CHAPTER 05

BERRY'S POV:-

I opened my eyes and sat up abruptly on the bed. I was in an unknown place. It looked like a mansion. It was bigger than the mansion my parents owned. I could imagine the size of the mansion with the size of the bedroom I was in. The bed itself was bigger than the living room of my aunt's house. I looked at my body. I had a white clean gown on my body. But as I remembered, I was running naked on the streets to protect myself. "Oh my God, did he get me? Oh God, no please no…" I thought to myself as I tried to remember what really happened.

I was offered by the landlord to become his mistress. I had rejected his offer and tried to run away when he tried to abuse me. Then I was running aimlessly to save myself from that monster when I was hit by a horse. Then everything went dark. I could not remember what happened to me after that. Seeing the big mansion, I was convinced that he had taken me to his home. I covered my face with both of my palms and started sobbing hard. I had no idea how to get myself free from that devil. I was shaking with the fear that he might have already taken me. Because my whole body was aching like hell.

Just as my whining sound echoed in the room, the door shook open and an old lady stepped into the room. She quickly came to me and wrapped her arms around me. She pulled me in a motherly hug and I cried my heart out. "Why are you crying, my child? Nobody will hurt you here. Or do your wounds still hurt? Tell me what is wrong with you? So I can help you." She was rubbing my back lightly to calm me down. Then she asked me all those questions as if she knew nothing.

"Please let me go. I don't want to be here. He will take advantage of me again. He has already raped me once. I can not let him touch me again. I beg you. I have my younger siblings to take care of. How will they face the world knowing that their older sister is a prostitute. I am their only hope. Please let me go. I will die if he touches me again. It hurts so bad. I can not take it again." I started begging her to let me go in a pleading tone. But she just stared at my face blankly. As if she had no idea what I was talking about. Or whom I was talking about.

"What did he do to you?" A firm masculine voice echoed in the room and I froze. I grabbed the hand of the old lady as my life depended on it. I gulped hard as I heard the footsteps coming towards the bed. I did not dare to look up. I was so scared that I felt as if I would shatter into millions of pieces right in front of them. "Nobody is going to hurt you here. You don't have to be afraid of us. You are safe here. I just want you to tell me what happened to you? Did he hurt you? Did he try to force you? Did he try to abuse you?" The same man asked me. His voice was not familiar at all. But still it felt as if I had heard it before. 

He sat on the edge of the bed but he was sitting far away. To make sure he would not make me uncomfortable. I gathered all the courage that was left inside me and looked up at his face. He was not looking at me at all. His eyes were at the door of the bedroom. Hinting how respectful and gentle he was. I gulped my nervousness down along with the lump that had formed into my throat as my eyes fell on him. "Where am I? Are you not the people who work for the landlord Smith?" I asked as my eyes roamed around the room to figure out what was going on. 

A ticklish sound of his chuckle reached my ears, tickling the insides of my stomach, my chest and my center. I clutched on the gown I was wearing to calm myself down. I looked at him again and found him shaking his head in disbelief. "Do you remember your name, luv? What is your name? Where are you from?" I heard another man who was leaning with the door frame of the bedroom. He was staring at me with a worried look on his face. As if he cared that I was far away from home.

"My name is Berry Frenchman. I lived in Vienna. I came here to earn money so I can protect and feed my younger siblings. The landlord, he tried to make me sign a contract. So I would be his mistress. I said no but he did not let me go. He tore all my clothes and tried to abuse me. I don't know how but I managed to run away. But then I was hit by a horse and then I don't remember what happened to me. Please let me go. I don't want to be anyone's mistress. I beg you." I said it all in one breath.

The old lady beside me, she rubbed my hand and gave me a calmed smile. It was the smile that said, I was safe and everything was fine. "We don't work for that filthy bastard. People like him come to us, asking for loans and money to get their asses out of the troubles with the mafia. You should not be worried about it. We have already taken care of him. Now he will never hurt you or your family ever again. Hell, he will not be able to hurt anyone innocent like you." The man who was standing with the door frame, he explained everything to me. I sighed in relief as he explained everything to me.

"At least I am safe now. Thank you so much for your kindness. Or I would have believed that there is no God who would listen to people like me." I thanked them and they all nodded their heads.

"Did you work for him?" The man who was sitting on the edge of the bed, asked me. But he did not look at me at all. 

"Yes! I used to work at his bar. But I guess I have to find a new job and a place to live. As it was his place. I don't want to use anything that is related to him" I replied and he nodded his head.

"It's okay now. You can rest here. You can figure it out later." He said and I chuckled bitterly.

"I can not rest. The landlord did not give me any money for my services for the last month. Now I have to find a job quickly or my siblings would starve to death. Fate is very unfair. It blesses the people like the landlord and people like us always have to suffer." I replied while trying hard not to cry like a baby again. But by the end of my sentence, I started sobbing again. The old lady pulled me in a motherly hug again and I as well wrapped my arms around her.

"Fate is not unfair always. It blesses the people who believe that there is a God who is seeing everything and everyone. And one day, all bad people will suffer. As per your problem, I think I can do something about it. I need a secretary as my last one has gotten married. The place is still empty. If you want, you can take this job and support your family." The man sitting on the bed spoke and I looked at him. He was literally an angel sent by God. I smiled widely while wiping my tears and quickly nodded my head.