The lady with Ambitions

Chapter 3

Irene freezes in amazement as shadows of Peter, Emma, Sydney, and Jacob encircle her hunched form.

My body shivers in terror as I push myself up against the brick wall as hard as I can, shaking my head no.

Sydney kneels, his hand roughly grasping my jaw, pushing my gaze to his own.

"You shouldn't have done that." He says quietly, studying my face.

For some reason, I had a glimmer of optimism that he'd let me go this time, but it vanished as he pushed his fist directly towards my face, landing on my lip.

I scream in anguish, my hand quivering as I touch my now-bloody mouth. After years of anguish from Sydney, the taste of my blood had only been etched in my mind.

"You're lucky I'm in the mood for something else today." He snickers, and I keep shaking my head no when he starts removing his belt.

"N..no..no..please..stop." I stumble, my voice too unsteady to produce the proper words.

It seemed as if my brain had frozen; I couldn't talk, could hardly move, and felt hopeless. My own body was failing me; the one part of me on which I relied the most seemed as if it had just stopped.

I look to them for assistance, any of them; they could not let this happen.

Sydney's hands freeze as he looks down at the golden card next to Jacob's foot, his eyes straining as he considers for a while before carefully stooping down.

I swallow the knot in my throat, feeling as if my body has just come back to life, as he takes up my golden card, the one item that can lead to my liberation from Chris and Sydney.

"Agosti estate?" He mumbles to himself, staring at me with a puzzled expression.

"How the f**k did you get this, you can't do shit." He spits and grabs my collar.

I struggle to regain my breath from the unexpected impact, hoping to say anything before he hits me again.

"I. I don't know. I was looking for jobs, and I just came across it." I lie through my teeth. I didn't want them to locate the old guy; he'd been so polite to me, and it was just proper to do.

Sydney throws me back onto the concrete floor, my back scrapping into the brick wall behind me. I could feel the bruises and wounds cutting into my flesh.

He glances at the card again before approaching eye level with me, a sick expression in his eyes as he waves the golden card in front of my face with two fingers.

"I'm going to say this once and only once." He begins, sliding the card to touch my cheek.

I nodded quickly, attempting to control my quivering hands as I tried to look away from him.

Sydney quickly pushes the corner of the golden card against my smooth skin, droplets of blood flowing down my face from the searing cut he'd just made.

"As soon as you get your big paycheck from those rich motherfuckers, you're going to come to this exact spot and give me the money." He snickers. Jacob, Peter, and Emma all smile in agreement with his comments.

"I...I can't my mother's d..dealer will kill..me if I d.. don't pay him first." I hiccup from all the sobbing, and my tears fall in heavy drips.

He rolls his eyes in anger before throwing the card at me.

"Then you give me half." He sneers. His hand pulls my hair, bringing me up to meet his gaze.

"And if you don't, I'll make sure that sweet little heart of yours stops beating before you can take another step on this earth," Sydney warns, releasing his tight grasp on my hair.

I collapse with a yell as their silhouettes vanish from the now-dark alleyway, their laughter resonating in my ears.

My hands go shakily up to my face, fiercely brushing away the tears in my eyes.

How could I be so foolish, and how could I let them know?

The tears I had brushed away were replaced with new ones that flowed uncontrollably. I fight to rise, my legs failing me as I slump back, my hands resting on the pavement to break my fall.

I'm not sure how long I'd been sobbing pathetically in quiet, but it seemed like forever.

When I hear voices in the alleyway, my tears stop, and I pause in place, listening to a discussion I probably shouldn't be hearing.

I couldn't hear their voices well, but it had to be a shady drug transaction. I gently moved ahead, pulling myself away from whatever was going on.

"Do you think I'm f*****g playing with you?" A deep voice threatens. I could hear another voice, but it simply seemed like mumbles until I heard many blows and shouts not far away.

My body flies into panic mode as I almost make it out, only to hear police sirens. My body is pushed forward, and a scream escapes my lips as something slams into me from behind, and I'm instantly beneath some man who has fallen with me.

I couldn't make out his features—only the large cut on his face, his black hair, and the fragrance of expensive cologne.

The man looked down at my beaten-up face strangely before checking behind him to see if anyone was there.

"What the f**k did you see?" He growls as he turns his head back to me, gripping my collar in the weird position we were in.

" I..I.." That's all I can say as my gaze falls on the revolver in his right hand.

Luckily for me, the police sirens are just getting closer. The man mumbles insults under his breath before forcibly releasing me and hastily leaving my body.

When the police car races down the alleyway, its lights bouncing off the dark walls and sirens blaring in my ears, my legs immediately shift towards the wall. Before they could get near, the guy had already jumped on a motorcycle and raced away.

Was he any kind of criminal? Are you part of a gang?

I get chills on my skin just thinking about it. I had already dealt with enough wicked individuals.

It was late, and I'd had enough near-death experiences for the day, so I walked rapidly to the bus, feeling goosebumps on my skin from the frigid air as I clutched the golden card firmly.

Tomorrow, I'd head to the Agosti Estate for the job.

I simply wanted to get rid of all my agony, halt my suffering, and get Sydney and Chris off my radar for good.

I'd pay off the loan, give Sydney half of my paycheck, and then flee, far away from the misery I was reared in and everyone who has ever mistreated me.