Estella
This. Everything between me and Cade was fake. How had I let myself believe for so long that he was capable of anything but cruelty. He takes what he wants, he doesn't care for others; why did I think I would be an exception? He said earlier tonight we had something planned tomorrow. What exactly would that be? How would I sleep tonight? And how am I going to get out of this?
The more I thought about it, the more I realized there's nothing holding me to him except empty threats that he has yet to follow through with. In fact, he had the perfect opportunity at the cliff with killing me. And he has even more of an opportunity constantly being around my family this week— my only family. If he wasn't bluffing then surely he would've already done something.
That is how I fall asleep tonight, that thought that I can get out of this because he has nothing on me. That is how I'm going to escape him.
~~
The next morning I wake up, completely aware of what today holds. Cade has something planned right? Well then let's make the best of this before I explain to him why he has absolutely no hold on me.
I dress myself in a pair of ripped jeans with a nice light blue blouse after my shower. I lightly do my makeup and blow dry my hair before putting it into two braids that land on my shoulders. I look good, and he's gonna see what he's missing. Of course I don't even want him to care because I need to get away from him. But it'll still feel good to know I'm hot and he can't touch me.
I trail down the steps, my eyes meeting him and Jules standing close together. Too close. Oh my God.
"What's going on?" I try to stay calm and positive, nothing was happening right? Jules wouldn't do that to me?
"Nothing." Jules brushes her hair off of her shoulder revealing fresh red marks with an outlining ring of purple as she innocently smirks at me.
"You slut!" I scream at her. She knows I came here with him. I can't help myself but launch at her, coming face to face with her in a matter of second.
"You said you were just friends, right?" She plays her words with a condescending tone. Is she serious right now? I thought we hashed out our problems— I mean I knew we wouldn't be perfect but for her to do this? My anger courses through me and before I can stop myself, I slap her across her cheek. It wasn't a hard slap but enough for her to know how mad I am.
She shoves me back into the staircase, tripping on the landing I smack my head against the floor. She was always much stronger than me, and when we fought it normally became physical. Cade glanced over to me, making eye contact before walking over and lending a hand out to help me up. Is he stupid?
I smack his hand away and get up off the floor. Embarrassed he's seen me get shoved, my cheeks flush a deep red that I can feel over my entire body.
"I don't need your fucking help. I thought we were going out?"
"Yeah let's go." He says sternly while walking to the door and opening it, gesturing for me to lead the way. I don't give Jules another glance before walking through the door.
When we get into the car, I turn my head towards the window refusing to look at him or even give him the satisfaction of seeing my hurt expression.
"Estella-"
"Don't. You can fuck whoever you want. Don't explain your whoring to me." I snap back at him. If he can call me a whore when I don't do anything, then I can sure as hell call him one. I was enraged by his behavior, last night hurt me but this was a new low.
He turns his focus back to the road clenching his fists a around the wheel, turning his knuckles a pale white. His jaw twitches and I can't help but giggle at it. Who is he to be mad at me in this situation? The car suddenly jolts as he swerves into an off the road dirt patch.
"Cade what the hell-" he gets out of the car coming to my side and opening my door.
"Out." He grits at me.
I climb out of the car and step back from him, I was up against the car door but as long as I was away from him I'd be fine. He steps towards me, fists balled up at his sides.
"The fuck did you say to me in the car?" His breath is heavy, I can feel his anger from here. Granted I was only a couple feet away from him.
"I called you a whore" I draw out the last word making sure to emphasize that I meant it. Before I can think, he wraps his hand around my throat. This isn't the enticing way he's done it before, this hurts. He holds me in place while gently pressing in on my airway.
"Cade- I. Cade please. It- hurts." I choke out. If there is any decency in this man he will stop.
"Where the fuck do you get off thinking you can call me names? Answer bitch!" He yells in my face. Who was this guy?
"I- I'm sorry. Cade please." Tears are stinging my eyes as I'm held captive in his hold.
"And giggling like a school girl? You think you're tough? Not anymore though right? Poor Estella. Helpless and worthless." He fake pouts at me. His words dug deep and cut worse than before.
Yet I feel some relief when he suddenly drops me to the ground. My butt falls flat against the dirt as I look up at him, fear is clouding my eyes I'm sure.
"Please just lets go. I'm sorry I'm so sorry." I plead with him again as the tears trickle down one by one.
He kneels in front of me taking my jaw in his hand and bringing my ear to his lips.
"I told you I could be fucking evil princess. Don't cross me. Slut." He seethes into my ear in a raspy voice that's going to haunt me. This mans mood swings will forever confuse me.
I simply nod at him before struggling to stand to my feet and climb back in the car. I close the door as lightly as I can being sure to not provoke him further. The mirror of my sun visor is out and I'm able to discreetly look at myself, seeing the red of his finger marks littering on my neck. That's going to bruise and it's not going to be pretty. Wonderful.
The drive is silent, no music and no talking. We arrive at a building, a hotel? No, a complex. Does he have a place here in Seattle?
"Where are we?" My voice was hoarse from the trauma to my windpipe. He had only choked me for a couple of minutes yet the feeling stuck with me through the entirety of the day.
"None of your business. This is your first task." He was being cold, I'm sure I deserved it for talking to him how I did.
"What do I need to do?"
"Go inside, ask for Clark. Go to his room and service him." What?
"No Cade I can't. I don't- I'm not capable of that." I could feel the burning sensation in my eyes at the thought of having to do this.
"Jesus Stella. I'm not fucking pimping you out. You're just grabbing a suitcase and getting back out." Oh.
"How is that servicing someone?" Service meant doing something for someone else, how would this help the man?
"Because the thing in that suitcase needs to arrive somewhere; he needs someone to deliver it. Therefor this is a service." Oh.
"So that's all I have to do?" I pray there isn't more to this.
"Yeah." I go to turn and walk away when he pulls my wrist back, yanking me to his chest. He brushes my braid off of my shoulder before lightly placing a blutooth in my left ear.
"I'll hear everything through this. So don't try anything." Like what?
"Okay got it. Let go now." I harshly snapped at him, not realizing the affect his hands had on me. He dropped my wrist suddenly and looked up at the door to the building as if telling me to get on with it.
I walked to the front desk in the lobby and asked for a Mr Clark. The lady seemed to immediately know who I was talking about as she gave me directions to his room and handed me a key. So this place had tight security I see, not.
I brush away my anxieties and follow the directions she gave me to a staircase leading right to a door. The number read 4D which correlated to the key she gave me. I knocked and when no one answered I used my key to unlock the door and walk inside.
What my eyes landed on will give me nightmares for as long as I'm alive. There was a man dead on the floor, blood soaking the floor all around him. I screamed loudly at the sight and I didn't stop until I felt Cades presence appear behind me.
I turned to him, and his face was turned into a grim smile. Did he set me up to see this?
"Hi princess." He said lightly with a chuckle in the back of his throat.
"What the hell is this Cade?" Terror pierced through my voice. He wouldn't, he wouldn't do this to me. Just like he wouldn't fuck your sister? We don't know if they fucked I reminded my conscience. Nonetheless he would totally do something like this.
"Well I knew after our little endeavor last night, you'd try something. I'm not dumb sweetheart." Where was he going with this?
"What do you mean?"
"This is what happens when people don't follow what I tell them." He said to me darkly. His eyes were unrecognizable, he did this? He killed this man?
"You? You- he was just a man." I shook my head in disbelief.
"Oh princess, he was a man who disobeyed me. And now he serves as a lesson to you. See Estella, you may not like it but you're stuck with me." He smirked down at me.
"You don't have anything holding me to you." I confidently explained.
"Oh but I do. Estella let me ask, are you wearing gloves?" I looked down at my hands, no I wasn't. Why did that matter?
"Did you disguise your appearance before asking to see Mr Clark- who's now dead? Did you use your pretty little fingers to touch his doorknob? Did you in fact touch a key to his door?" Oh my God. It was all coming together.
"But he was- he died before I got here." Cade couldn't possibly pin this on me.
"Did he?" Yes. His blood was already there, yes he was already dead. I nodded at him.
"What if he died just now? Is that blood dry?" He glanced at the puddle surrounding the man.
"No it's not." My hands started trembling, my lip quivering as tears poured out.
"Cade what does all of this mean?"
"You tell me princess. Did you kill him? Or were you with me all day because you're my cute as a button little assistant who does what I ask?" So if I said yes to the assistant thing, he would protect me from this?
"I don't- what do you mean?"
"Christ you're dense. If you agree to do what I say then we can forget all of this happened, if not well... your family will be taken care of and you will be in prison." He winked at me. "I don't think you'd survive long there." He chuckled lowly at me.
~~
[ what the helllllll? Also I'm hoping chapters are going to be longer because I want the reading time to go up but like I also like having short excerpts to post each day. Let me know if you want longer chapters spaced out or these length chapters every day? Thank you for reading! ]