Chapter 5 Missing The Party
1645 Words
Lisa Lake
I was immersed in a soapy bathtub, taking a warm bath. The warm water caressed my body, soothing my pain.
Yes, I was back at the Greene's mansion. All I had to do was to endure Hurley till I heard from Cody.
Suddenly, I heard a loud noise from outside.
Bang! Bang!!
That should be from the main entrance, I thought, feeling startled.
"Miss is taking a bath," I heard Swan, shouting at the top of her voice and immediately, the hairs on my body stood erect. I knew Hurley was back.
I thought I was ready to face him but my boldness flew out of the window as soon as I knew that he was around.
"Tell me, are you going to be with another man!? Are you going to betray me!?" Hurley's voice echoed through the mansion, sending shivers down my spine.
Heavy footsteps approached, and the door of the bathroom was thrown open. Hurley emerged, storming towards me.
My lips moved but I couldn't utter any word as he closed in on me.
He grabbed my shoulders painfully pushing me down the bathtub.
My mind became hazy as I felt a pang of pain mixed with fear and anger, "Are you crazy? You're hurting me!" I screamed.
"Yes, I'm crazy. I shouldn't have fallen in love with you or believed you in the first place. If I didn't believe you, my parents wouldn't have died, you executioner!" Hurley yelled, gnashing his teeth.
I fell silent, as the truth stared back at me. It was the truth, I owed him this, and I owed him all my life, no matter how many sins I redeemed, I would never be able to make it up to him.
"You b***h! You are going to be with another man!" Hurley yelled, misunderstanding my silence.
Like a lunatic, he pressed my head into the bathtub. My face and head were submerged in the soapy water and I shook vigorously, trying to pry his hand away.
It was a wasted effort and I couldn't get his hand off. He pushed me down deeper and I was out of breath.
Suddenly, he pulled up my head and I gasped for breath, breathing in some soapy water.
Coughing hard, I thought it was over, but his hands delved into my neck, stifling me.
My eyes shone wide and I tugged at his hand. His gaze was cold and without sympathy, his death glare was enough to kill.
I was becoming weak and I thought I was going to die. As my hands fell away from his hold, the silver bracelet on my wrist rested on his hand.
I saw him stare down at it. His eyes shook as he beheld it. He was the one who gave me the bracelet back in college. It was a gift he gave me pledging his life and love to me. I still remembered his lines in my haziness.
While my body sank into the water, his eyes suddenly fluttered, his grip on my neck wavered and he let me go.
He pressed my chest against the bathtub and air rushed into my lungs. I coughed and whizzed repeatedly as I breathed all the air that I could get.
Hurley remained glued to a spot looking at me with his red blood eyes.
Suddenly, I felt his strong grip on my shoulders, he lifted me out of the bathtub and dumped me on the ground.
He stared deep into my soul before storming out of the bathroom.
I hurled myself into a corner as I tried to catch my breath.
Despite the vapour still oozing out of my body from the warm bath, my whole frame shook violently. I felt cold to the bones and I gasped for breath.
Hurley almost killed me, I was just a step away from death. The realization scared the hell out of me.
Tears fell off my face as I hugged myself tightly.
**
I had just woken up, a bright light shone into my eyes, making my eyes dazzle. I was on the bed in my room and it was sunrise already, sun rays were filtering through the blind.
My mind seemed blank and hazy, I couldn't remember how the previous day ended.
Stretching out my body, I felt sore all over and my body ached badly. Most especially my neck, it felt sore and I dabbled my hand over it.
My eyes caught a black package on my bed. And beside the bed was a stool, on it was a sachet of analgesics and a glass of water.
It seemed like I had taken some from it. Why did I feel so empty? I said as I tried to remember past events.
My near-death experience flashed through my head and I sprang up from the bed.
I picked up the paper and the package on my bed with trepidation. The package fell from my shaky fingers, leaving a piece of paper on the bed.
I unfolded the piece of paper and read.
"Meet me at the Greene's headquarters, the company is having a dinner party."
What!? Dinner party? After what he did to me yesterday he still has the guts to invite me to a party!
I lifted my hand to feel my sore neck again. With tears cascading down my face, I took another dose of the medication and picked up the package that fell on the ground.
Therein was the invitation card to the company's dinner and a rose gold-coloured gown.
My tears wouldn't stop as I felt the soft fabrics of the cloth. It was from my favourite designer; Cole's signature.
The design was just as simple as I wanted. This man knows my taste but not my heart. This wasn't about dresses, I will not attend the party. And that is final!
I brought up my phone to call Cody but then I hesitated.
He said I should wait for his call. I just needed to wait, I didn't want to look too desperate.
I threw the dress, the invitation card and the paper on the ground, the glass cup fell and shattered and Swan ran over.
"My lady…" she stuttered and I screamed at her,
"go away!"
Without losing a second, Swan bolted out, leaving me to my misery.
I was going crazy and I knew it. I needed someone to talk to right now. Picking up my phone, Philip's number jumped at me and I dialled it without hesitation.
Hurley's POV
We were mid-way into the party and I checked for the umpteenth time, Lisa was nowhere to be found. Benny and I had dialled her number repeatedly but it was switched off.
It was a high profile party and reporters flocked in. Being the youngest director of such a large conglomerate, all eyes were on me. Everyone wanted to know about my woman.
It was no news that I was engaged to Chairman Jones' daughter; Tiffany Jones and they were expecting to see her by my side. I wanted them to know that I wasn't Tiffany any more. I invited Lisa because I wanted them to see someone else with me.
But I had been looking around the crowd since the party had started and she was nowhere to be found.
What audacity! She was deliberately getting on my nerves and I won't forgive her if she missed the party.
"Hurley!!! I caught you here… You have been all over the place… it was hard to find you," Tiffany's voice broke into my head and before I knew it, she slid her arm into mine, holding a glass of wine in the other hand.
"What are you doing here?" I gritted as she stuck by my side.
"You should cooperate, many eyes are watching, and rumours won't be good for your business," the whispered.
"I waited for your invitation and when it didn't come, I came with my father… You should acknowledge my tenacity…I wanted to see you…" she said, smiling wide as cameras flashed our way.
"Since I didn't invite you, you should not have shown up," I gritted again while she continued to smile.
"I wanted to apologize. I am sorry… I knew you broke up with me in the heat of the moment. You did not mean it, right? It was because of Lisa…We both fell that day, it was an accident… it wasn't intentional… I didn't even know that she was pregnant," she muttered.
I grimaced as I remembered the lost pregnancy again. I withdrew my arm from her and angrily, I dialled Benny who was just a few distance away from me.
"Go to the mansion and bundle Lisa down here!"
"You are not supposed to be here. Leave!" I bellowed at Tiffany who was still struggling to lock arms with me.
"You want me to leave. Didn't you invite Lisa Lake? And where is she? She did not even show up! She clearly didn't want to have anything to do with you. Don't you get it!? She is done with you! She told me that she had left you for good!" Tiffany yelled and marched away.
"Lisa Lake broke up with you? Is it true that you have been dating her? Why did you think she rejected your invitation?" A reporter bumped out of nowhere asking me s**t!
I just looked at him while my guards cleared the way.
Angrily, I burst into my office and my phone rang.
"Who the heck!" I yelled until I saw the caller, it was Benny.
"Hello, boss…"
"Speak!" I fired.
"Miss Lisa isn't at home. Swan confirmed that she left the mansion in the evening."
"Get my men out there… I want to f*****g know where she went!!!"
I screamed into the phone, afraid that she might have got into some kind of trouble.
- Writer
