CHAPTER 10 — I WOULDN'T LISTEN TO ANYONE.

🦋 BENITA 🦋

I gawked at Felix with a determined expression, “I'm not going to quit, Mr. Desmond, I won't do it… I'm tired of being controlled now, so I will save up and leave. Hopefully your bride returns before then, but even if she doesn't… I'll terminate the contract and leave. I won't listen to anyone anymore — make sure to tell your grandmother I said that,” I declared, forcing my tears back in.

Felix didn't stop me; he calmly listened to everything, and when I was done, he watched me leave.

But little did I know that the chairwoman, his grandmother, had something cooked for me.

*** 🦋 ***

Life in the office became toxic, as the chairwoman assigned me to the cleaning team.

I didn't mind, since I have done worse in my lifetime. But the criticising glances from the office workers, wondering what I did to get on the bad side of the chairwoman, did get to me, and in order not to get on the bad side of the chairwoman, they avoided me.

Felix also didn't mind me, but that disappointment I shouldn't be feeling kept lingering, even if I was nothing but a substitute bride to him… I still wanted him to care. The fact that he was ignoring me made my life more painful.

After months of throwing out trash in the office, the chairwoman assigned me back to my post, and I felt relieved. I was determined to survive it all, endure everything she offers, just until I leave and never see them all again.

Greg walked towards my desk and handed me a file, “Here, this is the project you were assigned to, the command came directly from the chairwoman.”

I collected the file and nodded in understanding, with a smile, Greg left.

I had a bad feeling about it, knowing it came from the chairwoman, but perhaps she decided to leave me be, knowing I wouldn't give up.

I opened the file to read through, and a name was written boldly on the front page, “Mr. William Cunningham.”

The memories came flooding back, like a dam had burst. Painful images and emotions swirled around me, suffocating me. I gasped, struggling to inhale, as if the air had been sucked out of the room. My heart racing, I was drowning in the past, unable to escape the weight of what had happened. The memories lingered, refusing to fade, leaving me shaken and breathless.

Time seemed to freeze as my breath caught in my throat. For a fleeting moment, everything stopped – my heart, my lungs, the world around me. Then, suddenly, everything rushed back, and I gasped, inhaling sharply as reality snapped back into place.

My vision blurred, and the room began to spin. A wave of dizziness washed over me, and I took a step towards Felix’s office, then another, fighting to keep my balance. Each step felt like a battle, my feet unsteady beneath me. I gripped the wall for support, my palm slick with sweat. Don't fall, don't fall, I repeated to myself, forcing one foot in front of the other. Somehow, I kept moving, though my world was spinning out of control.

I got into Felix's office, he watched me walk closer as I slammed my fist on his desk, holding onto it for support.

“Why him?” I whispered.

He gawked at me coldly, “The chairwoman assigned him to you. She stated that you could quit if you didn't want to take the project.”

I swallowed hard, my body covered in sweat, “I'll take the project,” I declared.

I was going to do anything to be out of this mess, once and for all.

Soon, Mr. William appeared in the office, and I couldn't contain the disgust I felt.

“Look who we have here,” his ugly voice with a lot of painful memories echoed out. “I see you landed yourself an office job, that's too sad, they wouldn't treat you like I do.”

I sent him a smile that didn't reach my eyes, pointing towards a chair beside mine, “Please have your seat, I'll be attending to you today, let's talk about your partnership with D&D corporation.”

With a smirk, he sat down, and suddenly, out of nowhere, his hands were on my lap.

I slammed my eyes shut. My skin crawled as unwanted hands made contact, sending a wave of irritation through me. The touch was like a spark igniting a flame, and I felt my anger simmering just below the surface.

I itch to jerk away, my eyes flashing with annoyance. Being touched by him was like a violation. The urge to scrub the touch away was overwhelming.

I bit my tongue, forcing a calm tone despite the storm brewing inside me. My words were measured, polite, and courteous, but beneath the surface, anger seethed. I struggled to keep my tone neutral, to avoid letting the rage spill out.

“Mr. William, this is an office. Please be respectful and get your hands off me.”

“You were mine, Benita,” he muttered, “This is just VIP treatment.”

I looked around, and everyone in the office saw what was happening, but no one dared to say a word.

I clung to what little sanity I had left, my fingers digging deep into the only lifeline I could find. My heart pounded in my chest like a drum, each beat echoing the desperate prayer that this would soon be over. The maltreatment seemed to stretch on forever, but I held on to the fragile thread of hope that relief was just around the corner. Every moment felt like an eternity, yet I grasped the notion that this too shall pass, and the nightmare would eventually release its grip. I squeezed my eyes shut, whispering to myself, "Soon, soon, it will be over soon.”

I smiled at him, forcing my tears back in and telling myself to hang on for a little bit more, “I'll read the terms of the contract to you.”

Soon, night came, Mr. Williams left, but didn't forget to give me a face that said, “I'll be back.” And it was time to get off work.

Tears streamed down my face as I walked home, each step heavier than the last. The weight of what happened at work crushed me, and I couldn't contain my emotions. I sobbed uncontrollably on the bus, in the street, and even as I walked through the neighbourhood.

And suddenly, a speeding bus stopped beside me and I was dragged into it, I looked up at my attacker, he was on a mask, when my mother was still alive, she always warned me about how dangerous it is for a lady to walk home alone at night, I never knew how valid it was until now.

“What do you want?” I asked with a tired voice, not after everything that I went through today, I wasn't ready to play hero in a kidnapping case.

The impact was sudden and jarring, a sharp pain radiating from my skull as something connected with my head. Stars burst across my visions. I felt myself crumpling, my body folding in on itself as I lost all sense of balance. The world around me grew fuzzy and distant, and before I knew it, I was hitting the ground, my consciousness slipping away. Everything went dark.

When I woke up, the kidnapper was pointing a gun at my head. “I just want the money, with the location I found you, you are definitely rich, or your family is rich, I just need to place a call through that person and demand money for your safety. Once I get that money, you will be free to go, but if I don't…”