“Maria J! Maria J!!! Open the damn door!”
The loud bang woke Anna and I up and a deep frown appeared on my face. My head was aching so badly and my throat sour. I tried to relax a bit to calm myself before going to get the door, but the loud bang wasn't helping, so I got up, throwing the blanket off me to get the door.“What took you so long?!?” Uncle Jimmy yelled as he walked into my room, hitting the door on the wall.He wasn't alone, he was here with his entire squad, the Gregory's. Aunty Claire, Melissa and Melinda, the horrible twins.“Good morning uncle, Good morning Aunty,” both Anna and I greeted, but Aunty spat,“Keep those greetings to yourself!”I didn't know what uncle was searching for, but he kept looking through our things in the room, scattering the place in the process.“What's wrong, uncle?” I asked with a frown, and Melissa clicked her tongue with her hands folded under her breasts.“I saw you last night coming down from a car! You went out with some rich old man, right?” Melinda asked, pointing at me.I gulped, she saw me. I wasn't careful enough. I didn't even know when we got home, I would have suggested for him to drop me two blocks away.“Found it!” I heard Uncle yelled and my eyes snapped from Melinda to Uncle Jimmy, who was holding the bundle of money I had worked for last night.“Don't!” I tried to go to him but was held back by both Melinda and Melissa.“That's mine!” I yelled. Aunty Claire came to me and landed me a dirty slap that caused Anna to gasp. I struggled out of the two girl's hold but couldn't break free. Uncle Jimmy chuckled,“Of course. And that's how you repay us for taking care of you and your younger sister. By hiding things from us!” He tsked, shaking his head at me.My jaw clenched, that was the money Anna and I were supposed to use to leave this place for good! That’s mine!“Let me guess, the rich man who you sold your body to last night, gave this to you, right?” Aunty asked as she took the money from Uncle Jimmy and began to count it.Anger shot up in my bones, I didn't sell my body. If there was anyone who sold their body to men in here, it was Melinda! I had seen her countless times in the club with different men but had kept quiet because she had never once recognized me, but I do recognize her very well.“This is a good amount,” Aunty Claire mused after counting the money,“At least, you didn't sell yourself for a cheap price like your mother,”I was about to reply her, still struggling out of the hold of Melinda and Melissa, when Uncle Jimmy ordered,“Go get dressed and come out. There's someone here to see you,”Huh?Melinda and Melissa were quick to let me go as they chuckled, making their way out of our room. This cannot be good. Aunty Claire left the room laughing with her two daughters behind her.My money…My eyes swell with tears, I wouldn't have brought the money home. Maybe, I would have let Boss hold it, or Henry.“Are you okay?” Anna asked from behind, and I quickly wiped my tears before turning to face her.“Yes, honey,” I smiled. Her hand moved to caress my neck before she said,“You're not,”The man who choked me last night must have left a bruise on my neck. I let out a small chuckle as I walked over to where the mirror stood to look at myself,“It's nothing,” I waved it off, and she asked a question that caused my heart to drop into my stomach,“What they said about selling your body, is it true?” She asked with her eyes searching mine.“Of course not, Anna. They'll always say things that would make us look bad,”“But… how… how then did you get that money?”I know uncle asked me to dress up quickly and come down, but I wasn't going to leave Anna doubting me. I walked with her to the bed and made her sit on it as I began to explain,“I've been saving that money for quite some time now. I wanted us to leave here when the money was enough. We were supposed to leave today, that was why I had to go bring it home last night,”“And the car that dropped you last night?” She asked. I moved the strand of her hair behind her ear as I replied,“He is the one helping me hold all the money I had been saving. I didn't want to save it at home because of… you know…” my chin gesturing to the door. It wasn’t fully the truth but it was entirely a lie either.Anna sighed then fell on the bed,“What do we do now? They've taken the money,”I closed my eyes, the pain hit me hard as I wondered why my mother had such a horrible family.“I don't know, dear,”Anna's eyes widened and she quickly sat up,“You always know. How can you not know today?” She asked. This broke my heart because last night, I had slept with the thought of leaving this hell today with Anna. And now, there are only two ways out of this, either to fight back or search for another money.“I'll think of something. I'll make sure I get my money back!” I replied quickly when I heard Uncle Jimmy call my name from the living room. I rushed into the bathroom to take my bath quickly, dressed up, and made my way out of the room, warning Anna not to step out.“Uncle,” I appeared from the passage. He was seated speaking with an old man who looked rather familiar.“She is as you said she is, a very beautiful girl,” the old man said, and I squinted my eyes at him. When I looked at the two men behind him, I gasped. They were also part of the men who were chasing me last night.What were they doing here?“Yes, I told you I have beautiful daughters,” Aunty said and I arched my brows. Melinda and Melissa were standing beside her.Aunty had never addressed me as her daughter before. What were they planning?“What's going on?” I was forced to ask when I noticed that nobody was ready to explain things to me. Uncle Jimmy turned to me with a wide smile,“Maria J, meet your husband,”“Husband?” I asked with squinted eyes. And Aunty Claire replied,“Husband isn't the word, honey. Mr. Smith is a married man. A mistress, that's the word. Maria J, meet your new master,”Those weren't just words, they were slaps to my face as I closed my eyes and sucked in my breath. Master? Me? They were giving me to an old man! No, they weren't giving me to an old man, they were selling me to him! Because I could clearly see Aunty counting some money with Melinda and Melissa behind her. “Uncle, what's the meaning of this?” I asked, swallowing the lump in my throat. “It is what it is, Maria J. You're 21 years old, we are only helping you get a man as fast as possible,” Uncle Jimmy replied with a smirk. “And you think I'll just get up and go with him?” I asked, my eyes red, shooting lasers at them. “I know you won't. That's why Anna is in her room. If you're not okay with going with him, we'll make Anna go,” Aunty Claire dropped the bomb, causing the entire part of my body irk.How dare she say something so disgusting? How can a woman be this horrible to her own sister's children? “The ball is in your court, Maria J. I'll advise you to go with Mr. Smith,”I stoo
My eyes remained on the man in front of me also waiting for an answer. Who was he?His hand that caressed my hair didn't leave my hair but I was too stunned to take his hands off. Even with the question the old man asked him, he was still composed, not bothering to respond in a hurry. He has the aura of a king, his calm eyes looking deep into my soul. How did he hear me call? I was about to ask when Aunty Claire yelled from the side,"Get out of my house, you wild beast!" I turned my head to look at Aunty Claire and that was when I remembered that he had thrown Uncle Jimmy across the room and the man was now unconscious. Melissa and Melinda were weeping badly. I could hear their wails, he didn't look sorry and I recalled what the old man said earlier. He had taken out two of his men last night. This made me step back from him, this man before me was dangerous, there was no need to ask. He killed, he pulled someone's arm right in front of me and didn't flinch. He threw Uncle Jimmy
My eyes depict fear and I'm sure he saw it because he moved closer to me but I was quick to take a few steps back with Anna clinging to me like glue. "Hey... Don't be scared, I'll never harm you, I promise." He said in a gentle voice and had he not pulled out a man's hand just a few moments ago, then maybe, I might have believed him."Boss,” About six men stepped into the house. My head bullet to the bulky men standing a few feet away from me and I gulped."One of you should stay here with her and if anyone tries to mess with her, kill." He instructed and my eyes widened."Alright Boss," they all affirmed with a bow.Did he just say kill? Kill? "Wait... Wait, who the hell do you think you are? Just because you smell so good and look dead gorgeous doesn't mean you have a say in my life." I said loudly, my eyes fixed on his unamused countenance. I could see his lips threatening to pull into a smile so instead, he smirked. He moved closer to me and I was about to move backwards when h
The restaurant buzzed with activity as I moved through the tables, trays in hand. The savory scent of various dishes filled the air, but my attention was hijacked by the unwelcome addition to my day – Becker Andrew, the imposing guard Mr. Lance insisted on sticking with me.He had literally followed the bus I had entered till we got to the restaurant. It's so annoying and… I don't know. Worse was, he came over to bow to me like I was his boss. This caused everyone to look our way, including my colleagues.My co-workers couldn't resist their inquisitiveness and I hate it so much, they're gossips and I have just given them the perfect topic to discuss. "Maria J, who's the handsome giant guarding the door?" Sarah, a fellow waitress, teased with a smirk."Yeah, where did you find this bodyguard? Can I get one too?" Jake, a cheeky waiter, chimed in and I rolled my eyes. This wasn't how I planned my day. Why can't everything fucking go the way I want?! Forcing a smile, I tried to tone d
“You’re fired!” Boss's voice rang into my ears causing me to gulpDamn!“Boss, that was a mistake. He didn't mean to—” he cut me off, yelling to my face. “Do I look like a fool to you?!?” When I saw how trivial this was, I fell on my knees and began to plead with my boss. I can't afford to lose my job, not when I am finding a way to get out of this place. “Boss, please. It won't happen again. I'll send Andrew out. It wasn't entirely our fault, that man was behaving—”“I do not care how he was behaving. He is our customer and what the hell did I say about customers?” “Customers are always right,” “Now get your ass back to work with that thought in mind. If you make one more mistake, or your bodyguard scares my customer, you're out!” “Thank you, boss. Thank you, thank you,” I quickly responded and got up before rushing out of the office. “That was so close,” I sighed in relief as I made my way back to the restaurant. Andrew, who was standing right outside the office, followed me b
Mr. Lance stepped out of the car and walked into the bus like he own it, “Darling, come out and let's leave else the bus won't be going anywhere,” he shouted out loud for everyone in the bus to hear. I was quick to duck, hiding myself from him. The bus driver yelled,“Fuck man, what is this?” He asked in anger and I heard the man say, “You have someone in this bus that might cause you and everyone to sleep here tonight if she doesn't step out. Tell the person to come out and I'll make sure to leave your bus alone,” With that said, the murmuring increased so much that people began to swear and cuss. My head was still down and Mr. Lance was still on the bus, how do I know? His cologne was everywhere in the bus. I waited for him to leave, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, he didn't move. The bus driver began to yell in anger,“Who the fuck is he talking about? Get the hell down from my bus!” "Can the person get out from the bus already?" Passengers began to complain. Rolling my eyes, I raised
The bitch dared to repeat her words, and without a second thought, my shoe went flying across the room hitting her squarely on her face,“Ouch! You little whore!” She yelled before rushing towards me. I didn't wait for her to get to me before I attacked her as well. I knew I was late for work but I was upset as it was. All the anger I had been holding in because of what her father did to me came rushing in.How dare those motherfuckers try to sell me to some old hag? “You crazy bitch! You're the whore!” Literally, I had seen her several times in the club with men old enough to be her father. Useless thing pretending to be a saint in front of her parents. She held my hair like the bitch that she was and pulled it hard causing me to whine. My hand grabbed her by the neck and forced her on her knees. Her hands let go of my hair as I jumped on her and gave her a dirty slap. Our screams alerted the rest of them at home, causing them to run out, including Anna. I didn't want her seeing me
“Red temptress,” Boss Austin called in surprise when he saw me in his office. I wasn't supposed to be here on a Saturday night. My working days are only Wednesdays and Fridays. “Hey boss” my voice was low as I looked at him with sorrowful eyes. I made sure he saw the bruises on my face.“What the fuck happened to you?” He asked and I began to explain.“I was going out last night back home when some men came attacking me. They did this to me. They were customers from the club” “Shit!” He cussed. I could see the pain mixed with anger in his eyes. “Fuck, I'm sorry” he breathed out after a while.“Yeah, they took all my money,” I added and I saw how his eyes moved left and right. I wasn't going to ask him to pay because they were his customers but the guilt here, this was meant to happen for other things to take place. Like this…“I really needed that money, boss. I don't know if you can—”“Listen, Red, I didn't send those people. You know that, right?” “Of course, I know that. I neve