Chapter Twenty-three

Chapter Twenty-three

Brandon barged into the room angrily, searching for me. He seemed to be extremely furious as his menacing footsteps shadowed the room. I cringed fearfully and squeezed myself further, wishing I could just disappear from there in that instant.

“Galehnah! Where are you!?” He thundered, with that special emphasis he had on my name when he was mad at me.

I shivered in fear with the tears jittering down my eyes solemnly, as I tried to catch my breath and tried not to sob aloud. He kept on searching for me frantically, from the bathroom to the big walk-in closet and all around the room. He didn’t seem to be giving up anytime soon.

I could see his shadow looming over the bedside, not far from where I was hiding, and I clasped my hands over my mouth to suppress my sobs from being heard. He stood still for a while, as if to reflect or figure out where I had gone, or most likely, listen for the sound of my voice, or any strange movement.

He seemed to have noticed my hiding spot, and started taking slow, ominous footsteps towards me, making me cringe fearfully, squeezing my toes backwards as I tried to suppress the annoying sobs in my throat. I knew I was in trouble, big trouble, and there was no getting away from this.

He was solely determined, and his guts, his whole aura, could attest to that. He didn’t say a word as he kept striding towards me, with the lowlights of the room making him seem more mysterious. I dared not raise my head to meet his gaze out of fear for the lethal look he might have in his eyes, instead, I gave myself the satisfaction of looking only at his legs as he walked towards me, in those footsteps that give me the chills.

He was a few inches away from me, and as he stretched his hand towards me, to grab me, his solemn ringing tone bursts through the tension in the room, making me gasp at first. He paused in his tracks and I could hear him speak into the phone.

“Try to manage the situation, I’ll be there in a minute!” he blared into the phone commandingly, before dashing out of the room in thudding footsteps.

Aah! Finally, a gust of fresh breeze! That was indeed a perfect timing for that uprising that distracted him from me. I heaved a sigh of relief and stretched my legs slowly in front of me.

What just happened now? Who really was this Brandon, and what exactly did he want? Why the hell was he after me?

Wooof! I just escaped his evil plans for me tonight, to strip me like a slut, and who knows what else he had in mind???

Let me not rejoice too early. He might return and try to hurt me again.

Oh Galena, your days are full of sorrows! How did I even get into this mess? Someone should explain to me, what did I do wrong? Eh? I’m willing to correct it!

Somehow, I wish I had died in that accident! Maybe I wouldn’t be suffering all of this. Living a life I do not want, nor would I desire for anybody! I am either a slut for Brandon or a mistress for Ethan! It’s either I am kidnapped by unknown masked men or I am adopted by a bossy, entitled CEO.

It’s always two worse options to choose from. It’s either a yes or yes - and no yes is better! A sad, little life to live, indeed.


No one loves you. No one actually cares. No one’s there.

It’s just you and you alone, in this vast, dirty world.

* * * * *

I gasped, rolling my eyes in terror at the cold, semi dark room. I realised I had fallen asleep, but somehow, where I was didn’t feel hard or plain, it was soft and fluffy. Quite comfy for a tired girl like me.

I relaxed as my eyes adapted to the darkness in the room. I was still in Brandon’s room, the place I dreaded the most now. Well, who wouldn’t dread it? No matter how luxurious it was, it still sent chills down my spine to realise that I was caught in the enclosures of the room belonging to the ruthless Brandon.

That wasn’t in the very least funny at all.

I felt the bed with my hands gently, rolling and squeezing the bedclothes with tension cursing through my veins. As I spread my hand over on the bed to satiate my curiosity on where I really was, my fingers flipped through something that felt like human’s skin and I gasped in terror. I instinctively stretched my hand further, slowly, fearfully, with my heart pounding erratically within me. I knew I shouldn’t be doing that but heaven knows when Galena gets inquisitive, she rather becomes that cat that gets her whiskers cut, than to be the mouse that hides in the shadows for the fear of the wrath of light.

I inched closer to the farther side of the bed to enable my search for some skin. My hands flattered in the air searchingly, until it landed on a hard, embossed mass of skin, heaving gently. It seemed to be someone’s chest.

Jeeez! Brandon!? Why am I not in the guest room?

I quickly took my hand off him, but a darker part of me still wanted him, wanted to touch him so badly, and I did give in. I skittered my hand slowly and fearfully until it landed on his broad chest again. It felt so good and warm as the bareness of his chest collided with my soft, open palm. I gently stroked my hand through the embossment of his sculpted chest until it felt something alien - like a scar or perhaps, a mark, I wasn’t sure.

I rubbed it gently, feeling every orb of it. It indeed was a scar, a big one at that. He must’ve been through so much pain, and somehow, I wished I could heal him, or maybe, make him forget all about it.

Gosh! What was I even thinking? This guy was my enemy!

I tried to withdraw my hand but I felt a strong, large palm, gripping it and pressing it down back on the great chest of the revered Brandon. I gasped in fear and tried to wriggle free from his grip, but he didn’t let me go. Instead, he dragged me towards him and raised his head up to meet my pale, terrified face in the darkness.

“Are you trying to take advantage of me?” He questioned with irritation evident in his voice. I could see his furrowed brows coursing through his angry face in the half darkness as he peered down at me grimly, with his eyes looking somewhat terrified.

I shook my head in terror negatively, as I tried to unfurl my hand from his firm grip. He heaved in relief and seemed to have relaxed a little as his grip around me loosened. He gently drew me closer to him, cupping my face with a small, almost invisible smile that lurked in the corner of his eyes.

“Hey… It’s you…” he whispered under his breath seductively. Wait, who did he think it was?

My eyes stung with tears as I stared at him with so many questions brewing in my mind. What exactly was he? How was I supposed to keep up with his numerous mood swings? One moment, he is mad at me, the other, he is cupping my chin, one moment, he is treating me as a slut, the other, he sees me as a baby he must protect. Jeez! I’d be lying if I say this wasn’t overwhelming!

“You should’ve just asked nicely.” He whispered behind my ear, nuzzling it with his nose playfully.

I tried to unfurl myself from him, but he drew me in, closer to him, gently wrapping his arms around me. Does he have any idea what that does to me!?

“I…” I wanted to say, but he cut me off with his voice. “Come closer baby. Sleep.” His voice was both lullabic and commanding.

“Why did you…?” I try to say again, but he cuts me off; “hush now, let’s go to bed. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

“Don’t be scared. This monster won’t bite you, only the people who try to bite you.” he added in a whisper before leaning back gently on his pillow to sleep.

What did he mean by that? Does he still see our first encounter as me offering him help? Oh, he has no idea! We were both in a mess we had no idea about, something unplanned. If he didn’t care about me, why was he protecting me from the monsters in my life?

God! I don’t even understand this!

I appreciate how much help he has offered, but if I wasn’t caught in such ugly situation with him, would he be this nice to me? Would he fight off my monsters, would he see me as a normal, responsible lady, or would he still go ahead to strip me like he did with the other lady from before? The thought of it left me shuddering. Which was the lesser evil, Brandon or Ethan?

God me!

“Galena…” I heard him call sleepily and I slowly turned to look at him with a node of fear forming in my heart, “Sleep.” He commanded.

Ugh! Entitled bastard!