15- Driving Around The World

By now everyone had left the office, finally Casandra felt safe and calm, without all those judging eyes in the distance.

She grabbed her purse and set out to head home, wishing today would just be over for the hell of it. But as she passed by her boss's big office she was surprised that the light was still on, she peeked out curiously and saw him walking from one end to the other, facing the window with the phone to his ear.

-But I told you I don't know! I only took the position a week ago, the accounting movements of the previous CEO I don't have! - he paused, listening to the person on the other end as he clenched his fist helplessly, "You are my accountant, you should know these things, not me!

Sebastian threw the phone down hard on the desk and sat down heavily. The redhead threatened to leave her boss alone with that problem, but something inside her told her it was a good opportunity to make nice with him. She sent a message to her nanny, telling her that she would be staying late at the office today and that she would be paid overtime.

-Mr. Aller," she exclaimed timidly, peeking out of the door.

Sebastian raised his tired face, he had been all day with this problem, tired of seeing numbers in spreadsheets.

-What do you want? Working hours are over.

-I know," he leaned out a little more, taking courage, "I was wondering if you needed any help?

-No thanks," he exclaimed, putting a wall between them, he would never admit that the great Sebastian Aller needed a hand.

-With all due respect sir, if there are two of us reading all those folders, we will be able to do it faster, maybe with luck we would finish today.

Sebastian looked at the large stack of papers on his desk and thought twice, he hadn't even gotten through a quarter of it all and it was already giving him a migraine.

He sighed with annoyance, maybe it wouldn't hurt for his secretary to do her job. She waved her hand at him, not being able to accept it in words and Helena smiled happy to be of service, sitting down in front of the monstrous folders that almost completely covered her.

The redhead took a folder and opened it, finding dates and numbers, everything seemed confusing to her, but she felt a warmth in her heart, it was her moment to prove that she was more than a simple slut as everyone claimed without knowing her, she had to make it clear to everyone that she deserved her job.

-So, what exactly are we looking for?

-The company's money problems.

Well, it wasn't quite clear what she had to look for, but that was a start.

A few hours passed, both of them keeping quiet, concentrating on the papers. The sun had gone down behind the buildings and from the window they could see the darkness of the night decorated with the night lights of the city.

The young heir couldn't help diverting his dark eyes to Helena's face, who was frowning in concentration, really straining.

"She looks so tender" He thought without letting his intense gaze linger on her. He couldn't help but notice that the young woman wasn't feeling well, you could see on her face paler than usual, he wanted to tell her to go home, that it wasn't necessary for her to keep taking hours of rest for this, when Helena's stomach roared loudly, filling the silence of the room, the CEO saw how automatically his secretary's little ears turned almost as red as her hair from embarrassment. Sebastian pretended he hadn't heard it, though he couldn't help but worry about it.

"When had the woman last eaten?" He couldn't remember seeing her get up from her desk to take her lunch break.

He absently ordered food on his cell phone, and continued to review the paperwork.

-I'll be right back," her boss reported after a while, leaving the room.

Helena watched him leave by closing the door, then the young woman threw herself on top of the papers.

How frustrating! She was not being able to find anything, besides it was hard to concentrate with the hole she had in her stomach, she was starving and besides the eyes of her boss staring at her face were not helping her, she wanted to look up and confront him, but she was afraid she couldn't with such intensity.

The Ceo returned, with two packages with an exquisite aroma that made Helena's stomach growl again.

-Here..." He extended one to Helena's surprise.

-Sir, you shouldn't have....

-You eat it all, that's an order.

She nodded as if it were just another order from boss to secretary and ate, but without leaving her main job. Now that she had regained her energy she was more enthusiastic about working. Sebastian smiled in satisfaction to see that now his clumsy secretary had regained the color in her cheeks and the sparkle in her eyes.

Some more time passed, Sebastian was about to close for the day, when Helena jumped up from her seat in elation.

-I got it, I got it!" she jumped up and down with a piece of paper in her hand.

-What? What do you have?

-The diversion of funds!

-Diversion of funds?

-Yes, look," she showed him the paper, "It has been for a long time, to a corporation, a lot of money, I must say.

Sebastian was astonished, and not only because someone from the company had diverted income from his family's money, but also because Helena had discovered it and if it wasn't for her, he might have spent a week with it.

-This is..." - she coughed correcting herself and keeping her composure - "Good job, Deluna.

Helena erased her smile for a second, it hurt her that her boss didn't call her by her name.

-You're welcome, it's my job," she replied formally.

-Well, let's go," exclaimed the young heir uncomfortably, noticing the tension in the atmosphere.

Both of them were at the exit of the big company.

-I must admit that you are not a fool after all," joked the young man.

Helena looked at him in astonishment, coming from her boss that was a beautiful compliment.

-Shall I take you home?

Helena looked at the empty, dark street and felt afraid, but she didn't want her boss to know where she lived, about her little brother and her financial situation. No. She preferred to keep that to herself, besides Sebastian was a man and she still wasn't sure if she could trust him or not. Fear invaded her, paralyzing her body.

-No need, thank you.

Sebastian wanted to protest by approaching her, but his secretary was faster, she moved away from him disappearing at high speed around the corner.

Dark demon-like hands hold her tightly on a dirty mattress, her legs are spread to the sides by an invisible force, her dress is torn and a malevolent laugh mocks her and her weakness.

Helena tries to free herself from the hands pressing her arms upward, she wants to scream, but the voice does not leave her throat. A grotesque smile forms on the anonymous silhouette, rejoicing in her suffering.

"please don't" he pleaded, but the words remain only in his mind.

A cruel, slimy hand yanks off her underwear and the young woman screams loudly, waking up from the nightmare, completely sweaty, her red locks sticking to her skin and her breath hitching.

Helena begins to cry inconsolably and runs to the shower, scrubbing her white skin with a loofah that hurts her, leaving her skin red, making the hot water burn her new wounds mercilessly, but the young woman doesn't mind the pain, that's better than remembering her nightmare and the real pain that disturbs her. She is still unable to form a face in her mind, but the fear and pain are present.

She got out of the shower half an hour later, and naked she walked to her bed, taking from under it a plastic bag. She opened it with fear, finding the gnawed dress and her underwear now with dried blood and fluids. She stood for a long moment staring at the garments, as if hypnotized, torturing herself

"You must remember what happened" she demanded of herself, but though she tried hard nothing came out of her memories.

-Hello girls," greeted the presidential secretary to the women she remembered seeing at Katlyn's bachelorette party.

-Hello," they responded nervously.

-You know girls, there are a lot of things I don't remember from the night of the bachelorette party- she laughed embarrassed- I wanted to know if you could help me with that.

-Eh this one I...

-We wouldn't know...

-Hi girls," Katlyn appeared out of nowhere, grabbing the two women's shoulders tightly and stepping in between them. - What are you two whispering about? I want to know too!

The two employees were speechless and white as a sheet from fear, not wanting to say anything they might regret.

-I was asking the girls to help me remember what happened at your party.

Katlyn turned her haunting green eyes on Helena, with a wide grin that the redhead found uncomfortable to watch.

-Helenita... You were so drunk dear! We couldn't control you

-But I don't understand, I only had one glass of alcohol!

-Just one?!" she laughed grotesquely, "There were so many! You didn't stop drinking glass after glass, you spent a lot of money" She denied embarrassed "But don't worry, I paid your bill".

-Oh thank you I...

-You were flirting with anything with two legs and two arms. We had promised to take you home, but you were so insistent on going with them to the motel that we couldn't do anything.

-I see..." she said ashamed of her behavior "And do you know who are the people I went with? Are they the ones in the video?

-What video? I didn't see any- she lied shamelessly- Anyway, I don't remember faces, I was also very drunk I must admit, we all were, weren't we girls?

-Yes, we don't remember who you left with," they answered quickly and in unison.

Helena lowered her head resigned, she was again in locker one, she didn't know where to go next.

-Thank you girls," she said and headed to the top floor, thinking it would be best to forget about it and try to get on with her life.

What Helena didn't know was that this was just the beginning of her misfortunes.