A pawn in his dirty game

Chapter 012

*VALERIE*

A girl bumped into me and the force from the impact made her fall to the ground.

Startled, I rushed to help her up.

"Are you okay?" I asked, crouching down to her level.

She lifted her head slowly and I staggered back.

I gasped shakily as I took a good look of her face. It was smeared with blood.

Crimson red streaked down from a cut near her brow. Her ginger hair was damp and clung to her skin, shielding her eyes.

" H.. help me," She whispered.

" W.. what 's going on?" I enquired, alarmed. But before I could finish,she grabbed my arm, shaking me desperately.

"Please...you have to help me," She begged desperately.

The foul stench of dried blood hit me and I fought the urge to scrunch up my nose.

"Please," she whispered again, her voice trembling. Her fingers dug into my arm, leaving marks on my skin.

" He's coming , you have to hide me."

I crouched lower to her level,trying to meet her eyes. "Who's coming?"

She suddenly flinched and her movements became frantic.

" He's here. He's here for me." Her lips quivered.

I glanced around but there was no single soul in sight.

"Miss? No one's—

" You aren't going to help me? " She cut me her off, her voice laced with venom. Gone was the desperate girl from earlier.

You haven't changed," She sneered, fury in her eyes.

I blinked in surprise. " Changed, do we... know each other?

She gave a low, humorless laugh. "Of course you don’t remember. You never do." She pushed herself to her feet, staggering slightly. “People like you never look back..too busy stepping over the ones you crushed.”

My mouth parted, but I didn’t know what to say. Her eyes held resentment for me.

She leaned closer, so close I could see the bruise on her jaw.

"One day," she whispered, her voice low and trembling with hatred, "you'll remember. And I hope it haunts you."

I swallowed hard. Her eyes. I could see them clearly now. One was green. The other, blue.

I have seen those eyes before.

I woke up with a start, drenched in sweat.

The nightmares weren't new, but they were becoming more frequent ever since my meeting with Gareth. This was the first time I saw her face clearly and it baffled me . Why now?

I peeled the duvet off my body and sat up.

I rubbed my eyes with trembling hands trying to shake off the image burned in my mind. Her eyes filled with pain and loathing for me.

I could still hear her accusing voice. 'you haven't changed.'

Who was she? And why does she seem familiar.

I made my way to the bathroom and walked up to the sink, splashing cold water on my face. My mind raced, flipping images of the ginger hair, bruised face and that haunting stare.

I returned back to the room and reached for my laptop on the bedside table, suddenly needing answers.

Sinking into the bed, I propped a pillow behind my back and turned on the laptop.

My fingers hesitated over the keys for a while before I clicked on the search bar and typed out the name of the man that haunted me. Gareth Wellington.

Different news articles came up as soon as I hit the search button but there was an headline that caught my attention.

GARETH WELLINGTON; STRIPED OF HIS TITLE AS HEIR OF WELLINGTON CORPORATIONS.

I clicked on it with no hesitation.

'Wellington Corps has named Zachary wellington as the new heir, striping the former heir; Gareth Wellington of his title.

No one knows why since Gareth Wellington was rumored to oversee the US branch but it was a quiet dismissal to avoid the media's scrutiny'. It read.

My grip tightened on the laptop.What the hell is going on?

He was the heir and not Zachary?

I scrolled up but the details were vague.

Nothing else was shared about this information like every records were erased.

I stole a glance at the time, it was four thirty in the morning.

Exhaling slowly, I walked to the balcony, needing some fresh air to clear the storm brewing in my chest. Pulling the door open, I stepped out.

The cool air kissed my skin but it did little to calm the unease tightening my spine.

A stench of smoke hit my nose and it twitched.

Who the hell was smoking so early in the morning?

My gaze shifted to the direction where the smoke was coming from.

And there he was. Zachary's silhouette brooding in the corner as if in deep thoughts, a stick of cigarette in between his fingers.

The light from the moon casted a shadow on him, highlighting his sharp features.

He looked ethereal.

"I guess I don't have to kill you any longer, you are already treading the path to your death," I muttered but he ignored me. Instead, he took another puff and blew the air directly at my face. My body racked in a fit of violent coughs.

That's it. I marched towards him in rage and snatched the cigarette from him. I threw it on the floor and crushed it under my feet.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!"

He snapped, stepping forward. "Do you have a death wish?"

"You are the one with a death wish," I shot back, jabbing a finger at his chest. "Didn't you read what was written on the pack? It says clearly that smokers are liable to die young," I let out in one breath, my chest heaving.

It was then I noticed how close we were. So close that our noses almost touched. My eyes dropped to his lips and I shivered. Startled, I took a step back.

Zachary stood there, his expression was unreadable like they were neatly buried behind his blue irises.

"What does it matter to you?" He asked, his voice low. "Afraid I would die before giving both you and your father what you want?"

My head snapped up. "What are you talking about? I don't want anything from you."

He chuckled, pulling out another stick of cigarette from a pack in his pocket.

" You must take me for a fool, Ursula."

"What about you? Why did you marry me? To torment me?" I fired back. "And don't give me that bullshit about wanting me. We both know that's a lie".

He leaned closer, his nose grazing my cheek and I bit my lower lip to stop me from shivering.

"Are you so desperate for love? I would never love you."

I shoved him but he didn't budge.

" I never asked for your love. Heck, I didn't ask for this, to be trapped in a marriage with you but.…."

The words died in my throat as Michael's face flashed through my mind . He was supposed to take me out of this cage I was born into, where I was merely being used as a pawn but he left me when he promised he wasn't going to ever leave me. But he did, when I needed him the most.

I shut my eyes tightly as they glistened with tears. No,I won't let Zachary see me cry.

I opened my eyes to see his intense gaze fixed on me, Burning with an emotion I couldn’t quite name. But whatever it was, he masked it instantly almost as if I imagined it.

"You know what? You can go ahead and die all you want," I muttered and brushed past me but his next words stopped me.

"Why did you meet Gareth?"