CHAPTER ONE: MEETING MR DASHIELL
My eyes flickered open like the blurry Christmas lights at the far end of a NewYork street. I tried to move but my head felt like it had been nailed to the hard, black tiles, and I could only manage to lift a finger or two. My mouth quivered as I felt liquid surrounding my cold body, I began to wonder whether I had taken a piss on the floor while unconcious. Using the strength I had left, I raised my fingers up to meet my eyes. My vision was blurry but I could still decipher that the liquid on the floor wasn't piss but in fact blood. I was surrounded by my own blood. I shut my eyes as I recalled how this came to be. It wasn't the first time he had beaten me, but this was the first time that his fists led me to draw blood. I have endured it for eight years and running. All the beatings, the scars, and the pains. With no one to run to but the good memories of my distant past. Spent running around with a boy that lived close to me. People talk about how envious they are about my wealth and status in society, but how taken aback would they be when they find out how I truly feel. I honestly detest my wealth and status, because it hadn't allowed me to finally be free. Ever since I had been born into a wealthy Eres household, my life and dreams were put on standstill. The fifth child and only daughter of Danyal Eres, born into wealth and married off to wealth and pain. I had been groomed to marry Malek since I was 6. My mother often said that our marriage would be the talk of the season and that it would bring our family wealth among many others. But, what good is wealth when you are not allowed to be happy? I remember when I told my father that I wanted to join his company, His mocking snicker drove a hard slap to my face and I was driven back to my cocoon, my place of solitude, my writings. I have attempted suicide times without number, being the mother of a four year old son wasn't easy, but how would I care for a child who was taken away from me at birth? The second he came out of my vagina, my husband called his mother and she took him away and hadn't allowed me to see him. I was only ever allowed out of the house when my husband hosted a party with his friends, or when he was invited to one. I let out a loud grunt as I struggled to get up, my hands harshly gripping the edge of my bed frame, while using the other to support my stomach. I grabbed the leather coat on the edge of my bed and left for the pharmacy. ************* Using the coat's hood to cover my face, I stepped out of the pharmacy, clutching the drugs to my stomach as I limped like an injured antelope. "Ma'am! It's starting to get windy. You should stay here until the sun starts to shine!" The front desk lady who ran after me, called, allowing me to face her and shake my head to refuse. In my heart, I felt like everyone knew about my husband's mistreatment towards me, but what could they do other than offer unprofound sympathy? "I'm fine. My car is just around the corner," I lied, my mind screaming for me to just get inside and sit there until my ass starts to peel. I wanted nothing more than to avoid Malek, but I knew how furious he was going to be if he didn't see me home early. The wind soon started to pick up, blowing all the empty wrappers on the street out of place, while almost getting sand into my eyes. I started to run to try and find shelter somewhere, while mentally cursing myself for not following that front desk lady back inside. Just then, I heard a car horn behind me, but I chose to ignore them, just In Case that was my husband's PA or driver. I watched with my side vision as the silver Rolls Royce drove forth to be ahead of me, the tinted windscreen rolling down to reveal the face of a pudgy guy with a receding hairline, "Get in, my boss wants to speak with you," the man said, but I held my coat tighter around my body and shook my head to say no. "It wasn't a request. Get in," the fat man commanded, opening the door and getting out to let me in. The black interior of the car exuded extreme aura, power and wealth. The fresh smell of alcohol and cigarettes filled my nose as the fat man shut the door and walked away. And my shy gaze moved to take in the appearance of the man who sat next to me. Compared to the fat man, this one was quite…body built. His chiseled jawline was complemented by piercing black eyes that seem to dig pools into those he gazes at. His dark hair was styled, framing his high cheekbones, straight nose, and full lips. He was clad in a tailored suit that accentuated his broad shoulders and chest, and his whole appearance spelled one hundred percent aura. "You wanted to see me?" I asked in a shaky voice. His dark eyes scanned me thoroughly, and he moved to examine the silver bracelet on my wrists that had 'OTTO' engraved on it. "That bracelet…" he drawled, his baritone voice creeping me out. "Who gave it to you?" "A friend from my teenage years," I replied, covering my hands around the bracelet. He looked away and leaned back in the seat, "Why were you taking lone strides in the storm?" I shifted in my seat nervously and answered, "I… wanted to take a trip to the pharmacy. It isn't far to where I live," "Where do you live?" He asked, his dark eyes back on me, scanning my whole body and boring into my soul. "Malek Kashim Estate," He eyed me suspiciously, "What are you? His maid?" I shook my head to say no, almost chuckling out of his lack of information, "I'm Malek's wife," I scanned his expression for some kind of reaction, and I didn't know why I felt disappointed that he had none. "Did he do this to you?" He asked, his voice manly but empty. "You do realize that you reek of blood, don't you?" He asked but I didn't answer. He tapped on the barricade that separated the driver's seat from where we both sat, "Stop. She will go on her own from here," he said, and like a flick of a finger, the fat man appeared and opened the door for me. His dark eyes bore into me again and I swear that I could hear the last words that came out of his mouth before the car zoomed off, over again. "I'll see you soon, Zahra,"CHAPTER 2: MAN OF THE HOURI stepped into my bedroom to meet the floor clean, the space smelling like antiseptic, and my husband leaning on the wall, tapping his feet furiously. I could feel the rage burn into his eyes as he came forth and dealt a harsh slap to my face. My right cheek burned like a spinning wheel in a hot furnace, and it looked like so. I bow my head, my eyes gazing at the floor trying to count the black tiles to keep me from bursting out tears. Malek loved to see me cry, but I vowed to never shed any tears, not for him."Where were you?" He seethed."I went to the pharmacy to get some medicine," He scoffed, "For what? The little punches I dealt you? You felt like you could talk out of place now because I let you to! I would never let any woman that I bought with billions of Kuwaiti dinars, not dollars, dinars, disrespect me in the way you did," He spat lousily.I said nothing and so he started to walk around me."So, what took you so long? The maids said they saw y
CHAPTER 3: TWO HEARTS, ONE DANCEAs my husband and Dashiell continued to talk about business and crazily boring stuff, I felt the urge to run away from the party. The larger it was, the more I felt like I wanted to vomit. I haven't known Dashiell for more than a day but I could tell that he was a man of few words and works. His aura was enough for him to voice out a five thousand worded essay in two minutes. I kind of admired him, plus, he was hotter than Malek. Malek looked like the effect of a failed chemistry practical. Curly hair, big head, large stomach, and thin legs. And he called me ugly? Me?I am the epitome of beauty and perfection. Every time I walked past my husband's friends, their eyelashes fluttered like they wanted to make them fly out of their shorts. They studied me like I was their business textbook, and when they saw me, it was like the light had been restored to darkness. I am the air that those men breathe. My beauty rises and kills. They could chew my long h
CHAPTER FOUR: WINE OVER GOLF?A week had passed since Malek's opening party and I hadn't heard from either Dashiell or Malek. Fear began to engulf me as the thought of Malek already signing off the inheritance to his mistress's unborn baby filled my head. I paced around my large bedroom frantically, thinking of how to reach Dashiell. Where do I even start from? How do I get to my child, who I don't even know his name. What should I do?Just then, my phone started to ring. Like a bolt of lightning, I rushed to pick it up and saw that it was an unknown number.I swear if it's the interior designers that are calling to ask whether we have a new event coming up, I am going to kill that person myself."Hello?" Then, his familiar baritone voice filled my ears, "Were you waiting for me to call?" I moved to sit on the chair, even more restless than before, "I was almost tempted to steal your email address from my husband," I confessed"My driver is in your estate. He's going to bring you
CHAPTER 5: DIVORCE? ON A CONDITIONI was so glad that Dashiell's driver didn't drop me in the estate, and that he dropped me off at the same place we met last week. But as I stepped onto my husband's estate grounds, all of the guards stationed at the gate all the way to the main house, held guns and stood near the gate. I wanted to ask what was going on, but I heard Barney call out to me. "Ma'am, Mr. Malek wants to see you as soon as possible," My heart sank. I knew that tone, that look. Malek definitely knew that I had left the estate, and he knew who I had met with. "What is it, Barney?" I asked, hoping that he was calling for no reason. Barney's expression remained neutral. "I'm not supposed to give you that kind of information, ma'am," I nodded slowly, "I understand. Sorry," I replied and made my way to his room.************Malek had his back to the door as I entered the room. He immediately stifled a laugh as he felt my presence. "You have grown nerves, Zahra. You have bec
CHAPTER SIX - SALEM KASHEMI felt somewhat uneasy because Dashiell hadn't sent his car to pick me up, and it was almost dusk.After the whole gunshot drama and estate raid yesterday, neither Malek nor Barney had been found. I asked one of his other guards, but he said that Malek didn't wish to disclose his hideout. How cowardly.The sun started to set, casting its beautiful rays onto me as I stayed glued to the large window in my bedroom, looking to see if his car was there or not. "Zahra," I heard a familiar stern voice, call from behind me, startling me and almost making me lose my balance. My heart skipped ten beats as I turned around to see Dashiell standing up straight, his back against the wall, dressed in a black satin dress shirt with several buttons undone, revealing part of his broad chest, and tucked into black low-waist pants.I wanted to ask him so many questions. Why was he here? Had anyone seen him? Why didn't he call earlier? And why didn't he send Blazer or Gotham?
CHAPTER SEVEN- DO OR DIE AFFAIRWARNING: 18+ THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS VIOLENCE~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°NIGHTFALLDashiell's car pulled up directly in front of my estate gate, and knowing how much of a gentleman he is, I decided to sit down and wait for him to open my car door. I shut my eyes, taking in his scent shamefully as he left the car to open my door. "Thank you for helping me. I am grateful to you," I said, holding on to my son like he was going to escape from me at that moment. He didn't say anything, he just nodded coldly and entered the car. As I started to walk away, I could feel his gaze etch on the back of my head. I turned back to see his car still there. "Maybe he was watching me leave," I thought as I entered the gates. The sky was pitch black when we arrived, the only thing we could hear were trucks honking and frogs croaking. I carried my son onto my shoulders, rubbing his back and kissing his body softly. The only thing that was stopping me from bursting out tears w
CHAPTER 8 - ALONE IN DUNDEEWith the strength I had left, I started to drag Dashiell out of the warehouse. My arms were tucked under his armpits as I summoned the rest of my strength, trying to carry him to his car. But I gave up, leaving him on the floor, and then rushed outside. A black sports car was parked directly in front of the warehouse, but as I drew closer, I saw that the windows were bashed, and the tires were flattened. I immediately opened the door and started searching the car for his phone. I found it under the car pedal and took it out, scrolling through his contacts list, my eyes searched for Blazer or Gotham's names.I dialed Blazer's number when I saw it, and it rang for a second before he picked up. "Hello, Boss," Blazer's scary voice filled my ears. I shook my head slightly, "No... it's not... it's me, Zahra," I stuttered. "Please come to the warehouse in Dundee Street. It's Dashiell, he was shot. Please be fast. There's no time! I could have driven his car, bu
CHAPTER 9 - INHERITANCEAfter leaving the hospital, the old lady kindly dropped me off at the pharmacy where I usually bought drugs. From there, I walked to my husband's estate. My son's room was the first place I went, and I was relieved to find him playing with toys on the floor. I smiled and bent down to his level. "What are we playing with today?" I asked in my most babyish voice, caressing his back and forgetting he couldn't hear me. "My poor baby," I whispered, my eyes welling up. I gulped, trying to control my emotions. "You don't deserve to be born into such a cruel world." Salem looked at me when he saw my tears and pouted. Using his hands, he mimicked tears and then shrugged. I couldn't hold back my tears anymore, I wrapped my arms around him and sobbed like a child. "My darling, I know you may not know me, and you can't hear me, but I'm your mommy, and I'm sorry for neglecting you all these years. It wasn't right of me -"Just then, Malek's voice interrupted me. "Zahra!