Chapter 4_ Frightened

By the time Vanessa woke up, it was evening time. She looked around the bedroom that she was in. A huge luxuriously designed master bedroom. She jerked up from the bed immediately.

"Where am I?" She asked herself rhetorically as she walked towards the door.

Vanessa was scared that she might've been kidnapped by someone. But at the same time she doubted that. A kidnapper wouldn't bring his victim to such a luxurious mansion.

She walked stealthily through the hallways of the mansion that seemed utterly familiar to her. Except that some things were changed in it. She finally located the living room. "Where do you think you're going, Miss Sanchez?" She heard a familiar voice speak to her.

Vanessa was dumbstruck as she saw who he was. She didn't expect it to be him who brought her here. "Did you save me from those women?" She asked him. Manuel walked down the staircase and he approached her. She was Standing by the door— holding the knob and about to open it.

"Yes, I did. " He answered briefly.

Manuel stood too close to her, making her uncomfortable. "Stand back!" She demanded. He didn't seem to obey her. Manuel took a step further. "And if I don't? What will you do? Hit me?" He asked, and finally moved nearer to her. They were only one inch apart from each other.

Vanessa became frightened and without hesitating, she raised her hand up to hit him. Manuel grabbed her wrist quickly. He pressed it tightly, she exclaimed in pain. "Let go of me, Manuel"

"Is this how you'll pay me for saving you, Vanessa?" He questioned her. She twitched her face in discomfort as he didn't let go of her hand.

"I didn't beg you to save me, Manuel," she replied sharply at him.

Manuel wasn't surprised. He knew Vanessa so well. She would never admit losing to him.

Manuel soon let go of her and Adrian walked into the living room holding a tablet. "We need to talk, Nessa," Manuel said to her. "We have nothing to talk about, Manuel Howells. If you don't mind letting me have my luggage. I need to leave" Vanessa requested.

Manuel looked at Adrian and he understood his gesture. He brought forth the tablet and showed the ongoing video to Vanessa. She watched it intensely.

"What's this?" She asked him. She could see clearly that it was a video of her entering a hotel room with an unknown man the previous night. She knew that it was the previous night because that was the dress she had on. But she woke up beside him, how was it possible?

She tried to grab the tablet from Adrian but he was quick enough to take it away from her reach.

"What would the media say if they saw you entering a room with one of your sugar daddies like the internet claimed? Vanessa Sanchez, you're ruined. And I'm interested to help you leave this mess" Manuel proposed. Vanessa was left speechless and she went ahead to sit on the couch and faced him. She breathed deeply before she spoke. "What do you want from me?" She asked him.

That was the question Manuel has been waiting for his whole life. He stared at her for a while, observing her reactions before he broke the news to her.

"Let's get married again," he said. Even Adrian was shocked by his demands. He turned to watch what Vanessa would say. Adrian knew that Vanessa would reject Manuel.

He didn't want to see his boss broken again like before.

"No, Manuel. I won't ever get married to you again no matter what" Vanessa declared and she stood up. She was boiling in anger and felt like slapping him hard across the face.

She hated Manuel so much, she couldn't imagine remarrying him. "Can I have my luggage now?" She requested. "Are you sure about your decision, miss Sanchez?" Manuel asked her and she ignored. A maiden pushed out her luggage from the store room and handed it over to her.

"I've never been sure of anything in my whole life," Vanessa answered him. She was about to leave when she heard her mobile phone ring and she picked it up quickly. It was from the doctor who was in charge of treating her grandma at the hospital.

"Hello, good evening doctor " she greeted him politely. The man's voice was cold as he replied to her. Apparently, she has been knowing him for her grandma's treatment. Vanessa spent so much on her Grandmother's ailment, that was why she was always broke.

She held the phone tightly as she listened to the doctor yell at her. "I'm sorry, doctor George. I'll be at the hospital in ten minutes. Please give me one last chance" she begged him.

The doctor ended the phone call abruptly. "Who was that?" Manuel asked her. Vanessa ignored him and she left with her broken luggage bag. It got destroyed from her feud with the angry women earlier.

Immediately she closed the door behind her, Manuel turned to Adrian.

"Investigate that" he ordered.

Vanessa arrived at the hospital that night and she was in the doctor's office.

"Please, Mr. George. You have to give me this month to raise the money. I promise, I'll pay" Vanessa begged him.

"You have to pay today, or else I have your grandma discharged and her death will be upon you, miss Sanchez" he threatened. Vanessa stood up from her seat and she knelt down in front of him. "What are you doing, miss? Do not kneel to me. You just have to work hard.

Besides, I heard that you please old men for money— so you shouldn't be broke " he stated. Vanessa was angry at him for saying such to her but she wasn't in the right position to vent her anger on him.

Vanessa soon realized that he looked at her lustfully.

She didn't pay any attention to it and she just continued to plead for her grandma's sake. "Stand up, miss Sanchez '' doctor George ordered. This time, his tone was calm. As she didn't want to stand up, he came and stood her up. He helped her towards the seat. "It's alright, I'll help you" he said. The man touched Vanessa in an inappropriate manner.

She pushed his hands from her waist but he was already all over her.

"What are you doing, Doctor George? Let go of me this instance!"

Vanessa demanded. The man gripped her tightly and pinned her to the table. "I heard you do this for a living, why don't you do this to help your grandma?" He questioned her. He tried to kiss her but she pushed him away.

Doctor George slapped Vanessa and pushed her on the floor and pounced on her.

As he struggled with her, the door of his office suddenly pushed open and Manuel entered. "How dare you touch her you old hag?" He yelled and charged towards the doctor.

Manuel punched and beat the doctor while Vanessa tried to stop him. He was so enraged, he almost killed the man with his beatings. "please, stop.. please" Vanessa pleaded with him but he didn't stop. He continued to hit the man until he began to bleed from his nose.

Vanessa was frightened that the doctor might die but Manuel didn't care. All he did was to save the woman he loves. Vanessa wanted to check on the doctor, Manuel grabbed and took her away with him.

"Manuel, how could you do that? You could've killed him!" She yelled at him.

"Killing him is little compared to what I plan to do to him, Vanessa. No one is permitted to touch you, except me!" He retorted.

"Why?" She questioned, almost tearing up.

"Because, you're mine!" He declared, Manuel pulled her closer and kissed her.