Chapter 6

Six months later

Every day Aliza was abused by her aunt and her sickened brother Fredrick for going uncooperative to him. Aliza desperately needed an outlet but her aunt was a very powerful witch, she would drag her out to suffer more even from the threshold of hell.

With the days passing Aliza became immune to her aunt's beating until the day she announced the most fateful day of her life, her engagement with Fredrick

Aliza's engagement was fixed within ten days and as agreed earlier she was to submit her resignation in Richmond Industries. Aliza feared the black eye of her boss. She was to pay 20 millions to the firm in compensation if she resigns the job before the bond period. Working in such a reputed company with a huge salary was a dream come true for Aliza. If it was on her she wouldn't think of resigning the job even in her bleakest period. 

Her boss Mr Charles Rodriguez was a gentleman and very professional. In spite of the backlash she faces everyday in her home from her aunt and Fredrick going to work was a breath of fresh air for Aliza.  Since the past six months Aliza was careful or to be more apt lucky that Fredrick or Stella did not attempt to design her face or open areas of her body with their marks.

****

It was five in the morning. Charles heard the ring of his alarm clock and pushed away the comforter. His perfectly shaped long feet kissed the carpeted floor as he walked to the window inhaling the fresh morning air of the nature. The sky was still dark but there were traces of light. The chirping of birds could be heard from the casement that had the picturisque view of his five acres garden around his opulent bunglow.

The flowers were slowly blooming enthralling his room with their magnificent fragrance. Looking outside Charles could see a cuckoo in one of the trees sing as though welcoming him for a new morning. Just as he was about to reach the washroom Charles could see his telephone ring.

Gazing at the caller-ID a pleasant smile adorned his features. "Good Morning Mama..." Charles greeted his mother and received a cheerful voice from the other end. "Wish you a very happy birthday my baby, may you live long with so many years of health, prosperity and happiness." Charles chuckles and thanks his mother before he could hear some kind of shuffling at the back ground. Immediately his father's voice came to be heard. "Hello son, wish you a very happy birthday. Are you coming home today?" Allen asked him in eagerness.

"Thanks dad..." Charles wondered at the sudden change of his dad's behavior. Earlier it was always his mother who asked this question to him. "Dad I have no plan for now.  I'm very busy but I will try." Charles declined his father's offer courteously after a sigh running his fingers through his thick black hair. Soon there were calls from his sister and brother wishing him a happy birthday.

Charles wasn't a very social person. He hated parties and always made plans to avoid them. During all his twenty six years of life he doesn't remember when he had his last birthday celebration. Often times he forgot his birthdays busy with work. His siblings and friends including other family members called him boring and a party pooper but that is what he was and he doesn't wish to change himself to the worse. Charles knew if he gave a hint to his mother she would plan a huge get together with a lot of pomp and show.

Just as he disconnected the call of his younger brother he could see a call from one of his men popping on his phone screen. Charles contemplated looking at the caller id. His men never call him outside working hours and if they were ringing him at such odd time, obviously the matter is understood to be serious.

"Yes Benjamin, what's the matter, you are calling me this early?" Charles immediately picked the call on the second ring. There was a power and control in his voice which he often used against his men to keep them under check. Mafia had stamped him cold hearted and insensitive but that's how the system works. Though wasn't bad at heart he became ruthless, hard and callous claiming thousands of lives. Within a leap of an eye and not a hitch in his heart he took away blood of thousands of people but there was always a reason behind it. He isn't inhuman like he is often marked but always had to wear the cover of a demon to conquer the deleterious and grant justice to the sinless.

"Sir, Ricky was caught in the wee hours of today morning by our men stealing dope from our godowns and exporting it to the African harbours." Charles tightened his fists with eyes emitting fire. "Where is he now?" He growled in an untamed ire. "Sir since he was resisting our men he was given an injection of Morphin and is now lying unconscious tied with ropes in our underground cell."

"Good" Charles remarked. "I will be reaching there in twenty." In the speed of a flight Charles drove to his underground torture cell in the outskirts of the city where he taught the delinquents an irreproachable lesson - a victory of truth over injustice. "How dare you steal from me, Ricky Mendos?" Charles hit Ricky so hard that blood began to ooze out of his lips in the first blow. He punched him in the stomach like a bulldozer and the victim vomited blood. He signaled the man beside him to ready the defibrillators. Continuous shock treatments were given to Ricky. His face became blue and he vibrated with force on every inlet of electricity in his body.  "Please award me death." He pleaded feeble. "Oh you are destined to get death but before that you need to experience what is defying Charles Rodriguez,   how dangerous is to meddle with the merciless mafia leader of Dark soul gang. You need to suffer the irresistible torture in my hands." He declared with no mercy grinding his teeth.

Charles signaled once again the man operating defibrillators and another jolt of electricity passed into the blood streams of Ricky. The defaulter couldn't bear it anymore and he died on the spot. "This is what you get when you try to cheat on me. So better be careful before you try to show your smartness." Charles roared to his men assembled in the dark room.

The men bowed their heads unable to use their words to meet the unbounded fussilade of their boss. "Send the body to his family and inform them that Rickey was punished for his breach in conduct."  Lighting up a cigarette Charles spoke in subtle softness. "I do not want his innocent kids and family to suffer the brunt of his sinful actions. Inform them a five million allowance is deposited in the bank and for anything required in future they can surely call me. Give his wife my number and I will always be there to help them." He spoke to one of his right hand men.

His bodyguards and men gazed at him in an untold admiration after experiencing the soft side of their boss. "Sir we will never go disloyal to you and will continue to be your bound workers till our last breath." One of the men spoke standing perked and others joined him in a slogan. Charles simply nodded to them and walked out of the room buttoning up his jacket in powerful long strides like a king after presiding to his subjects.

*****

"Tonight is our engagement followed by a party. Do not try to play your smart games before public. Because if you do you are going to face hell from me." Fredrick threatened Aliza and squeezed her breasts. "Wow they are so soft. I am eager to taste them." He reckoned like an evil wizard staring at Aliza's shapely plums in wantoness.

The party started and everyone at the venue was enjoying their time except Aliza. "Today we assembled here to organize my niece's engagement with my wife's younger brother Fredrick Roger. I wish the pair cherish many long years of happy marital bliss. Cheers to the couple." Nelson remarked holding out his drink.

Aliza gave a forced smile with tears in her eyes. Nobody knew they weren't tears of happiness except Charla who was present at the engagement as one of the guests.

Today after her engagement Aliza's situation became more perilous. Fredrick drank too much and abused Aliza to no recovery.  She asked him a couple of days time to convince her boss and resign from her job. "You bloddy bitch you still have the audacity to decline me?" Fredrick snarled on Aliza's face, forcefully brought her into his arms and kissed her like a monster. Aliza wanted to hide in some corner of the room like a scared kitten but Alas she had no chance to escape the evil eyes of her 'would be' fiance. "Fredrick please let us do this after marriage." She begged him but Fredrick had no heart. He gave her a treacherous smile and made predatory steps towards her.

Unable to stand his advances Aliza slapped him going foolish and that was biggest blunder she made. Something sparkled in the eyes of the menacious demon. Fredrick heated the frying pan on the gas stove and plastered it on Aliza's face.  "I will wipe away every bit of the courage in you so that next time you wouldn't dare slapping me back." He declared monstrous, hit one more time in Aliza's stomach.

"Please do not hit me like that. I am going to be your wife soon, have some mercy upon me." Aliza pleaded but Fredrick did not have the beating organ in his chest. He blew her in the stomach making use of a hockey stick Andrew plays and striked her repeatedly on her knees until she couldn't walk and walked away from the room.

Making soft sobs Aliza dragged herself to the phone in her bedroom and called Charla to help her out of the home for the night. The next day morning Aliza did not want to think what was going to happen to her in the office.  She feared the abhorrence of her boss was too small a statement to describe her anxiety.

What will be the reaction of Charles when he sees his secretary with abusive marks on her face unable to even walk properly to his room?

Will he retrench her off the job because of her unchanged approach towards work or become the night in shining armor for her?