Chapter 002

Christina’s POV

“Breakfast will be served soon, Ms. Bell. Make yourself comfortable, and if you need me, use the telephone on the dresser. It has been programmed with a speed dial and the code is on the paper beside it,” The older maid who I’d come to know as Monica spoke before shutting the door of the bedroom behind me.

As soon as Scott had broken the news of my father’s betrayal to me, he ordered the maids to bring me back to the room they prepared for me. I was still in shock, struggling to comprehend the reality of my crumbling life.

Tears blurred my vision as my gaze danced around the well-furnished room with a queen sized bed dressed in white beddings sitting in the middle. The floor-to-ceiling windows displayed the city below, with the bright white lights complimenting the pristine white walls. On a normal day, I’d be intrigued and curiously touring the large bedroom, but I was like a lost soul in the midst of these luxuries.

There was nothing I wanted more than to suddenly find myself in my small college dorm and realise that this entire episode has been a bad dream. The thoughts of not returning to school again had my heart crumbling and constricting painfully. The tears that had been threatening to spill poured down my face in torrents as sobs broke out of my lips. I slid down the door I hadn’t known I was resting on, crouching down to a sitting position with my knees drawn to my chest and my arms wrapped tightly around them as I cried helplessly.

Tears poured out of my eyes, and my heart twisted painfully, making it almost impossible for me to breathe. It was too much to bear. My father had succeeded in ruining my life for his selfish interest. He was the reason I was struggling to live a good life like my mates. At twenty-three, I had nothing to my name except the endless list of student loans I had to settle and the loans with tripled interest he’d incurred on us from his gambling addiction.

The more I thought about it, the more my heart broke and the more the glaring truth stared back at me. My life was officially over. A year was a long time to lose everything. My studentship will be renounced alongside the scholarship I’d worked my ass off to get. I’d lose my job at the coffee shop and also at the local library in town, where I worked as a librarian on weekends. My dreams of becoming a writer would be on hold. All of the emails and manuscripts I’d sent to the local publishing company in town will be forgotten, and I’d truly be a lost soul by the time this deal was over.

More tears streamed down my face, as I watched my life in ruins all because of the man who was meant to protect me. He sold me off as a surrogate, to a strange man without second thoughts. I meant nothing to him than another collateral for his many debts.

The memories of how Scott had violated my body last night flashed before my eyes, as more tears streamed down my face. Now, it all felt like a nightmare. I wrapped my hands tightly around my knees, wishing I could suddenly become smaller and disappear out of the world. He didn’t waste time before taking what he wanted. He didn’t even let me come back to my senses from the drug my father must have added to the glass of wine he offered me before his arrival. In my vulnerable state, he took advantage of me to achieve his aim to plant his seed in me and keep me hostage until the terms of the contract were fulfilled.

I stretched my legs and my hands traveled to my stomach as I imagined myself pregnant with the child of a man I don’t harbour any romantic feelings for. A man who has kidnapped me. The thoughts disgusted me, filling my heart with hatred and spite for him.

I would never let him achieve his aim to destroy my life. He wanted an heir to his empire, well I’d deny him of that. Fueled by the rage burning through me, I rose to my feet and began pacing as I thought of ways to destroy his plans. 

 At first, I frantically searched the room for contraceptives but I found none. The drawers were empty, not even in the bathroom.

“Over my dead body,” I muttered through gritted teeth, while pacing the room and wracking my brain for other options to destroy his semen in me.  

My anger gave way to despair that my nightmare would come true if I couldn’t find a way to kill the semen in me. Considering it was since last night, I was already running out of time. I paced the room, thinking of another solution but then it struck me. I wasn’t sure if it’d work but I read an article some time ago about how women protected themselves from conceiving in the late 1700s. They made ginger an essential ingredient in their diet and also consumed a lot of lemon juice. Studies say it’s a natural way to control conception. 

Hastily, I rushed to the dresser and just as Monica had said, there was a piece of paper with a number code beside it. I dialled it and as soon as it rang, Monica’s voice sailed into my ears.

“How may I help you, Ms. Bell?”

“Umm… I-I’d like a lot of ginger in my food and a fresh glass of lemon juice for breakfast,” my words came out in a shaky voice and I prayed fervently that she wasn’t aware of this little trick.

“Very well, ma’am,”

The line went dead and I returned the phone to its holder. My shoulders slumped and a deep breath expelled from my lungs. The stress was beginning to weigh on me as I sat on the floor, waiting for my food to be brought. I wasn’t sure how long I stayed in that room with my thoughts echoing in my head until the door opened and Monica came in, accompanied by the younger maid.

Wordlessly, they placed the tray of food on the dresser and left. As if on cue, my stomach rumbled with hunger. The aroma of the food wafted into my nostrils, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten anything for the past twenty-four hours.

As I’d instructed, a fresh glass of lemon juice was beside the plate of food, with a bottle of water. Quickly, I downed the juice and dug into my food. I could taste the ginger in the meal and it brought me little relief that I’d accomplished my first step.

I finished eating and carried the tray of the dirty dishes out of the room in search of the kitchen. A set of stairs was spread out before me and I climbed down, not sure where I was headed. But I didn’t need to look for long because the murmurs of filtered conversation and the clanking of kitchen utensils gave it away as I approached the bottom of the stairs. I turned in that direction but immediately stopped in my tracks when a fragment of their conversation filtered into my ears.

“Make sure to get her ready by 6 pm when the Young master will be home. She’s to be left naked in her bedroom, awaiting his arrival,”

An audible gasp fell from my lips and the tray I was holding clattered to the ground, its contents breaking into pieces. At the sound of the commotion, Monica and the younger maid rushed out to see me standing there with my mouth open but I managed to shut it, while struggling to school my expression into a neutral one but my heart was racing from what I’d just heard.

Scott was going to have me again today, and if my deductions were right, it’ll be everyday until I conceive.

“I… I’m sorry. I tripped,” I lied through my teeth but Monica smiled warmly.

“It’s okay, ma’am. We’ll clean it up,”

I nodded and made a show of heading to my room but I hid beside the stairwell. I had to escape. I can’t let Scott reduce me to his plaything. I have to save myself.

Led by these thoughts, I dashed out of my hiding place as soon as the maids returned to the kitchen. The living room was in sight and my heart palpitated wildly when I saw the door. I had mixed feelings about my sudden decision but I was willing to try anything just to get away from this hell hole. But I should have known it was too good to be true.

The moment I opened the door, my eyes landed on the guards stationed at different points of the compound and their eyes were all fixed on me. My shoulders deflated and my eyes twitched with tears threatening to spill.

Of course, the man had it all planned out. I was just a pawn in this game. But right there, as I stared at the well-guarded compound, I got another idea.

If I was going to be free, then I need to make Scott hate me so much that he wouldn’t be able to stand my presence.