Chapter 4
"Oh, right, I forgot you can't talk." Arnold sneered.
"I'm curious, Miss Garza. Can you tell me how does a mute..." Arnold leaned in close to my ear and whispered two words.
My face flushed with anger.
"You bitch! Messing with my brother wasn't enough for you, and now you're trying to seduce Arnold? I'll rip your face off," Sharon shouted.
Sharon stormed over and slapped me hard across the face.
The door to the private room swung open again.
Clifford's deep voice sounded from behind me. "Audrey, come here," he said.
There wasn't a hint of blame in his tone.
Sharon stormed out with Arnold in tow. Before leaving, she shot me a triumphant glare.
I sat quietly in the corner of the private room. Clifford reached over and tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear, his cool fingertips grazing my cheek, which was still burning hot.
"Are you pissed?" Clifford asked.
I turned my face just enough to dodge his hand, avoiding his touch.
Clifford paused, then snorted. "Looks like you've got some attitude now, Audrey.
"Sharon's just being immature. Don't let it get to you."
Immature? Seriously? But Sharon was three years older than me.
Clifford just shrugged off Sharon's slap and Arnold's humiliating teasing like they were no big deal.
The only person he ever bothered to defend was Sharon.
I turned my face away, resentment lingering in my eyes. With Clifford watching me, I picked up my phone and sent a quick message.
The next moment, Clifford's phone vibrated.
His screen lit up with a WhatsApp notification. [I spent all day making that cake.]
See, Clifford? Even after your sister slapped me, what really got to me was that the birthday cake I made for you was gone.
Clifford's smoldering eyes lingered on my face.
Maybe it was my gentle, tactful manner that pleased him, because after a moment, he gave a faint, knowing smile. "Audrey, I don't care about the cake."
*****
In the parking lot, Clifford practically shoved me into the back seat of his limited-edition Maybach.
The air inside felt stifling. Clifford's lips came down on mine, a flurry of kisses.
The sharp, woody scent of his cologne filled my nose, making my head spin.
Forcing down the urge to gag, I gripped his collar tightly.
"Audrey, I'm not interested in cake," Clifford said, his voice low and rough. "What I really want is..."
Clifford kept me locked up in that villa for three days and three nights.
Of course, I was going to throw a little tantrum.
A week later, Clifford went out of his way to take me to the Massy Group's dinner party, just to get back in my good graces.
In the mirror, my reflection showed a black dress with a plunging neckline.
My graceful, swan-like neck was dotted with faint pink marks blooming like cherry blossoms.
Sharon looked ready to explode, her eyes sharp as knives, like she wished she could cut me to pieces.
Sharon was never one to keep her cool.
Sure enough, when I went to the restroom, Sharon showed up with her sidekick Grace and blocked me in one of the stalls.
I pushed past them and made a run for it, but they still managed to rip my dress.
The back was wide open, and the dress was about to fall off me.
I slipped into a guest room on the second floor and grabbed my phone, desperate to reach out to Clifford for help.
I: [Clifford, I'm in a guest room.]
Clifford: [?]
My vision suddenly went blurry, and I couldn't bring myself to reply to Clifford.
The AC was blasting, keeping the room cool, but inside, I felt like I was burning up, as if there was a fire raging in my chest.
It was like a furious beast was trapped inside me, rampaging around, searching for an escape but never finding one.
"Miss Garza." I heard Arnold's voice drifting out from the darkness.
His footsteps came closer, stopping right behind me.
"You really didn't notice I was here, Miss Garza?" Arnold let his hand brush against my back. "Or was that on purpose?"
Arnold's cool fingertips were like he was casting a spell on me.
My phone slipped from my hand. And I stumbled right into Arnold.