《Billionaire Daredevil In Love》


 Chapter 1

    Nadine.


    I shut my eyes for the second time since the call began.


    My phone was ced on the kitchen counter, while I used a knife on some vegetables. Preparing dinner just before my shift had to be the most aggravating thing ever.


    ¡°Are you even listening to me?¡± Naomi asked.


    ¡°Of course, I am!¡± I yelled from where I stood.


    ¡°Sh*t. Just a minute!¡±


    I stood on my toes and tried to reach for the jam on top of the shelf.


    The kitchte was small, but I couldn¡¯t me anyone. It was all I could afford, and since I¡¯ve been saving for a better future, I have to manage this.


    ¡°You know what?¡± Naomi said. ¡°Just do your thing, and I¡¯ll see youter at work.¡±


    ¡°Uh- okay. I¡¯ll be there soon.¡± I turned to look at the screen, and my lips twitched.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Naomi, I¡¯ll be there in-¡±


    The call ended before I could say anything else, and I exhaled audibly. There was so much to do and very little time.


    Naomi knew how upied I was, so she kept her stories forter. I have no idea what exactly she wanted to say, but I knew it had to be one of her club stories.


    Despite not being able to stand people, Naomi is the closest person to me. She makes my stay at the club bearable and less stressful.


    I wouldn¡¯t say she¡¯s my best friend cause the word feels weird. I¡¯ll say she¡¯s the closest person to me after my sister, Anna.


    ¡°Oh sh*t,¡± I blurted and turned to the pot when I realized my food was already burning.


    I tried to wave the smoke off and just tossed the pan away.


    When I finished with that, I changed the pan and started again. This was the most annoying part of having a sibling.


    You wouldn¡¯t be able to do things without considering them, and again, you have to make them dinner even if it means goingte to work.


    I¡¯ve had this job for only a few weeks and couldn¡¯t afford to lose it. Not yet, and not when I have a bunch of bills to take care of and a teenage sister who keeps asking for cash.


    I checked my phone screen to see the time and calcted the minutes I had left.


    I had barely forty minutes before my shift, and I was making dinner. I still had to take my bath and get my bag packed.


    ¡°Here smells nice!¡±


    Of course, it scented nice. I rolled my eyes and continued cooking.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Hi, sis,¡± Anna said, and a small smile tugged on her lips.


    ¡°Hey. How are you?¡± I asked and loomed in her direction.


    She dropped her backpack and fell to the dining table. ¡°Tired and starving. What¡¯s for dinner?¡±


    ¡°Whatever you make,¡± I blurted.


    ¡°Ourgh!! Nadine,¡± she dragged. ¡°I swear I¡¯m starving.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m runningte,¡± I told her. ¡°Come and have this, it¡¯s yours.¡±


    Her brows flickered, and she jumped up in happiness. ¡°You¡¯re the best sister ever!!¡±


    I tried to wriggle out of her hug and took off the apron. I ced it on the table and used my hands to trace my hair.


    I tried arranging my red hair, but the strands kept slipping off my hands.


    Anna Moore looked like she has been starved all her life, and she hastily took a bite from her te of food.


    When she raised her head to look at me, a furrow appeared on her forehead.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked. ¡°Why are you staring at me like that?¡±


    She chewed gently and paused. ¡°You look weird. Like awful, but a bath can solve that. Uh- a perfume too.¡±


    ¡°You are a f*ck*ng piece of sh*t,¡± Iughed.


    ¡°d you got the joke,¡± she chuckled and returned to her food.


    I smiled and turned away. ¡°I¡¯ll just have my bath and get ready for work. I¡¯m working all night so don¡¯t expect me.¡±


    ¡°I hate it when you work all night,¡± Anna admitted.


    ¡°Yeah, me too. I have to be around annoying proud people, and I hate it so much.¡±


    After my shower, I felt good. A sudden sensation coursed through me, and I felt fresh.


    I grabbed my usual T-shirt from the wardrobe and jumped up while wearing my skinny jeans.


    Everything was going as nned till I couldn¡¯t find my shoes. There was no way I¡¯d go to work wearing a pair of slippers, so I crouched to the floor and tried to find it.


    ¡°Here you are,¡± I scoffed and stretched to bring the shoe from beneath the bed.


    I used the wet rag to clean it and slid my legs into it.


    Looking at my reflection in the mirror, I turned slightly to the left and packed my hair into a ponytail.


    My hazel eyes looked beautiful as always, but I needed to get the perfect look.


    There was nothing more perfect than owning an eyeliner and being able to use it whenever.


    I lined my eyes carefully till I got the desired arc. My mouth opened slightly, and I used my fingers to clean the excesses.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ruin this,¡± I told myself and used a wipe instead.


    ¡°You¡¯re runningte!¡± Anna Moore¡¯s voice yelled from the dining area.


    She was only seventeen, but she sounded so mature, and you¡¯d mistake her for my age.


    Well, the only difference was that she still depends on me for necessities and that is very okay.


    Anna is my only sister, and I tried my best to cater to her needs.


    ¡°I¡¯ming!¡± I responded and reached for my bag.


    It wasn¡¯t a fancy bag, just some shopping bag big enough to contain my cup of coffee, my next read, and of course, my clothes.


    I dashed out and met Anna standing by the doorway. She was looking at the screen of a phone.


    I looked closer, and it was my phone.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± I asked when she kept looking nkly.


    ¡°Look,¡± she said softly and turned the phone to me.


    My heart sank.


    ANOTHER REJECTION!

 Chapter 2

    yton


    My eyes crinkle at the edges as I scowled.


    I dropped the ss of bourbon on the b and turned to face my brother.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good idea, yton. It¡¯s just an investment.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not,¡± I fired. ¡°You don¡¯t expect me to invest in the samepany that stole from me. I hate liars, Enzo. I hate them so fucking much.¡±


    He exhaled and turned to the other side.


    This conversation was only pissing me off, but it was better we have it now.


    Thepany Enzo wants us to invest in scammed me of 16 million dors and got away with it because there was no trace.


    I did my investigations and found out, but I had no genuine evidence so I couldn¡¯t sue them.


    ¡°It¡¯s ridiculous if you don¡¯t see how you can recover by investing in this business.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s ridiculous is how you think I should invest again. Come on man, what do you think this is? A game or what? I work hard for my money, and I don¡¯t -¡± I paused when I realized how high my voice was.


    Being a self-made billionaire made me conscious of the investments and profits made.


    Enzo didn¡¯t care about that. He just wanted to create an avenue where he could squander my money without giving me an ount.


    He must think I am just a rich asshole who thinks so great of himself, and he¡¯s not-C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡°yton, you¡¯re a sick egomaniac,¡± he blurted, pointing his finger at me.


    Well, he took the words out of my mouth because I was just about to exin how he was not wrong.


    A lot of people see me from that perspective, and that¡¯s okay. I love the satisfaction on their faces when they realize who I am.


    Enzo walked out, and I stared at the space sipping my ss of bourbon.


    He¡¯s my older brother but acts like a child and not someone three years older.


    I became a billionaire and the CEO of four different applications in twenty countries, and at age 35, there¡¯s not a single magazine that I haven¡¯t been featured on.


    It felt good.


    The money. Fame. Sexydies, and the fear that came with it.


    I wouldn¡¯t call it respect because people are more concerned about what I¡¯d do to them if they dared me, than the amount of respect that should be orded.


    ¡°Excuse me, sir-¡±


    I turned in the direction of my bodyguard and raised my brow.


    ¡°There¡¯s ady outside. She¡¯s waiting to see you.¡±


    ¡°Send her away.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°I said, send her away.¡±


    I didn¡¯t have to know who it was. I¡¯ve had a couple of one-night stands to know thesedies.


    They alwayse back for more, and it¡¯s deadlier if you let them.


    Thest woman that followed me home had me interested in her, but the moment she made me cum, I felt a sudden irritation.


    I could get whoever I wanted, and that was not a problem.


    My phone buzzed on the b, and I checked the caller ID.


    TRENT.


    MY BEST PAL.


    He only called thiste when he wanted to say something important.


    I picked the call. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if it is important, but I¡¯m listening.¡±


    ¡°Common yton, just some fun won¡¯t hurt. You¡¯ve had a busy day, and I know someone who can get your cock sucked.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not moved,¡± I announced.


    It wasn¡¯t a new thing to get me fascinated. I¡¯ve had blondes, and different kind of women use their hands gently while sucking my cock.


    ¡°But I¡¯ll give it a try,¡± I added.


    ¡°Club96.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll meet you in fifteen minutes.¡±


    The call ended, and I smirked. Thinking of how pleasurable the night was about to be, I grabbed my keys from the table.


    ¡°Club 96,¡± I told the driver and slid into the warmth of the passenger seat.


    He put the car into reverse and pulled properly onto the road.


    As I stepped down from the car, I could hear loud music from the club. I strode inside looking like a damn snack.


    ¡°Hi, sir! Wee to Club96.¡±


    I looked at thedy standing in front of me, and I could tell she felt embarrassed.


    Not because she was bad-looking or shit but because of the way I looked at her which wasn¡¯t receptive.


    I nced up and saw Trent approaching the table. He had a smile tugged on his lips, and his short, brown hair glistened with dew under the artificial lights.


    ¡°Good to see you, man,¡± he grinned and took the seat opposite me.


    ¡°You look sort of pissed.¡±


    Trent knew me better than anyone ever did, and he knew each of my expressions and their meaning.


    We¡¯ve been friends for twenty years, and there has never been a day where he did not attempt to read my expression.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± I admitted and turned to the barman. ¡°Vodka.¡±


    I turned back to him, and his brows were raised.


    ¡°What happened this time, your mom?¡±


    ¡°Hell no.¡±


    Well, that response only came out because my mom had nothing to do with Enzo¡¯s greed.


    ¡°I mean ¨C no. It¡¯s not her this time, it¡¯s Enzo.¡±


    ¡°What does he want?¡± Trent asked.


    ¡°He wants me to invest again.¡± I took the ss from the tray and gulped a shot.


    I opened my mouth slightly and gestured for the barman to fill in the ss again.


    ¡°That¡¯s insane!¡± Trent said. ¡°Does he not have a life outside squandering money?¡±


    I raised my shoulder in response. ¡°Enough about Enzo. I need to feel relieved.¡±


    ¡°I know that, and that¡¯s why we¡¯re here.¡± He looked around and then smirked. ¡°There she is.¡±


    I followed his direction and turned my head, but a voice interrupted before I could see her.


    ¡°Excuse me!¡± She spoke. ¡°The boss has asked me to send in your orders. Do you want anything?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t drink,¡± I blurted without looking at her. I wanted to get this over with as soon as possible and see thedy Trent was showing me.


    ¡°But-¡±


    Pissed, I raised my head only to find the most captivating hazel eyes staring at me.

 Chapter 3

    Nadine.


    There was nothing worse than having a mood swing right before you get to work.


    Anna was ying a game when she saw it- the rejection mail.


    I¡¯ve always tried to make ends meet by doing many things simultaneously.


    I sent an application to an art gallery in Spokane to have some of my works exhibited, but again, it got rejected.


    I changed into the T-shirt that had waiter inscribed on it and pushed my shirt into my bag.


    ¡°Finally,¡± Naomi scoffed. ¡°I was scared I was going to lie again.¡±


    ¡°Ourgh, no.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t going to lie to me today. She usually did that whenever the Boss asked, and I wasn¡¯t at work yet.


    ¡°I lied that you are busy serving a customer, you know how brutal boss can be¡± she sighs.


    ¡°Thanks, Naomi¡± I smiled and picked up a tray.


    This was a phase, and I could handle rejection a second time.


    ¡°Are you good?¡±


    I nudged the strand of my red hair out of my face and exhaled. ¡°Yeah- I¡¯m fine.¡±


    I tried to smile, but it was so fake, and I just got irritated.


    ¡°Did something happen at home?¡±


    ¡°No. Why?¡±


    ¡°Cause you look uh- I don¡¯t know the word, but you don¡¯t look okay.¡±


    I chuckled lightly. ¡°I guess it¡¯s a good thing that you can¡¯t ce the word.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s frustrating. You¡¯re difficult to read, and that¡¯s the problem.¡±


    ¡°Oh shit. Can we stop talking about me and talk about the story? The one we couldn¡¯t talk over the phone.¡±


    ¡°Here is not the best ce to talk about it either.¡±


    ¡°Naomi.¡±


    Sheughed. ¡°Oh, you like my gossips, huh?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t going to deny it. I did love her stories and the feelings that came with them.


    They made me curious and amused and sometimes I just felt bad for her on how she knows everyone¡¯s business.


    What she goes through to get these gossips before anyone does.


    I wish I could be like her. Tell stories to ease my pain but the stories I had were depressing as fuck, and the only exciting story I had could get me into trouble if anyone heard it.


    The big men appear during the weekends to have a ss of expensive drinks. Drinks that could pay Anna Moore¡¯s tuition and give me some regr cash.


    I¡¯ve been hell broke since I lost my online job and with the rejections of my artwork.


    The only pay I am surviving on is the sry from the club, and of course, the little money I make from these men.


    It was simple.


    Get them to believe I¡¯m going to pleasure them and have them drugged.


    Just a little amount incapable of killing them. I can¡¯t imagine going to jail for murder and leaving Anna Moore to be without a family.


    It¡¯s a fraud, and I can get caught for it, but at this point, I dont care.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that nice?¡± Naomi¡¯s voice asked, and I realized how lost I was.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I blurted trying to hide the fact that I wasn¡¯t following her story.


    ¡°Oh my god!¡± She scowled. ¡°You¡¯re not listening.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°Okay, I need your help.¡±


    ¡°With what?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Can you find out who is lodging at the VIP suite tonight?¡±


    ¡°Nadine! How am I-¡±


    ¡°Please. I know you have ess to it.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± She turned away, and after maneuvering the system, she turned back to me.


    ¡°yton Ro. A fucking rich business tycoon.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I responded and gave her a small smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ ¡®ll leave you to work your shift now.¡± She reached for her bag, and I frowned.


    ¡°Just wait a little longer,¡± I told her. I needed her to get this done.


    I usually knew my next target from this time, so it¡¯d be easier to keep up with them and get my task done.


    ¡°Ladies,¡± a voice called, and it was the Boss.


    ¡°There¡¯s a room in the suite that needs a drink, go there quickly.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sure. I got it.¡±


    I looked at the paper and a small smile crept on my lips.


    It was the suite, yton¡¯s suite.


    All I needed was a means to carry out this damn n of mine.


    I got the drink and headed to the room. I knocked gently. ¡°Customer Service.¡±


    The lighting was dim and silver walls shed at my face in a midnight-blue flicker.


    I swallowed hard as I strode inside and gently dropped the order on a side table.


    He wasn¡¯t inside the room and I could tell he would be out for only a moment. Who the hell leaves their door open after making an order?


    As I lowered the drink, my eyes caught the briefcase on the bed.


    ¡°Oh, my god.¡±


    It was opened and stacked with dors. I looked around, and there was no sight of him so I tiptoed closer.


    If I took a few bucks, there was no way he¡¯d notice and that way, I didn¡¯t even have to go ahead with seducing or doing shit.


    I took the first ton of cash and slid it into my dress. I took the second and when I figured that would be enough to get away with, I reached for the briefcase to adjust it the way I saw it.


    ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡± A voice asked and I froze.


    GOD NO!


    ¡°Are you deaf?¡± His hoarse voice asked again, but I was still panting hard and unable to turn to face him.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    The consequences of my actions shed in my eyes, and I felt so hopeless.


    ¡°I¡¯ll lock you up and-¡±


    I turned to face him immediately. ¡°Please, no. I¡¯m only a waitress here and-¡±


    His gaze shone at the sight of me, like he recognize me from somewhere.


    ¡°A thief? Nobody steals from me bitch!¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t report me, I¡¯ll do whatever you want. Please, I¡¯ll lose my job if you do.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about you or your fucking job. You stole from me and I¡¯ll make sure you suffer for that.¡±


    ¡°Please, sir. I- I can¡¯t afford -¡±


    ¡°Of course can¡¯t afford shit,¡± he cussed. ¡°I¡¯ll let you go on one condition.¡±


    My eyes lit up.


    ¡± Warm my bed for the night, you slut.¡±

 Chapter 4

    Nadine.


    ¡°What?¡±


    A scowl appeared on my face, and I paused for a moment.


    ¡°I said-¡±


    ¡°I fucking heard what you said,¡± I blurted. ¡°And I will not do it.¡±


    My hazel eyes looked around in disbelief. I shoved out the tons of cash I had in my dress. ¡°Here¡¯s your money, all of it.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t change the fact that you stole it,¡± he reminded me.


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± I asked, taking a step forward, my eyes hardened in disgust. ¡°Report me to my boss or what? Lock me up?¡± I paused and took a deep breath. ¡°I don¡¯t give a fuck. Thest thing I¡¯ll do is let you touch me.¡±


    His coffee-brown hair fell to his sides, and the way he narrowed his eyes made me step back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t dare me,¡± he warned, but I walked out before he could say another word.


    When I reached the door, I pulled it open.


    ¡°Your job is in my hands,¡± he threatened, but I didn¡¯t look back.


    I hurriedly left the room and ran to the counter where Naomi was. By the time I got there, I was panting hard.


    ¡°Nadine?¡± She called. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened to you?¡±


    I kept turning back to see if he was after me, and I couldn¡¯t stop the breathing pattern.


    ¡°I¡¯m in trouble, Naomi.¡±


    That was all I managed to say, but she kept asking for more details. This wasn¡¯t how I nned to reveal this to her, but I couldn¡¯t keep it to myself any longer.


    ¡°yton Ro,¡± I whispered. ¡°He¡¯s after me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it. How?¡±


    I breathed out. ¡°I took his money, he caught me and-¡±


    ¡°Holy shit,¡± she cussed. ¡°Nobody steals from yton.¡±


    I scoffed.


    ¡°How the fuck am I supposed to know that? He¡¯s threatening that I¡¯ll lose my job if I don¡¯t sleep with him.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. He¡¯s such a fucking-¡±


    Her hands reached mine and squeezed it gently. ¡°What are you going to do now?¡± She asked.


    I rubbed my head which was about to explode.


    How did I get into such a mess?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do, but I can¡¯t afford to lose my job. It¡¯s everything I have, if I lose it, I¡¯ll never be able to fulfill my dreams. Anna Moore won¡¯t have a life either.¡±


    ¡°You have to save your job then.¡±


    ¡°But how? He¡¯s friends with the Boss. Just a word and I¡¯ll be sacked.¡±


    ¡°The only way out is to do what he has asked. Sleep with him Nadine, it¡¯s just for a night.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t believe this was the advice I was getting from my friend. I swallowed the lump in my throat as I thought of all the things that would happen if I lose my job.


    ¡°Sleep with him?¡±


    ¡°Of course, you are not a virgin, we all fuck¡±


    I swallowed hard.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± I muttered and looked at her. ¡°I will. But I don¡¯t know how to reach him- I think he has left the hotel.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll check for his details and give you his card.¡±


    She turned to the system, and her fingers tapped on the system repeatedly.


    ¡°Here,¡± she said. ¡°Please be safe and know you¡¯re doing this for a reason.¡±


    I gave a nod and left.


    * * *


    When I dialed the number, it went to voicemail at first.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    I dropped the phone for a second and thought about this. I had no option so I called him again, and this time he picked up.


    ¡°Meet me at Club Pavilion by 11.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    The call ended before I could protest how far the distance was.


    I stared at the card and realized it was one of his investments, and it was closer to his workce.


    When I got there, his sultry eyes looked at me, and a smirk appeared on his face.


    ¡°You sounded too fierce to ept this,¡± he mocked.


    I swallowed hard but didn¡¯t utter a word.


    ¡°Here, have a drink or two.¡±


    I took the ss from him and drank. I started feeling tipsy, but it was okay. It was the only way I coulde to terms with a stranger touching my body.


    Thest thing I could remember before passing out was my hands on his shoulder being led to the bedroom.


    * * *


    The midnight sun flickered against my eyes, and I turned them open. For a second, I was unaware of my environment till it dawned on me.


    I quickly took the nket away from my body, but I realized I was still wearing my shirt fromst night.


    I nced at a nearby table, and there was a ton of cash there.


    Confused, I swallowed hard and reached for the note beside the bed.


    LEAVE WHEN YOU¡¯RE UP.


    A wave of anger swept through me, I squeezed the paper just the way my ego was being tortured.


    I felt humiliated on the spot. What the hell was this? Did I look like someone he could pay off or buy?


    I quickly stood up and sprawled out. I wasn¡¯t sure of the directions, but I needed to see him.


    I got a cab and read out the address of his office. I paid the driver some bucks and angrily walked into the building.


    ¡°Good day ma, how may I help you?¡± Ady asked looking over herputer.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to see yton.¡±


    ¡°Oh, do you have an appointment?¡±


    ¡°What fucking appointment?¡± I cussed. ¡°Listen, I need you to get me yton, or I¡¯ll make you regret dying me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Ma¡¯am, but we have orders.¡±


    ¡°To hell with your orders!¡± I yelled and hit the table. ¡°Get yton here, or I¡¯ll go in and there¡¯s nothing you can do about it.¡±


    ¡°Stop it! You can¡¯t go in,¡± she said in an attempt to calm me, but I was fucking pissed.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± yton asked as he walked out of his office.


    ¡°Sir, it¡¯s this youngdy.¡±


    ¡°You fucking bastard!¡± I yelled and walked closer to him.


    I hit him hard across his face before he could say anything.


    A loud gasp erupted from behind.


    ¡°You¡¯re a fucking piece of shit,¡± I threw the cash on his face and stormed out of the building with a content heart.

 Chapter 5

    yton.


    ¡°Bullshit!¡±


    I threw the keys to the wall.


    The white wall was a reflection of how calm I liked things to be.


    I enjoyed having everything work in line with what I wanted, but now, it wasn¡¯t so.


    I couldn¡¯t bring myself toprehend what just happened.


    Someone dared to make me look like a fool, and that angered me.


    How the hell did shee to my office to humiliate me?


    Yesterday has to be added as the worst day of my life because I felt humiliated beyond words.


    I sat down on the couch and took a sip from the ss of vodka. Drinking was my way of handling the anger and frustration I felt.


    ¡°Man, we¡¯ve got a problem,¡± Trent said as he walked in. ¡°A fucking problem.¡±


    His beard was neatly shaved, and I could see the worried expression on his face as he muttered those words.


    Trent was the only person who knew exactly how my ego was bruised. He walked closer to me and handed me his phone.


    I looked at the screen and yed the video.


    ¡°The video is all over the inte.¡±


    The ss slipped through my hands and shattered into pieces.


    FUCK!C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    I stared at the images which yed all over and over again.


    ¡°It¡¯s trending yton, she does get nerves.¡±


    ¡°What the hell! What happens to my reputation?¡±


    I sprawled to my feet, picked up another empty ss, and hurled it to the wall in anger.


    My hands tightened in a fist.


    ¡°What are you going to do now?¡± Trent asked.


    ¡°Send the boys to me, I have a kitty to deal with.¡±


    * * *


    Nadine¡¯s POV


    I¡¯m not sure how to react afterst night, but the boss was yet to sack me, so I guess that¡¯s good news.


    I mixed the cocktail while waiting for anyone to call and give me the bad news.


    A part of me knew I wouldn¡¯t go scot-free with what I just did. I humiliated him, but he did first and not everyone takes things easy.


    I raised my head to thedy approaching the table and wore a small smile.


    ¡°Good day, ma¡¯am. What can I offer you?¡±


    ¡°Your fucking ears, bitch.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I asked with a furrow appearing on my forehead. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Natasha, yton¡¯s girlfriend. I need you to stay the fuck away from my man or I¡¯ll mess you up.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± I said. ¡°I think you¡¯re mistaken cause I¡¯m not in any form of rtionship with your boyfriend.¡±


    ¡°Tell that to the media. I¡¯m just warning you to fuck off, low life.¡±


    She walked away, and I just stood there. I got back to work without any word. Soon, Naomi came for her shift, I grabbed my jacket and my bag.


    ¡°Common girl!¡± Naomi said. ¡°You don¡¯t have to leave so quick.¡±


    ¡°I know, but I have something really important to do.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± she scoffed. ¡°Take care then.¡±


    I gave a nod and walked out of the building.


    I took the easiest route since I was going to drop by to see Anna. She¡¯s been at her friend¡¯s ce, and I just thought it would be better to pick her up first.


    I continued walking by the sidewalk with my earphone seated properly on my ears.


    I¡¯m not sure what happened, but in a split second, I felt blind.


    I used my eyes to block the shlight from the cars, but I realized they weren¡¯t moving.


    Instead, two men came down from the car and walked toward me.


    ¡°Do I know you?¡±


    Before I could utter another word, one of the men yanked me from behind.


    ¡°Let me go!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare,¡± he threatened and pushed me into the car.


    ¡°Stop! Please stop!¡±


    ¡°Keep quiet, or I¡¯ll be forced to blow off your head!.¡±


    He ced a gag in my mouth, but I kept struggling to get out of his hold.


    ¡°Hmm!!¡± I tried screaming against the gag, but all my effort was futile.


    I had no idea where the car was heading, but I knew we had passed a lot of buildings.


    ¡°Get her out!¡± one of the men ordered, and I was dragged out of the car.


    I started breathing fast because I was scared for my life and what would happen to Anna.


    I got led to a fucking penthouse with expensive designs andyouts.


    ¡°This way.¡±


    I shook my head, and my hair fell to my sides. The strands fell on my face, and my eyeliner looked trudged like I was shit.


    I didn¡¯t care about my look. I just wanted to get over everything happening.


    It happened so fast, and now my life was shing in my very eyes.


    I looked around, all the men had a simr look. Huge, fierce, and nonchnt.


    Who could be doing this to- fuck?


    My jaw dropped when I thought of it.


    yton Ro.


    ¡°Mmhmm.¡± I sounded as I tried to break loose from what was holding my hands.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look as fierce as you did when you humiliated me.¡±


    I raised my head immediately, and I was right. It was him, yton Ro.


    ¡°Hgrh!!¡±


    He signaled the men to take off the gag, and they did.


    ¡°Let me go!¡± I begged. ¡°Please let me go. Don¡¯t kill me, please.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly,¡± he chuckled. ¡°I won¡¯t kill you kitty, but I am sorry, I can¡¯t let you go either.¡±


    ¡°What do you want me for?¡± I cried. ¡°I have a sister, I beg you. Don¡¯t kill me, I¡¯m all she has. Please don¡¯t hurt me.¡±


    A deadly grin was stered on his face.


    He dropped the ss of wine on the b and smirked. ¡°I¡¯m not going to hurt you.¡± He paused. ¡°What¡¯s your name, again?¡±


    ¡°Nadine,¡± I blurted. ¡°Nadine Moore.¡±


    ¡°Perfect. I won¡¯t harm you Nadine, but you are going to be working.¡±


    ¡°Working?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Not just any job, you¡¯ll work as my sex ve for six months, and there is no escaping this, Nadine, NEVER!¡± he cupped my face with his hand, his voice, filled with vengeance.

 Chapter 6

    yton.


    Trent had been with me when I ordered the men to abduct Nadine, have her bound and brought to the mansion. He had stood quietly as Nadine pleaded, while I delivered the harsh sentence to keep her locked up, her punishment for humiliating me.


    Now he sidled up to me.


    ¡°What are you going to do to her, man?¡± He said, pouring bourbon into two sses before passing one to me.


    ¡°What the fuck does it look like?¡± I asked as I took the ss from him.


    ¡°Surely, you¡¯re not serious,¡± he said, a look of concern etched on his face.


    I sniggered in response, tossed my head, and poured the drink down my throat.


    ¡°What?¡± He spoke.


    ¡°Come on now, yton. Your sex ve, for six months?¡±


    I nodded and sniggered again.


    ¡°No one gets away with humiliating me,¡± I reminded him in a low but menacing voice. ¡°Nadine fucked with me, and I¡¯ll get back to her in the worst way possible.¡±


    ¡°Now, that¡¯s just messed up, yton, it creeps me out¡± Trent uttered in disagreement.


    ¡°I have other ns, though,¡± I revealed.


    He sighed in response.


    I nced at him, and there was a look of resignation on his face; it was almostical.


    ¡°What other sick ideas do you have running in your head?¡± He questioned.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to mentally torture her,¡± I revealed.


    ¡°Psycho.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck does that even mean?¡± He implored with concern.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see,¡± I replied with a smirk. I tipped the ss, emptied it into my throat, and walked away, knowing that Trent watched me as I left.


    I still felt a residue of anger when I discovered that Nadine act was not only recorded but posted it on the inte.


    Who is behind this?


    One of my workers?


    I will have he culprit fired as soon as I wrap my hands around things.


    I walked towards the basement where she would have been kept. It¡¯s arge room ¨C red and in the basement where I often took women to. The room had arge bed, and there were different sex toys all over the ce. Plus, the lighting was dim, to enhance the sexual energy that I wanted to suffuse the ce.


    I pushed the door open.


    ¡°Who, who is it?¡± I heard her say.


    Almost a whimper.


    ¡°Look at you,¡± I taunted. ¡°You are not so brave now, girl, are you?¡±


    She was kneeling next to the bed, her hands tied at her back. Her eyes were blindfolded, but her gag was not on.


    ¡°yton?¡± She said with tears in her voice. ¡°Oh my god, yton, I am so sorry. I never would have. I mean, I didn¡¯t mean to. Please, let¡¯s start again. We got off on the wrong foot. We can-¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± I roared giving her a start. ¡°Shut the fuck up before you get me pissed off again.¡±


    She began to cry softly.


    I sat on the bed next to her and looked at her face. She was a good-looking girl; I still felt the desire for her through my body. I ran my hand through her hair.


    ¡°So, while you¡¯re here, we¡¯re going to have some fun,¡± I whispered.


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t hurt me,¡± she begged.


    ¡°Oh, no, I won¡¯t hurt you, baby.¡±


    She breathed heavily, ravishing fear.


    I crouched beside her and took off her blindfolds.


    Staring fixedly into her hazel eyes, I said, ¡°We¡¯re going to have a whale of a time, Nadine, after this, you will beg for my touch throughout your wretched life.¡±


    Nadine.


    He slid the blindfold down, and I was suddenly faced with him. The smell of alcohol on his breath wafted into my nostrils.


    ¡°Please, yton, I¡¯m begging you,¡± I told him. ¡°I have a sister, a teenager. She can¡¯t survive without me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be fine,¡± he said with a shrug.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°No, she won¡¯t,¡± I said, trying to sound firm. ¡°She depends on me for everything, can¡¯t even make her breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s too bad, then, because you¡¯re going to be here for a while,¡± he said, rising from his haunches and walking towards the house wall where a gellum was hung to a hook.


    The entire room was painted in red. I had never been in such a room before, but immediately I looked around, I knew what it was used for.


    ¡°Perverted bastard,¡± I said under my breath.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± He inquired, turning his head. He turned back to the ge, admiring it like it was some trophy, and my mind turned to Anna.


    She would be back from school and would be worried as well as hungry.


    yton walked to my front and crouched.


    ¡°Not only did you steal from me, but you also humiliated me,¡± he said with a fierceness as if he was just discovering it.


    ¡°I never knew it was recorded, why punish me alone?¡±


    My brows furred with gaze fixed on her.


    ¡°And I said I am sorry,¡± I continued, tears running down my cheeks. ¡°This is too much, yton. This is an abduction. You could get prosecuted.¡±


    He let out a deep, longugh.


    ¡°By whom?¡±


    ¡°Who the fuck knows you¡¯re here, bitch? And don¡¯t forget, I am yton Ro, the tycoon. Even if the cops get to know, my money can help me evade justice, so forget about that nonsense, you are doomed, and I am your god here.¡±


    He left the room, and I heard the door click as he locked it.


    My stomach grumbled.


    I had not had anything to eat in a while. I hoped yton was bluffing when he said I would be his sex ve for six months; that was too long. The darkness of the room would affect my eyes. I started to cry again when I thought about Anna. I must have fallen asleep because when I heard the door click again, I woke with a start.


    The door opened, and yton and a buxom woman stepped inside. The woman had a wry smile on her face.


    ¡°What is going on?¡± I ask, looking from yton to the woman.


    ¡°Surprise, bitch!¡±

 Chapter 7

    Nadine.


    I immediately recognized thedy.


    It was the samedy who had osted me at the bar, threatened me, and told me to stay away from yton. She had said her name, but I could not now recall it.


    ¡°Hi, Nadine,¡± she said, smiling.


    yton must have told her my name. She wore a crop top that revealed a pierced navel, and her leather miniskirt exposed her thighs.


    ¡°Hi, Nadine,¡± yton said,ing over to me and stroking my chin.


    ¡°What is this?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°Oh, nothing,¡± he said, ¡°just some fun.¡±


    He started to unbutton his shirt. He took it off and tossed it on the marbled ground. My eyes lingered on the bulge of his pectoral muscles.


    ¡°Natasha,e over here,¡± he ordered.


    ¡°Natasha, that¡¯s her name,¡± I thought to myself. She had been leaning on the wall, and when he called her, she walked slowly to his side.


    She ran a hand on his chest, grazing his nipples, and for a second, I wished that it was me standing close to him, feeling his body. He pulled her into himself and kissed her with a fierce passion.


    ¡°Shit,¡± I said to myself.


    yton.


    I had a change of ns.


    Formerly, I wanted to have sex with Nadine, so much that her life would nearly leave her, but then I decided on some fun. So, I called Natasha over. We would have sex in front of Nadine, and she would watch, like forced voyeurism.


    Natasha pulled away from kissing me and brought her lips lower to my nipples; she nibbled on it.


    ¡°Ahh, yeah, baby,¡± I moaned aloud.


    I made eye contact with Nadine and gave her a small wink. ¡°Bitch, how do you like this?¡±


    ¡°You are disgusting, bastard,¡± she muttered but I heard her.


    I let out a smallugh.


    ¡°But I haven¡¯t even started yet,¡± I reminded.


    I pulled Natasha up by the hair and helped her out of her crop top. I heaved her up and carried to her the bed.


    ¡°Watch this carefully, Nadine,¡± I instructed.


    Natasha knelt by the bedside, pulled out my dick, and started to blow me.


    ¡°Ohh, yeah, baby,¡± I groaned.


    ¡°Fuck yeah.¡±


    Nadine.


    ¡°Ugh, disgusting pervert,¡± I said to myself as I watched Natasha give yton a fetio.


    At first, I felt bile rise inside me as I watched Natasha¡¯s head bobbing on yton¡¯s groin. He made eye contact with me and gave me a smirk.


    ¡°Can you do it like this, bitch?¡± He asked me, running his hand across Natasha¡¯s head.


    ¡°Fuck you,¡± I said.


    Heughed.


    ¡°No, you can¡¯t,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re just a thieving, good-for-nothing whore, and you don¡¯t deserve-¡±


    His sentence was interrupted as he groaned loudly, tossing his head upwards.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop, baby,¡± he said aloud. ¡°There. There.¡±


    Nadine worked faster, bobbing her head as he stroked her hair. I just watched, swelling in disgust.


    He let out a loud groan, pushed her away, and stood over her, spraying his cum on her face.


    ¡°Oh, yeah, baby boy,¡± she said. ¡°Give it to me.¡±


    I watched Natasha sticking her tongue out and licking the semen on her face, and the sight made me retch audibly.


    ¡°What is it, girl?¡± yton asked. ¡°Can¡¯t stand a creampie?¡±


    He chucked, and Natasha giggled.


    He helped Natasha to her feet, and they started kissing again. I rolled my eyes. They were not done yet, because they copsed on the bed, groping each other¡¯s bodies, moaning loudly. yton raised Natasha¡¯s skirt and very swiftly and expertly, I saw him slide a condom over his penis. In a matter of seconds, he was inside of her, pumping with such energy.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop, baby,¡± Natasha said underneath him, in between gasps.


    ¡°Say my name!¡± ytonmanded. I saw him wrap his hand around her neck.


    ¡°yton!¡± she cried, her voice sounding muffled.


    ¡°Say it!¡± hemanded again.


    ¡°yton!¡± she screamed, her voice more high-pitched than normal.


    I rolled my eyes.


    I was beginning to ache all over from my hands being tied at the back, and my knees being on the floor for so long. I grunted. I could not remain in that position.


    yton.


    Natasha was one of the finest women I¡¯d ever met in my life, and she was submissive, which is why I had kept her close for so long.


    I took longer to release, and when I was done, Iy beside her, our chests rising and falling in near synchrony. Then I heard Nadine grunt. I heaved myself up to look at her. There was a look on her face as if she was in pain and was trying to conceal it.


    ¡°Bitch, what is wrong?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°Well, what isn¡¯t?¡± She retorted, twisting her hands at her back. ¡°Look at me.¡±


    I snorted and then sat up on the edge of the bed. Natashay still; she must have been exhausted after all that action.


    ¡°I hope you had a good view,¡± I said to her with a smirk. ¡°I¡¯m sure you did.¡±


    I saw her roll her eyes.


    ¡°You make me want to puke.¡±


    ¡°Girl, shut the fuck up before I smack you,¡± I threatened.


    She recoiled.


    I stood up and paced the room. I wasn¡¯t going to smack her, I just wanted to scare her a bit. I walked over to the small refrigerator nearby, opened it, and pulled out a can of beer.


    I opened the tab and raised it in mock cheer to Nadine before guzzling it. I walked over to her side when I had ayed my thirst. Already, Natasha was snoring.


    ¡°You know something, Nadine,¡± I told her tipping her chin with my index finger. ¡°We could have made a good couple. We could have had a smooth rtionship, but you¡¯re such a stupid whore, and you had to fuck it up.¡±


    Silence.


    She said nothing, only stared at me.


    ¡°Want some beer?¡± I asked her, but as soon as I put the can to her lips, she turned her head.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡°Well,¡± I said shrugging. I put on my shirt and walked out of the room.

 Chapter 8

    Nadine.


    yton had someonee into the room and untie me. They also brought some food and water, but they didn¡¯t let me out. I knew what was happening ¨C I was bing a prisoner.


    Natasha hadn¡¯t left yet.


    ¡°What?¡± I¡¯d asked.


    She woke up with bleary eyes and stared at me like I was a strange creation.


    ¡°Where is yton?¡± She asked.


    ¡°He left, obviously,¡± I answered, looking at her contemptuously.


    ¡°Mmm,¡± she said nodding. She stood up, walked to my side, and nted a kiss on my cheek.


    ¡°See youter,¡± she winked and left topless.


    I was awoken by a nightmare. In it, I had seen Anna running the streets of New York in tattered clothes, all scrawny and haggard, begging for food.


    ¡°Oh, shit,¡± I said to myself. ¡°Anna, what could be happening to you now?¡±


    I heaved myself out of bed and began to pace the room. From the weak light that streamed in through the window, I could tell that it was early morning, but there was no way of telling the time for sure. After what seemed like hours, someone knocked and walked in with a tray of food.


    ¡°Good morning, Miss Nadine,¡± he said to me in a calm baritone.


    ¡°Morning.¡±


    He dropped the food and turned to leave.


    ¡°Wait,¡± I called to him as he opened the door.


    ¡°What else can I help you with, miss?¡± He spoke.


    ¡°I need to get out of here,¡± I told him. ¡°Surely you can help me out of this-this prison.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t do that, miss,¡± he noted strongly.


    I groaned in frustration.


    ¡°Please, I will-¡± I started to say.


    ¡°Is there something else you want me to do for you,¡± he said. ¡°Anything, asides from letting you out of here. Those are my orders, and I can¡¯t go against them.¡±


    ¡°Okay, tell yton I want to see him,¡± I told him, my voiceced with desperation. ¡°Please. I need to somehow speak to my sister to know if she¡¯s okay. She¡¯s only a teenager and-¡±


    ¡°Okay, miss, I¡¯ll tell him.¡± he said, nodding. He turned and left.


    I felt an overwhelming loneliness again. I went to the tray of food and tried to eat, but I had no appetite.


    yton.


    As I had breakfast, I saw the butler striding towards the dining table, and from the look on his face, I knew he has a piece of information to spill out. I wondered if something went wrong in the red room.


    ¡°Why do you look so morose?¡± I asked him as he drew nearer.


    ¡°Sir,¡± he said.


    ¡°Yes, what happened?¡± I asked him, eager to know what had urred.


    ¡°She says she wants to speak with you,¡± he said, ¡°something about wanting to talk to her little sister.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see,¡± I said, nodding.


    I took a sip of my coffee. ¡°Her sister, I see.¡±


    My phone buzzed and I saw that I had an email from my secretary. There was an emergency meeting and I needed to be there.


    ¡°Oh, shit,¡± I said under my breath.


    ¡°Anything the matter, sir?¡± The butler who still stood nearby asked me.


    ¡°No,¡± I said. ¡°Get the driver. Tell him to get the Lexus ready. I¡¯m going to work in a jiffy.¡±


    I began to walk to the bathroom to have a quick bath. We rarely had emergency meetings at the office, so without asking for details, I knew it must be serious. When I had taken my bath and worn my suit, I headed for the car. But before we zoomed off, I spoke to the butler.


    ¡°Get a phone to the red room, and help Nadine talk to her sister,¡± I told him.


    ¡°Okay, sir,¡± he said with a slight bow.


    ¡°Do it now,¡± I instructed firmly.


    He bowed again and left. The driver eased the car out of the building, and very soon, we were speeding on the road on the way to work. And as we did, I made various calctions in my head on what could have possibly happened at the office.


    Nadine.


    The strange man walked in again. I had been expecting yton, but I had waited for so long that anybody would do.


    ¡°So?¡± I said spreading my hands. ¡°Did you tell him? What did he say?¡±


    ¡°He agreed,¡± he said.


    I heaved a sigh of relief. yton might be a bastard, but he was a human after all.


    ¡°Thank you for your help,¡± I told him. ¡°I¡¯m grateful.¡±


    He nodded and handed me a phone. I took it from him and dialed Anna¡¯s phone. It rang several times but kept going to her voicemail.


    ¡°Oh, no,¡± I said aloud. ¡°She could be in danger or something. I wonder what she has been through.¡±


    ¡°Can you call someone else?¡± The man said I¡¯d almost forgotten he was standing there. ¡°Mr. yton said not to waste time.¡±


    I thought for a second and decided to call Naomi.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    She picked up her phone on the second ring.\


    ¡°Gosh, Nadine, where the fuck have you been?¡± She let out. ¡°I¡¯ve lied to the manager so much; my job is on the line.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Naomi, please, listen to me,¡± I said to her. ¡°Listen carefully.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± She spoke. ¡°Where the fuck are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m somewhere, I don¡¯t know exactly,¡± I told her. ¡°But I need you to do me a favor.¡±


    ¡°I always do you favors,¡± Naomi said. ¡°What do you want this time?¡±


    ¡°I need you to go over to my ce and check on Anna,¡± I said.


    ¡°Oh, my god, you left the little girl alone,¡± she said in horror.


    ¡°Look, it¡¯s not my fault, okay?¡± I said, already getting flustered. ¡°Just go over to the fucking house and check up on her, okay?¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh, I hear you,¡± she said. ¡°So where are you?¡±


    Just then, the line went dead, and I handed the phone back.


    ¡°Thank you very much,¡± I said as the man left without saying a word.

 Chapter 9

    CLAYTON.


    It was a rough morning.


    I got engaged and busy immediately after I reached the office, and it reminded so till the middle of the day. Even though I was busy, for some reason, I still had my mind on Nadine.


    I called the butler to ask him how the call had gone.


    ¡°Did you get her the phone?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°I did, sir,¡± he said.


    ¡°And she spoke to her sister?¡±


    ¡°Well, sir,¡± he said, ¡°she was not able to reach her sister, but then she put another call across to a friend and asked that the friend watch over her sister.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I said, stroking my chin. ¡°Make sure she gets enough food, water, wine, or whatever she needs, just make sure she remains inside of that room. Under no circumstance should you let her out.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± he responded, and I knew he would act ording to the instructions I gave him. I trusted him; he was one of the most dedicated workers that I had. I stood and went to attend another meeting, even though I had been exhausted.


    It was a long day.


    Nadine.


    I had never felt suchnguor in all my life. There was absolutely nothing to do inside the red room. I noticed a door by the side and discovered that it led to the bathroom. I had a bath, and that was all. I began to feel sleepy and had almost nodded off when I heard a knock; it was the butler again.


    ¡°Ahh, thank God,¡± I said. ¡°I was going crazy already in this seclusion.¡±


    ¡°Good afternoon,¡± he said. ¡°Are you doing all right?¡±


    ¡°All right?!¡± I said in a half yell. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me just say the seclusion is driving me fucking nuts?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± he said. I noticed that he was carrying a book in his hand.


    It looked like a novel.


    ¡°What is that?¡± I asked him. ¡°What do you even want?¡±


    I sat on the bed and crossed my legs.


    ¡°Ohh, this?¡± he said, holding up the book. ¡°It¡¯s a novel, a crime novel. I thought you would want something to read while you¡¯re in here all alone.¡±


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that considerate of you?¡± I said mockingly.


    I gestured for him to bring the book and he did. I skimmed through it; it was an Agatha Christie novel; one I had not read before.


    ¡°Is there something else you¡¯d like?¡± He asked and I lifted my head from the novel. ¡°Something I can get you? Mr. yton has said you should be madefortable.¡±


    ¡°Tell Mr. fucking yton that I want out of this fucking cell,¡± I yelled. ¡°Tell him I want to go back home to my fucking life. There, that would make mefortable as a fish in water.¡±


    He was startled by my shouting but said nothing. He walked to the corner where the refrigerator was and opened it.


    ¡°If you need any beverage,¡± he said, ¡°I hope you know you can get it from here.¡±


    I looked at him standing in that corner and looked at the door. If I was fast enough, I would make it out of the room before he could catch me. I got on my feet and raced to the door. Just as I stepped out of the doorway, he caught me in the midriff with such strength that resistance was foolish. He lifted me and hurled me on the bed.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡°What the fuck was that?!¡± He said loudly. It was the first time I heard him swear.


    ¡°Well, what the fuck did it look like?¡± I yelled back.


    ¡°You¡¯re not to leave this ce,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Oh, please,¡± I scoffed, straightening myself on the bed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to tell Mr. yton about this,¡± he said, turned, and left. I heard him lock the door.


    A part of me wished I had not tried to escape. There was no telling what yton would do to me now. Besides I had not told the butler that I still wanted to speak to Naomi and ask after my sister. I went to the refrigerator, took out a can of Diet Coke, and began to sip it.


    yton.


    It was the evening before I left work, absolutely tired and in dire need of rest.


    While in a meeting, the butler called several times, but I could not pick up for obvious reasons. I decided that I¡¯d talk to him when I got home.


    ¡°Wee, sir,¡± he said, when he met me at the door, taking my suitcase from me and leading me inside.


    ¡°Why did you call me so many times?¡± I asked, going straight to the issue.


    ¡°Erm, we had a little incident,¡± he said.


    ¡°Oh, Christ!¡± I spoke. ¡°What the fuck happened? Did Nadine somehow slit her wrist and bled to death or something?¡±


    ¡°No, not that, sir,¡± he said.


    I sighed, relieved. A part of me had been scared that something like that would happen. We were on the stairs that led to my room now.


    ¡°What then happened?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°She tried to escape,¡± he let out.


    ¡°What?!?!¡± I spoke. I felt anger rise in me like a wave and spread all over my body. I turned and went back downstairs, towards the basement, the butler trailing behind.


    NADINE.


    I decided that I would apologize to yton. There was no way to escape from here, and I resolved in my mind that as long as Anna was taken care of, I could do the 6-month stint here. I would beg yton to allow me at least to talk to Naomi again; I would be heartbroken otherwise.


    It waste when I heard the sound of feet just outside. I could tell yton was back.


    ¡°Open the fucking door,¡± his harsh voice said.


    I knew he was instructing the butler.


    The door clicked and he walked in, all menacing and threatening. He walked straight to where I was and pped me hard on the cheek, twice.


    ¡°Stupid fucking bitch!¡±

 Chapter 10

    CLAYTON.


    I saw her fall to the bed after I had hit her, her ginger hair all over her face. I could not control the anger I felt, andter, I wondered why I was so incensed.


    ¡°What the fuck did you try to do, Nadine?¡± I bellowed.


    ¡°Escape?


    Run away?


    Bitch, you¡¯re trapped in her until I free you. There is no other way out. And you¡¯re not doing yourself any favors by these fucking antics, you understand me?¡±


    Shey on the bed staring at me, her eyes wild with terror. She was whimpering, but I didn¡¯t feel any sympathy for her. I wanted to whack her across her face again.


    ¡°I¡¯m- I¡¯m sorry,¡± she managed to say.


    I said nothing.


    My anger had melded with my exhaustion, and I felt like there was an unquenchable ball of fire inside of me. I grabbed her by the chin very harshly, so harshly that I knew it hurt her as my nails dug into her flesh.


    ¡°Look, bitch, one thing is certain,¡± I told her, ¡°You are my prisoner, and you¡¯re not leaving here any time soon. Not until I say so. Not until I want you to. Do you understand me?¡±


    She only whimpered. I shoved her to the bed.


    ¡°I said do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she managed with eyes filled with tears.


    I turned and left the room with the butler who had stayed behind as I threatened her.


    When I had gotten to my room and taken my bath, I got a call from Trent.


    ¡°What¡¯s up, yton Ro?!¡±This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.


    From the way he slurred his words, I could tell that he was inebriated.


    Loud music yed in the background.


    ¡°Where the fuck are you, man?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s so loud.¡±


    ¡°The club, of course, with a lot of sweethearts,¡± he said. ¡°Come join us, let¡¯s have a good time.¡±


    Trent was a party animal; he lived for it. He knew where every bash was holding, who was celebrating a birthday or doing something like that. And he always made sure he carried me along.


    ¡°Fuck no,¡± I said.


    ¡°What?¡± He spoke. ¡°You¡¯re not interested?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not, Trent,¡± I raised my voice so he could hear me. ¡°I had a long fucking day, and I might copse if I don¡¯t get sleep now ¡± I hung up and turned my phone off afterward. I had to rest, but Nadine¡¯s thoughts filled me.


    Nadine.


    ¡°That fucking bastard!¡±


    I screamed.


    ¡°I hate him with every bone in my body.¡±


    I raised my hand to my face. His smacks had left welts on my cheeks. I¡¯m sure he felt proud about it, like the arrogant bastard that he was. I¡¯m sure he thought we were even now that he had hit me back.


    My throat also hurt from where he had grabbed me, almost choking me. I wrapped my hand around it and cried gently, cursing him in my mind.


    A few minutes after yton left, the butler came back inside. He brought in a tray of food with him. I decided to take my chance.


    ¡°Can I make another call, please?¡± I asked him, making sure my voice sounded like it would copse under the weight of my pains so that he could pity me.


    ¡°Ohh, okay, but, please, be fast with it,¡± he said and handed me the phone.


    I called Naomi¡¯s number. She picked up almost immediately.


    ¡°Holy shit, Nadine, where the fuck have you been?¡± She said. ¡°You have had me worried sick.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ll exin, but not now, I don¡¯t have time,¡± I told her. ¡°What about my sister?¡±


    ¡°I got to her,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m at the house right now.¡±


    ¡°Ohh?¡± I said, excited. ¡°Can I speak to her?¡±


    ¡°Erm, no, Nadine,¡± she said. ¡°she¡¯s asleep.¡±


    ¡°Asleep?¡± I said, shocked. ¡°What does that even mean? Isn¡¯t it too early?¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, she¡¯s a bit ill,¡± Nadine said, her voice low as if she couldn¡¯t bear the weight of the words in her mouth.


    ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°Anna, sick?¡± I felt dizzy as if I had been spinning. Anna looked fragile like she would break when the smallest force was applied, but she was a strong girl. She had only been sick once, and that was a long time ago.


    ¡°Rx, girl,¡± Naomi said. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s nothing. She had a fever earlier, her temperature spiked, but I got some pills for her and she felt much better before she slept.¡±


    ¡°And her temperature?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s nearly normal now,¡± she answered.


    ¡°Oh, no,¡± I said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she¡¯ll be fine,¡± she told me. ¡°Now, where are you?¡±


    I looked at the butler who had left my side and was now pacing the room contemtively, his hand on his chin.


    ¡°I¡¯m at yton¡¯s mansion¡± I whispered to her. ¡°He has me locked up in this room, which is why you don¡¯t hear from me as often.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, shit,¡± she said. ¡°yton?¡± What did you do, Nadine?¡±


    ¡°Something stupid,¡± I told her.


    ¡°Oh, my god, this is crazy,¡± she said. ¡°Wait. Should I call the cops?¡±


    ¡°What? Don¡¯t fucking do that,¡± I told her. ¡°Do you think the cops, or anyone would believe you if you said there was a poor girl trapped in a billionaire¡¯s mansion.¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do then?¡± She asked. I could hear the worry in her voice.


    ¡°Wait it out, I guess,¡± I told her. ¡°He said he¡¯ll have me here for the next six months.¡±


    Just then the butler walked to my side and stretched his hand out.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± he said. ¡°Too much talk.¡±


    I handed him the phone.


    After he left, I found it difficult to eat. If I had been with Anna, she wouldn¡¯t have fallen ill. Iy on the bed, mulling over my present predicament until I started to cry bitterly. I felt for my poor sister. I had started to fall asleep when I heard knocks at the door, sound, sharp as a knife.

 Chapter 11

    NADINE.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± I said. For some reason, my heart pounded. I felt apprehensive. Could it be ytoning back to do god-only-knows? I heard the door click. When it opened, I couldn¡¯t believe who was standing in front of me. It was Natasha.


    ¡°Hi there,¡± she said in an airy voice.


    ¡°Wha-what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°What does it look like, baby?¡± She said, walking into the room. ¡°I¡¯m saying hi, of course.¡±


    She walked closer to me, kissed me on the head and smiled wryly. I could smell the vodka on her breath. I could tell she was drunk, but I kept wondering how she had gotten the keys to the door.


    ¡°It¡¯s awfully lonely here, isn¡¯t it?¡± She said as she walked away.


    I did not answer her. She walked towards a corner and picked up a pink object that I had not noticed. She held it up, stuck her tongue out and ran it over the object. She turned to me and smirked.


    ¡°I know you know what this is, girl,¡± she said. She sat on an armchair in the corner, raised her legs up; she was not wearing panties. I wonder where she had been without underwear. But just as I was thinking about it, she stuck the object under her legs and let out a moan.


    ¡°Oh, shit,¡± I thought to myself. ¡°A dildo.¡±


    She brought it out and stuck it back in, repeatedly, moaning as she did, her eyes locked on mine. For some reason, I could not take my eyes away. She increased the pace and her moaning got louder. She tilted her head and I saw her eyes roll backwards.


    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± she said aloud, so loud that I wondered if there was no one that was around to hear her.


    As I watched her, I felt something like desire rise in me. The desire was to be touched, not by Natasha of course, but by someone else. I shook my head as if to shake off the image of what I was seeing.


    ¡°You like this, don¡¯t you?¡± She said to me, ¡°Tell me, baby, don¡¯t you like it?¡±


    I rolled my eyes, faking pretense, but deep inside of me, I wanted the pleasure she was giving herself. I turned and looked towards the door; it was a little ajar. But I knew better than to try to run away again. I didn¡¯t know my way around the house, and even if I escaped I did not know where the house was. It could be in the middle of nowhere, for all I knew. I sighed and rxed.


    Natasha threw the dildo to the side. She was done.


    ¡°You liked that, didn¡¯t you?¡± She said as she adjusted her skirt.


    ¡°What the fuck was the meaning of all of that?¡± I asked her as she turned to leave.


    ¡°I came to keep youpany,¡± she said derisively. ¡°You should be grateful.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, fuck off,¡± I said. She giggled like she was being tickled before she left me alone in the near darkness of the room.


    I went to the corner where she had pulled the dildo out and saw other sex toys. Some I recognized, some I didn¡¯t. There was a vibrator and strap-on dildos and other objects. I picked up the vibrator. I couldn¡¯t fully operate it so I just held it in my hand and examined it. I sat on the armchair Natasha had been on and pressed a button on the vibrator, and it began to buzz. I raised my legs and put the vibrator in between.


    yton:


    I woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. I decided to have a little fun that day to make up for the previous day. Just like clockwork, Trent called me.


    ¡°Hey, man,¡± I said to him. ¡°Sorry about yesterday; I was fucking jaded. You wouldn¡¯t believe it.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± he said cheerfully. ¡°It¡¯s what I get for being the friend of a self-made billionaire.¡±


    Iughed.


    ¡°Well, if you say so,¡± I said.


    ¡°Hey, we¡¯re having another party this afternoon,¡± he said to me. ¡°But this time, it¡¯s at the beach.¡±


    ¡°Fuck yes, I¡¯m interested,¡± I said to him, already getting hyped up.


    ¡°Okay,e quickly,¡± he said. ¡°you know where to find me. We¡¯re waiting for you, man.¡±


    I called the butler and talked to him.


    ¡°Feed that bitch, okay?¡± I told him. ¡°I don¡¯t want anyone to die of starvation here.¡±


    He nodded like the loyal servant that he was.


    I called the driver and we headed for the beach. It was quite far so it took almost two hours, but we eventually got there. I came down from my Lexus to the cheers of everyone around.


    ¡°yton, my man,¡± Trent said, as he drew me into a bro hug.


    I dapped him on the back.


    We settled in and true to his words, there were a lot of hot women around. I scoured the beach, looking at them in their bikinis.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡°So, all you gotta do is pick your choice, man,¡± he said.


    I saw a finedy standing at the mouth of the beach. Her skin was tan and her blonde hair was tied in a ponytail behind her.


    ¡°I like that one,¡± I said to Trent, pointing to the girl.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get her then,¡± he said and left me to talk to thedy.


    Nadine:


    The butler called to tell me that Naomi had been calling him and wanted to speak to me urgently.


    ¡°Naomi, what¡¯s up?¡± I said, as I feared the worst. Perhaps something had happened to my Anna.


    ¡°Nadine, thank God you picked ,¡± she said, panting, like she had been running.


    ¡°What happened, Naomi?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°It¡¯s Anna,¡± she said.


    ¡°Oh, shit,¡± I said. I felt my heart doing somersaults. ¡°What happened to her?¡±


    She said nothing. I could hear her breathing so I knew the line was still connected.


    ¡°Fucking talk to me, Naomi,¡± I said.


    ¡°I left her for a while, Nadine,¡± she said. ¡°But when I came back, she had passed out.¡±


    I became weak and the phone slipped from my hand.

 Chapter 12

    NADINE.


    I opened my eyes and saw Butler sitting by the bedside, his legs crossed.


    ¡°Ahh, you¡¯re awake,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°Feel any better?¡±


    I did not answer. I tried to stand up but as soon as I made an effort, I felt this ache in my head and neck that made me return to my supine position. I groaned and the butler put his hand on my shoulder.


    ¡°Rx,¡± he said, ¡°you passed out.¡±


    I tried to remember what happened and it began toe back in pieces.


    ¡°Ohh, no,¡± I said after I remembered what Naomi had said about my sister. ¡°Ohh, fuck.¡±


    ¡°Rx, okay?¡± The butler said again. He offered me a ss of water which I refused.


    ¡°My sister, she¡¯s sick,¡± I said, tears streaming down my face. ¡°She¡¯s fucking sick, and it¡¯s all because I¡¯m trapped inside of this fucking house.¡±


    ¡°Mmm, what is wrong with her?¡± The butler asked.


    ¡°And how the fuck am I supposed to know that?¡± I responded, getting irritated by his presence. ¡°Do I look like a fucking doctor to you?¡±


    He said nothing, then, ¡°I¡¯ll leave you for a while and check on youter.¡±


    As he was about to leave, it reminded me that I should still talk to Naomi. I knew nothing about the situation and I needed more information. Perhaps Anna had gotten better since I passed out.


    ¡°Can I make another phone call?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°Actually, I think you shouldn¡¯t do that now,¡± he said and began walking to the door. ¡°Get some rest. I¡¯ll be with you in a few hours, and you can make the call then.¡±


    ¡°Wait-¡± I called out, but by then, he had already left and locked me in again.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.


    I swung my legs off the bed and began to pace the room. My head still ached; I should have asked him to get me an aspirin or any other analgesic. But what worried me more was Anna. Even though I felt an immense gratitude to Naomi for taking care of my younger sister, I couldn¡¯t still help the thought that I would have done a better job. It¡¯s just the way it is with loved ones, I guess.


    The butler returned earlier than I had expected and found me standing.


    ¡°You¡¯re on your feet,¡± he said with a nod. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    He brought in a te of cookies and some drinks to restock the refrigerator with and handed me a card of ibuprofen which I thanked him for.


    ¡°Can I make the call now?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°Not until you¡¯re done eating those cookies and taking your drugs,¡± he said to me.


    I groaned my displeasure but did as he said. He was quite frustrating, but deep down inside me, I was grateful to him; he had been so nice so far. When I was done, almost begrudgingly, perhaps because of the way I dropped the phone, he handed it to me.


    ¡°Careful now,¡± he said. ¡°And remember, you have limited time.¡±


    I dialed Naomi¡¯s number but she didn¡¯t pick up. I tried it a few more times, but she still did not pick.


    ¡°Fuck, Naomi, pick up,¡± I said out of frustration.


    I tried Anna¡¯s number and surprisingly, she picked up.


    ¡°Anna, are you there?¡± I said, my heart beating with the expectation that I would hear my sister¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Yeah, Nadine, where have you been?¡± She said,


    ¡°Oh, my God, Anna, I¡¯ve missed you so much,¡± I said, almost crying. ¡°I¡¯m ¡­ somewhere. But don¡¯t worry about that. How are you? Naomi told me you¡¯ve been ill.¡±


    ¡°I have been, but I¡¯m better now,¡± she answered. ¡°Although, I¡¯m going to the hospital tomorrow for a scan; the doctors requested it. Besides, Naomi has been nothing but nice and she-¡±


    ¡°Wait, did you just say a scan?¡± I asked.


    There was something about her voice as she spoke, it was weak, subdued, as if she was struggling to get the words out. It made me afraid. Anna was vivacious and spunky, and her voice was usually airy with excitement.


    ¡°Yeah. But it¡¯ll be okay, I guess,¡± she said.


    ¡°Okay, Anna,¡± I said to her. ¡°Be good.¡±


    ¡°And where are you, Nadine?¡± She asked. ¡°When are youing back?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell. you that now, Anna,¡± I told her, ¡°but I¡¯ll exin as soon as I get back.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯ll get back soon, eh?¡± She said,


    ¡°Of course,¡± I answered her, even though I knew that was impossible.


    I handed the phone back to the butler and he left me alone with my thoughts. I couldn¡¯t rid myself of the feeling that something terrible was wrong with my sister and these thoughts weighed heavy on my mind, ruining my entire day.


    yton:


    Trent had a way with thedies, I had to admit. Soon, he had the blonde sweetheart walking towards me. I sat under an umbre, sipping a margarita, my dark shades shielding my eyes from the rays of the sun.


    ¡°So, yton, meet Be,¡± Trent said, introducing us, ¡°and Be, yton.¡±


    Be was even more beautiful than I had thought. She had the perfect figure, like a Greek goddess, and her face had the best arrangement I had seen in ady before. I was enthralled by her beauty.


    ¡°Hi,¡± she said as she sat in front of me.


    ¡°Sweetie, you look amazing,¡± I told her, extending a hand for her to shake.


    ¡°Okay, so my job is done here,¡± Trent said in a good-humored manner. ¡°I¡¯m gonna leave you too to bond with each other.¡±


    He walked away.


    ¡°So, Be, what do you-?¡± I started.


    ¡°Wait. You look so familiar,¡± she said to me. ¡°Did he say your name is yton?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± I said, getting confused.


    ¡°Hold on,¡± she said. She began scrolling through her phone, frantically. I wondered what was going on.


    ¡°Any problem?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Oh, my God, it¡¯s you,¡± she said.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re the CEO whose video is all over the inte,¡± she said sniggering. ¡°You¡¯re yton Ro.¡±


    She burst intoughter, stood up and left and I felt a rage I¡¯d never felt in my life before.

 Chapter 13

    CLAYTON.


    I hated nothing more than humiliation. Public disgrace was something that clung on to its victim like a leech ¨C hard to get rid of. While Beughed, I felt this overwhelming urge to p her across the face, and remind her, in the harshestnguage, that I was still yton Ro, a billionaire, and she was nothing. People were beginning to look in our direction because of how uproarious herughter was


    ¡°Will you cut it the fuck out?!?!¡± I said. What the fuck is so funny?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ¡­ sorry,¡± she said, trying to collect herself. ¡°It¡¯s just ¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    She stood up and left. Rage burned inside of me like a me that had been fed with fuel and I remembered who had put me in this shameful position ¨C Nadine.


    ¡°That fucking bitch!¡± I said through clenched teeth. I banged my fist on the table and it rattled the drinks on it, causing some of them to spill.


    ¡°Man, what happened?¡± Trent said walking over from where he had been standing. ¡°Where¡¯s Be?¡±


    ¡°She left,¡± I told him, getting on my feet.


    ¡°And where are you going?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving, too, man,¡± I said, ¡°I¡¯m just too tired.¡±


    I tried to sound as calm as possible, but Trent knew me too well and knew that I was angry about something. He followed me as I walked to the car.


    ¡°Did she do or say something wrong?¡± He said.


    ¡°The fucking bitch had the video,¡± I said


    ¡°Wait. What video?¡± He asked.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°The video, of course,¡± I said with my voice raised. ¡°The video that fucking bitch, Nadine, recorded when she pped me. God, I hate her!¡±


    ¡°Ohh, man,¡± he said, cing a hand across my back. ¡°You¡¯ve gotta calm down.¡±


    I brushed his hand off and stepped inside the car.


    ¡°Too bad you have to go, man,¡± he said, peeping in through the passenger window. ¡°But I¡¯m gonna call youter, okay?¡±


    I wound up the sses without responding to him and instructed the driver to move the car. He eased it onto the road and we began our journey home.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show that filthy bitch,¡± I said to myself.


    Nadine:


    Later in the afternoon, the butler came back and said I had a call from Anna. Ever eager to hear from my baby sister, I leaped from the bed, throwing away the crime novel I¡¯d tried to engross myself in all day.


    ¡°Anna?¡¯ I called.


    She did not answer. I heard her sobbing over the phone and my heart started to drum a panicky rhythm.


    ¡°Oh, no, Anna,¡± I said. ¡°What is it? Please, talk to me.¡±


    ¡°Can-cancer,¡± she stuttered.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I had the scan, Nadine,¡± she said between sobs, ¡°and the doctor said I have cancer.¡±


    ¡°Fuck!¡± I let out. I almost let the phone drop again, but I knew I had to be strong, if only for my sister.


    ¡°Leukemia,¡± she said. ¡°Cancer of the blood. I have cancer of the blood.¡±


    ¡°Is Naomi there?¡± I asked, already shivering with the horror of the news. ¡°Can I speak to her?¡±


    ¡°Nadine?¡± Naomi said when she got on the phone.


    ¡°Naomi, what the fuck is going on?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°Rx, Nadine, it¡¯s-¡± she started.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fucking tell me to rx,¡± I yelled. ¡°What do you even mean by that?¡±


    ¡°Listen to me,¡± she said, ¡°the cancer in her blood is in its early stage. It¡¯s not a fucking death sentence. There¡¯s still hope that something can be done. The doctor even said that the growth and proliferation of the cancer cells can be suppressed with medications. She¡¯ll be fine, Nadine.¡±


    I tried to breathe.


    ¡°Please, Naomi, please,¡± I begged. ¡°Take care of my sister for me. She¡¯s all I have in the world.¡±


    ¡°I know, Nadine,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    When we hung up, I bent over, crying, my body convulsing as the tears left me. I was in such anguish. I almost forgot that the butler was still in the room.


    ¡°Is there anything you¡¯d like for me to get you, miss?¡± He asked.


    I raised my head slowly.


    ¡°Can you get me the fuck out of here?¡± I said calmly. ¡°Can you? And can you get those fucking cancerous cells out of my sister¡¯s body? Can you?¡±


    He stood still and shook his head sadly before turning to leave.


    Throughout the day, I thought about Anna and her diagnosis. I remembered watching amercial on television of cancer patients. They always looked skinny with sunken eyes and cheeks and bald heads. I tried to ce Anna beside those images and I started to cry again.


    ¡°Not my Anna,¡± I said. ¡°Not my Anna. No!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t do anything else, couldn¡¯t read, couldn¡¯t eat or drink. All I did was cry till I cried myself to sleep.


    *


    I don¡¯t know for how long I was asleep, but I was suddenly woken by the sound of feet at the door, and someone pushing it open. I wondered who it could be, but then, yton walked in.


    ¡°What is this arrogant devil doing here?¡± I asked myself.


    ¡°yton,¡± I said aloud.


    ¡°Yes, bitch, it¡¯s me,¡± he answered. ¡°Your arch-nemesis. You thought I¡¯d forgotten about you, eh?¡±


    He walked closer to me and his heady perfume suffused the whole room.


    ¡°What do you want now?¡± I asked, terrified.


    He said nothing. Instead he walked to one of the hooks on the wall where a gellum was hung, and took it off.


    ¡°Have you ever heard of BDSM?¡± He said without turning to face me. ¡°Bondage Discipline Sadomasochism. And this gellum is one of the major instruments that is used during it.¡±


    My heart pounded; I knew that the worst was about to happen. I wondered who had angered him because he seemed to be smoldering with suppressed anger.


    ¡°yton, please,¡± I begged him. ¡°Not today.¡±


    He walked closer to me, menacingly, a sinister smile on his face.


    ¡°Since you decided to disgrace me, bitch,¡± he said, ¡°you¡¯ll pay with your flesh.¡±


    He raised the gellum and the firstshnded on my flesh; I raised my voice in pain.

 Chapter 14.

    NADINE.


    I might have woken up the entire house that night, big as it was. I shrieked in pain as eachshnded on my bare flesh. As he flogged me, he tore off my clothes, exposing more of my skin to the gellum. I pleaded, screaming my voice was hoarse, till I could cry no more, but he would not stop. After what seemed like ages, he stopped hitting me.


    ¡°And that¡¯s what you get, bitch,¡± he said, breathing heavily, ¡°for fucking with me.¡±


    I wondered what he was talking about. His shirt was soaked in sweat, and he looked spent. I whimpered on the floor.


    ¡°What did I do to deserve this?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Humiliating me,¡± he said, his voice bing steady. ¡°Dragging my name through the mud.¡±


    ¡°And isn¡¯t it enough that you have been trapped in this house without contact with the outside world?¡± I asked him.


    He sniggered wickedly.


    ¡°I can do whatever the fuck I like,¡± he said and turned to leave.


    I picked myself up from the ground, went to the bathroom and tried to have a bath. It was a painful experience as my back and arms stung when water touched my flesh. I cursed aloud and hurried out of the bathroom.


    I thought again about Anna and the cancer that was growing in her as Iy curled up on the bed.


    ¡°If I could do something about it,¡± I said to myself as I sniffled.


    Iy on the bed till I closed my eyes in sleep.


    yton:


    I was exhausted after dealing with Nadine. When I went to my room, I had my bath and rxed. She deserved everything she got, that bitch, Nadine. Never in my life have I been humiliated like I was earlier that day.


    ¡°yton Ro, self-made billionaire,¡± I said, looking into my bathroom mirror, ¡°being made to feel like such an idiot because of that nobody!¡±


    I heard my phone start to ring and so I went into the room.


    ¡°Hey, man, what¡¯s up?¡± I heard Trent¡¯s voice. It sounded slurry and I knew he had had a lot to drink.


    ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± I answered. I really wasn¡¯t in the mood to talk.


    ¡°Look, man,¡± he said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry about earlier. I didn¡¯t know that bitch, Be, was that rude. I would have found someone else for you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I said.


    ¡°Ahh, man,¡± he said. ¡°You know what? I¡¯m gonna make it up to you. I¡¯ll host another party at the club soon, and I¡¯ll get you the finest chicks. No rude ones this time, I promise.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m interested in that,¡± I said roughly.


    ¡°Come on, man,¡± he said, ¡°you¡¯re still angry. Look, I promise you, this time, it¡¯s-¡±


    ¡°Look, Trent,¡± I interrupted him, ¡°I¡¯m not even pissed anymore, I¡¯m just tired. And I need to get some sleep, please.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± he said. ¡°I hear you. Talkter.¡±


    He hung up and I went to bed immediately.


    Nadine:


    The aches that I felt in my body were worse the next morning when I woke up. My body was covered in welts and I only managed to get up from bed. But still, the first thing on my mind was my sick sister. I wished it was a bad dream that I was waking up from, but it was not, unfortunately.


    The butler came inside to give me my breakfast. He looked oddly at the marks on my body, and as if understanding what they meant, where they came from, did not say a word.


    ¡°Sleep well, miss?¡± He asked.


    I nodded absentmindedly.


    ¡°Can I use your phone?¡± I asked him.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.


    I knew he was not going to refuse me. He seemed to understand the dire situation that I was in, coupled with the marks on my skin from where ytonshed me. He slipped his hands into his pocket and handed me his phone. I called Anna, but after more than a few rings, she did not pick. Already panicking, I called Naomi. She picked immediately.


    ¡°Hi, Nadine,¡± she said.


    ¡°Naomi, why isn¡¯t Anna picking up?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Good morning to you, too, Nadine,¡± she said sarcastically, ¡°and did you sleep well?¡±


    I realized my mistake and chuckled. I could afford to do that because something in Naomi¡¯s voice seemed to convey that all was well, at least, that things had not gotten worse than before.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m so nervous,¡± I said. ¡°Good morning.¡±


    ¡°Well, Anna is fine,¡± she said to me.


    ¡°Good, very good,¡± I said, the storm in my mind settling. ¡°Where is she now?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s asleep, Nadine,¡± was the reply. ¡°The medication she¡¯s taking, some of them are too heavy, and I guess they make her really sleepy.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, okay,¡± I said. I looked up at the butler who stood not too far from me, his hands folded in front of his chest.


    ¡°One more thing, Nadine,¡± Naomi said, just as I was about to tell her I would call herter, so as not to dy the butler any longer.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked. I could tell by the way her voice feel that something was up.


    ¡°Look, I wasn¡¯t going to tell you this before, because as your friend, I feel a sense of responsibility toward your sister,¡± she said. ¡°But we¡¯re going to need some money to get Annie through this phase. Like a lot of fucking money.¡±


    ¡°Jesus Christ,¡± I said under my breath. I had not thought about this. I started to wonder about the financial straint this had put Naomi in already. From the cost of transportation getting to the hospital, to Anna¡¯s feeding, to the drugs she had already bought.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Naomi,¡± I said to her.


    ¡°Nah, girl, it¡¯s fine,¡± she said. ¡°At least for now. I have this covered.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Naomi,¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go to the hospital today and get the bills for her meds and then we¡¯ll see about it,¡± she said.


    After she hung up, I started to think hard about it. Something needed to be done about Anna¡¯s situation.

 Chapter 15

    NADINE.


    Throughout that day, I was in a contemtive mood. I thought about Anna and the ordeal thaty in front of her. I felt so sorry for her; she was too young and did not deserve to experience such a grueling trial. But life was not fair. I remembered that I had some money in my bank ount, and if Naomi could ess it, she could get some and use it for the meantime. At least, until we find something else to do.


    Later that day, I tried to engross myself in the crime novel when the butler came in. I had a call from Naomi, he said.


    ¡°Hey, Naomi,¡± I said. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Hi, Nadine,¡± she said, her voice t. I knew something was up.


    ¡°Something happened?¡± I asked. ¡°You sound so dull.¡±


    ¡°Ohh? I¡¯m sorry,¡± I could tell she was making a deliberate effort to not sound somber. ¡°I¡¯ve just been tired.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± I said. ¡°So how did the trip to the hospital go?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± She said, ¡°Erm, we might have a little problem.¡±


    I sat up, my heart beginning to race.


    ¡°Did something happen? How is Anna, is she okay?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s fine,¡± she said. ¡°At least for now.¡±Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°So what?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You see, remember I told you we were going to need a shitload of money for Anna¡¯s treatment,¡± she began, ¡°well, that¡¯s what is. The bill for her medication and hospitalization cost up to ten thousand dors per month. And she¡¯s going to need steady and uninterrupted treatment for the next six months, which sums up to-¡±


    ¡°Sixty thousand dors,¡± I said,pleting it. The money felt like an unseen weight in my hands. I had never made up to a tiny fraction of that money in my life, or seen it. I think at that time, the closest I hade to such an amount was the money I tried to steal from yton.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Naomi said. ¡°So that¡¯s a problem.¡±


    ¡°Oh, fuck,¡± I said, more to myself than to Naomi. I buried my face in my free hand.


    ¡°What are we going to do, Nadine?¡± She asked me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, honestly,¡± I said. ¡°I am so confused. Where am I going to get that amount of money?¡±


    There was a long silence, and I kept racking my brain. I knew that I had about seven hundred dors in my bank ount, an amount I had been saving up to help with unforeseen circumstances, butpared to the sixty thousand dors it was nothing. Even whenpared to the monthly ten thousand dors, it still paled inparison.


    ¡°I have a bit of money, though,¡± I told Naomi. ¡°In a bank ount. When you go home, there¡¯s a drawer near my bed, you¡¯ll find the details there.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, okay,¡± she said. ¡°How much money is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ¡­ nothing,¡± I said with my eyes shut. ¡°Just a little something to help while we try to figure out this mess.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± she said.


    When we had talked and the butler had left, Iy face down and screamed into the pillow. I could not cry, tears were useless, they could not turn into money. So I just screamed until I was tired. I considered all the ways that I could get money, but all of them seemed foolish. Perhaps if I was outside, it would have been easier, but I was entirely powerless inside there.


    It waste in the evening when an idea shed through my mind ¨C yton. That was it, I could ask yton.


    *


    It was a difficult decision to reach, because I detested the bastard. He had had me locked up for so long, and had also assaulted me. But I did not have that much of a choice; Anna¡¯s life depended on how well I yed the cards that were spread before me. Later that evening, when the butler brought in my dinner, I decided to ask him.


    ¡°Hey, I want to speak with yton,¡± I told him.


    He gave me a puzzled look.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure the boss would like to see you,¡± he said as he poured me a ss of wine. ¡°He has been in quite a bad mood this past few days.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± I told him. ¡°But this is urgent. I need to talk to him.¡±


    ¡°Mmm, I see,¡± he said indifferently.


    ¡°You¡¯re gonna speak to him for me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± he said. ¡°But I make no promises. I do not like toe under the ire of Mr. yton.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± I replied. ¡°Please, do your best. A life is at stake here.¡±


    He nodded and then left the room.


    I said a little prayer before I ate the meal, hoping that yton would at least agree to see me.


    yton:


    I hadn¡¯t been to work in days as I was taking my time to shed off the stress. I also did not leave the house. I nned to go to work the next day after my secretary called me and told me about an urgent meeting. I heard a knock at the door and knew it was the butler. I had requested for some white wine; white wine helped me rx and I needed it to get ready for work the next day.


    ¡°Come on in,¡± I said and he opened the door and strode inside, the wine and a champagne flute in his hands.


    He poured me the wine and as I sipped, he watched. I wondered why he lingered.


    ¡°Sir, Nadine has requested to see you,¡± he said as I emptied the ss.


    ¡°Nadine, you say,¡± I said. ¡°See me for what?¡±


    I was still smarting from that embarrassment so hearing her name still did not sit well with me.


    ¡°She has a few challenges, and would like to discuss them with you, sir,¡± he said.


    ¡°I see,¡± I told him. ¡°Well, next time you attend to her, tell her that I¡¯lle see her only when I want. I give the fucking orders around here, not her, not you, not anybody.¡±

 Chapter 16

    CLAYTON.


    The butler stood in front of me as if he was frozen. I found it eerie so I did not look his way. I took another sip of the wine.


    ¡°What do you think is wrong with her?¡± I asked him as I set the ss down.


    ¡°Well, sir, I think her sister is sick, or something,¡± he said. ¡°I heard her say something like that over the phone.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, she has been using your phone tomunicate, hasn¡¯t she,¡± I said usatoryly.


    He bowed his head and said, ¡°yes, she has. I figured that it would be harmless.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± I said. ¡°You can go.¡±


    I watched him as he left. He was built, muscr, almost like me, and he was an entric figure. He rarely spoke, but he carried out his orders timely and effectively. I had had no problems whatsoever with him. My mind drifted to Nadine. Her sister being sick and she wanting to see me meant something ¨C it meant that she was in an impossible situation and perhaps needed my help. I chuckled to myself. Being vulnerable meant that she would take any offer that I presented to her.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this great?¡± I said to myself as Iy stretched on the bed.


    I had a sudden thought run through my mind and I sat up. I was connecting the dots. Abducting Nadine and keeping her locked wasn¡¯t the entirety of my n, I also did not want her to go. I hated her, she disgusted me, but there was something about her that made me want to keep her close, like a trophy, and go to where she was locked, look at her in admiration and leave. I stood up and went towards the basement where she was.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± Her weak voice said from the inside when I knocked on the door. I normally did not knock, but I was being extra cautious.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± I said, then I opened the door and walked in.


    ¡°yton,¡± she said, looking at me like I was some sort of savior, her toneced with desperation.


    ¡°I hear you want to see me,¡± I said. ¡°What exactly do you want?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did want to see you,¡± she said. ¡°Erm- I don¡¯t even know where to start¡­¡±


    ¡°Bitch, spill whatever the fuck it is you wanted to say, and get this over with,¡± I said, raising my voice a few octaves, enough to have given her a start.


    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± she said. ¡°I want to ask you a favor.¡±


    ¡°A favor, hunh?¡± I said, settling in the armchair.


    ¡°Yes, yton,¡± she said. She stood up and started twiddling her fingers. She was nervous, I knew. I knew from my experience as a shrewd businessman that being nervous meant a vulnerability that could work to my advantage.


    ¡°What kind of favor is it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You see, my sister, my younger sister, Anna, is sick,¡± she began, her voice cracking like she would burst into tears anytime soon. ¡°She¡¯s sick with cancer, and she¡¯s outside in the world, alone and-¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re asking me to let you go, forget about it,¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯re not leaving here. The time I stipted hasn¡¯t psed yet.¡±


    ¡°No, no, far from that¡± she said, waving her hands. ¡°What I need is a bit of financial help. I mean, even if I wasn¡¯t trapped in here, I would not be able to help her with the money she needs.¡±


    ¡°Money, hunh?¡± I said nonchntly.


    ¡°Please, yton, Anna is all I have,¡± she said, already crying. ¡°The money for her medications is an exorbitant amount that I can¡¯t afford, money that I have never seen in my life before. But ¡­ I know you can help, yton. Please, help me save the life of my little sister. She¡¯s too young; I can¡¯t lose her now.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I said, still indifferent. ¡°And what makes you think that even with all of the money that I have, that I would offer help to you, of all people. I mean, I¡¯m not a fucking charity organisation.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, yton, please, I¡¯m begging you,¡± she said, dropping to her knees. ¡°I have no one else. Not a friend or a rtive to turn to, please.¡±


    She crawled on her knees to where I was seated and, weeping, continued to beg some more. Something about her weak she looked, how broken, made me want to scoop her from the floor, throw her on the bed and fuck her hard, but I controlled myself. I was ying the game right already.


    ¡°Mmm, Nadine,¡± I said serenely. ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to think about it. Besides, how much money are we talking about here?¡±


    She stopped sniffling and managed to speak.


    ¡°Well, the amount sums up to about ten thousand dors a month, and the treatment has to go on for six months and that¡¯s-¡±


    ¡°Sixty thousand dors, yeah?¡± I said.


    She nodded innocently.


    Sixty thousand dors was a drop of waterpared to the ocean of money that I had. I had spent way more in clubs, on blowsy women, and in various acts of debauchery. I could give her the money right away, but I was not going to let this slide so easily.


    I stood up and straightened up.


    ¡°Nadine, I have to go now,¡± I said conclusively. ¡°I¡¯m tired and I have work tomorrow morning. About your proposal, I will think about it, and we¡¯ll see what I can do, alright?¡±


    I said no more, just turned around and shut the door behind me, locking her in.


    Nadine:


    When yton left, I buried my face in the armchair he had just gotten up from, and cried with what little strength I had inside of me. I knew he had the money. He could give it to me without having to do any calctions, but I knew he was stalling, trying to make me miserable. I cried till I fell asleep, but there was littlefort in slumber.

 Chapter 17

    NADINE.


    I woke up the next morning with a blinding headache. I had slept on the floor, and my body ached all over. I found it hard to get up, but when I did, my body screamed in protest. I brushed my teeth, and just sat on the bed, thinking. I hoped that yton would stop stalling and help me with the money. I was so desperate, I would do anything, even sleep with him, but it did not look like he wanted my body; he just wanted to punish me.


    The butler came inter with my breakfast. I was filled with gratitude when I saw him; I knew he was the one that spoke to yton for me.


    ¡°Thank you, for yesternight,¡± I said to him after we said good morning to each other.


    ¡°Ohh, Mr. yton was here?¡± He asked, a bit surprised.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said, surprised, too. ¡°You didn¡¯t know that?¡±


    ¡°Well, he spoke as if he did not want toe,¡± he said.


    yton, the bastard. He was ying a game of nonchnce, but I knew it better than he did. I really did not care what kind of tricks he wanted to y, or what sick games he wanted to engage in. I just needed him to help me with the money; I would y whatever game he wanted, regardless of how twisted they were. Anything for Anna.


    While I ate my breakfast, the butler handed me the phone.


    ¡°I know you need it,¡± he said.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.


    ¡°Ohh, yes, I do,¡± I said, taking it gratefully from him. ¡°Thank you very much.¡±


    He nodded as I epted the phone from his hand.


    I immediately ced a call across to Anna. Hopefully she will answer this time. And to my joy, after ringing a few times, she picked up.


    ¡°Oh, my God, Anna,¡± I said, squealing with happiness. ¡°How are you?¡±


    ¡°Fine, I guess,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m doing great, actually.¡±


    I could tell from the way she sounded that that was simply an act, that she was trying to be strong so as not to bother me. It made my heart melt, and tears snaked down my eyes.


    ¡°So how are you doing generally?¡± I asked. ¡°Taking your drugs?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I do,¡± she said. ¡°Actually, there aren¡¯t many drugs to take, considering the fact that we haven¡¯t gotten all of the ones the hospital prescribed. But Naomi said she¡¯s working on it, and said they are really expensive, that¡¯s why.¡±


    ¡°Mmm, I know,¡± I said. ¡°And where is Naomi?¡±


    ¡°Ohh, she¡¯s in the kitchen, fixing up something for our breakfast,¡± she said.


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that nice?¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯d like to speak to her, if she-¡±


    ¡°Ohh, here she is,¡± Anna said, and she handed Naomi the phone.


    ¡°Hi, Nadine,¡± Naomi said.


    ¡°Naomi, what¡¯s up?¡± I said. ¡°How¡¯s it going over there?¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re scraping by,¡± she said. ¡°How are you holding up?¡±


    ¡°So so,¡± I said. ¡°Were you able to get Anna some of the medications she needs?¡±


    ¡°Well, barely,¡± she said soberly. ¡°Nadine, these pills are so fucking expensive it makes you wonder if the people that produce and market them are really concerned with saving any fucking lives, you know?¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± I said, smacking my palm against my forehead.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Nadine,¡± she said, ¡°what I was able to get was very little. The hospital says we¡¯re wasting precious time.¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± I said again.


    ¡°What are we going to do, Nadine?¡± She said, I could hear the fear in her voice. She was just as invested in Anna¡¯s case as I was, and maybe being with Anna made things even more difficult for her, because, then, she got firsthand experience of what was going on.


    ¡°But she¡¯s okay now, eh?¡± I asked, looking for anything, any sign of hope.


    ¡°Well, yeah, Nadine,¡± she answered. ¡°But for how long?¡± She only has so much time.¡±


    I felt my head throb, and I held my temple.


    ¡°Look, Naomi, I¡¯m going to do whatever to make sure nothing happens to her,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll try and raise the money, as fast as I can. You do what you can, too.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to try and raise the money? From there?¡± She asked skeptically.


    ¡°Yup. Don¡¯t worry, Naomi,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll try what I can.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, okay,¡± she said, but I could still hear the disbelief in her voice.


    When we hung up, I copsed on the bed in sheer exhaustion. The butler left me alone, and the food remained untouched.


    yton:


    While I was at work, I devised a n, an ingenious n, to hold on to Nadine. I would give her the money, sure, it was nothing, but she would pay for it. After the hassles of the morning and all the meetings I had to sit through, I spoke to mywyer. He was a stern-looking man who had seen me through the most tumultuous legal battles. He was extremely good at what he did. Ernest was his name.


    ¡°So, Ernest,¡± I said, ¡°could you exin to me the process of getting married contractually?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s real simple, Mr. yton,¡± he said in his deep voice. ¡°All I have to do is draw out the conditions, condense into a document and have the parties involved sign. And that¡¯s it.¡±


    I thought about it for a moment. What a beautiful n I had unfolding before me.


    ¡°Well, Ernest, you¡¯re going to do that for me soon, okay?¡± I told him.


    ¡°No problem, sir,¡± he said. ¡°Looking to get hitched?¡±


    ¡°Something like that, Ernest,¡± I said, speeding my face in a mischievous smile.


    I got through the rest of the day swimmingly, and when it was time to go, I hurried up to the driver. When I got home, I had a quick meal, had a bath, and freshened up. Then I went to where Nadine was.


    She was surprised I came back to see her, and I saw something like hope flicker on her face as I stepped inside. I knew she had made a decision to ept whatever terms I brought forward. All I had to do was say what I wanted

 Chapter 18.

    CLAYTON.


    ¡°yton,¡± she said, her voice shaky. ¡°I-I wasn¡¯t expecting you.¡±


    ¡°Of course you weren¡¯t,¡± I said with a mischievous smile.


    She got up from her bed and stood very still, as if she was a statue. I had her, all I had to do was y my cards right.


    ¡°Well, erm, have you thought about what I asked for?¡± She said,


    ¡°Mm-hmm, I have,¡± I said as I sank into the armchair.


    ¡°And?¡± She asked, her eyebrows raised in anticipation.


    ¡°Well, honestly, I don¡¯t give a shit about your sister,¡± I told her in a matter-of-fact tone. ¡°I really don¡¯t¡­¡±


    I stopped there, to build the tension. She started to wring her hands. I was sure if I stood near her, I would hear the thumping of her heart.


    ¡°yton, please, I¡¯m begging you,¡± she said. Her face crumpled and she started to cry. ¡°My sister will die without proper treatment. I can¡¯t bear to lose her; she¡¯s all I have. I¡¯ll do anything. Anything, yton. You wanted my body the first time we met, didn¡¯t you? Fine. I¡¯ll fuck you, that¡¯s what you want. I¡¯ll-¡±


    She started to take off her clothes, exposing her lithe body. Her gown fell to the floor, and she stood bare before me. I ran my eyes from her perky breasts to her navel to the thin trail of hair that led to her vagina. I had almost forgotten how sexy she was. Desire burned through me like a wildfire and I felt a familiar bulge in my groin. She started to walk very slowly towards me, cing one foot in front of the other. When she got to my front, she crouched, sitting on her haunches, looked me in the face, and gave me a coy smile. Then she started to unzip my trousers.


    ¡°Stop it,¡± I barked. ¡°Fucking stop.¡±


    I shoved her away, and from the look on her face, I could tell she was surprised.


    ¡°I-I thought-¡± she stuttered.


    ¡°Bitch, you can¡¯t fuck your way to sixty thousand dors, you hear me,¡± I said then let out a sinisterugh.


    She collected herself and got up. When she began to dress up, I told her about my n.


    ¡°But I do have a proposal, though,¡± I said. ¡°And that could get you the money to save your sister.¡±


    She was putting her panties back on when I said that, and she stopped to raise her head and look at me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do anything, yton,¡± she said, and I heard the resolution in her tone.


    ¡°Of course you will,¡± I said andughed.


    ¡°Well, I was thinking about it, and I don¡¯t really want to let you go, Nadine,¡± I said to her. ¡°I¡¯ve met mywyer, and he has outlined the documents for a contract marriage. You will be able to leave her, of course, and you will get the money for your sick sister, but you will be mine.¡±


    There was shock on her face.


    ¡°Wha-what is this, yton?¡± She asked.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°A fucking proposal is what it is,¡± I answered.


    ¡°But you hate me,¡± she said. ¡°You hate me, and we both know it. What do you hope to achieve by coercing me into this bullshit.¡±


    ¡°Coercing?¡± I asked derisively. ¡°Who said anything about coercion? Look, I told you what the deal is, and the question now is ¨C do you want to save your sister or you want the cancer cells to eat up her organs and systems till she remains a shell of herself and dies a horrible death?¡±


    She just stood there, saying nothing, tears snaking down her eyes. I had thought it would be easier, that she would immediately concede to the proposal, but it seemed like she abhorred the idea of getting married to me.


    Nadine:


    I stood before yton, in only my panties. Something weighed heavy on chest as he spoke. The bastard wanted me to marry him. The only reason why I had asked him for the money was because no other person would give it to me, and the fool was asking me to marry him. And not just that, he wanted to do it contractually. I think wealthy people are very entric, maybe it¡¯s the money that makes them so. Here was a man that hated me and knew that I detested him, too, throwing me a curveball by asking me to marry him


    ¡°You¡¯re not serious, yton,¡± I said to him. ¡°Where is thising from?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m dead serious, Nadine,¡± he said. ¡°Do I sound like I¡¯m fucking kidding?¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do with me when we¡¯re married?¡± I said, rolling my eyes.


    ¡°What else?¡± He said. ¡°You¡¯re going to y the role of a wife, of course.¡±


    He looked ufortable, like something was bugging him. Perhaps he had thought that I would ept his proposal off the bat.


    ¡°yton, please, be fucking serious,¡± I said to him.


    ¡°Either you ept the proposal and I call mywyer,¡± he said, ¡°or nothing.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you, yton,¡± I said, my voice sharp, cutting.


    We were silent for a while. I wondered what was going through his head, probably another sick thought. I really wanted him to give me the money, I would have had sex with him everyday, but marriage waspletely out of the picture.


    ¡°So this isn¡¯t happening, is it?¡± He said.


    ¡°I can¡¯t marry you, yton,¡± I told him. ¡°We hate each other. What is there to gain from such unholy union?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t remember that we hated each other when you asked for the money, eh?¡± He said.


    I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°yton, please, we can find another way,¡± I pleaded. ¡°We don¡¯t have to do this. We don¡¯t have to-¡±


    He leapt from the armchair and smacked me across the face. I fell to the bed, dazed.


    ¡°Stupid bitch,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re not getting a dor from me, you hear me?¡±


    He left the room, locking me inside again. I couldn¡¯t cry. I just sat up, and stared into space.

 Chapter 19.

    CLAYTON.


    I walked back to my room, livid. I could not believe what had just happened. I had thought it would be easy, that I could y on her desperation and get her to bend to my will, but the bitch was being adamant. I stamped to my room and copsed on the bed, breathing heavily. It waste already ¨C almost 10pm I was so pissed. I ced a call across to Trent. Perhaps, he could do something to assuage my temper.


    ¡°Hey, man,¡± he said cheerily. ¡°How are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Ugh, not so good,¡± I told him.


    ¡°Ohh, what happened?¡± He asked with concern.


    ¡°Ahh, just a long day at work,¡± I told him.


    ¡°How about I send over a hot chick to help you shed the stress,¡± he said, mischief in his voice.


    I thought about it for a while. Perhaps it was best if I had sex that night. But Trent was quite far from me and arranging for someone could be stressful and time exhausting.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it toote for that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s never toote for anything, especially not for your personal enjoyment,¡± he said. ¡°All I have to do is make a few calls.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then,¡± I said. ¡°Do what you can.¡±


    He hung up, and I justy on the bed, my mind nk. I stood up, and called the butler for some wine. In a few minutes, I got a call from Trent.


    ¡°I got her,¡± he said. ¡°She¡¯sing over. She should be at your mansion in about fifteen minutes?¡±Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Fifteen minutes?¡± I said with surprise. ¡°Damn. That fast?¡±


    ¡°Come on, man, you know me,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m a pro at these things.¡±


    I gave a smallugh and hung up. Fifteen minutes had not psed when the butler came in and said I had a guest. I told him to send her to my room. In a moment, a curvy brte with a heavily made up face walked in. She gave off so much sex appeal, but I was not exactly in the mood. Nadine had soured my mood.


    ¡°Hi, big boy,¡± she said and strode over, straddling me while I sat on the bed. ¡°My name is Lisa.¡±


    ¡°Lisa, I¡¯m yton,¡± I said gently to her.


    She started to kiss me, and I could detect the faint taste of alcohol in her breath. She had been drinking. She pushed me and I fell t on the bed.


    ¡°Wait-¡± I said. I had another n. ¡°Let¡¯s leave this ce.¡±


    ¡°Oooh,¡± she said coyly, ¡°and go where, daddy?¡±


    ¡°Somewhere even better,¡± I said with a wink.


    I got up and led her by the hand to the basement.


    NADINE.


    It had been a long day. I would have loved to talk with Naomi or Anna and find out how things were going, but it did not seem like the butler wasing. So I started to doze off. Just then, I heard a sound at the door.


    ¡°Oh, thank God!¡± I said to myself, thinking that the butler had arrived. If he had, I could talk to Anna. But who sauntered in made me gasp.


    ¡°yton?¡± I said as he walked in. He held ady by his side and I tried to make out her features to see if I could recognize her. It was not Nadine; I had never met her before. I knew he was going to act on another of his sick thoughts.


    ¡°Hi, Nadine,¡± he said.


    ¡°Who is this?¡± Thedy beside him said. ¡°Erm, I don¡¯t do threesomes, and if that must happen, it isn¡¯t with a female.¡±


    ¡°Come on, Lisa, don¡¯t worry,¡± he said, nudging her. ¡°She isn¡¯t going to partake in anything. She¡¯ll just be here.¡±


    ¡°Better,¡± she said. I couldn¡¯t believe yton was doing this again.


    They started to kiss in the middle of the room to my endless eye rolls. They devoured each other¡¯s bodies, tearing off their clothes in so ferocious a manner. When they started to move towards the bed, I had to get up. It was frustrating. I was drowsy and needed to sleep. But here was yton being a pain in the ass. As he pumped into her, he spoke aloud to me.


    ¡°You like this, hunh, Nadine?¡± He said.


    ¡°Ohh, please,¡± I said to myself.


    ¡°You like the way I¡¯m fucking her?¡± He said.


    Thedy moaned loud, like she was possessed by a strange spirit; it spooked me. They went on like this for a while, and even I had to admit to yton¡¯s sexual prowess. He copsed beside her when he was done.


    ¡°That was so good, daddy,¡± she said. But yton, without uttering a word, stood up and left the room. She propped herself on her elbows and watched in disbelief.


    ¡°Fucking leaving me here, ain¡¯t you?¡± She said, but yton was already out. I assumed that he did not like her much, or probably did not even know her. Such an arrogant bastard!


    Shey on the bed for a while and I began to wonder when she was going to leave. She justy there, her hand stretched by her side so that she looked like Jesus on the cross. After a while, she took a deep breath and stood up; she dressed quietly and left me alone in the room. After she left, I wondered how she was going to find her way around the mansion. But I had better things to think about, so I hopped on the bed and slept off.


    CLAYTON.


    Having sex did little to tamp down the tension that I was feeling. I felt like I had a tight knot in my chest. When I got to my room, Iy down to sleep, but I couldn¡¯t. Lisa walked in after about an hour. I imagined she had been traipsing around the house trying to find her way around, opening the wrong door. I chuckled at the thought.


    ¡°You just left me there, and you thought that was cool?¡± She said,


    ¡°Shut the fuck up or leave!¡± I barked.

 Chapter 20.

    NADINE.


    I slept very little that night, even though I was exhausted. It was almost morning before I fell asleep, and even then, my rest was ridden with nightmares. I kept seeing Anna in a pitiful state of debilitated health. In one of the dreams, she walked into the room wearing one of those light blue gowns they give in-patients at a hospital. Her cheeks were sunken and her bulging eyes were bloodshot. She walked with measured steps while I sat on the edge of the bed. Then she stretched her hand towards me, as if in supplication and said, ¡°Nadine, don¡¯t let me die.¡±


    I started to scream and woke up to see that the butler was in the room, dropping my breakfast on the table.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± he said, but I was too flustered to answer. ¡°Had a bad dream?¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°Have a coffee,¡± he said, and gave me a mug from which wafted the rich smell of coffee.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said.


    ¡°Are you going to be fine?¡± He said, and I could tell that he wanted to leave.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.


    I nodded, then asked, ¡°why are you always so kind to me?¡±


    He shrugged and began to walk out. Just as he opened the door, his phone buzzed. He hastily pulled it out of his pocket and looked in it. When he raised his head, he looked at me with furrowed brows.


    ¡°It¡¯s your sister,¡± he said as he walked briskly to me and handed me the phone.


    I took the phone from his hand. It was not Anna; it was Naomi. He must have thought that both of them were my sisters.


    ¡°Naomi?¡± I said.


    ¡°Nadine, shit!¡± Naomi said. There was a panic in her voice that made my heart race and made the blood in my ears pound so loud.


    ¡°What is it, Naomi?¡± I said, my voice shaking. ¡°What is it now?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ¡­ Anna, she-¡± she stopped.


    ¡°She what, Naomi?¡± I asked her, raising my voice.


    ¡°She passed out,¡± she said. ¡°We were just having lunch, I swear to God, and she got up to get a ss of water from the fridge and she just slumped. I called the ambnce; they already took her to the hospital. I¡¯m going there now.¡±


    ¡°Shit!¡± I said aloud. I looked at the butler, who just stood unmoving, his hand folded. I felt a chill run up and down my spine and spread to every part of my body. The tears came fast and very soon I was sniffling.


    ¡°Nadine, I think this might be as a result of Anna not getting the medications she needs,¡± Naomi said.


    ¡°Fuck yes, I know,¡± I said, snapping at her for telling me the most obvious thing in the world.


    ¡°Ohh, okay,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯ll talkter. I gotta go.¡±


    I handed the butler the phone and he slipped it back into his pocket and turned and left. My mind went to yton and I was filled with overwhelming rage, so much that I screamed so loud my voice cracked afterwards. I didn¡¯t care who would have heard me, I was so angry. But I knew that my indignation would do Anna no help. So I dried my eyes and decided on what to do.


    yton:


    Lisa left the next day. I gave her a bundle of cash and had my butler apany her to the gates. But that was it. It wasn¡¯t like the sex had been great, it was mediocre at best. I was still dazed from having my proposal rejected by Nadine. It made me hate her more. I had everything, I could give her the world, I could save her sister. But she still said no to me. Such a bitch!


    Trent called as I was on the way to work.


    ¡°Had a nice night, didn¡¯t you?¡± He said with a hint of mischief in his tone. I was going to tell him about being unsatisfied by Lisa.


    ¡°It was fine,¡± I said. ¡°She was cool.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, beautiful,¡± he said.


    After we hung up, my mind wandered off to Nadine again. I was just so unhappy. Work was a drag, like it always was, and unbearably so. It was the same routine ¨C meetings after meetings, and documents to scrutinize and sign, people to give orders to; it was monotonous. After work I went straight home. I had it in mind to go see Nadine, see if she had had a change of mind, but I didn¡¯t want to seem desperate. Just then the butler walked in and said that Nadine wanted to see me. I smiled mischievously to myself.


    Nadine:


    I had reached a decision. I couldn¡¯t stand and watch Anna die when there was something I could do about it. I had tried to call Naomi and find out the state of Anna¡¯s health, but she had not been picking and this made me frustrated. So I told the butler that I would like to speak to yton. He strode inside of the room about two hourster, all pomp and pride. I knew he was gloating, underneath the stern look he wore on his face.


    ¡°So, what do you want?¡± He said. He didn¡¯t sit this time, just stood with his hands inside his pockets.


    ¡°I¡¯ve thought about what you asked for,¡± I said. ¡°I mean, the proposal.¡±


    He said nothing. His face was nk and I was a bit nervous.


    ¡°I ept your proposal, yton,¡± I said. ¡°I will marry you. You might as well call thewyer now, and I¡¯ll sign whatever documents you want me to sign, long as you help me save my sister.¡±


    He remained still, quiet. His silence was a mystery, I wondered what he was thinking. yton was not the quiet, contemtive type, he was loud and boastful, so I expected him to say something any time soon.


    ¡°No, Nadine,¡± he finally said.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You heard me, bitch,¡± he said. ¡°The answer is no. It¡¯s toote. I withdrew the proposal.¡±


    He turned and stepped out of the room, leaving me shocked.

 Chapter 21

    CLAYTON.


    My n was simple, and it was to fuel her desperation. I knew, going to see her, that she had finallye to her senses, but I did not want to indulge her. I turned and left her weeping. When I got to my room, I thought of calling Trent again, but I knew better. So instead, I put a call forward to Natasha. She picked immediately.


    ¡°Hi, baby,¡± she said.


    ¡°Natasha, where are you?¡± I asked her, going straight to the point. I could hear the muffled sound of music and people shouting, and I knew she must have been in a club or something.


    ¡°I¡¯m at a birthday party with one of my girls,¡± she said. ¡°What¡¯s up with you? It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    ¡°I know, I miss you,¡± I said. That was an outright lie.


    ¡°Aww, yton,¡± she said. ¡°I miss you, too. That¡¯s so sweet of you.¡±


    ¡°Can youe over? I¡¯m quite lonely. I need someone to keep mepany till the morning,¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡¯lle over now,¡± she said, and hung up.


    It took a while before she arrived, and it was nearly midnight before she came into my room. She pounced on me immediately, tore off my singlet and ran her across my chest. She nted her lips on mine and kissed me from neck down to my navel, stopping just above my groin. This was why I liked her, she was good at what she did. There was a meticulousness with which she attended to my body that made me feel like I had stepped a foot into heaven. She kissed my lips again and whispered in my ears.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    ¡°I have an idea,¡± she said. ¡°A crazy ass one.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I said impatiently, willing her to stop talking and resume attending to my body.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the basement,¡± she said conspiratorially.


    I knew what she was referring to. Thest time we had sex, it was in front of Nadine. Natasha was kinky; I know she liked being watched and all of that stuff, but I wasn¡¯t in for it that night.


    ¡°What for?¡± I asked.


    ¡°We could fuck in full re of that bitch down there?¡± She said,


    ¡°Ahh, do we have to,¡± I asked.


    ¡°Come on,¡± she nudged me up and we both began to walk to the basement.


    NADINE.


    yton was ying some sort of game with me and I wasn¡¯t having it. He had said if I agreed to his proposal of contract marriage, he would help me with the money to facilitate my sister¡¯s treatment, and now he was rejecting it. I started to lose my shit as he left. Without him giving me the money, I wouldn¡¯t be able to get it and Anna would worsen until she died. I had spent about five months trapped in his mansion, but even if I was free, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to raise the money.


    ¡°Useless, just useless,¡± I said to myself, as Iy on the bed to cry.


    I cried myself to sleep, but it wasn¡¯t very long when I heard the door clicking open. I hoped it was yton saying that he was only fucking with me. Perhaps he woulde with the documents for me to sign and immediately send the money to my sister. It was yton, yes, but he came in with that bitch, Natasha. She was wearing only a shirt and panties, a wry smile on her face. yton said nothing.


    ¡°Hello, girl,¡± Natasha said, her voice a seductive lilt.


    ¡°What the fuck is this?¡± I said.


    ¡°We¡¯vee to say hi,¡± she said. ¡°And to have a little fun.¡±


    ¡°Fun?¡± I said, looking at yton. ¡°My sister is dying in some hospital, and you want to have fun?!?!¡±


    ¡°Ohh, fuck your sister,¡± yton said with a wave of hand.


    They jumped on the bed and began to have sex while I watched. Natasha took control. She was spunky and unlike thestdy yton had had sex with, she knew how to take charge. I wondered, as I watched them, if Natasha knew about thedy yton had brought homest time, and all the otherdies he probably messed around with. I thought of telling her, raising my voice above the din of their moans and grunts and saying it, but I knew it would be foolish. Natasha probably knew and did not care. Like all the otherdies in yton¡¯s life, they were all assets, all objects he could use without respect and fling off when he did not need them, and I was one of them.


    ¡°Ohh, Nadine,¡± Natasha said in between her moans, ¡°you wannae join us?¡±


    I was a bit surprised she remembered my name, especially in the throes of passion.


    ¡°Come join us, Nadine,¡± she said again as she rode yton. He was grunting, making ugly sounds like a wounded animal.


    I thought of my sister in the hospital. I had not heard from her since I got the call that she passed out. She could be dead for all I knew. The thought and realization of this made me feel a sudden overwhelming fear and I began to panic. yton and Natasha had finished but I did not give a single fuck. I began to cry, loud and ugly.


    ¡°Bitch, shut the fuck up before I smack you,¡± yton said as he dressed up.


    But I did not stop crying. I raised my voice till I was hoarse.


    ¡°Aww, poor thing,¡± Natasha said as she left.


    I was sprawled on the floor, and she crouched to give me a kiss on the forehead. I thought it was such a nice gesture, but also it could be mocking. Iy on the floor, crying silently till I slept off.


    CLAYTON.


    Natasha was so good in bed. I would marry her, but she¡¯s not the type ofdy you get married to. I held her hand as we walked back to my bedroom, and we slept off holding each other tight.

 Chapter 22

    NADINE.


    It was raining when I woke up the next day, heavy, torrential. I heard the rain pounding on the roof and a chill suffused the entire room. I burrowed deeper into the duvet, but every sleep had been cleared out of my eyes. My captivity in the house was starting to drive me crazy. I had only a few weeks left before the stipted six months would pse, but the promise of my freedom did not bring me any joy. I would have to go and face the real world, to face reality, the reality of Anna being sick and me not being able to get her the medications she needed for her treatment. The butler came in with my breakfast.


    ¡°Cold?¡± He asked.


    ¡°A bit,¡± I replied.


    I asked for his phone and he gave it to me. I tried to get across to Anna first, but the rain must have messed up thework because the line was t; same with Naomi.


    ¡°The line is bad,¡± I said as I handed him the phone.


    ¡°Ohh, that¡¯s terrible,¡± he said. ¡°Must be the rain. I guess you¡¯ll have to try again some other time.¡±


    He left and returned about an hourter. By then the rain had subsided.


    ¡°Here,¡± he said, handing me the phone, ¡°try it now.¡±


    I called Naomi¡¯s number and this time it went through. She picked after the third ring.


    ¡°Hi, Naomi,¡± I said.


    ¡°Nadine,¡± she answered. There was something in her voice, as if it was drooping under the weight of something heavy.


    ¡°How¡¯s Anna?¡± I asked.


    ¡°In the hospital,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m with her.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Jesus,¡± I said. ¡°How¡¯s she doing now?¡±


    ¡°Not any better, Nadine, unfortunately,¡± she said.


    ¡°What are the doctors saying?¡± I asked.


    There was a pause. I could hear the faint sound of people talking, and I wondered where in the hospital she was.


    ¡°Well, they¡¯re saying the same thing they¡¯ve been saying,¡± she finally answered. ¡°That she¡¯s in dire need of medicine.¡±


    I sighed. I did not know what to tell her; I had tried what I thought would be the solution to the problem.


    ¡°Is she awake? Can I talk to her?¡± I asked, already choking with tears.


    ¡°Nah, Nadine, she¡¯s asleep,¡± she said. ¡°She¡¯s so weak these days. The doctor said it¡¯s fatigue.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say, Naomi,¡± I said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do either.¡±


    ¡°Me neither,¡± she said. ¡°I tried applying for a loan at the bank, but they wouldn¡¯t give it to me; they said I don¡¯t qualify. Such bullshit! Even after I told them I had someone with medical issues.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, God!¡± I said, cing my palm t on my forehead.


    ¡°Nadine, what are we going to do?¡± She said, her toneced with desperation.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Naomi,¡± I said sadly. ¡°I tried to get some money from yton here, but he refused me.¡±


    ¡°That bastard,¡± she said. ¡°Rich as he is.¡±


    ¡°Truly a disgusting person,¡± I said.


    CLAYTON.


    It had rained all morning. It was a stroke of luck that I had Natasha by my side and in my arms; what a dreary thing to be in such frigid weather conditions without someone. I couldn¡¯t make it work that day, I knew it, so I made a few calls and gave orders for work to be done. My mind went to Nadine again. I smiled to myself. Nothing pleased me more than seeing her in so much pain and anguish. I went to her room when it waste in the afternoon. Maybe I would give her the money, maybe not.


    ¡°Hi there,¡± I said mockingly.


    She did not reply. I could tell she was smoldering with anger.


    ¡°Not too cheery today, are you?¡± I said.


    ¡°Cheery? How can I be cheery when my sister is lying sick in a hospital, dying because she can¡¯t fucking get drugs?¡± She barked. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me about cherry!¡±


    ¡°You should have thought about that before you refused my proposal,¡± I said. ¡°But it seems like you don¡¯t love this sister of yours enough.¡±


    In a sh, she was in my front and had smacked me hard across the face. My cheek stung. Her eyes burned red, as if with mes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ever utter such bullshit,¡± she said.


    Iughed, a deep, emptyugh. I wasn¡¯t going to p her back. She was the broken one, not me. I sat on the armchair.


    ¡°Besides, I said yes to your proposal already,¡± she said as she returned to the edge of the bed. ¡°I don¡¯t know what the fuck else you want me to do.¡±


    There was silence.


    ¡°So, assuming there¡¯s awyer here with the papers, you¡¯ll sign them?¡± I said.


    Something like joy glinted in her eyes as she said, ¡°yes, yes, I will, to save my sister¡¯s life.¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°A deal is a deal,¡± I said. ¡°You sign those papers, and I help with your sister¡¯s treatment.¡±C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yes, please,¡± she said. ¡°Do this for me, yton, and I will forgive you for all the wrongs you have done to me.¡±


    Iughed out loud.


    ¡°Ahh, bitch, you¡¯re so pathetic,¡± I said. ¡°I don¡¯t need you to forgive me. What am I going to need it for?¡±


    ¡°Whatever, yton,¡± she folded her hand across her chest. ¡°I¡¯ll sign, I¡¯ll marry you. Please, just get the money for my sister. She¡¯s in a hospital and she¡¯s-¡±


    ¡°Enough of the sob story, Nadine,¡± I stopped her. ¡°Cut the shit out.¡±


    She went mute. I pretended to be in deep thoughts, to be contemting my next step of action. But I wasn¡¯t, really. It was simple what I was going to do ¨C call mywyer over and have him bring the papers.


    ¡°Okay, then,¡± I said as I stood up to leave. ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± she said. ¡°So are you going to be back with the papers today? Like is it going to be-¡±


    ¡°Ohh, shut up, Nadine,¡± I barked. ¡°I just fucking said I¡¯ll be back.¡±


    And with that I left the room.

 Chapter 23

    NADINE.


    Perhaps there was a light at the end of that tunnel, even if only a glimmer of hope. yton¡¯s tone as he spoke was ambiguous, not rich with promises or buoyant; it was just vague. I watched him as he left the room, leaving me to wallow in the uncertainty of what was toe. I fell on the bed, twiddling my fingers, hoping he woulde back soon with hiswyer or whoever, and we could get it over with. All I wanted was for Anna to be okay, nothing more. I copsed on the bed, and before long, I fell asleep.


    The sound of the door clicking woke me up the next morning. Thinking it was the butler, I slowly sat up. But instead, an unfamiliar man with severe demeanor walked in, trailed by yton. I felt my heart pound.


    ¡°This is it,¡± I said to myself.


    ¡°Good morning, Nadine,¡± yton said.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± I said, surprised by his sudden propriety.


    ¡°This is mywyer,¡± he exined, pointing to the man who stood still nearby. ¡°He already has the papers ready, and all you have to do is sign.¡±


    ¡°Just like that?¡± I asked, too shocked to believe it was true.


    ¡°Just like that,¡± he said, nodding. His voice was surprisingly gentle, nothing more than a few octaves above a whisper.


    ¡°And you¡¯ll get the money for Anna?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Oh, please, Nadine,¡± he raised his voice. ¡°Stop this shit. An agreement is a fucking agreement.¡±


    ¡°I need to know that I¡¯m not signing anything without getting what I asked for,¡± I said. ¡°I don¡¯t exactly trust you, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be fucking stupid, bitch,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s all in the paperwork. Hand it to her.¡±


    Thewyer walked to my side and handed me the papers. I read through it and saw that it was just as he had stated, just as he had agreed. If I signed, Anna would get sixty thousand dors immediately. The marriage was supposed tost for a total of five years.


    ¡°How are you going to get it to her, though?¡± I asked one final question as I took the pen from thewyer.


    ¡°Once you sign it, I¡¯ll get some men to take the money over to the hospital or wherever she is and hand her the cash,¡± he said convincingly.


    I nodded, then put my signature on the dotted lines.


    ¡°Done,¡± I said as I handed the papers to thewyer.


    ¡°Good, your sister, Anna or whatever, will get the money,¡± he said and turned to leave.


    I didn¡¯t know whether to say ¡°thank you,¡± or ignore him. I did not understand what was going to happen now. If I was to be released and made a part of his house, or just live as before until the six months psed, which would have been in a few weeks.


    ¡°And prepare yourself for your matrimonial duties,¡± he said as he shut the door.


    I got a bottle of water from the refrigerator and sank into the chair. A part of me was relieved, but another part was turbulent with the possibility of what was to happen.


    CLAYTON.


    I called Trent and invited him over to the house.


    ¡°I have something for you to help me with, man,¡± I told him.


    ¡°What, you want another chick?¡± He said, the words tumbling out of his mouth. ¡°You know, I saw this fine one yesterday, and she-¡±


    ¡°Trent, please,¡± I said, stopping him. ¡°That¡¯s not what I want. That¡¯s not what I called you for.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± he said. ¡°What, then?¡±


    ¡°I need you to go to the central hospital and give some cash to a girl there with cancer?¡± I said. ¡°I would have sent a bunch of guys over there, but I trust you more. Besides, it¡¯s a hospital, and I want someone that looks presentable.¡±


    ¡°Okay?¡± He said, puzzled. ¡°And do you know this person?¡±


    ¡°As a matter of fact, I do,¡± I told him. ¡°It¡¯s Nadine¡¯s sister.¡±


    ¡°And since when did you start giving help to the likes of Nadine,¡± he said. ¡°Don¡¯t you still have her in the basement?¡±


    ¡°I still do,¡± I said. ¡°But I hatched a new n. I had her sign an agreement for a contract marriage.¡±


    ¡°What?!?!¡± He said. ¡°What in the world of bad ideas is that? So, what? She¡¯s yourwfully wedded wife now?¡±


    ¡°Kind of,¡± I said with a shrug.


    ¡°This is stupid, yton,¡± he said. ¡°Why are you marrying someone you hate?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not stupid, Trent,¡± I said. ¡°Look, she hates me as much as I do her, so this is a form of punishment. If she hates me, what do you think is thest thing she¡¯ll want?¡±


    ¡°Erm, I don¡¯t know,¡± he said.


    ¡°Live with me,¡± I said. ¡°Be my wife, and be constrained by wifely responsibilities to be around me at all times.¡±


    ¡°Jesus Christ,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re an evil genius!¡±


    I nodded,ughing gently to myself.


    ¡°But it¡¯s only a contract, right?¡± He said. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s just to make her miserable.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± I said.


    He took the cash from me and went straight to the hospital. About an hour and a halfter, he called me and told me he had dropped the cash with the patient¡¯s guardian, and I smiled to myself.


    NADINE.


    The butler burst into the room.


    ¡°My phone has been ringing,¡± he said. ¡°You have a call.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my God, Nadine, you won¡¯t believe what just happened,¡± Naomi¡¯s voice shot into my ear as soon I picked.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked excitedly, knowing what she was about to say.


    ¡°Some random guy came around and dropped a bundle of money,¡± she said. ¡°Seventy thousand dors, Nadine. Seventy! That¡¯s ten thousand more dors than we need.¡±C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Great,¡± I said. ¡°The money has been delivered.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, you knew about it?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s from yton,¡± she said.


    After we hung up, I descended into mncholy. I was happy my sister was going to get her treatment, but I was worried about the next five years.

 Chapter 24.

    CLAYTON.


    Seventy thousand dors was nothing to me; it was like one grain of sand to an entire beach. And I was still going to have my way, so it was a win-win in both situations. Legally, Nadine was my legally married spouse, I could have my way with her to the fullest capacity. I decided to free her. I went to the basement by myself the next morning.


    ¡°Good morning, Nadine,¡± I said with a fake smile.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± she said sourly.


    ¡°Maybe you should put more life into your greetings now that I¡¯m your husband, don¡¯t you think?¡± I said with the same mocking smile stered on my face.


    ¡°Ohh, please,¡± she said, rolling her eyes. ¡°What now? Now that we¡¯re married, what happens next?¡±


    ¡°Well, first of all, no wife of yton Ro should be d in those rags,¡± I said to her. ¡°So we¡¯ll have to find you something else to wear. Maybe a shopping spree will solve that.¡±


    ¡°How do we go shopping if I¡¯m still locked in here like a wild animal, yton?¡± She said tiredly. ¡°And who would I be dressing for?¡±


    ¡°First of all, ¡°we¡± are not going shopping,¡± I exined. ¡°You are going shopping, along with the driver, of course.¡±


    ¡°Wait, does that mean¡­?¡± She said, wide-eyed. ¡°Does that mean you¡¯re freeing me?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± I said. ¡°Now that I have you bound byw as my wife, there¡¯s no escaping.¡±


    She gave a scream of joy that startled me and spun round and round until merely looking at her made me dizzy. I watched, my lips upturned in disgust.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to make such a racket, you stupid cunt,¡± I spat out.


    ¡°Ohh, I¡¯ll make all the noise I fucking want,¡± she said, getting up from the bed and walking closer to me, so close that I winced at her morning breath. ¡°Do you know what the fuck it means to be locked in this hole for months, no phone, no inte, no contact with the outside world, just your arrogant ass, the butler and those lowlife prostitutes? Do you know?¡±


    She was so close to my face. And I had to admit, she had a point.


    ¡°Go take a fucking bath, Nadine,¡± I said in near disgust. ¡°And get ready. The driver will take you to the mall and you can get some clothes.¡±


    I turned to walk away, but then I stopped short of the door, turned and faced her again.


    ¡°We may be legally married now, Nadine,¡± I told her in a low, menacing voice, ¡°but that doesn¡¯t erase the humiliation I got from you from my mind. And it sure as hell doesn¡¯t change the fact that I still think you¡¯re a despicable bitch, and am utterly disgusted by you.¡±


    I turned and exited the room, this time leaving it unlocked.


    NADINE.


    What does freedom taste like after months of captivity? How does it feel to have the chains of imprisonment removed from your legs and hands? It tastes wonderful, like the thought of breathing the fresh city air when I step outside, or during a car wind and the wind is whooshing in my face, cooling it; it tastes like knowing I¡¯ll see Anna and Naomi, and every other person whom I¡¯ve lost touch with. I took my bath and wore the only dress avable. The butler came and led me out, and for the first time, I was outside of the room in months.


    ¡°Good morning, ma¡¯am,¡± a clean man in a two-piece suit greeted me. ¡°I¡¯m the driver, and Mr. yton has instructed me to take you to the mall.¡±Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Ohh,¡± I said.


    He had called me ¡°ma¡¯am,¡± and I felt like I could get used to it. As I walked through the house, the servants also called me ma¡¯am, and it felt good.


    ¡°But was it just the mall, though?¡± I asked him, trying to see if I could finagle a ride around the city and possibly to see Anna and Naomi from him.


    ¡°That was my instruction, ma¡¯am,¡± he said.


    So we drove to the mall, speeding past familiarndmarks and buildings. I swelled with joy as we did. When we passed the hotel that I worked at before, I felt an unfamiliar emotion go through me. We got to the mall and did about three hours of shopping, so much that I was exhausted. yton had given his credit card to the driver.


    When we were back inside the car, I decided to call yton.


    ¡°What do you want now?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I want to go see my sister,¡± I said. ¡°I can do that, right?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he said firmly. ¡°The n was to get you some new clothes and then youe back home. No detours!¡±


    ¡°Come on, yton,¡± I said, a coy lilt to my voice. ¡°It¡¯s just a few minutes drive from where we are now. And I haven¡¯t seen my sister in months. She¡¯s sick, remember?¡±


    ¡°Fuck, Nadine,¡± he said. ¡°Your first day as my wife and you cannot obey simplemands.¡±


    ¡°Come on, yton,¡± I begged. ¡°I¡¯ll be back, of course.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± he said and hung up.


    ¡°The central hospital,¡± I said to the driver as soon as I dropped the phone.


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± he said and made a swerve to change directions.


    *


    As we neared the hospital, I felt nervous. It had been months since I had seen Naomi or Anna, and my heartbeat elerated. It was quite a big hospital and we had to wade through a lot of patients at the reception room to get to someone to lead us to the room where Anna was staying.


    ¡°Hello, we¡¯re looking for a patient,¡± I told the bespectacleddy who was behind the desk.


    ¡°What¡¯s the name?¡± She asked without raising her head.


    ¡°Anna Moore,¡± I said.


    ¡°Anna Moore,¡± she said to herself.


    ¡°And who are you to her?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Her elder sister,¡± I replied.


    She gave me the instructions on how to get to the room and I was there in a few minutes. When I opened the door, I was shocked at what I saw.

 Chapter 25

    NADINE.


    A frail-looking girl was stretched on the bed, her eyes closed. She looked emaciated. Tubes ran in and out of her, and she looked like her life was only hanging on a thread. I blinked as if to see clearly, but no matter how much I shut my eyes and opened them, it was the same person ¨C my sister, Anna. I couldn¡¯t proceed into the room.


    ¡°Anna,¡± I said under my breath. ¡°No.¡±


    I walked closer to her, my feet shuffling on the floor. I touched her face and her eyes fluttered open.


    ¡°Anna?¡± I said gently, tears already pooling in my eyes.


    She looked at me as if unable to recognize me, but then she said, ¡°Nadine?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yes, Anna, it¡¯s me,¡± she said. ¡°Oh, my goodness.¡±


    I pulled her into an embrace, a gentle one because of all the tubes, and she held me tight as I sobbed into her neck.


    ¡°What happened, Anna?¡± I asked. ¡°Why do you look so thin, so feeble?¡±


    ¡°Ohh, it¡¯s the cancer, and the medications I¡¯ve been taking,¡± she said, smiling weakly. Something about how sad her smile was, how much it looked like a poorly done imitation of her former smiles made me burst into tears anew.


    ¡°Come on, Nadine,¡± she said, rubbing my hand. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m going to be fine. Besides, some good Samaritans gave us some money and treatment has begun in earnest. I¡¯m going to be fine.¡±


    ¡°Some good Samaritan, hunh?¡± I said in mock disbelief.


    ¡°Yeah. And he paid for everything,¡± she said excitedly. ¡°I mean, everything!¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s Naomi?¡± I asked, wanting to change the topic.


    ¡°Ohh, she¡¯s gone off to work,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m usually by myself by this time of the day, so most of the time I just sleep. I mean, it¡¯s not like I have that much of a choice anyway; I feel drowsy all day.¡±


    I rubbed her head and pulled her into myself, crying once more.


    As we locked in the embrace, a nurse in scrubs walked in. She stopped at the door and cocked her head, giving us both a puzzled look.


    ¡°And who are you, ma¡¯am?¡± She asked me.


    ¡°She¡¯s my sister,¡± Anna said before I could get a word.


    ¡°Ohh, good day, ma¡¯am,¡± she said, to which I gently nodded. I understood her confusion. I was a young woman in shabby clothes sitting down to a cancer paint. For all she knew, I could be some kind of pervert.


    ¡°How¡¯s my sister?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°Ohh, she¡¯s going to be fine,¡± she said reassuringly. ¡°We¡¯re still going on with the treatments. But the future isn¡¯t as bleak as when she did not have her medications. Now that she does, it should be smooth sailing.¡±


    ¡°She looks so thin,¡± I said, more to myself.


    ¡°Well, she has cancer,¡± she said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. ¡°She is bound to lose some weight.¡±


    ¡°Mmm,¡± I said.


    The nurse examined the tubes and the machine that was beeping beside her. She asked Anna some questions and recorded them in a notepad she was carrying, nodding as Anna answered them.


    ¡°I need to go back to sleep,¡± Anna said, and she adjusted herself on the bed and closed her eyes to sleep. I thought about all the times she used to stay awake, watching movies, using the inte, and it made me sad how the sickness had changed her. I was wiping my tears when Naomi came into the ward.


    ¡°Oh my God, Nadine,¡± she said. ¡°Nadine? Is this really you?¡±


    ¡°It is me,¡± I said, smiling. ¡°In the flesh.¡±


    We hugged.


    ¡°How did you escape?¡± She asked, her voice lowered.


    ¡°Ohh, that¡¯s a long ass story, Naomi,¡± I told her. ¡°I¡¯ll tell youter, not just now.¡±C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Mmm,¡± she said, nodding.


    ¡°Howe she looks so thin?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It has not been easy,¡± she said. ¡°Really difficult, especially for the poor girl. But she¡¯s strong, and I believe now that if she got that money, she¡¯d be making strides.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, that¡¯s so good to hear.¡±


    I stayed for a while and talked to my friend, Naomi, whom I had missed so much.


    CLAYTON.


    Nadine was the first woman I married, and it felt weird that I had gotten married on a whim, without consulting anyone, not even a family member. I decided to tell my mom about it. My mom had, for so long, pressured me into getting a wife.


    ¡°You¡¯re a fine, young man who has everything in the world he needs,¡± she would say. ¡°It is only right that you get married.¡±


    Now I called her to deliver the news.


    ¡°Guess what, mom,¡± I said.


    ¡°What, yton,¡± she said disinterestedly. ¡°You sold some of the shares in thepany off?¡±


    ¡°Not that, mom,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten married.*


    ¡°To Natasha?¡± She said, My mother had for so long pressured me to marry Natasha. I had no idea what particr trait endeared her towards Natasha, but it made my existence hell.


    ¡°No, not Natasha,¡± I exined. ¡°To a girl named Nadine.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± she said, as if I was merely wasting her time. ¡°And who¡¯s her father? I mean, her family. Who are they?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know, mom?¡± I answered. ¡°I don¡¯t think she belongs to a family you would know. Her name is Anna Moore, or something.¡±


    ¡°Anna what?¡± She said. ¡°You married a nobody, is that it? I¡¯m disappointed, yton. You should know better than this. It is better to remain unmarried than to mess with your future by marrying someone of the lower ss.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not messing my future up, mom,¡± I said. ¡°I know exactly what I¡¯m doing.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, please,¡± she said. ¡°I want to see this woman. I¡¯ll be over at your mansion very soon.¡±


    ¡°What, can¡¯t wait to meet her?¡± I asked teasingly.


    ¡°You bet I can¡¯t,¡± she said.


    We hung up and I smiled to myself. Nadine meeting my mom was the perfect n I had for her.

 Chapter 26.

    CLAYTON.


    Another person I was going to have to deal with was Natasha. For so long, she stuck with me, clung to my skin, like a leech, only, of all the women that I dallied with, she was the one who seemed like the most sincere, the one who feltpassion for me the most, who saw beyond the smokescreen of my wealth and opulence and took me for who I was. I wasn¡¯t in love with Natasha, had never been, but I liked her and that was a deep enough emotion to know that she would be hurt by my marriage to Nadine. Plus, my mother liked her, they were even a bit close.


    I called Nadine again.


    ¡°Where are you?¡± I asked, going straight to the point immediately she picked up.


    ¡°Erm, I¡¯m almost at the mansion,¡± she said. ¡°Just a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°Good. Because my mother is going to be here very soon,¡± I said.


    ¡°What?!?! Your mother?¡± She said, her voice faltering.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I answered. ¡°And you should know, she¡¯s very particr about time, very fastidious, so maybe you shouldn¡¯t waste time.¡±


    ¡°I-I won¡¯t,¡± she said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting,¡± I said and hung up.


    I knew what I was doing. I had struck Nadine with fear. I knew that my mother would definitely despise someone of Nadine¡¯s social status and would treat her in a way that would make her ego dete. It was all going ording to n.


    I called my mother, too.


    ¡°Hello, mom,¡± I said.


    ¡°yton, I¡¯m almost at the mansion,¡± she said. And I could hear the whooshing of the car as it sped on the road.


    ¡°What? So soon?¡± I said, only a bit surprised.


    ¡°Yeah. I said I wasing to visit, didn¡¯t I?¡± She said,


    ¡°Uh-huh,¡± I said. ¡°Okay then. I¡¯ll be expecting you.¡±


    I hung up.


    I heard the car park into the driveway and I knew that Nadine had arrived. Now, all I had to do was wait.


    NADINE.


    yton threw me a curveball by telling me that he wanted me to meet his mother. My mind had never wandered that territory ¨C that of family ¨C and immediately he told me, I began to worry. I knew nothing about his family, knew nothing about him, in fact. For all I knew, they would resent me, would treat me like I was a mound of shit. But I had to face it; I had signed the document to be his wife ¨C all in a bid to save Anna ¨C and I was going to see it through.


    When I got out of the car, I saw yton sitting on the sofas, his legs crossed, his head buried in his phone, a bottle of wine by his side.


    ¡°Ahh, wee,¡± he said as he raised his head to look at me.


    ¡°What is going on?¡± I asked.


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®what is going on¡¯?¡± He said, a mock affectation in his voice. ¡°It¡¯s a lovely day, our first day as husband and wife. It¡¯s pleasant, if you ask me. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°What is this thing about your mothering over?¡± I asked. ¡°And to see me? I don¡¯t know her, yton. I barely even fucking know you.¡±


    He stood up and walked towards me, so close that I could smell the wine in his breath. He cupped my face in hisrge hands.


    ¡°Nadine, don¡¯t get feisty,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s just my mom. She won¡¯t bite. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s only going to try to know you better. Surely you can handle that.¡±


    His voice was sharine, drenched in mock sympathy, as he spoke. I knew it was all an act, something else was going on.


    ¡°Go in and get changed, Nadine,¡± he said. ¡°My mother will be here soon.¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± I said under my breath, hissing before I left yton.


    A servant took me to a new room upstairs. Apart from being bigger than the basement, it was more beautiful. The walls were painted a stark white and the bed was huge. I put down the clothes I had bought and went into the equallyrge bathroom to take my bath. I must have stayed there for a long time because after some time, I heard a knock on the door.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± I asked as I got out.


    ¡°Mr. yton wants to see you,¡± the voice of the servant said from outside. ¡°He says his mother is here.¡±


    I immediately got jittery, and did my best to dress as beautifully as possible. I didn¡¯t want to make a bad impression, but I couldn¡¯t help but think that yton¡¯s mother was just as arrogant as he was.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    yton:


    Nadine looked beautiful in the gown she wore. As she came down the stairs, d in that warm brown that seemed to blend in with the richness of her skin, I couldn¡¯t help but notice the way the dress entuated her curves. My mother sat in the living room, waiting patiently.


    ¡°Mother, please, meet Nadine, my wife,¡± I said, introducing them. ¡°And Nadine, meet my mother.¡±


    ¡°Pleasure to meet you, ma¡¯am,¡± Nadine said, but my mother only nodded in return.


    Nadine sat down on another sofa, crossing and crossing her legs, twiddling her fingers, fixating her eyes on anything but either my mother or even myself. She was so nervous it made me want to tear upughing.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been here quite a while, Nadine,¡± my mother began. ¡°About five minutes. You kept me waiting.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± I thought to myself. ¡°Mother is ying this game right.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, ma¡¯am,¡± she said. ¡°I was just having my bath.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, don¡¯t worry about that,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m sure you really needed to get cleaned up. I mean considering that you¡¯re trash.¡±


    Nadine turned scarlet. Her mouth was open like she was about to say something.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am?¡± She finally said.


    ¡°yton tells me you¡¯re without name or fortune in your family, is that so?¡± Mother said.


    ¡°Um, my family is humble,¡± Nadine simply said.


    ¡°I see,¡± mother said, nodding.

 Chapter 27

    NADINE.


    She was a stately middle-aged woman with the easy air of someone who was used to having people defer to her. The way she spoke, the ease with which the words glided out of her mouth, you would hear it and know that this person had the world in their palms, and not only that, they were acutely conscious of it. Her condescension was repulsive; the supercilious questions she asked were an insult. And as she did, yton had on a stupid smile that made me want to smack him in the jaw.


    ¡°So do you have any college education?¡± She asked.


    ¡°No,¡± I said gently.


    ¡°Ohh,e on,¡± she said exasperatedly. ¡°Not even a college degree. So what have you been doing? With your life, I mean?¡±


    ¡°Working to make ends meet,¡± I said after swallowing hard. I didn¡¯t know what to say to the question so I said the first thing that popped up in my head.


    ¡°And how do you do that?¡± She asked. ¡°I mean to make ends meet?¡±


    ¡°I work several jobs,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ve worked practically everywhere. In a mall, in a restaurant, in a club, in a-¡±


    ¡°A club,¡± she eximed. ¡°Surely that is no ce for a married woman to be.¡±


    I rolled my eyes. I had only gotten married to her son the day before and she was already judging me. It was clear that we were not ever going to see eye to eye.


    ¡°Well, I simply serve drinks, ma¡¯am,¡± I exined. ¡°I did nothing more.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± she said.


    We had a meal together, the three of us, and it was the worst meal of my life. Right there, while I sat and tried to eat, she asked yton why he had not married Natasha, asionally casting askant looks at me. Their conversation moved from Natasha to business, and she asked about how work was going, how managing thepany was.


    ¡°Nadine here is going to be helping me in the future, you know,¡± yton said, pointing at me with a fork.


    I smiled shyly. He hadn¡¯t told me that.


    ¡°And does she know anything about the business?¡± She said, ¡°Does she have any experience with management? We need someonepetent and ountable, not Nadine.¡±


    The way she said my name, as if I was a hideous thing that had fallen from the sky andnded in front of her.


    ¡°Ahh, don¡¯t worry,¡± yton said, giving me a wink. ¡°She¡¯ll be fine, really. And besides, she learns fast, so no worries.¡±


    What yton was simply doing was stroking his mother, giving her more reasons to detest me, and as he spoke, I saw her eyes smoldering with hate. After the meal, I went into my new room and copsed on the huge, soft bed. I had failed in my duty as a wife on the first day.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.


    CLAYTON.


    Mother was vicious, like a snake, she would strike at your weakest point and leave you defenseless. That was what she did to Nadine, and I saw Nadine being divested of her pride with every sentence that came out of mother¡¯s mouth. As I walked her back to her car where the driver wasfortably seated, she said to me:


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you marry Natasha, yton?¡± She spat. ¡°I know she¡¯s not exactly what you want, but look at that girl inside of your house now, she¡¯s far worse.¡±


    ¡°I know, mum,¡± I told her as I ushered her into her car.


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to youter, yton,¡± she said. ¡°Ohh, and call your brother, too. I know you haven¡¯t. You should never forget, yton, family is everything.¡±


    Before then, I¡¯d forgotten about my elder brother. We had never really been close before in our lives and he often kept me at arm¡¯s length, as I did with him. But this was a good time to call him. Just as I entered the house and sat down, my phone buzzed. It was Natasha.


    ¡°Oh shit,¡± I said under my breath. I just held the phone. A part of me knew that she had heard about the marriage.


    ¡°Hello, Natasha,¡± I said as I picked up.


    ¡°What the fuck, yton?!?!¡± She screamed. ¡°What the actual fuck?¡±


    ¡°Cool it, Natasha,¡± I said. ¡°What is wrong with you? Why so mad?¡±


    ¡°Why so mad, hunh?¡± She said, ¡°What is this bullshit that¡¯s going around the city that you have gotten married?¡±


    The news had gotten around, so fast. I wondered who must have told it to whom. Rumors, true and false alike, tend to spread like germs in the city.


    ¡°Calm down, Natasha,¡± I said. ¡°Let me exin.¡±


    ¡°Exin what, yton,¡± she said, her voice still raised. ¡°Exin that you have been with me all this time, fucking me, using me like I¡¯m a fucking toy, bending me to your will, and then you just up and get married? I¡¯ve be aughing stock to my friends; they¡¯re constantly jesting about it, and all of this because of your tomfoolery. Who the fuck is she?¡±


    Things were worse if she did not know that it was to Nadine I had gotten married to. I had to tread carefully.


    ¡°It¡¯s ¡­ ¡± I stopped, I couldn¡¯t get myself to say anything.


    ¡°It¡¯s who, yton?¡± She said, ¡°Do I know her?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you do,¡± I finally said. ¡°It¡¯s Nadine.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my fucking God!¡± She screamed. ¡°Nadine? That lowlife, that dirty slut. That girl is nothing. No, this has to be some type of joke. Tell me you¡¯re fucking joking, yton.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not, unfortunately,¡± I told her.


    ¡°Come on, yton,¡± she said. ¡°This is too much.¡±


    I heard her voice break and I heard the beginnings of a sob. I hung up.


    Truth be told, I felt a little hurt by it. But I did what I had to do and did not regret my actions.


    I turned my phone off and hurried upstairs to go have a talk with my new wife.

 Chapter 28.

    NATASHA.


    yton hung up on me, like I knew he would while I tried to vent.


    ¡°Fucking coward,¡± I said, hissing under my breath. ¡°Fucking coward!¡± I said again, this time, a piercing scream.


    Ste, my roommate, came into the kitchen, a bowl of popcorn in her hand. I¡¯d left her in the living room where she was watching a ro toe talk to yton. As she entered the kitchen, I saw the irritation on her face. One thing is certain, Ste and I are not so keen on each other.


    ¡°Any problem?¡± She asked, doing well to mask the irritation she felt.


    ¡°Yeah, no¡­¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°Of course it is,¡± she said, leaning on the doorpost, an indifferent look on her face.


    I did not like her, and she did not like me. She had this attitude, that of a snob; she had graduated from UCLA with a degree in business and was studying for her master¡¯s while simultaneously running a medium-scale business. In other words, she had found her foot in the corporate world and was doing great. But she looked at me with condescending eyes every time, as if I was a lowlife because I dropped out of college.


    ¡°yton got married,¡± I said with defeat.


    ¡°yton?¡± She said, stepping in, ¡°isn¡¯t that your boyfriend, or something? Or y¡¯all aren¡¯t dating anymore?¡±


    ¡°We still¡­¡± I started to say. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Ste, I¡¯m so confused.¡±


    The tears that I had held as she entered into the kitchen began to stream down my face.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she said, rubbing my shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t know about rtionships that much, but I can tell you really liked him, and that you feel hurt right now.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m hurt!¡± I said, louder than I should have.


    She started a bit, pulled away from me, before going to the fridge and pouring a ss of water.


    ¡°And he didn¡¯t tell you?¡± She asked. ¡°Just got married all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I managed to say, in between sobs. She brought the ss of water and dropped it on the counter.


    ¡°Have a sip,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯ll help you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Ste,¡± I said, sipping the water. I could not understand the kind gesture. She had never given a shit about me, or yton, or me and yton. Once, when yton¡¯spany needed a project manager, I introduced her to yton, more out of a sense of obligation to him than wanting to he helpful. After talking, she declined the job, and when I asked her, she said, ¡°I can¡¯t work with a man like yton.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± I had asked. ¡°What kind of man are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°A man that thinks with his fucking penis,¡± she¡¯d replied.


    yton had tried to hit on her, I know, but I wasn¡¯t ready to confront the thought that he had had the audacity to hit on my roommate so I had cast the thought out of my mind.


    ¡°Have you talked to him?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said, nodding, taking a gulp of the water.


    ¡°And¡­?¡± She said,


    ¡°Nothing. He did not deny it, though,¡± I answered.


    There was an awkward silence, as if the both of us knew we were not supposed to be talking. Ste rubbed her knees with both hands, and then dipped her hand into the bowl and took one ke of popcorn. We could hear the cannedughter from the ro ying in the living room.


    ¡°Natasha,¡± she said suddenly, ¡°I may not be the right person to be telling you this, I certainly don¡¯t mean to be officious, but I don¡¯t think yton is the right one for you. You shouldn¡¯t be grieving over someone who has this little respect for you.¡±


    She pinched her thumb and her index finger when she said ¡°little.¡±C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Where is thising from?¡± I asked, feeling anger rise inside of me. I did not need her advice.


    ¡°I just think, you know,¡± she shrugged, ¡°you shouldn¡¯t cry too much about a rtionship that you give so much to, but take so little.¡±


    She pinched her thumb and her index finger again, and I felt a wire spark inside my head.


    ¡°Fuck you, Ste,¡± I said. ¡°Who the fuck are you to tell me that shit?!?!¡±


    My voice startled her. I saw the shock on her face, the regret that she should never have told me anything.


    ¡°But, Natasha, I was only trying to be helpful,¡± she said, her voice carrying a plea. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to-¡±


    ¡°Ohh, go watch your shit movie, Ste,¡± I said, hitting my palm tly on the counter. ¡°This conversation is over!¡±


    I left her in the kitchen and went to get dressed. I called up a friend or two, who might not have heard the news, and invited them to the bar. A drink would help me, and I was going to submerge my anguish in alcohol.


    CLAYTON.


    I knocked on Nadine¡¯s room.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± She said from the inside. I could tell she was tired.


    ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± I said and entered inside. She was lying on the bed, her arms syed, her eyes fixed on the ceiling.


    ¡°What do you want, yton?¡± She asked. There was something sharp in her voice.


    I gave a smallugh.


    ¡°I came to say hi,¡± I said, sitting beside her on the bed. ¡°How are you enjoying your first day as a wife?¡±


    ¡°What the fuck do you even mean by that?¡± She asked, sitting up to face me.


    I shrugged, and smiled as if unaware of what she was saying.


    ¡°You set me up with your snob of a mother, and you¡¯re asking me bullshit?¡± She said, Her eyes began to water as she spoke, but I did not feel sorry for her, instead I felt a joyful tingling inside of me, like I had aplished something.


    ¡°You¡¯re yet to do one thing, though,¡± I said, then got up, loosened my belt and dropped my trousers to the floor.

 Chapter 29.

    NADINE.


    Throughout my stay as a prisoner in yton¡¯s basement, he never touched me, not once, except the time when he hit me. And when I agreed to marry him, I assumed it would go on like that, that he would be too disgusted by me to want to fuck me. I was right about the disgust, but I was not wrong about his desires.


    ¡°Spread your legs, girl,¡± he said to me as he pulled his rod out of his drawers.


    ¡°What?¡± I said sitting up, shocked. I tried to sit up but he shoved me back on the bed. I crawled backwards on the bed.


    ¡°I said spread your legs,¡± he barked.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not ready,¡± I managed to say, and I really wasn¡¯t. Thest thing I wanted to do was have sex with him, but he seemed suddenly keen on it.


    ¡°Ready?¡± He said, his brow arched. ¡°Who gives a fuck about that?!?! Bitch ready or not, I will have my way with you; don¡¯t forget that we¡¯re legally married now. This is your fucking duty!¡±


    I wanted to say something, but my mouth had suddenly gone dry and the words remained stuck in my throat.


    He climbed onto the bed with his knee, and pried my legs apart. In a harsh manner, he tore off my pants, and I saw a lecherous smile spread on his face as he gawked at my genitalia. He slipped a condom over his erection and tapped my genitalia with his sheathed penis.


    ¡°This is going to be fun,¡± he said, more to himself than to me.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not,¡± I wanted to say. ¡°This is going to be horrible.¡±


    He slid into me, and I let out a gasp. During my stint in the basement, I had seen him engage in all sorts of sexual activities with Natasha and all other women, and I knew, just from watching, that he had an unusual stamina. He would go on for minutes, even after the person was visibly exhausted. So I braced myself. He pounded into me with unusual energy and I hurt. As he did, my mind wandered to Anna; I was doing it for her. So I clenched my teeth and took the force of his strokes without so much as shedding a tear.


    After what seemed like forever, he orgasmed, shuddering and groaning on top of me.


    ¡°Ahh, that was good,¡± he said as hey beside me. ¡°Your pussy is-¡± he kissed the chef¡¯s kiss, and smiled at me, while I stared nkly at him.


    ¡°You¡¯re done, you can leave now,¡± I said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he said, standing up, and wearing his trousers. ¡°Next time, though, I don¡¯t want you lying there like a corpse. I did not marry you from the fucking morgue, did I?¡±


    And with that he left the room.


    I went into the bathroom to wash. I felt sore down there and actually checked to see if I was bleeding. Not that I was a virgin, but the sex had felt so vigorous that I just had to check. When I saw that I wasn¡¯t, I took a bath and went back to sleep.


    CLAYTON.


    Sex with Nadine was extremely satisfying. When I walked into her room, all helpless and scantily d, I felt the tamped down desire in mee up to the surface, and I couldn¡¯t help myself. I called Trent after I got home.


    ¡°Hey, man,¡± I said after he picked up the phone.


    ¡°Ahh, if it isn¡¯t the married man,¡± he teased. ¡°How¡¯s life being married? And how¡¯s your wife?¡±


    I gave a chuckle. ¡°Ohh, everything is fine, I guess,¡± I said. ¡°You know me, I don¡¯t y around.¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course,¡± he said.


    ¡°Where are you, Trent?¡± I asked. ¡°I feel like my batteries are low and I need to recharge them with some alcohol, so how about a drink or two somewhere quiet?¡±


    ¡°Ohh, okay,¡± he said. ¡°I was actually headed to a club, you know, but since you mentioned quiet, I¡¯ll check for one of my favorite bars downtown.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll text you in a few minutes.¡±


    I began to get dressed. Trust Trent to know just about every bar and club in the city. As I slipped into a sweatsuit, I heard my phone buzz and when I looked into it, I saw that Trenton had sent me the address; it was a bar that I did not know, and had never been to. I alerted the driver and when I was done, I entered the car and he drove off to the bar.


    We arrived at the bar downtown in about half an hour. It was a small ce, exactly like I wanted it, and had only a few people in it. I spotted Trent and went over to meet him. We ordered two sses of beer.


    Natasha:


    Whitney was a friend at my college. She was the only one who understood me, and even though she finished college, she wasn¡¯t a snob like Ste, whom I could barely call a friend. The bar she took me to was downtown ¨C it was a small ce and was dimly lit.


    ¡°And who did he get married to?¡± She asked as we settled in, a cocktail in front of each of us.


    ¡°Some lowlife,¡± I said exasperatedly. ¡°He didn¡¯t even have the dignity to go for someone with ss.¡±C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Wow. yton¡¯s lost his marbles,¡± she said.


    ¡°It seems so,¡± I said, taking a sip from my drink.


    ¡°Girl, your eyes are all puffed up, like you¡¯ve been crying,¡± she said, cing her hand over mine. ¡°How have you been feeling?¡±


    ¡°Ohh, I¡¯ve been feeling like shit, Whitney,¡± I said. ¡°Coupled with the fact that my roommate tried to give me a so-not-needed therapy session.¡±


    ¡°Wait. Ste?¡± She asked, with a wry smile.


    I nodded. Something struck me as I looked over her shoulder, there was someone behind her, a man. I struggled, squinting, until I made out who it was ¨C Trent, and just in front of him, yton.

 Chapter 30.

    NATASHA.


    I could hear the blood pounding in my ears. I didn¡¯t know why I was that nervous, why I suddenly felt my skin tingling, but I felt nervous. The lighting in the bar was dim, so I squinted some more to make sure, and sure as hell, it was. Trent leaned in and said something and ytonughed out loud to it. If nothing, this made me entirely sure it was them.


    ¡°Natasha?¡± Whitney said, turning around. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t believe it, girl,¡± I said.


    ¡°What?¡± She asked, her face a mask of confusion.


    ¡°He¡¯s here,¡± I said.


    ¡°Who?¡± She asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s here,¡± I repeated, as if in a spell as I stared straight ahead at yton and Trentughing and having a good time as I wallowed in the mire of a heartbreak.


    ¡°Who¡¯s ¡®he¡¯?¡± She said, ¡°Natasha.¡±


    ¡°yton,¡± I said. ¡°He¡¯s here.¡±


    ¡°What? He¡¯s here now?¡± She asked.


    I nodded, then used my chin to point to where he was. Whitney turned to face them, and then turned right back to me.


    ¡°Ohh, shit, Natasha,¡± she said. ¡°This is a fucking mess. What are you gonna do?¡¯


    I could walk up to yton and challenge his decisions, but that might yield nothing. I could walk away like I had not seen a thing. Or I could carry on drinking with Whitney and try and have a nice night. Anyway, I had to do something.


    ¡°Girl, I don¡¯t even know,¡± I said, raising my hand to my throbbing temple. I was starting to feel tears well up in my eyes already, and the pain of the heartbreak pervaded my entire being.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get the fuck out of here,¡± she said standing up and grabbing her purse.


    I looked her up and down, Whitney, beautiful in her ck mini-gown, an aplished woman who had her feet firmly nted in the world and who knew her ce, unlike me.


    ¡°Come on, girl,¡± she said, gently pulling at my wrist.


    ¡°No,¡± I said firmly. ¡°I¡¯m not going to let this ruin my night. I came out to have a nice time with my girlfriend, and I¡¯m going to do just that.¡±


    ¡°Now that¡¯s the fucking spirit!¡± She said aloud as she sat back down on the barstool.


    I wiped the tears from my eyes and the snot from my nose with a wad of tissue I carried in my handbag. We ordered another round of cocktails and toasted to a life of independence.


    CLAYTON.


    Trent and I had had one too many, so much that I was feeling tipsy already. I liked the feeling of being drunk, the lightheaded feeling, the looseness, the ease with whichughter spilled out of my mouth as Trent told bad jokes.


    ¡°Dude, you won¡¯t believe who¡¯s here,¡± Trent said after another joke, his hand on my shoulder.


    ¡°What?¡± I said before emptying the ss of wine into my mouth.


    ¡°It¡¯s Natasha,¡± he said.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked with disbelief. ¡°Which Natasha?¡±


    ¡°Are you that drunk, man?¡± He asked, bending over as heughed.


    ¡°What are you talking about, Trent?¡± I said, straightening up. ¡°Is this another one of your fucking jokes?¡±


    ¡°No, man, really, she¡¯s here,¡± he said, his face stiffening in a new severity. ¡°Natasha. She¡¯s right behind you.¡±


    I turned and looked behind me, and there she was, Natasha, in all her unbridled coyness. In that single moment, all of the alcohol that I had ingested cleared from my head and I became sober. I was seeing her for the first time since I got married to Nadine, and even though it was dim and I was some feet away from her, I could see she was torn up by my marriage. I kept looking at her but she didn¡¯t stir, only sipped from her drink and nodded to her friend who seemed to be saying something serious to her.


    ¡°Do you think I should go talk to her?¡± I asked Trent without turning my head.


    ¡°What?¡± He said. ¡°For what? To apologize? That¡¯s stupid, man.¡±


    ¡°I imagine that she must have been crying,¡± I said.


    ¡°Yeah, maybe.¡± He said, nudging at my shoulder for me to look at him. ¡°Look, it¡¯s just a matter of time, she¡¯ll get over it. Besides, it isn¡¯t like you can¡¯t still be with her, is it? I mean, the thing with Nadine is just on paper, right? You don¡¯t necessarily feel shit for her.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s different now,¡± I told him.


    ¡°Get your mind off the shit, yton,¡± he said. ¡°Have a drink, smoke a cigar, do something, don¡¯t fucking mope. This is a really good life you¡¯re living; enjoy it!¡±


    I took a sip and got up from my stool.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to her,¡± I said to him.


    ¡°What?!?! No way, yton,¡± he said, his voice raised. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me back towards the stool.


    ¡°You¡¯re not gonna stop me, Trent,¡± I told him, trying to wrest my hand free. ¡°I¡¯ve made up my mind. I¡¯m going to her.¡±C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± he said. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here. We can go to another club, or you can just go home. Don¡¯t talk to her, man. It¡¯d be a disaster.¡±


    I yanked my hand free, straightened up and walked towards Natasha.


    NATASHA.


    His perfume wafted into my nostrils even before I saw him. Already, Whitney was pinching my arm, but I did not respond.


    ¡°Hi there, yton,¡± I said without turning to face him. I tossed my head backwards and emptied the shot bottle into my throat.


    ¡°Natasha,¡± he began, ¡°I¡¯ve wronged you, I know, but I have good reason. Look, we¡¯ve always loved each other. We can still-¡±


    ¡°Shut the fuck up!¡± I screamed and he quieted instantly. Usually, it was him shouting me down, giving me orders, but the table had turned.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Natasha,¡± he said in a small weak voice. ¡°So sorry.¡±


    ¡°I think you need to leave, yton,¡± I heard Whitney say. ¡°She¡¯s pretty torn up.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, please,¡± yton said. ¡°I can handle this.¡±


    The thought of him ¡°handling¡± me lit a fire in my head, and I stood up, faced him and smacked him hard on the face.

 Chapter 31

    Natasha.


    yton had hit me several times, sometimes during sex, and other times when he was riled up. But as he did those, I never protested. This was the first time I was doing something back. As my open palm connected with his cheek, I felt a small bubble grow inside of me; I felt alive, for the first time in a very long time.


    ¡°Natasha,¡± he said, stunned, his hand on his cheek which I imagined was stinging with the pain. ¡°You hit me, Natasha.¡±


    ¡°Fuck yes, I did,¡± I said. ¡°And I will again.¡±


    I saw him flinch, cower as I raised my hand to p him again, but my hand refused to move. When I looked back, it was Whitney holding me.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Natasha,¡± she said. ¡°This is messy already as it is.¡±


    I lowered my arm and rested my eyes on yton who looked more surprised than I had ever seen him. But I did not feel any pity, all I felt was disgust, and I knew it was written all over my demeanor, with the way I raked my eyes all over his body.


    ¡°You fucking bastard,¡± I said in a low simmering voice. ¡°I gave you everything ¨C my body, my time. For the past few years, I¡¯ve been like a fucking ve to you, like your property. You do whatever you like with me. And one day, because of some dirty girl you picked from the trash, you get up and get married. Without even informing me.¡±


    I felt the tears rise in my throat as I spoke, but I fought to hold them in, to make sure yton did not see howpletely he had damaged me.


    ¡°I-I¡­¡± He began, but he stopped. I knew he did not have anything to say.


    I grabbed my purse and held Whitney¡¯s hand as we both walked out of the bar. Through my side eye, I could see Trent approaching. He had probably watched the whole drama from where he sat. But I didn¡¯t care. He and yton were both alike. They could go fuck themselves.


    yton:


    My cheek still stung as Trent approached me. As if my hand was glued to my cheek, somehow, I couldn¡¯t take it off. Trent put a hand on my shoulder and I shrugged it off. He tried to do it again.


    ¡°Get the fuck off me, man,¡± I yelled at him.


    A steward approached his apron. He had a concerned look on his face. We were obviously high-profile individuals, he could tell, so he approached us with caution.


    ¡°Anything the problem, sirs?¡± He asked as if he had not seen Natasha smack me, or seen me shrug Trent¡¯s touch off.


    ¡°Ohh, fuck off,¡± Trent said to him. ¡°Get away from here. Go do something, like wash a te, or mop the beer off of a table, hunh.¡±


    The steward looked stunned.


    As Trent spoke, I made for the entrance and began to walk to the car where my driver was waiting.


    ¡°Home, now,¡± I said to him as I eased into the passenger seat.


    ¡°Okay, sir,¡± he said benignly. ¡°Did you have a nice night?¡±C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Would you take me the fuck back home, or ask me stupid fucking questions?¡± I yelled at him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir,¡± he said.


    ¡°Drive!¡± Imanded, and he started the engine and zoomed off.


    Nadine


    I called Naomi the next day. I needed someone to talk to, someone to bare my mind to. I also needed to see Anna. For the past few months, Naomi had been more of an elder sibling than I had been, but that wasn¡¯t my fault; me being trapped in yton¡¯s mansion.


    ¡°I just wanna talk,¡± I told her after she picked up.


    ¡°Ohh, really?¡± She said as if in a hurry. ¡°Well, I worked the night shift and am hurrying to go to the hospital to see Anna.¡±


    I could hear the exhaustion in her voice. Naomi was a good friend, in fact, the best friend I had ever had.


    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll meet you at the hospital. I want to see Anna, too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s cool,¡± she said and we hung up.


    I took a bath, slipped into one of the new dresses that I had gotten and called for the driver.


    ¡°Central hospital,¡± I said when he answered my order.


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± he said as he walked to the car.


    It still felt weird having people call me ¡°ma¡¯am,¡± having people defer to me. Being yton¡¯s wife, living in the mansion with him, I got treated like I was royalty. We arrived at Central hospital before Naomi and I got to see my sister. Her eyes lit up when I walked in.


    ¡°Ohh, I¡¯m so happy you¡¯re here,¡± she said.


    ¡°As I am,¡± I replied as I stooped to give her a small hug.


    She looked better than thest time. Her cheekbones did not look so sunken and her eyes were getting back the shine they had in them.


    ¡°You look better, baby girl,¡± I said to her as I stroked her chin lightly.


    ¡°Yup. You know what the doctor said?¡± She said, ¡°He said that I¡¯m responding to treatment. So much that if it continues like this, I could be cancer free in a month or so.¡±


    ¡°What?!?!¡± I said genuinely surprised. A tear ran down my eye. It was like a dream; my sister was going to be alright. ¡°When did he say that?¡±


    ¡°This morning, when he was making his rounds,¡± she replied.


    I stroked her chin again.


    ¡°I wonder where Naomi could be,¡± she said. ¡°She¡¯s usually here early.¡±


    ¡°Well, baby, Naomi gets busy, as you know,¡± I said to reassure her. ¡°I talked to her this morning and she said she was on her way, so I guess she¡¯ll be here soon.¡±


    Just then the door squeaked open and Naomi walked in.


    ¡°Hey,dies,¡± she said. There was an unbridled joy in her voice that made me melt inside.

 Chapter 32

    Nadine:


    Her eyes were tired and her voice sounded even wearier than they had on the phone. She looked thinner, as if she was not eating well, and there was something off about her dressing, as if she hurriedly put on her clothes.


    ¡°Nadine, hi,¡± she said as she gave me a side hug.


    ¡°Naomi,¡± I said, trying to sound as cheery as possible.


    ¡°Guess what, Naomi,¡± Anna said, her voice vibrant with the promise of life.


    ¡°What, baby?¡± Naomi asked, leaning in to listen.


    ¡°So the doctor was here earlier,¡± she began, ¡°and he said in about a month¡¯s time, I could be cancer free.¡±


    ¡°Oh, God,¡± Naomi said, cupping her mouth with her hands. I saw the tears stream down as her eyes crinkled. I saw the sincere happiness for my sister¡¯s recovery and I was touched by it.


    ¡°Yup, he said it,¡± Anna said, nodding. ¡°But only if I keep up with my medication.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯ll do that,¡± Naomi said. ¡°We¡¯ll do that.¡±


    Naomi pulled Anna into a hug and for a while all they did was sniffle in each other¡¯s arms. I reached out to them and, soon, it was the three of us crying, sniffling, and then when we broke apart, we wereughing joyously.


    ¡°This is so good,¡± I said. ¡°This is the best news I¡¯ve received in a long while.¡±


    ¡°Me, too,¡± Naomi said. I could still see the tiredness in her eyes, but only a trace now, for it had been reced by joy.


    A nurse walked in, greeted us stiffly and examined the machines that were plugged into Anna¡¯s body. She drew an injection and administered it while Anna winced. I thought about the night before, of sex with yton, how it had felt more like a vition rather than lovemaking, even though I was his wife. I had nned on telling Naomi about it, at least to get it off my chest, but the three of us were so happy together and I didn¡¯t want to ruin the moment, so I kept mum for the meantime. Very soon, as a result of the injection, Anna fell fast asleep, leaving Naomi and I to talk.


    ¡°So, how¡¯s it been?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°Well, so-so,¡± she said with a shrug. ¡°If you mean work, though, it¡¯s been hard. But I¡¯m holding up, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°Mmm. You look quite tired, though,¡± I said. ¡°You like you need some rest and you need it now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, Nadine,¡± she said with a weak smile. ¡°You worry too much.¡±


    She was seated on the chair, her head slumped backwards, and immediately the conversation died down, she started to snore. There were still a lot of things I wanted to tell her; not just about yton, but also just to appreciate her, tell her what a wonderful friend she was by taking care of my younger sister while I was away and even while I am back.


    As I looked at her, an idea that had been cooking in my head started to bubble more ferociously.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I said sharply under my breath. I grabbed my phone to make a call.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    yton:


    Natasha¡¯s outburst made me mellow that night and my mind roved. By the time we got home, I wasn¡¯t so angry anymore. I was just deep in thoughts. I had a ss of whiskey before climbing into bed, and by the time I woke up, I had a small headache. I called in sick to work. After breakfast, I wanted to see Nadine. I had decided that she would have to work, and not justze around in the mansion doing nothing. I called on the butler.


    ¡°She¡¯s not at home, sir,¡± the butler said when I asked him to call Nadine. ¡°She left about an hour and a half ago.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I said as I sipped a mug of tea. ¡°And where did she go?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure, sir,¡± he said. ¡°But she might have gone to her sister. Remember? The one in the hospital.¡±


    ¡°Mmm,¡± I nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry now. You can go.¡±


    The butler gave a small bow and turned to leave. As he walked out of the door, my phone buzzed ¨C it was Nadine.


    ¡°Where are you?¡± I asked immediately I picked up, hoping that my tone was stern enough.


    ¡°Out to see my sister,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I should have told you.¡±


    ¡°You should have,¡± I said. She sounded suspiciously polite, and I knew right then that she wanted to ask for something.


    ¡°I need something from you, yton,¡± she said, the plea in her voice even more desperate.


    ¡°What is it you want this time, Nadine?¡± I asked tiredly.


    ¡°My friend, Naomi,¡± she said. ¡°I was wondering if she could get a job at thepany. A job that she canfortably work, you know. She still works at that bar, and they¡¯re stressing her out, far more than they pay.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I said, stroking my chin that was dotted with bristly hair; I needed a shave.


    ¡°So?¡± She said, ¡°Are you going to help out?¡±


    There was a certain joyful expectation in her voice, as if she expected me to just agree to it. But I decided to be a spoilsport for a show.


    ¡°Well, Nadine, that wasn¡¯t part of the contract, you know?¡± I said in a hollow voice.


    There was a silence, an obvious one that told that she was surprised.


    ¡°B-but-¡± she stuttered.


    ¡°No buts, Nadine,¡± I said. ¡°In fact,e home. I want to speak with you.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± she said sharply and hung up. Iughed mischievously to myself. Of course I could help her, but I had to have her be miserable first.


    I decided to try to talk to Natasha, to see if she had also mellowed, but when I ced a call across to her, I discovered that she had blocked my number.


    ¡°Well. Well. Well.¡± I said to myself, shrugging. ¡°That¡¯s the way it is.¡±

 Chapter 33

    Nadine:


    On the way home, my feelings were a mixture of anger and surprise. I was angry at myself for being too confident that yton would help me, and surprised that I had not known better. He had spurned my request, as if it was the stupidest thing I could ever ask for. When I got home, I had worked myself into a small rage, and as the driver pulled up and parked the car, I got out, mming the doors as I did.


    ¡°What?¡± I said to yton as I walked into his room, my hand on my waist.


    ¡°What?¡± He said back, an annoying simper on his face.


    ¡°You said you wanted me at home,¡± I said, my toneced with indignation. ¡°I¡¯m here now, so what?¡±


    ¡°Well, for starters, you¡¯re my wife,¡± he said. ¡°My legally wedded wife, may I remind you. And I did not have you at home. Besides, I can call on you whenever I want. You should be at my beck and call.¡±


    I knew the game he wanted to y, so I pulled a chair and sat down, my body leaning forwards, my eyes fixed on his.


    ¡°Got something you wanna say?¡± He said.


    ¡°Yes. I told you that I need a new job for Naomi. Why did you say no?¡±


    He gave a littleugh and said, ¡°I already told you, Nadine, that was not a part of the fucking contract; quit fussing about it.¡±


    He made to stand up, and as he did I shoved him back on the bed.


    ¡°Stay right fucking there,¡± I said, my voice heavy with audacity.


    He looked stunned for a second but quickly recovered himself. Hey still on the big bed, resting on his elbows, his lips parted a little.


    ¡°What the fuck is that supposed to mean, Nadine?¡± He said, his voice gentler than I had thought it would be. ¡°Have you lost your fucking mind?!?!¡±


    I knew his game so I wanted to y it, too. I slowly took off my clothes while he watched, a coquettish smile on my face, my eyes on his eyes, and I watched as his expression shifted from mild anger to intensifying arousal.


    ¡°You always have your way, yton,¡± I said in the softest voice. ¡°But now, it¡¯s time for me to have mine.¡±


    ¡°Wha-what do you mean by that?¡± He stuttered.


    ¡°I can turn the tables, yton,¡± I said. ¡°I can bend the rules.¡±


    I knelt before him and unzipped his trousers. I pulled his limp penis out, spat on it and started to stroke gently. When I put it into my mouth he tossed his head backwards and let out a groan. I knew it was working. I kept on with it until his penis grew to full length in my mouth and I kept on slurping on it.


    ¡°Yes, baby,¡± he said aloud, stroking my hair. ¡°Don¡¯t fucking stop.¡±


    I continued until he climaxed and ejacted in my mouth with a very loud groan, so loud I hoped it would not alert the servants.


    ¡°You like that?¡± I said with a mouth dripping with semen, my face spread out in a smile.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.


    ¡°That was fucking good,¡± he said. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were so good with blowjobs.¡±


    ¡°I am good with everything and anything you want,¡± I said, as I began stroking his penis again, ¡°just as long as you give me a little of what I want.¡±


    ¡°And what is that?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I already said I want a job for Naomi,¡± I said. ¡°That isn¡¯t too much to ask, is it?¡±


    ¡°Well-¡± he began.


    I didn¡¯t allow him to speak. I climbed onto his body, slid his penis into my vagina and began to roll my waist on it. The look on his eyes was that of ecstasy, pure and unbridled ecstasy.


    ¡°You like that, don¡¯t you?¡± I said as I continued to ride him.


    ¡°Fuck yeah, baby,¡± he said in between groans. ¡°Don¡¯t stop. Don¡¯t. You. Stop.¡±


    I rode him, and after a while, looked deep in his eyes, my hand around his throat in a light grip.


    ¡°Is Naomi going to get the job or not?¡± I said in an intense voice, my riding slowed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop,¡± he begged. ¡°Don¡¯t stop, Nadine.¡±


    ¡°Answer me, yton,¡± I said, raising my voice a little. ¡°Is she getting the job or not?¡±


    I saw his resolve melt in his eyes and I knew I had won.


    ¡°Okay, fine, she will get the fucking job,¡± he said. ¡°Just, please, don¡¯t fucking stop.¡±


    I smiled to myself and rode him until he reached a climax again and ejacted inside of me.


    I got off of him and went out of the room, knowing my job was done.


    yton:


    Nadine had managed to make me go against my will, to soften me. Never had I had sex that intense, so full of power and lust. I usually liked to take control, but Nadine did a perfect job on top of me; it was ecstatic. No one had ever fucked me like that, in a way thatbined bliss with rawness, no one, not even Natasha. She came back in half an hour, still scantily d.


    ¡°So?¡± She said, twirling the ss she held in her left hand. I wondered what was in it.


    ¡°So,¡± I said. ¡°A deal is a deal. I¡¯m a fucking business man, and I¡¯m a man of my words. I will get her the job.¡±


    She nodded and I saw her smile.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said and turned to leave.


    ¡°Wait,¡± I said, and she stopped.


    ¡°You, too,¡± I told her. ¡°You need to get a fucking job, or at least find yourself some work to do.¡±


    She turned to face me and walked slowly to where I stood, cing one foot after another in what became a spell that I was enthralled by.


    ¡°Why do I need to work?¡± She asked. ¡°I already have you.¡±

 Chapter 34

    Nadine:


    The next day, I went in again to see Anna, hoping that Naomi would be there so that I could break the good news to her. When I got to the hospital, Anna was asleep and Naomi was not around. I had tried to call her, but her line was not connecting. Anna woke in a few minutes.


    ¡°Hi, baby girl,¡± I said. ¡°You look much better today.¡±


    And she did, really. Her eyes were brighter, more like they were getting the sparkle they had lost back. All of that had happened in a few hours.


    ¡°Maybe the doctors are right,¡± I said to myself.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Naomi? Anna asked once we had exchanged pleasantries.


    ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know, baby girl,¡± I said. ¡°I have been trying to call her now, for hours, and her number isn¡¯t connecting.¡±


    Anna mumbled something inaudible and I said, ¡°what?¡±


    ¡°Call her again, Nadine,¡± she said. ¡°I have a bad feeling about this.¡±


    ¡°Bad feeling?¡± I said, a little shocked. ¡°Ohh,e on, she¡¯s fine. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s tired or something. Nothing bad has happened to her.¡±


    But I was trembling inside. What if Anna was right? Surely she wasn¡¯t irvoyant or a psychic, but it still felt kind of weird. I called her number again and it went straight to voicemail. The nurse walked in and gave Anna her medications.


    ¡°Where¡¯s your sister?¡± She said to Anna.


    ¡°Ohh, I¡¯m her sister,¡± I said a little too eagerly.


    ¡°I know,¡± the nurse said without turning to look at me. ¡°I meant the one that¡¯s always around.¡±


    That hurt a little, the fact that I had not been around and that that bitch of a nurse was rubbing it in my face. It was not my fault. If only she knew before making her judgments.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Nadine,¡± Anna said when she saw the indignation swelling my face. ¡°Naomi is not around.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± she said and turned to leave.


    I kept on trying Naomi¡¯s line but it kept on diverting to her voicemail, so I left voice messages, lots and lots of them.


    In about an hour, the same nurse walked into the room. There was something like terror on her face. Anna was asleep already.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.


    ¡°Can youe with me, please?¡± She said lightly, trying not to wake Anna.


    I made a gesture pointing to Anna, saying I couldn¡¯t leave her.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t worry,¡± the nurse assured me. ¡°She¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    I followed the nurse out of the room reluctantly and as we stood in the corridor, she fixed her eyes on me.


    ¡°How close are you to Naomi?¡± The nurse asked.


    ¡°Ohh, she¡¯s my best friend,¡± I said with surprise. ¡°Probably the best friend that I¡¯ve ever had. Why do you ask?¡±


    She looked at me for a while, sighed and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Nadine, but Naomi is terribly injured.¡±


    I felt my heartbeat quicken and my head spin; I couldn¡¯t exactly process the information I had just been given.


    ¡°Wha-what do you mean by that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°There was a fight at the club where she works and she got stabbed by a drunk,¡± the nurse said.


    ¡°You¡¯re joking, right?¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯re fucking joking. Please, tell me you¡¯re not being serious.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, I am,¡± she said. ¡°She was admitted into our emergency ward, and is now in our intensive care unit. She has only a slim chance of making it. I thought you might want to know.¡±


    I started to swoon and I fell backwards in the process, causing me to lean against the wall.


    ¡°Oh, my God, are you okay?¡± The nurse said, rushing to my side.


    I sank to the floor slowly, tears streaming down my eyes.


    ¡°Steady, please,¡± the nurse said. ¡°Take it easy.¡±


    ¡°Can I see her?¡± I asked, my voice tight as I choked with tears.


    ¡°Well, you can¡¯t right now,¡± she responded. ¡°Maybe in an hour or so.¡±


    ¡°Fuck! I just got her a new job,¡± I said aloud. ¡°With better pay and better prospects. I just got her a new job.¡±


    ¡°Please, Nadine, get on your feet,¡± the nurse begged. ¡°Please, get up. You have to be strong. If nothing, for your little sister.¡±


    My mind went to Anna who was lying inside, who had developed such a bond with Naomi. If anything were to happen to Naomi, there was not telling what devastating consequences it would have on Anna¡¯s health.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell her,¡± I told the nurse firmly.


    ¡°What?¡± She asked.


    ¡°About Naomi,¡± I exined. ¡°Don¡¯t let her know about it. It¡¯s better she doesn¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Mmm,¡± the nurse said, nodding. I stood up from the floor and straightened up. I dried my eyes with the back of my hand.


    ¡°I have to be strong for Anna,¡± I said to myself as I entered the ward. ¡°If for nobody, for Anna.¡±


    Trent:


    I woke up with a hangover, but that was nothing, I always woke up with hangovers. Butst night was different; I had gone out of control. While I sat at the bar, drinking tequ, someone shoved me and started to walk away without apologizing. I pulled him back by the arm and demanded an apology, but he refused. A brawl ensued. The stewardess intervened and tried to separate us. As she tried to keep us from each other, I pulled out the knife I always kept by my side. I made a lunge for the unapologetic man, but the stewardess got in the way and got stabbed. I dropped the bloody knife and left the club, confused and angry with myself for being so out of control. I called yton.


    ¡°Some shit happened at the clubst night,¡± I told him after we exchanged pleasantries.


    ¡°What again?¡± He asked. ¡°Some shit always happens with you.¡±


    ¡°At the clubst night¡­¡± I started.


    ¡°Goddamnit, man,¡± he said and I heard the t of his palm m against a table. ¡°Are you going to tell me or not?¡±

 Chapter 35

    yton:


    Trent had done it again. He was not a person that had much to offer; so he did what he could do best and he did it as frequently as he could ¨C and that was to party. He knew every club, every bar, every stewardess and every sommelier. Because of how frequently he visited clubs, he got into fights and squabbles more than a few times. I was not too surprised when he called, even though it had been quite a while since he had gotten into a fight or anything.


    ¡°Speak up, man,¡± I said to him. ¡°What happened?¡±


    I needed to know for sure that he was not in any trouble.


    ¡°yton, man,¡± he drawled, ¡°I stabbed someone ¨C the stewardess.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I said. ¡°What the fuck, man?!¡±


    I was shocked because even though he had been in fights, he had never stabbed anyone. I didn¡¯t even know that he had a knife. Or was it a bottle he used?


    ¡°Yeah, man,¡± he drawled again. ¡°I fucking stabbed her.¡±


    ¡°Well, is she alive?¡± I asked, frantic.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, man,¡± he replied. ¡°But there was blood. A lot of fucking blood.¡±


    ¡°But really, though, what the fuck were you doing with a knife, Trent?¡± I asked, my voice raised a few notches high in reprimand. ¡°You know you lose control over yourself when you get drunk. What were you doing with a fucking knife?!?!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t lose control,¡± he exined. ¡°Some idiot shoved me and refused to apologize.¡±


    I hung up and went to sleep, hoping I could solve the problem the next day.


    Nadine:


    Anna woke shortly after I stepped into the ward.


    ¡°Hi,¡± I said as I walked to sit by her side, stroking her hair, while simultaneously trying to hold back tears that were threatening to fall.


    ¡°Hi, Nadine,¡± she responded softly. Her voice was so soft it made me smile.


    ¡°I thought you would sleep for a long time,¡± I said. ¡°Hope you feel better.¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± she said. ¡°Even if just a bit. But Naomi said recovery is a journey and that I should take it one step at a time.¡±


    At the sound of Naomi¡¯s name from Anna¡¯s mouth, I turned my face away, because definitely, the tears were going toe, and I would hate to see Anna see me cry. I thumbed my tears away and breathed deeply to avoid sniffling.


    ¡°Of course, recovery is a journey,¡± I said. I started to stroke her hair again, her chin, her cheek.


    The nurse walked into the room again. When I saw the terror in her eyes, I knew that the worst had happened. She looked from me to Anna and back again.


    ¡°Come with me, ma¡¯am,¡± she said and turned to leave.


    I let go on Anna¡¯s hand in mine and stepped outside, my heart somersaulting inside my thorax.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Nadine,¡± she said, ¡°but we lost her.¡±C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Shit,¡± I said under my breath. ¡°No. This isn¡¯t happening. I am not hearing this.¡±


    It felt like a movie, like I had been pulled away from my body and was watching someone else. Suddenly, the sounds around me became muffled, as if they wereing from a distance and the world started to fade out. I saw ck.


    *


    I woke up with quite a headache. The world was no longer ck, but it was dim and blurry. I rubbed my eyes and sat up. I was in a ward all alone.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± I heard a voice say and quickly realized that it was the nurse. There was another nurse with her, a younger one, probably an intern. They both looked at me with concerned eyes, in a way that seemed weird.


    ¡°I¡¯m ¡­ fine,¡± I said. ¡°Where¡¯s my sister?¡±


    ¡°Ohh, Anna is fine,¡± the younger nurse answered, nodding her head perhaps a bit too excited.


    ¡°I have a headache,¡± I said, rubbing my temples with my fingers. ¡°It¡¯s killing me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that is expected,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯ll give you some drugs, and an injection, perhaps. Is there anything else you need?¡±


    My mind drifted to Naomi. She was the best friend I had ever had. While I was away, she became an elder sister to Anna and yed the role so well (maybe even better than I ever did) that Anna got attached to her and did not miss me that much. She thought more of Anna and I than she did herself.


    ¡°Would you like anything?¡± The nurse asked again, this time cing her hand gently on my shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯d like my friend back,¡± I replied. ¡°I¡¯d like her back right now. How about that? Can you do that?¡±


    The nurse bowed her head and shook it dolefully before turning to leave. I sat up, crying till my throat ached.


    yton:


    The next morning, I was having breakfast when I got a call from Trent. I had nned on calling him and telling him to stop being a nuisance, which he always was.


    ¡°What now, Trent?¡± I said when I answered the call.


    ¡°I¡¯m at the police station, yton,¡± he said. ¡°They put me in a fucking handcuff, man, and I have been here for quite a while without being able tomunicate. They allowed me to call you now.¡±


    ¡°Wait. What were you arrested for?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s about the girl that I stabbedst night,¡± he said. ¡°Isn¡¯t that kind of obvious?¡±


    I could hear chatter behind me and I knew for sure that he was telling the truth. But I couldn¡¯t allow my friend to remain in custody, so I knew what to do.


    ¡°I¡¯ming to the station now,¡± I said to him. ¡°And you sit still right there.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, alright,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for you.


    I called for my driver and we drove away to the police station. It was such a big ce with a lot of people. I scanned the faces of everyone.

 Chapter 36

    yton:


    I walked straight to a police officer who immediately recognized me as yton Ro, the billionaire. He told me that Trent was in a cell.


    ¡°I want him out,¡± I barked.


    ¡°But, sir, w-we can¡¯t just do that,¡± he said timidly, ¡°I mean his crime was¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut the fuck up, and release my friend,¡± I said, giving him a nudge on the shoulder.


    He scurried away like a frightened mouse, obviously to report to a superior, and I sat down gently, satisfied, because that was what I wanted. In a moment, the officer returned, and he did so with another officer ¨C arge burly man with hairy hands.


    ¡°Mr. Ro,¡± he said, extending his hand for a handshake, ¡°I¡¯m detective Lance. It seems there has been a misunderstanding.¡±


    Compared to his body, his voice was quite small. I stood up, met his eyes and refused to shake his hands. I had to be as overbearing and arrogant as possible, or I would not be given due respect.


    ¡°Of course there has been a misunderstanding, Lance,¡± I said in a harsh whisper, ¡°my friend, Trent, is behind bars and I want him out now.¡±


    ¡°Sir, please, calm down,¡± he said. ¡°I have looked into the case and he was used of stabbing a stewardess. Further investigations have shown that said stewardess is deceased now. This is a homicide, sir, and we intend to treat it as one.¡±


    ¡°Fucking Trent,¡± I thought to myself. ¡°Going around stabbing people. What the fuck is wrong with him?¡±


    The officer gave me a look as if to say ¡°so?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what he did, Officer Lance,¡± I said, ¡°and I don¡¯t give two shits that you intend to treat this as a homicide. I want Trent out and I want him out now. You do not seem to know who you¡¯re dealing with. I¡¯m yton Ro, and I own more than half of this city. What I say fucking goes. So go in there and release my friend.¡±


    Officer Lance seemed stuck. He bowed his head and shook it sadly. I knew he had seen the indignation on my face and that he knew the power I wielded, but he still had to do his job. I started to pity him, so I thought to make things easier for him.


    ¡°Look, Lance, how about this?¡± I said in a conspiratorial manner. ¡°We can clean this mess up, pretend it never happened, and you wouldn¡¯t have to be in any trouble. I know you know what happened. Trent got drunk and stabbed that stewardess, but that wasn¡¯t intentional. So let this go. As an incentive, I¡¯ll give you some money.¡±


    I said thest sentence as a whisper into his ear.


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t do that,¡± he stuttered. ¡°I can¡¯t take a bribe.¡±


    ¡°Sure you can,¡± I said, putting an arm around her shoulder. ¡°Look, it¡¯s no big deal. Things like this happen all the time. You can let it go. I¡¯ll have my ountant put fifty thousand dors into your ountter today.¡±


    ¡°What?!?!¡± He said, and then covered his mouth with his hands. ¡°Fifty thousand? That¡¯s more than my annual pay.¡±Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I know,¡± I said. ¡°Now go in there and bring my friend the fuck out, and that fifty thousand will be yours immediately.¡±


    Without hesitation, he turned and left, and in a few minutes, he came out with Trent. Trent looked gaunt and wretched, as if he had suddenly lost a lot of weight in just a few hours. I was utterly disgusted by him, but I chose not to say anything yet. I took the officer¡¯s ount number, promising to settle him once I reached home, and I walked to the car with Trent.


    ¡°Thanks, man,¡± Trent said as we began the drive home. ¡°It was hell in there, I swear. Thanks foring through for me. What would I do-¡±


    ¡°Shut the fuck up!¡± I barked, so loud that even the driver shuddered. ¡°Just shut the fuck up. This is why your life is miserable ¨C you make terrible decisions. You took a life, man. You killed someone. You should be behind bars, really, you should rot in prison. If you weren¡¯t my friend, I swear¡­¡±


    I stopped to catch my breath. It had been a long time since I had been that angry.


    Nadine:


    When I went home, surprisingly, yton was at home. He looked at me in a weird way because my eyes were puffed up from all the crying I did in the car. I couldn¡¯t even stay and talk with Anna.


    ¡°Why do you look this fucked up?¡± He asked, his voice strangely mild.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± I said, and made it for my room.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®nothing¡¯ me,¡± he said, grabbing me by the arm. ¡°I said what happened? I¡¯m your husband and I deserve to know.¡±


    ¡°Naomi, she got killed at the bar,¡± I exined, choking with tears. ¡°Some psychopath drew a knife and stabbed her. She bled to death. She, she -¡±


    ¡°What?¡± He said. ¡°Stabbed? Do you know who the assant is?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, and I don¡¯t give a shit,¡± she said. ¡°But I heard the police have taken him into custody.¡±


    He let go of my hands. He looked spooked, as if he had seen the ghost of a long lost friend, and it surprised me. I know he did not care about Naomi, and he barely even cared about me.


    ¡°Trent,¡± he said under his breath. ¡°Fuck!¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked. ¡°And why are you calling Trent?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, I-I remembered something,¡± he said and left my side.


    I knew Trent. He wasn¡¯t at the house all the time, but yton called him enough times for me to know that they were close. I jogged up the stairs, went into my room, copsed on my bed and cried my eyes out. I wondered how I would ry the news to Anna. I heard a knock at the door. It was yton.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about your friend,¡± he said. ¡°Trent is such a bastard.¡±


    I swallowed a lump in my throat. So it was Trent.

 Chapter 37

    Nadine:


    yton¡¯s phone started to buzz almost immediately, not allowing me to quiz him more about the truth of Naomi¡¯s death. If Trent had really done it, I was going to set him on fire. I sat up as yton picked up the call and spoke into the receiver.


    ¡°Hello,¡± he said. ¡°Mom? Speak up, I can¡¯t hear you.¡±


    I breathed a sigh of frustration. In my grief and pain, thest thing that I needed was yton¡¯s mothering to the house, breathing down my neck and making me feel miserable about my existence. I listened to the conversation and tried to glean what I could.


    ¡°Mom, I was busy then that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t pick,¡± yton.


    ¡°Ohh. You¡¯reing over? When?¡±


    ¡°Ahh, Nadine, she¡¯s here,¡± he said and turned to look at me. ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be d to see you.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Bye, mom,¡± he said and hung up.


    ¡°What now?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°My mom, she said she wants toe over and spend some time with us,¡± he said without lifting his head from his phone.


    ¡°Oh, God,¡± I said. ¡°And for how long?¡±


    ¡°Probably a few weeks,¡± he replied and my heart skipped a beat.


    ¡°A few weeks?!?!¡± I said, wide-eyed with surprise.


    ¡°Yeah, those were exactly her words,¡± he said gently.


    ¡°Shit,¡± I said under my breath.


    A new fear spread all over my body. Mrs. Ro was as arrogant as her son, maybe even more. But I still felt the grief from Naomi¡¯s death.


    ¡°Did Trent kill Naomi?¡± I asked yton, my voice low and smoldering, and my eyes burning.


    ¡°Well, I think he did,¡± he said with a shrug.


    I was seized by a sudden energy and I got up and made for the door. In my mind, I would find Trent and almost kill him. Naomi was a gift to my existence, to Anna¡¯s existence and he snatched her from me, from Anna, just like that.


    ¡°Where the fuck do you think you¡¯re going?¡± yton said, grabbing my arm. ¡°Get the fuck back.¡±


    ¡°No. Nothing is stopping me,¡± I said and again, tried to make my way past his figure.


    He pushed me back again, this time so far back that Inded on my buttocks on the marbled floors.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere, bitch,¡± he said sternly. ¡°And that¡¯s a fucking order. Stay right there!¡±


    ¡°That motherfucker killed my best friend,¡± I said, quickly getting on my feet. ¡°He¡¯s gonna pay for it. He deserves to be behind jail bars.¡±


    ¡°Well, it must interest you to know that he isn¡¯t paying for shit,¡± yton said, leaning against the doorpost. ¡°Palms have been greased and my friend is as innocent as any other person in this fucking city. So watch what you say. Don¡¯t go around talking shit about who killed this person. I don¡¯t want to hear any of it. In fact, for the next few days, I don¡¯t want you leaving this house; stay the fuck inside. Besides, my mom is on her way, and I want you to be here to attend to her.¡±


    And with that, he left. I did not know which hit me the hardest ¨C the fact that he had bribed his way into having Trent escape justice, which only made sense because he was yton Ro, the billionaire; or the fact that he had sentenced me to being in the house again; or even the fact that his mom was on her way.


    ¡°Shit,¡± I said under my breath again. I stood up and copsed on the bed.


    yton:


    Mother¡¯s visit was unprecedented. She came with her driver and I waited for them in the driveway. When her luggage was pulled out of the car trunk, I realized she was going to be around for quite a while.


    ¡°Hello, yton,¡± she said with a contrived smile. ¡°How are you doing, boy?¡±


    I crouched as she nted kisses on both of my cheeks.


    ¡°You came with all your luggage?¡± I asked as I led her into the house.


    ¡°Ahh, yton, this isn¡¯t even one-tenth of my stuff,¡± she said with a wave of hand. ¡°This is just enough clothes to see through the next few days. It¡¯s going to be fun.¡±


    I chuckled to myself as my mother¡¯s idea of fun hit me; it simply would consist of saying the most hurtful things to Nadine, riling her up in the process. Mother was right, it was going to be fun.


    I went to Nadine¡¯s room to inform her of mother¡¯s arrival.


    ¡°My mom is here,¡± I said to her. ¡°You need to be downstairs, you know, ying the role of a dutiful daughter-inw.¡±


    ¡°That woman hates me,¡± was her reply.


    Iughed loud and long.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s to be expected, considering the kind of person that you are.¡±All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°And what the fuck is that supposed to mean?¡± She said harshly.


    ¡°You figure it out,¡± she said. ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit. You need to be downstairs. You have not more than a few minutes before shees out for her meal.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to, yton,¡± she said, a desperate plea in her voice. ¡°Can¡¯t I, like, stay with her till she leaves? I mean, so that I don¡¯t get in her way?¡±


    ¡°Well that would be an awfully long time,¡± he said. ¡°You should have seen the bags she came with. Besides, I don¡¯t think you¡¯d like the experience of being incarcerated again, would you?¡±


    I saw her face drop, exactly what I wanted. I left her to contemte, knowing fully well that she knew that she had no choice.


    When it was dinnertime and we were all sitting around the table, Mom began with her talk.


    ¡°So, Nadine, have you found any work yet?¡± She asked. ¡°Anything to make yourself useful with?¡±


    Nadine raised her head slowly.


    ¡°Not yet,¡± she said timidly. She clearly wasn¡¯t ready for my mother that night.


    ¡°So, basically, all you do is sit around, eat and spend money you didn¡¯t work for, right?¡± Mom said. ¡°That¡¯s interesting to note.¡±

 Chapter 38

    Nadine:


    It always looked like the universe was against me, like it had something terrible nned for me. Because why was yton¡¯s mother berating me in what was otherwise a sweet voice while I was still in grief about my best friend and recovering from the shock of Trent having killed her.


    ¡°Are you going to say anything?¡± She said when I didn¡¯t answer. ¡°Cat got your tongue?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m working on it, ma¡¯am,¡± I said. I looked to yton for help but he was wiping the sides of his mouth with a tissue and he had this smirk on his face.


    ¡°Actually, mom, I was going to tell you,¡± he said. ¡°Soon, and I mean very soon, Nadine will be working with us at thepany. So she¡¯s going to get useful real soon. We¡¯re still working on it.¡±


    The way he said it, it was obvious he was using me as bait; obvious that he wanted his mother to continue with her attacks. I felt a cold sweat on my skin and my heart started to beat in an irregr fashion. It was going to be a long night.


    ¡°Soon, hunh?¡± She said, ¡°So what kind of work do you think you can do in a ce like yton¡¯s? I mean, considering the fact that you have no college degree or skill set or observable knowledge whatsoever.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know if that was a question I was supposed to answer, so I just kept quiet. For a moment, all was silent. I thought if I could finish my food quickly enough I would escape, but of course, the universe had something in store for me.


    ¡°Ahh, yton,¡± she began.


    ¡°Yes, mom?¡± He said excitedly. It was obvious that he was loving this.


    ¡°What about Natasha?¡± She said, ¡°That pretty girl, the one I thought you were going to get married to. She seemed to have some sense, where is she?¡±


    ¡°Ohh, mother, Natasha and I haven¡¯t spoken in quite a long time now,¡± he said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know where she is.¡±


    ¡°Of course you haven¡¯t spoken to her in a long while,¡± she said. ¡°Seeing that you abandoned her and married someone who is several rungs below you on the socialdder. I would feel slighted too if I was her.¡±


    yton, also at a loss for words, only shrugged. I couldn¡¯t believe that they were having that conversation while I was sitting with them. I wanted to leave, to disappear, to be swallowed by the ground, but I just sat there, bewildered.


    ¡°Call her,¡± she said.


    ¡°What?¡± yton said.


    ¡°I said, call her,¡± she repeated. ¡°Call her, or I will.¡±


    ¡°No, mom,¡± he protested. ¡°No fucking way am I-¡±


    ¡°Language, boy!¡± She cautioned, her voice raised, her tone brooking no remonstrance.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± he said, ¡°but there¡¯s no way in hell that I¡¯m calling Natasha.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll call her, then,¡± she said calmly. ¡°I should have her number somewhere. We¡¯re going to see about this.¡±


    yton now looked as confused as I did.


    Natasha:


    I was sprawled on my bed, going through Instagram reels when I got a call from yton¡¯s mom. At first I did not pick; for all I knew, it could be yton using his mother¡¯s phone to call me. He had no limits when he was desperate. But when the phone rang again, I decided to pick it. Mrs. Ro was a nice woman who treated me with respect. I was not going to disregard her because her son was a jerk.


    ¡°Hello, Mrs. Ro,¡± I said. ¡°What a surprise.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, Natasha,¡± she said, and I could hear the smile in her voice. ¡°How are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Great, Mrs. Ro,¡± I said. ¡°And how have you been?¡±


    ¡°Also great, life has been fair,¡± she said. ¡°I recently came to the city to see my son.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, that¡¯s interesting,¡± I said, scratching my head. I didn¡¯t know where the conversation was headed, and I was quite ufortable with it.


    ¡°Natasha, I want you here,¡± she said gently. ¡°It gets awfully boring when yton goes off to work, and that good-for-nothing he calls a wife doesn¡¯t have the mind for a meaningful conversation.¡±


    I thought about it for a while. It was clear that I had Mrs. Ro¡¯s heart, even though her son was the jerk that treated me like trash every time. But I did not want to do it; it was too much.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Mrs. Ro,¡± I said. ¡°yton and I aren¡¯t exactly in talking terms. I mean-¡±


    ¡°Ohh, forget that, darling,¡± she said and gave a littleugh. ¡°You young people need to learn that we only go through this life once and so we should not forget to live. I know quite alright that you and yton have your differences, and between me and you, I know it¡¯s all his fault. But I also know you¡¯re in love with him as he is with you, so forget about all of that.¡±All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Okay. But does he know?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Does he have to, Natasha?¡± She said, ¡°This house is mine as much as it¡¯s his.¡±


    ¡°But-but, Nadine, his other wife, is there,¡± I said. ¡°I mean, wouldn¡¯t it be kind of intrusive to, you know-¡±


    ¡°Come on now, darling,¡± she said. ¡°Now you¡¯re just making up excuses to avoid visiting. Nadine, or whatever her name is, is insignificant here, okay.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Mrs. Ro,¡± I said, giving in.


    ¡°So you¡¯re going toe?¡± She said,


    ¡°Yes, I will,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll just pack my stuff now.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, that¡¯s great,¡± she said. ¡°Please, hurry, I¡¯m bored senseless. We¡¯re going to have loads and loads of fun.¡±


    ¡°Okay, ma¡¯am,¡± I said, hanging up.


    A part of me was d that Mrs. Ro liked me the way she did. But another part of me was wary about all of it. As I packed a few clothes and got into my car, I thought about how things would be at the house with Nadine in it.

 Chapter 39

    Natasha:


    It had been a long while since I had been in the house, but it still felt the same; from the driveway to the front porch, to the spacious living room that was so big I could fit my apartment into it. Memories flooded my mind, memories of yton and I doing what we did, making love at various spots in the house, not just the living room, or his bedroom, but also the kitchen, the basement, even the hallway; getting caught by his servants sometimes and the awkward exchange that followed.


    ¡°And after all that,¡± I thought to myself, ¡°he left me for that bitch!¡±


    As I advanced into the house, his mother came out. She looked a little older since thest time that I saw her, but there was a certain dignity, a self-awareness and self-respect that Mrs. Ro carried herself with, and it was that of a person who knew she had the world in her palms.


    ¡°Natasha, darling,¡± she said with her arms outstretched, ¡°you look so beautiful.¡±


    ¡°As do you, Mrs. Ro,¡± I said as she wrapped me in an embrace, her heady perfume lulling my senses.


    ¡°Ohh, we¡¯re going to have so much fun,¡± she said. She cupped my face and looked into my eyes. There was something about the way she looked at me that made me feel seen, that made me feel like I was actually worth something, that I wasn¡¯t useless; unlike her son, who looked at me like I was a crumpled can of soda to be tossed into a trash bin.


    ¡°Take her bags into the guest bedroom,¡± she said to a servant nearby. I felt stung by that. Formerly, when I would visit, I would stay in yton¡¯s bedroom with him, he and I under the same sheets, but things had changed now.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    ¡°We need to talk, Natasha,¡± she said, pulling me towards the dining room. Her face assumed a new severity and I knew she wanted to talk business.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked as we both sat.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s the situation of this house now, Natasha,¡± she said. ¡°I know you know what I¡¯m talking about.¡±


    I sighed, nodded.


    ¡°Natasha, I know it must hurt,¡± she said, cing her hand over mine. ¡°But you have to know what an idiot my son is. You know him best, perhaps even more than I, his mother. He makes rash decisions, never giving them a thought, especially when he is charged with anger.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± I said. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t change the fact that I dated him for years, and let him use me how he wanted, and he left me for¡­¡±


    The tears came, and I couldn¡¯t control them. I turned my face away from the concerning look on Mrs. Ro¡¯s face.


    ¡°What he did was a stupid thing, Natasha, I know,¡± she said, ¡°but what is undeniable is his love for you. He still loves you; I know it, you know it, he knows it, that lowlife he married knows it. Everyone knows it!¡±


    I sniffled.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to do something,¡± she said. There was a hint of malice in her voice that was alluring, as if she wanted us to go on a dangerous and wicked mission together.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked, my brows furrowed.


    She spread her face in a smirk.


    Nadine:


    It¡¯ste afternoon already before I am able to gather myself. I dress up quickly with ns to go to the hospital to see my sister. It had been more than twelve hours since I had seen her, and I knew she would be quite lonely. Seeing that Naomi was no more, I knew I would have to dedicate more time to Anna. But when I came downstairs, I received the shock of my life. Sitting with Mrs. Ro in the living room was Natasha.


    ¡°Hello, Nadine,¡± Natasha said. ¡°How are you doing today?¡±


    I stood as still as a monument, eyes moving from one person to the other.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, girl?¡± Mrs. Ro said. ¡°Cat got your tongue?¡±


    ¡°Look how stupid you look staring like that,¡± Natasha said before giving a short, wickedugh.


    ¡°Natasha here will be around for the duration of my visit,¡± Mrs. Ro said. ¡°She¡¯ll be keeping mepany, seeing as you have failed in that capacity. Anyways, what are you dressed up for?¡±


    My head spun and my breathing became shallow, almost like I was seeing a ghost in front of me. I shook my head trying to recover myself.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to the central hospital,¡± I answered. ¡°I need to see my sister.¡±


    ¡°Mmm,¡± Mrs. Ro said. ¡°I see. She¡¯s sick?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Cancer,¡± I said.


    ¡°And I¡¯m guessing you use yton¡¯s money to fund her treatment, eh?¡± Natasha interrupted. ¡°Seeing as you barely have any yourself.¡±


    I shrugged, wanting to ignore her and began walking towards the door.


    ¡°But isn¡¯t that why you¡¯re married to him?¡± Natasha continued, to Mrs. Ro¡¯s delight, I presume. ¡°So that you can leach him, benefit from his wealth and affluence, use his money to fund your penurious life. Isn¡¯t that why?¡±


    Something rose in me. I was bing angry. If only she knew about the contract, she would not have been spewing such rubbish.


    ¡°Natasha, please, miss me with this bullshit,¡± I said firmly. ¡°It isn¡¯t my fault yton did not marry you after you spent your entire life with him. I¡¯m not responsible for your misfortune, yton is. Perhaps, if you feel so much indignation you should take it out on him!¡±


    ¡°Ahh, I like this,¡± I heard Mrs. Ro say.


    ¡°If you had not walked into his life with those spindly legs of yours, yton and I would still be happy now,¡± she retorted, I could hear the pain in her voice. ¡°You ruined everything, you bitch!¡±


    ¡°I did nothing, Natasha,¡± I said, still walking towards the door. ¡°Maybe you should look inwards, you know, maybe it¡¯s your fault.¡±


    ¡°What?!?!¡± She said in surprised exasperation.


    ¡°Good day, Natasha,¡± I said and walked out the door.

 Chapter 40

    Nadine:


    I walked out of the house feeling a tiny sense of triumph, but just a tiny one. I knew that the war had begun and I was going to be the only casualty. But I had other things on my te. I had to go visit Anna, and I had decided that I would tell her about Naomi¡¯s death. Better to do it at once and get it over with. During the drive, we passed by the bar where Naomi worked, where I had worked before yton abducted me. A rush of memories filled my head. I remembered how Naomi and I had met, how we had slowly gotten close. When I started to weep, it was loud and ugly, so loud, the driver couldn¡¯t help but be solicitous.


    ¡°Are you okay back there, ma¡¯am?¡± He said.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine,¡± I said, raising my head. ¡°Just drive.¡±


    When we got to the hospital, I went straight to Anna¡¯s ward. She was sitting upright, a nk look on her face. She brightened up a bit when she saw me, and I wrapped her in a hug.


    ¡°How¡¯re you doing, baby girl?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Fine, I guess,¡± she said. But I could see that she was missing Naomi.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± I asked, already bing jittery when I realized that I would have to break Naomi¡¯s death to her soon.


    ¡°Erm ¡­ Yeah,¡± she said. ¡°Naomi isn¡¯t back yet. Quite unlike her; I haven¡¯t seen her since the day before yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Erm, baby, there¡¯s something I would like to tell you,¡± I said, my voice shaky. ¡°But you must promise to be strong.¡±This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.


    ¡°What happened, Nadine?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Promise me,¡± I said, tears running down my cheeks. ¡°Promise me that you¡¯ll be strong.¡±


    The irony was not lost on me that I was imploring my younger sister to be strong while I was breaking down in front of her, but I had to say something.


    ¡°Oh, my God, Nadine,¡± Anna said and pulled me closer to her, embracing me warmly. ¡°What happened? Did something happen to Naomi?¡±


    I pulled away from her, wiped the tears from my eyes and looked at her in her brown eyes.


    ¡°She got stabbed by a drunk customer in the bar, Anna,¡± I exined. ¡°And unfortunately, she lost a lot of blood.¡±


    Anna looked at me like I was talking gibberish. I shut my eyes and opened them, and she was still staring.


    ¡°B-but she¡¯s still alive, right?¡± She asked, her voice already bing heavy with forming tears. ¡°She¡¯s still ¡­ Please, tell me she¡¯s alive. Tell me she did not die, Nadine. Tell me!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Anna, but she died yesterday.¡±


    Anna fell backwards.


    Natasha:


    I couldn¡¯t believe that Nadine talked back to me, and worse still, I couldn¡¯t believe that Mrs. Ro just watched.


    ¡°That was funny,¡± she said, afterughing. I wondered what was so funny.


    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t,¡± I said.


    ¡°It was, Natasha,¡± she said. ¡°Look, if you really want to get to her, don¡¯t demean yourself in her presence, there should be no self-deprecation when you throw your jabs. Make sure you hold your head high and be as brutal as possible. Don¡¯t say anything about how much it hurt you to lose yton, just say whatever you can to spite her, and for that reason only. Is that fucking clear?!?!¡±


    The sound of her cussing made me wince.


    ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯ll do that,¡± I said.


    ¡°Good,¡± she said with a nod. ¡°Now, my son is upstairs in his room. You know where it is. Go and meet him.¡±


    I stood up and started for the stairs.


    yton:


    It had been a long day. Amidst me trying to clear my head of Trent¡¯s misadventures and coping with my mother mentally torturing Nadine. I didn¡¯t care about Nadine, though, just that my mother had the tendency of dragging me into it most times. I heard a knock on my door.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± I said aloud.


    ¡°Who else?¡± A familiar voice said, and when the door opened, I might as well have seen a ghost because I was stunned.


    ¡°Natasha?¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me,¡± she replied. She closed the door behind her, but did not step an inch further into the room.


    ¡°Wha-what are you doing here?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Visiting,¡± she simply said. ¡°Your mother called. Are you surprised?¡±


    I remembered my mother saying something about inviting her; I thought she was bluffing.


    ¡°But-but-¡± I started.


    ¡°Ohh, please, yton, save your fucking breath,¡± I said. ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time that I¡¯ming here. Because you married that sick cunt doesn¡¯t disallow me from paying you visits.¡±


    She started to walk closer to me, in that slow, alluring style that always sent blood rushing to my groins. She smiled coyly as she did.


    ¡°So does she sleep here?¡± She asked, tilting my chin upwards. She was so close I imagined she could hear the thumping of my heart.


    ¡°What? No. No, she doesn¡¯t,¡± I said. ¡°She has her own bedroom.¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± she said, widening her smile. ¡°I thought you would be foolish enough to have her sleep inside of a room that was and still is sacred to our rtionship.¡±


    She stopped and gave me a small kiss on the lips. She stroked the hair on my chin, and I was instantly filled with a want, a desire. I wanted to grab her and have my way, but I knew I had to tread softly.


    ¡°So does this mean you have forgiven me?¡± I asked desperately. ¡°Does this mean you¡¯re not pissed anymore?¡±


    ¡°Ohh, that?¡± She said, ¡°We¡¯ll see, yton.¡±


    She stopped and started to kiss me again, this time slipping her tongue into my mouth. I grabbed her ass and squeezed and she started to unbutton my shirt. She shoved me onto the bed andy on me.


    ¡°One thing now, though, yton,¡± she said. ¡°This time, we¡¯re going to run this rtionship solely on my terms, understand?¡±


    I nodded. We began to kiss as fiercely as before.

 Chapter 41

    CLAYTON.


    Sex with Nadine was great that night when she seduced me, ecstatic even, but with Natasha it was different. Natasha and I had been together for years; we had an undeniable chemistry between the both of us that lent an intensity to our love making, something I could never get in anyone else.


    ¡°Ahh, yes, baby,¡± I said as she undid my zip, wriggled my penis out and slipped into the warmth of her mouth, sucking it, slurping on it, a fiery look in her eyes as she did. I stroked her head as she did. For a fleeting moment as she feted me, I wished I had married her instead of Nadine. She rose from her haunches, met my face and kissed me.


    ¡°I love you so much, Natasha,¡± I said.


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t,¡± she replied. She smiled sadly, so sad it made me pity her.


    ¡°Why do you say that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°If you did,¡± she said, ¡°it would have been me that you would have married, not Nadine.¡±


    I closed my eyes for a moment.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I made a mistake, Natasha,¡± I said. ¡°You have to understand. My marriage with Nadine is contractual.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what it is, yton,¡± she said, ¡°some mistakes can not be corrected; some wrongs simply cannot be righted.¡±


    She continued to kiss me. When I slid into herter, it felt like heaven, but not only that, it felt like the right thing to do. We orgasmed within seconds of each other, me first, then she, quaking gently in my arms. After wey on the bed in silence, cuddled in each other¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Ohh, shit,¡± Natasha said softly. ¡°It just urred to me.¡±


    ¡°What, baby?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Your birthday,¡± she said as she turned to face me, her breath warming my face, ¡°it¡¯s in a week¡¯s time.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, I forgot about that,¡± I said.


    I had been so preupied with work, and with the maelstrom of my rtionships that I hadpletely forgotten about the forting anniversary of my birth. I would be turning thirty three, a milestone, something to be celebrated at the very least.


    ¡°So,¡± Natasha said, stroking my chin, ¡°what are you going to do this time to celebrate?¡±


    I did not have a party for my thirty second birthday celebration, because I didn¡¯t think it important; a small get together that had my immediate family and a few friends sufficed. But this time, I intended to go all out and have a big party.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have a party,¡± I said to her. ¡°A big fucking party. One of the biggest parties this city has ever known.¡±


    ¡°Of course, that¡¯ll be nice,¡± Natasha said with a smile.


    I got off the bed and mentally began to make ns. Of course, Trent would be involved, but not fully, because I wanted him to stay out of the spotlight for a while due to his recent restaurant debacle. My mom would also y a role, which would be easier since she was around. Natasha, too. Maybe Nadine.


    ¡°The party of the fucking year,¡± I thought aloud.


    Nadine:


    I screamed for the nurses. The shock of Naomi¡¯s death had made Anna lose consciousness, I knew that, but that thought did nothing to ay my fears.


    ¡°What happened?¡± The nurse asked as she raced into the ward.


    ¡°She passed out,¡± I said.


    Immediately, I regretted telling Anna about Naomi¡¯s death. I should have kept it to myself, perhaps concocted a lie that I would keep telling until she was fully recovered and better suited to take. But that would not have felt right. The nurse led me out of the ward into the hallway and tried to resuscitate my sister.


    ¡°No, no, no,¡± I said as I walked to the bathroom. I turned on the faucet and washed my hands. I looked at my face in the mirror; I looked at least five years older, with my eyes puffed up from crying, and my hair matted from neglect.


    ¡°Fuck him,¡± I said as I thought about Trent. ¡°Fucking bastard.¡±


    I washed my eyes and returned. When I went close to the ward, I saw one nurse leaving.


    ¡°How is my sister?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Ohh, she¡¯s fine,¡± she said, cing a reassuring hand on my shoulder. ¡°You can go see her now, but allow her to have her rest; she needs it as much as she can get, okay?¡±


    Grateful, I nodded, feeling a tear slide down my face. If anything had happened to Anna because of what I told her, I would have never forgiven myself


    I walked into the room and thest nurse walked out. Anna was sitting up, her back against the wall, a doleful look on her face. I felt an overwhelming sadness. Sure, Naomi was my friend, but Anna had bonded with her at a very critical stage of her life ¨C while she was between life and death.


    ¡°Anna?¡± I said. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    She turned to me, sniffling. ¡°It¡¯s true? Naomi is ¡­ dead?¡±


    I nodded and sat beside her.


    ¡°Why?!?!¡± Anna said, burying her face in her palms, sobbing so much that it made me start to cry too.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Anna,¡± I replied. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Some of us don¡¯t have it easy in life, some of us have to go through the worst, have to wade through the mud. I know it¡¯s hard, but the only option we have left to us is to keep leaving while keeping Naomi¡¯s memory alive in our heart. She was a good person, a pure soul, and she did not deserve to die. Naomi was more than a friend, she was a sister to the both of us. She¡¯s dead now and there¡¯s nothing we can do about it. We just have to keep living.¡±


    I was talking to Anna, but I was also speaking to myself.


    Anna reached out to me, hugged me and buried her face in my neck. Her sobs quieted down.

 Chapter 42.

    NADINE.


    I went home, almost forgetting that Natasha and Mrs. Ro were around. But once I stepped into the living room, I was jolted by reality. Mrs. Ro was sitting on the couch, her sses on as she poured through a tablet.


    ¡°Ahh, Nadine,¡± she said as she looked up, ¡°wee.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, ma¡¯am,¡± I said, and started heading straight for my room, but Mrs. yton obviously was not ready to let me off that easily.


    ¡°You¡¯re quite lucky, Nadine,¡± she said. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not every wife that can leave her matrimonial home and just go out without exnations. Thene back hometer, and dash to her bedroom.¡±


    ¡°I went to see my sister,¡± I said, hoping she would hear the bitterness in my tone. ¡°She¡¯s sick. I mentioned it earlier when I wanted to leave.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, yes, you did,¡± she said lightly, as if amused. ¡°Cancer, is it not? Such a horrible thing to befall a person. Hope she¡¯s doing fine.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll be fine, thank you,¡± I said.


    I continued walking towards the stairs before she said, ¡°ahh, I think you need to be careful up there, Nadine, Natasha is in there with yton. You don¡¯t want to run into them when they¡¯re ¡­ up to something.¡±


    I stopped for a moment before making it to my room. Mrs. Ro thought she was going to hurt me by telling me that Natasha was likely sleeping with the man I was legally married to, but she did not know that I did not care.


    I was taking my clothes off when I heard a knock at the door.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± I said tiredly. There never seemed to be any rest for me in the house. Someone was always looking for a way to rile me up, to make me miserable. ¡°Come in, please.¡±


    Natasha walked in. She was wearing only ck matching bra and panties and held a ss of a beverage in her hand. Her hair was ruffled and the makeup she had been wearing when she came earlier was gone. She walked in and sat at the edge of the bed without saying a word.


    ¡°What do you want, Natasha?¡± I asked her.


    She did not answer, only took a sip from her ss. She set it down gently on the headboard of the bed and gave me a look as if she was just seeing me for the first time.


    ¡°Are you going to answer me?¡± I asked her. ¡°Or are you going to gawk at me?¡±


    She shrugged.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious, Nadine?¡± She said softly. ¡°I¡¯m here to keep youpany.¡±


    ¡°No shit,¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡¯m serious,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m going to be here for a while, so you might as well get used to it.¡±


    I walked into the bathroom and had a long bath, intentionally staying for a protracted time so that by the time I would get out, she would be gone, and I could have some rest. But when I got out, she was still there. This time, she was lying on the bed, her legs crossed in front of her.


    ¡°What the fuck do you think you¡¯re still doing here, Natasha?¡± I said, already getting peeved. ¡°Don¡¯t you have some ce else to be?¡±


    ¡°I want you to know, Nadine,¡± she said, turning to face me, her eyes sinister, ¡°that even though you¡¯re legally married to yton, I still own his heart. I want you to never forget that. All that marriage bullshit, all of that is just paperwork, you understand?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t give a flying fuck, Natasha,¡± I said, raising my voice. ¡°I couldn¡¯t fucking care less. You can have him for yourself for all of eternity. Take him, he¡¯s yours. I don¡¯t care, honestly.¡±


    She gave me a puzzled look, like I was a jigsaw she was trying to put together and did not know how.


    ¡°Then, why?¡± She asked. ¡°Why the fuck are you doing this, being married to him, if you don¡¯t even like him one bit?¡±


    ¡°Because I need his money,¡± I said. ¡°My sister is sick with cancer. I did not have the money for her treatment, so I asked yton, and the sick bastard offered, but it did note without its consequences.¡±


    ¡°So,¡± she said, smirking, ¡°you¡¯re a golddigger. That¡¯s just about right.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, bing incensed. ¡°Thank you very fucking much. Call me whatever you want. You¡¯ll never understand me, or people like me, being the privileged bitch that you are. You¡¯ll never know what it feels like to have your only rtive dying in a hospital, and being too fucking broke to do anything to help. So go ahead, call me a golddigger.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, calm the fuck down,¡± she said.


    ¡°All I want right now is for you to leave,¡± I said.


    ¡°I hear you,¡± she said, swinging her legs off of the bed. ¡°I¡¯m gone.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said as she walked out the door.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    Later, yton came in to meet me. By then, I was nearly asleep.


    ¡°What is it now?¡± I asked him as he shut the door behind me.


    ¡°I cane in here any time that I fucking please, okay?¡± He said, somewhat indignant.


    I said nothing.


    ¡°Okay. So my birthday ising up in a week,¡± he announced. ¡°I want it to be one of the biggest parties this city has ever seen, and that means that I need all hands on deck.¡±


    ¡°What does that have to do with me, yton?¡± I said weakly. I just wanted to sleep.


    ¡°So, it means that you have to be ready for whatever errands that I¡¯ll need you to run,¡± he said.


    ¡°Fine,¡± I said, burrowing deeper into my sheets.


    He stood there for a moment, watching me. I was looking directly at him, but I knew he was looking at me. After a while, he opened the door and left. That night, I was awakened by the sounds of he and Natasha having sex. Their moans and grunts traveled across the walls and prated my sleep, rousing me. It was a terrible night.

 Chapter 43

    CLAYTON.


    I contacted Trent and a host of event nners concerning my birthday. I was going to spend a ton of cash for my birthday party, but that did not matter, what mattered was that my party was the most opulent and most popr. Natasha also got involved; I had her make contacts with some of the event nners. Since her arrival in the house, she had been very helpful. We¡¯d grown closer, and she now spent the nights in my room, which I did deliberately to anger Nadine. My mother was also around, and she gave Nadine hell every time. I was at the office when I received a call from my elder brother, Enzo. It¡¯s been a while since we spoke after his angry exit from my office.


    Enzo is also a wealthy CEO of hispany but I am way wealthier.


    ¡°Hello,¡± I said as I picked up the phone.


    ¡°Hey, man,¡± he said. ¡°Long time no see. Or call, even.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know,¡± I said. ¡°How¡¯s business over there, man?¡±This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.


    ¡°Wonderful, actually,¡± he replied. ¡°Hit off a new project, signed some new contracts. Everything has been riding smoothlytely.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, that¡¯s impressive,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ve not been doing too bad myself, you know.¡±


    ¡°I trust you, yton,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯ve always been a shrewd businessman.¡±


    Iughed.


    ¡°It¡¯s my birthday soon, Enzo,¡± I said. ¡°My thirty third birthday. I¡¯m hosting a party, a big fucking party. Are you gonna make it?¡±


    ¡°Shit. I almost forgot about your birthday,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve been busy, man, but I¡¯ll ask my personal assistant to rework my schedule and see if she can move a couple of things forward so I can attend the party. You know I wouldn¡¯t want to miss it for the world, eh?¡±


    ¡°Ahh, that will be great,¡± I said.


    ¡°I heard you got married,¡± he said. ¡°You did so without telling your elder brother. Not far, bro.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know, I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said. ¡°But I did that in the middle of a whirlwind of work, so a lot of things escaped my mind. But when youe, we¡¯ll catch up, alright?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll callter, okay.¡±


    We hung up. Enzo and I had never been really close. When we were kids, we were unlike other sibling brothers; we did not y games together and mostly stayed by ourselves. Perhaps, this is the reason I grew up to be so independent. But even with the undeniable distance between us both, I always respected and admired my big brother. He did a lot for me, helping me grow my own business andpany.


    When I got home, Natasha had two otherdies inside of my bedroom. Like her, they were scantily d. I knew what she was up to, but I feigned surprise. It had been a while since we did anything like that.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on, Natasha?¡± I asked, my brows furrowed. ¡°Who are thesedies?¡±


    ¡°Ugh, yton, don¡¯t be such a spoilsport,¡± Natasha said in a seductive lilt. ¡°You know what they¡¯re here for.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t,¡± I said, struggling to unknot my tie.


    Natasha signaled to one of the girls who got up and walked slowly towards me. She was a slender girl with hair cropped short and tinted blue; she had a septum piercing. She kissed me directly on the lips before helping me loosen my tie. Then, she took her hand to my groin and I felt blood rush to that part of my body.


    NADINE.


    It became so tense in the house. With yton busy with organizing his party, and Natasha and Mrs. Ro on my neck every time, it felt like I had a rope around my neck. Mrs. Ro especially found fault with everything I did. She would criticize myck of college education, subtly call me stupid, and call me poor. Once, over dinner, she suggested that I was a golddigger. yton, who had said nothing all through, opened his mouth wide inughter and afterwards said, ¡°oh, mother.¡± Strangely, I never had any problem with Natasha. She rarely spoke to me and mostly stayed out of my way.


    Natasha spent the nights in yton¡¯s room and they had sex and made so much noise it made me mad.


    ¡°Fucking idiots,¡± I said one night as Natasha¡¯s voice filtered through the walls.


    It might have been jealousy, or just pure resentment, but I didn¡¯t like Natasha sleeping in yton¡¯s room every night. I wish I could call someone to talk, but now that Naomi is gone, I have no one, so I decided to go see Anna. On my way out, I met Mrs. Ro.


    ¡°Ohh, shit,¡± I said under my breath.


    ¡°Ahh, Nadine, going out are you?¡± She said in her usual faux benign manner. ¡°Where, this time?¡±


    ¡°The clinic, ma¡¯am,¡± I answered. ¡°To see my sister.¡±


    ¡°The one who died?¡± She asked.


    I gave her an askant look. I knew that she knew that my sister was still very much alive, I had only mentioned it a few days ago.


    ¡°What?¡± She asked, as if oblivious to what she had just said. I hated that about her, the ostensible innocence with which she spoke, but how snide her words were.


    ¡°My sister is still alive, ma¡¯am,¡± I said, managing to quell the anger that had risen inside of me. ¡°It¡¯s my friend who died.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, okay,¡± she said. ¡°Sorry. That was tactless of me. Do take care of her.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said as I exited the living room.


    When I got to the hospital, Anna seemed to be in a better mood. There was this stark loneliness in her eyes and it was quite obvious that she was going through a loss. I hated to see her like that, but I knew that I had to be strong for her.


    ¡°I¡¯m just so tired, Nadine,¡± she said to me as I pulled her into an embrace. ¡°Just tired.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine, baby,¡± I said as I held her. ¡°I¡¯m here for you every time.¡±

 Chapter 44

    CLAYTON.


    The day finally arrived, the day of my thirty third birthday party. It fell on a Thursday, but I had it moved to Friday, a proper party day. Invitees includedpany executives, my business partners, moguls and tycoons in various sectors of the economy, and my many friends. The party began byte afternoon. My n was for it to extend into the night and possibly thete hours of the morning. The party went on fine. There was enough booze, and the guests indulged themselves to the fullest. It was fun, and a lively energy suffused the house. But there was one bit of problem, I had not seen Nadine since the party began. I went to her room and found her syed on the bed.


    ¡°What the fuck do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± I bellowed and she started.


    ¡°I¡¯m exhausted, yton,¡± she said.


    ¡°What does that even mean?¡± I said as I walked into the room and shut the door behind me. ¡°You literally sit in this house doing nothing, just eating and sleeping, and now you¡¯re tired? What the fuck have you done that is making you tired?¡±


    ¡°I spent the night with my sister at the hospital, yton, and I also spent the better part of today there¡± she said. ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy. Please, let me have my rest.¡±


    I could hear the tiredness in her voice and I could see it in how her body was spread on the bed like ruffled sheets. But I was not going to budge. I walked towards the bed and grabbed her by the wrist.


    ¡°Look, Nadine,¡± I said forcefully, ¡°you¡¯re my wife, okay? Whether you fucking like it or not. I have guests, and it¡¯s not a good look if you, my wife, are absent from the celebration, okay?¡±


    She groaned before getting up.


    ¡°Okay, fine,¡± she said, surrendering. ¡°I¡¯lle downstairs for your party. But give me time to dress at least, okay?¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± I said, even though I found it absurd that she needed space to dress up, considering the fact that I was her husband, but I left anyway.


    The party was moved to the rooftop balcony of my mansion, and all the guests crowded there. Some of them left as it had already gottente. In about half an hour, Nadine came up. She looked dazzling in her knee length gown and I was almost proud of her, but Natasha stood close by and had hee hawkish eyes on me.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen,¡± Trent said, ¡°Nadine Moore-Ro, wife of the celebrant.¡±


    The crowd¡¯s reception was somewhat lukewarm as many of them hardly knew her. There were a few cheers and nothing more. One of the disadvantages of marrying a nobody. She stared daggers at Trent who recoiled under her look, but she advanced slowly to where I stood. One of the stewards handed her a champagne flute and she sipped as she walked.


    ¡°What took you so long?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I was getting dressed,¡± she answered.


    Just then, someone came in and all eyes turned to look at him. It was Enzo, my elder brother. He had an elegance around him, thismand, that I always envied. He looked handsome in his ck suit.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen,¡± Trent said, ¡°Enzo Ro, brother of the celebrant, and a CEO himself.¡±


    The reception was the total opposite of what was given to Nadine. The crowd exploded in cheers. Many of them had either seen him or heard of him before. Mother walked towards him with her arm outstretched. They hugged and the crowd apuded them. Then he came to meet me and did the same thing.


    ¡°Happy birthday, little brother,¡± he said. I hated it whenever he called me ¡°little,¡± but I said nothing to that effect.


    ¡°Thanks, man,¡± I said. ¡°How was your trip?¡±


    ¡°Ohh, great,¡± he said. ¡°I mean, it was reallyfortable.¡±C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Okay. It¡¯s good to have you,¡± I said. ¡°Getfortable. Have a drink, join the party.¡±


    NADINE.


    I stood in a corner with a champagne flute in my hands, seething with rage. Naomi was lying cold in a coffin, six feet under the ground, and her killer was tossing his head backwards taking shots after shots of tequ, carousing, acting the part of the master of ceremony at this party. I felt my insides boil. I sipped my drink slowly, thinking about my next line of action, but nothing seemed toe to mind. When yton¡¯s brother walked in, I was taken aback by how different from yton he seemed. He seemed cool, reticent, but I couldn¡¯t be fooled by appearances. I looked away from the party for a while and gazed at the star speckled skies over our heads. When I lowered my head, Mrs. Ro was standing near me.


    ¡°Ohh, hi, Nadine,¡± she said with her characteristic smile.


    ¡°Hi,¡± I said tepidly.


    ¡°How are you enjoying the party?¡± She said, ¡°Great, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said, nodding. ¡°I think it¡¯s nice.¡±


    ¡°You know, Natasha did a lot of work putting it together,¡± she said. ¡°Of course I helped, but it was mostly her effort and we have to be thankful to her for that, especially you, considering that you were rarely ever around while we did the nning.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll send my love and thanks to Natasha,¡± I said sarcastically, not wanting to remind her that they didn¡¯t ever involve me while they nned the party.


    ¡°And I¡¯m sure you feel good standing among such people of status, don¡¯t you?¡± She said with a wink.


    ¡°Status?¡± I said. ¡°No, I actually don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t?¡± She said, ¡°Ohh, that¡¯s too bad. I wouldn¡¯t rmend mixing with these people, Nadine. They are several rungs above you on the socialdder; you¡¯re not even half as sophisticated. Better keep to yourself, okay?¡±


    I felt something rise inside of me.


    ¡°Fuck you,¡± I said, letting the champagne flute drop to the ground and shatter making everyone look at us.


    ¡°What?¡± She said, astonished.


    ¡°You heard me, old bitch,¡± I said loudly to the collective gasps of the crowd. ¡°I said fuck you.¡±


    I turned and walked away.

 Chapter 45

    yton:


    I looked over to the corner where Nadine was standing with my mom. In a moment, an argument ensued and the crowd went silent as Nadine cussed out my mother. My own mother; her mother-inw. My blood started to boil inside my veins, and my heart started to race. I wanted nothing more than to grab the bitch by the throat and choke the fucking life out of her. I balled my hands into a fist and hissed.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna kill this bitch,¡± I said to myself. ¡°I swear, I¡¯ll kill this bitch.¡±


    ¡°You heard me, old bitch,¡± I heard her say. ¡°I said ¡®fuck you¡¯.¡±C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    I saw her turn and walk away towards the entrance. The crowd had started murmuring and Nadine was walking away with her head held up high like she was some queen. I clenched and unclenched my fist, feeling blood rush in my ears. Trent stood beside me, a shot of tequ in his hand. He tossed his head backwards and swallowed it.


    ¡°This bitch has guts, man,¡± he said after he had swallowed.


    ¡°And I¡¯m going to fucking rip it out of her,¡± I said indignantly and started to stomp towards the entrance she had just gone out of.


    ¡°Hold on, man,¡± I heard Trent say, but I had left already.


    When I reached the entrance, I went down the stairs and went to the living room where there were only a few servants idling. I found Nadine sitting on a sofa, her legs crossed, an insouciant look on her face. She still held the champagne flute in her hand even though it was already empty.


    ¡°What the fuck was that, Nadine?¡± I barked, giving her and the servants a start.


    ¡°What the fuck was what?¡± She asked, getting on her feet.


    The servants stood looking at us as the tension built up, their faces etched with certain looks.


    ¡°Get out, all of you,¡± I instructed. ¡°I said fuck off!¡±


    They scampered away. I walked slowly to Nadine. Her face had gone from expressionless to just a little apprehensive. Perhaps she knew what wasing but had resolved in her mind to bear the consequences to the fullest.


    ¡°Your mother treats me like trash, yton,¡± she protested. ¡°Every single fucking time, she says the most deprecating thing to me, getting on my nerves. I couldn¡¯t take it anymore, yton. I¡¯m losing my fucking mind being in this house with her. Maybe I should-¡±


    My t palm connected with her face and she fell on the chair.


    ¡°Bitch, shut the fuck up,¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s my mother you¡¯re talking about with such disregard. Have you not even an iota of respect? This is her fucking house, as much as it is mine, and she can do and say whatever the fuck she likes. Besides, if she called you trash, it¡¯s probably because you are, bitch. Trash, that¡¯s what you are. I picked you up from the gutter, cleaned you the fuck up, have you a fucking life, and you have the temerity to show such tant disrespect to my mother in front of my guests?!??¡±


    I pulled her up by the neck and pped her again.


    Nadine:


    My cheeks were smarting from yton¡¯s ps to my face, but I remained stoic. I knew it wasing; he was a weak-willed bastard and resorted to violence on the slightest provocation. Iy on the sofa after the second p. The champagne flute I held had fallen down and broken into smithereens.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± I heard a voice say. I struggled to raise my head to look at who it was, but when I tried turning my neck, a sharp and steady pain went through my head.


    ¡°Shit,¡± I said under my breath. I knew I was going to need to go to the hospital, or at the very least, take some pain medications.


    ¡°yton, what is going on, man?¡± The voice said again, and right then, it struck me that it was the self-assured voice of none other than Enzo Ro, yton¡¯s elder brother. I tried to sit on the sofa and get a good look at him. He looked even better under the bright lights in the living room.


    ¡°Did you not hear this bitch cursing mom out?¡± yton answered.


    ¡°I did; everybody did,¡± he said calmly. ¡°They don¡¯t seem to get along so well, do they?¡±


    ¡°Not that, Enzo,¡± yton said. ¡°Just that this bitch is too obnoxious and insolent to live with. You know mom, Enzo, she¡¯s-¡±


    ¡°She can be a handful, and very difficult to handle, yton,¡± Enzo interrupted.


    ¡°What the fuck are you talking about, man?¡± yton said, his voice bursting with both exasperation and surprise.


    ¡°Calm down, man,¡± Enzo said. ¡°What she did, cursing mom out in front of your guests, was clearly wrong; that¡¯s inarguable. But let¡¯s not pretend like we both don¡¯t. She didn¡¯t do it unprovoked. Isn¡¯t she your wife?¡±


    ¡°She is,¡± yton said. ¡°But I regret ever getting married to this sick woman. This bitch, this-¡±


    yton raised his hand to hit me again, but Enzo held him this time. yton struggled with his forearm for a while before letting go.


    ¡°Why did you stop me?¡± yton asked, breathing heavily. ¡°Let me show this lowlife how much of a useless slut she is.¡±


    ¡°yton,e on, rx,¡± Enzo said soothingly. ¡°Don¡¯t do this, man. Don¡¯t hit a woman. That¡¯s just beastly and hical.¡±


    ¡°Fuck off,¡± yton said and stormed out of the room leaving Enzo and I alone in the living room.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± He said help me get on my feet. I struggled; my legs were wobbly and my head pounded.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to be fine, I guess,¡± I managed to say. ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time he¡¯s doing this. Who knows how far he would have gone if you had note?¡±


    ¡°Probably too far,¡± he said with a chuckle.


    Iughed a little, too.


    I tried to properly look in his face, he was standing so close. When I looked, I noticed he was looking at me too, a big smile on his face.

 Chapter 46.

    yton:


    When I went back to the balcony, the party was almost in full swing again. The crowd had gone back to what they were doing ¨C drinking, dancing, carousing ¨C before Nadine¡¯s rant, but there was something missing in the air that had been present. Something had dulled and I knew Nadine was the cause. At that instant, I felt so much hatred for her. My mother was still in the corner where she had been, now seated. Trent was chatting with a group of people. I could tell from his voice boomed above others and how heughed loudly that he was drunk. I went to my mother; I had some exining to do.


    ¡°Hey, mum,¡± I said to her and she got on her feet. There was a forlorn look on her face.


    ¡°yton,¡± she said with a nod.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, mom,¡± I said. ¡°That fucking bitch! I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    ¡°Language, boy,¡± she cautioned. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s nothing that I can¡¯t handle by myself.¡±


    I nodded to myself. Perhaps she was right, but I could not tame the anger that was wild in me already. Trent came to stand beside me. The party was already dull by then and some of the guests had started to move out,ing to meet me and give me their wishes. There were a lot of presents, and they were all handed to the servants to keep in storage.


    ¡°This was a really cool party,¡± Trent said to me as we left the balcony to go downstairs. Thest of the guests were tricking out. The party had started out fine and was potentially going to be a huge statement in the city, but when Nadine went crazy, the vibe of the party fizzled out.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Shut up, Trent,¡± I said, miffed when he opened his mouth. He staggered a bit as we walked.


    ¡°Really, though,¡± he continued, ¡°it may not be the best party that this city has seen, or even the best that you and I have thrown, but it¡¯s still really good. People will talk about it for days.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s exactly the problem, Trent,¡± I said between clenched teeth, ¡°days. I want people to talk about this party for years, for as long as this city exists, until after we¡¯re dead and our great-grandchildren have taken over.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Trent said, ¡°there¡¯s still plenty of time to do that. It¡¯s doable. You¡¯re yton fucking Ro, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Ahh, yes, whatever,¡± I said with a wave of a hand. ¡°I¡¯ll never forgive that sick bitch, Nadine, for this shit, though. I¡¯ll make her life even more miserable. She thinks Enzo can save her. How stupid of her.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Enzo?¡± Trent asked. ¡°Like, your brother? What happened?¡±


    ¡°Long fucking story, Trent,¡± I said to him.


    Nadine:


    Enzo took me into the courtyard which was quiet except for the distant muffled noise from the party. He held my hand gently as we walked and we sat at a spot and talked and talked. He spoke softly, which endeared me to him. But I was more endeared by how solicitous he was, how kind.


    ¡°So how did youe to be married to my brother?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Ohh, that¡¯s a long story, Enzo,¡± I said. ¡°Our marriage is only contractual. As you might have discovered, it is devoid of the love and affection that should be in a proper marriage. We¡¯re just staying together for as long as the contractsts, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Mmm, I see,¡± he said. ¡°So why did you sign it then?¡±


    ¡°The contract?¡± I said. ¡°Well, my sister was dying of cancer and I needed money for the treatment. I asked yton for the money and he said he would only give it to me if I agreed to marry him.¡±


    He chuckled.


    ¡°My brother is a funny man,¡± he said. ¡°I mean it¡¯s quite obvious that he doesn¡¯t love you, or whatever, so why did he ask to marry you? I mean, it begs the question, why, you know.


    ¡°I know, right,* I said. ¡°No offense, but your brother is quite a nutcase.¡±


    ¡°None taken,* he said and then burst intoughter. I joined him and after we had bothughed, I rested my head on his shoulder.


    ¡°What about you?¡± I asked. ¡°Are you married?¡±


    ¡°Ahh, no,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m not, actually.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I said, raising my head from his shoulder. ¡°I find that hard to believe.¡±


    ¡°And why is that?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I mean, look at you,¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯re wealthy, you¡¯re handsome, you¡¯re ¡­ you have everything that a woman would want in a man, and you¡¯re not married? Nah, you gotta be kidding me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± he said. ¡°You see, the thing about people like me is that we often find it hard to get into meaningful and sincere rtionships, because people often pretend so they can get favors from us. I haven¡¯t dated anyone in years.¡±


    ¡°Years?¡± I said, shocked.


    ¡°Yup, years,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°That sounds a tad sad,¡± I said.


    ¡°It is, Nadine,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s really lonely, you know. Which is why I¡¯m happy for my younger brother, yton. He seems to have figured this whole thing out. I mean, it¡¯s like a puzzle, and I¡¯m just staring at it without a clue in the world what to do.¡±


    ¡°Well, we shouldn¡¯t say yton has figured it out,¡± I said. ¡°I mean he gets by.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same thing?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Well,¡± I said with a shrug.


    ¡°I think we should go back now,¡± he said. ¡°It seems like the party has ended. I won¡¯t hear the music again.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said standing up. ¡°Thank you for this.¡±


    ¡°Nah, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, it is,¡± I said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what would have happened if you had note. I mean, I was prepared for whatever he wanted to do, but I didn¡¯t know how brutal he would be. And thank you for this, too. This conversation. It was stimting.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the conversation, too,¡± he said with a smile.


    He looked at me and gave me the most beautiful smile while holding my hands.

 Chapter 47

    yton:C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    Mother decided to leave the house a few days after my birthday. I thought it was timely; she had stayed in the house for quite a while and, during this period, had managed topletely denigrate Nadine, so that Nadine tried her best to avoid her during the final few days. But it was not just my mother Nadine avoided, she also avoided me. She stayed in her room most of the time and whenever she waspelled to be with us, say during dinner, she would avoid meeting my eyes and say as little as possible. I was okay with it because I was still pissed from the debacle at my birthday. On the day mother left, she called Natasha and Nadine downstairs for a brief meeting.


    ¡°It has been fun,dies,¡± she said. ¡°But I have to leave now as I have business to attend to. And I¡¯m sure you have business to attend to. Or don¡¯t you, Nadine?¡±


    Nadine nodded timidly.


    ¡°My son¡¯s welfare is in both your hands,¡± she said. ¡°Take care of him as best as you can. I shall be talking to you both from time to time. And endeavor to reach out to me. Can you hear that, Nadine?¡±


    Nadine nodded again.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best, ma¡¯am,¡± Natasha said, wrapping her hand around mine.


    When my mother left, I got a call from Enzo . Since my birthday, he had been around the city, moving from one hotel to another. I had offered up my house but he refused on the grounds that he did not want to be intrusive.


    ¡°Hey, man,¡± I said as I picked up the call.


    ¡°yton,¡± he said. ¡°I have some news.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I asked, not at all curious.


    ¡°So mypany is nning on expanding its shores,¡± he said, ¡°and we¡¯ve bought an acre ofnd in this city and are nning on building another branch of thepany here.¡±


    ¡°Ohh,¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s nice.¡±


    ¡°I know, right,¡± he said excitedly. ¡°Plus, we get to see each other more and act more like the brothers that we are.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fantastic,¡± I said drily. ¡°This makes me really happy. I¡¯m happy for you and yourpany. Congrattions, man.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, thanks, yton,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re the best.¡±


    He hung up and I breathed a sigh of difort. I was not interested in moving closer to my elder brother, even though he seemed keen on it. He would only get in my way, like he did during my birthday party when I tried to hit Nadine.


    ¡°Fuck this,¡± I said under my breath.


    Nadine:


    I had found a new friend, a suitablepanion tobat the loneliness of my mind and thenguor that bore down on my soul. This person was none other than Enzo . After the party, he lingered in the city, not returning to where he came from, moving from hotel to hotel. This made me d. He called everyday to ask how I was and I would tell him how my day went, down to the most miniscule detail. Once, he followed me to the clinic to see Anna. She was almost done with her treatment and the day of her discharge had neared. When he spoke to Anna, she responded really well, in a way that made it obvious that they would get along. I told him everything ¨C about my job, about my incarceration in the house, about Naomi and Anna. He listened like no one had ever listened to me. He called me that evening, like he always did.


    ¡°Nadine,¡± he said my name with such enthusiasm. ¡°Guess what.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, please, Enzo ,¡± I said yfully. ¡°I don¡¯t do guesses.¡±


    ¡°Come on, Nadine,¡± he nudged. ¡°Try.¡±


    ¡°Okay, one try,¡± he said. ¡°You finally found someone? Like, ady suitable enough for-¡±


    ¡°What?!?!¡± He said. ¡°Ohh, please, Nadine, stop it.¡±


    ¡°Well, tell what it is, then,¡± I said resolutely.


    ¡°Okay,¡± he said. ¡°So mypany is opening up a new branch very soon to try to expand our business and all that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, wow,¡± I said, feeling genuinely happy for him. ¡°That¡¯s great. Oh, God, I¡¯m so happy for you, Enzo . You deserve this.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t even the good news yet,¡± he said.


    ¡°Ohh?¡± I asked. ¡°Then what is?¡±


    ¡°Well, the branch is opening up in this very city,¡± he said. ¡°Which means I¡¯m going to move here.¡±


    ¡°What?!?! Really?!?!¡± I said, stunned.


    ¡°Yup,¡± he said. ¡°Which means I¡¯m going to be close to you and¡­¡±


    He trailed off with his words.


    ¡°Ohh, this is so good, Enzo ,¡± I said.


    ¡°I know,¡± he said. ¡°So I was thinking, we could celebrate, you know? Just you and I, a little thing with some drinks. You coulde to the hotel and we just say a few toasts. How about that?¡±


    ¡°Um, I don¡¯t know, Enzo ,¡± I said, even though I very much wanted to.


    ¡°Come on, Nadine,¡± he said. ¡°We won¡¯t even take much time. Of course I would call yton, but we both know he¡¯s gonna be too busy for stuff like this.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, he¡¯ll be busy,¡± I said.


    ¡°So, are you gonnae?¡± He said, his voice almost bursting with expectation.


    ¡°Um, okay,¡± I said. ¡°Text the address of the hotel and I¡¯ll meet you there very soon. I¡¯ll just have my bath.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± he said, ¡°excellent.¡±


    I could hear the excitement in his voice and it tingled me.


    Enzo :


    I could lie to myself for as long as I wanted to, but I would only be denying myself something precious. The truth was that I was falling in love with Nadine and I couldn¡¯t help myself. Of course I knew she was my younger brother¡¯s wife, and it kind of hurt, but what else could I do. I couldn¡¯t get my mind off her. When she agreed to visit me at the hotel, I was the happiest I had ever been.


    ¡°Finally,¡± I said to myself. ¡°It¡¯s all falling in ce.¡±

 Chapter 48

    Nadine:


    I couldn¡¯t contain the feeling of ecstasy that was going through me; it had been quite a while since I had felt genuinely happy like that, and not for someone else, but for myself. I knew I had to be discreet, so I took my bath, got dressed in one of my beautiful gowns and slunk out of the house. I decided not to use the driver, as yton couldterpel him to ask where I had been so I called for a designated driver. On the way, inside the car, as cool music filtered through the car¡¯s stereo, I thought about my rtionship with Enzo. It had morphed from a mere friendship into something deeper, something more intimate, and it both terrified and excited me. Whenever we talked on the phone, I could detect the feelings in his voice and I knew he could in mine.


    ¡°We¡¯re here, ma¡¯am,¡± the driver said as he slowed down and parked in front of a hotel.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said and handed him the wad of cash that I had folded in my hands.


    I walked to the reception and demanded to see Enzo.


    ¡°Room 120,¡± the receptionist said and I walked away towards the elevator.


    I had called him before I spoke to the receptionist so he was waiting for him outside the door. He had on a pair of pants and a t-shirt, something as simple as he was.


    ¡°Hey, beautiful,¡± he said to me with his characteristic disarming smile.


    ¡°Hi there, handsome,¡± I said to him as we hugged casually.


    ¡°Maybe we can have a few drinks at the bar first beforeing back up here,¡± he suggested.


    ¡°Okay,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°Anything you say. I mean, you¡¯re literally the celebrant.¡±


    He gave a short, heartyugh before saying, ¡°well, as much as this is celebrating mypany, it is also just wanting to enjoy being with you, you know.¡±


    I smiled as he held my hand and we walked back to the elevator.


    The bar was how I hoped it would be ¨C quiet and dimly lit. I did not want anyone recognizing me, or Enzo, and saying something to yton, or spreading foolish rumors; the citizens of this city seemed to binge on rumors in a way that disgusted me. I wished everyone would just mind their business.


    ¡°Congrattions, once again,¡± I said to Enzo. ¡°Really. I¡¯m happy for you.¡±


    ¡°Well, thank you,¡± he said. ¡°Wait, let¡¯s say a toast.¡±


    He raised his shot ss and said a toast to more wins and bigger things in life, and most importantly to the boon of friendship.


    We continued like this for a while, drinking and chatting about everything until his demeanor assumed a severity and he said, ¡°Nadine, I would like to tell you something.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, what is it?¡± I asked. ¡°Is anything the problem?¡±


    ¡°No, not exactly,¡± he said. ¡°But it¡¯s actually something quite serious.¡±C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Spit it out, then,¡± I said, giving him a gentle nudge on the elbow.


    He breathed heavily before he continued to talk. I could see the tension on his face. In fact, beads of sweat formed on his forehead, making me quite concerned. He had always managed to maintain hisposure since I had known him.


    ¡°Nadine, the truth is that I am head over heels in love with you,¡± he said.


    I was disoriented; I stared at him with my mouth agape. I had seen iting, but I didn¡¯t expect that he would express his feelings for me so tantly. I just stared at him, as if he was an alien that had just emerged from a spaceship.


    ¡°I mean it, Nadine,¡± he said, ¡°I¡¯m very much in love with you, so much that it is driving me crazy.¡±


    ¡°Ohh,¡± I said, still confused, not knowing what to say.


    ¡°So?¡± He said, brows arched. ¡°Are you going to say something about it?¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know, Enzo,¡± I said. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m confused. And besides, I¡¯m your brother¡¯s wife; you seem to have forgotten that. What am I supposed to say? You put me in a very awkward situation, Enzo,¡±


    ¡°I know, I know,¡± he said and took my hands in his. ¡°I know that this is very awkward, Nadine, and maybe quite unexpected, but I couldn¡¯t bear to hold it in me much longer. Besides, I haven¡¯t forgotten that you¡¯re my brother¡¯s wife; I just couldn¡¯t help myself.¡±


    ¡°Enzo, I don¡¯t know about this,¡± I said, pulling my hands away from this.


    ¡°And you can¡¯t deny it, too, Nadine,¡± he said.


    ¡°Deny what exactly?¡± I asked, my brows furrowed.


    ¡°Your own growing feelings for me,¡± he said decisively.


    ¡°What?!?!¡± I said, my voice raised a few notches. I got on my feet.


    ¡°Hey,e on, Nadine, rx,¡± he said and got up with me. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean no offense.¡±


    ¡°I think I need to leave,¡± I said. ¡°This is getting too ufortable.¡±


    ¡°Come on, Nadine,¡± he said. ¡°Please, I¡¯m begging you. Hear me out, okay.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard enough, Enzo,¡± I said and took my handbag, but he grabbed me by the wrist.


    ¡°Nadine, please,¡± he said. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get out of here. This is not a ce for that kind of talk. Let¡¯s go to my room.¡±


    ¡°Your what?¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s even worse.¡±


    I wrestled my wrist from his and left the bar.


    Enzo:


    I went back to my room, dejected and filled with shame.


    ¡°What the fuck were you thinking?¡± I said to myself.


    I called her a couple of times, not for anything, but just to confirm if she had gotten home safely. She did not pick. I ordered a few more drinks from the bar and drank myself to sleep. I was awakened by my phone buzzing. When I looked at the screen with my bleary eyes, I saw that it was Nadine.


    ¡°Hello,¡± I said.


    ¡°Hi,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I stormed off like that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I said.


    ¡°I have something I want to tell you, too,¡± she said.


    ¡°What?¡±

 Chapter 49

    Nadine:


    On the way back home, I thought about what Enzo had said about loving me and a wholesome feeling spread around my body. I had seen it in his eyes that he was being sincere, that he was speaking the truth and it melted my heart. Enzo had said that he could tell that I was also falling for him, and I wondered if it was that obvious, whether I had given myself away so easily by my smiles, or gestures, or the way I spoke. So when I got home, I called him, even before I slipped out of my dress.


    ¡°I¡¯m in love with you, too, Enzo,¡± I said. ¡°I know that you already know that, but I have to admit it to your hearing.¡±


    There was a long silence as we each waited for the other person to speak. I could hear him breathing, and I wondered if he felt relief at what I said, or a rush of emotions that disoriented him.


    ¡°I ¡­ Nadine, I don¡¯t know what to say,¡± he said.


    ¡°Well, you don¡¯t have to say anything, Enzo,¡± I said. ¡°Love is a beautiful thing, and we¡¯re both in love with each other. I don¡¯t want to fight it, Enzo, I really don¡¯t. I haven¡¯t felt like this ¨C loved, I mean ¨C in such a long time, and I¡¯m not going to deny myself that pleasure.¡±


    ¡°Neither have I, Nadine,¡± he said. From the way he said it, I could tell that he was smiling.


    ¡°So ¡­ where do we go from here?¡± I asked. ¡°What do we do as new lovers?¡±


    He sort of giggled and it made meugh.


    I asked him the question while the elephant in the room ¨C yton ¨C still remained with us. But I had told him already, love and affection had been denied me by everyone else until he came. Perhaps I was rushing towards something that I had been deprived of, but Enzo seemed like the most reasonable and suitable person to be in love with. I was happy.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not leaving the city, that¡¯s for sure,¡± he said. ¡°So this means we will get to see each other often.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said. ¡°I like that.¡±


    ¡°As a matter of fact, Nadine,¡± he continued, ¡°I am going to sign some papers tomorrow for the purchase of a house. A mansion. Somewhere I can stay while I oversee the administrative work of the new branch of mypany.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, that is so lovely,¡± I said.


    ¡°You cane around there some time, if you want,¡± he said.


    ¡°I sure will, Enzo,¡± I said.


    After we finished talking, I got out of my dress, had my bath andy on the bed to sleep. In the room next door, yton and Natasha were having loud sex. It had be a nightly ritual. They would invite over a few girls and make noise till the next morning, often disturbing my sleep. It used to bother me, but that night, as I slept, it didn¡¯t. All I could think of was how warm Enzo¡¯s hands had been when he held me, and the smile on his face.


    Enzo:


    I couldn¡¯t contain my joy that night. It was the best piece of news I had received. So I got out of my bed and had a few more drinks, but this time, not to mope and wallow in the mire of my sorrow, but just to celebrate. The next day, I met a client I had been talking to and he took me to a house, a big one, but not quite as big as yton¡¯s. I signed the papers and paid the money and in a moment the house was mine. I called Nadine immediately.


    ¡°Guess what,¡± I said, excited like a little boy that had just gotten hold of a really cool toy.


    ¡°Ohh, I hate guesses,¡± she said.


    I let out a belly deepugh.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯ll tell you, then,¡± I said. ¡°I just paid for the house, signed the papers a few minutes ago.¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± she said. ¡°This feels like a dream, Enzo, you being so close is something I never thought would happen.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess some dreams doe true, Nadine,¡± I said.


    ¡°Of course they do,¡± she said.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Ohh, I¡¯m on the way to see my sister at the hospital,¡± she said.


    ¡°Ahh, that¡¯s cool, I hope she¡¯s doing alright,¡± I said. ¡°I was wondering if we could meet upter, you know,plete what we started yesternight.¡±


    ¡°And what was that?¡± She asked, a hint of a tease in her voice.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll just hang, you know,¡± I said. ¡°Have a few drinks, talk.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± She said, ¡°Still at the hotel?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, at the hotel,¡± I said. ¡°I can¡¯t move into the house now. I have to have them clean it up, and then I also need to get employees that will help around in the house and all that stuff. It¡¯s gonna be a few days, really, before I can move in.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯ll seeter. I¡¯ll make sure I¡¯m there.¡±


    I felt like a teenager experiencing love for the first time and was filled with unquantifiable joy. I went to attend a meeting with a couple ofpany executives and finalize themencement of ourpany¡¯s operations in the city. At the end of the meeting, we gged it off.


    Later that night, I got dressed and waited for Nadine toe and meet me at the hotel. I decided that we would stay in my room this time, and not the bar. She called and told me she had already left, but one and a half hourster, there was no sight of her. I got up and started to pace the room, nervous, worried that something had happened to her. I tried calling her, but the line was bad. Just as I copsed on my bed out of worry, I heard a knock at the door. When I opened it, she was standing there, all gorgeous.

 Chapter 50

    Enzo:


    ¡°Hi there,¡± she said.


    She looked so beautiful I felt my heart quicken as she stood in front of me. I let her into the room and called for some drinks. I could hardly take my eyes from her. After we¡¯ve had a few drinks, she moved closer to me and I put my hand around her shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you came into my life, Enzo,¡± she said. ¡°I should thank you.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s me that should be thanking you, Nadine,¡± I said. ¡°This is pure joy that I feel, pure ecstasy.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯ve never been in love before?¡± She asked.


    I sighed. My love life was a long, sad story. I had fallen in love with a girl while I was in college, but she was a serial cheater and she smashed my heart into smithereens. I stayed away from any rtionship until I finished college, still smarting from the hurt of the first one. When I finished college, I focused on establishing myself in the business world, but after then, I got involved with anotherdy whom I fell deeply in love with. I proposed to her one night, wanting to seal our love with a ring, but she said no and that was the end of that rtionship. Since then, I had mostly avoided anything serious with any woman.


    ¡°I have,¡± I said. ¡°But all of them ended sadly, you know. Almost as if I¡¯m destined to go unloved throughout my life.¡±


    There was a brief silence.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s true, Enzo,¡± she said. ¡°I don¡¯t think any one of us is destined to go unloved in this world. But what do I know?¡±


    As she spoke, I turned to look at her. She was so beautiful. Instantly, I felt a pang of jealousy go through me. He always got the most beautiful women, despite how impudent and arrogant he always was. But at least I had Nadine now.


    ¡°I love you so much, Nadine,¡± I said softly to her.


    ¡°And I love you even more,¡± she said.


    Our faces edge towards each other and our lips touch. Our kiss was so passionate, so full of the intensity of two people who had been starved of love and affection. In that single moment, I felt more alive than I¡¯d ever felt in my life. When we pulled apart from each other, she cupped my face in her hands.


    ¡°I wish it was you I¡¯d met and not Enzo,¡± she said.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.


    I nodded and kissed her again.


    yton:


    Work took its toll on me. The only respite I got was from Natasha whenever I returned home. I still was not speaking to Nadine. For all I knew, she was holed up in her room. One evening, shortly after I got back from work, I called on the butler to summon Nadine into my room.


    ¡°She¡¯s not in her room, sir,¡± the butler said after he returned.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked. ¡°Have you checked other parts of the house?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯s around, sir,¡± he said.


    ¡°Mmm,¡± I said. ¡°You can go.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, what do you care about that lowlife, yton?¡± Natasha who was sprawled out on the bed said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, actually,¡± I responded. ¡°I¡¯m just curious as to what she¡¯s been up to. If she¡¯s not around, it means she has found somewhere to go, something new to do, someone new to talk to. Because I know damn well she hasn¡¯t gone to see her sister by this time; she usually does that by afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, well,¡± Natasha said tiredly.


    I called on the butler and asked him to keep any eye on Nadine for me. I called on the drivers and asked them if they had driven her anywheretely, and they responded by saying that apart from visits to the clinic they never took her anywhere. That was when I knew something was up. Nadine was going out without the drivers.


    Evening of the next day, she was out again. I asked the butler what he knew.


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure, sir,¡± he said. ¡°Perhaps she has gone out for some drinks with a friend.¡±


    ¡°Nadine has no friends,¡± I said. And I knew that to be right. She was a reticent person by nature, so whoever she was going out to meet, or whatever she was going out to do was important.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll find out by myself,¡± I said dismissing him.


    Nadine:


    We would have had sex that night, Enzo and I, but I fought well not to. Even though I wanted to, I still had the constraints of a married woman. It pissed me off that yton could dally with other women while still legally married to me, even bring one of them to live with him, and I couldn¡¯t because of guilt. Luckily, for me, Enzo did not push. He seemed just content with being around me, and the kiss was almost like a gift to me. When I returned home that night, I was met with a surprise. yton was sitting on the couch in his pajamas.


    ¡°And where are youing from?¡± He asked.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked. ¡°I just went to have a few drinks.¡±


    ¡°Alone, hunh?¡± He said with a calmness that terrified him. ¡°Go upstairs to your room, Nadine. You seem to have forgotten that you¡¯re a married woman.¡±


    I climbed the steps still afraid. yton had a fickle personality and could do anything. I went to my room and got changed. Then I heard the door squeak open.


    ¡°I know you¡¯ve been out to see my brother, Nadine,¡± he said. ¡°I wonder what the fuck is going on between the both of you. I hope it¡¯s not what I think.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± I said, my heart pounding.


    ¡°I think I need to remind you that you¡¯re still my wife,¡± he said.


    He dropped his trousers and walked towards me. He shoved me onto the bed, and began to rip my clothes from my body.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do this, please,¡± I said.


    ¡°Shut the fuck up,¡± he barked.

 Chapter 51

    yton:


    I hated to have to do that, but I was left with almost no choice. Earlier that day, before Nadine arrived, I had sent the butler on a small errand. He was to follow Nadine around, ande back to me with information of her whereabouts. He came back about thirty minutester, telling me that Nadine had gone to meet someone in the hotel. He also confirmed that this someone was my elder brother, Enzo.


    ¡°Shit,¡± I said on the phone to him. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± he replied confidently. ¡°I saw him. Plus, I talked with a member of the staff here who just happens to be my friend, and he confirmed that they have been seeing each other consistently now, for a while.¡±


    ¡°What?!?!¡± I said, surprised. ¡°Okay, okay. Thank you.¡±


    I hung up and waited for her toe. While I did, an explicable feeling burned in me. I refused to identify it as jealousy but that was what it was. I didn¡¯t know why I was jealous; perhaps, because I wanted Nadine all to myself, or perhaps, because I wondered what she saw in my elder brother. Sure he was handsome, but I was handsome. When she got backter that night and denied being out with anyone, I knew something was happening between the both of them. I decided to make things right. And what other to do that than forcing my way.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do this, yton, please,¡± she said as I pulled down my trousers.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do whatever the fuck I want, Nadine,¡± I said.


    I raised her skirt and tore her panties. As I slid into her, she let out a scream, like a possessed beast and I had to cover her mouth with my palm. I pumped into her with a vengeance, because, really, I was trying to hurt her rather than derive pleasure. Her muffled screams as I did excited me.


    ¡°This is to set you right, bitch,¡± I said after I pulled out.


    ¡°Fuck you, yton,¡± she yelled as she scrambled to her feet. ¡°You¡¯re such a disgusting creature, you fucking bastard.¡±


    Tears were running down her eyes and snot down her nose. Her face was crumpled up as she screamed and cussed at me. She looked hurt, in a way that made me almost pity her. She tried to straighten up as she hurled more insults at me; I just stood there watching.


    ¡°You can politely ask me for sex, or you can get it anywhere, from anyone you want,¡± she yelled. ¡°But you choose to do this shit. I hate you, yton. I fucking hate you with everything that I love.¡±


    With that, she grabbed her purse and walked out the door.


    Nadine:


    The skin between my thighs and around my pubis burned as I walked hurriedly out of the house, as if a small fire was burning there. I was filled with rage, and I was crying so much that I was blinded by my tears. When I stepped out of the house, I called on the driver and gave him clear instructions where to drive to. The hotel where Enzo was. I called him on the way there.


    ¡°Are you okay, Nadine?¡± He asked.


    ¡°No,¡± I said, bursting into fresh tears.


    ¡°Oh, my God, Nadine, you¡¯re crying,¡± he said frantically. ¡°Where are you? What happened?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ming back to the hotel,¡± I told him. ¡°I¡¯ll exin everything when I get there.¡±


    In about an hour¡¯s time, and well into the night, I arrived at the hotel. I instructed the driver to return to yton¡¯s mansion. Enzo was waiting for me at the reception room, his face etched with a worried look. When I saw him, I realized how much he was destabilized when he heard me cry.


    ¡°Ohh, Nadine,¡± he said, hurrying towards me when he sighted me. ¡°What happened?¡±C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    ¡°It¡¯s your bastard brother,¡± I said and began crying again.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go,¡± he said, wrapping his hand around my shoulders. ¡°This is no ce to shed tears. Let us go to my suite.¡±


    He held my hand and led me to the elevator. When we got to his room, he tried to order a beverage, but I asked him to stop.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need it, Enzo,¡± I said to him. ¡°Thanks anyway.¡±


    ¡°Okay, if you say so,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°So, please, tell me what happened.¡±


    ¡°First of all, I think your brother suspects that I¡¯ve been going out with you,¡± I said. ¡°Or if he doesn¡¯t, he suspects me, at least.¡±


    ¡°Wha-what makes you think so?¡± He said. ¡°Did he mention anything? Did he directly use me?¡±


    ¡°No, he didn¡¯t,¡± I said. ¡°He didn¡¯t even mention your name. But I have a strong feeling that he knows, that he has been watching me. yton is a sick man and would do anything to get what he wants. He made oblique remarks about me knowing my ce as a married woman, and then he came to my room and¡­¡±


    I trailed off.


    ¡°And what, Nadine?¡± He asked.


    I burst into tears again. He pulled me into himself, cupped my face and thumbed my tears away. There was so much affection and sympathy in his face that I almost felt sorry for crying in front of him.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Enzo,¡± I said. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to cry like this.¡±


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine,¡± I said. ¡°Crying can be helpful sometimes, it helps to let out grief.¡±


    ¡°He raped me, Enzo,¡± I said. ¡°He raped me.¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± he said, it was the first time I would hear him cuss. ¡°That idiot.¡±


    He pulled me into himself again and rocked me gently, as if I was but a little baby. When our lips met this time, I didn¡¯t feel a pinch of guilt. I let myself go. I held onto him as if my life depended on it. When he took my clothes off, I didn¡¯t fight it either. And when he slid into me, it was a different feeling from what I had felt with yton.

 Chapter 52

    Nadine:


    The next morning when I woke up, Enzo was snoring lightly beside me. We had cuddled in our sleep and it was genuinely one of the best sexual experiences I had ever had in my life. As we had sex, I felt a sense of fulfillment wash over me, a feeling of peace, and the guilt I had once felt was no longer there. But by morning when I woke up, the guilt was there, weighing heavy on my heart.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± I heard Enzo¡¯s sleepy voice ask as I put on my clothes.


    ¡°Home, of course,¡± I said. ¡°This isn¡¯t my house, you know.¡±


    He must have heard the tension in my voice because then, he stood behind me and wrapped his hands around my waist. He buried his head into my neck snugly, swaying me from side to side. I wanted to rx, befortable in his arms, live the best of my life with him, but the guilt burned inside me like an unquenchable me. I struggled out of his hold.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Enzo,¡± I said, ¡°but I gotta go.¡±


    ¡°Back to yton?¡± He said angrily. ¡°Back to that prison where you¡¯re treated as if you¡¯re nothing more than an animal? Please, Nadine, exin to me why?¡±


    ¡°Whether or not I like it there, it¡¯s still my home,¡± I said, turning to face him for the first time. ¡°And he¡¯s still my husband.¡±


    ¡°Mmm, I see,¡± he said. He was clearly bing more incensed. I understood his reason, but my guilt was bing too heavy for me to bear, so I grabbed my purse and started walking out.


    ¡°I¡¯ll call you when I get home,¡± I said to him and his face took on a gloomy demeanor. There was something incredibly sad about his eyes that made me want to pull off my clothes again, jump into bed and have him cuddle me to sleep, but I turned and continued walking out the door.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Enzosaid, grabbing me by the wrist just as I was about to walk out of the door.


    ¡°What, Enzo?¡± I said. I had been trying not to meet his eyes, but he spun me around and I had no other option but to face him, look him in his bright blue eyes.


    ¡°Are you upset because we had sex, is that it?¡± He said, cupping my face. ¡°Look, Nadine, I wasn¡¯t joking, neither was I telling a lie when I said I love you. I meant it, and I still mean it, with every bone that¡¯s in my body. And I know you love me too. Look, I know you feel a bit of constraint because you¡¯re married, but if you¡¯re not happy then what¡¯s the point?¡±


    There was a brief silence as both of us stared at each other, after which I said, ¡°I still have to go, Enzo.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Do what you will,¡± he said, letting go of my hands. I left him in the hotel and took a ride back home.


    yton:


    After Nadine stormed out, I sat on the bed in her room and my mind roved. Perhaps I shouldn¡¯t have forced my way with her, perhaps I should have heard her out, but I needed to enforce discipline and exert my authority. She was still my wife, and I, her husband. I needed to make things clear with her. I knew that as she left the house, she had gone off to see Enzo again, and the thought of this made me boil. Iy down on her bed, awake, my eyes on the ceiling and on the rotating fan. Natasha came in momentster.


    ¡°What are you doing here, baby?¡± She said as she walked in. ¡°I¡¯ve looked for you all over the house.¡±


    ¡°That bitch is cheating on me with my brother,¡± I said.


    ¡°And so what, yton?¡± Natasha said. ¡°Isn¡¯t it better now that she has found someone she can finally leave us alone?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t work like that, Natasha,¡± I told her, an edge to my voice.


    ¡°Ohh, don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re angry, yton,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m right here. I¡¯ve been here with you for years, a far longer time than any other person, so don¡¯t give me that bullshit.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s my wife, Natasha,¡± I said. ¡°I married her. She doesn¡¯t get to cheat on me.¡±


    Natasha gave a short uglyugh.


    ¡°While you fuck me every night just next to her room?¡± She said, ¡°You¡¯re going to act righteous now?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter what I do,¡± I said.


    ¡°You¡¯re just a fucking hypocrite,¡± Natasha said before standing up to leave.


    I slept in Nadine¡¯s bed that night. The next morning, when I awoke, she was still not back. I got up, went to my room and found Natasha snoring gently on the bed. Just when I got out of the room, I saw Nadine. She looked scared, as if she knew that I was furious.


    ¡°Where did you gost night, Nadine?¡± I said, tuning my voice to sound low and threatening.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.


    ¡°N-nowhere,¡± she said and tried to scurry off to her room. I grabbed her by the arms. We were standing just at the top of the stairs.


    ¡°Bitch, answer me, before I hit you,¡± I yelled. ¡°I said where were you?¡±


    Natasha came out of our room.


    ¡°yton, leave that girl alone,¡± she said. ¡°Look how scared she looks. Leave her and let her be. All you do is give her shit.¡±


    ¡°Stay out of this, Natasha,¡± I said without turning my head.


    ¡°Ohh, please, yton,¡± she said again. ¡°You¡¯re hurting her. Leave her the fuck alone.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna ask you this for thest time, Nadine,¡± I said. ¡°Where the fuck were you?¡±


    She still did not answer. I held her more firmly by the upper arm and repeated the question, this time shaking her vigorously; she still kept mute. In my anger, I pushed her down the flight of stairs.


    Natasha let out a scream.


    ¡°You killed her, you fucking idiot!¡±

 Chapter 53

    Nadine:


    I was dead to the world. There was a huge wall between me and consciousness, me and reality. I tried to scale the wall but I kept falling down. Sometimes I didn¡¯t even know if I wanted to wake up. It was scary on the other side, reality was a monster with horns that was trying to kill me. I tried to scale the wall again, determined this time, and when I did, I didn¡¯t fall. I did it very gently so as to avoid mistakes and finally I made it to the other side. My eyes flickered open.


    ¡°Ahh, you¡¯re awake,¡± she said. Through misty eyes, I could see that she was a nurse. I struggled to remember what had happened, but I couldn¡¯t. I tried to move, but I ached all over. I let out a groan of pain.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Hey, hey, hey,¡± the nurse cautioned. ¡°Rx. You were hurt pretty bad, okay. Rx. You¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Where am I?¡± I asked.


    ¡°At the hospital,¡± the nurse said, cocking her head. ¡°The central hospital.¡±


    Central hospital. I tried to connect the dots, but I still couldn¡¯t. I knew Anna was right here. She was still recovering from her bone cancer. I hoped she was okay; it had been a while since I had gone in to see her.


    ¡°What happened?¡± I said. My voice was very weak. Even though I couldn¡¯t hear it, the nurse stooped over me and she was hearing me.


    ¡°You fell,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure what happened, ma¡¯am, but thedy that came with the ambnce said you fell down a flight of stairs. You have a broken arm and a fractured skull. Also, some ribs were broken, which is why you found it extremely painful when you tried to move. But these are nothing that cannot heal with time. All you need is proper treatment and adequate care, and you¡¯ll be up and about again, okay?¡±


    She said thest statement with a broad smile.


    ¡°Ady followed the ambnce that brought me here?¡± I thought to myself. ¡°That must have been ¡­ Natasha! Fell down a flight of stairs?!?! I didn¡¯t fucking fall, I was pushed by that violent, raping, animal, yton. What the fuck?!?!¡±


    My mind screamed these thoughts but I remained mute on the outside. I tried to move again, but I couldn¡¯t. The nurse was right, my ribs were broken. My sides ached, and my head throbbed.


    ¡°This is too much,¡± I managed to say to the nurse.


    ¡°What?¡± She asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s ¡­ too much,¡± I repeated, ¡°the pain.¡±


    ¡°Oh, dear,¡± she said. ¡°Hold on, I¡¯ll get you some painkillers. Meanwhile, is there any family or friend that you can contact. Thedy that came with the ambnce left shortly after. I¡¯m guessing you don¡¯t know her that much.¡±


    ¡°I know her,¡± I said. ¡°We¡¯re not close. Please, get the painkillers.¡±


    The nurse scrambled out of the ward and came back with an injection.


    ¡°This is going to knock you out,¡± she said, holding the syringe up for me to see. I looked at the clear, colorless fluid in the syringe. My head pounded.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± I said to her and she moved closer with it.


    Enzo:


    I had been trying Nadine¡¯s number since she left, but she had obviously been ignoring me. Some time at noon, I got a call from a strange number. I never reject calls; it could be business, it could be an emergency. In this case, it was sort of an emergency. Apparently, Nadine had been involved in an ident in the house ¨C falling down a flight of stairs ¨C and was at the central hospital. Since I was thest number that called her, the hospital thought to alert me.


    ¡°The Central hospital?¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll be there right away.¡±


    I hopped into my car and drove by myself to the hospital. When I got there, I was quite confused because I did not know how to introduce myself.


    ¡°And who are you to the patient?¡± A nurse asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m her friend, actually,¡± I said. ¡°I actually received a call from this hospital that she was involved in an ident.¡±


    ¡°This hospital?¡± I was asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I replied, already getting impatient.


    ¡°Hold on,¡± she said, raising her index finger before cing a call. She asked for my name and then directed me to the ward where Nadine was. When I entered, Nadine was asleep. A nurse had given her some injections to knock her out and help with the pain. Even in slumber, she looked pretty torn up, but still was no less beautiful. I realized how much I was in love with her. I decided to wait around till she awoke. I remembered that I hade to see her sister, Anna, a while ago, and that she was still in the hospital. I wondered if Anna knew and thought of going to say hi to her before changing my mind. After waiting for nearly two hours, Nadine finally woke up.


    ¡°Enzo?¡± She said with uncertainty.


    ¡°Hi, my love,¡± I said, standing by her side, my hand touching her face lightly. ¡°How do you feel?¡±


    ¡°Like shit,¡± she said, and gave a small chuckle. ¡°I feel a little better than I did earlier when I awoke. I¡¯m not in as much pain as then.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to know, Nadine,¡± I said. ¡°How did it happen? I was told that it was an ident.¡±


    ¡°It was no ident, Enzo,¡± she said, her voice fierce. ¡°This was a deliberate act of assault.¡±


    ¡°What? What do you even mean by that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I mean, your beast of a brother pushed me down the stairs,¡± she said. ¡°When I got back to the house after leaving the hotel, he began to question me. When I wasn¡¯t forting with the answers that he wanted, he just fucking pushed me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no,¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s brutish of him. And where is he now?¡±


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!