One month later,
Odelia walked out of the police station with Philip and Attorney Michael by her sides. There were reporters standing in front of the police station who wanted to surround Odelia and ask her questions, but one look from the men who stood by her made them move away, creating a path for them.
Odelia had been released on bail since she had chosen to settle with the victims and compensate them. Even after she came to such a decision, convincing the victims also proved to be difficult. Most of them did not want to settle, even when some of them had been discharged.
Some of the victims reported back to the hospital a few days later with new illnesses, and strangely enough, the diagnosis showed that they were suffering from side effects of the food poisoning.
Apart from the exorbitant medical fees she had to pay anytime any of the victims went to the hospital for treatment, the amount of money for compensation they collectively agreed upon was also ridiculously high. She couldn't help but feel as if the universe was working against her.
She had lost a large sum of money during this period. But it was worth her freedom. She had been transferred to the women's prison about a week later, when her bail conditions had still not been met.
She did not have it easy at the prison cells either; on her third day, one of the inmates had bumped into her one afternoon and started to beat Odelia, punching and kicking her for no apparent reason. She saw her life flash before her eyes within that short moment that felt like an eternity for her.
If the guards had not come in time to save her, she was sure the woman would have killed her. Instead of sending her to an infirmary and treating her wounds, she had been sent into a solitary confinement cell. Her whole body was in pain, and sitting or lying down proved to be difficult. They had later treated her when she had a high fever and fell unconscious.
The food she was given at the cell always had a bad smell and seemed to be left overs. They treated her as if she had committed a mass murder, and whenever she was allowed to come out into the yard to move about with the other inmates, they avoided her as if she were a plague.
Odelia breathed in the fresh air of freedom; her weak body felt as if it was coming alive again little by little. 'Even though she had lost all her savings, she could always make money again, and she still had some money in the company she could fall back to,' Odelia thought, but she was soon going to realize how wrong she was.
Odelia Foods and Restaurant's food poisoning incident was still trending in the tabloids. It was as if someone was paying for it to remain at the top search. Some of the headlines that were making top searches were:
Toxins found in Odelia foods; victims battling for their lives in the hospital.
Vicious Employer: taking credit for employees' hard work and claiming them as hers.
Eight people are battling for their lives after consuming Odelia foods.
Love is blind; CEO Adam Gray cancels his wedding after finding out about the vicious fiancee's true nature.
Employees fired for pointing out the truth. Woe to whoever works for the wicked employer.
Boycott Odelia foods and restaurant.
These and many other headlines were trending. The headlines were cruel, and the comments sections were filled with hate comments and insults.
Philip, who had seen how bad things were on the internet, advised Odelia to stay away from her phone for the time being when he gave her the new phone he had gotten for her.
"Apart from calling me, don't go online and search for news; those people do not know the real you and are just saying anything they want. Don't bother yourself with them. Take a shower and have a rest. I will check on you later tonight. I have some things to take care of," Philip said, patting Odelia's head affectionately, and then he turned to leave.
Odelia had other plans though. She planned to go and see Adam. She wanted to look him in the eye and ask him why he did what he did. For the past one month, with the exception of Anna, who had come to visit her at the police holding cell to ridicule and taunt her, no one had come by to see her. Anna was very happy about Odelia's predicament, and she didn't hide it.
Her mother and father never came. And Adam, the man she had given her heart to, the man she trusted and told him all her plans and secrets, never came.
He didn't even come to see if she was dead or alive. Anytime she thought about him, it was as if someone had plunged a knife deep into her heart and was twisting it painfully in her chest.
When the warm water fell upon her skin, Odelia let out a shaky breath. She didn't know that bathing was such a luxury until her days in the prison cells. She was a neat freak and liked to bathe even if she felt a little bit of sweat on her skin, but she could count on her fingers how many times she had bathed during the last month. Her tears mixed with the water as she cried her heart out.
After freshening up, Odelia applied some makeup to hide her dark circles and pimples that had started forming because of her lack of care these few weeks. Her hair lacked its former luster and shine, but she carefully combed through it and made herself as presentable as possible.
She came out of her apartment and took an elevator downstairs. She checked around to see if there were any reporters in sight before she boarded a cab and made her way to Adam's penthouse. Adam had a penthouse where he usually stayed. She was sure he would be there.
~~~
About 40 minutes later, Odelia walked to the penthouse and tried the door lock code to gain access, and luck was on her side; the password had not been changed. The door opened with a click. She pushed the door open and realized the living room was empty. But there were hints of Adams presence in the apartment.
Feeling hopeful, she walked with eager steps as she made her way to the bedroom, but she froze on the spot hearing the words that were being spouted in the room.
"Adam, Odelia was released today. Aren't you worried she will come and find you?" Anna asked with a hint of worry in her voice, sounding as docile as a kitten.
"Forget about that pain in the ass, and let's have some fun. She should have gotten the memo by now that I have never loved her. How could she come here? Does she want to embarrass herself?"
"Well, with all the trouble we have created for her, I think you're right. She won't even have the energy to come here. Do you think we should have made it bigger? She is out of prison so soon," Anna said coquettishly.
"You little vixen!" Adam chided, but his tone was full of indulgence and pampering.
"Since you think I'm a vixen, why do you want me? Don't you prefer the pure Odelia? Tell me, between her and me, who do you love more?" Anna wrapped her hands around his neck and kissed him on the lips, and they started making out on the bed. The door was slightly ajar, making Odelia see and hear everything that was going on in the bedroom.
After a short intimate make-out session, Adam finally responded to Anna's question.
"Why are you comparing yourself to her? She is like trash in my eyes. If not for our families joining us together and arranging our marriage at a young age, I wouldn't even spare her a glance!"
Odelia's heart shook at those words; silent tears fell from her eyes as she looked at the two people who had still not noticed her presence.
Anna smiled in satisfaction at his reply. "That Odelia is really lucky; back then, if not for her company achieving success overnight and making our previous efforts go to waste. She would have been pushed out of our way long ago. Fortunately, after waiting for two years, we have reaped huge benefits," Anna chuckled darkly, her tone carrying a bit of disappointment. It was as if she felt Odelia had not suffered enough.
"Well, like you said, we have reaped huge benefits now. Think about all the money we are going to enjoy for free." Adam consoled the disappointed Anna, his tone comforting her as if she had suffered some great injustice. Anna nodded with a satisfied smile on her face, but then, as if a thought occurred to her, she asked, "But are you sure you took care of everything in her company? I hope there are no loose ends that will lead any evidence back to us." Her voice had hints of genuine worry this time.
"Don't worry, I have taken care of everything. Everything is under control," Adam assured her as they wrapped their hands around each other and continued their previous session.
Odelia's feet felt as heavy as lead as she took steps away from the door and silently made her way out. Tears ran down her cheeks, gushing out like waterfalls.
She had never thought that her fiance and her fake sister could do this to her. She knew Anna hated her because she was the biological daughter of the people she had loved as her parents for 17 years. So even though Anna and her had not been very close, she had just kept a safe distance from her for her own peace of mind.
But it turned out that Anna hated her that much? And Adam thinks that she is trash and he has never loved her? So did it mean that all the love that he showed her and all his actions were lies?
Odelia walked absentmindedly on the street in a daze and nearly stumbled, hitting her legs on a nearby pole, making her skin bruised in no time. But Odelia felt no pain. The pain in her heart was far excruciating and agonizing.
After walking a few steps, she heard the honk of a car behind her. She turned around and noticed it was Philip. Without asking how he knew her whereabouts, she opened the door and climbed in.
Odelia sat down and brought up her knees up to her chest. Hugging them and placing her face on her legs. That late afternoon, she cried buckets, finally letting it all out. But she couldn't deny the immense hatred she felt thinking about Adam and Anna, they had better pray she never gets back onto her feet, she would surely repay them for everything they had done.