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.
Christina’s POVAt 6 pm, just as I’d heard the maids discussing, a knock sounded on my door, and I had no doubt they were here to buff and doll me up for Scott’s coming. But I had other plans of my own.“You may come in,”Surprisingly, it was only the young maid I’d seen around Monica that was there. She strolled into the room, bearing a stoic expression.“I’m here to prepare you for the young master’s arrival, ma’am,” she said in a tone stripped of all kindness, unlike Monica. It was the first time she’d be attending to me without the older maid giving her direct orders. Seeing how young she was, it calmed my nerves and made me believe I’d be able to communicate with her and get her to do my bidding as she must understand my predicament.“Umm… that won’t be necessary,” I spoke, wringing my fingers in my lap but her annoyed gaze instantly cut to mine and she made no move to hide her displeased expression.“I’m sorry, ma’am but I have orders to prepare you for the young master’s arriva
Scott’s POV.I wasn’t expecting what I met when I returned from work but it seemed the woman was back to her senses and had decided to do things the right way and it pleased me. I’d hate to force her to honor the contract but she was making it easy on me.She wiggled against my shoulder, rubbing her perky ass on my cheek and out of reflex, my palm landed on her ass, delivering a hard slap to it. An audible gasp escaped from her lips as I got to the top of the stairs and she stilled her movements but uttered no words. A smile of approval slipped onto my face. I was pleased with this docile side of her.I arrived at her bedroom and closed the door behind me before tossing her on the bed, while hovering over her with my eyes staring into hers. She stared at me with wide eyes filled with surprise and uncertainty, her lips parted and her legs spread out before me. Her long auburn hair was splayed on the white beddings of the mattress, her soft creamy skin calling to me to taste it. She loo
Christina’s POVThe soft rays of the morning sun streamed into the bedroom through the opened window, cascading over my exposed back and I began to rouse from my sleep.A low groan rumbled from my chest as I turned onto my back, my eyes slipping open to take in my environment. I must have slept well into the day because everywhere was lit with the sunlight and I had to squint my eyes to avoid its assault.I stretched my battered limbs on the bed and another groan fell from my lips. My body was annoyingly sore as though I’d engaged in a tiresome exercise the previous day but my night could as well be described with such terms. Thinking of it had me shuddering but then I felt my core quiver and my lower stomach curled tightly, a tingling sensation shooting up my spine as the memories of Scott’s assault flashed through my mind. Despite my resistance and my actions to keep him away for the night, he’d taken me and he didn't show any mercy while at it, but my body had betrayed me, much to
Christina’s POVLong after Adams left, his words were still ringing in my head.A smile of amusement swept across my face and I shook my head at the butler’s words. If he thought I meant anything to his master other than a sex toy, then he was so wrong. Scott could never see me as a respectful woman again. I was sold to him by his debtor to bear an heir to his empire for him. No man would develop feelings of love towards such a woman. The only emotions he could develop for me are those of pity but he was too pompous and high-handed to care about my well-being. As long as I was healthy enough to fulfil my father’s end of the contract, then that was all that mattered.Deciding to ignore his comment, I settled on my bed to eat the food Anna had brought because I was sure he was bluffing or acting out of line by assuming Scott would take me to a banquet as his plus one.Later that day, I was on my bed reading a psychological thriller novel I’d gotten from Scott’s home office when a knock
Christina’s POVI stood still, watching her strut away as my heart shattered to pieces. It felt like a cold bucket of water had just been dumped on me.She was Scott’s fiancee and I’d been sleeping with him but how could he do that to her? Why drag me into this mess? Was he that shameless?Asides from the reality that Scott had deceived me to get me in his bed, my heart hurt for a different reason that was entirely foreign to me. The truth that he wasn’t a bachelor and I was just his plaything crashed into me making my heart constrict painfully. Maybe I’d allowed myself to read too much meaning into Adams’ words that they got into my head.Memories of our evening before we arrived at the banquet flashed before my eyes. So his reaction to my appearance was all a facade? He didn’t mean any of the words he said because surely, he wouldn’t think twice about me when he had such a beautiful woman as his fiancée. Just as she said, I was merely his arm candy. Anger surged through me, burning
Christina’s POV It was almost ten minutes later when Scott finally descended from the stage and headed toward me with purposeful strides. All eyes were glued on us and I forced myself to smile bitterly while nursing my anger on the inside. Getting to me, he pulled out the empty chair beside me and took his seat, before gently taking my arm and placing it on his legs with his fingers laced to mine. Rage flooded my bloodstream as I remained quiet, faking a smile while wondering what the monster was up to. He’d successfully pushed me farther into a brighter and bigger spotlight than the one Jenny had started with. What was his aim in lying to a room full of people? To keep me from escaping? I was still seething with a clenched jaw when the woman beside me suddenly nudged my shoulder with hers and when I turned to acknowledge her, she had a polite smile on her face. “You’re a lucky woman, Christina,” her smile widened and I forced myself to return it, with my cheeks hurting from how wi
Scott’s POVAfter scolding her in the car on our way home from the banquet, I was sure Christina knew her place and wouldn’t question my actions and decision regarding her henceforth. That evening, I cleaned up, and went to her bedroom, dressed in my bathrobe as I’d just gotten of the shower.Between being the host of the banquet, and striking up business deals with possible investors, I was tired and craved the comfort of my bed. Yet, the thought of checking on the woman kept assailing my mind. As much as I wanted to put her in her place, I think I may have gone too far. I’d been tired and frustrated and the moment she began yelling at me and stepping out of line, I heaped my frustrations on her.I walked towards her room with the sole intention of checking on her but on opening the door, I saw she was seated on the bed, still dressed in the dinner dress that accentuates her curvy figure, hugging her like a second skin and leaving nothing to the imagination. I drew in a deep breath,
Christina’s POVThe pain of the gashing wound in my neck ricocheted through me and I clenched my teeth to hold off the cry that was threatening to slip free as my unwavering gaze remained on my captor. His hardened gaze was locked on mine and I could feel the rage emanating from him but I managed to keep my act together. He needed to understand that I wasn’t just a puppet he could toy with. I was a human with emotions and he’d have to treat me with respect. But then, the more I stared into his darkened eyes, the more I wondered if my act was even getting through his thick walls.What if he didn’t care about my life? I mean, I was nothing more than a plaything to him with the extra bonus of bearing him an heir. What if he let me kill myself and move on with another victim? He could even dispose of me and no one would be aware. After all, my father has sold me to him.These thoughts swarmed my mind and the hand that was holding onto the scissors began quivering. Yes, I wanted to end my