hug for arranging for you to have fun with your sisters, are you not happy¡±


    ¡°Thank you for allowing them spend time with me.¡± I replied coldly. He spread his arms widely.


    ¡°Hug me Val, I smell nice and my body doesn¡¯t prick people¡±.  I looked at him and he was so serious,  I couldn¡¯t refuse. I walked into his arms slowly until he closed me in.


    ¡°I¡¯ve missed you,  Val¡± he whispered into my ear. ¡°I want to make you happy,  Val. I¡¯m not a monster¡±¡­ He kept on whispering sweet words into my ears, goose bumps were all over my body. Then he kissed my cheeks when he was done speaking,  a chill ran down my spine. He released me slowly from his grip


    I lowered my gaze,  I was shy and speechless. His chest was firm, his body was so warm and his cologne had a fruity fragrance-somehow I wish he holds my in his arms again.


    ¡°You slept off in my arms yesterday,  while watching Nickelodeon. But you said you love Nickelodeon¡± He gave a wry smile


    ¡°I was tired¡± I defended


    ¡°Tired? Or my body wasforting¡± He red his shirt a bit revealing his chest some more in a seductive many.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°God,  this man was sexy¡± I bit my lower lips unconsciously and he caught me before I realised.


    ¡°I could show you some more if you want me to¡±


    ¡°No please¡± I looked away.


    ¡°No? It sounds like you don¡¯t mean it¡± A yful smile on his lips as he tried to take off his shirt.

 Chapter 52

    Carson¡¯s pov


    I heard a light knock at the door and she walked in. I had been waiting to have her to myself again, definitely that would be easy after I let her meet her sisters. She would probably jump into my arms in shear excitement again, those moments were ones I could relive over and over again.


    She stood at the door after Benson shut it, her eyes ran over my body, I could tell she admired my perfectly toned abs, who wouldn¡¯t? That was the expected result, afterall I was very prepared to seduce her .


    ¡°Come sit in myps¡±, I said with a smirk on my lips.


    A gasp escaped her lips and her brows curved in disbelief. What? Did I ask too much?  Seeing that she was too stomped to move, I drew closer to her and teased her for a while until I got her in my arms again. I wanted to wrap myself around her small tender body and never let go . I kissed her lightly on her cheek and decided to y the gentleman so I slowly released her from my firm hug. Now was the time to advance the seduction plot.


    ¡°You slept off in my arms while watching Nickelodeon yesterday, but you said you loved Nickelodeon, ¡± my lips curved into a wry smile.


    ¡± I was tired¡± she defended quickly.


    That sounded like a very dry excuse,¡± tired , or my body wasforting?¡± I red my shirt a bit revealing a well chiseled chest in an intentional seductive manner then she bit her lower lips wistfully. She couldn¡¯t resist, the expected reaction. ¡°I could show you some more if you want¡±


    ¡± No please¡± she replied timidly and looked away.


    That was totally bogus. ¡°It sounds like you don¡¯t mean it¡± I said and began to take of my shirt. I expected her to probably stop me in any way but she kept her gaze away until I had taken it off.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± She muttered.


    My innocent little rabbit, what did it look like I was doing? I held her chin and slowly turned her head to face me. First she met my smug yful smile then I saw her eyes travel down to my body. She trailed it down and seemed lost, there was this impressed longing look in her eyes then she lifted her hands slowly, she was clearly intoxicated by what she saw such that she lost control of her nerves.


    Suddenly she seemed to return to her senses and dropped her hands, clearing her throat noisily to break the silence between us.


    ¡°I .. should probably leave now, thank you for letting my sister¡¯se over¡± she stuttered quietly and turned quickly to leave but I took a grasp at her arm and pulled her back to fall on my chest. A soft gasp escaped her lips as she tried to free herself but I slipped my arm around her waist and pressed her body against mine, looking deep into her alluring green eyes. ¡°I want to keep you in my arms forever¡± I muttered and leaned closer to kiss her lips but she turned her face and the kissnded on her cheek instead.


    Was she resisting me? For how long? What else did I have to do to make her release herself to me?


    There was a slight knock on the door and she immediately freed herself from my grip, standing afar from me and looking everywhere but my face. She tried looking down but I saw her face flush. That was a good sign I thought and the knock came again. I wanted to snarl at whomever that was to get lost but it was toote.


    ¡°I¡¯ming in¡± Benson¡¯s voice echoed from the other end and the door opened then he walked in. He stopped at the door on seeing Valerie in the room and I in my seductive position. He looked down innocently and apologized for interrupting.


    ¡°I should probably leave¡± he said and made to walk out again but Valerie stopped him.


    ¡°No it¡¯s okay, I was just leaving¡± she said and hurried towards the door ¡°Have a good night¡± she muttered and disappeared from the room. I felt like going after her, then Benson jogged me back to reality with a click in the door as he shut it again.


    Why the hell would he walk in here when he knew so well I was with Valerie?


    ¡°You should know better than to interrupt my most precious moment¡± I said with a displeased sigh as I picked up my shirt to put it back on.


    ¡°It¡¯s not exactly my pleasure to walk in on a half naked young man trying to seduce a woman¡± Benson replied with a straight face as he opened theptop in his hands and drew closer ¡± I see red cheeks everywhere these days, it can be really oppressing¡± he muttered to himself, still working innocently on theptop.


    ¡°You sound a lot like you did this on purpose¡± I said as I buttoned up thest of my shirt and turned to face him. He was sitting on the bed already.


    ¡°Definitely not¡± he replied and turned theptop towards me. ¡± Take a look at this¡±


    I looked into theptop and scrolled through the news headline. ¡°Famous pharmaceuticalpany  Stanbs used of producing amphetamines with a high risk cancer side effect¡±


    Stanbs were one of our most important clients in Chicago.


    ¡°This can be very deadly to Stan and us sir ¡­ I think it would be better if you visit this yourself¡±From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡± It seems to have escted¡­ That manager really is ipetent ¡°I replied curtly.


    ¡± All usations were vehemently denied but, we can¡¯t be sure¡±


    ¡± We¡¯ll need theplete truth if we¡¯re going to quieten this¡± I said with an indifferent sigh


    ¡± Book my flight to Chicago for tomorrow, we have no time to loose¡±¡­

 Chapter 53

    Valerie¡¯s pov


    He looked determined to trap me with his irresistible charms. I was already mesmerized by the little I had seen but he went ahead to take off his shirt. What could I possibly do? Force him to stop? Turn around and bolt out of his room? Neither of them appealed to me as a good n so I just looked away shyly.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I muttered innocently. Not like I really didn¡¯t know what he was trying to do, I just thought it necessary to say something at the moment .


    He chuckled and held my chin as usual, turning my head to face him. I caught a smug smile on his lips. Oh he was one determined tempter! How could I not look? I couldn¡¯t resist admiring his firm chest and the beautifully toned abs lining down his belly. I was lost, so lost I felt a stinging urge in my fingers telling me to just feel the firmness. I slowly lifted my fingers to give in to my urge but fortunately I came to my senses in the nick of time.


    I clenched my fist and withdrew my hand quickly, clearing my throat noisily to get rid of the awkward silence between us.


    ¡°I should leave now, thanks for letting my sisterse over¡± I stuttered and made to leave but I felt his strong warm hand grab my arm and he made me fall upon his chest yet again.


    I tried not to scream or moan but he was right earlier, his chest was soforting. Valerie,e to your senses I rebuked myself and tried to free myself. Then I felt his arm slide over my waist and he held me in such a tight strong grip that I couldn¡¯t resist even if I wanted. My body was pressed against his and I felt butterflies in my tummy.


    He looked deep  into my eyes and muttered passionately


    ¡°I want to hold you in my arms forever¡± then he leaned closer to kiss my lips. I wouldn¡¯t let him do that again, how could I be enjoying a romantic moment with the man who took me away from my perfect life and my family. I turned my face and his lips grazed my cheek. I told myself Andrew was the man I loved but I felt my cheeks burn after his kiss. Was I blushing?


    There was a slight knock at the door and I found it the best opportunity to wriggle free from his grip. His grip on me had actually loosened slightly when I avoided his kiss, he was probably disappointed. However, he ignored the knock and kept his gaze fixed on me. I couldn¡¯t let him see my flushed face so I looked down.


    ¡°I¡¯ming in¡± his assistant¡¯s voice rang from the other end and the door opened.


    My mind adviced me to be grateful to him for interrupting this moment of helplessness but my body despised his presence in the room at the moment. He attempted to walk out again but I had to take advantage of the situation and escape Carson¡¯s exhrating advances.


    I walked into my room and hurried to my bed. Burrying my face in the pillow . I couldn¡¯t forget the tingle in my heart when his hands touched me. My heart was still racing crazily, I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about him.


    I heard a soft knock and my door clicked open.


    ¡°Valerie, your dinner is ready ¡± I heard J¡¯s soft voice.


    ¡± I¡¯m not hungry ¡± I replied without lifting my head.


    ¡± The boss might not be pleased if you skip your dinner¡±


    How could I possibly eat when he had filled my belly with butterflies, I mused.¡± I¡¯ll just take an early breakfast tomorrow ¡± I assured J, finally lifting my head to smile at her.¡± I would like to sleep now ¡±


    She excused herself quickly, leaving me alone to my conflicting thoughts again until I drifted off into a slumber.


    A kiss on my forehead woke me up the next morning and I opened my eyes to find Carson towering over me wearing a big amiable smile. He was all dressed up in a grey tuxedo. The rosary I had seen on his neckst night was gone and there was a shining gold wristwatch tied around his left wrist. His both hands were sheltered in his pockets.


    ¡°Is it morning already?¡± I muttered drowsily trying to sit up.


    ¡± Rise and shine val¡± he replied arching his brows yfully.¡± You must¡¯ve dreamt about me¡± he added.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡± Seeing how you¡¯re in my room so early¡­ I should be the one telling you that ¡± I replied smartly.


    ¡± What can I say? Every moment spent without you is no better than a pain¡± he said sweetly and sat on the bed.


    The door opened and a small group of workers came in and began to set up a table in my room. I looked at him for an exnation.


    ¡°Have breakfast with me¡± he said with a straight face.


    ¡± That sounds like an order as usual ¡± Imented dryly and rose to my feet , shuffling across the room to the washroom.


    When I returned, the table was set  but Carson was still sitting on the bed where I had left him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to eat with me?¡± He suddenly asked resting his gaze on me.


    I paused, was he offended by my statement? It was just a harmlessment. Of course I wanted to eat, I was starving after skipping dinnerst night. ¡°You get offended too easily¡± I answered.


    ¡± I¡¯m trying to spend more time with you so we can get to know each other like two adults ¡± he replied stressing thest words intentionally.


    Yes, I know they were my words, there was no point stressing it. ¡°Then let¡¯s not ymand and obey¡­ If you¡¯re going to be a gentleman, you have to ask ady politely¡­ Valerie, would you like to have breakfast with me? That sounds more like a gentleman trying to get to know ady¡± I analysed in a chatty manner, demonstrating as I spoke.


    He watched me quietly with an admirative smile, his brows raised teasingly. I stopped, twisting my fingers shyly. Whatever got me so chatty!


    He came closer to me and tucked a few strands of my hair behind my ear, his fingers grazed my skin and i only managed to resist a shudder. ¡°I could watch you rap on all day¡± he muttered and looked into my eyes ¡°you mesmerize me Valerie¡±


    There was an awkward silence between us for a while as I couldn¡¯t stop staring into his cool brown eyes. Earlier I found his eyes intimidating but today, I saw passion and desire for me in those eyes. I¡¯m probably the mesmerized one, I mused.


    ¡°Well then as a gentleman that I am, I got a gift for my woman¡± he said gantly with a proud smirk.


    His woman! Quite possessive but it felt good.¡± Really? Did you bring my parents to see me? ¡± I asked, bubbling with excitement.


    A disappointed frown appeared on his face.¡± Is that all you care about? ¡±


    ¡°Well .. it would be nice if I could see them¡± I replied quietly, looking away from him with an innocent shrug.


    ¡°I got you a phone anyways¡± he blurted sounding offended.


    My eyes widened and I lifted my gaze to him. Was he for real?

 Chapter 54

    Valerie¡¯s pov


    He tucked his hands into his pocket and disyed a phone before my eyes. Should I believe this? Maybe if I tried to take it, he would say I have to fall in love with him again.


    He wasn¡¯tfortable with my hesitation. ¡°You think I¡¯m bluffing ¡± he said calmly and shoved the phone into my hands. I switched it on and examined it. Wow, it wasn¡¯t a joke after all. What came over him?


    ¡°Thank you, though why do you look like you¡¯re sulking?¡± Imented with a teasing smile, trying to lighten the atmosphere.


    He chuckled and shoved his hands back into his pocket. ¡°I got you a phone so you won¡¯t be lonely when I¡¯m not around¡­ I deserve a kiss for being such a gentleman¡± he analysed.


    He couldn¡¯t be serious. Will I kiss him? ¡°The¡­ food is getting cold and I¡¯m starving¡± I said, trying to escape his demand. I began to walk to the table but he held my hands.


    ¡°A peck?¡± He requested.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    I paused and slowly turned to him. A peck was better right? I should at least make him feel good for doing something nice for me. He positioned his cheek for the peck, tapping it to direct me. I drew closer slowly and made to peck him but he suddenly turned to face me and my lipsnded on his lips instead. My eyes widened, he still made me kiss him.


    I withdrew quickly and lowered my head shyly.


    ¡°That felt good¡± hemented smugly.


    ¡°Do you always have to get your way?¡± I muttered.


    ¡°I want to retain the feeling of your lips against mine, the beautiful sight of your flushed face and the sweet fragrance of your body so I can feel your presence even when I¡¯m away¡± he exined walking to the table, he drew out a chair and gestured to me to sit.


    He had been talking about being away since he came in here. ¡°Are you going somewhere?¡± I asked taking my seat.


    He walked over to the other side and sat, facing me.¡± I must go on an important trip¡±


    He was leaving? I wouldn¡¯t see him for days. That was good right? But I miss him already. I couldn¡¯t understand what I felt around him, his voice  made my ears tingle, his touch sent shivers down my spine. How could I be feeling this way about him?


    ¡°Are you thinking of how much you¡¯ll miss me?¡± He teased lightly, dishing out the food .


    ¡°How long will you be away?¡±


    ¡°A few days¡± he replied immediately ¡± so I want you to call me whenever you miss me¡­ That should be always ¡±


    I stuffed a spoonful of food into my mouth. I wouldn¡¯t want him to see how flushed I was.


    We ate quietly for a while then he broke the silence. ¡°How¡¯s your bucket listing up?¡±


    Wait, was he serious about the bucket list idea? ¡°Eerrm¡­ ¡®


    ¡°Come on now Val, I told you to write your bucket list and give it to me but you haven¡¯t¡± he berated.


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t think you were serious about that? ¡± I replied sheepishly.


    ¡°I won¡¯t ask you again¡±


    ¡°Well can my sisterse sleepover, I feel bored¡± I quickly said


    ¡°That¡¯s why you have a phone¡­ Watch videos, y games, chat. That phone is yourpanion when I¡¯m not around ¡± he replied with an irritated edge to his voice.


    ¡°I need a real person. I want to catch up on things happening, I¡­¡±


    ¡°You have J! ¡± He interrupted, his voice getting louder.


    A period of silence fell between us while he ate on angrily without looking at me.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t do the only thing I really want then why ask me to write a bucket list?¡± I said coldly and scooped some soup into my mouth.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ungrateful Valerie, I do everything thing for you, can¡¯t you be satisfied?¡±


    ¡°who gets satisfied with being locked up somewhere, dancing to somebody¡¯s whims?¡± I blurted.


    He dropped his cutleries with a tter and reclined on the chair ¡°Do you hate being here with me so much?¡± He asked calmly.


    ¡± I just want to have my family around ¡± I replied simrly calmly.


    ¡± Fine then¡± he said curtly and walked out before I could ask what that meant. Did he mean I could have my sister¡¯s sleep over or what? Why was he always getting angry? Even though I was beginning to feelfortable, did he think I would be rejoicing with him for keeping me away from my family? Why couldn¡¯t he understand that I don¡¯t feelplete without them?


    I rose up from the table. I had lost my appetite after such an annoying haggle. I walked over to my bed and copsed on it, feeling despondent. Somehow, I felt guilt prick me for hurting Carson when he hade to me with such sweetness this morning. But that was unfair, he couldn¡¯t expect me to love him and be okay with him while keeping me locked up in this mansion without a will of my own.


    I wrapped myself in the duvet and sulked alone for a while until J came in and asked if I was done eating. ¡°Take it all away¡± I answered despondently.


    ¡± Are you okay Valerie? ¡± She asked, sounding concerned ¡°Did something go wrong between you and boss Carson? ¡± She added.


    ¡± Never mind J, I¡¯m okay ¡± I replied, seeking to be left alone .


    She excused herself then I heard slight noise of people packing up the table from my room. They were soon gone and my door clicked finally leaving me to the solitude of my thoughts.


    I think I stayed in that position until I fell asleep again. I woke up at noon, feeling a sharp pain in my stomach. I winced in pain and sat up, cing my foot against the ground. I tried to stand but the room seemed to be spinning and my feet was unstable. I was weak and hungry. I called for J and she appeared almost immediately.


    ¡°You look stressed Valerie, would you like a bath ? ¡± She asked politely


    ¡± Yes please¡­ And start my lunch now, I¡¯m starving ¡± I answered, yawning faintly.


    She walked into the bathroom to prepare my bath after which I immersed myself into the warm soothing bath, hoping it would drown my thoughts about Carson.


    However when I came out of the bathroom, the first question I asked was ¡°Has Carson left already?¡±

 Chapter 55

    Carson¡¯s pov


    I didn¡¯t want to leave Valerie for too long. Her presence around me always made my day so I thought of cancelling the trip to Chicago but that was obviously not going to work out.


    I decided to get her a phone in order to be close to her even though I was far. I imagined the hugs I received whenever I did something nice for her , it would be cool to get another hug this morning, or a kiss perhaps¡­ Even cooler. I went into her room after ordering our breakfast to be brought in. I wanted to spend time with her before leaving, the only memory I wanted to retain was her smile, the wonderful fragrance of her body in my arms and her lips on mine. I watched her sleeping for a while. The dim rays of sunlight on her faceplemented her golden skin tone. I leaned forward and kissed her lightly on her forehead and she opened her eyes. She was probably half awake already.


    ¡°Is it morning already?¡± She asked with a soft yawn.


    ¡± Rise and shine val¡± I replied yfully.


    The workers finally came in to set the table and she gave me a quizzical look.


    ¡°Have breakfast with me¡± I said inly


    I saw an indifferent curve in her brows. ¡± That sounds like an order as usual ¡± she replied and went into the bathroom.


    What did that mean? Did she still see me as the psychopath who makes her do his biddings? I thought we were getting to know each other better. Or was my manner not civil enough? She returned from the bathroom and caught me in these thoughts.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to have breakfast with me?¡± I quickly asked.


    ¡± You get offended too easily ¡± shemented lightly.


    Of course I would get offended. We had an agreement to get to know each other like two reasonable adults and I was trying to do that but she seemed to have a problem. I had to remind her I was following her ideas.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not ymand and obey¡± she began freely ¡°if you¡¯re going to be a gentleman, you have to ask ady politely, ¡®Valerie, would you like to have breakfast with me? ¡® that sounds more like a gentleman trying to get to know ady¡± she chatted on and gestictedfortably while I simply admired her.


    I had never seen her so chatty before, at least not with me. It made me feel she was gettingfortable around me and I loved it, I wish she would keep speaking so freely to me rather than weeping all the time about her old life.


    She noticed I was lost in her admiration and lowered her gaze shyly. ¡°I could watch you rap on all day¡± I said tucking a few strands of her hair behind her ear and looked into her eyes. Those timid green eyes, they created a burning passion inside of me to just devour her with my kisses ¡°You mesmerize me Valerie¡± I muttered passionately.


    She looked into my eyes as well like she was searching for something, did she see the wave of desire surging in my heart right now? Could she see how much she meant to me? I wish I could define it all through my eyes. She¡¯s the first woman to make me feel so helpless. This was going better than I expected, I would make her happier by presenting the phone to her now.


    ¡°As a gentleman that I am¡­ I got a gift for my woman¡± I announced with great chivalry.


    ¡± Really?¡­ Did you bring my parents to see me? ¡± She quickly asked, sounding excitement.


    That ruined my high spirits. Was that all she thought about? Couldn¡¯t she be happy with anything else I gave her. And here I thought we were bonding well, it looked very well like she still had ns to get out of my house.


    ¡°Is that all you care about?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ It would be nice if I could see them¡± she replied innocently.


    ¡± I got you a phone anyways¡± I said nkly, annoyed that my gift was not up to what she expected.


    She looked at me with disbelief. She thought I was pulling her legs. Like I wasn¡¯t hurt enough, she still couldn¡¯t trust my words.


    ¡°You think I¡¯m bluffing?¡± I said and shoved the phone into her hands.


    The gift presentation was so disappointing, itcked all the sweetness and affection I thought it would bring.


    ¡°Thank you¡± she said with a smile ¡°though why do you look like you¡¯re sulking?¡± She teased.


    Her light humor had resumed again, there was no point dragging it further. I just wanted to enjoy the morning with her before leaving.


    I chuckled and shoved my hands into my pocket. ¡°I got you a phone so you won¡¯t be lonely when I¡¯m not around¡­ I deserve a kiss for being such a gentleman¡± I answered.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    I had kissed her before , I knew the taste and feel of her lips against mine. But it¡¯d feel different if she kissed me . I wanted to feel it, my heart fluttering as her lips brushed against mine. I could never get enough of her. She tried to change the topic but I wasn¡¯t going to miss that kiss. I held her hand and said persuasively ¡°a peck?¡±


    She seemed to give it a thought and concluded that it was not bad. If she only knew what I had up my sleeves.


    I pointed to my cheek to direct her and as she came closer to give me a peck,  I turned her and our lips met. Her lips were so silky,  it tasted like butter and cream. I wish we could lock lips deeply,  maybe a deep tongue kiss-I felt my cock rise as I thought about all the romantic things I could do with her.


    She withdrew quickly and lowered her gaze shyly.


    ¡°That felt good¡± Imented smugly


    When we eventually sat down to eat,  I asked about her bucket list and she requested for her sisters to sleep over. I was so angry that she was at it again, she wouldn¡¯t request something that rtes to having fun with me-her parents,  her sister,  every fucking time! We got into a word fight and I walked out on her angrily leaving breakfast.


    Valerie¡¯s POV


    ¡°Has Carson left already?¡± I asked anxiously as I walked out of the bathroom to see J serving lunch in my room.


    ¡°Yes,  Valerie¡±. She replied. I felt a chill down my spine and remorse caressing my chin,  I tried to hide the disappointment on my face put it was too obvious to be hidden. I had no right to be disappointed,  I pushed him away-no!  no!  Why didn¡¯t he persist?  Why didn¡¯t he wait until I was over my anger then tell me about his trip before going? My thoughts were appearing as reactions on my face until I finally spoke out.


    ¡°Wait,  he left without saying goodbye? He didn¡¯t even where he was going to?¡± I blurted to J. She poured me some juice in a ss cup as I got dressed and handed it to me.


    ¡°You sound like his woman right now¡±


    ¡°Am I not?¡±


    ¡°Oh wow,  look who agrees to being Carson¡¯s woman for the first time¡± She teased,ughing in between her words. I was too hurt and displeased to banter words with her.


    ¡°I¡¯m not joking, J!¡±


    ¡°Okay,  since he just gave you a phone. Why not go ahead and call him?¡± She suggested


    ¡°No, never!  I would not call Carson first.  He¡¯s going to think I missed him¡± I protested as I walked to my bed where lunch was served.

 Chapter 56

    Valerie¡¯s POVText ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Has Carson left already?¡± I asked anxiously as I walked out of the bathroom to see J serving lunch in my room.


    ¡°Yes,  Valerie¡±. She replied. I felt a chill down my spine and remorse caressing my chin,  I tried to hide the disappointment on my face but it was too obvious to be hidden. I had no right to be disappointed,  I pushed him away-no!  no!  Why didn¡¯t he persist?  Why didn¡¯t he wait until I was over my anger and then tell me about his trip before going? My thoughts were appearing as reactions on my face until I finally spoke out.


    ¡°Wait,  he left without saying goodbye? He didn¡¯t even tell me where he was going to¡± I blurted to J. She poured me some juice in a ss cup as I got dressed and handed it to me.


    ¡°You sound like his woman right now¡±


    ¡°Am I not?¡±


    ¡°Oh wow,  look who agrees to being Carson¡¯s woman for the first time¡± She teased,ughing in between her words. I was too hurt and displeased to banter words with her.


    ¡°I¡¯m not joking, J!¡±


    ¡°Okay,  since he just gave you a phone. Why not go ahead and call him?¡± She suggested


    ¡°No, never!  I would not call Carson first.  He¡¯s going to think I missed him¡± I protested as I walked to my bed where lunch was served.


    She didn¡¯t utter a word,  she just smiled and handed me my food.


    ¡°Lest I forget,  I overheard Carson giving the order to allow your siblings toe sleepover¡± She informed


    ¡°He did?¡± I almost jumped up in excitement before I remembered I was still upset with him.


    ¡°Yes,  he did. So you can call them toe over and thank him over the phone. You have a reason to call him now¡±


    I ignored her and continued eating. Throughout the day I was battling with mixed emotions,  It wasn¡¯t the first time Carson was away from home on a trip but there was a haggle of emotions in my chest.


    I picked up my phone and started saving some contacts I could remember by heart. Carson had saved him already,  I remembered Dad¡¯s number and Carmen¡¯s.


    ¡°It¡¯s time for your favorite show on TV, ¡°Business Pitch Desk¡±. J yelled from the door,  as she peeped through the small space she opened


    ¡°Alright,  thanks¡± I replied indifferently. I wasn¡¯t in the mood to watch any show. I decided to call Carmen, herpany coulde in handy now.


    ¡°Hello, Carmen! It¡¯s Valerie. How are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Hey Valerie! You got a phone?¡± She screamed over the phone.


    ¡°Yeaah,  Carson gifted me a phone,¡± I replied with excitement.


    ¡°Wow!  Congrattions baby girl¡±


    ¡°Yea,  I would love you and Gwen toe spend some days with me. Carson gave me permission to invite you guys for a sleepover.¡±


    ¡°I would really love to but¡­


    ¡°I¡¯de to spend some days, Val!¡± Gwen cut in before Carmen could finish. I was quiet,  I would have preferred both of them or just Carmen but Gwen? She could be groggy and annoying sometimes. She was too materialistic to be alone with me for days-she¡¯d fantasize over every single property in this house.


    Carmen is my conscience and calm while Gwen is my alertness and greed. I hurried out of the room to ask the maids to prepare the guest room, they were already fixing dinner so there was no need to request.


    I went back to my room and changed into a short flowery gown,  J walked in and saw me getting dressed.


    ¡°Why does this feel like a deja vu?¡± She gave a puzzled look. I turned to her and smiled.


    ¡°Gwen ising here and I don¡¯t want to look all gloom and doom to her,  so how do I look?¡± I asked with a big smile.


    ¡°You look good, let me help you with your hair¡± She offered. I sat down in front of the mirror and watched her pack my hair into a simple bun,  she ced a flowery headband on my hair.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think this is a bit too much?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, you are Mr Carson¡¯s beautiful princess and your sister should see you as such¡±


    ¡°It is not like I¡¯m trying to show off though,  I just don¡¯t want to look shabby. Gwen can be very criticizing¡±


    ¡°I know right? I saw her expression the other day when I called you by your name¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not a bad person though.¡±


    J was quiet, perhaps she disagrees with myment. Does she think Gwen is a bad person? She only met her once,  it¡¯d be wrong for her to conclude. There was a moment of silence between us as she fixed my brows and rubbed some lip gloss on my lips.


    ¡°You¡¯re such a beautifuldy Valerie¡± Sheplimented as she stood behind me starting at my image in the mirror.


    ¡°Thanks J,  you are such a sweet person. You make me forget my pain¡±


    ¡°You are wee Valerie¡±


    ¡°By the way,  has Carson called to inform that he has gotten to his destination?¡±


    ¡°No,  he hasn¡¯t. Me Carson never calls to inform us of his whereabouts. Benson only calls on his arrival day to inform us what to cook for him¡±


    ¡°Where did he even travel to?¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know Valerie,  how about you just call him if you are so worried¡±


    ¡°Why do you keep insisting I call him. I¡¯the woman,  he should call me first as a gentle man¡±


    ¡°No,  he¡¯s the one on a trip. You should be the one checking up on him¡±


    I walked up to my bed,  sat down and started pressing my phone. She was always so defensive of Carson like he pays her extra money to take his side. To think that Carson almost dealt with her because he thought she poisoned me yet she didn¡¯t hate him but she met Gwen just one day and she thinks she¡¯s a bad person.


    ¡°Hello! herees the sister to the queen¡± Gwen called out as she entered the living room.

 Chapter 57

    Valerie¡¯s POV


    ¡°I think your sister is here already¡± J announced. I jostled out of my room to meet Gwen downstairs. She was alone,  I was really hoping Carmen was going to show up with her.  But why was Gwen holding two big suitcases like she was packing into my house finally?- Did I just call Carson¡¯s house my house? Gosh! My pronouns are failing me.


    ¡°Who do we have here?¡± Gwenmented with a smile as I threw myself around her in a big hug.


    ¡°I¡¯ve missed you,  how is Carmen? Why didn¡¯t shee along¡± I wrapped my hands under my breasts with a pout on my face.


    ¡°She said she¡¯de check up on you anytime she¡¯s free but she can¡¯t spend some days because her workce is far from here¡±


    ¡°Ohh,  I forgot.  I really wish we could all sit down as 3 sisters and gist about life like we used to. By the way, why are you carrying two big suitcases like you¡¯reing to spend your entire life here?¡±


    ¡°What? Do you want to go back home already¡± She blurted angrily


    ¡°This is not the right ce to get feisty. Carson will being in a few days time and you¡¯d leave when hees because he¡¯s notfortable with people in his house¡±


    ¡°Why do I feel like you are the one who wants me to leave because look around. There are many workers in his house yet he isfortable so why will I be any different?¡±


    ¡°Take or leave it,  he angrily permitted me to invite you guys for a sleepover.  So we are keeping to the rules¡± I instructed firmly before ordering one of the the maids to take her suitcase to the guest room.


    ¡°Queen of Carson¡¯s empire. You¡¯re living the life girl!¡± She praised.


    We followed the maid behind to the guest room. It was a well-furnished room,  just a little bit smaller than mine. The walls were painted white and decorated with 3 beautiful pieces of artwork.


    ¡°Wow,  this looks beautiful¡± She rejoiced as she threw herself on the bed with excitement


    ¡°I know right. Thank you Benita,  you can go. Tell J to serve dinner¡± I ordered the maid before she left the room.


    ¡°Look at that artwork,  it looks like this floral gown your wore and that princess crown on your head¡± Gwen pointed to one of the artwork-it was a painting of ady covered in floral prints with only her beautiful eyes revealed.


    I chuckled at Gwen¡¯sparism before walking to the bathroom to run a warm bath for her.


    ¡°Go have your bath ande have dinner, we have a lot to talk about afterward¡± I gestured to the bathroom and smiled at her before leaving the room.


    I got to the dining and everything was all set. J walked in on me, ¡°You like?¡± she asked


    ¡°I love! You did a nice job setting this up professionally. You even ced the wine she requested the other day on the table for her¡±


    ¡°Yea, everything all nice and good¡± She smiled at me


    ¡°It¡¯s just my sister though,  you don¡¯t have to be so fastidious about serving her¡±


    ¡°Yea, whatever you say Valerie¡±She replied sarcastically


    I chuckled, picked up a bottle of wine and poured a little in my cup. I sipped, ¡°This tastes really good. Gwen was right¡± I licked my lips in satisfaction. ¡°Have a taste¡±I passed the ss to J,  she shrugged it was the first time I was inviting her to drink from the same cup with me. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to actually doing that no matter how close we¡¯ve gotten.


    ¡°Take this,  I¡¯m the one offering you. Okay?¡± She collected reluctantly and whispered a thank you to me. She sipped and agreed it was a great wine.


    ¡°What did I miss?¡± Gwen asked from across the room as she walked towards us. J handed the ss of wine to me and excused herself quickly.


    ¡°That was really fast,  I thought you were going to take longer than that.  The Gwen that like to soak his skin in a warm bath,  afterwards apply all her facial creams because she us a beauty goddess¡±


    ¡°You are the beauty goddess here,  I¡¯m only the goddess¡¯ sister¡±.  We bothughed at her statement and sat down to eat.


    ¡°This looks good,  I can¡¯t wait to devour because I¡¯m starving¡±


    ¡°Have you forfeited your body goals?¡±


    ¡°Oh please!¡± she served herself and started eating.


    There was a moment of silence before Gwen broke it with her question, ¡°So Carson got you a phone?¡±


    ¡°Yea,  he got me an Iphone,  he said I should call him as frequently as I miss him but I haven¡¯t called him since he travelled¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t miss him?¡±Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know Gwen. I¡¯m just angry with him¡±


    ¡°By the way,  have you called Andrew?¡±


    ¡°No! I don¡¯t think I can do that. Carson might be tracking my phone. He¡¯d kill me if I call another man¡±


    ¡°Carson is not here now, he¡¯s in a business trip. He is too busy to be paying attention to who you call. Let¡¯s finish dinner,  go upstairs and make a good n to get you back with the love of your life¡±


    We finished dinner in no time and hurried upstairs to my room. I showed Gwen my new phone,  she brought out hers and typed in Andrew¡¯s number. ¡°You can write out the number somewhere if you don¡¯t want to save it. Just inform Andrew that he can reach you through this number now so you guys can talk in the night or anytime Carson travels¡± Gwen exined


    ¡°I¡¯m scared Gwen,  if Carson ever finds out. He wouldn¡¯t spare Andrew¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the worst he can do? He¡¯d realize you love someone else and let you go¡±. I was mute, Carson was way to dangerous to just let me go if he finds out I¡¯m cheating on him. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to telling Gwen that Carson might just be a killer. I collected my phone from Gwen and called Andrew,  he picked up almost immediately.


    ¡°Hello Andrew!¡± I greeted.

 Chapter 58

    Valerie¡¯s POV


    I don¡¯t know how I feel about calling Andrew,  I should be more excited than I actually am but somehow my emotions are messed up. I don¡¯t know what I feel about anything-I know that I like Andrew and I was getting to know him before Carson came in the picture.


    I dialed Andrew¡¯s number and he picked up almost immediately.


    ¡°Hello Andrew!¡± I greeted in a calm voice


    ¡°Heyy!!¡± He replied quizzically


    ¡°It¡¯s Valerie¡±


    ¡°Ohh,  Valerie. I¡¯ve been calling Gwen to check up on you since that day,  she said she hasn¡¯t been to your ce since then. How have you been?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been good Andrew. Yeah,  it¡¯s been awhile¡±


    ¡°Are you safe? Is Carson around?¡±


    ¡°Yes,  I¡¯m safe and Carson is not around.  He gifted me a phone,  Gwen a around so she gave me your number. By the way,  you can call me on this line in the night so we can talk¡±


    ¡°Is it safe to call you when Carson is around?¡±


    ¡°Carson travelled for business,  so you can call me anytime¡± I informed. That was really bold of me, what if Carson tracks my phone calls and catches me? What if he kills Andrew or me or my parents?


    ¡°I¡¯ve missed you. What have you been up to?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been busy missing you a lot,  it¡¯s so quiet here. I¡¯m all by myself-it¡¯s no fun at all¡±


    ¡°I wish we could meet up and have some fun¡±


    ¡°I wish so too¡±


    Andrew and I spoke at length giggling andughing. Gwen was just watching with a smile. I don¡¯t know why she was rooting for this rtionship so much like she had some gain in it. Gwen has always been mischievous. She left me to continue my chit chat with Andrew when it waste.


    It was an almost perfect night with our conversation. I didn¡¯t realize when I slept off.


    That night, I wish Carson would peck me to bed or would make mey on his firm chest. I imagined Andrew in his ce-it helped me a little.


    I woke up to J¡¯s smile,  I wheezed in her face. My vision was still blur as I straightened on the bed.


    ¡°Hope you slept well?¡± J asked with a big smile


    ¡°J! Why are you in my face so early in the morning?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s 10am already,  your sister asked me to wake you up as she is stepping out¡±


    ¡°Gwen is stepping out?¡± I got up from the bed and entered the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth,  before following J outside.


    ¡°Looks like you slepttest night¡±


    ¡°Yea, I did¡±


    Gwen was already sitting on the dinning eating all the sumptuous dishes before I got there.


    ¡°Princess Valerie,  I¡¯m sorry to disrupt your pretty sleep¡± She teased


    ¡°Why are you all dressed up?¡± I gave a puzzled look as I pulled a chair and sat in the dining


    ¡°Oh,  I didn¡¯t tell you about it. I¡¯m so sorry¡±


    ¡°what is that?¡±


    ¡°I started working in a make up store so soon enough I¡¯d own my makeup brand¡±


    ¡°Oh,  wow I¡¯m so happy for you. You¡¯ve always been a fashion person¡±


    ¡°I know right!¡±


    I sipped some tea and started pressing my phone. Andrew left me a text, ¡°Good morning, sweet girl. Nice talking to you yesterday,  hope you slept well?¡± I smiled as I read his text before typing a reply.


    ¡°I slept well,  you? I slept better after discussing with you¡±


    He replied almost immediately like he was waiting for my reply. This guy is so intentional about me unlike Carson who hasn¡¯t called me for the past 3 days-The things I felt for Andrew we¡¯re probably rekindling already.


    ¡°See you in the evening sis. I¡¯ll leave you to enjoy chatting with the love of your life¡± She whispered thest sentence,  I smiled as I watched her leave.


    J came to the dining as soon as Gwen left like she was peeping the entire time. I was still chatting with Andrew when she sat beside me,  I was giggling at his texts.


    ¡°You look happy¡± Jmented


    ¡°Yes,  I am. Should I not?¡±


    ¡°You were upset yesterday that Carson left without telling you and now you are all happy¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about Carson,  he can go to hell for all I care¡± I yelled angrily


    ¡°That¡¯s a mean thing to say, Mr Carson really loves you¡±


    ¡°Yea yea,  he does. He hasn¡¯t even called me since he travelled. So much pride for a man that loves me¡± I blurted, Andrew and I were still chatting and this conversation with J was just a distraction.


    ¡°Mr Carson called¡± She blurted.  My heart skipped a beat,  I dropped my phone immediately and turned to her.


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°He called this morning to ask about our welfare,  he said about you. I think it was basically to ask about you¡± She narrated


    ¡°So why wouldn¡¯t he just call me directly?¡±


    ¡°Mr Carson loves you but he still has his pride. He was angry at yourment before he left so he wouldn¡¯t want to call you first but because he misses you,  he called to check up on you secretly.¡± She exined further.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Why do you defend him so much?  You shouldn¡¯t have told me in the first ce¡± I replied angrily before picking my phone and walking off to my room.


    I started pacing up and down contemting whether to call Carson or not. Am I really the bad person here? Should I just call him and apologize? Does he really miss me?


    I was still pondering on what to do when my phone buzzed. It was a video call with Andrew,  I quickly applied some lip gloss and packed my hair into a neat pony tail before picking up the call.


    There he was with a button up shirt buttoned halfway up revealing his chest,  his physique was giving. I was so lost, I didn¡¯t notice I was biting my lower lips seductively.


    ¡°Hey Valerie!¡± His hoarse voice rang through the phone to my ear,  I felt my body vibrate before jerking back to reality.


    ¡°Andrew, so good to see you. You look better than ever¡±


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