The Surreptitious Mr. Wolfe

Part Ten- Vigour

❇❇❇ VIGOUR ❇❇❇

"How did you know that Mr. Wolfe would be ranting like that?" Ella asked Max as they were seated under a tree, in a secluded spot on the golf course.

"I was doing my daily inspection of each floor when I heard deafening yelling emanate from that room. It didn't take a visual picture to know who it was, I could spot that voice anywhere." He replied, Ella wished that she had never heard it.

"Do you still have something against Mr. Wolfe?" She cautiously asked, not trying to offend Max.

"Of course, I've never felt like a bigger loser before that day in the parking lot. He only has his money, that's why people are afraid of him. My family has money too, just you wait, Ella. Soon I'll own this building and he'll wish he'd never yelled at me." Max rued.

Something was not right. Ella began feeling perturbed by his tone of voice and the way he'd stare into the unknown as he spoke. It seemed as if he had embedded this plan into his head for a while now. She decided to remain still, not knowing where the conversation would lead to next.

"You must be really special to Victor if he has never snapped on you before, Ella. You tell me he offered you a scholarship to his school, even though you did not qualify for one? I hope you're able to put one and one together?" Max stated, still staring into space.

"What do you mean?" She asked, getting more and more apprehensive of Max.

"He likes you, this man has a sick obsession with you. If the media gets wind of this-" Max sadistically retorts.

"Mr. Wolfe has never done anything to make me feel uncomfortable or ill at ease." Ella defiantly replies.

"Is he paying you to say those things? You're an orphan, Ella. What orphan doesn't need money?" He atrociously asks.

"Orphans with self-respect and decorum. Now, you can believe anything you want in that sick, little brain of yours, but don't ever think of dragging my image, as well as Mr. Wolfe's, down to the levels in which you currently dwell." Ella boldly defends as she gets up.

Max gets up in fury, clearly affronted by Ella's daring words and pins her to the tree, his face centimetres from the neck he's tightly clasping. Ella gasps for air and tries to wriggle from his vile grip, he hastily pulls out a pocket knife and holds it to her cheek- she fearfully ceases struggling.

"Now, princess, repeat those words again. " He maniacally instructs and sets the knife tighter on to her skin. "You're so beautiful, it's a pity you had to side with Wolfe." He ends off, and slowly sliding the knife onto her supple cheek. She lets out an agonising yelp as a small stream of scarlet blood trickles down the side of her face.

Max comes closer in a vile attempt to kiss her, but she viciously plants her knee into his nether-regions, he lets out a painful groan as she dashes off the golf course.

***

Mr. Wolfe cannot know about this. She thinks as she cleans her wound under a running faucet of the sink in one of the country club's upscale restroom.

Once she is satisfied, she gives her flushed face a solid browse. She had no idea how to conceal the light scar. It was then when three women entered the restroom, they looked about Mr. Wolfe's age. They inspected Ella thoroughly, eyeing her up and down.