The ice cold water that splashed on Madison's already drenched body, had her gasping out for breath, as her eyelids fluttered open.
The first thing she noticed was that she had no blindfold on her face again, and even though it was a relief, that feeling was short lived as she tried to move her body.
Every single part of her wrists and limbs ached painfully, and she couldn't even move either one of them no matter how hard she tried.
For a second, she stopped moving, choosing instead to try and get a grasp of where she was, but the whole place was dimly lit and she could barely see a thing.
She was hearing voices, but she had no idea who these people were, or what she was doing here.
Nevertheless she tried to still move her body, but all to no avail all her efforts proved abortive and for a second Madison wondered if she wasn't already paralyzed.
Memories assailing her, Madison instantly shuddered when she remembered the things that happened earlier. She had no idea how much time had passed, but from the brief flashbacks she was having, she could tell that it was a lot.
She remembered the car incident, and then those men in masks, and the hard hit to her head that had rendered her unconscious.
Some time later she'd woken up, feeling a blindfold wrapped around her eyes and from what she'd heard from the men she was with, it was safe to say that she'd been abducted.
A shudder running down her spine, Madison closed her eyes painfully as a tear fell down her cheeks.
She wanted to forget all what had happened, because she still felt that this was all a nightmare but it wasn't.
Managing to move her hands, she pinched the skin just below her elbow, and as a splitting pain coursed through her, Madison held back a hiss and sob as she realized again that she clearly wasn't dreaming.
She'd been kidnapped, and just like the horrors she'd seen in her nightmares these past few days, they were coming to pass.
Panic filling her already, Madison started to shake violently, forcing her lids open and blinking countless times so the blurry vision would clear up, and she thanked the stars when she began to see some figures albeit painstakingly.
The room was no more dim, and it looked like someone had switched on the lights while she'd been lost in her head.
She craned her neck, and that's when she saw them. The source of the voices she'd been hearing. Hefty looking men dressed in black, and they all had their eyes on her.
They had guns, knives and other dangerous weapons strapped to their body, and dread forming at the pit of her stomach, Madison swallowed heavily when her gaze landed on an otherwise familiar face.
Familiar faces rather... and her stiff lips dropped open in shock when she recalled where she'd seen those men.
Two of them, they were standing too watching her intently, and she saw their faces clearly. The memories still engraved in her memory, she remembered them as the men that'd assaulted her and Gina that night at the club and instantly Madison started to wonder if they were the ones responsible for this kidnap.
Had they brought her here to teach her a lesson? Or were they part of something more sinister, and they'd marked her as a victim before that night? No! Madison refused to believe that.
As she continued to hold their gazes, she opened her mouth to say something but before she could, she heard one of the men, the one actually standing in front of her with a bucket in his hand yell, "Don't you dare say a thing!"
"I..."
"Where is the bitch?" Another voice interrupted her speech, and Madison's ears stood at alert when she instantly recognized that tone all of a sudden.
It was that feminine voice... The one in her dreams.
"No..." Madison could only mutter as she tried to look around trying to get a glimpse of this mysterious woman, but didn't have to stress herself so much because suddenly the woman came to stand in front of her.
Shuddering slightly in fear, her gaze on the perfectly manicured toes in front of her, Madison slowly raised her face, her neck trembling and that's when she saw her.
That's when she saw the woman who had the voice she'd been hearing in her dreams every night. The woman who'd shot her, and tortured her helplessly in all her nightmares.
It was the lady, she'd collided with at the first event where she'd seen Damien after all these years. The lady whose dress she'd toiled and paid 2000 dollars for. The lady, whom she knew as Damien's girlfriend and almost fiancée.
The dots started to connect in her head, and that's when she got a good knowledge of what had been happening to her all these while.
The stalkers, the threat letters, the men at the bar, and every other scary thing she'd suffered these past few weeks, had all been orchestrated by Damien's girlfriend. His jealous girlfriend, and as Madison caught her gaze, the lady's lips stretched in a wicked smirk that sent chills all through her.
"You... you are the... you are..." She didn't get to finish her sentence because halfway the lady leaned down, and before Madison knew it, she grabbed a huge chunk of her strawberry blonde curls and squeezed tightly.
A blood curling scream emanated from her lips, as pain shot through every fibre of her skull and laughing outrageously as she continued to tighten her grip, the lady muttered mockingly, waving her left long nails at Madison's face.
"Hello bitch. What a surprise?..."
.......
KATHERINE
Madison continued to scream, as Katherine continued to tighten her grip, but she wasn't letting go of the long strands anytime soon.
The sound was soothing to her ears, and she loved it so much. She was basking in the fact that she had her number one enemy right under her control and grasp, and this was pure bliss.
"Pour more ice cold water on her head. Just continue pouring the liquid on her." Katherine half yelled, urging her men to keep on doing what they were doing without a question.
They obeyed her command like an obedient dog who'd just been trained how to fetch, and packing more ice in the water, they continued to drain down the contents of the bucket on the bitch's head.
Katherine raised the bitch's head up, a smirk on her lips when she saw that Madison's face was red with blood and the water kept rising to her chin.
Her mouth was wide open, making gurgling noises, and seeing the whites of her eyes, it only made Katherine smile all the more.
Oh... this was just the beginning. By the time she would be done, the bitch would have no choice but to beg for death, and even then Katherine knew for sure that she wouldn't give her that.
She would still torture her to her fill, and when she was ready to pull the trigger, she would.
"Stop! Stop! Please I beg you." Madison screamed, as another stream of ice cold water washed over her skin, but Katherine refused to let her go.
"Please I..."
"Pour more water!" Katherine half yelled, a dark chuckle rising from the deep of her throat, and her men did as ordered, cutting Madison of her speech, as she began to thrash wildly.
Her whole body was shaking and trembling, and Katherine knew that the cold blasting about would be seeping into her bones, but it made her more happy.
Seconds passed, and minutes too before Katherine seemed to have had enough, and she yelled at her men to stop.
With a kiss, she released her hands from the bitch's hair, letting her loose balance and fall to the floor helplessly while Katherine watched.
Collecting a towel from one of her men, Katherine then stepped back as far as she could away from Madison, trying to gain some distance between them.
She watched as Madison tried to speak again, only to make the gurgling noise once more, and then she gave up.
Passing out on the floor in obvious pain, and closing her eyes briefly as she let out heavy breaths, Katherine grinned, satisfied at what had just taken place.
This was just the beginning, like she'd thought earlier. The icing on the cake.
Minutes later, Katherine took some steps towards the wretched drenched body in front of her, and leaning down until she was at knee level with the bitch, she feigned a mocking tone as she asked, "How are you feeling now?"
At first Madison said nothing, and if she was going to get a response well Katherine had no idea. She had almost given up, ready to stand up and leave the stupid thing to her fate, when suddenly Madison slowly opened her eyes.
Even as she fluttered her lids, it was evident that she was in so much pain and agony, and Katherine had never felt so happy than she was at the moment, staring at her rival and enemy.
The first word that escaped Madison's lips were the question, "Why are you doing this to me? What... what... what have I... I done to you?" The despicable bitch finished with a croak and stammer, and Katherine could only let out a hearty laugh.
This was like the question of the century, and yet, the answer was simple.
Because Madison had toyed with her, and now she was going to pay. Apart from the fact that she hated her with all her guts, Katherine wanted to also see Madison suffer every day in agony.
This wasn't just some silly revenge plot, because even if it was then Katherine knew how to play hardball. This issue was way beyond that, and whenever the image of Madison and Damien together flashed through her mind, she would be filled with irrevocable anger.
And that anger, well she was going to channel it into making Madison suffer and beg for mercy that would never be given to her.
Katherine enjoyed watching her enemy struggle to breathe, and it was fun to watch her squirm.
As she stood up, Katherine shook her head and laughed as she said gently, "Well, I think the answer is obvious already. I'm doing this because of Damien."
The grin on her face grew wider as she saw Madison's eyes widen at the words leaving her mouth, and it all but increased her ego and she continued her speech.
"You took my man away from me. You dug your gold digging claws into him, and he had to travel all the way from New York, down here just to see you. All the while you reveled in seeing him do that right?" Katherine paused, taking a deep breathe before saying again, "As if flying down from New York wasn't enough, you had him fight off my men because of you?"
"You... you were the one that sent those men? You sent them? No wonder I... I..." Madison began stuttering, blinking her eyelids as she looked around staring straight at the men who'd assaulted her at the bar obviously.
"Of course, what did you think? I did send them after you. As if that wasn't still enough, I saw Damien beg you on his knees. Something he's never done before. He's never done that to me, but he did it to you. Then worse of all you freaking kissed him! How dare you? How dare you do that? Lock your slimy lips on my man? The heck!"
Katherine went on and on, informing Madison of the things she'd done to her. From the threat letters, and the stalkers she'd positioned to follow and watch Madison's every movement, she admitted to it all.
"You know, even after I sent all those, I thought you would be sensible enough to get the message I was trying to pass across and leave Damien alone but what did you do? You continued to sink your claws in him. You continued to hypnotize him, you bitch."
"No, no. I swear with my life... I swear..." Madison began, croaking as she forced herself to continue, "I don't have anything to do with Damien anymore. I don't even like him anymore and..."
"Oh will you shut the hell up?" Katherine screamed like a crazed being, and as if her yell wasn't enough she raised her legs and kicked Madison straight and square on the face, causing her to spit out blood.
"Please... please... I..." Madison continued to beg, but Katherine was already beginning to become irritated.
"Just fucking shut up you twat! By the time I'm done with you, it will be a pity that you might not be alive to even tell the tale!" Katherine spouted, cracking her hands and neck at the same time.
"Please... Please just listen to me. I swear to God and you too, I have no association with Damien. You clearly misunderstood what you saw and that kiss that night, it was a mistake. I don't want anything to do with Damien, and I will say it again and again. I was traveling, intent on leaving Damien and this city but..."
"Will you fucking shut up you gold digger and liar. Do you think I'll believe your pathetic lies. Oh spare me."
"Please..."
"This is just the beginning you know." Katherine spat, her legs out again as she kicked Madison's belly and as the poor bitch yelped, she could only smile in satisfaction.
"I've always hated you from the first time I saw you, and if I had known you would be a fucking nuisance I would have taken you out since but not to worry. It isn't too late. This is just the start, and by the time I'm done with you even in your next life you'd do well to avoid me when we cross paths."
Pausing, and taking a step backwards from the whimpering being in front of her, Katherine cracked her knuckles and turning to face her men, she ordered, "You can continue with her torture. I need to get some fresh air outside."
"Yes boss." One of them replied, and quickly grabbing hold of Madison, he dragged her to another part of the room, and brought out a chair.
Taking a deep breath and wiping the sweat off her forehead, Katherine began to walk out of the room.
On getting out of the door, she began to walk towards the balcony that overlooked the empty yard.
As she sauntered away, she began humming loudly to herself and smiling wickedly.
This whole horrific adventure with freaking Madison Connor was going to be fun, and she just couldn't wait.
.......
Thanks for reading. 💕