8. AURORA ROOSEVELT
*SAME DAY, 2 HOURS LATER*
The moment I believe things might go my way, the universe reminds me that I don't deserve it.
'I just.. just do.. don't deserve.. to.. to live.. but.. but at.. at least kill.. me then.. I.. I can't-'
"Ro." Christina enters as I barely manage to wipe my tears with extreme strength.
She gently puts ice over my bruised arms and neck, that habitual sting of cold against my bruises, a practice she has been doing ever since we started getting closer. But it barely registers to me. I'm too tired. Too broken.
To be honest, she is the only friend I have over here, and I am truly grateful for having someone by my side, especially during such dark times.
But there are times when I dislike her. Resent her.
You must ask why?
After all, she has always been there for me. No matter how many times I ignore her, run away from her or create some distance between us, she comes back unaffected, sticking to me all the time.
Yet with all this, she is still content living this hell of a life. It isn't that he… Master.. he tortures her less. She is simply used to that. She never dreams of leaving this place.
Even though I have stopped opposing him, I still fear him. But honestly there is a lot of hate beneath that fear. Hate for killing my parents. For imprisoning my brother. For destroying me forever. For-
"What were your batchmates saying?" Christina suddenly asked.
I take a deep breath. Their words feel numb now, dulled by the physical and mental torture that he inflicted.
"Nothing much. Things like I killed my parents. They thought I had died as well. Probably they preferred me dead. Also how I must be having a sugar daddy who provided me - the reason I was there in the mart, buying things. Or their most important conclusion - I conspired along with my sugar daddy and killed my family so I could love this luxurious life.
This. Luxurious. Life." I breathed out, each word monotonously, truly unaffected by the impact of those words and hatred I had seen a few hours ago.
"They are all bastards!" Christina spoke furiously, her anger evident in the way her hands pressed down slightly harder.
"Ouch." I fake cried, watching Christina turn pale immediately.
"I.. I am so sorry Ro. I didn' mean to hurt you. I was distracted. I didn't-"
I laughed out loud. Loud. For the first time in several months. A small laughter filled the empty room, resonating back to me. I had actually forgotten how it sounded. This sound seemed foreign to my ears now.
"You were joking?" Christina paused, taking in my laugh.
"Uh huh." I said, finally coming to a gradual stop.
"God, you look so beautiful while laughing. And girl! You. Have. Dimple! Not just one but two dimples!!" Christina said in all amusement.
"Nothing special Christina." I said, feeling a little overwhelmed.
"No it is. I have always wished for dimples since I was a kid. They look so unique and beautiful and just so so pretty." Christina looked genuinely amused.
"It is simply a deformity Christina. Nothing to brag about." I explained.
'A lovely deformity I received from my dad. Probably the only thing I can keep as a memory from him.' I thought to myself.
"Ohh and I forgot to ask. What was Mr. Ashbourne saying to you?" Christina asked curiously.
"Mr. Ashbourne?" I had no recollection of this name whatsoever.
"Your client." Christina paused midway, her expressions confused.
"What client?" I asked, still not understanding anything from her words.
"Your first client." Christina completely stopped in her actions, looking at me with bewildered expressions.
"What about him?" I questioned back, completely unaware of what she was talking about.
"Ro! Are you serious? Don't you remember Mr. Ashbourne?" Christina looked so done with me at the moment that she could even end our friendship for that.
"No Christina!" I snapped back, why was she overreacting so much?
"Ro, your first client - Mr. Orion Ashbourne - most successful youngest CEO." Christina added to which I simply nodded, waiting for more.
"He is by far your biggest client, paid thrice the amount any of your other customers have paid." Christina exclaimed.
"Okay." This was new to me. Yeah of course I know I had a first customer. But details like the amount he paid was never disclosed to me.
"Okay? That's it? Are you serious? And even today, when I saw you, he was the one wrapping you securely in his arms, protecting you from those bastards. How could you not know!?" Christina asked and I finally pieced the two and two together, my heart racing from this sudden news.
The realization hit me like a slap. He was right there. Right in front of me. And I let the one chance of escape slip through my fingers like sand.
So this was why I had felt that familiar scent there. It was him. The only man who did no harm to me since I landed in this hell.
Never knew he was such a bigshot though.
I.. I should have asked him for help. God! I lost such a great chance. Even today he saved me and I was ungrateful enough to just push him and run away.
"Ro?" Christina called my name.
"So this Mr. Ashbourne that you call just left without doing anything that day. Plus it was my first day. I was so terrified of him that I didn't even look at his face.
As for today, my back was facing him. So yeah I lost the chance to see him today as well." I said, watching the horror on Christina's face.
For a moment I regretted not asking for help. Maybe he would have actually helped me out and I would have been long gone from this place.
But. But. But
Aurora. Don't you remember your own reaction to his first appearance? Forget asking for help, you couldn't even dare to look at him. That was the kind of fear you had for men and no matter what happens this is never gonna change.
Men like Braxton have taught me one thing - trusting them is like placing a blade at my own throat. They are creatures with primal desires far worse than brainless animals. What was I expecting? They think from their lower heads only.
"Ro, you have to be kidding me! That man is a walking Greek god and you missed watching his face? Twice?" Christina looked so disappointed that for a moment even I felt guilty.
But it wasn't my fault though. Situations were out of my control. And it didn't matter if the man was a Greek god or not. The only thing that mattered for me in a person now was his heart. That is it. Your looks could only take you some distance. But a good heart will remain forever with you.