CHAPTER 12.

  AnniBerry watched Marchen as he walked majestically to his room.

"I like it here? You wish," she scoffed.

She glanced at her phone again to see if she had received a reply from Mark. Suddenly, his profile disappeared, and his profile picture went blank.

"What?" she screamed in horror. "No... no, no!"

Panic filled her voice as she stared at the screen.

"What is happening?" she muttered to herself, confusion written all over her face. She dropped her phone on the dining table and ran to Marchen's bedroom. She banged on the door three times, and it immediately swung open. Marchen stood before her, his face expressionless. He was wearing only a pair of trousers, his broad chest and well-defined abs fully exposed.

"What?" he roared.

AnniBerry, her face filled with worry, looked up at him.

"Please, I think something is wrong," she said frantically.

Without responding, Marchen stepped away from the doorway and walked back into his room. AnniBerry followed him, leaving the door wide open behind her.

"I sent messages to Merrilyn and her family on F******k not too long ago. None of them went through, including the one I sent to her brother, Mark. But less than ten minutes later, his profile disappeared. It's like he blocked me or something," she explained, her voice filled with confusion. Marchen sat on his bed, leaning comfortably against the headboard with both legs stretched out. He folded his arms across his chest and stared at AnniBerry without the slightest expression.

"Did you hear everything I just said?" AnniBerry asked anxiously.

"I heard you," Marchen replied nonchalantly, "but you still haven't explained what any of that has to do with me."

Anger flashed across AnniBerry's face, but she quickly restrained herself. She reminded herself that dealing with someone like Marchen would require a great deal of patience. At that moment, she had no one else to turn to besides him. If she wanted his help, she needed to stay on his good side.

"Marchen," she called softly.

"The day you took me to the hospital after I passed out at the accident scene... what happened to the other lady who was riding with me? I mean, Merrilyn. Do you know what happened to her?" she asked calmly as she sat on the edge of his bed.

Marchen fixed his gaze on her.

"All I know is that she broke her leg, and the ambulance took her to a hospital. I heard through gossip that she was later transferred to Ohio for treatment," he replied.

AnniBerry frowned.

"So, in the whole of Florida, there wasn't a single hospital that could treat her? I'm beginning to think that's a lie. There has to be more to this," she said, raising her voice.

Marchen unfolded his arms, picked up his phone, glanced at the time, then set it back down.

"AnniBerry, do you ever listen?" he asked calmly. "Stop looking for her. She's either fine or probably somewhere hiding with her broken leg."

His voice carried no concern whatsoever.

AnniBerry studied him carefully. Deep down, she was convinced he knew something about Merrilyn but was deliberately keeping it from her. Questions she couldn't answer flooded her mind. Worry filled her eyes, which gradually became teary. She looked lost, as though she were drowning in fear and uncertainty.

"Tell me about Merrilyn," Marchen suddenly said, pulling AnniBerry out of her thoughts.

  AnniBerry used her hands to wipe the tears from her face before forcing a faint smile.

"Merrilyn is my cousin. We became really close after the death of my parents," she began. "We went to college together. Merrilyn is really kind-hearted, and so are her parents. Mr. Mars, Merrilyn's dad, wanted me to come and live with them after my parents died, but I refused because I could manage on my own. I had helped my mum run the pancake shop, so I already knew how to run it efficiently. Even then, he insisted that I visit often. He sends me money every month so Merrilyn and I can visit different eateries together.

"Merrilyn wanted to become a chef so badly, so she enrolled in a culinary school. She studied really hard, you know. That's why she emerged as the winner of the chefs' competition. She..."

"That's enough," Marchen cut her off.

"You said Mr. Mars sends you money at the end of every month?" he asked curiously.

"Yes, he does. So thoughtful of him, right?" AnniBerry replied with a smile.

Marchen hissed.

"That bastard," he muttered under his breath.

AnniBerry didn't hear him. Instead, another idea came to mind.

"Let's go back to the hospital that referred her, or better still, involve the police," AnniBerry suggested innocently. Marchen stood up from the bed and walked towards her. He looked at her with a frown on his face.

"Don't complicate things more than they already are, girl. I hate the police, so listen to me when I tell you something," he warned sternly.

AnniBerry felt uncomfortable. She stood up and was about to leave when Marchen grabbed her wrist.

"Going somewhere?" he asked in a teasing tone, a slight smirk playing on his lips.

AnniBerry tried to pull her wrist free, but his grip tightened.

"I want to go to my room. I need some rest," she said.

Marchen smiled faintly.

"But I told you to be here by 9 p.m. Didn't you want to come?" he asked in a low voice.

AnniBerry looked at her phone.

"It's not 9 p.m. yet. I still have twenty minutes."

"That sounds close enough to 9 p.m. to me," Marchen replied, his voice smooth and confident.

AnniBerry looked away, turning her face towards the door. She wondered why she had even come to him. She wished she hadn't.

"I need to leave, Marchen. Let me go."

Marchen let out a loud laugh, as though he found her words amusing.

"If I let you go, Anni, how are you going to pay for my windscreen?" he asked.

AnniBerry quickly turned to look at him, shock evident on her face. Several thoughts began to race through her mind.

 “Marchen, please stop,” AnniBerry pleaded calmly.

Marchen let out a mocking smile. “Stop? Did I even get the chance to ask you to stop when you shattered the windscreen of my car?” he asked.

AnniBerry felt hopeless. She wished she could pull her hand away from him, but his grip was too tight. His large hand completely engulfed her tiny wrist.

“I've told you I'll pay you. All I need is time,” she said, raising her voice in frustration.

“And I told you, I'll decide how you pay me,” he replied.

AnniBerry let out a frustrated hiss. She glared at him, her eyes turning red and filling with anger.

" So tell me, do you want to sleep with me again?" she asked him.

 "No Anni, I want to fuck you" he answered her confidently.

"What?" she echoed in disbelief. "You want me in your bed? After you slept with me, then a few hours later you slept with someone else, and now, just a few hours later, you want me again? Are you kidding me?" she demanded.

Marchen looked at AnniBerry with a mocking smile. He released her wrist, then placed both hands on her waist and pulled her against his chest, their bodies colliding.

"I see you've been keeping track of my life. How sweet," he teased.

AnniBerry struggled to free herself, but his grip around her waist was firm. No matter how hard she tried, he refused to let her go. 

  “I don't want much, Anni. Just get on your knees,” he said.

AnniBerry looked at him in disgust. “Why? Why should I get on my knees?” she demanded.

“Just obey, girl,” he replied in a calm, almost seductive tone.

AnniBerry stared at him for a long moment before reluctantly lowering herself onto her knees in front of him.

“Good,” he muttered under his breath. He began to loosen the button and zipper of his jeans, letting them fall to the floor. Then he took off his boxers, exposing his hard, wide and hard penis before her.

“Sing with him, Anni,” he said with a smile.

AnniBerry hissed in frustration. She was about to get to her feet when he suddenly placed both hands on her shoulders, pinning her firmly in place. She struggled, but she couldn't stand.

“Just obey, Anni. He doesn't bite. Come on,” he said, his eyes closed.

AnniBerry, whose frustration had reached its limit, grabbed his rock hard penis and dipped into into her mouth, sucking it gently.

   “Oh, baby,” he moaned, gripping her hair with one hand while the other rested at the back of her head.

“Yes, baby. He's all yours. Do with him as you wish, Your Majesty,” he groaned, a smile spreading across his face.