4. New Home

The wind whipped against my face as I ran into the cold. I shivered, but not once did I slow down. I don’t know where I was running with my belongings, but it was somewhere that is new to me. After walking for an hour, my legs started to ache, so I sat on a bench of a sidewalk bringing my knees up into my chest. Scarlet's face paled as soon as she saw me leaving and begged me to stay. But I didn't listen and walked out of the apartment with a stone face.

One of the things I inherited from my father is Pride. And my pride didn't allow me to stay there any longer, knowing the only friend I have had trust issues with me. The feeling of helplessness and fearfulness seeped through me as soon as I stepped out from her apartment, but as I said my pride made me walk in the streets with my belongings at this hour of the night. 

Scarlet's too blind with love that she thinks everyone else is wrong except her boyfriend. She's a very fragile girl and everyone takes this as an advantage to manipulate her. I don't blame her because I know Andrew was controlling her mind and she's helpless. I was angry at her because she mistrusted me. Her own best friend. Since she moved to New York, it was hard to maintain the same relationship we had, but still, we called each other at least once a week. Either she'll be busy with her cheering practice or me with my studies. Maybe, that's the reason she acted so blindly today.

“Why? Why does every bad thing happen to me?” I asked myself, heavy tears falling from my eyes. I wished this was all some sort of a dream. But I knew it wasn’t. This was my decision and I had to suffer.

“WHY?” I screamed, crying harder. The more I cried, the harder was it to breathe. The feeling of dying dawned on me. I was shattered, broken completely. I didn't have a place to go, a place to stay, didn't have any other contacts. I feel helpless. Even the college dorm is full and right now I can't afford an apartment on my own. Maybe I can share an apartment with a roommate. Yes, that's it. Tomorrow I'll search for it, but for tonight, where will I stay?

CRUNCH! CRUNCH!

I heard the crackling of sticks nearby and the sound of approaching footsteps. I turned my face to the right so quickly to see a man walking towards me. He seemed scary with an uneven shaven face and his clothes dirty. He was even walking unsteadily, which means only one thing either he's drunk or on drugs or both. He stopped walking when he was a foot away from me. I looked around my surroundings and soon realized the street was empty. How can I be so careless? I've heard the news about girls being kidnapped at night and sold to some mafia group. What if he's one of the members of that Mafia? My heart started to pound loudly and different scenarios crossed through my mind. 

“Who are you?” I questioned him nervously.

“Just a pedestrian, ma’am,” said the man with an evil smirk. His gaze was predatory and I shivered with fear.

"What is a pretty girl like you doing here”? He asked and I shuddered as his eyes raked over my body, undressing me with his lustful gaze.

“I think I should go now”, I stood up quickly, taking a few steps to the side, clutching my bag tightly in front of my chest.

”I don’t think that’s a good idea” he smiled crazily at me, blocking my way. I again looked around in a panic. It was dead silent. I mentally face palmed myself. How could I be so stupid!

I quickly turned around and dashed from there. I felt a hand grab my arm and I let out a scream dropping my luggage instantly. He covered my mouth and pushed me to the nearby wall. Tears started streaming down my face and I thrashed in his arms. Suddenly I was thrown back to my past, images of that day flashing through my mind. Fear gripped me in its tight grip, making me weak and numb.

“Please don’t hurt me” I begged, tears falling down my eyes endlessly. I struggled to free my hand which was tied behind the chair I was forced to sit on and my feet tied together with duct tape. My whole body was throbbing in pain and my head felt heavy. 

He looks smug, pressing his hands harder on my thighs as he sits on his haunches and leans closer to my face. I remember him as the one who was holding me down when that green-eyed man killed my parents.

“Co-operate with me then if you don’t want to get hurt,” he says and fear crawls within me when I realize what he wants.

“Please no-no” I begged, shaking my head. But he slapped me asking me to shut up. He removes the tape from my hand and legs before picking me up and tossing me to the floor. I quickly jerk backward, trying to get away from him. He steps on my legs making me scream in agony. 

“Shut up bitch” he yelled and removed his shirt, tossing it to the floor. He bends down and starts to unzip my dress, holding me down with his body. 

I closed my eyes helplessly, whimpering. But before he could do anything to me he was pulled back by someone. Profanities and curses were heard but I didn’t waste any time to bolt from the horrific place.

I whimpered helplessly and prayed to all the gods above for a miracle to happen and save me. Maybe it's time for me to go and join my parents.

“Oh don’t be shy, love”, he said, taking a strand of my hair and twirling it around his dirty fingers. I tried to push him away. But this made him press his body against mine. He smells like a rotten egg and I tried not to smell as much as I could. I thrashed in his arms as he started kissing my neck. Horrified, I felt cracked lips against my skin and tried harder to push him away. I wish I was stronger than this, stronger to fight all these evil men, but I’m paralyzed. 

All of a sudden I hear a loud screeching of tires on the road and a blaring horn sound which made the disgusting man stop what he was doing. He lazily turned his head in the direction of the car that had stopped right in front of us. The headlights of the car blinded my eyes which made my head hurt. Through my blurry vision, I saw a silhouette of a woman getting out of the car.

“Hey you, step away from her”, a familiar feminine voice yelled angrily.

“Grecia” I smiled at her as soon as I recognized her, relief flooding through me. Thank you, Lord!

“Who do you think you are?’” the man asked, narrowing his eyes.

“I need you to leave here, NOW”, Grecia said, her eyes were narrowed to slits and fist clenched at her sides.

“What if my answer is NO?” he sneered at her. Oh how I wish I could knee his crotch, but my legs are trapped between this man, preventing me from using any sort of weapon.

“Then I have to use my power. Or should I send my son, Logan Watson to handle you?” she asked, a small smirk dancing on her lips. Wow, this is the first time I am seeing this side of her - powerful and demanding. 

The man froze. “L – Loga-an, your son” he stuttered, his hands shivering. The man quickly jumped away from me, as if my presence burned him.

“Yes, my son. Should I call him? If he comes to know you touched his girl, you won’t see the daylight again, but that's known to you already huh?" She said with an evil smile. What? His girl? And who is this Logan guy?

“N-no madam, please don't tell him. I am sorry” he said and ran away. Wow! Madam and all! This Logan guy must be a scary cop.

“Grecia” I ran towards her and hugged her tightly and sobbed in her arms.

“Shh... it’s okay, honey," she said wrapping her arms around my body in a comfortable manner. I sniffled and held my tears in. My crying ceased in the next few minutes. I shivered awkwardly as the wind picked up. 

“Come, let’s get out of here”, she said, noticing my discomfort.

“Where’s your address? I will drop you there”, she said.

“Um… can you please drop me in front of some hotel,” I asked her

“Hotel?"

"Yeah, I don't have a place to stay," I said awkwardly, blinking back the tears. 

"No way I'm letting a girl like you to stay alone in some hotel. You are new to this place. Here, always expect the unexpected. So come, let’s go to my house”, she said.

“No Grecia, please-

“No excuses. You’re coming with me.”

 *************

"Wow" I breathed out as I gaped at the beautiful mansion standing proudly in front of me. It has a long circular driveway lined with palm trees and neatly trimmed hedges. In the middle of the circular driveway is a marble fountain. An angel holding a crystal bowl was perched on top, looking up towards the sky. Water spurted from the bowl, which fell gently towards the pool beneath it causing ripples to form and wave out until they were no more. I bet the water is crystal blue, but since it's night time, the water looks yellow because of the warm light coming from the mansion. The house itself looks modern with a small touch of medieval. I bet that the interior of this place will be as lavish as the exterior.

As soon as the car stops the driver gets out of the car to open the door for Grecia. I step out after Grecia holding my duffle bag close to my chest and thank the driver. 

“Thank you, Thomas, I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight” Grecia smiles gratefully at the driver.

“Goodnight, Mrs. Watson” the driver bows slightly before going to the car and driving it to a modern garage with a roller shutter. 

Grecia led me inside through the massive door to the sight of an impressive grand foyer. The foyer has a high ceiling accompanied by a huge crystal chandelier that hangs in the middle of the room. There is a grand staircase to the middle of the room and either side of the staircase opens up to other areas of the house. Everything in here is in cream, accompanied with brown and gold.

"This is amazing," I said in awe. I noticed Grecia coming from a room, holding a glass of juice. I was busy ogling at my surroundings and I didn't even realize her leaving my side. 

"Thank you," I said as I took the glass from her outstretched hand. I sighed in content as the sweetness hit my taste buds. The warm liquid quenched my dry throat and gulped down the entire thing in three gulps.

"I'll show your room. This way”, she said, leading me to the staircase, with a simple arm gesture. I followed her up the marble steps, finally taking a right and walking down a carpeted hallway with several doors. We reached a room and she twisted the doorknob, pushing it open and revealing the most beautiful room I had ever seen in my life. Velvet drapes hung on the big glass window, and the most gorgeous queen-sized bed was pushed up against the grey wall. It was huge, with a bunch of pillows that matched the white, purple, and gold duvet. The floor was carpeted as well.

“Here is where you’ll be staying” Grecia states as I walk in completely mesmerized.

“It’s beautiful”, I breathe.

“Thank you so much for the stay. I appreciate it. But I won’t disturb you long. Tomorrow I'll move out”.

“Nonsense. You can stay here as long as you want. I enjoy your company. Sometimes it gets very lonely here, so I don't mind a guest.” she said, patting my back as I smiled at her. 

On the way back, I told her about the fight I and Scarlet had and the reason why I left the house. She consoled me and asked me to stay with her as long as I wished, which was very sweet of her.

"Do you stay here all alone?" I asked her. 

"No. I stay with my son. We had a housekeeper too, named Charles, but due to his health conditions he left to his hometown for a few days." she said and I nodded, smiling softly. I remember her talking about her son once or twice, and it looks like she's very proud of him.

"So your son, is he a cop?" I asked her, curiously.

"No. Why did you ask?" She said and I stared at her in confusion.

"But that - that man ran away as soon you said your son's name," I said and Grecia let out a small laugh, allowing slight wrinkles to form near her eyes.

"To be honest, I didn’t expect that man to know about Logan. I was just trying.” she chuckled. 

“He is the CEO of Watson enterprise. But he has many other side business as well, so he's quite famous for his ruthless behavior." Grecia said, frowning slightly. A yawn escaped my lips.

“I guess you're tired. Take rest sweetie. If you need anything, I’ll be in the next room.” she says before leaving the room.

“Goodnight Grecia and thank you”

*********

It was pitch black when I opened my eyes. The sound of quietness calmed me. I stayed in bed for what seemed like hours before getting up, craving for water. My throat dried after crying for a long time as I cried myself to sleep. I couldn't help but feel depressed and emotional. The ground felt cold beneath my feet as I trudged towards the door to open it. Dim lights lit the dark halls. I stumbled down the stairs slowly grasping onto the railing. I wandered around the silent house trying to find the kitchen. I should probably ask for a house tour first thing in the morning if I’m going to stay here. The place was huge and confusing and after about 10 minutes, I finally found it. I groped the wall eager to find the light switch. But I can’t find it. Where is this damn light!

 I shrugged off the thought and made my way towards the refrigerator as my throat yelled for some liquid. I opened it and grabbed a cold water bottle. After finding glass in one of the cupboards I poured the water and started drinking. It feels like heaven to taste the water.

As I exited the kitchen, I heard someone opening the front door. My heart started to race as negative thoughts clouded my mind. Due to the awful events that had happened previously in my life, even a small sound makes me cower away in fear. Thinking that it's a thief, I grabbed the first thing I saw, which was a flower vase. I held the vase in a shield pose in front of me as I dragged my feet across the rug on the ground. I entered the living room, trying to make as little sound as possible. And there I saw a man in a hoodie, his back facing me as he closed the door with a key. Hmm, this robber is well prepared and equipped.

I took deep breaths trying to stop my racing heart. I slowly walked towards him. My body felt numb as my arms moved higher and higher. Just as I was about to smack his head with the vase, suddenly the role was reversed. I was pushed to a wall by him and he was holding the vase in his hand. I blinked as I tried to recap the moment, this time slowly. How the hell did he come to know my presence behind him? I made sure not to make a noise while walking. I stared at the man's blue eyes, which were glowing brightly in the dark.

“Who are you? What the hell are you doing here?” he asked with a raspy and sexy voice. His warm mint breath fanned my face.

“I should ask you the same question. Who are you and what are you doing in my house?” Lies. I know this isn’t my house, but he doesn’t need to know that.

“Your house?” he asked, in disbelief. 

“Yep, my house,” I said, popping the pop as he tightened his grip on my shoulder, making me wince slightly.

“Don’t lie to me”, he growled and I flinched.

“Hey, leave me. It’s hurting. What do you want?” I cried, struggling to escape from his grip. God, his hold is very strong. Is he made of some steel or what! 

He flipped the lights on. Bright lights filled the room and I closed my eyes at the bright light. I blinked my eyes repeatedly, adjusting to the light before looking at the man. As soon as I saw his face, I froze.

“You?” we said in unison

“What the hell are you doing in my house?” he yelled at me. His house?

“Logan?” We turned around to see Grecia standing near the stairs in her silky nightgown.

“Mom, what is she doing here,” he said with so much hatred.