CHAPTER 5. GRADUAL PROCESS.

The moment we arrived at his mansion, I was more than elated because of the fact that I get to have a good night rest void of the dangers that lock around the street on a warm bed with thick blanket away from the cold.

“ Miss Elena! Good to have you here once again” The gentle but fierce voice of Mrs. Lucy greeted me the moment I walked into that large living room that reminded me of my mom and how she grew a particular flower by the window still and would always come there to stare at it with those beaming smiles.

“ Thank you Lucy ”

“ I made some lasagna with salad and trust me you are going to love it!!”

“ That sounds nice, thanks Lucy but I would like to get away from this clothes and have a warm bath, it been long I had one”

“ Sure! I will set the table while I await you and Austin” 

There was this sincere smile on her face, like she was happy to see me. I walked upstairs as Austin followed me and as I stopped right at the door to the guest room, he also stopped staring at me like he was expecting me to say something.

“ Thanks a lot Sir. I know it difficult bringing a stranger into your home, but am most grateful.”

“ That day you spent the night here, why did you come into my room?”

“ Like I said, you were whimpering in pain, I couldn’t sleep so I had to calm you down”

“ And how were you able to calm me down?”

“ didn’t you do the baby project in college where you are peered with a female colleague to take care of a baby, I learnt to calm a baby and trust me I became good at that!”

“ You are comparing me to a toy baby?!”  I could see his jaw tightened, I knew he was becoming furious and that was the last thing I needed to do to him.

“ Sorry sir, that wasn’t what I meant, what I meant…….is that…….. I tried calming you down, it happens to everyone especially when you have a past you are trying to run away from”

He says nothing else and walk away. I hurried into the bath tub, soaked myself in it as I breath a breath of relief. When I was done, I walked to the wardrobe and surprisingly, there were few female clothes and were perfectly my side.

Did he buy those clothes for me or they belong to someone else, maybe his sister or girlfriend cause he wouldn’t go shopping for a stranger.

After dressing up, as I stare at myself in the mirror, I couldn’t even recall the last time I wore something so beautiful maybe prom night, my face was filled with satisfaction and as I walked down stairs the maids all look at me surprise.

“ Wow you look good!”

“ More like she looks like Maya” Amira exclaim.

“ Shiiiiiiiiiiii…… Mr. Austin is here, don’t provoke him” Lucy whispered to Amira.

“ Maya?! Does this dress belong to her?” I ask and there was this intense mood at the dinning, Mr. Austin drops his fork, Lucy, Amira and Margret looks at each other in confusion.

“ What!! Did I say something wrong?!” I ask 

“ Elena I think you should just go ahead and have your meal” Lucy spoke her gaze fixed on Mr. Austin

“ Okay. Sure and am guessing Maya is the girlfriend?” I was directing that particular question at Mr. Austin, he quickly got up from his seat and left the dinning.

“ Maya must be a very sensitive topic around here?” I ask.

“ Yes! She is. so never ever mention that name here again!!” Lucy spoke almost angry.

Despite how delicious those lasagna was, I couldn’t enjoy it knowing fully well I just deprived some one else of their meal. 

After the meal, I walk to the garden where Austin was sitting lost in his thought, I didn’t say a word to him, I just sat close to him cause sometimes I believe a silent comfort can be better than words.

“ What are you doing here?” He ask and as he gradually shifted the position of his face, I saw the tears on his face and right that minute I knew 'maya' is a name I should never mention around him.

“ I love the view, my mom used to grow flowers, she was so fond of it that whenever she was distress, she would talk to it”

“ Does women derive joy in provoking others?” He ask

“ Women as in general? I can’t speak for others but I don’t derive joy from it. Am sorry about what happened at the dinning table, I didn’t know………….”

“ That enough!! Go inside and sleep, I need to be alone”

“ Okay. Sure”

As I walked to a distance close to the back entrance of the mansion, I stopped to look at him, I could see the pain, the trauma he has had to live with and I was really curious about what happened to him.

“ Amira are you asleep?!” I asked the moment I got to the maid quarters, she immediately came out of the room adjusting her rope properly.

“ What can I do for you miss Elena?”

“ I would like to have a cup of milk”

“ Okay sure!”

Amira walks to the kitchen and I followed behind.

“ So Amira what happened to Maya?”

“ Miss Elena please stop mentioning that name, am sorry I can’t tell you anything about her”

“ Okay, sure. I want you to add a little ice to the milk”

“ Ice? Why would you add ice to the milk?” Amira ask.

“ Just do it!”

The moment she was done, I took the glass of milk to the garden but Austin wasn’t there so I went upstairs to his room.

As I open the door, he was standing by the window holding a glass of wine.

“ Mr. Austin, I brought you a glass of milk”

“ I didn’t ask for it”

“ I know, I just taught it might help. Stop taking alcohol, it won’t help you” saying that, I grab the glass of wine away from his hand and place it on the desk close to his laptop.

“ Here! Try it, it helps with a good night rest”

Without even arguing, he grabs the glass and slowly sip through it.

“ It cold”

“ Yes Sir. It will help calm your nerves”

Even as he took the glass of milk, his thoughts were far away from here, he gaze through the window as if searching deep for an answer.

“ I will leave you to rest now” I spoke and as I try to walk away, he held my arm so tie, he was staring directly at my eyes, his eyes were red from crying and there was this desperation in it.

“ Don’t go! Please stay here with me” Saying those words, I could see how lonely he was, I didn’t want to agree to his demands cause the last thing I needed was to become another man’s slave, but looking at those eyes, I just couldn’t refuse.

I sat at the sofa while holding a magazine I was pretending to be reading, he climbed on his bed, open his laptop and began typing. I sat there for almost an hour hoping he would go to sleep so I could leave the room, but he was bent on working until I fell asleep right on the sofa.

AUSTIN'S POV……..

I was so busy trying as much as possible to see how much I could fix the prototype but the virus that was implanted was hardly dictated. I was so busy digging deep and deeper while recalling those words Mrs. Chloe said to me that I forgot there was some one right in the room with me until she began to say words that were only audible to her.

“ STOP! Please don’t……. hurt me………stop…..”  She kept whimpering, I drew close to her, place my ear right before her lips so I could hear her well.

“ Stop……. Please…..it hurts so much…. Please…..stop…..it painful” 

Those tears that followed her words shattered my heart, I knew right away that behind those pretty smile of hers lies an unimaginable pain I can’t even compare, those tears I didn’t want to ever see in her eyes.

I gently carried her on my arm close to my chest and softly lay her on the bed.