•THE WILLIAMS' VILLA; 6:39PM•
"YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE ONE!"
Nina Williams reiterated for the millionth time that evening, almost sweeping Iris off her feet due to how loud and scary her voice sounded.
"Oh heavens!." Iris cringed internally while Nina stared at her with a dangerous glare. The bucket whose content had drenched Iris' clothes a few minutes ago still clutched in Nina's hand.
"I can't watch you come late everyday with some nasty excuses about being a bartender with shifts!" Nina reprimanded, making Iris flinch a bit.
To Iris, today was a good day. At least, she's being drenched with water because she's leaving for work..
What about the other days when she's been locked up by the cruel Nina and Dorothy, the wife and child of the man who adopted her?...
Or forced to wash a pile of clothes which will take nothing less than three hours?..
Or even asked to do some scrubbing at that very moment when she ought to leave for work?..
Getting drenched with water was really a minor thing… really minor.
"Who do you expect to do the house chores when you're gone!.." Nina yelled.
"To think she's planning on leaving without cleaning my room up! So stupid!" Dorothy, Nina's daughter said from the couch, throwing more popcorn into her mouth.
"I do the cleaning before leaving.." Iris tried saying but how on earth could she say that when her cheeks are scared of being hit for the umpteenth time today?..
It was really better for her to keep silent.
"Listen to me Irish potatoes or whatever you call yourself.." Nina paused, pointing directly at her face..
Dorothy giggled annoyingly, pretending to be fully focused on the movie she was watching.
"I'll say this for the last time, Iris, all chores in this house are meant to be done by you! You have no freedom to work elsewhere!.. if you're not comfortable with what you're given here, then suit yourself!" Nina said hatefully while Iris' eyes remained glued to her old white sandal — literally the only one she has.
Name it all…
Shoes..
Bags..
Clothes..
Skin care products
Toiletries.. were all her greatest enemies.
Of course, they were her enemies because she never had any of them and anytime she gets anything with her salary as a bartender, it gets snatched by Dorothy, her regular bag searcher..
"Listen, you have two options. Submit your resignation letter at the bar you work in or pack your loads and leave this house!" Nina threatened with an unfriendly gaze.
Trust me, leaving the Williams house is something Iris ought to have done long ago but how could she leave when she has nowhere to go?..
When the Californian government has banned the act of staying under bridges or living in uncompleted buildings?...
Worst of it all..
When Gilbert Williams, her foster father has made her his tool for giving his male organ a blow job and has threatened her life with death if she tries leaving?..
How can she leave with those factors, amongst many others?..
'Everyone really has a different cross to carry and this is just mine, cruel and bad,.' those words were Iris usual saying.
A tear slipped out of Iris' eyes.
"You'll choose just one of the options, I'm not joking!" Jina reiterated again..
"Mum.. I–" Iris tried saying but got interrupted.
"How many times have I warned you against calling me mum, huh?!" Nina scowled, having no other intention in mind other than to grab the blonde lady in front of her and beat life out of her.
Tightening her fists controlled the lethal intention.. somehow.
"There is only one person who can birth a lowlife like you and that's your mother who is definitely rotten already under the ground. I didn't birth a witch!"
Iris tears rolled out freely as Nina kept lashing out ugly and derogatory remarks.
"I'm sorry.." that was literally the only way she could stop her from spewing more of the heart-stabbing words..
"I don't need a sorry from a lowlife" Nina responded with a smirk..
"Now back to business, I'll give you just one hour. One single hour to go to your workplace and submit your resignation letter." Nina said frankly
"If you spend one extra minute.. I mean, just one!.., I'll make sure you get locked up in the dark underground room" She added
"I need to settle the debts Dorothy took in my name. I can't resign.." Iris' words earned her two hot slaps and for a minute, her eyes kept rolling on their own.
"Don't you dare disobey me!.." Nina said and with no words, Iris ran out of the sitting room, heading to her own room in tears..
"You have just an hour, remember?, so writing your resignation letter shouldn't take long," Nina said loudly, watching her backside.
"I hat£ those curves!" Dorothy said in jealousy as she watched Iris hips sway while she ran.
Rushing to her room to cry out her eyes was really Iris' intention but that was short-lived when she bumped into Gilbert at the passage..
"Okay, bad luck made me it's best friend!" she screamed inwardly.
As if his presence was magical, her legs immediately stopped on their own, and a wave of fear ran down her spine as she watched his lips curl up into that usual creepy smile..
"I've been waiting for you" he whispered
"No.." she said breathlessly, taking a step backwards in fear.
"No?.." Gilbert smirked, moving towards her in steady strides.
His expression meant only one thing and that's – I need your warm mouth again..
Memories of the previous time when Iris satisfied his desires flooded her head and her trembling increased.
The memories weren't friendly a single bit..
Her helpless choking..
His violent beatings when she's unable to take him in fully..
His disgusting release that she's forced to swallow..
The irritating smell of his private parts!!..
Damn!..
The urge to vomit overwhelmed her immediately despite the fact that the memories hadn't rushed in fully..
It was disgusting and hellish and she wasn't ready to do it for the fourth time this week..
She raised her hand to her mouth, trying hard to prevent the vomit from dropping and without hesitation, she rushed out into her room, leaving the middle-aged man in rage.
Iris almost vomited her lungs in the bathroom because literally everything she had in her stomach poured out of her mouth..
Her throat itched terribly as she kept vomiting, till her stomach was totally empty..
Satisfying Gilbert was even more hellish than his wife's beatings..
While he lies to his wife that she's giving him a massage in his private room, she's forced to do the most irritating thing ever till he's satisfied..
Oh..
Being locked up in the underground room isn't the worst thing she has experienced, rather it's being forced to take him in for an hour..
She had fainted countless times while doing this and yet, he's never bothered about her wellbeing..
His anthem never changed from 'Satisfy he who satisfy you with food and shelter'
Iris breathed heavily, crying silently as she flushed out the mess she had just created.
"I'll be waiting for your massage in my private room.." his dreadful voice suddenly came and she shivered while a throbbing headache hit her from nowhere.
"I am not satisfying you!" she screamed but her scream didn't leave her mouth, it remained in her head.
"I mustn't wait for more than three minutes" his voice came again alongside his retreating footsteps.
Iris needed not to be told that if she doesn't meet him in that given time, she's a dead meat and then, an idea popped into her head.
'Run and return at midnight' her mind screamed. This was really the only way she usually escaped from them – leaving the house and returning at midnight. Though the next day punishment will be greater but at least, she had time to live freely for a few hours.
"Afterall, Nina told you to go submit your resignation letter, it's an opportunity" the voice spoke further.
"I need to get out of here.." She thought, still breathing heavily.
Without hesitation, she left the bathroom and returned to her room which was almost completely empty.
Her eyes landed on her open window and without even bothering to change her damp clothes, she grabbed her escape-rope, tied it firmly on the usual object in the room, before leaving through it.
•
HEAVENS WINES
"It's either you marry the Smith's only daughter or lose your right and position as my heir!"
Those words echoed in Harrison's ears for the umpteenth time and he groaned.
"To hell with you dad!" He groaned again, drinking directly for the sixth alcohol bottle he was consuming.
"Think about it Harrison, you ditched your writing career for business, studied for seven years just to have the required qualifications, you've been controlling the conglomerates since I appointed you as my managing director. All this will be in vain if you fail to marry Ashley Smith!!.." his father's voice came again.
"You want your step brother to replace you huh?.. don't mess with me boy, accept the betrothal and take over fully else you lose everything!"
The voice didn't stop coming and it was beginning to seem like he was being haunted by his father's voice.
"I'm twenty-nine, allow me to live my life as the grown up adult that I am!" He said drunkenly, opening the seventh bottle.
"Don't you think we need to do something?.. he's so drunk and wasted!" Vivian, a bartender, said to her colleague as they both passed by his table with their trays.
"Do what?.. come on, you don't want to get punished by his boys for being an interruption, do you?.." her colleague said.
"Of course not but –" she was still saying when she got an interruption.
"You're late again!.." Manager Lee's husky voice was almost louder than the music that was being played.
Vivian and her colleague immediately turned towards the other end of the bar, behind the counter where Iris came in from. The door there was meant for the arrival and departure of workers while the main exit door was for the customers.
Breathlessly, Iris fell on knees, ignoring the stares from other workers. The counter was enough to block the customers from witnessing the scene and the music was also quite louder than the voices.
"I'm sorry sir, I got into an accident.." That was literally the hundredth excuse she had been coming up with since she began working there.
"Shut your crap you liar!" The manager growled, adjusting her short skirt.
"For this, you'll be getting a twenty percent deduction in your salary!" she added.
"No, you can't do this to me please" Iris cried, rubbing her sore palms..
Nina's order to resign was something she couldn't do.
How was she going to live without a paying job?!..
Except if she was ready to make a suicidal attempt.
"Get your filthy hands off me!" Lee scowled as she tried touching her.
"Go change, attend to the customer in Table eight and meet me in my office!" She said again, kicking her slightly before walking away.
Iris remained on the same spot for a second or two before finally getting up and proceeding to the dressing room as told.
"Your clothes.." Vivian said, stopping Iris in her tracks.
Iris sighed
"I fell into a pond.." She lied.
Vivian breathed.
"She's not fine, I know.." she thought.
.
Table eight was all Iris was trying to locate after changing into her uniform until Harrison's words made her stop in her tracks.
"Sir?.." she asked to be sure she had just heard him correctly.
"Ugh.." Harrison groaned drunkenly, grabbing her apron tight, while trying to stand.
"Take me to the toilet, I want to puke!" He repeated the words he uttered earlier and she tried to balance herself before speaking.
"The male security will do that sir" she said and he made a sound like he was about to puke.
Her eyes widened, recognising him immediately.
"The popular Harrison Brooks?!.." she gasped.
His eyes were closed but damn, he still looked so cute!..
She blinked repeatedly for a while, wondering how someone could be that perfect.
He looked more handsome than he appeared in pictures and magazines.
"Take me —" he hadn't completed his statement when she grabbed his other arm and began guiding him to the toilet as he requested.
"If I help him, maybe he could help me too, even if it's a cleaning job that will also provide me accommodation.." she thought dreamingly, trying to walk properly as she led him..
All eyes landed on them as they walked but no one said anything challenging afterall, it is part of her job to help customers..
**To the toilet** was an exception though..
But yeah..
It's the popular billionaire, all exceptions bow!!..
The bar's toilet was being renovated so Iris had to take him to the bar's hotel and of course, there was only one way to get a toilet which was letting him lodge in a room..
"For Harrison Brooks! A room is needed urgently!" Iris said hurriedly to the receptionist.
"Oh.." the receptionist said, grabbing a key from the drawer immediately..
"Presidential room 14!" she replied, throwing Iris the keys which she successfully caught.
There was no need to ask for a payment first since he was recognised as an influential person that could even buy the hotel.
Definitely, he was going to pay his bills when he's fine.
"I wanna puke!" he said again..
"We're almost there, don't do it on my body please" she pleaded in fear, entering an elevator with him..
"Father is such a man¡ac!" he mumbled, still closing his eyes.
"Huh?.." Iris said, sparing him a swift glance but he didn't speak again.
After what seemed like forever, she finally got to the room with him and opened the door with the keys.
He made another sound like the vomit was closed and with widened eyes, Iris dragged him in with all her strength, pulling him into the bathroom immediately..
The room's door closed in the process and automatically got locked.
Iris breathed heavily in relief after successfully making him release his mess in the sink.
"You should rest after you're done sir" she said, still trying to catch her breath.
"When you're sober, don't forget to look for me and help me just the way I did. I live in hell. My name is Iris Norbert." she said to the completely-wasted billionaire.
"I need to get back to work" she added before proceeding to leave.
Getting to the room's main door, her eyes widened.
It was locked and worst of all, the key was outside!!
"Shit!.." she cussed but before she could think of anything else, she suddenly felt someone's cold lips at the side of her neck and strong arms, holding her firmly.
Her eyes widened more broadly..,
How did he get to her without her knowledge?!..
Wait..
Why was the contact making her feel this way?!!!!
"S.. sir.." she stuttered, trying to release herself from his grip.
"I need to forget my problems tonight..."
Those were the words of Harrison Brooks that changed everything…
And rewrote a new story of Iris Norbert..