Chapter 48 - Shadows

"You had a single task! You should take her away. Everything else I would have done for you." He needed this brat. Although he was an idiot. He would have held each of his other servants accountable. But unfortunately ...

A steep fold drew itself between his eyebrows, like a deep crater. He was angry. Only the sight of the boy's swollen face gave him a headache.

"I misjudged the situation ..." A hesitation. The brats voice sounded uncertain. "She was like that ... I couldn't think clearly ..."

You thought with your cock. Dabbler! He struck the mahogany table with his fist. It rumbled and rattled. Papers sailed to the ground.

"You had only one task. You should have taken care of the girl. Discreetly." He sank into the leather chair, massaging his temples. "If you want her fortune. Then trust me." Idiot! He tried to suppress the contempt in his tone. This idiot!

"Listen, the task wasn't difficult at all. You should ensnare her, make her some complements, make her feel that she is the only one for you. What was so hard with this task? You should conquer her heart. After all, you once were a couple."

He took a deep breath. "Alexandre will be more alert now more than ever." One should not wake sleeping dogs - he thought bitterly. Everything just got more complicated because of this brat.

"Win her trust. Apologize. The girl is so insecure. You just have to be a little bit nice. Lovingly. Give her presents, ensnare her and gain her trust. This is all I want. It would make the job much easier if she would get a divorce from Alexandre. Do you understand?"

Again, a hesitation. The indecision in his eyes was obvious. "You know what's at stake. I'm saying that only for your own well-being." He needed a little more time. Alexandre was a sly fox. Wary and smart. Not to underestimate. Impatiently, he tapped with his fingertips on the table. Drummed a hectic rhythm. He stared at the boy. Was waiting. Would the brat dare to rebut him?

"I take care of it. I'll win her trust."

"Very well. I rely on you." He tried to sound kind. Before he sent this idiot out of his study to return to his other businesses. He had wasted enough time with this failure. But he could wait. He waited, after all, for years. Time was secondary to him. Only the result was important to him. He would get what he wanted!

✿

Hard. Garishly. The sunlight shone into the room. Illuminated every corner the bedroom. His room. And woke her up out of her slumber. Roughly. She was back. In his room.

And she... just lay around.

Looked into the void.

For minutes.

It was quiet, only her breathing was audible. In. Out. In. Out. It was kind of reassuring. This tough gray still was hanging in her head. This cloudiness and heaviness. In between pictures flashed. They were sometimes blurry and sometimes very clear. Pascal. She felt disgusted. His gaze...sickening. And then He. Two men on the ground. Noise. Jerky movements.

Alexandre!

Alexandre again and again. He held her, carried her, comforted her. He was always at her side. She clawed at the blanket, pressed her hand over her mouth and tried to suppress the sobbing. Everything in her head pounded. Noisy. Paining.

Another picture. Alexandre as he held her, carried her to a dark car. The sudden coolness made her shiver. Tremble. He had pulled her into his arms. On his lap. All the time back to the mansion.

She curled up, pulling her legs against her chest. Her throat was tight. She still felt the touch on her skin. Touches of a monster. She felt so gross. Disgusting. She rubbed hard over her skin. Tears burned in the corner of her eye. She wanted to scrub her skin, wash herself until that feeling vanished. She wanted to forget. Just forget it! What should she do? Groaning, she pressed her eyelids together. Everything was hurting, every movement. She felt numb. Just the thought ... She wanted to hide, to crumble into this room for the rest of her life.

She rolled herself cumbersome on her back again, putting her arm over her eyes. A stinging pain. Carefully she lifted her arm and saw her wrist. Thick and swollen. Reddish-blue. A throbbing pain.

That was probably not her only wound. She was probably green and blue from the beatings of that bastard who didn't accepted a NO.

He had boxed her in the stomach. She could still feel the shock. Just because she screamed for help. It was not just a blow. She was sure that she also had some other violets. At least that's how it felt.

And then there was this doctor. Noa. He had talked to someone. She could only remember a few scraps of conversation.

Carefully, she sat up. Her body was stiff and yet her gaze wandered to the bathroom door. She pulled back the blanket. The thoughts of a hot bath became tempting with every second. As if she could wash it all off. This feeling ...