CHAPTER THREE (The Helper)

Helen

“Apologies sir, I never knew she is connected to you. Please release me.” he pleads with a shaky voice, the man utter no word and keeps pacing towards him. He struggles to get free, but he was no match to the shirtless man.

He flings his hand once again with speed and absolute strength to free from the man’s grip, he succeeds but ends up hitting me on the head mistakenly as he turns to run away.

I feel a strong but cozy hand around my waist, which bars me from dropping on the tiled floor as everywhere turns black.

***

Helen

As the rays from the morning sun from the window shines into my face, my eyelids tickle, and I open my eyes once again to a beautiful morning of another pain and nightmares. I swam around yesterday, it was terrifying. I remember how cheerful I was at the beginning of the day until everything fell apart. The hanky-panky Bobby tried to play on me. A sigh escaped my mouth.  I would have been in the headlines today. Every model would be looking up to me as a role model from this very moment and wishing to attain the same feat. 

But the world is not predictable, my expectation was shattered by greed and lust . Thanks to Bobby, who I considered a mentor and manager.  

“I have to get to the company and apply for a new manager” I muttered in anger. Although Bobby single-handedly brought me to the company, worked my way smoothly to get a contract with Elite Modeling Agency, I still have the right to change him because I am not working for him but for the company. He may  decide to see me as an ingrate and a betrayer, but who cares about his thoughts. If anyone was to be called a betrayer, it's him, because of the bad deed he's done to me. Just because of love for money.  

I sigh quietly in deep thought and draw the duvet closer to my chest and sit up. I stare up at the ceiling and nibble some words of prayers to God, who seems to have forgotten me. As I roll my eyes around the unfamiliar sight of the ceiling, I stop and glance at the wide window, which seems to be bigger than usual today.

The drabs on the window are also different from the one I have in my room. Not only that, I also noticed that the room was somehow spacious with lots of luxury furniture too.

 “This is not my house,” When did I buy a silk red carpet, a bedside stool, a white goose down duvet and pillows? My eyes scream in fear as everything seems not to make sense.

 I quickly look under the duvet and examine myself. I sigh in relief when I was satisfied that my body was still intact, except for the fact that I have a linen nightgown on and smell a different deodorant. I can't remember getting any of those.

Soon I realized that I was somewhere far different from what I know, I sprang up in shock from the bed only to meet with sparkling almond eyes looking straight into my face. I freeze, meeting those bulky eyes, I remain still like a pillar of salt. There's an intense aura of fear and destruction that surrounds him, and at the same time his glare looks sad and lost, like a young child who has lost track of his mother.  He must be going through some sort of pain. The thought of it stirred up compassion inside me. 

He sat on a chair facing the bed. His looks were intense and deep, like a stalking cat. He must have been sitting there and staring at me for a long time. Amidst all, he was devilishly handsome. A perfect face with a frame chin, thick eyelashes that’s carefully planted around brown almond eyes. The kind of eyes I only see on movies, and read on stories, are right here staring right at me. I feel a sense of safety in the intimidating eyes. Although his eyes look more dangerous than a barrel gun, his delegate face made me feel like staring more.

He has no shirt on, his puffy breast hangs firmly on his broad chest,  his hair looks scattered and unkept, but his pale skin glows as the morning sun rests on it. It brings back all the memories of the previous night. I then remember the bodyguard, the shirtless man who saved me from him, even the voice that caused my blackout. 

The reason I am in a strange apartment starts unfolding inside my head.  His sharp eyes were still at me, straight into my face without blinking, as if he could see through my soul. I want to break from his stare, and thank him for all he’d done for me the previous night. But I found myself dumb and unable to part my lips. Is it the way he looked at me, or his handsome face that ceased my voice, depriving me of what to say? Either way, I don’t know.

The door of the VIP lodge opens after two gentle knocks, and he snaps towards the direction immediately. A middle-aged man peeps through and runs his eyes around the room quickly before stepping in.

“Good morning, Mr. Dowell, I came to ask if you’ll need anything, and to also inquire if you have anything to chime in about yesterday event…” He sounded so respectful and humble.  His voice sounded familiar, I tried to recall where I heard the similar voice as I turned to look at his face. I jerked in shock when I saw who he was.  The shirtless man turned to him and said in a snare, “Get out,” He didn’t hesitate, instead he bent slowly and hurried himself out of the room.

I was in shock and perplexed at the same time. That man… the shirtless man who drove out of the room was Mr. Philip Anderson, the COO of Triple Friends Group of Companies. He’s very popular and influential, people call him FATHER OF THE GAME because of his outstanding involvement in the modeling industry. But this shirtless man dismissed him casually, like a school teacher with his pupil. Wait! What did he call the shirtless man? Mr. Dowell? The anonymous man that Bobby told me Mr. Philip Anderson worked for?  My heart starts beating hard against my ribs as I thought of the doom that has finally befall on me.

These people are the most influential men in the city. Unarguably, the press is around them like their bodyguards. They are always in the media, information about them never miss the daily papers and social media. Now I am stuck in a room with him, I’m certain that people from the press are outside waiting for interview of yesterday event. How will I escape without them seeing me. What will they say, seeing me out of his hotel room? What will be the conception of me? My carrier, everything I worked for, is ruin. I regret ever knowing Bobby and accepting his offer. I shade more tears as got up and gather my cloths reluctantly to leave his face.