Chapter 4 - The Attack

Aimee POV

I arrive at the office, and I pull my chair back, flopping on my seat resting my hands on my head. I take a deep breath clearing the tears that spilt down my face with the back of my hand, and I look up to find my boss standing there. Great.

"How was it?" he asks, and I look down at my hands, and I stand up slowly, looking up at him. I shake my head, prepared for the shouting I am about to endure. Arthur is ruthless when it comes to our interviews, and he doesn't tolerate failure.

"I… I didn't", I start stammering, and he takes a deep breath crossing his arms in front of his chest. How will I tell him that I can't interview Alec because he is my ex, and I am still completely in love with him even though he has become one of the biggest playboys of all of the U.K?

"Alec Hardy called me personally apologising for not doing the interview, and he requested you personally do go back and interview him", Arthur says. I look at him sideways, and then my mouth drops open.

"I'm sorry he what now?" I ask, blinking a couple of times, not really believing what he says. "He wants me?" I ask. What did he tell him exactly? I bet he didn't say that he tried to make me give up from interviewing him, and he got it because I flinched when he slammed his hands on the table. I close my eyes, trying to push away the memory.

"Can't you hear what I am saying? He asked you to go back tomorrow at ten", Arthur says, and I shake my head, taking a deep breath. I can't see him again, and I just can't.

"I am sorry, Arthur, but I can't", I say, and he looks at me, raising an eyebrow. Shit, I need to come up with something that will make him back off, something he won't want to ask questions about.

"And why is that?" he asks me, and I take a deep breath closing my eyes and wrapping my arms around my own body. Shit.

"Because I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow", I let out porous of myself. He knows he can't just tell me to cancel it.

"Can't you change it?" he asks me, and this is unbelievable. No, I can not. Idiot.

"I'm sorry, and it's a speciality appointment. It took ages to come through. I have been waiting for this appointment since before lockdown", I let out, and he takes a deep breath nodding his head. If he asks me anything else, I'll just say it's a gynaecologist appointment, which will make him back off if there's something men are terrified of talking about women's business.

"I'll send Sandhy then", he says, and I nod my head.

"Yeah, she's going to do great. She will be able to capture his true essence", I let out, knowing perfectly well that all she's going to do is spread her legs for him. I shake my head, pushing away those though, and I decide to work from home today. I am not in the mood for this crap. I gather my stuff and walk out as fast as I can.

As soon as I get home, I throw my stuff on the sofa, and I turn the tv on, not that I pay attention to what is on, I barely watch tv, to be fair, it is just for the background noise, and I walk straight into the kitchen and turn the kettle on. I have a weird routine. Every time I walk into my house, I turn the tv on and make myself a cup of tea. It doesn't matter what time it is. It can be morning, afternoon or evening. This is what I do.

I sit on my kitchen island, holding my tea mug between my fingers, when my phone starts ringing. I look at the screen to see that it is my sister. I take a deep breath and prepare myself for the blow I am about to get. She never calls me with good news. I have stopped talking to my parents. They used me for money for as long as I can remember. I worked while I was in high school to make money for college, and then when I was in, they took all my money for me. I had to work very hard to pay my tuition. I did every job I could find that would still allow me to study. After my break-up with Alec, I started studying at night to work during the day and avoid him.

"Hello?" I answer, closing my eyes waiting for the bomb to drop.

"Sis, I need your help", she squeals, and I stand up, opening my eyes with my heart beating fast.

"Ruth? Ruth, what is going on?" I ask, and I hear her crying in the background and someone grabbing the phone from her.

"Aimee? This is Joan" I hear my sister's girlfriend's voice on the other side. I take a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm myself down.

"Hey Joan, what is going on?" I ask, afraid of what she might tell me.

"She relapsed, and she has gone to jail", Joan says, and I shake my head.

"Good, she might learn to stop stealing money from other people", I let out, but Ruth comes to the phone.

"We need to help them, Aimee. We can't just let mum rot in prison. She needs to have treatment, she needs help, she needs our help", Ruth says, and I can't believe I am having this conversation again. Over and over again.

"How much?" I ask, and she stops talking for a minute. "Ruth? How much do you want?" I ask, and she tells me that we need three thousand for bail and four thousand for rehab.

"Are you out of your damn mind? I don't have that kind of money", I bark at Ruth.

"Yes, you do, you have rich friends, you can ask for the money, please sis, she needs our help, and she owes money to some dangerous people", Ruth says, and I start laughing.

"I don't care how much money she owes and how dangerous they are. It's her problem. I am tired of cleaning up after her", I say, and Ruth starts begging me that they have found her and threatened to kill her.

"They what?" I ask, and she takes a deep breath.

"Very dangerous people, sis, they know where you live", she says, and at that exact time, I hear a knock on my door, and I feel my heart jumping.

"Don't open the door", Ruth says, and I look through the magic eye to see two big guys all dressed in black on the other side. I take one step back, and I can hear Ruth telling me to call the police.

I end the call, and I start calling 999 when my door bursts open and the two guys walk in. They grab my phone from my hand while I look at them in shock. One of them grabs me by my hair, throwing me to the floor while the other one kicks me in the stomach.

"Where is our money?" he shouts, and I feel tears streaming down my eyes as the pain is so sharp that I start to struggle to breathe.

"I don't have your money", I let out through tears.

"You have one week to get us our money, two hundred thousand", he barks and then he kicks me again on my ribs, making me cry in pain.