Sitting across the charcoal table, Adele tried to calm her stress by fudging her finger.
“How the hell do you think I will expect this proposal?” Adele thundered.
“There is no need to shout, Miss Adele. We are giving you an option. This way, you can save your farm and shop,” the bank manager drawled. Adele took a sharp breath. The options given by the manager were not official but could help her save the only thing that belonged to her father.
After a long silence, she looked at them. “Fine, I want to meet him.” She sighed as she rubbed her red eyes. They left the room quietly.
She could not figure out how to pay the debt for the last eight sleepless nights. The money she got stolen by her step-brother. But here, sitting in this air-conditioned office, the bank manager came up with an alternative.
He told her to meet with a person in business ready to help her, but she had to accept his few conditions. Adele didn’t understand this shallow situation. But at last, she had to give it a chance. She picked a piece of lint from her sleeve, thinking of what would show up through that entrance. The door made a creek sound; her eyes landed on the gate when she saw Mr. Vincent enter the room. She furrowed and tried to recognize this face.
“Mr. Vincent,” she whispered.
The bank manager smiled at them.
“You guys can talk.”
The manager turns to face Adele, “I hope you agree with Mr. Vincent’s conditions, Miss Adele,”
Mr. Vincent settled himself across this long table. “There is a red file.” he asserted.
“I know you need money. And I could help you,” Mr. Vincent came straight to the point. She listened to him keenly. “The only thing you need to do is to sign those papers,” he pointed towards the red file.
“What’s that?” She opened the file.
“It’s a marriage contract. I am going to save your farm and shop. All you need to do is marry my boss.” He boasted. Adele wrinkled her brows, looking at him.
“Marriage?” That was not the thing she expected from him.
“Yes, marry him. All the details are already in the file.”
“Please go through it, and we will settle our deal,” he plucked at the cuff of his shirt.
She gulped the lump in her dry throat. She opened the file and started reading it.
“I may not keep any relationship from my past life?”
“What do you mean, I have to present myself in front of him every night? It’s insane,” she argued.
“And what is this? He could have my body anytime he wants, and I may not oppose? Is this humanity or what? Am I selling my body to a brothel?” She added.
Mr. Vincent jerked against the rolling chair.
“Miss Adele, I have been told to give you these papers, and I am not here to clear your doubts, and I don’t think it’s a good idea for another man to speak between husband and wife. Besides, after you sign those papers, you could save your home and family.” he arched his brow.
Adele slammed her palm on the table and pushed the file away.
This man is insane. He wanted her to sign these papers and about the terms.
“I am not his wife, YET. And if he wants these conditions to be fulfilled, he has to come by himself; I will not sign these papers,”
Adele picked up her bag as she walked towards the exit.
“Miss Adele, my boss works differently from others. I would suggest you sign those papers if you want to save your father’s last memories. It’s a good deal,” Mr. Vincent speculated.
Adele turned towards him as her nose flared with anger.
“Other than that, my boss will take care of your family, too.”
“Mr. Vincent, it’s not a deal. It’s called maneuvering your power and money; I don’t understand what’s in this for you and your boss.” Adele ruffed.
She moved out, staring at the bank manager.
“Miss Adele, before you leave, I want to remind you. The bank will seal your shop and farm tomorrow evening. And after that, we have to vendue your house.” The manager smirked.
Adele’s eyes filled with tears.
“It means you are going to put my home for auction to recover your debt money,” she cleared his sentence.
He nodded and extended a napkin towards her.
“I am sorry, but that is how the bank works. I tried to help you, but you kicked my offer.” the cunning manager looked towards the boardroom from where she came out.
With no words, she left the bank and came to her truck.
Sitting in her truck, looking at her father’s picture, she busted into tears.
“Daddy, tell me, what should I do?”
While crying, she saw her brother running through the streets while goons tried to catch him. She lost every hope in her life.
She went to the shop, where Blaise was eagerly waiting for her.
“Did they spare us sometime?” She asked. Adele busted into tears and told her about Mr. Vincent’s proposal.
“What?”
“I don’t know what to do?” It flattered Adele as she wiped her tears.
“This is impossible.” “The banker told me he would come for my home after this,”
“I don’t know what to do?”
*******
Adele came home after an exhausting day.
As she entered the house, she saw goons pressing a knife on her mother’s neck while Mike was bleeding from his head.
Before she could react, somebody pulled her inside and slammed her to the floor.
He slapped her hard.
“Here is the bitch,” the man hovered himself over her slight frame.
She tried to drag herself away, but he pulled her up.
“Listen to me, you little cunt. Your brother stole my money, and I need it back.” He licked her neck.
She hissed in pain as the blood came from her lips.
“I want my money back.” “Otherwise, I will serve you to my clients to recover my money. I am sure you will make good money with your tight pussy,”
he smirked, looking at her with his one stone eye.
She nodded her head.
“Ok, I will return your money,” she muttered.
He threw her on the floor.
“I will come back tomorrow. Get ready with my money. Either I will take money, or I will take you,”
he sniffed her skin, making her feel vulnerable.
He left the house with his sycophant friends.
She came running towards Mike, looking at his unconscious body; she busted into tears.
“Adele, please save my son. Please, he is my only hope.”
Her mother begged her, taking Mike’s head in her lap.
Adele thought her mom would cuddle her, but all she wanted was her help to save his son’s life.
Adele nodded her head as she pressed her lips together.
“I will, mom,”
The words escaped from her mouth.
“Please, save my son.”
*******
~ADELE~
Call me unfortunate or a jinx.
My father left me because he loved my sister; he didn’t think about me before leaving me alone. My mom wanted to save her only child. She doesn’t care about me. If I don’t pay the money tomorrow, the monster will take me.
I came to my room and threw the bag on the bed.
Something fell on the ground, and my eyes landed on the red file. The only solution for all of my problems enveloped in that red file.
I opened it and read all the papers. Even though I was reading the thing inside, my mind could process nothing. I understood nothing.
All I could see was I could save everything from it.
“But I have to give myself up,” I asked.
Nobody wants you; an immediate answer came to my mind.
I closed my eyes as the last tear fell on my hand.
“Ok,”
At least by giving up myself, I could save my dad’s property.
I signed the contract. The next moment, I called Mr. Vincent.
“Mr. Vincent, I signed the contract. Tell me what I need to do next?”
“Tomorrow is your wedding.” He replied.
“But what about my farm and house?”
“Don’t worry; you will get your papers tomorrow.”
“I have one more favor. Could you please pay the money my brother stole from one of the drug dealers?”
Mr. Vincent was silent for a moment.
“Done,”
“See you tomorrow, in the court,”
He hung up the phone.
~ADELE~ After enduring so much in my life, I didn’t know what more I needed to see in this lifetime when my family didn’t want me, and the person who sent me the marriage contract didn’t bother to show himself. How can I sleep when strange thoughts are brewing in my mind? Oh! I wish I could close my eyes and vanish into thin air. But no, the pain in my heart made me realize it’s all an illusion. Get up and face these challenging balls life throws at me. I touched my lips, which were swollen from yesterday's action. I got up, did my morning business, and came down to where I saw Mr. Vincent waiting for me. Honestly, I wanted to throw him out of this house, but I knew this man brought a piece of news for me dressed as an angel. In reality, he was a demon sent by the devil himself to capture my soul in hell. “Hello, Adele,” he extended his hand. Mom is looking at me with expectation. She thought I called this gentleman to bring sufficient money to save my brother’s ass. “Hello, M
~ADELE~ For my entire life, I waited for that moment when I could find myself in the arms of a loving man. I still remember I used to claim to my sister Amber. I would marry someone who loved me more than myself, and she used to laugh at me. “Adele, it’s bullshit. Love is conditional.” We always argued about this topic. Amber’s thoughts differed from mine. “How could you be so sure about another man loving you unconditionally?” “It’s a fact; we only fall in love with that person who treats you nicely, but what if he treats you like you don’t exist? Would you be able to love him?” She argued. “I believe true love exists,” I proclaimed. She laughed and looked at my dad. Our dad used to see how her girls turned from his little princess to rebellious teenagers. We used to fight and love, but we differed from each other. My dad was worried about her rather than me. He always thought she could change the world, while I am just a homesick puppy who could adjust to any situation. Amber
~ADELE~ I slept like a baby. I must say, I never slept like this, not for the last few years. It could be the change of room or my situation. Mike did not annoy me this morning, but I was about to face a new challenge. I flapped my eyes and looked around. It feels like the room got bigger the last time I saw it. The morning lights sprinkled every part of this room and gave it an energetic look. “Good morning to me,” I sighed. Thinking of last night, I was about to lose my virginity to my unknown husband. I touched my lips where I felt his presence the most. He felt like a hungry lion who wanted to eat me roughly. I gulped at the thought of his company with me. I fear how he would treat me the following nights. But I needed to discover a lot about him. I got up from my bed as my feet landed on the fluffy white rug underneath my feet. I enjoyed a moment rubbing my feet against this soft thing. Isn’t it strange we all do some childish thing in the middle of a stressful situation to r
~ADELE~ The following day, I woke up finding myself under the silk sheets. I could feel the path of the dry tear on my face. I must have been crying for a long time at night. Standing in front of the mirror, I could see the bite marks on my collarbone and neck. He was not a human. His clutch’s blue to black imprints on my hand and waist left me in pain. How long am I going to protect myself from him? I slid into the water tub and stayed there longer than expected. After wrapping my little frame in the bathrobe, I checked those marks, which turned a shade lighter. But what’s the use when he will present me the same tonight? I didn’t have a choice but to hide them. I am sure nobody would like to see his painting over my body and consider its love bite, but in reality, it was something else. I wore a high neck and jeans to cover my body and stood next to the window. I was lost in my thoughts when my eyes caught a waving hand from the garden. I waved back towards Angelo with a thin
I could hear his voice, but I ignored it because I knew this was the right thing to do. I ran to my room as my heart was pounding heavily with an unexpected encounter with Angelo. Why did he behave like that? Didn’t he know about his master? How could I tell him his master is a devil who knew every breath I used to take? My life had changed upside down. I hate ignoring Angelo and fear the nights. For the entire day, I was thinking about Decker. His touch was fresh on my fingertips. I closed my eyes as I tried to remember his sculpted body, but his words were buzzing in my ears. His touch, his warmth, alerted me he would come soon. My heart beat fast again, as I could feel strange knots in my stomach. These knots were not the excitement, but the fear he created in my mind. It felt like you were trying hard to see in the darkroom, but you could only feel his presence, unable to figure out who he was. I was not tired, but I wanted to push this sinful night where he could push himself on
I ran inside, catching my breath. I was about to tell Angelo everything I saw.; A murder committed by my husband. It’s disgusting to trap yourself when you don’t know what to think and feel. Can I trust Angelo? What if he was Decker’s other loyal servant testing me? And even if he was not, didn’t Decker know about him? What if Decker saw us? What if he knew I was about to tell everything? I pulled my hair to the back of my head and didn't know whom to trust or not. With all these considerations, I entered the wrong wing of the mansion. I was walking without a stable mind. The west wing seems silent; maybe nobody used to come here. It appears to be an abandoned section of this mansion. I thought about turning back, but I wanted to see why this part was closed for all of us—a forbidden area. Something told me there are skeletons of secrets buried beneath these walls. Just like the humans in this mansion pretend, these walls have hidden agendas. I looked around as the wall still d
~ADELE~ I woke up in the morning with soreness in between my legs. The first thing I felt was tears in my eyes. I burst into tears; my first night, my very first night, was horrible as the monster punished me for the thing that triggered something inside him. I can’t live like this. First, my brother and mom tortured me, and then he did. Am I a human or a puppet? I wanted somebody to make me feel secure. I tried to call Blaise, but she was not there. I tried to call Elijah, but I cut the call before it got connected. I walked toward the bathroom to get a hot shower, not to mention the pain was still creasing inside me, making me feel how he carelessly treated me. As the hot water touched my skin, I closed my eyes, thinking of the words he gave me before he became the monster. He called me his flower, but how could he crush me like this? He wanted love from me, but how could I love him when he was willing to show his evil things towards me? I didn’t find a single reason to love h
~ADELE~Encountering Decker gave me another level of anxiety. The way he treated me in the past few days reminded me I could expect the worst for myself.What if he knows about the trip to the police station? What if he punishes or tries to kill him? What if he knows about Angelo’s feelings for me?The churning stomach and goosebumps made my vulnerable thoughts work on my body. I was trembling inside with terror.Isn’t feel strange we used to overthink the situation before it even happened to us. But this time, I was not overthinking I was waiting for punishment from the devil himself. If he could punish me for a small hairpin, he would happily kill me for the crime committed against him.I stood near the glass doors looking at the pool, waiting for him to enter.Suddenly, the lights went off, and the room’s aura changed utterly. There was a strange stillness and a sudden temperature drop in my body. It could be my mind or anxiety, but I was not ready to face a situation like that.The