Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Willow,

I groaned, then closed my eyes when the light almost blinded me.

I raised my arm which felt like lead, then covered my eyes for a moment and groaned again. Why do I feel so tired and drained?

It is like I have been to one of those severe Muay Thai practices and I have tired my entire muscles, but I’m sure today isn’t the day for my practice, so what happened?

I took a couple of deep breaths and screamed in pain when something japed my side and a burning sensation started to crawl through my entire body.

“Mama, are you awake?”

A small voice said hesitantly, and I froze, but then I jumped sitting on the bed and the same excruciating pain hit me again, making me now scream loudly. It felt like someone or something was stabbing my middle and it hurt so much.

I heard some shuffling beside me and my tightly shut eyes opened slowly and I saw a small face watching me carefully, concerned. Then I remembered everything.

The entire day rushed to my mind quickly, and it felt like information overload because my head swam and I felt like throwing up as well.

“Yes, I’m fine, little angel. Don’t worry, I just have some headache.”

I said softly, and she hummed, but then I felt the bed dip in front of me and her little legs straddled my lap and her soft little cold hands touched my face.

“Does it hurt that much? Should I call Papa to get you a doctor or do you need to go to the hospital?”

Her sweet little voice said, and I just smiled brightly at her concerned face. She was so cute; I swear. I know that I just met her today, but this cute little angel is just adorable.

“Naah, there is no need. I’m sure that he is busy at the moment. It will pass. It is just the events of the day came back, crushing on me. But tell me, where am I exactly?”

I asked her and she frowned after leaning her head to the side and gave me a serious look that was so mature for her age and eerily similar to her father’s.

“You are in my room and my bed. Papa brought you here after you fell asleep because he was worried about you. Even though that bad mister didn’t like it and he and Papa fought about it for a while, but then Papa just ho…hoi…sted you up and brought you here back home.”

She said as she moved her arms everywhere animately, trying to express her story with her words as well as movement.

And for a second, my overloaded mind just made a sign of error. He brought me here, to his house! But why?

A knock on the door startled me and I hugged my clothes that were not my clothes tightly to my chest when I found out that I was basically naked and only wearing some robes.

A man entered after Angela told him to and he bowed his head a little, then he regarded us and talked formally.

“Dinner is served, little miss. Your father is waiting for you downstairs. You and our guest.”

He said respectfully, then he left and Angela jumped off of the bed. Then she opened her hand for me, making me stare at it in confusion.

“I can’t go downstairs like this, Angel. I need something to wear.”

I said, blushing, and the girl hummed, but then she just ran outside, leaving me alone in the room confused and a little disoriented.

 But then she was back with her hands full of so many dresses and I chuckled at her flushed, excited face as she threw them at me.

“Here, you can choose one of those, and if you don’t like them, I can bring you more.”

She said, then disappeared into what I think might be her bathroom and I stared at the beautiful, expensive clothes thrown on my lap.

I touched one that looked silky and so soft, and it was. It was so soft that I couldn’t hold it with my fingers and after checking them all, I just went with one simple creamy dress.

It was a challenge to wear it. My muscles were stiff, and I felt pain everywhere, but I managed in the end to do that then I headed to the walk in closet and entered it grinning.

It was full of dresses, bags, and even shoes. This little princess is spoiled. I can see how much love she got from her father just by watching this closet.

But I stopped at the wall mirror and looked at myself. I looked like a mess. My shoulders were bruised. My face was pale, and I had dark circles under it.

I didn’t look like someone who had a small car accident. I looked like a truck had run over me a couple of times. I looked like shit.

But I gathered my hair in a bun, then when Angela came out of the bathroom, I splashed my face with some water and just got out. There is nothing else I can do to try to fix any of this.

“Come on, papa is waiting for us downstairs. He didn’t like it when I came late. He is strict with meal time. Come on, hurry.”

The girl said as she dragged me behind her and I only had one moment to wear the slippers that were beside the bed before I was just basically dragged to the first floor behind one excited girl who kept talking nonstop.

I saw him sitting at the head of the table drinking his wine and for a second our eyes met but he just looked away, making me frown but I just shrugged it off.

Angela went to her dad and kissed his masked cheek, then she took her place on the table. Honestly, if she hadn’t told me where to sit, I would have been standing there looking lost and out of place.

But I just sat beside her and looked at everything in front of me and felt my mouth water and my stomach grumbled in hunger.

I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday. When I woke up this morning, I was in a hurry because I was late for work, or is this another day? How long have I been asleep?

I was about to ask Angela, who was busy eating her food, when an angry voice snarled, startling me.

“Why the hell are you wearing this? This dress doesn’t belong to you. Take it off NOW!”

 The man said, and I looked down at the dress, then at his angry eyes, but I almost fell off my chair when he stood up, knocking it off.

“I…….”

I opened my mouth to say something, to apologize for whatever I did wrong or even to tell him what do you mean, but then Angela spoke in a loud voice.

“This is Mama’s dress and Mama is allowed to wear it. I have brought it from your closet and I will bring her some more. She can’t walk around in just some bathrobes.”

The girl hissed at her father and for a moment I just blinked at her, then at her father, who was stunned the same as me.

“No, these are not her dresses and she can’t wear any of those. Those belong to your mother, Diana, not her, Angela. You can’t take something out of my room without asking for my permission.”

“No, these are Mama’s and she can wear and will wear them. They are hers. Mama can do anything she wants in this house. It is her home, too.”

“Angela, sweetheart, listen to me. I really don’t understand what the hell is going on here, but you can’t fight me on this. Especially this thing. I will buy her some clothes tomorrow or she can get hers from her apartment. And this is the end of this discussion.”

The man and his daughter kept fighting and talking back and forth and I watched them, lost and not sure of what to do.

I looked around me, trying to see if anyone was there to help me with this situation. And I almost sighed in relief when I saw the other man from early this morning, standing watching the scene.

I opened my mouth a couple of times but when I saw Angela stand on her chair trying to be at the same level as her father; I closed it back.

“Hey Angel, your papa is right. I shouldn’t have worn any of this. I will go back to my apartment tomorrow, but thank you for helping.”

I said, getting her attention, but I guess it was the wrong thing to say. Because next thing I knew, Angela was crying and screaming, begging me not to leave, so I just hugged her to my chest, trying to comfort her.

Elijah watched us for a second and he was about to leave, but then the man who was watching us silently spoke, stopping him.

“Mr Joseph is outside, and he is causing a scene, sir. He demands to meet Miss William.”

He said, and I bit my lip, almost fed up with this day that didn’t want to end yet. So I patted Angela’s back and pushed her away to go to meet my friend, but her wailing rose almost deafening me. So I did the only thing I could do and just carried her in my arms and stood in front of the two men who were watching me.

“Where is he? I will talk to him.”