Chapter 2: Stranger

"Haaa!!"

Ava sprang out of the bed in panic, breathing heavily like someone who was chased by a fierce lion. Her gaze met with  Charlotte's which was glaring daggers at her with a bucket clutched to her armpit. Its content had just been emptied on her, drenching her alongside the mat. She was dragged to her room when she passed out.

 

  "Charlotte.." Ava's lips shivered, heaving a sigh as she held the tip of her cloth tight, squeezing out the liquid.

"What have I done to deserve this ill treatment" Ava was about to question but the words ended up being said in her head as she heard a cold and harsh voice from the corridor

 

  "Is that bitch still laying there?!" The door roughly flung open and her stepmother – Vivian came into view.

 

Charlotte's lips immediately formed a mean smirk, fully aware of what her mother could do at that instant as she folded her arms under her breast.

  "No, I was about to leave the room" Ava said fearfully, leaving the bed in fright.

 

 Charlotte immediately pushed her back to the bed, giving her mother an opportunity to hit her hard across the face

  "Shameless bitch" Charlotte eyed her and Ava touched her stinging cheeks in pain, as her teardrops freely rolled down her cheeks.

 

"Why do you hate me this much?" She asked amidst tears as her hands shook on their own like she'd caught a flu.

 "Do you deserve to be loved?" Vivian scoffed, watching her take slow steps backwards.

 

 " Do you even deserve to live amongst humans?" Charlotte questioned also, aiming for her forehead as she threw the pail in her hands but Ava swiftly dodged it and only her arm felt the impact.

 

 "Of course not, she deserves to lay with her mother in the grave" Vivian replied instead and the duo broke into an annoying laughter.

 

 "You're right mum.." they exchanged a high-five while Ava gulped down nothing in anger, muttering no word because she lacked the fortitude to, except she was ready to endure merciless beatings at that moment.

 

 "You know what, I have nothing else to say to you. I need the usual" Charlotte's smile disappeared immediately as her gaze landed back on Ava.

 Confused and quite astonished, Ava's brows rose on their own.

 

 "Usual?.." her lips moved before she could stop it and Vivian shot a glare.

"Have you suddenly lost your sense of reasoning? She snarled fiercely.

 

Ava's eyes went shut for a few seconds before it finally flew open..

  "I don't have any blood to spare right now, I'm sick" she excused herself, understanding what they meant and Vivian scoffed for the second time in minutes.

 

 "So what's going to happen? My daughter should get no transfusion?" She snapped, raising her voice and Ava sighed

 

 "I don't know, after all, there are other means of getting a blood transfusion. I've been the sole blood donator all this while and now you've turned me into a blood bank. I'm not the reason why she has panda blood" Ava expressed with a shrug. She could swear that she has no idea where such boldness came from to enable her utter such words.

 

  "Are you insane? How dare you spew out such words from the pit you call a mouth!" Charlotte yelled with burning rage obvious in her expression.

 

"Be grateful you have someone you can offer your blood to, otherwise you would have been totally useless like the male mosquito who has a useless bite" Vivian said in a more calm tune this time as she eyed her.

 

 "Mum, she's going with me now to the hospital. My transfusion date is due.." Charlotte turned to her mum with meanness clearly obvious in her accent.

 

 "Of course she will. She has shamelessly slept with your fiance and must pay the price.." Vivian replied with a smile that lasted only for a second.

 

  "It was never my wish to sleep with your fiance. I was drugged!" Ava Instantly fired in defense.

  "Shut the crap!!!" Vivian fired back. If glares could kill, Ava would definitely be six feet below the ground by now.

 

 "I'm going to contact the doctor now, I mustn't see you this way when i come back" Vivian warned sternly and left the room immediately. Charlotte watched the door shut as her mother left and afterwards, she turned back to Ava.

 

 "Did you just say..it wasn't your wish?" Her voice sounded soft but dangerous as she walked closer to Ava who kept moving backwards until her back touched the wall.

 

 "I…  I mean…. Yes.., it was never intentional" Ava stuttered and immediately, an ear-deafening slap followed.

 

 "Ouch…" Ava winced.

"You laid your filthy self under my man and he fucked you. Now, you stand here saying it wasn't intentional!!" Charlotte yelled, making her flinch.

 

  "Yes…" Charlotte continued without yelling, turning away with a smile as she walked with her hands widened.

  "I lost interest in that dickhead because he's going down. His damn business is going down and I can't be with someone who's going to go bankrupt anytime soon…" she turned back to Ava with a dangerous smile.

 

 "And then I clung to someone else who is swimming in money but that still doesn't make you fuck my man!!" She shouted, punching her hard in the belly.

 

 "Arrgh!!" Ava gasped, coughing out blood before wiping the stains off her mouth.

   "You made me do it Charlotte. You drugged me!!" She cried and Charlotte bursted into laughter, laughing so hard that her ribs began to ache.

 

 "Who's going to believe you?.. huh!. Lorenzo? Dad? Mum? or even me?" She paused, laughing again.

  "You must be so daft to think anyone is going to believe you with no evidence" Charlotte spat.

 

  "Wanna know one reason why dad hates you? Because you're a murderer, a useless person and a thief. You killed your damn mother and still stole my man!" Charlotte said, raising her voice while uttering the last statement.

 

 Those statements got Ava angry.

"What did you just say?.." she asked daringly and Charlotte replied immediately with a yell.

   "I said you killed your damn mother and…." A slap landed on Charlotte's cheeks before she completed her statement.

 

  Ava's widened eyes mirrored hers as she stared at her palms shockingly.

 'Did I just do that?' she thought with hard breaths and before Charlotte could react, she proceeded to escape.

 

  Unexpectedly, she crashed into a solid chest like a rock, causing her to stagger backwards.

  Her eyes almost popped out of its sockets when she raised her brow to see who it was. She gasped as a pair of darkened eyes pierced through hers…

 

 “The stranger..." she froze.