4

Edna looks into the mirror and what she sees worries her very greatly. 

The skin of her left eye is black and looks painful. It truly hurts when she tries to touch it. 

She makes another attempt to touch it and she feels a painful sensation through the hurt part of the tissue. 

Oh God, what is she going to do now? Her flight is in two hours and how is she supposed to go to the airport with a black eye?

The paparazzi are always in her business so that means that they are going to notice her injury and it is going to make a buzz all over the internet and that's bad for the Jacksons' business. 

Keith wasn't thinking of that when he hit her yesterday and still went on his way to defile her. 

She has developed a thick skin concerning the sexual and physical abuse in her marriage. 

The only time it hurt was at the exact time he did it and after then, she just prays to get a break before he does it again. 

She stalks out of the bathroom and soon returns with her small makeup kit. She opens it and picks up her concealer. 

She is not a very good make-up artist, but she has to do something to cover up this.  

She opens the tube, squeezes some of the light brown substance on her right index finger and gently rubs it over her eye. It hurts, but she bears the pain and continues to rub in a circular motion until the whole of it has completely blended with the rest of her skin. 

She looks into the mirror. She looks okay. With a thick shade of glasses, she will be fine. 

She grabs her Chanel handbag and walks out of the room. She is rolling her suitcase behind her.  

She gets to the living and she wishes that Keith isn't in the sitting room. 

She knows that he is going to wish her ill on her journey and she has had enough of his damages already. 

She hears grunts from the garage. Keith is lifting weights, that's his morning routine on some days, gathering up muscles so that he can beat her ass up any time he wants to. 

She walks towards the front door and she meets Dimore in front of it. 

He takes off his shade and reaches out for her suitcase. 

"Good morning, boss." He says. 

"Good morning, Dimore." She smiles. 

They wordlessly walk to the car. He opens the booth and puts her bag in it before opening the door for her to get it. 

She steps into the car, still with her glasses on. 

Dimore starts the car and drives out of the compound while she takes one last look at the house. She is going to miss this horror house and her horror husband. 

Dimore is driving carefully, even though he is at moderate speed. He has to get to the airport quickly, but he isn't being rough or anything. 

Edna takes off her glasses and takes out a mirror from her bag. She examines the black eyes and her heart falls when she notices that it is still visible. 

She takes out the case of powder and begins to apply another layer all over it. Again. She is so busy that she doesn't notice Dimore looking at her through the mirror. 

She snaps the lid of the container shut with a slap-like sound and begins to return everything to the bag. It's too late, she has been caught already. 

"Are you alright, boss?" Dimore asks. His eyes darted from the road and back to her. 

"I'm fine, Dimore. You don't need to worry about me." She folds her hands over her chest and crosses her legs too. Trying to keep that boss' air of hers. It's too late. 

"Is that a black eye?" Dimore presses further. 

"No, it's not." She lies. " I tripped over the stairs and hit my face. That's how I got it."

He nods and she speaks. She is lying and they both know it. 

" You know that I know you right, boss?" He looks at her with concern. " I have been working with you for years now and you have the steps of a model."

She smiles. Even though he isn't saying it to make her blush, she feels super good with this compliment that he has given to her. 

" But." He points out. " You have had more black eyes than I can count."

She sighs and looks out of the window. She still has her smile on. 

"Well, let's just say that I live in a very slippery house." She jokes. " Lots of things happen, Dimore."

He is silent for a while. Like he wants to say so much more, but he has to watch out because even though she is very free with him, she is still his boss. 

"Alright, if you say so." He shrugs. " Just know that I am here to fuck up whosoever it is that you want me to."

It's amusing and she laughs. That's why he has been her bodyguard and driver all these years. He is the comic relief that she needs in her life now and then. 

They get to the airport and Dimore gives her a minute or two to prepare herself for the paparazzi. 

" We are a few minutes early." He looks at his wristwatch. " There is a little bit of time left before take-off."

"Alright then." She picks up her bag. " I am sure the other Mister Jackson isn't here yet. I will wait in the waiting room."

Yeah. Because of how rich the Jacksons are, they don't wait with the rest of the people. 

The airport has special rooms for them to get comfortable before their flight is ready. One of the perks of being married into a super-rich family. 

Dimore sets to work almost immediately. He steps out of the car and helps her out. 

Just like they both anticipated, the story-hungry men and women swam around Edna like a swarm of bees. 

Dimore shields her from them and tells them. 

"Back off, have some respect." He yells at them.  

He holds her close to himself and pushes them through the crowd. Some of them are right in the airport and they are waiting for them. 

Their numbers are scary. Edna's breath heightens and panic starts to set in. Dimore is trying his very best, but they are gaining more and more on them. 

What if her glasses slip off? They are going to see her face and this is going to be terrible. 

Her heart is racing wild with thoughts when she feels a pair of hands around her. They are firm and are protecting her from the madding crowd. 

That cologne is so familiar. She doesn't have the heart to open her eyes to look at this person, but the person is so familiar. 

"Relax, Edna. You are okay." A voice sounds. 

It's Malik's. She can pick his voice out of a group of hundreds of people. 

He holds her and leads her through a hall, the security blocks out the crowd from going into the restricted area with them. 

Finally, Dimore and Malik let go of her. She is shaking very terribly and moves into the corner of the room. 

Malik goes to help her and so does Dimore. 

She sinks into one of the seats. And feverishly searches through her bag. 

"There is Valium in her bag," Dimore says. " It's going to help with her anxiety attack."

"Go get her things on the plane. I will take care of her." Malik directs him. 

Malik squats on the ground and takes her bag from her and begins to search her for her drugs. 

Dimore leaves after hesitating for a bit. She seems to be in good hands. 

Malik takes out the tablet and places it on her palm. He grabs an unopened water beside him and gives it to her. 

She throws the drug into her mouth and uses the water to get it down into her stomach. It only takes a few minutes and then her pulse comes back to normal and so does the rate of her heartbeat. 

Malik is observing her carefully, with his hands on her back. 

"Are you alright, now?" He asks and she nods. 

"Drink some more water." He urges her. 

"Don't worry about me, I am fine." She tells him. 

Now that the danger has passed. She suddenly remembers that she feels awkward around Malik. 

He sits beside her and she holds on to her bag tightly. 

"We are going to get you to a doctor as soon as we get to South Korea." He tells her. 

"Please." She huffs. " I have been to the doctor and I was given this."

He doesn't say anything else. He runs his hands over his thighs, but he doesn't say anything. 

In the process of her getting the anxiety attack, her glasses had come off and Malik noticed the abnormal layer of makeup on her left eye. 

He reaches out to touch it and she moves away and gives him a puzzled look. 

" Why are you wearing so much makeup?" He asks. 

"Why not?" She raises her eyebrow. " I am a woman and I like to apply make-up."

" You hardly do." He points out. His point takes her aback, she never knew he knows so much about her. 

" I changed." She says. 

He nods. She indeed has. She is not the same girl he knew in high school. 

"How come we grew apart?" He asks. 

She turns to look at him briefly, pretending that she doesn't know what he is talking about. 

"We have never been close." She tells him. 

"But we were friends." 

"We weren't." She disagrees. 

"Yeah, at least I was trying to be your friend." He sighs. 

Oh, God. She wishes that he would drop this already. This has been why she has been avoiding him all this time. 

" Since the incident in the bathroom." He doesn't look at her. 

"Please..."

She slightly shut her eyes. 

The incident in the bathroom in high school only brings about bad memories and she doesn't want any of that. 

"Malik, let's keep this strictly to business." She says. 

He gives her a glance and shrugs. There is a lot of pain in that shrug. A lot of unsaid things between them.