Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Riley's POV

I felt something moist on my skin in a very small amount, and then in larger amounts and I wondered what it was. Then, I felt it again, this time, all over my body as I jumped to my feet in record time.

"Wake up, you sloth!"

"I'm sorry, ma'am."

I fell asleep on the floor as I worked for the alpha's daughter. Close to me was the rag I

was cleaning the windows and the furniture with. I couldn't remember sleeping though. The last thing I could think of was the fact that I felt really weak but was determined to finish up the task given to me. It was true, what they always said, that you can't cheat nature.

I was so cold. I couldn't tell if it was the water that was poured on me, the clothes that I wore, which had become very soggy or the fever that was building up within me. All I knew was that I was very cold.

I clenched my teeth as I stared at Sharon, hoping she could take pity on me and let me rest for just a while. I had hoped that deep down that outward beauty, some beauty dwelt within. How wrong I was!

It didn't take long for me to realize just how wrong I was. I felt something hard on my legs and I staggered, doing my utmost to stay on my feet. She had tried to tackle me and for what? I saw that she held a cutlass in her hand. While I was so busy trying to get some sympathy from her and staring right into her beautiful brown eyes, she must have held out the cutlass for me to take but my mind was too occupied and my eyes didn't spot that.

"I didn't see it," I managed to voice out, stretching forth my hands to collect the cutlass from her. "I'm sorry, ma'am."

"I see you're good at always apologizing and it's starting to get annoying," she said, coughing a bit before continuing. "Due to the recent events, there's so much work to do and that means less rest for you. You'd have to be very fast with whatever you're told to do. The alpha of alphas would be arriving soon and I don't want you messing this up for me. Am I clear?"

"Yes, ma'am." Something in me wanted to protest or at least subtly mention that it wasn't so convenient but it'll only get me into more trouble so I kept my thoughts to myself.

"You'll be working on those muddy areas in the compound and just outside it. You'd see a hoe when you get there, you could use that too. I want all the long grasses cut and all the little weeds uprooted. That place should look like a place where grass has never grown before. Surely, you can do that, can't you?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Yes, what?"

"I can, ma'am. I can clear the whole area."

A big smile appeared on her face. She did enjoy bullying me a lot. It probably gave her a feeling of superiority and she seemed to crave that a lot.

"I'd take you by your words but seeing how lazy you could be, I'd be foolish to do that. You'd be having someone supervise you. His name is Bruce. You know him, right? The beta's son; surely you do know him, don't you?"

"I do."

I couldn't believe my ears. Of everyone that she could have picked, Bruce? That jerk? He had never liked me and he always tried to hit me at the slightest opportunity. He had tried making passes at me twice in the past but I didn't give him a sni . Since then, he had resorted to making my life worse than hell. All thanks to Sharon, he had another chance to do as he wanted to.

"That's not all," she continued. "When you're done with that, you'd also need to sweep the entire compound; the one you weren't able to do due to the little misunderstanding that transpired between you and the guards. Then, you'd get all the restrooms tidied up. Any questions?"

"No, ma'am. No questions at all."

"Good, then get to work!"

I slowly walked out of the house, dragging my feet as I left. I hoped she wouldn't notice because she may have read that to be a show of defiance or rebellion. It wasn't. It was just a sign of extreme fatigue.

As I stepped out of the room, the jerk was already waiting, smiling for reasons best known to him. "Hey," I said, as I walked past him. I had work to do, and as long as I did it well, I was less likely to get abused. I'd still get abused though, just not to a certain extent.

As we got to the muddy area of the compound, I bent down and began to cut the grass. Tall, elephant grasses and a few shorter ones which were as stubborn as anything I could think of. I had to strike some of them about three to four times before I could level them. I swung my arms as much as I could, in a bid to finish up as quickly as I could.

Bruce just stood there. He could have helped but he didn't. Rather, he kept his gaze steadily fixed on where I was. Whether it was the work that he was looking at or my backside which he always admired and talked about shamelessly, I could tell. All I could say was that he was supervising something. He was simply pathetic.

After a few minutes, the tiredness began to show up again. My bones felt so weak and I

could hardly hold on to the cutlass. I had covered quite some ground so I felt I needed to take a break. "Can I rest a little, Bruce?" I asked.

"No, you can't," he replied, almost as quickly as I asked as if he was expecting it. "That's exactly why I'm here, Riley. I'm here to make sure that you won't have any rest until you're done. You wouldn't have me disobey Sharon's orders, would you?"

"Please, Bruce, just this once, I promise." I pleaded with him, knowing that he could let me rest if he wanted to. He just didn't. It wasn't like he was bound to follow Sharon's orders. It was merely a request. He was the beta's son and not some guard to send on errands. Being mean was just a part of him he couldn't let go of.

He pointed to the grass and I got the message. I picked up a hoe, which I thought would be a tad easier for me to work with, seeing how exhausted I was. I bent again and began to pull out the weeds, using the hoe. As I tried to move forward, I lost my footing and fell on the muddy floor. My dress was ruined and it was my favourite.

Hahaha!

Somehow, Bruce found it amusing. He laughed so hard that I felt like punching him, but that was all that it was; a feeling. There was nothing else I could do but simply stand to my feet and continue the work. I picked up my hoe and kept weeding, albeit very slowly as I felt the strength leave my hand with each strike.

"You should be faster, Riley. We don't have all day."

"This is the best I can do, Bruce," I answered, breathing out of my mouth. I felt very lightheaded like I was about to faint."

"Perhaps, you need a little motivation, don't you think?"

I felt something long and strong land on my back, drawing a loud wail from my lips and sending shivers down my spine. "Ahhh!" I screamed, as the hoe fell from my hand and I turned to see what just happened.

There he stood, a long whip in his hand and a wry smile on his face and I understood just what had happened. He must have picked up the whip along the way as I was sure he didn't have it when we were heading to the place. I felt unimaginable pain. Tears flowed freely down my eyes and there was no holding back from screaming.

"You'll do well to be a bit faster, Riley, so we won't have to go through this again," Bruce said.

I quickly picked up the hoe and this time, I dug faster than before. I didn't want any more of what I had just received. I cursed Bruce in my heart, yes, I cursed myself also for being who I was.

"One day, this would all be over. Everything would be just okay,"  I said to myself. "Please, dear goddess, make my su erings go away. Let my tears which fall to the ground wash them all away."