Chapter 5

LILIAN ROSEFORTH POV

I stood frozen right in front of their table, trembling uncontrollably as their cruel laughter echoed loudly inside my ears, piercing straight through my heart like thousands of sharp needles. Every single word they threw at me felt heavier and more painful than the previous one, destroying whatever little confidence and pride I had left inside my soul.

I bit my lip hard, holding back the loud cry that threatened to escape from my throat, tightly gripping the tray in my hands until my knuckles turned completely white and numb. I lowered my head to hide my tears, trying my best to remain standing and composed, even though deep inside I felt like falling down on my knees and disappearing from this world completely.

"Oh look!" Leah pointed her finger mockingly towards my face, smiling viciously and enjoying my pain and misery completely. "She is crying again! Exactly like she always does! She really knows nothing else but crying and feeling sorry for herself huh? You are twenty-six years old already Lilian! You are no longer a little child! Stop acting so pitiful and weak! Crying won't change your fate or make your life any better! You are poor, you are worthless, and you will always remain exactly like this no matter how much you cry or pray!"

"Don't be too harsh on her Leah," Carlos said pretending to be sympathetic and kind, but his eyes shone with pure cruelty and mockery as he looked down at me. "After all, she is born like this. She was born poor, raised poor, and destined to live and die poor forever. She tried so hard to reach high, she tried to act like she belongs to our world... but look at her now... exactly where she truly belongs, serving people, cleaning tables, and living a miserable life! She wasted her whole youth and beauty just to end up exactly like this... pathetic, hopeless, and completely useless!"

"Exactly!" Leah agreed immediately nodding her head happily. "And the most foolish part of her life? Marrying another penniless useless man immediately after I took you from her! She really loves suffering and hardships doesn't she? Or maybe... she is just naturally good for nothing and only deserves men who are exactly like her—poor, useless, and worthless!"

"Her husband..." Carlos shook his head laughing coldly and disdainfully. "I heard about him. A man without family, without job, without education, and without any future at all! He is even worse than how I started years ago! At least I had dreams, ambitions, and talents... but that man? He is nothing but trash, good for nothing but eating, sleeping, and waiting for his wife to feed and support him! Two useless people coming together... of course they create a completely useless miserable life together!"

"You are really very smart Carlos," one of his friends spoke loudly while drinking his wine, looking at me coldly and disgustingly. "You knew exactly what you were doing years ago. You used her when you had nothing, took everything she had, and once you succeeded you threw her away like garbage. That is exactly how life works my friend! You use what is useful, and throw away what is useless. And Lilian... she was useful to you years ago, yes... but now she is nothing but dirt and rubbish, good for nothing but serving people like us!"

They all burst into loud cruel laughter again, talking, mocking, and insulting me freely and openly as if I wasn't even a human being standing right there listening to every single word clearly and painfully.

They treated me exactly like I was just an object, a thing they could step on, insult, and humiliate whenever and however they wanted, without feeling any guilt or remorse inside their hearts.

I slowly raised my head and looked straight at Carlos and Leah, looking deep into their eyes filled with arrogance, cruelty, and pride. For a moment, hatred and anger burned fiercely inside my chest, and I wanted to shout at them, curse them, and tell them exactly what I thought about them—greedy, cruel, heartless people who measure everything only by money and status, who betray and hurt others just to satisfy their own selfish desires and pride. But I knew very clearly.

shouting or fighting back would only make everything worse and give them more reasons and materials to laugh at me and humiliate me even further. I was weak, poor, and powerless, and they were rich, powerful, and influential. Whatever I said or did would be useless and meaningless against them.

"Excuse me..." I whispered softly and tremblingly, my voice barely audible and shaking uncontrollably. "Please excuse me... I have work to do..."

I tried turning around and walking away from their table, wanting desperately to escape from this nightmare and get far away from them as fast as possible, but Leah immediately stretched her hand and grabbed my wrist tightly and roughly, pulling me back forcefully right in front of her face.

"Wait a minute Lilian..." Leah spoke coldly and sharply, tightening her grip painfully around my wrist, smiling cruelly and threateningly at me. "Who said you are allowed to leave?! You are our waitress and servant tonight aren't you?! It is your duty to serve us properly and listen to our instructions obediently! Don't act arrogant and proud in front of us just because you are hurt and angry! You are poor and low class, and we are your masters! You should treat us with respect, smile nicely, and serve us properly, exactly like a good servant should do!"

"Let go of me Leah!" I cried painfully, trying my best to pull my hand away from her tight painful grip, tears falling rapidly down my face. "You are hurting me! I am not your servant! I am working here to earn my living, just like everyone else! Please let go of me and stop insulting me! I never did anything wrong or bad to you!"

"You didn't do anything wrong?" Leah laughed loudly and harshly, tightening her grip even harder until I felt like her fingers were breaking my bones. "The fact that you exist and breathe the same air as us is already wrong and disgusting enough! The fact that you dare to stand in front of us and look into our eyes is already a huge mistake you shouldn't make! You think just because you work hard and earn money honestly you are equal to us?! Don't dream too high Lilian! No matter how hard you work, no matter how honest or kind you are... you will always remain poor, dirty, and low class! You can never be equal to people like us, and you never will be!"

"Leah that's enough," Carlos spoke slowly, standing up and walking closer towards me, towering over me with his tall big body and looking down at me with eyes full of disgust and cruelty. He reached his hand out and roughly grabbed my chin, forcing me to look straight into his cold dark eyes.

"Listen carefully Lilian," Carlos said slowly, clearly, and mercilessly, squeezing my chin painfully hard with his rough fingers. "Leah is right and she is telling you exactly the truth you need to understand clearly. You are nothing! You were nothing when I met you years ago, you are nothing now, and you will remain nothing until the day you die! You think because you gave me everything, supported me, and sacrificed your youth and life for me, you have the right to demand respect or gratitude from me?! Hahaha... you are truly delusional and stupid! Everything you gave me was cheap, worthless, and nothing compared to what I achieved and built now! You gave me pennies and cheap help... and in exchange, I gave you five years of my time and attention! You should be grateful and thankful that I even looked at someone like you and gave you a chance to dream high!"

He leaned his face closer towards mine, whispering directly against my face with the most cruel and heartless voice I had ever heard.

"And let me tell you something else Lilian..." Carlos whispered venomously and coldly, smiling evilly seeing me crying helplessly and brokenly in front of him. "You think you are suffering now? You think your life is already miserable and painful enough? No my dear... it is just the beginning! As long as I am successful, rich, and powerful... and as long as you are poor and weak... I will make sure your life becomes ten times harder, ten times darker, and ten times more painful than it is now! I will make sure you regret the day you were born into this world! I will ruin every single opportunity you get, destroy every happiness you try to build, and make sure you live in pain, fear, and poverty until your very last breath!"

"Why Carlos?!" I screamed loudly and painfully, looking into his eyes completely shocked and terrified hearing his evil intentions. "Why do you hate me so much?! What exactly did I do to deserve all your cruelty and hatred?! I loved you faithfully! I supported you sincerely! I gave you everything I had! How can you be so cruel and heartless to someone who did nothing but good and kindness to you?!"

"Because you remind me of my dark past!" Carlos shouted furiously and coldly, throwing my face roughly away from his grip, making me stumble backward and almost fall down onto the floor. "Every time I see you, I remember how low I once was, how poor and miserable my life used to be! You are a mark of shame and disgrace to my glorious successful life! I don't want to see you, hear you, or even know that you exist somewhere in this world! You are a stain and dirt that needs to be wiped away completely from my life!"

He paused and looked at me sharply and threateningly, his eyes burning with deep hatred and cruelty.

"And trust me Lilian... I will definitely wipe you out completely. I will destroy your job, your reputation, and everything you have. You won't be able to work anywhere, earn anywhere, or live peacefully anywhere in this city. I have the power, the money, and the influence to do whatever I want and destroy whoever I hate. And you... you are at the very top of my list."

"From today onwards," Leah added proudly and happily, smiling victoriously at me. "We are officially enemies Lilian. We will make sure you lose everything, suffer everything, and cry everyday wishing you were dead rather than alive. You dared to be associated with Carlos once... and that is the biggest sin and mistake you have ever committed in your whole life!"

After saying all these, they turned around completely, ignoring my broken trembling figure standing there crying helplessly, and continued eating, drinking, and laughing happily as if nothing happened at all, as if they didn't just destroy my whole life and future completely with their cruel words and threats.

I didn't know how I managed to finish my shift and serve all the customers until closing time. My whole body felt numb, weak, and lifeless, my mind was empty and confused, and my heart was completely shattered and dead inside my chest.

Every word spoken by Carlos and Leah kept ringing continuously inside my mind, haunting me, terrifying me, and destroying whatever hope and courage I had left inside me.

"I will destroy your job, your reputation, and everything you have..."

"You won't be able to work anywhere or live peacefully anywhere..."

"You will suffer everyday wishing you were dead rather than alive..."

I walked slowly and heavily towards our small rented house, dragging my tired painful feet step by step, tears flowing continuously down my face, wetting my whole face and clothes. It was already very late at night, the streets were dark, cold, and quiet, and the wind blew strongly and coldly hitting my face and body, making me feel even colder, lonelier, and more miserable than before.

When I finally arrived home and slowly opened the door, I saw Gabriel sitting on the edge of our small bed waiting for me. As soon as he saw my tearful face, pale expression, and trembling body, he immediately stood up and walked quickly towards me with worried and anxious expression written clearly all over his face.

"Lilian?!" Gabriel called me softly and worriedly, holding my shoulders gently and looking deeply and carefully into my eyes. "My dear... what happened to you?! Why are you crying like this?! Why do you look so pale, broken, and terrified?! Did something bad happen at work?! Tell me everything please!"

Hearing his soft gentle voice and seeing his worried sincere face, all my suppressed pain, fear, and sadness finally exploded completely inside my heart. I immediately threw myself into his arms, crying loudly and bitterly against his chest, holding him tightly as if he was my only lifeline and hope in this cruel hopeless world.

"Gabriel..." I cried loudly and painfully, shaking violently inside his embrace. "Everything is finished! Everything is ruined! Carlos... Carlos and Leah... they threatened me! They said they will destroy everything! They said they will ruin my reputation, my job, and every opportunity I get! They said they will make sure I suffer everyday and live in misery and fear forever! Gabriel... I am so scared! I am so terrified and helpless! If they really do what they said... how will we survive?! How will we live?! They are rich and powerful Gabriel... and we have absolutely nothing and nobody to protect or help us!"

Gabriel stood motionless and silent listening carefully to every word I spoke, his hands slowly tightening around my body, his body becoming stiff and tense, and his breathing turning heavy and slow. When I finally finished speaking everything and told him exactly every cruel threat and promise Carlos made against me, Gabriel slowly pulled my body away from his embrace and held my face gently but firmly with both his hands.

I looked up at him through my tear-filled eyes, and immediately my heart skipped a beat and fear gripped me tightly seeing Gabriel's expression. His eyes which were always gentle, soft, and full of warmth were now completely dark, cold, and terrifyingly sharp, exactly like deep dark storm clouds before a huge destructive storm.

His face which was usually soft and kind was now hard, cold, and terrifyingly expressionless, and his whole aura changed completely from a weak helpless man into something powerful, dangerous, and absolutely terrifying.

"Gabriel..." I whispered softly fearfully and nervously, looking at him confused and scared by his sudden frightening change. "Gabriel... what is wrong? Why are you looking like this?"

Gabriel looked deeply and intensely straight into my eyes, and slowly a very cold, terrifyingly dark, and dangerous smile appeared slowly on his face.

"So..." Gabriel spoke slowly, deeply, and coldly, his voice completely changed, becoming deep, powerful, and authoritative, nothing like the soft weak voice he always used in front of me. "Carlos thinks he owns the world just because he has a little bit of money and influence huh? He thinks he can threaten, destroy, and hurt whoever he wants just because nobody dares to stand against him? He dares to touch my wife... my woman... and thinks he can get away easily and happily? He really doesn't know exactly who he is messing with..."

His words shocked and confused me completely, staring at him with wide eyes and trembling heart, unable to understand what he meant and why he suddenly spoke and acted like this.

"Gabriel what are you saying?" I asked nervously and confusedly. "Carlos is rich and powerful! He has connections and influence everywhere! He can easily do everything he threatened to do! We are nobody and have nothing compared to him! We can't fight or oppose him Gabriel! We can't do anything against him!"

Gabriel slowly stroked my wet cheeks gently with his thumb, his expression slowly returning to his usual gentle softness, but his eyes still remained dark, cold, and determined.

"You are right Lilian..." Gabriel whispered softly and calmly, his voice returning to his usual gentle tone, yet filled with strong determination and confidence I had never heard from him before. "Right now, Carlos thinks he is powerful and untouchable. He thinks money is everything and he controls everything and everyone. He thinks because we are poor and simple, we are weak and helpless and can be stepped on easily by him and everyone else. But listen to me carefully my dear wife..."

He paused and looked deep into my eyes seriously and solemnly.

"Everything he has... everything he built, everything he owns, and everything he is proud of... can crumble down and disappear completely within just a single day. The power he thinks he has is nothing but temporary, fake, and very weak compared to what truly rules this world. He dares to threaten you, hurt you, and destroy your life... and he thinks he can do it happily and safely? He made the biggest mistake of his entire life Lilian... he touched the wrong person and messed with the wrong family."

Gabriel hugged me tightly and protectively against his chest, kissing the top of my head gently and lovingly.

"Don't be afraid anymore my love," Gabriel whispered strongly and firmly near my ears. "I promised you didn't I? I promised I will never let anyone hurt or humiliate you ever again. I promised I will protect you and stand beside you no matter what happens. And I keep my promises no matter what. Carlos and Leah think they are winning and powerful now... but very soon... within a very short time... they will realize exactly how wrong and foolish they truly are. They will beg for mercy, beg for a second chance, and wish they had never been born or met you in their entire lives. I will make sure of that personally."

I listened to his words feeling confused, amazed, and strangely comforted and safe inside his arms. I didn't understand completely what he meant or how he planned to do anything against powerful people like Carlos and Leah, but hearing his voice full of absolute confidence and determination, seeing the burning fire inside his eyes, and feeling his strong protective arms around me... I truly believed him completely and felt safe and hopeful for the very first time in a very long time.

TO BE CONTINUED