Chapter Four- Punishment
1055 Words
After what felt like eternity, Mr. Hayes stood up. He looked at his wife.
“I promise to bring her back no matter what it takes. But when David comes back from school and asks about his sister, tell him that she’s already in school. He’s too young to handle anything.”
Mrs. Sarah looked at her husband with shock and worry.
“What happened to my daughter? Where is she?”
“I promise to bring her back.”
After saying this, he left without saying any other word, without telling Sarah what she needed to hear.
“Oh!!! Where is my daughter?”
It was dinner time. Someone unlocked her door and knocked before opening it.
“Miss Lena, it’s time for dinner,” Clarissa, the butler, announced.
Lena looked at her.
“Can I have my dinner here?”
“No, you can’t. You will have it at the dining table. Please follow me.”
She followed her to the dining table.
While climbing down the stairs, she took her time to take in the beauty of the house.
It was spacious. It was majestic. The art was dangerously beautiful.
This was the first time she had seen such a gorgeous house. Her own house was fine, but this—this was breathtaking.
After taking it all in, Clarissa showed her the dining table. When they got there, Damian was already seated, enjoying his meal.
Lena sat as far away from him as possible.
They served her meal.
After eating, she ignored him and went back to her room.
This time, they didn’t lock the door.
It became a normal routine—morning breakfast, afternoon lunch, evening dinner.
Lena became frustrated because there was no way she was leaving this house, so she had to think outside the box.
On a weekend afternoon, she went to the butler who was preparing lunch.
“Good afternoon.”
“Good afternoon, Miss. How may I help you?” Clarissa asked as she sighted her.
“Um… am I allowed to go outside? I mean, around the compound. I love exercising—jogging, running—every weekend evening, so I don’t know if it’s possible for me to just jog around the compound.”
“I’ll let the master know and get back to you,” Clarissa said shortly.
“Thank you.”
With that, she went back to her room.
The only way to get out of the house was to familiarize herself with the compound and check if there was any escape route.
It was lunchtime as usual. She ate alone because that monster wasn’t back from work.
During dinner, they ate together. After the silent meal, it was time for her to return to her room.
“I heard you wanted to exercise during evening periods.”
Lena halted when she heard his voice and turned back to him.
“Yes. I love taking walks and jogging every weekend evening.”
“That’s okay,” Damian said without sparing her a look.
“Thanks.”
Lena was very happy. It was time to start planning. Any opportunity she got, she had to use it.
Nobody was outside—not even a single bodyguard—when she stepped out.
The entire compound was empty. It was strange, considering the fact that bulky men had dragged her here.
Without thinking too much, it made her escape plan easier.
She checked again to see if anyone was spying on her, but she saw no one. She went to check the gate.
To her surprise, it was open.
Without wasting time, she opened the gate and ran, her legs moving faster than ever before. This was the fastest she had ever run.
Damian smiled as he watched her through his laptop, running like a chicken.
He was having fun.
He loved giving people hope—letting them believe they could escape—before crushing it.
After running for what felt like twenty hours but was barely twenty minutes, she stopped.
Lena was confused. She had been running but hadn’t seen a road or a single person.
It felt like a maze.
She turned and saw four bulky men approaching her.
“I’m cooked,” she thought.
“Don’t come close to me!!! Stay away from me!!!” she screamed, backing away.
They kept advancing. When she tried to run again, they rushed her and grabbed her.
They dragged her back and forced her to kneel in the living room, waiting for Damian to come downstairs.
“Look who we have here—the running chicken,” Damian said with a smirk as he descended the stairs.
He went close, squatted in front of her, and lifted her chin so she had to look at him.
“I hate it when my property thinks they can run away from me. Isn’t it funny?”
Lena said nothing, but if looks could kill, he would already be dead.
Damian stood up, straightened his back, and sat on the sofa.
“Hmmm… what punishment should I give you for thinking you could escape me, huh?”
He turned to his men.
“Take her to the sauna. Increase the degree to the highest and let her roast.”
Lena didn’t beg. It was better to die than beg this monster.
She was pushed into the sauna and the door was locked. There was no space, no air, and the temperature was raised to the highest level.
As time passed, it felt like she was being baked in an oven. Her body weakened. Tears rolled down her eyes. She grew dizzy, lost consciousness, and fainted.
She woke up to a doctor instructing the butler to give her more fluids once she was awake, saying she was dehydrated and needed hydration.
The doctor left.
The butler noticed she was awake and rushed to her side, giving her water to drink.
After drinking, she looked around and realized she was back in her room. She thought she had died—but no. She was still here.
The butler looked at her pitifully before speaking.
“The Master wants you dressed in this lingerie within the next twenty minutes, and I’ll take you to his room.”
“Please do as he wants. Listening to him is better than his punishment. Please.”
- Writer
