MARCUSToday, like the twenty-second day in January every year was a public holiday in England. It was compulsory for the citizens to take the day off from work and celebrate with their families.Tradition English meals were usually prepared on such occasions and it required all of the family members to be together when preparing it.Growing up, I'd never really gotten the concept behind the whole celebration since I'd been young and naive, but all I knew back then was that a lot of food was consumed that day. People usually ate and drank like they weren't living till the next day.In my case, it was different. It wasn't necessarily because I had no parents, hence, no one to celebrate with. While my grandmother was alive, she never joined the people in gracing the occasion. The day was a very emotional one since it was the day she was born, and also the day she'd lost her mother. Sometimes, she'd wished she never lived to know that it was in the cause of her birth that she'd died. She
MARCUS... For the next few hours, I tried to be productive so the things Gina said wouldn't affect me that much, but I'd be lying to say that fragments of the statements made by her didn't filter through my mind every once in a while. I'd never really been the type to ponder on things for too long, but I was going to be completely honest and say things the way they really were, I'd thought about this one for long enough. When I told myself it was alright and it was time to move on, it kept replaying like she'd been somewhere, with a remote, pressing any button she deemed fit. From where I sat in Nanny and granddad's living room, I could hear the annoying sounds of celebration. They pierced in through the walls and windows and not to lie, I was all the words to describe enraged, but I kept whatever feeling it was that I hate towards the ones who were celebrating bottled up in me because my opinion didn't matter. Earlier on, I'd attempted to try and have the coffee from the brewing
MONIQUE I'd been gone for how long? Two, three, four days? Quite frankly, I had not the slightest idea, but all I knew was that I found peace in those few days I'd been gone. The main reason unknown to me. Gina informed me that a lot had happened within that period. Things that had slipped off my memory once she announced it. I honestly had been going through a lot of phases these last couple of days, but all that mattered was that I found peace. Today was the day everything would be over. I was returning to the castle. The fucking castle. Trust me, anywhere would be perfectly fine other than that fucked up place called the royal castle. I'd left for a lot of reasons, the main one being to avoid further conversations about my supposed coronation. The whole thing was like shit that had been talked about for too long, but didn't happened. I prayed this one wouldn't happen, though. It was like overhyped shit to me. Shit that would happen to me. If I had to use a finger to count ho
MONIQUE ... There'd been a lot of shit that I'd left unattended for a long time and it was high time I figured how to fix those things. A company that I fucking built from scratch was on the verge of suffering due to some fucked up staff in a branch in the United States. Due to my mental health, I'd completely pushed that aside for a long time. It had been over three months and I couldn't even start to pretend like I didn't know what was going on. Our rank was dropping and in no time, I'd be a liar to say I was shocked if we weren't even on the top fifty. If I didn't get down to it, it was going to come to that. We were still in the top twenty, but when your gut instinct told you to do something, it was best to obey because those things were like guardian angels sent directly from God. Just this morning alone, I'd spoken with a few people on my team and I'd been informed that those people were working. It was by their making that MBC was still what it was. I couldn't thank them en
MONIQUE "Gina!" I yelled, darting across the hallway and not giving a care who or who didn't see me in the state that I was in."Gina, bitch. Where the fuck are you?"Before I knew it, I was racing down the staircase like an idiot was chasing after me with a knife. Certain experiences in life lead us into doing things we didn't know we were capable of and right now, I was sprinting as though I wanted nothing but the gold medal. How I'd gotten to the worker's wing, I had not the little bit of interpretation, but fuck it. All that mattered was that I had gotten to safety even though without a doubt, I resembled a mad woman. "Bitch, open the fucking door!" My hand hit the first door that came to view. It might not have been Gina's since I'd never bothered to ask how where she stayed looked like and I was finally paying for it. Who knew what'd happen in a few seconds from now? Probably, a nearly naked man might open the door and after what I'd just experienced, I was far from willing
MONIQUE ... One of the numerous things I hated with a passion was when my rest was interrupted. Gina knew and she still went ahead to do it, but it was for good reasons actually. My presence was required in the United States. Not by the president or anyone in authority, but by MBC. Things were getting out of hand and they needed none other than me to fix it since it was me who built it from the scratch. The whole thing felt nerve-wracking. I was still in the phase of trying to get my eyes opened fully, but I knew it was going to be one hell of an experience. "You have to get up so we'll plan this quickly." Gina told me, patting a side of my exposed left arm. Fuck, this was really happening. Using the tips of my fingers to scrub my lids open, I stared at her for a good five seconds as if she was a stranger I'd just found resting on my bed. "Hi," I said, curtly, not hiding that I was pissed she woke me. "You need to get your ass out off of this bed and get out of here." The tone
MONIQUE I could ask myself the question what the fuck happened? a million times, but my brain still wouldn't be able to give me an answer that was meritorious ;hence, my reason for staring at everything I could through the window as the car moved. All Gina did was ask are you okay? The answer was very fucking patent. I wouldn't say in broad daylight because it was literally 2:00am in the morning, but I wasn't. My company was crumbling before my very own eyes and things had gotten so bad that it was at the level where it was beyond me. How could it be beyond me? I needed to fix this, but how? I'd asked myself that question time and again within the space of was it ten minutes? I hadn't been able to come up with something reasonable, but I wasn't going to give up. What I'd given my all, spent my spirit soul and body building wasn't going to crumble with the blink of an eye. It would be so shameful and even though I didn't want to think about it, but it meant that I'd have to return
MONIQUE - The next day, I was in my private plane, flying to England just as though nothing serious happened during the early hours of the day and I didn't just get to America about twenty-four hours ago. It was crazy. It took a while for us to arrive at the castle and when we got there, it was as deserted as a quite place could be. Even along the streets, I could find no one. It made me think that they were having something like a festival or so, but if that had been the case, we should have seen a few people walking along the roads or at least, heard some sounds from them, but neither of them came. Not to lie, I did feel a bit relieved. All I hoped was that Adrian wasn't lurking within the walls of the castle since it was large enough to not notice when there was an imposter in the house. Quite frankly, Adrian had become a thing of great irritation to to me. Thinking about him made bile want rise from my system and go out through my mouth. I got
MARCUS Being back in the United States felt unbelievable. I'd only been gone for a few days, but it felt as though I'd been gone for six months. Life was panning out well. I'd gotten to know Monique so well that I read her like an open book now. She didn't need to complete some of her statements before I knew what it was. We definitely were soul mates. Our future wasn't something we'd both sat down to ever discuss, but we knew we were spending the rest of our lives together–that one was insured, it was a matter of timing. Just when I was thinking about her, she walked in for a bit before stopping at the door, her hand stretching and holding the door frame as though if she didn't, she'd lose support, and break a bone. I was stunned by her position. "What?" I asked her, smiling. "What the shirt says, you dummy." My eyes landed on her shirt, and it said 'Marry me, Marcus'. Cross my heart, if I could faint, wake up and faint again, I was going to do so. What the fuck was this life
Two Months Later… MONIQUE " It's really fucked up, G. " I said, shaking my head and still caught up in the shock of seeing her. It had been almost four months. "I'm an asshole, I know, but I'm so fucking sorry."Looking at Gina kneeling before me right now, there was nothing I could do. Something in me so badly wanted to hate her for abandoning me for almost two months, but I couldn't just bring myself to oblige. Yes, she did abandon me, but my mind went back to the times before the abandonment. To the beautiful memories we shared. I was guessing there was a limit to the extent she could go for me. She'd always told me that there was nothing she wouldn't do for me, but the day we trusted humans was the day it was going to be over for us, and the sad thing was that I really did take her word for what it was. At the end of the day, we were all humans, and were always going to fuck up no matter what. Marcus and I had discussed, and we'd come to the conclusion that I was going to le
MONIQUE The love of my life was stooping down close to me, and I was looking at him right in the eye. That eye contact was all the assurance I needed. I'd waited for this for so long. "I love you." I said, my voice so fucking evident of the stenght that I lacked. I didn't want to think about it. To think about Adrian, and what he took away from me. God, remembering it made fresh tears fall from my eyes. It was as though he understood me. With his thumb, he brushed the tears away. "He did this to me." I said to him, crying. He raped me. It wasn't only him. They were so many. " I was a sobbing mess by the time I was was done with my statement. It was a good thing that I was vulnerable with him. "I know." Marcus said, nodding. I continued to stare at him while sobbing and swallowing those silly lumps that formed in my throat every so often. I looked crazy because while Adrian was definitely I cried, and that drained some of the energy in me. Once I passed out and woke up a while ag
MARCUSI hope I'm not late. I hope I get there just in time, and she's still very much alright. I pray that I wouldn't have to live a life filled with regret because of actions I could prevent from happening. I didn't have any excuse for leaving her, but I was guessing uncertainty was one of the things that triggered it. I'd been gone for a while when I could have just gone on my knees and begged her to give me what she was willing to. I'd have accepted it. Rather, I took it to the extreme, and revealed secrets that I should have waited to tell her. She's in danger now, and if anything happens to her, I'll never forgive myself. I thought I was going to be able to beat the time, and be there early but a lot of factors led to the delay. The first one being that it rained, and given that condition, there were things the horses could do, and things they couldn't. Never in a million years will horses suddenly want to function when it was raining cats and dogs. Not really a valid reason
MONIQUE There was no way I could talk with a gun in my mouth, and so all I did was nod and put my palms together as an indication of plea. The tip of the gun was touching my throat, and I swear to God, I wanted to puke so bad. "You're going to suck on the gun, spit on it, and gag until I tell you to stop." He said. Right there, and then, my gag reflex was on high alert, and I almost choked on the weapon that was in my mouth. I shook my head, indirectly saying 'you don't have to do this'. The magnanimity of the whole situation triggered more tears, and they just kept falling and wetting the ground below me. I could go lower and lick the tip of his shoes right now, but not this. Anything but the gun in my mouth. What even made the matter all the more awkward was the fact that there were people in this room watching me. So many fucking people. Thank fuck this wasn't the United States, and this was one of those occasions where I was grateful to God for not allowing civilization to ha
MONIQUE "Don't do this." I shook my head, attempting to stop the tears from falling, but God, it really was hard. Was this how everything would end? You know, for all these months, a fragment of my mind, and a part of me believed I was going to get that happily ever after ending just like everyone. If someone told me that I would walk to my death majestically, I'd laugh because in my head, that person would be a fucked up sadist with a messed up life. I always had hope. "How the mighty have fallen." Adrian's wicked laughed pierced through the air again, and I'm actually so done. He rubbed his chest as he got closer, and closer to me. "What do you even want?" I asked, still seated there--preparing for my death with all sorts of food laying on the table before me. "You're quite foolish for a billionaire, don't you think? I want it all. I want the power, the wealth, every fucking thing!" He said, stamping his feet on the ground while I sat there, looking at him right in the eye--wh
MONIQUEFrom the moment I stepped into this house, suspicion stirred in in my stomach, fear climbing up my spine, but I refused to give in. There was no turning back now. I had to face the music. I didn't even know anyone here, and so if anything happened, there was no one to call to get me out of here. "Make yourselves comfortable, yeah." She said, that Welsh accent making rearing its head. You could take the woman out of the village, but never could you take the village out of the woman. "We have tea, wine. Whatever it is that you want." She said. Adrian walked to the closest seat to the fireplace and made himself comfortable while I remained standing-- the driver, and the maids as well. Adrian was probably going to yell at them if they sat. " Monique, don't do that where I am. Will my lap be more comfortable than the chairs?" Adrian asked. I could see his teeth through the fire, and I wanted nothing more than to pull each of them out while I watch him wallow in agony. The dinwi
𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐐𝐔𝐄 ♚The same way Adrian stormed in to tell me about the ball organized by the Welsh prince was the same way he stormed in during the early hours of today to tell me to get ready. He said we were journeying to Wales. Today was one of those days I missed Gina. Better suck it all in, and move on. He didn't just march in, he also brought along with him the dress I was supposed to wear. He said he didn't want me looking eerie. I knew myself so well. The Monique of two to three months ago would have slapped that sick son a bastard in the face, and thrown the dress at his face, but all I did was sit down, and look at him like someone who was mentally ill. I was really missing my old self. I pondered on what it was going to take me to get back to that state of mind. The dress wasn't too far away from me as I laid in bed. The tranquility in this room, goodness me. God knew I needed this. Maybe this trip was what I needed to get out of th
𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐐𝐔𝐄♚Funny of me to think that we were finally heading somewhere, and it all came crashing down when he uttered those words. Fuck me. Frankly speaking, though, Marcus did nothing wrong. How fast did I forget that it was me who told him to let it all out? He could've kept it to himself, and we'd still be going strong. Fuck, I was a fool. It had been what? Three days of self-isolation. Hunger had dealt with me so much, but the pride in me wouldn't let me get my ass out of bed and get something to eat. I, myself couldn't deny the certitude of my life being repetitive. If Monique Jenkins' life was a course of study in colleges, universities, and tertiary institutions, there'd be no one that would major in that because of the magnitude of the boredom they were going to get from it. Let's be real, though, school on its own was boring, but Monique Jenkins' life would lead you to commit suicide. Her life was bland, and wishy-washy, and boy did she crave some spice? Of course.