chapter 24

Kharis POV
I got a threatening text message from my stepmom early that morning. It read:
"I'm sure by now you must know what I am capable of doing. With no hesitation, I want you back in this house before dawn. Do not dare me Kharis. Try to ignore this message and incur my wrath".

I was so scared after reading the text. I felt my heartbeat triple. Who was going to protect me? It was time to live in constant fear from now henceforth. I had no idea when she was going to attack and I had no plans of going back to that shit hole ever again. It was traumatizing and even a messsage from her now was turning my world upside down. What does she want from me now? why cant she just leave me alone?

I kept trembling even after 30 minutes of reading the message. My hands began to shake and my heart thumped continuously. I hate feeling this way and i just wish this would stop.
Who can I confide in right now! I didn't even want to stress out Ma Cleopatra. She may call Frederick and if he cares about me, it may distract him from his gala today.

Getting busy was one thing that calmed me and made me think less about my problems. I got up as early as 7:22 am and began mopping the entire house. Trust me, my earpiece was on and I wasn't even listening to sad songs that would trigger tears. I listened to rap at that moment. I shook my body, nodded my head, and rapped with the mop acting as a microphone.

After I finished mopping, I picked up a pair of secateurs and headed directly to the gardens. I began trimming them carefully and it made me happy to see beautiful flowers growing despite the wind, pests, and other harsh conditions. I think I'm a survivor and a strong woman.

Lois came to the garden not long after and said the funniest things to me. I didn't imagine him to be a funny man but, he did make me laugh so hard till I forgot about my stepmom and her threat. Most of the things he spoke about were about Frederick.

I excused myself and ran in to prepare breakfast for the boss. I opened the fridge and brought out all the ingredients to prepare rich bacon and egg-grilled cheese sandwich. I planned on preparing the meal with the whole of my heart because I needed Frederick to enjoy it.

I was still listening to music with the earpiece when Frederick walked in. I didn't even notice him. He didn't make any sounds with his shoe or call my name when he came in. He just walked in and sat on a chair.

With a cup of hot coffee in my hand, I turned around to move to the dining table. The sight of him startled me and almost made me spill the coffee all over my hands.

He jumped out of the chair immediately and rushed to help me. I could see that somehow, he was scared to death.

"What if you hurt yourself and poured this on your skin. Do you want a permanent scar?".

If only he knew how many permanent scars I had already. I lifted my face and asked what he was doing in the kitchen.

"This is my house woman, '' he answered.

The audacity of him to claim a house he does nothing for. He doesn't clean, sweep, or do anything at all.
I rubbed my hands and said, " This part of the house doesn't belong to you. You can't just walk into the kitchen whenever you want".
I watched him walk out of the kitchen and I could tell that he was angry.
Maybe I overreacted. I wasn't just expecting him to be in the kitchen and having that coffee spill on my body would have just ruined our day. I wish he understood that I just meant well.

I peeped from the door after a while and noticed that he was done eating. I moved to pick up the tray and take it into the kitchen. While I was still tidying, I heard a "thank you" from the door.
It was Frederick, thanking me for the food .

I didn't even know what to say and when I had found the words, I watched him walk away.

I ran upstairs happily after I was done with the kitchen. I brought out the dress and shoes I bought for the gala and began accessing them. I really couldn't wait for 7:00 pm to get here. Lois had already promised to come to pick me up immediately he dropped off Frederick.

Ivy POV
It's been almost a week and Frederick had not called to apologize for keeping me and Millicent waiting in vain.

These few days have been busy and I had no time to schedule another meeting with him. I was at home and scrolling through the internet when I saw a post that today was Fredrick's business gala. Who the hell celebrates without his fiancee. Rich people always find a way to fluent their wealth in the faces of others.

I felt disrespected and kept thinking of what to do. I didn't like it when someone dispected me. I wasn't invited for the gala dinner but I certainly planned on showing up, as his fiancee. This would be a good opportunity for me to meet new business partners.

This dinner wasn't planned for but I still decided to look good. that's the least i can do. I called my makeup artist and booked a session for 6:00 pm. I had a personal assistant so it was easy to have someone moving to and fro on my behalf. I called and sent a picture of the dress I planned on wearing including my body size for it.

Everything was prepared and I just couldn't wait to storm the business gala dinner.