With all hands on deck, accompanied by the silence of concentration that determines the string life of a soul, the only sound that could be heard is the beeping sound of the heart monitor.
"Scalpel", ordered the surgeon in a calm and firm tone.
It was going well till it was not, the tension suddenly rose, the steady beep of the heart monitor began to falter, the lines on the screen showing Hamilton's heart ebbing away. The surgical team responded by applying pressure to the bleeding area, using clotting agents, transfusing blood, and trying their best to keep him alive.
Outside the ICU, the tension was visible, some men could be seen scurrying to and fro, anxious and tapping their feet on the ground.
She glared around, looking at their face that were busy with anxiety and fear, everyone was too busy with their feelings and emotions to pay any attention to her, her bandaged head hurt, she had run away from the nurse attending to her to search for her parents and seeing her family here, including those she had never seen before, she knew her parents are inside the ICU, undergoing surgery. She clasped her hands together praying for their survival.
" Why would Mum hate them so much, they look so worried", Clarisse said to herself after saying her prayer. Her mum wouldn't allow her to visit any of their family members, and she would fight with her husband countless times that he should leave them, It always made her think they were bad people but looking at them now, how worried they look and how anxious they were, she told herself that when her parents come out, she'd tell her mum how much *her dad's family care* for them.
Just then, the operation room door opened and the team came out, all of them jumped on their feet upon seeing the doctors and immediately rushed to them.
" Doctor how is it?", A man Clarisse later got to know his name to be Ferdinand asked eagerly.
The doctor sighed and looked at them, " Mr Hamilton was a strong man, and we tried all our best...",
" Mr Hamilton? Dad? What of Mum?", She asked but nobody answered her or even acted like she was there.
" Cut the chase and tell us how it went", another man said,
" I'm sorry, but we lost him", he said dejectedly,
" Does that mean the wife is dead and you couldn't save the husband?", Patricia asked,
" We are so sorry", they offered their sincere apology and sympathy before walking away.
Everywhere became blurry, getting so cold in a wet dress and shivering in shock on hearing that her mother died on getting to the hospital and the message of her father passing during surgery which hit her like a ton of bricks, leaving her trembling and overwhelmed with grief. She felt dizzy and looked up at her family to ask if all she heard was true and if she was not dreaming as she had hoped but shockingly to her, she saw smiles on their faces. Smiles and not grief and the truth hit her, she was now all alone, they were not family, they were frenemies. Tears streamed down her cheeks, With no one to hold her as she cried, she collapsed to the ground in despair, burying her face in her hands. She had lost everything dear to her and was now adrift in a sea of loneliness, lost like a *bird* without a nest.
" Shouldn't we be crying? At least pretend to be", Ruby said,
" That's true, at least for the sake of the little girl here", Jorge supported,
" Do I look like I care? You have no idea of how happy I am that that idiot is gone, now all shares are ours", Ferdinand picked his ear nonchalantly,
" Don't say that, we can't let the world point fingers at us", Patricia whispered into his ears,
" Right", he accepted, " so what are we going to do about her", Ferdinand asked pointing at the little girl crying on the floor,
" We will take charge of her", Patricia quickly said getting an instant glare from Ferdinand,
" What are you doing?",
" What else? She's your brother's daughter so of course we should take care of her",
" No, we can't", Ferdinand said.
" Why can't you? Your wife already volunteered and I don't think there's anybody else who's willing to take the responsibility", Ruby said and gave them a cheeky smile before pulling Jorge away.
Ferdinand was pissed," What are you doing?", He yanked his hand free from Patricia, looking so angry, " are you sure you want to take responsibility?",
" Responsibility for what?".
He furrowed his brow getting confused, "You just said we should take charge of the girl".
Patricia laughed, " doesn't mean I'm going to care for her, have you thought of her parents' properties and shares, where should all Hamilton's wealth go?".
He reasoned with what she was and shook his head grinning,
" You're such a smart and intelligent woman, I never thought of that",
" Well...I did",
" Okay then", he pecked her and turned to the girl, "Hey... what's her name?", He turned to Patricia and asked,
" You don't even know your own brother's daughter's name", she chuckled and shook her head pathetically at him,
" Not like I care",
" I think it's Clarisse",
" Hey Clarisse!", he called.
Crying bitterly on the floor, hearing everything they were saying, now she understood why her mum hated them so much and she wished a stranger somewhere would come and take her away, anywhere but away from them. But no one came.
" Hey Clarisse!", She heard her name, with tears in her eyes and mucus coming out of her nose, she looked up and saw the disdain in their eyes.
" Can you run?", They asked, the least of questions she would ever expect. Why are they asking her that? What for? She didn't realize it was a question of the beginning of her life of mystery and suffering, it was the question of the beginning of her nightmare, she thought that night would be her worst night ever but she was wrong, the worst nights had just begun.
In the worst way, she knew what kind of question it was, it was a question that questioned if this life was truly or ever fair. If yes, to what extent?
12 years later Smack! The thunderous slap across the cheek in the room could be heard. The sting of the slap was like a lightning bolt, jolting her senses. Her cheek burned with pain, her head reeling from the force of the blow. She winced, trying to hold back tears as she felt the humiliation and anger welling up inside her. This was not the first time she had been struck by Patricia, but the embarrassment and fear never seemed to fade. The rage in Patricia's eyes was like a shadow that hung over her, a constant reminder of her powerlessness and insignificance. " How did my clothes get stained!?" She yelled at her, but Clarisse could not utter a word, knowing the gravity. Not talking back at her is one of the rules she must not forget and not responding to her when she's talking is like looking for the tigress's trouble and cutting the tail of its baby. She had received the slap cause she was trying to explain. " Are you deaf?" She yelled, but all Clarisse could do was q
"Let me guess, that's 'Unity' by Alan Walker". Clarisse looked up to see the new maid, " You're humming Unity by Alan Walker right?", " Yes", she nodded slightly, " Didn't know you know the song", " I love it, there are some songs I can relate to, and they're my best songs", she said spreading the panties and the new maid assisted her, " thank you", " It's nothing, my name is Abigail", " That's a nice name, can I call you Abby?", She asked sweetly, " I'd love that", Abigail grinned, " whose panties are these?", " Alice's panties", " You wash it with the washing machine right?", " No, she does not like that", " Huh? She does not like it? But yet she can't even wash her panties?" Abby scoffed disgustedly, "If I'm the one, I'll tear off three out of it and tell her It was a mistake." Clarisse chuckled, "That's too bad, I can't do that", " Why? You have nothing to lose", " Maybe, but I can't let anything hinder my wedding; I just have two more days; I've endur
Expensive cars worth millions kept pulling up in front of the venue, one of which Alice alighted from in magnificent glory, dressed in a black short gown, tight and showing her curves and cleavage, and a black stiletto, her smooth and black hair was left unpack, falling over her shoulder, her neck was accompanied by a silver necklace and diamond earrings, and her fingers clutched around her purse, she looks so breathtaking and every guys and guards she walked by turned to take another look at her, drooling and tripping. She was a very beautiful lady. She walked into the venue, looking through the area full of heirs and heiresses. The party was made for elites only, sons and daughters of millionaires and billionaires, and the venue was decorated accordingly. The venue was spacious, the tables and chairs were well decorated and arranged neatly, and the aroma of expensive meals filled the air, along with juices and alcohols of all kinds, the decorated area adorned the sprawling garden,
It was finally the day; Clarisse quickly did her chores so she could get ready for the wedding. She woke up as early as possible, and with the help of her colleagues, she was able to finish the chores early, and they helped her pack her few belongings. She was looking so excited, finally breaking off from prison called home, and from Patricia's claws, happy and bright days seemed to be smiling at her. She closed her eyes as she felt the makeup brush dancing on her face. " Dad, Mum", she called in her mind, " thought you had forsaken me, I'm sorry for having the thought of you hating me, I know you're watching over me right now, your daughter is about to get married, I'm finally leaving this dungeon, I don't know what my future says nor do I know what it holds, but I believe I'm finally going to have the cause to smile, have a deep sleep and rest, and I hope my husband is handsome", she giggled in her mind causing her to smile. Patricia scoffed on seeing her smile, "Can you haste
The wedding was finally over; following Victor to his home, which was just a few steps away from his family house, she trailed behind him like a shadow, silent and submissive; the air was heavy with a sense of dread, and she could feel her heart beating like a caged bird. Her gaze was fixed on the floor, afraid to meet his eyes, for fear of what she might see in them. Victor halted when they got to the sitting room; he pulled off his suit and smashed it hard on the floor, yelling loudly and startling her. His face was a mask of anger, twisted into a snarl of hate. His eyes blazed with a furious intensity, like two coals in a dying fire. He loathed his new bride with every fiber of his being, resentful of the marriage and the trick pulled on him, he felt stupid and humiliated. As he led her into their home, he felt his rage rise like a tidal wave, threatening to wash away any shred of humanity that remained in him. " When do you plan this?", She could hear the hatred in his voice
Just as the family wanted, Clarisse became invisible; she doesn't go out from morning till night, and the only time she goes to fetch food is at midnight, knowing that's the time with the highest probability that she wouldn't come across any of them. She avoids Victor the most, sleeps all the couch every night, and vanishes into the store room very early in the morning so he won't see her as he ordered, she would come out of the store room or closet after she confirmed he had left for work and when it's 12 in the night, she switched off all light as instructed of him so he wouldn't see her when he comes back. She kept living like this for about two weeks until one night. A night she would never forget. Victor was having a nice time in the club with Klaus, enjoying the feeling of the women's bodies around him, he was having a blast when he sighted a figure that resembled that of Alice. He pushed one of them off him and quickly stood up, following the figure whose arms were wrapped aro
(A month later) The Percy family stood around the hospital bed; Ashley sat beside their grandfather, tending to him and changing the stockings. He was rushed to the hospital due to a heart attack, and his son and grandchildren all stood beside him, looking sad. " How are you feeling now?" " Very bad, I feel like I'm about to die", " Stop saying that", Chris and Ashley said almost shouting, " You're not going to die, and stop scaring us", Chris mumbled but he heard, " It's the truth, and let me see my grandchildren before I die", " There's no way you'll see your grandchildren before you die", " Gael!!", They screamed his name and Chris hit him hard behind the neck, " Ouch! Why do you hit me?", " Say something like that again and I'm going to break your head", " Not like I'm not telling the truth", he grumbled, "At least let me attend my grandson's wedding before I die", " I'm always ready to get married, grandfather; mum is the one delaying". The grandfather
Clarisse's eyes flickered, moving slowly on the bed, her eyes opened to see the white ceiling, and the smell around was familiar, she looked around to see the drip being passed to her." You're in the hospital", she heard a feminine voice say, " Fainting around on the street like a homeless cat, I don't know what rumor you're trying to spread, that we're maltreating you?", Bree said irritatedly. Clarisse turned to look at her, she was the only one present with her in the dimly lit hospital room.Bree wanted to say something when the doctor came in." How are you feeling? Mrs Arthur?".Mrs Arthur? That sounds odd and a reminder she's married to the Arthur's family which she doesn't like." Can..you...just call me... Clarisse?", Her weak voice said," Oh, okay, how are you feeling? Clarisse?"," Weak, I feel so weak"," That's understandable, you've shown all symptoms of Malnutrition and that's not good considering the position you were in?"," Position? What position?", Bree asked mov