Free Web NovelChapter 14: Ugly Step Mother
It was the only door in the building. It was large enough for a hundred people to pass through conveniently at once.
The three employees of Winfield Entertainment stood like Lilliputians before the enormous wooden door. Its dark wood carried an air of mystery and quiet grandeur.
’’Wow,’’ Stylie breathed as Lin looked the most stricken. ’’Are you sure we aren’t visiting some ancient monarch rather than an oblivious man trying hard to be boss’s new intern?’’
Berry was about to find out as well. Bringing her phone close enough to type in the passcode of the door, it opened after carefully swiping over fourteen characters.
They all turned to each other, the bag of fried chicken, spicy ribs and Yangzhou fried rice and several cans of beer in Lin’s hold.
Berry nodded and they all pushed through the small opening of the door of their ’’new intern’s home.’’
☆☆☆
The living room was huge and it was a nice penthouse with five large bedrooms, an indoor and outdoor pool. A curvy balcony with solid golden railings. Tall ceilings that supported a chandelier that felt like staring into a beautiful cluster of diamonds that twinkled from below.
They split and explored the place in deep awe.
The penthouse felt like luxury made tangible.
Everything about the place blended modern elegance with old–world grandeur.
Grim told them they were free to explore and trash the place until he returned. He mentioned he was somewhere in the building busy taking care of some family issues and he wouldn’t take long until he returned.
Berry paused to enjoy the expensive view of her city. The city she loved, studied and grew up in. She never realized how beautiful it was at night until she came here.
The place looked great, had this expensive fragrance but there was one thing this place lacked.
’’Gosh, why is it so dark in here? I can barely see a thing,’’ Stylie complained as she moved about the living room, Lin still exploring the big rooms and outside.
Berry turned from the see-through walls of the place and wondered why every light source had been dimmed to a point they only created these creepy, long irregular shadows all over the place.
It made them wonder just who their friend was.
What he did to afford such luxury and why he became so obsessed with wanting to work for a humble place like Winfield Entertainment.
Berry settled on one of the chairs and stopped herself from moaning in satisfaction by the comfort it provided.
She leaned over her lap, her hands cupped under her chin and stared at the food and drinks they brought, waiting for Grim to return.
The rain had now reduced to a slight drizzle, but the constant distant sound of thunder signaled it wasn’t over yet.
’’I think I understand why you chose to move closer to Grim to help our boss pull through,’’ Stylie said sweetly while settling down beside her. Berry shifted to stare into those lovely eyes and asked, ’’You do now?’’
Stylie nodded and stared quickly at the wealth around them.
’’And I think it’s a great idea.’’
’’You do?’’
’’Boss might need just more than our help or whatever our friendship or company can give her.’’
There was a peaceful calm after she said that. A soothing pause with the gentle pitter patter of the rain outside as Stylie assumed a more thoughtful look.
’’Even if I have just been with you guys for just a few months. You all are like family to me in this world I know nothing or so little about. Boss is...suffering,’’ She said what they have all been so afraid to say out loud. Berry swallowed as she turned to pick at her palms.
’’And this strange yet impossibly attractive enigma that spawned out of nowhere might just be the thing our boss needs to get the breakthrough that she deserves.’’
Berry turned to stare at the wise, little foreigner with tears in her eyes.
’’Who or whatever he is, as long as we confirm that his intentions towards our boss are pure and good, we help him earn a place by our boss’s side and we can rest assured that whatever boss is going through will come to an end soon.’’
Berry sniffled, eyes red and even in the dark you could see how upset she was. Stylie gently reached out to hold Berry as they nodded at each other that they were doing the right thing.
’’Guys,’’ Lin called from behind them. His face looked pale. The absence of good lighting had his phone torch on and pointed to the ground. Berry and Stylie all turned in their seats to look at Lin in concern when he looked like he had just seen the devil.
’’You might want to see this.’’
Berry and Stylie shared a look before rising from their seats.
☆☆☆
After they all left, and for the first time in a long while, she allowed herself to pause.
Maybe take a much–needed breath.
Or stare at nothing until it was morning again.
Corrine chose the latter and it was even more lonely when it was only her in this tiny working place.
Am I really going to die?
Her breath was shaky this time as she thought it through.
Why wasn’t she leaving everything behind for this mysterious treatment waiting for her in Chicago?
Her eyes were bloodshot from tears running down her cheeks like a stream.
Then she remembered why she refused to succumb to being confined to a place and go through painful treatments only to die eventually.
Her boyfriend, Henry was just a fraction of the reason she would rather be free and living normal then...die.
Three years ago, on a hot Sunday afternoon, when her mom barked aggressively at the workers to have her things thrown out of the house.
’’What? Are you stupid or did going to Harvard and all those private schools taught you nothing but to be mediocre throughout your life?!’’
Corrine said nothing as she stood close to the fountain.
She looked frustrated. Confused. Broken and hurt.
Her fingers constantly ran through her hair as hot blood trailed her veins. Her dark green eyes matched her mother’s lighter ones. Her mother looked more like some crazy, evil stepmother in one of those cartoons than an actual mother to her.
’’Tell me! Are. You. Stupid?’’
’’No!’’ Corrine had never screamed that loudly before in her life. Maybe it was because she had been provoked beyond her limits it drove her insane.
’’What..?’’ The ugly stepmother said, trembling more than she did as she gave her this wide, disbelieving stare. Then she came close, close enough to hold her daughter, the one that shared her flesh and blood, her nails digging hard enough as if to inflict the necessary pain to snap her daughter out of this destructive delusion.
’’Anais,’’ the woman began, with black tears from the mascara streaming down her face. ’’Go back in there and tell your father that you are ill. You hear me?’’
Corrine’s face mirrored the pain she felt. Her heart had been broken and shattered long enough that it will never heal.
’’That you are mad, insane, out of your mind and sick. Tell him you feel ashamed, unworthy and empty without his control.’’
Corrine gasped, cringing hard when her nails bored deeply, causing sharp, cutting pains all through her arms.
’’Tell him you are miserable and you need him as much as he needs you.’’
’’Tell him you are ready to do the devil’s work,’’ her mother said pleadingly, almost on her knees.
’’Tell him you would rather die than not be his servant. That you are willing to be led astray!’’
’’It hurts...’’ Corrine cried, tears glistened in her eyes so much it made her dark green eyes look even helpless.
’’Say he is God and the God of you.’’
Corrine tried to keep it all in.
’’Say you belong—’’
’’Mommy, it hurts—-’’
’’Listen to me!’’ She seized her harshly, almost lifting her up from the ground as her light green eyes raged against the hurting dark green ones.
’’Do you want to go out there just to suffer, wilt and die?!’’
Corrine said nothing as they glared at each other, both trembling as they told each other the truth.
’’You leave him. You suffer, wilt and die!’’
With one hard push, Corrine stumbled just enough to fall inside the fountain and almost drowned.
She blinked at that memory and all this while, she thought her mother’s words were just threats.
But after three years away from him...
Her body began to shake and buckle uncontrollably as if she had just figured out all the deep and high mysteries of the world at once.
Isn’t she suffering, wilting with a haunting promise of death in a year?
Corrine then cried hard but not loud enough in case there was anyone close by to listen.
She remembered everything and wondered how she even made it past three years without him.
She thought everything would be over once she rejected being his heiress to live her own life as a normal, human being. With a relationship of her own, with friends and people she could freely interact with without being weird or awkward.
To dress how she liked and eat whatever she desired.
But no.
He has come for her.
And this time, it was worse.
A long pause lingered in her head before it echoed again.
Corrine Anais Ashworth....
Corrine screamed.
Her hands clasped hard at the sides of her head and broke down completely for the first time in a long time.
Mom... freeωebnovēl.c૦m
You were right.
She cried harder, not caring who heard or didn’t.
But I am even more scared than I was with him than without.
