“What are you talking about, I'm not owing you any money at all.” I say to Roman trying to think of a time when I had needed money from him. Could it have been those two years I can't seem to remember anything about? One of Roman's goons at his indication steps forward and hands me a brown-colored file. I stare at the file in his hands for some time before finally taking it from him. “You might want to sit down for that.” Roman says in a mocking tone. I glare at him before sitting down on the single chair closest to me. I flip open the file and read the heading which says, “Accrued Medical bills.” I frown as I read the figures which must be obviously exaggerated. Just for an upgrade in room costs fifteen thousand dollars per week. The drugs and everything including the extremely comfortable bed as well as the extra services of the nurses and doctor cost more than half a million. I feel my eyes fill with tears and I feel lightheaded at the same time. How the hell am I going to pa
“Get in the car, Aella.” Roman says, staring at me through the window. I bite my words and pride, pulling open the passenger seat door, and settling into the seat without sparing Roman a glance. When I finally summon up the courage to take a look at Roman, I see him smirking at me and I almost pull my hair in anger. I stare out the window, choosing to ignore Roman's presence beside me. “Where are we going?” I ask Roman, my curiosity getting the best of me. “You will see.” Roman says before turning his attention back to his laptop which he had placed in front of him. For the remainder of the drive, I listen to Roman drone on and on to his subordinates who he was on a video call with. I was kinda glad I wasn't forced to have any kind of conversation with him. I stare at the passing scenery before me, gasping lightly when we enter into what seems to be a gated estate. The houses here were totally magnificent. They looked beautiful in the sunset. We stop in front of a mansion whic
I stumble back into my room, wondering why I had not resisted the urge to find out what was behind the locked door. Roman keeps stalking toward me and with no sense of direction, I fall to the ground, only managing to get on my knees before Roman stops in front of me. Roman looks at me with a self assured smirk adorning his face, cradling my head in his palms he says, “I must say, princess, I love you on your knees before me." I try to scramble away but Roman refuses to let me go, he tightens his fist around my hair, pulling me into him until I'm eye level with his growing bulge. “Let me go, Roman.” I seethe. “Beg me, princess. Make it believable.” Roman says with a sharklike grin that turns my insides into a quivering mess. Not willing to spend another minute on this damn floor and after realising that no matter how hard I struggle, I would not be able to break free from his grasp, I give into his wishes. “Please. Let. Me. Go.” I say angrily through clenched jaw. “Try again, p
“What am I supposed to do with all this time on my hands?” I ask through clenched teeth. “Sit there and look pretty.” Roman says, sipping casually from the glass in front of him.“You can always allow me to go back to my work.” I say to Roman, choosing to ignore his sentence and altogether hopeful for a positive response. “About that…… I took the liberty to resign on your behalf.” Roman says, shrugging nonchalantly. “You did what?” I scream at him, standing up so fast I knock down the chair I had been sitting on to the ground. “Stop screaming, princess, it will do you no good.” Roman says in a stern tone. “The hell it will. I refuse to stand by and watch you take control of my life, I'm also a person, I have rights as much as the next person.” I sat angrily, swiping away all the plates and spoons that were on the table in front of me to the floor in anger. I could still hear the breaking of the ceramic plates and cups even after everything lay still on the floor. When a maid ste
The lady whirls around, looking a little bit stunned when she sees me. “Hi, I'm Georgia.” I look at her outstretched hands for a minute before taking it in mine, “I'm Aella.” I say, finally enclosing her hand with mine. “I know this is too soon, but I'm hoping we can spend some more time together, I've missed you.” Georgia says, smiling brightly. “Do I know you?” I ask, not concerned that I might sound a bit rude. Georgia looks at Roman for guidance, probably confused by my question. “I told you not to overwhelm her. She can get to know you later.” Roman says. “Do we know each other?” I ask, interrupting their little chat. “Yeah, we did.” Georgia says, not offering any explanation. I guess she has also been warned against divulging any information on my past. “Hope you had a good day, princess.” Roman asks in an annoyingly inquisitive tone. I glare at him, refusing to humor him or get myself more worked up. On seeing that I was not going to offer any response, Roman leaves me
“Don't get your panties in a twist, princess. We will just be sleeping.” Roman says, cutting into his steak. “If that is all you want, why can't you do it alone?” I ask a little concerned at the innocent statement. Was this a joke? “I want you where I can feel you, Princess.” Roman says, giving me an intense look. “If that's all there is to it, then I agree.” I say, nodding my head solemnly. Roman gives me a smile that has me reconsidering my decision. But anyway, a deal is a deal. I eat my food, excited that at least I will get to work and not go out of my mind with boredom being stuck in this house. When we are both done, I head up the stairs and into my room. I intend to freshen up first before going into Roman's room. I open my bag that contains all my toiletries, and I take out all my essentials and head into the adjoining bathroom. However, when I step into the bathroom, I see the erotic sight, which is Roman in the shower stall. I never knew the shampooing of one's ha
Lily comes back out a moment later with the same files in her hand. She looks at me and then at the door like she would rather be in any other place than in my presence. “Roman said I should give this to you.” Lily says looking away as she places the files before me. I merely nod my head, effectively dismissing her. I had no reason to make small talk or ask irrelevant questions. I keep typing away on my computer if only to avoid having to be put under the stress of forcing a conversation with this new lady. When she leaves, I breathe in a huge sigh of relief and look at the time, counting down the minutes to lunch break. I'm tempted to take out my phone and type away but I remember clearly that it is one of the rules in this company's handbook that the use of a phone during work hours is prohibited. I'm shaken out of my reverie when the fancy telephone on my desk table rings. “Hello, this is Montgomery Enterprises, how may I help you?” Romans's deep voice comes through the phone
Roman Montgomery.Lily Feyman. Those were the only two people who had access to my desk while I was away having lunch with Ashley. But Roman couldn't have been the one to drop that letter. What would be his endgame? The person who dropped that message, obviously wanted to separate me from Roman. I look at the door to Romans' office and contemplate whether I'm making the right decision by keeping this away from him. The person could also only be playing jokes, right? What are the chances that my life might actually be under threat? There was really no need to raise an alarm over nothing. I put the paper away, deciding to put the threat out of my mind. I jerk off my chair and almost fall to the ground when the company's phone starts ringing. I dart a look around, worried that Roman might have seen me acting weirdly. I wouldn't put it past him to run an investigation to satisfy his curiosity. “Hello, this is Montgomery Enterprises. How may I help you?” I ask with a smile I know th
A hard choice has to be made. My past or my present. After my mother died, it was almost as if all the friends she had and her family as well vanished into thin air. It became clear to me when I grew up, that my father purposefully cut them out of our lives. I had sworn to myself that I would come back and look for them but life happened and I haven't had the chance to. But right now, the opportunity to reconnect with the only people who knew and loved my mother as much as I did has fallen into my lap but it comes at the expense of my future. If I stay back for even an hour longer, I will surely be caught which is why I refuse to turn back. With tears dripping down my cheeks, I forge forward as I run towards the motel. I barely see the road in front of me as the tears refuse to stop. I rush into my room and hurriedly change out of my dress and into some pants and a tee. I sling my bag over my shoulder as I head out of the room. I take a cab to the train station, and luckily for me t
A hard choice has to be made. My past or my present. After my mother died, it was almost as if all the friends she had and her family as well vanished into thin air. It became clear to me when I grew up, that my father purposefully cut them out of our lives. I had sworn to myself that I would come back and look for them but life happened and I haven't had the chance to. But right now, the opportunity to reconnect with the only people who knew and loved my mother as much as I did has fallen into my lap but it comes at the expense of my future. If I stay back for even an hour longer, I will surely be caught which is why I refuse to turn back. With tears dripping down my cheeks, I forge forward as I run towards the motel. I barely see the road in front of me as the tears refuse to stop. I rush into my room and hurriedly change out of my dress and into some pants and a tee. I sling my bag over my shoulder as I head out of the room. I take a cab to the train station, and luckily for me
“Is there any particular reason why I'm standing here?” I ask the security guard with a carefully practiced bored expression on my face. “I'm just waiting for confirmation, and then I will let you pass. I'm sorry. Instructions from the higher ups.” The man says once more before he continues his work. My heartbeat increases as I look around me. Most people were starting to look at me suspiciously and sooner than later, Roman is going to get me. “Fine. Where's the bathroom?” I ask the man after some time of thinking. “It's just down that way.” The man says with a polite smile on his face as he points me to a door at his far right. I don't say anything as I haul my bag with me towards the stalls. ‘Fuck!’ This is not supposed to be happening. I had to get on that train. And I have to do it fast. I weigh my options and come up with a hasty plan I hope is enough to get me boarded. I open my duffel bag and say a little prayer of thanks for having a bestfriend like Ashley. I take out t
I pull the car I had driven to a stop in front of Ashley's house. I barely have the time to turn off the car and step out of it when Ashley comes running out of the house with a bag in her hands. I had called her on the ride down here and had given her the watered down details of what went down explaining in very clear terms that I was leaving. “Drive! Drive! Drive!” Ashley exclaims as she slips hurriedly into the front seat of the car. I do as she says and zoom off, watching as the bodyguards who are supposed to be watching her attempt to pursue our car on foot but have no such luck. “What the hell, Ashley? What was that all about?” I ask once we've gone a considerable distance away from her house. “I had to lose the guards. It's not like you would have appreciated it if I had brought them along with us now, would you?” Ashley asks while settling down further into the seat, putting on her seat belt. “What do you mean ‘us’? You aren't coming with me.” I say to Ashley with a slig
“She's working hand in hand with someone in your house.” I say to Roman the moment he steps back into his office. His shirt sleeves are folded and his tie is a bit loose, his hair also looks like he had run his hand in it countless number of times in the last few hours. “You don't believe me.” I say in a quiet tone when I'm met with his silence. “It's not a matter of believing you or not, it's about who led you down this part, princess.” Roman responds in a quiet tone. “I don't know. There were a couple of people involved. Oh, wait. There's one. The man that tried to kill me in the massage parlour. The person who lured me outside and pushed me into the pool in the hotel in Seattle. The person that has been sabotaging all my work right in this office.” I say angrily until I'm panting heavily.“You told me you fell into the pool.” Roman says in a deadly cool tone. “Do you need me to continue?” I ask Roman, ignoring his questions. “Ever since I woke up from this godforsaken coma, my
“Where are you going, Roman?” I ask in a confused tone as I step into the office and find Roman packing up his stuff. “I have an urgent meeting to attend. I will have the driver take you home, princess.” Roman says in a response as his intense gaze roves over my face. “I have something to show you, Roman.” I say in an urgent tone as I take a step closer to him. He starts to say something in response when his phone goes off ringing. “Fuck!” He curses as he sees the caller Id. “Go home straight, princess. We will talk when we get back. Don't give me a reason not to let you off on your own again.” Roman says while giving me a pointed look. I nod my head and give him a tight smile as I pack up my things. Files and documents I want to work on when I get home. There was no exposing Lily now. I have to wait till he gets back home as promised. This was all even better. At least she won't be present to try and sway him or lie to him about everything. Just as I'm finishing up, a knock s
“Ashley?” I call out in urgency, the need to see her safe overriding my need for self-preservation as I step out of the car and hurry into the house. “Aella?” Ashley calls from inside the room where I hear voices. I rush into the room and find Ashley sitting on the bed where she looks pretty comfortable. “Thank God you are here. Please help me these people that I'm indestructible and there's no need for the fuss.” Ashley says with an exasperated sigh as I hurry to her bedside. I spot a cold-looking Ethan standing by the window, staring sharply at the doctors surrounding Ashley and totally ignoring the nurse who made it her life's mission to attract his attention. “Tell me you are okay, Ashley.” I say in a wobbly voice as I pull her into my arms. “Of course, I'm okay, Aella. I told you, they can't hurt me.” Ashley says in a strong tone, but she still tightens her arms around my midriff. I get on the bed with her as I try to quiet my sobs, and I don't say anything when I feel my
“Where did you take her to, Roman?” I ask in an extremely calm tone that I have a hard time recognising as mine. “Calm down, Aella, he had nothing to do with this.” Ethan says as he steps into the house, immediately reading the situation. “Where the fuck did you take her to?” Roman barks at Ethan, barely sparing me a glance. “That's not important right now. I need you to let go of Ashley, right this minute!” I say to him in a trembling voice, wondering why I'm afraid of him finding out I was out with Ethan when he could possibly be holding Ashley hostage. “Why would you think I'm the one responsible for all this?” Roman asks me in a confused tone as he takes a step towards me. “If you aren't involved, then what are you doing with those pictures? I saw you take them out when I came in.” I respond with tears rolling down my cheeks. “I saw them lying outside when I came into the house. To look for you, but apparently you weren't here.” Roman explains in a hard, sinister tone as he
“Tell your boy toy to let your father go, Aella! How could you be this wicked!?” Kate asks me in a tone laced with anger. “Mother, I'm not holding his hands now, am I?” I asked in an innocent tone as I give Ethan a subtle sign to let my father go. “We should have indeed sent you down to a nondescript orphanage deep in the woods all that time ago. All you've done since you grew up is insult us and punish us for all the good we've done for you!” Kate says with teeth bared as Ethan finally lets my father go. “Why didn't you?” I ask in an angry emotion-filled tone. At this point, anything would have been better than growing up under their care. “You ungrateful bitch!” Kate says as she takes a threatening step towards me, stopping short when I don't cower back in fear. I see the uncertainty in her eyes and I can't help but feel smug about it. Ethan finally lets go of my father and he drops to the ground, coughing violently while clutching his chest. “When you sleep at night, let Aell