CLARA’S POV
“Is she dead??? Why is her eyes opening and shutting like that??? I told you to leave this girl alone, do you want me to get arrested?!!!” I heard some voices saying as I tried opening my eyes. I tried to open my eyes but with great difficulty. Suddenly water was poured on me as I got back to my senses. I slowly opened my eyes as I saw my step family surrounding me. “Welcome back to the world of the living.” Jerry said. “Be quiet!!!” my step Father yelled. I stood up from the ground as I looked at my body covered in fresh bruises. “Go inside and clean yourself up.” My step Father said as he walked away. I walked back into the storeroom where I was asked to stay and took off my clothes. As I looked at the new bruises forming in my body and down to my stomach, tears dripped down my face as I cursed my fate. I was malnourished and underfed and because of that, I didn’t look my age. My Mother died when I was at the ripe age of seven and although I didn’t understand the full details regarding my mother’s death, I was told by my Father, Rafeal Nivera that she died of a long term illness. A few months after my Mother’s death, my Father remarried and brought into our house his new wife whose name is Seraphina who became my step mother and she also came alongside with her five years old son and my first step brother Julius. At first, she was very nice to me and she treated me like her own daughter but things turned out for the worse when she gave birth to my second step brother Jerry. My stepmother taught her children never to respect me as they were born and naturally the head of the house so even if I was older with age, I wasn’t allowed to be accorded with respect. My father got a better job and because of that, he traveled and had little or no time for me. I was asked to leave my room and stay in the house’s basement just so my step brothers could have their own rooms. From sleeping in the basement, I was deprived of eating good food as I was only given the leftovers most times, I wasn’t allowed to go out or make friends, I dropped out of school because my step mother claimed I wasn’t learning anything useful and that I only did better with chores at home. My father couldn’t do or say anything whenever he came back from his travels due to the fact that my stepmother filled his head with lies about me. From love and care, I gradually saw his hatred and look of disgust whenever he stared at me. He supported my step mother in denying me from going to school as he said females always ended up in a man’s kitchen. I was underweight for a twenty one year old girl and I looked so small that one would assume I was fifteen years old. As I cleaned myself from the blood stains on my body, I saw fresh bruises forming again and the more I cleaned it, the more it stung making me wince in pain. When I was done, as I walked past my father’s room, I overheard him talking to my stepmother. “Why did you yell at me in the presence of my kids??” she asked. “I thought I told you time without number that you should leave Clara alone?? She does everything in this house which includes chores and cooking and yet you want to kill her??” Hearing that, I smiled a little knowing that my Father didn’t hate me completely but the next words that came out of his mouth shocked me. “Don’t you know that if she dies, there won’t be anyone to do all these things anymore?? Or do you want our children to take over??” “Never!!! Why would my children be subjected to doing house chores??? Are they servants??” she asked. “Exactly, so if you want to punish her, you can tell her to kneel down for a while or decide not to give her food for some time and that way, she will learn her lesson.” “You are very right dear, I will do as you have said.” “Good.” “Anyway dear, Jerry’s birthday is coming up soon and I need some money to throw a lavish party for him.” “There is no problem about that…I will send you some money now.” It was like my heart was broken again into pieces as I heard the words that came out of my Father’s mouth. I walked away in sadness and went into the kitchen to make lunch for everyone. Just in the middle of making lunch, Julia walked up to me. “Aunty Clara, are you okay??” she asked. I looked at her and saw pity in her eyes for me. “I am very okay dear.” I said with a smile. “You don’t have to lie to me because I understand everything that has been happening…why don’t you just leave this house and run away somewhere??” Even at her young age, Julia was very intelligent and sensitive and that was one quality I liked about her. “I have nowhere to run to dear….this is my only home.” “Don’t worry, everything will be fine okay??” “I know…thank you so much my Julia.” I said as I stroked her cheeks. “Hey Aunty Clara, stop it…I am not a little girl anymore.” she said smiling. “Oh sorry my big girl.” She giggled and went to the living room to watch tv. After I finished cooking, I set the food on the dinning and called for everyone to eat. They all sat at the table and were about eating when I dished mine into a plate and sat on the floor in the kitchen. Just as I put the first spoon of food into my mouth, the plate was dragged from my hand. “And who gave you the permission to eat my food???”WRITER’S POVClara looked on in confusion as she didn’t understand what was going on.“I asked you a question, who gave you the permission to eat my food??” Seraphina asked as she looked at Clara with anger.“I am sorry Madam, I just thought that since everyone is eating, I should also eat something.” Clara said.“Eat something?? Are you the one who bought the food items?? Did you give me the money to buy them??”“No I didn’t.”“So what gave you the right to think you should have a share??”“Nothing, I am sorry.”“You better be…you are not to eat anything in this house till tomorrow..am I understood??“Yes Madam.” Clara said.“Good, now get lost.” Clara stood up from the floor and went into her room as she broke down in tears.Her stomach grumbled loudly indicating that it needed to be fed.Deep down, Clara knew she wouldn’t survive starvation till the following day being the fact that she didn’t eat previously and she was getting weak due to the beating she received from her step mo
ARSENIO’S POVMy phone suddenly started ringing and I closed my laptop and checked the calling ID.In hope of hearing the news I have been waiting for, I picked up the phone.“Hello Sergio, has my package arrived??” I asked.“There is a problem, boss.” he said.“What Fucking problem is that!!!!” I yelled in anger.“The package is nowhere to be seen.”“What do you mean by my package is nowhere to be seen?? Don’t Fuck with me Sergio.”“I am serious boss….at first I got a call that there was some mix up and then I found out that the package was missing.”“Where are you??” I asked in anger.“I am at the warehouse boss.”“Just wait for me there and I will be on my way now.”“Okay boss and what about the delivery guys??”“Make sure no one fucking leaves until I get there.” I said as I hung up the call.“Baby, what’s the problem??” I looked at my bed and remembered the blondie I picked from the club last night was still there.“Get dressed and leave.” I said.“But baby.”“I said get dressed
CLARA'S POVI squinted my eyes trying to open them as a bright light shone into them and after a while of trying, I finally opened my eyes looking around in confusion.At first I thought I was already dead and probably in the Afterlife.“Young lady, can you hear me??” Someone asked.I looked up at her and saw her wearing clothes that I have only seen doctors wear and that was when I realized I was at the hospital.“I can hear you….why am I here and how did I get here??”“some young men brought you here unconscious.” She said.It was at that moment that memories started flowing through my head and I remembered everything including the stranger who saved me.“Can I go home now please??”“I am afraid you can't.” She said.“Why??” I asked in confusion.“Because from the tests carried out on you, we noticed you have two broken ribs, fresh and old bruises and also underweight.” She said.“But I feel fine.”“Where are your parents??” She asked.I knew that if I involved any of them, they wou
CLARA'S POVI stood there in shock listening to their conversation.“What do you mean kill her??? Like actual kill??” Jerry asked.“Of course or don't you want to get her out of the way??” Jerry asked.“Well I want to but killing her wasn't a part of the plan.”“Are you in on it or not??? If you aren't, just let me know and I will do everything myself.”“Okay, fine….what is your plan??” Jerry asked.“First we wait till when mom and dad leave the house and then we take her and throw her into the pool..she can't swim and so it will be easy as we watch her die and when mom and dad get back and ask what happened, we will tell them she jumped inside herself.” Julius said.“Well that is not a bad plan…but when are we going to do this?? Remember Julia is always spoiling our plans.”“Don't worry about Julia, I will take care of her and this is going to be done tomorrow.”As I was about to tiptoe my way back, I mistakenly hit something earning a gasp from me.“Who is there??” Julius asked.I g
ARSENIO’S POVI entered the car and was driven back home.I went straight to my mini bar in my living room and poured myself a glass of wine but as I remembered my package was still missing, I threw the glass as it shattered into pieces on the ground.“What was that noise Renio??” Irene, my housekeeper asked as he ran out in fear.“Nothing.” I said.She was the only one allowed to call me Renio as I have established a form of relationship with her over the years.Over the years, she has been the only one who could tolerate my excesses and even when she had every reason to leave, she didn't as she stayed back for me.She looked around and saw the pieces of shattered glass on the ground and she sighed deeply.“What is actually the problem dear??? Ever since you came back, you have been so unsettled and you get pissed off so easily.”“Things aren’t going so well for me at the moment…I regret coming back here!!!”“Don’t say that…it’s been five years since you visited and you are already h
CLARA’S POVI opened my eyes slowly as a bright ray of sunlight flashes through making me squint my eyes.The memories of what happened before I was knocked out came flooding into my head as I sat up with fear.“I see you are finally awake.”I looked by my side and saw the same person I was pleading with to spare my life.“Where am I?? What am I doing here??” I asked in fear.“I think the right question to ask is why you are still alive.” he said.“Do you plan on killing me??”“Well, it depends on how you answer my questions.”“But I have told you everything I know.” I said as tears dripped down my eyes.“Be quiet!!!!” he yelled in anger.The fact that I was in a total stranger’s house made me shiver in fear.“I am going to ask my questions and you better answer each and everyone of them truthfully or else I won’t hesitate to kill you…am I understood??” “Y..y..yes…s…sir.” I said stuttering.“Good…now my first question…what were you doing at the place we met you that too in the middle
CLARA'S POV(WARNING, MILD RATED CONTENT AHEAD)"Who the fuck are you and what are you doing at my boss's house??""I work here." I said in almost a whisper."Work??? Turn around!!!" He yelled.I slowly turned around."Wait, I know you...aren't you the girl in the Alley that my boss saved???" He asked.Immediately he said that, I remembered the person whom I hid behind when two boys harassed me at the Alley.I couldn't believe he was the same person who saved me and yet again for the second time."He asked me to work here." I said."Boss asked you to work here??" He asked as he suddenly started laughing."Yes he did.""It's either you are lying or something is not right." He said.I think the reason why he was confused was because I didn't see him last night when I was caught.It was two others including Arsenio."Do you have a problem with it Richard??" Arsenio asked as he walked in on us."No boss!!! I was just surprised." Richard said."You weren't around last night that is why you
CLARA’S POVI have asked myself severally what I would do in case I saw myself in danger or in a dangerous situation and the answer has been pending.Standing by the door of Arsenio’s room and watching him with another woman was the most dangerous thing that I had ever done and when he caught me, I did the first thing that came into my mind.I ran as fast as I could into my room and locked the door from within.I sat on the floor behind the door panting like one who just ran a marathon race.Suddenly, I heard the twisting of the doorknob.“Clara!!! Open the fucking door!!!!” Arsenio yelled.I stood up in fear as I didn’t know what to do about the whole situation.“I said open this fucking door or else I am going to bring it down!!!!” “If I open the door, you are going to kill me.” I said as I panicked.“Non ti sto prendendo per il culo Clara(I am not fucking with you Clara) open the damn door!!!!!”“What is going on Renio??” I heard madam Irene's voice from outside the door.“Tell Cl