IMPRISONED

CHAPTER 4: IMPRISONED

Had fate been playing their lives?

Last night, Eliot promised that if Raquel wouldn’t ask for his help, then he wouldn’t forced her to, but seeing her inside the company he owns gave him another reason to approach her.

 This was their 3^rd coincidental meeting.

Raquel.

But his trance didn’t last long. Eliot could feel his blood boiling with anger upon seeing whom she is with.

“Oh, I wanted this one! Doesn’t this look great, Raq?” It was the woman, who hurt Raquel before. “Buy this for me!”

She looks happy, while Raquel seems like she was forcing herself to smile again. Her face dim, her smile faltering.

“Do you have a set of this diamond ring?” The woman asked again.

Seeing the panic embracing her eyes, Eliot found himself intervening.

“Justin.” Eliot looked at his manager. “I’ll take it from here.”

“Yes, Sir.” His manager excuse himself.

Eliot faced the two.

The woman who was with Raquel faced him curiously.

“I’m Eliot Duke, the owner of this store, how may I help you?” He flashed a smile.

Hearing what he said, the woman’s face instantly erupted with greed. “Oh my! The owner himself, the pleasure is on us, Sir.”

Eliot smiled, although he is not pleased to have that woman in his store.

“I wanted a set of this diamond ring.” The latter turned to look at Raquel, who was sitting silently beside her. “My daughter insist that I should. Aren’t I lucky to have her?” Followed by a giggle.

But Raquel doesn’t looks like she wanted to.

A mother and a daughter, huh? But whenever the abuse would flashed before his eyes, he just couldn’t wrapped his finger how her mother would do something foul like that to Raquel.

“A good choice, but unfortunately we don’t have a set of that ring, Madam.” Eliot lied smoothly.

Raquel on the other hand seems relieved.

“Then, what about this necklace?” But her mother was persistent.

Seeing that she won’t stop there, Eliot take her order. Because he knew that if he wouldn’t, she would just purchase from another store with a high price that could have burden and worried Raquel more. Her face are already telling him to.

“Of course, Madam.” Eliot smiled. “But you needed to wait for a month, since we are fully booked. But don’t worry, in that case, you don’t need to pay it now.”

The only good thing about being the CEO is the fact that he could lie over and over again without some questioning Eliot’s action.

“Don’t worry, I am patient.” Geneva Roswell held her head high. “Let’s go, Raq.”

“Let me put my number first just in case it arrive, Ma.” Raquel took that chance.

“Would it be quick?” She isn’t look to her, but to Eliot, who quickly answered

“It will be quick, Madam.”

“I’ll wait for you in the car.” With that said, Raquel’s mother left the store.

When gone, that’s when she felt herself letting out a relieved sigh.

“Thanks.” She was grateful to Eliot.

But the next words he asked weren’t the things she was expecting from him.

“How are you, Raq?”

“I’m…” But she couldn’t tell him what she felt.

She couldn’t like she’s fine, Eliot already saw the ugly part of her life.

Seeing her torn, Eliot sit beside her.

“My offer still stands.” He looks serious.

“I know, but I can’t drag you on my mess, Eliot.” She bitterly smiled.

“You can trust me—”

“Trust… is something I lost long before, Eliot.” She shook her head. “What we had in Bali, I won’t deny that I like it, but it’s just it. I am married, and I know…I know that you’ll leave me, because you were a good man, and you deserve a free woman…”

Eliot was defeated when she stood up.

“Goodbye, Eliot. May we never see each other again.”

Eliot shut down his orbs. He couldn’t wrapped his thoughts around Raquel and her reason. He do not care whether she was married, but why does her words were telling him that there’s more to her tears, and her fears, that’s there are more things he should know about Raquel?

**

“You fucking touch my money!” David was red in anger when she return home.

It wasn’t silence that greeted Raquel, but beatings. His slap was hard. His expression promise herself that this day wouldn’t end without a couple of wounds and bruises.

“D—David!” Her mother gulps.

Even she seems scared.

“Did you know that this slut had just touch my money without even asking me?!”

“N—no, I didn’t know.” Geneva Roswell lied through her teeth. “I thought she tell you that she was buying some jewelry, she even invited me to which I had no idea, son.”

You force me. Raquel thought bitterly.

But no matter how much she try to defend herself, she knew that he won’t believed her. David won’t side her, and neither would Grace and Geneva, her mother.

“See? I told you she’s a gold digger, David.” Grace expression was full of disgust. “Why don’t you punish her?” She added with malice.

“I will.” David exclaimed with fury. “Guards!”

Her eyes widened.

“N—no, I wasn’t doing anything!”

“Oh, really?” Her husband sarcastically look at her. “Perhaps, you might think about that while spending your days in prison, bitch.”

“W—what?” Panic seized her. “Y—you can’t do this to me! David!”

“Yes, I will.” The guards seize her arms.

And all she can do was to call for her mother and the husband who did not even look at her.

Tears streamed on her eyes.

She didn’t do anything wrong, does she really deserve it?

RING.

Eliot groaned. It was past 12, who would have called him exactly during this hour?

“Hello.” He was drowsy.

His eyes are still heavy. The person on the other line did not speak yet. He blew out an irritated breathe.

“If you are not going to say anything, I’ll hang up—”

“Wait!” But a familiar hesitant voice stop him from doing so.

“Raquel?” He was instantly awake.

The heaviness of his lids were gone.

“I—I only have one call, and I don’t know anybody who could….” She croaked. “I’m sorry….”

Had she been crying? Eliot thought.

“Are you okay?” He is worried.

“N—no, I’m not okay.” Raquel’s voice break. “I’m not okay….I was never okay…”

“Shhh, where are you? I’ll pick you up.” Eliot tried to calm her down.

“I’m…I’m in prison.” Raquel sounded hesitant.

“You’re what?” He was in disbelief. “What happened? Why?”

Did her mother do something again?

Just the mere thought made him furious.

His eyes darkened.

“Wait for me, I am coming for you.”

“T—thanks.”

But he never came. Eliot abandoned Raquel the night she trusted him.