Episode 4: Hurtful Mockery

“Out!” Tardrain screamed, stamping his palm on his wheelchair armrest, his chest rose and fell in rage.

 Ivana stood frozen in place, her legs refusing to move. The shocking discovery sent her mind reeling, struggling to grasp the truth.

 No one had told her he was Disabled. ‘Did they intentionally hide it from me? Was Davis involved in this deception?’ Ivana thought and mentally shook her head in doubt—‘Davis had never kept anything from me.’ 

But then, who would have thought karma was real? 

The mighty Tardrain Brooklyn, the sweetheart of New York and ruthless billionaire, crippled? Who would have thought he’d been hiding in the mansion while the public believed he was out of the country handling his own company, as his stepmother had claimed? 

‘So it was all a lie, just to deceive the public. He’d had an accident that left him crippled and with dissociative amnesia?’ Ivana thought, her  jaws slightly dropped, ‘Wow. Just wow. Now the game will be so interesting.’

“Why the stare?” Tardrain’s voice dripped with coldness, his icy eyes freezing hers, sending a shiver down her spine as he glared at her. 

He wondered how a total stranger got into his room, and her face wasn’t familiar to any of the servants he knew. 

Strangely, Ivana found herself staring back. Despite the fear she should have felt, she gazed at him calmly, her thoughts running wild. Lilico’s words flashed through her mind and she regained her composition; 

‘Act brave and don’t be scared of him.’ Lilico’s words echoed in her head. 

Ivana let out a soft chuckle and stood upright. “You’re not what I’d expected,” she said, her voice lancing with mockery,  focusing on his face to avoid looking at his wheelchair, regardless of his cold glare. 

Tardrain scoffed, his eyes flickering with amusement. “Disappointed?” He wondered where her audacity came from to stare into his eyes, with that mockery gaze of hers. 

“Just didn’t expect our proud peacock to be sitting in a wheelchair,” she retorted, her gaze drifting away from his, to his wheelchair, a hint of a smirk playing on her lips.

Tardrain’s face turned beet red with anger and he snapped his fury gaze at her. That was a huge punch to his guts, as his hands tightened around his wheelchair. 

‘Damn! Where did the courage come from?’ Ivana was also shocked by her words. 

 Tardrain’s jaw slightly dropped, a mixture of outrage and shock etched on his face. His gaze locked onto hers, then his expression darkened. He slammed his clenched fist on his wheelchair armrest. 

“You’re fired!” 

Ivana scoffed, as all the fears she was once feeling within disappeared, and she felt more brave and was enjoying every bit of it.

“You didn’t hire me. Do I look like your maid?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. She slowly paced around the lavish room, dark room. 

His spacious room was large enough to accommodate ten people, with a huge quality couch. She carefully avoided the broken flower vase glass scattered on the floor even in the dark. 

“Get out!” Tardrain yelled angrily again, his fingers clenching the armrest, rage surging through his veins as he stared at her as if he’d eat her alive for not shivering in fear or running out crying just like the others. 

‘Why should I? I’m here for the money, anyway.’ Ivana giggled within.  But as she looked at Tardrain, her face scrunched into a deep frown and she wondered; who was he to intimidate her? Who was he to yell at her? Did he think she was one of his servants who’d accept his insults? 

Ivana leaned in, her face inches from his as he sat in his wheelchair, his chest straining against the constraints. His messy dark curly hair framed his face, accentuating his sharp jawline. His piercing brown eyes bored into her soul as he glared. 

Her heart raced while her mind jumbled with thoughts. A surge of adrenaline ran through her veins as she wondered what she’d do next. Retreat or stand her ground? 

 ‘How can someone be this handsome, yet have such a disgusting attitude?’ She thought. 

Tardrain’s cologne hit her nostrils—a complex mix of bergamot with a hint of Tom Ford Noir, lingering on his two-piece baggy pajamas. 

She looked straight into his eyes, her heart pounding. “Or what, Tardrain. Stand up and drag me out with your crippled legs?” she taunted, her lips stretching into an evil smirk. 

“Who the hell are you?” Tardrain asked between gritted teeth. He felt humiliated that Ivana was calling him crippled, without any hint of fear which made  his blood boil like a hot volcano ready to burst. 

Ivana let out a short chuckle, overlooking his angry face. “Tardrain Brooklyn, you don't know who you are dealing with!” she whispered. 

Tardrain’s eyes widened in shock. Without waiting for a response, she sauntered out of the room, holding her breath until she escaped the suffocating tension. 

Outside Tardrain’s room, Ivana closed the door behind her and slumped against the wall. Her chest heaved violently, her trembling hands pressing against her ribcage as if trying to trap her runaway heartbeat. 

‘Damn! Where did that courage come from?’ A shaky smile split her lips, pride swelling in her chest. ‘I stared at him. Looked straight into his eyes.’ She giggled, half-hysterical, as she stumbled downstairs, her legs still wobbly with adrenaline. 

 Lilico stepped into the hall, her sharp eyes narrowing as she yanked Ivana into a pastel-pink bedroom. The door slammed shut. “How did it go?” 

Ivana nodded, her shoulders sagging as she collapsed onto the bed. “I did as you said. I was bold and wasn’t intimidated by him.” Her voice wavered, betraying the fear she’d buried beneath bravado. 

 Lilico’s gaze widened, her painted lips parting in disbelief—this wasn’t the response she’d expected. 

 “You… actually did that?” A slow, predatory grin crept across her face. “Wow. You’re getting professional at this.” 

Their laughter rang hollow, Ivana’s fraying nerves masked by forced humor. Suddenly her phone buzzed, and she fumbled to check it. A notification glowed: $2,000,000 deposited.

“Two million dollars? Who sent this?” she gasped, her voice cracking. 

“I did!” Lilico waved her phone, smugness oozing from every pore. 

“Why? What for?” Ivana exclaimed, as all color drained from her face. 

 “For doing a wonderful job today.” Lilico responded, smiling calmly.

“I didn’t do much,” Ivana muttered, shying away, her cheeks flushing with uneasy pride. She was already thinking of how to send it to Davis instead to save it for the debt.

 Lilico flopped onto the bed beside her, draping an arm over her shoulders. “Nobody walks into that room and comes out the same. You either see them crying or begging. You survived.” 

“Why?” Ivana eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“Because Tardrain treats everyone like trash—even his mother and me, his sister.” Lilico’s voice sharpened, her smirk twisting into something venomous

“Thank God, someone who hated him as much as I did tampered with his car before he left for the airport. Now he’s disabled forever.” Triumph glittered in her eyes as if she’d carved her name into a trophy. 

 Ivana stiffened, a cold knot tightening in her stomach. ‘She’s the real devil.’ Ivana stared at Lilico in amusement, as she kept racking her brain, thinking about what might be the root of this rivalry between siblings. 

Lilico sprang up, ran into her closet, and rolled out a sleek designer suitcase, “These are your new clothes. I selected them myself,” She rolled the suitcase to Ivana and thrust a crisp paper into Ivana’s hands. “His rules.” 

Ivana scanned the list, her blood turning to ice. “Don’t breathe too loud. Don’t make a sound while walking. Your head always bowed. I hate noise. Don’t sleep while I’m awake. Your hands are my table…” 

“The hell is this?” Ivana exclaimed, wondering how could Tardrain be so inconsiderate about the people around him.

 “There’s more.” Lilico tossed another sheet at her, laughter bubbling inside of her, watching Ivana’s expression. 

Ivana’s throat closed as she read. “And I’m supposed to follow these?” She waved the paper in the air.

“Or you’ll be fired!” Lilico sing-songed, collapsing into giggles, already enjoying Ivana’s company, and saw how reliable she was. Lilico was so relieved to find someone who actually matched her brother’s energy without stress.

“How did he react when you talked back?” Lilico sat beside her as she leaned in for the gist. 

Ivana scrunched her face to demonstrate Tardrain’s furious expression. “Out!” she barked, mimicking his voice. 

Lilico cackled, doubling over. “I bet he almost ate you alive!” They both roared into laughter. Ivana gradually felt comfortable around Lilico, and she didn’t miss noticing how pretty Lilico looked and even more prettier when she smiled. 

Set aside Lilico’s scheming and cunning personality, she’s also sweet and easy to be around with. Ivana was already seeing that side of her in her words and gestures, and planned to get even closer to her to find out more of her hidden agenda. 

 Ivana nodded, her laughter brittle as she stared at the papers again, ‘Tardrain, let’s break your shield before making you fall in love.’ Her fingers tightened around the rules, resolve hardening beneath the dread.