BOUGHT TO BE LOVED

CHAPTER THREE

Did you sleep at all, or is that just your natural zombie look?" Tolu asked, her voice laced with amusement. I blinked, struggling to lift my head from the desk. "It’s barely 6:50 a.m.," I muttered, trying to rub the sleep from my eyes. Tolu's words were a gentle warning: Lex would be arriving soon, and I needed to look alert. The memory of the phone call from last night still lingered in my mind. The voice on the other end had sent chills down my spine. "We have your mother." I had tried calling home multiple times, but there was no answer. My brother hadn't replied to my messages either. I was worried sick, but I couldn't let anyone know. Not here, where weakness was a liability. Mr. Ayeni, the floor supervisor, stood by the glass partition, frowning. "Amara! You were supposed to send the corrected drafts for the RFX case by 6 a.m. sharp." I followed him into the cold, white conference room, feeling like a defendant in a courtroom. Everyone looked polished and alert, while I probably looked like I’d just crawled out of a moving bus. Ayeni pointed to the projected document. "Who reviewed Clause 4B?" I raised my hand, my heart sinking. "I did, sir." He shook his head. "Then explain this: you referenced the amended 2016 Act instead of the original 2003 regulation." I felt a surge of frustration. I had cross-checked, but maybe I had missed something. I rewrote the clause, corrected the citation, and drafted a short memo explaining the logic. I didn’t just fix it, I proved it. At 7:49, I sent it in. At 7:52, Ayeni called my extension. "Better. Keep this up." It was a small victory, but it gave me a glimmer of hope. As I worked, I couldn't shake off the feeling that I was being watched. Tolu's words echoed in my mind: "Watch Cynthia. She doesn’t think. She owns every room." I didn't want to be like her, but I needed to learn from her. At 3:00 p.m., I was summoned to the 17th floor. The executive floor. I rode the elevator alone, my palms sweating. Lex Lawson stood near a massive glass window, hands in his pockets, suit immaculate. "Amara Johnson," he said, his voice deep and commanding. He handed me a file. "The correction you made this morning. It saved the client ₦80 million in penalties." I was taken aback. "You’re assigned to RFX full-time now. You’ll shadow one of our top partners." I felt a mix of emotions: excitement, gratitude, and a hint of fear. As I left his office, I couldn't help but wonder how he knew about my mother's situation. Did he listen to the call? Did he know who that man was? The uncertainty sent a shiver down my spine. Later, I found a sealed envelope in my bag. No name. No return address. Just one line written in tight, neat handwriting. "We know you’re watching. Stop, or she dies." My heart sank. Who was behind this? And what did they want from me?

The thing standing in front of me wasn’t supposed to exist. Every instinct screamed at me to look away, but my eyes were locked on its face, my face stretched too wide, smiling like it had been carved into place. I gripped the candlestick tighter, though my hands trembled so badly I wasn’t sure I could swing it. “Stay back,” I warned, though my voice came out thin, nearly swallowed by the icy air swirling around us.

The figure tilted its head, the smile never wavering. “Why are you afraid of me?” it rasped, its tone jagged, like broken glass scraping across stone. “I am what you’ve hidden. What you’ve tried so hard not to see.” My heart hammered against my ribs. I shook my head, stepping sideways along the wall, searching desperately for a way out. “You’re not real. You’re just” The creature lunged forward. I swung the candlestick with all my strength. The brass connected with a dull c***k, but instead of reeling back, the thing only laughed, a hollow, echoing sound that seemed to rattle the entire room.

"You can’t fight me," it whispered. "You can’t run from me. I’m already inside you." The words sliced deeper than the cold. Inside me. The thought wrapped around my chest like iron bands, squeezing until it hurt to breathe. I scrambled toward the dresser, hoping to put distance between us, but the thing was impossibly fast. It appeared in front of me, cutting off my path. Its eyes burned with that same unnatural light I had seen in the mirror.

But then something strange happened. The figure’s smile faltered. Just slightly. Its head twitched, jerking as though it were fighting against invisible chains. Its voice came again, but fractured this time, two tones clashing, one dark and commanding, the other desperate, almost human. “End… it… Please… don’t let… me” It slammed its fist into the wall beside my head, splintering the wood. I yelped, ducking low and crawling past before it could grab me.

My body shook violently as I stumbled to my feet and dashed toward the door again. The knob turned this time. My heart leaped. With a cry, I shoved it open and bolted into the hallway. The house was darker than before, every shadow stretched unnaturally long, every creak of the floorboards amplified. I ran, not caring where, only away. My breath came ragged, and still I heard behind me the scrape of claws against wood, following, always following.

I skidded into the stairwell, gripping the banister for balance. My pulse hammered, my mind screaming at me to keep moving. And then I froze. At the bottom of the stairs, the figure stood waiting. But this time, there were two of them. My heart sank. What was happening? And what did they want from me? I stood frozen, unsure of what to do next.