I wasn't supposed to go to the college today. I had no work, no assignments left. But somehow some of my important notes had landed in my locker. Khristina was busy so I had to come alone. It's hardly a couple of minutes work, grab my books and leave. That's it.
There are few students lingering down the hallways, as I walk towards my locker. The otherwise clustered hallway is eerily silent. Punching my code, I open my locker and I am surprised to see a glittery paper wrapped box lying inside. I look around but find no one.
Who might have put that in my locker? Someone decoded my pin. What if someone stole my notes?
"God! No! No! Please be there! Please be there!" I chant crazily searching for my notes and breath a sigh of relief, when I find them far behind under the stack of files.
I quickly put them in my bag with all the other things, emptying my locker in the process. My pin is decoded and I can't risk losing my things, and I'm about to close the locker, when the box falls on my feet. I look down and find a note sticking out of the box.
With great trepidation, I shakily pick up the box and pluck out the crisp paper out of it. Letting out a shaky breath, I unfold the paper and my eyes land on the bold letters printed in black ink.
"A gift for the most beautiful woman in the world"
Panic starts to rise in my whole body, yet I try my best to remain calm. I don't want to give the stalker any kind of satisfaction by surrendering myself to any weakness. I have to be brave, I need to stay strong. He might be watching me from one of his hideouts. Crunching the paper in my hand, I walk away angrily and without looking at the contents, I throw the box in one of the trash bins.
Feeling a sense of satisfaction, as I start walking towards the exit, when my phone chimes in my hand, startling me. An unknown number flashes on the screen. The caller has blocked his number. My finger trails over the screen, my breaths shaky, as I watch anxiously for a couple of seconds before hitting the green button and raising it to my ear.
"Tsk...Tsk...tsk...Seems like my pretty face woman has turned into a little rebellion, and me being the generous one, have to remove the rebelliousness from you. I had been too lenient on you. Now, time for some fun, what say?" A very unfamiliar voice speaks followed by a sinister laugh making me cringe.
"What do you want?" My voice is shaky.
"Ah, good question. How about we play a game? You gonna get your pretty little ass into that dress and model for me."
"No way!!" I screech.
"No? Then get ready to watch your porn online. What say?"
"No! You won't do that." I cry out.
"Oh I can and I will..." I can see that sinister smirk playing on his ugly face as he watches me getting ruined under his hands.
My voice chokes. "Fi..Fine I'll...I'll do it..." Comes my shaky reply.
"What? I can't hear you...A little louder would be good, don't you think?"
That dastard! Ya Rab! Please help me overcome this evil.
"I said fine!!" I screech, gritting my teeth.
"There is my beautiful woman I know....Always obedient..."
"I am not your woman" I want to scream, but bite my tongue in the fear of going through another humiliating task. I so badly want to rip out this man's throat and gauge his eyes out.
"The address will be texted to you like always. You know the drill. Be there in 20minutes. Don't worry, I won't bite you.....For now..." I feel the bile rising in my throat at his words. "Now, hurry up darling....Time is precious, common chop chop..." With that the line goes dead.
I run towards the nearest restroom and throw up everything that I had in the morning. Regaining my balance, I gargle my mouth with some mouth freshener and splash some water on my face before walking out of the restroom.
As the shower runs over, hot water cascading down my body, slumped against the wall of the shower stall, I scrub myself repeatedly trying to remove the touch of those disgusting clothes and his dirty gaze that I knew he had trained on me discreetly. I scrub myself until my skin turns red from all the scrubbing. I scream and cry out in anger, frustration and humiliation, reminiscing the past couple of horrific hours of how he made me parade in one of the hotel terrace in a filthy red bodycon dress that had a backless seam and was sleeveless with a plunging deep neckline, that hardly reached my thighs. Never had I felt so disgusted and humiliated in my entire life.
It had been a complete week where he had been using the video as a leverage against me and harassing me, luring me into various hotels and forcing the lunch down my throat every single day. This was my punishment he said, for trying to inform Zacharias about his threats and trail. Every time I tried to speak with Zacharias, he was always informed and a quick message would pop on my screen threatening me to back off. I don't know how did he always managed to know about my intentions. And to punish me, he came up with his disgusting idea to come and have lunch with him every day, calling it as a date. The table would always be decorated with various foods with a bouquet of flowers lying for me, that I was ordered to take with me.
Zacharias was furious at me for obvious reasons. Everyday he would ask me about my whereabouts, and my answer would be the same-University. He would grit his teeth trying to suppress his anger at my lies, before stomping out of the room.
I was being throttled and robbed of my freedom. I couldn't even breath without thinking that I was eyed on all the time. He had managed in using every conceivable cruel method against me. I had turned into his puppet, grudgingly dancing to his sickening tunes. But today, he had crossed every limit by parading me almost naked.
I had observed one thing though. He would always book a table that had a glass wall separation. I realized it was a one sided glass. The glass was heavily tinted to my side, and I knew he was watching me creepily from the other side as I ate. I always had to force a smile on my face at his orders and shove the food down my throat. At least we were in public, that was my only consolation that he wouldn't dare to hurt me in public.
Changing my clothes in one of the shower stalls, but not before inspecting every nook and corner, for all I know that dastard was no less to install a spy camera. Covering my body with my long ankle length trench coat, I walked out from the back door exit ditching my guards, the drill that I've been following the whole week, I got a taxi and handed the address to the driver. I couldn't risk letting Zacharias know about my whereabouts through the guards.
It felt as if I was cheating on Zacharias. Though I was forced to go through all this humiliation, I yet felt guilty for having my lunch with a stranger. Like always, the table was decorated, with foods and a bouquet of flowers. He forced me to remove my trench coat.
"You look ravishing....Can't wait to get my hands on you....But soon, very soon....You will be mine...."
I wanted the ground to swallow me yet, I tried to maintain my demeanor as calm and composed as possible. Only god knew my insides were anything but calm. I was trembling from inside. Camouflaging my appearance, I plastered a smile on my face and shoved the food down my throat, so that I can get the hell out of there as fast as possible.
As soon as I ate the food, I literally ran out of that place before hailing a cab and like everyday disposing off the bouquet under the seats of the cab. As usual, Alexei was waiting for me followed by the entourage as I exited the college building. As much as I tried to put a somber face in front of him, a traitorous tear managed to escape that I was not quick enough to wipe it, prompting him to cast me a worried look. I managed a tight lipped smile, conveying that I was alright. Though I had changed back to my normal clothes, I yet felt exposed hence, clutching the trench coat tightly around me, as I got in the car.
Reaching back, I avoided talking with anyone and straight away headed to the bedroom. Locking the door behind me, I ran into the bathroom and retched out everything into the toilet bowl, before slouching my body under the hot shower.
I cry and scream in the confines of the bathroom walls, until my body gets tired and my voice turns hoarse from all the crying and screaming. Limping out of the bathroom, I pick that filthy dress and throw it inside the fireplace. The crackling of the fire as the flames engulf the material into ashes manages to bring a satisfactory peace to my agitated heart.
Hey guys I am back with another chapter. I know the chapter is a short one, cause my laptop broke, apparently the screen panel needs to be changed costing me up to $200. I had to borrow the laptop for a short period of time just to upload a new chapter. I hope I can soon get my laptop repaired and I may be soon able to update another chapter for you guys.