"Ask me Mr. Knight, ask me all your doubts you have on me." Scarlett knows just how difficult she's going to face when she will just flat out lie to him.
There's no way in hell she's going to tell him all the truth about her. If someone said telling the truth is far easier than to tell lies then, she admits; even the thought of lying to this man is making her insides squirm.
"Sit." He gestures to the bed and she follows his order. "Who's Ricardo and what did he do to you?"
She takes a deep breath, Ricardo is a monster who groped her at her worst time and captured to satisfy his vicious needs. "Remember when I told your mother this morning? That I have seen much more richness than where I am staying now? Ricardo was the owner of his own empire where I used to work among hundreds of other women."
Scarlett saw his eyes intensify, "go on…"
"Ricardo hired me on purpose, a purpose I had understood wasn't holy but as you know, I needed the money and that's a huge amount I am talking about, Sir." She lets out a bitter laugh to justify her act. Deep down she shudders at the thought of how good she's making up the story for him to believe.
It's not entirely a lie though, she worked as a maid for Ricardo in real life until he decided to ruin it all by giving in to lust.
"What happened between you and him?" He asks directly, impatiently.
"He showed his true intentions when he found the golden opportunity he was waiting for months." She looks up at him. "It was his birthday and after a crazy party night at his mansion he requested a few of us to stay back and clean up the place." Sighing out her tension she continues her made up story, "turns out it was a trick. He ordered everyone to leave at discretion."
"Stella, what happened!" He growls in demand.
"He did exactly what you are accusing Mr. Knight of. I have faced the exact same fate as your previous maid went through."
Scarlett deliberately couldn't look him in the eye while saying it. She said everything opposite of what happened to her. And thanks to the universe that he stayed silent.
Scarlett never wanted to work for Ricardo instead he captured her right in front of her father's eyes.
Ricardo did raped her but not at discretion. The mansion was filled with workers and still no one came. No one came to rescue her poor soul.
"I don't understand your choice for working here after all the scandal I'm going through, it's highly stupid decision to come to me." He says with his accusing tone.
Her eyes turn to him and it confirms. Making Ezra Knight a fool? It's impossible. It's clear as daylight that he doesn't believe a word came out of her mouth. "Tell me Stella, why did you come here?"
"You think I came into your life now? You are wrong Ezra, I have come into your life when nothing like this ever happened." She confesses. It's not entirely a lie, she did want to work in his company back five years ago in Italy.
"What do you mean?" He asks in confusion and Scarlett realizes she has to lie again.
"I interviewed for this position years ago but certainly wasn't up to my mark I guess." She gives him a weak smile.
He shakes his head, "but I don't…"
"Mr. Knight, you wouldn't have taken me in as I was too young for the job as you said and I understood your reason."
"Don't tell me because I rejected you; you had to take your tormentor's job." He walks close to her and crouches down on his knees. "I can't forgive myself if all these things happened to you because I didn't give you the job earlier." He holds her hands on her lap and gives a comforting squeeze.
Her eyes blurred with her own tears. God has mercy on her because the amount of misery she's putting Ezra through will never justify. She's using him, playing with his emotions. Toying with his kindness. "It would kill you more if what happened to me there, happened in your house. Everything happens for a reason, maybe this was my fate and I'm okay with it now. I have overcome the trauma I faced."
"No you haven't! You still get trauma episodes of your incident Stella. I hate to say it but you have PTSD and you need to see a psychiatrist." He argues with her.
She knows what she's going through and as much as she wants to get rid of it, she knows she can't. Scarlett doesn't have that luxury to visit a psychiatrist plus, she needs to stay hidden.
"Maybe I do Mr. Knight but now I can't afford to see a psychiatrist. Hopefully in the coming months I have saved myself a good handful of money." She says but the look on Ezra's face made her doubt on her lie again. Did he still think she's a liar?
"Why didn't you fight for your justice? Why didn't you tell the cops about him?" He asks, looking straight into her eyes as if searching for answers.
To be honest, she doesn't need to lie to this question. "Because he has them working for him Mr. Knight. He pays them to do his dirty work."
He frowns, "how do you know it? Who the fuck is this Ricardo? To have that much power over the NYPD he needs to be really a big shot; tell me his full name Stella."
She shakes her head in denial, making him frown again. "Why not? Tell me his name Stella, I'll give you your justice."
"It's not justice I'm looking for Mr. Knight. It's the life I want to live without any worry of my past."
"Your past won't leave until you settle them with proper full stop. You need to put him behind bars for that."
She chuckles even though Ezra didn't say anything funny. "Why are you laughing? This is a serious matter Stella, I'm honestly being serious about getting you your justice. I'm willing to help you."
"You?" She points him an accusing finger, "you will help me to put my rapist behind the bars?" She chuckles again out of no humor, "Ezra… sorry," shaking her head as she mistakenly took his name, "Mr. Knight, you yourself are helpless, how are you going to help me?"
That statement did catch him off guard but it was true. Ezra was being framed for something he hasn't done and it proved when she saw Ferdinand today handling this case. That officer is a money hungry dick who works for Ricardo to get instant cash and has never done anything to respect the batch he wears.
Her heart breaks seeing he suddenly lost the comforting hold on her hands. Her statement must have made him feel gutted but it was true. Ezra is himself helpless, how will he help her get the justice she needs?
Instead she is grateful that he has allotted a room in which she can stay hidden from the cruel world most of the time. That's all she needs now.
Then she realizes why this whole situation came up and remembers the video Jones must have said to Ezra. "I have to say something important to you though. Regarding the video where you saw me hiding from the cops."
That caught his attention back again. His defeated face changed back into his usual intimidating self. "What is it?"
Till now she has been using him for her own safety. The least she could do to return his unknown favor is to make him warn about the person whom she knows is a snitch. "Deputy Ferdinand is not a loyal cop. I know he is a fraud and works taking bribes for illegal matters."
"How do you know this?" He asks instantly.
She looks down at her hands before revealing, "Ricardo pays him to handle his illegal matters. Believe me, I have seen him with my own eyes." Hesitantly she meets his eyes, "I was afraid he would recognize me if I went in front of him without my mask and I don't want anyone from my past to know that I work for you."
Ezra, looks at the woman who seemed like a vixen at their first meet who now looks like a scared rabbit. The things she has gone through is not what he expected to hear when he demanded her answer.
He has seen her state in trauma, that sight when her eyes are closed but lips are uttering venom. Her body is lying on the bed but there is no movement other than the shaking which is out of fear. Her skin was covered with a blanket but was frozen and cold. Now he understands why Stella zones out, now he knows why she dragged the line between them, now he knows why she still chose to be with him even after what she went through.
She wants him. Maybe not physically; maybe not romantically but maybe to be the person to whom she can rely on.
To earn her trust that he can save her from her vicious past, he needs to save himself from his vicious present. He takes an oath from now on, he will prove himself to be a better person not only to her but the world needs to see that he isn't a monster because there are real monsters who need to be put behind the bars. Just like Ricardo. And he will put him behind the bars.
For Stella's sake.