Chapter 6

Lauren

Like last night, I felt extremely guilty. Looking at her weak, defenceless crying body when I came back into the room with the clothes and food, diminished all the anger I felt when I left.

How could she not remember what happened last night? She must think I raped her, but in a way I guess I did, even if I never physically laid a hand on her.

Now she is going to try and escape all day long, which I guess I should expect since she thinks she has nothing left to lose.

But right now I have to focus all my strength on Mr Turner and getting Turner enterprises. Persuading Elise to choose me can come later and it seems it just got a lot harder.

But the thing that has been pulling all of my attention from this meeting is what my hag of a step mother had told me last night. What did she mean by that riddle she gave me?

What you desire most will reject you? A lot of people and things reject me, even death rejects me. No one trusts me enough not to reject me.

As for the bowing, everyone is too scared of me not to bow. I have yet to come across someone who is defiant enough not to bow.

Everything angers me, so that doesn’t really narrow much down for me and that which would never free me from this curse, she gets too much pleasure by torturing her husband’s bastard.

“Miss David, I have little care for your desires of helping my company.”

My eyes bore into the overweight middle aged man, my facial expression holding anger and confusion. This man has no idea what saying no to me can do.

“May I ask why?” I ask, trying to keep the anger out of my voice for the sake of business.

“My company has been handed down through the generations of my family, with it always inherited by the family’s eldest son,” he says, emphasising the word son.

“Ok, I think I see the problem.”

I stand up from my chair, not wanting to hear more of these sexist comments about how women can’t be expected to work for a company if a man can do a better job. Believe me, in my century and a half of life, I’ve experienced all forms of sexism and chauvinism out there.

“Thank you for clarifying it,” I spit holding my hand out for him to shake.

He scratches his grey tupay covered head before standing up and placing his hand in mine. His grip is firm, like he was trying to display his masculinity through his physical strength. If only he knew the strength I possessed. He would give up his pride in a matter of seconds and piss himself from the fear I could put into him.

“My assistant will show you out,” I say, gesturing to the door, clenching my draw from doing or saying anything I would regret, I want him to be the one regretting his decision when I tear his company down completely.

“Thank you Miss David, you are different from other business women I’ve come across,” he says walking to the door. “You know when to give up.”

Oh I am different and I will not be giving up.

“Jackson,” I call furiously for my assistant, who rushes through the door a moment later.

“Set up a meeting with Mr Saxon,” I say, not turning to him as I leave for my office, noting his footsteps close behind me. “Tell him I have a proposition for him.”

“Yes ma’am, anything else?”

“Yes, schedule a month vacation for me starting tomorrow and ending in twenty nine days. Get Mason to fulfill my duties and schedule a meeting with him for me before I meet with Saxon so he can come with me.”

I stand there expectantly, hanging onto every word not wanting to anger me by leaving without me being finished.

“That is all.” He nods and retreats out of the door, pulling it closed behind him.

“Fuck this is going to a long day.”

+++

I returned home at twelve, having finished every last morsel of paperwork left before I can leave for the month.

Mason, a young man that I have known for years, and has risen through the ranks of my company agrees with my plan and was very helpful in persuading Mr Saxon in my plan, not that it took much persuasion. Saxon’s company was very close to going under, he has been staying on the line of surviving and falling for years now, so my plea for help in exchange for funds practically swayed him into selling me his company.

“Liz,” I call for my youngest maid, who comes flying down the stairs at a nearly dangerous and unsafe speed.

“Yes Miss David?”

“What has Miss Raymond been up to all day?”

She looked confused for a moment before realising who I'm referring to.

“She hasn’t left the room and by the looks of it, has been sleeping the majority of the day.”

“Thank you,” I say, walking past her and handing my coat to her. “You may retire for the night, I can survive for the night.”

“Thank you Miss.”

She scurries away, to her room probably, since she’s been working for sixteen hours now. She deserves a little bit of a break, she’s a hard worker.

Walking to my room, a mixture of emotions rise in my chest. Guilt and anxiety, but also excitement and happiness that I would see her.

What is happening to me?

Without further hesitation, I push through the doors, finding a sleeping figure in the bed, the clothes pile no longer at the end of the bed and the food platter mostly untouched. Damn this girl can be frustrating. Does she think I am going to drug her?

Shaking my head I begin to unclothe myself, hating the suit I am in the longer I have to stay in it. I shrug on a singlet and a pair of boardshorts I pull back the blanket, stopping only when I feel the cold piece of sharpened metal being pushed into my throat.

A delicate hand weaves behind my head and attaches to my neck, pushing the knife deeper into my throat but not enough to break my skin.

“You are going to let me go,” the girl says firmly, pronouncing each word clearly and forcefully.

“I can’t do that,” I say, trying to hide my amusement for her predicament, but it must have seeped through because she pushes the knife harder into my skin, causing the metal to bend and tear against my iron skin.

“What are you?” She breathes panicidly, her fierce demeanour completely gone.

“Honestly, I’m not too sure, but I do know that trying to kill me will not work,” her face drops, as does the knife, it’s clang being muffled by the mattress underneath it. “But by all means keep trying, provides me with enough entertainment.”

She sits for a moment processing what I’ve just told her before sporadically jumping me, her hands falling around my neck, before punching my chest weakly, as if losing the will of what she wants to do.

She punches me a few more times, one of them landing on my jaw, not even rotating my head in the slightest, before she dissolved into a mess of limbs on the mattress, her body jolting with sobs.

I lay my hand on her shoulder, half expecting her to shove it off, but she must be too exhausted because she allows it and continues crying into the blanket.

“Make... it stop… please,” she begs between hyperventilated gasps.

My heart aches for this girl, like legitimately aches. The last time I felt this pain was when I heard about my mother’s death when I was nineteen. And that was a century and a half ago. What is happening to me?

“Ok,” I say, helping her convulsing body into lying down on her side of the bed. “Close your eyes and I’ll put you to sleep.”

She does as I ask and closes her eyes, allowing me to kiss her. I return seeing a surprisingly wide eyed brunette girl underneath me.

That has never failed, especially not with her.

I lean down pressing a kiss to her again, but feeling a shock go through me rather than the magical feeling that has come naturally.

“Umm…” I say once I’ve pulled back and noticed she’s still awake but not as frantic anymore. “Maybe one more time.”

She must think I’m doing this on purpose or something. Maybe I am, let’s face it, my body has been acting pretty strangely this week, so it wouldn’t be a stretch.

Leaning in, I brush her soft lips one more time, finding at least a little enjoyment in my failed attempts.

The shock courses through me once more, as powerful as the last one was and when I pull back from her soft lips, her eyelids are thankfully closed and her breathes are light and rhythmic.

Too tired to analyse what just happened, I throw the bent, mangled knife off the bed, creating a clanging noise and falling into bed.

I felt so comfortable last night with her body so close to mine, so I pulled her into me, breathing in her rose type scent that drew me in from the beginning.

I hope she accepts me, I don’t want to lose her.

I am doomed.