Chapter 6: Panic attack

The next morning, Reina woke up with dark circles under her eyes. She wasn’t even sure when sleep finally claimed her, given the loud thudding sounds of feet and bodies hitting her door all night. If she had ever taken for granted the fact that she was staying in a storage room, she certainly didn’t yesterday.

After kicking Lucas in the groin and rushing to her room, she locked the door behind her. Despite the efforts of Lucas and the few men who had come to help him, they were unable to break the door open. Which left her wondering what Lucas might have done to her if he had succeeded, especially considering how desperately he wanted to get in.

She stretched out, got off the bed, and walked to the corner table and grabbed her phone. It was a few minutes past 9 a.m. Gathering her clothes, she made her way out of her room, her heart racing. She hoped she wouldn’t run into Lucas; if she did, it would mean he had been waiting for her since he was supposed to be at work. However, when she unlocked her door and tried to open it, she realized it had been locked from the outside. She had been trapped.

“Lucas, you bastard!” she screamed, hitting the door. How dare he lock her up? “Open the door! Open the door! Anyone! Please!” Reina began to panic, desperation settling in her voice when flashes of her childhood trauma started playing in her head. She turned and looked behind her, only to find the walls moving in on her. She can't breathe; the walls are closing in on her. “Help me…! Please, mom, dad, please help me…” Reina said through pants as she inhaled big gasps of air. Her hand banging against the door weakly.

Just when she was about to pass out, her door opened, and she was pulled out. Reina dropped on her knees the moment she was pulled out and started to cry uncontrollably.

She looked up at the person who pulled her out to find Victor looking down at her with no pity. Without saying a word to her, he turned and walked away.

A few minutes after Victor left, Reina tried standing up after calming herself. But she felt a push, and she fell back. She groaned, clutching her stomach, when she felt a brief pain in her abdomen. Reina looks up to find Bianca looking down at her with a scornful expression, but she smiles, lowering her head, and says, “It seems someone just had a relapse. You know what? It's time I let you in on a little secret.” Bianca leaned in more and whispered, “I was the one who locked you inside the dark basement at elementary school.”

Reina smiled and replied, standing up. “Great job then, since your efforts back then didn't go to waste.” At Reina's words, Bianca was about to laugh when her head snapped to the side from a sharp slap. Her hand moved to her cheek, her eyes bloodshot as she opened her mouth to retort, but another slap landed on her other cheek.

“Reina! You wicked woman!” Bianca shouted, her voice a mixture of rage and disbelief as she raised her hand, ready to deliver a slap. But Reina was quick; she grabbed Bianca’s wrist and, with a sharp push, sent Bianca stumbling backward. Bianca fell to the ground, shock and anger mingling in her eyes. Reina grinned tauntingly as she began to stalk towards Bianca like a predator taking leisure in stalking its prey.

“Yesterday was the last time you dared to lay a hand on me,” Reina declared, her voice steady but filled with a simmering intensity. “I’ve been foolish, perhaps blinded by your façade of innocence, not realizing you were a wolf in sheep’s clothing. But now, finally understanding that you are the cause of all my childhood traumas, I promise I’ll repay you in kind. Trust me when I say that by the time I’m through with you, you will be begging at my feet.” Reina said.

Bianca’s maniacal laughter rang out abruptly at Reina's words. “You think you can intimidate me?” she sneered, her eyes glinting with mockery. “I can't wait; I would like to see how that happens when I have your precious husband eating from the palm of my hand.” Bianca said, and just then, they heard footsteps approaching. Bianca hurriedly clutched her stomach and started wincing in pain and crying. “My baby, you vixen, you want to kill my baby; since you killed yours, someone help, please.”

“Madam, are you okay?” Alberto, one of the bodyguards, rushed over and squatted beside Bianca. Bianca's face dropped on seeing who it was; she had expected it to be Lucas, but continued with her acting since she couldn't quit now.

“Hurry, call your boss; tell him that this crazy woman wants to kill me and his son!” Reina rolled her eyes at Bianca's over-the-top acting. Only someone with a low IQ would believe her. Without wasting any time, she turned around, went to her room to gather her clothes scattered on the floor, and then headed to the bathroom to start her morning routine.

~~~

Black Corp.

Lucas sat behind his oak desk in the spacious CEO office, surrounded by sleek, modern furnishings that exude power and authority, as he typed on his computer.

He reached for a document, and flipping it open, he began reviewing its contents while occasionally checking his computer. Suddenly, there was a sharp knock at the door interrupting his concentration. He looked up to see Victor entering the office.

“Boss, here’s the file you requested for,” Victor said, placing the folder on the desk. However, he couldn't help but recall what had happened with Reina after he left to retrieve the file home. "Man, I think your wife has a phobia. My younger sister has the same issue, and when I heard Reina’s panic scream, I recognized it and let her out. You really shouldn't lock her up again." Victor said.

Lucas’ gaze hardened, his brow furrowing as he glared at Victor and responded. "She's my wife; you have no right to dictate how I treat her. Does this mean you’re in love with her?” Victor's lips curled into a knowing smile, realizing Lucas was turning his own words against him. Before he could respond to Lucas, the loud ring of the landline sliced through the air, cutting their conversation short. Lucas answered it.

“What is it?”

“Sir, Attorney Jose is here to see you,” Raquel, Lucas' secretary, said.

“Send him to the conference room,” Lucas said, replacing the phone. He turned to Victor and said, “It's attorney Jose; any ideas why he's here?” Victor looked at his friend and shrugged.

~~~

“Mr. Black,” attorney Jose said, getting to his feet when Lucas entered the conference room. Lucas nodded, acknowledging him, and took his seat, with Victor standing behind him.

“Attorney Jose, to what do I owe this visit?” Lucas asked, and attorney Jose looked at him with raised eyebrows.