Chapter 3 - Thirty Seconds

How could she explain if Alex kept kissing her lips like this?

Elisha tried to rebel against the man trying to restrain her, but it wasn't easy. He grabbed the back of her neck and pushed her into the bed. That man's hands were so large, so Elisha felt her jaw might crush in his grip. 

Her body trembled not only from fear but also from every touch she got. Elisha felt like she was getting an electric shock whenever this man touched her.

Damn! The current situation is horrible. Don't say that this man is going to rape her!

"Stop!" 

Elisha was angry at herself for being helpless. She then intended to kick the man's groin area, but a second later, she screamed. 

"What are you doing? Get off me!" Elisha screamed and struggled, trying to release her ankle, which that man caught.

"Do you think the same thing will work twice, huh?" growled the man as he pulled Elisha's leg over his shoulder. He also spread one of Elisha's other legs, making her now straddle in front of him.

Elisha's eyes widened as that man pressed her more freely. She could feel something hard now pushing against on between her foot.

"Did you feel it?" whispered the man. "You think I will be tempted by you so that you are desperate to enter my room. Did Aramis send you, or could it be Aeron?"

"No! I didn't even—"

"I think now they've had an upswing in their monkey business. Usually, they send beautiful and hot women to tease me, and now they use women like you as bait. Tch!"

The man then moved away from Elisha's body, thus making her feel relieved. But it was only for an instant because the next moment, Elisha gasped.

The expression on the man's face was one of disdain, but his eyes filled with lust. At this time, Elisha felt a sensation of cold and heat at the same time, making her body tremble even more.

"I—I—" Elisha swallowed hard to moisten her dry throat. "My—my name is Elisha Fos—"

"It's not that I will ever want to see you again. So what does the point of me knowing your name?" said the man with a sneer. "But I'm pretty impressed with your acting right now. You look like you're terrified."

Elisha hurriedly grabbed the pillow and hugged it so tightly. As if by doing so, she was sure that the man would no longer try to pin her down.

"I—I'm not here on anyone's orders. I need your help, sir."

One of the man's eyebrows rose, and Elisha couldn't deny that her heartbeat increased when she saw the man's smile.

Oh, Lord. This situation is crazy. This man's handsome face waindeedly poison to her.

The man looked at her suspiciously. But Elisha could still catch the lust in that look, making her bite her lip.

"Okay. You have thirty seconds to convince me."

How could she tell everything she'd been through in just thirty seconds? Moreover, at this time, that man was counting backward, so it made her even more panicked.

"Nine, eight, seven—"

"My uncle intends to sell me!"

Upon hearing this, the man snorted in mockery. "Let me guess. Your uncle wanted to sell you to a far-fetched older man to pay off his debts. Isn't that right?"

Elisha was stunned. "How do you know?"

"Because the story you want to tell is old! Then do you think I would believe such a made-up story?"

"But I didn't make that up. It happened to me, Sir!"

"If that's true, then that means you're foolish! Why did you fall for it?"

Elisha felt angry towards this man who had spoken arbitrarily. But on the other hand, she also realized the truth in that man's words.

She shouldn't have taken Marlon's word for granted. Elisha should have been suspicious when her uncle suddenly called; after three years, they had never made contact again

Her mother died of a sudden illness when Elisha was nine years old. Then in the same year, Tedris Foster, her father, sent Elisha to study in Victoria, Australia.

Since then, Elisha has lived far from her father, and during that time, Tedris has never contacted or even visited her. Elisha would only return to the Foster residence once a year. Even so, she rarely saw her father.

Elisha hadn't been home since three years ago when she heard that her father already had another woman and chose to leave the Foster family's residence to start a new life. There was no news about her father's marriage to the woman, but Elisha received photos showing their intimacy.

So practically, Marlon is the only family for Elisha. Of course, that includes Zora Foster, Marlon's daughter, who is two years older than Elisha.

"And I was pleased when uncle finally called me. At least I still have someone who thinks of me as family." Elisha looked down and whispered to herself. She crumpled the pillow in her arms as if wanting to vent a little. "Even though this should be a happy time because today is my birthday. Even though I had hoped that Father would also come—"

The man looks confused. He saw Elisha, who was now starting to sob, with an expression of surprise and suspicion.

Is this a newfangled trap? But alas, he couldn't wholly ignore Elisha.

"It's up to you to believe it because I still can't believe it myself, Sir."

Elisha's demeanor became calmer. She didn't realize that now the man trusted her even more.

"Sir, I didn't mean to—"

"It's Alex."

"Yes?"

"My name is Alex. Alexander Winter. So don't call me 'Sir' anymore. It feels like I'm just talking to my underlings. Unless you want to be in charge of my lower body."

Elisha's cheeks immediately blushed. She tried not to look at Alex's lower body, who—thankfully—hurriedly got out of bed.

"Thank you," said Elisha sincerely. "Thank you for having—"

"Don't get too excited just yet." Alex interrupted in a firm tone. "That doesn't mean I completely trust you. Now, tell me everything. I will decide what action I will take with you afterward."

Elisha nodded. Alex's attitude towards her couldn't be called friendly, but this was better than how he was before.

She had just opened her mouth and hadn't had time to talk yet when she heard a knock on Alex's door followed by a man's voice. "Good evening, Sir. Sorry to disturb you, but there may be a woman in your room we are looking for."

Elisha gasped. In just thirty seconds, the situation that had previously relieved her now turned frightening.

She was finally found out.

"Please open the door, Sir. She is not a very nice woman. So, she might harm you."

Elisha automatically looked at Alex as if expecting protection. Will this man be willing to help her?

***