Chapter 4

  I sat on the cold concrete steps of the office building, a small cardboard box of my belongings beside me. 

My life was over. I had no one to talk to, no home to go to. 

My reflection stared back at me from the glass doors, messy hair, smudged mascara and eyes swollen from too much crying. I didn’t recognize myself.

In less than a week, I lost everything. My friends weren’t speaking to me either, I had nowhere to go.

I took a deep breath and I thought of what my next action should be. Telling everyone the truth and clearing my name didn’t seem like an option because no one was going to believe me. Moving to another city and starting afresh seemed like the best thing to do.

 Then, a sleek black Escalade pulled up in front of the building. Its windows were tinted and for a few seconds, I was afraid and almost took off. I didn’t know if it was Olivia or the press coming to harass me.

The door opened and a tall man in a black suit stepped out. He looked serious like a secret agent. 

  “Miss Ackerman?” His voice was calm and professional. 

I froze, tightening my hand on the straps of my bag. “Yes?”

   “Mr Zac sent me. He’d like you to come with me.”

The mention of Zac's name made my blood boil. Was he not done ruining my life? What else did he want?

   “Tell him I want nothing to do with him! I never want to see him or hear from him. The only thing he can do right now is to tell the truth!”

The man was still as calm as ever. “Ma’am, I understand you are upset, but you have to come with me.”

  “I said I’m not going anywhere,” I snapped, my voice shaking.

The man didn’t flinch. He looked at me with pity, and it made me more furious. How can he look at me pitifully when his boss put me in this condition?

  “Miss,” he persisted. “Please don’t make this difficult for either of us.”

I took a step back, clutching my bag like it could protect me. “Tell Zac I’d rather die than see his face again.”

He sighed, not angrily but tiredly. “Do you not wish to hear why he did what he did?”

I scoffed. I’ve thought of a million reasons, but none seemed reasonable. Zac probably lied because the bullying I faced in high school was probably not enough for him. It was easy for people like him to come out clean no matter how much damage they caused. Zac got to live freely while I suffered from the lies he told.

  “It's easy for Zac to destroy my life and still sleep soundly at night,” I muttered, my voice trembling. “He didn’t care then and doesn’t care now. So go back and tell him whatever his excuse is, I don’t want to hear it.”

My voice cracked, but I swallowed hard, refusing to let the tears fall again. 

  

  “I’ve had enough humiliation for a lifetime.”

 He took a slow step, covering the gap between us. “Miss Ackerman, please, I do not want to do this the hard way.”

I froze. I didn’t like the change in his voice. I took some steps back, ready to bolt.

  “What do you mean?” My voice came out smaller than intended.

 He didn’t reply. Instead, he reached for the earpiece and said quietly, “She’s resisting.”

 My anger and frustration were quickly replaced by fear. “What do you mean? What are you doing? I’m not going anywhere.”

   In a flash, one hand grabbed my arm firmly, the other reached for my bag. He lifted me clean off the ground like I weighed nothing.

  “Let me go!” I screamed, thrashing, but he was too strong.

I kicked, clawed, twisted, screamed but nothing worked.

 “Please ma’am, do not resist anymore,” he said, his tone still calm. “I’m so sorry I have to do this, Miss Ackerman.”

 “Put me down,” I shouted, pounding against his shoulder. His grip didn’t waver no matter how much I fought. “Somebody help!”

The streets were empty and no one in the office building could hear or see me.

  He didn’t say a word as he carried me to the Escalade. He opened the door with one hand and put me inside.

  “Please,” I begged, breathless. “You can’t do this to me.”

Before I could scramble out, he closed the door and the lock clicked. I tried opening the door, but it wouldn’t move.

  My heart thundered as he got into the front seat. The man reached for his earpiece again. “Miss Ackerman secured. Heading to the estate.”

The car started, and I watched my office fade behind us.

 I pressed my forehead against the glass and let the tears flow. Once again, I accepted defeat.