The Billionaire's Enslaved

Jordan Gomez

Melissa found herself sandwiched between two fat ladies in a Toyota Coaster bus the next morning and she groaned internally at her wonderful plight. Like having to wake up early wasn't enough of a misfortune, now she had to face this too? She was still sleep-deprived.

They had been woken up from their sleep with clanging cymbals by two women Melissa had never seen before. Ever since then, she hadn't been able to go back to sleep. Instead, she was told to get dressed to work on the Gomez large farmyard.

Things still felt like a dream to her and she was still waiting to be pinched so she could wake up from this nightmare. Now seated between two fat ladies who were squeezing the life out of her, Melissa found herself wondering how real this dream of hers could get.

"Could you please adjust a teeny bit? I feel so suffocated." She softly said, trying to be as polite as ever.

"Oh! But there's no space here too. I'm barely comfortable myself." One of the ladies replied and Melissa turned to look at the other one who was seated by her right.

"Could you? I'm really uncomfortable." She entreated but the lady only rolled her eyes and looked away, ignoring Melissa and her pleas.

Melissa stared at her, wanting nothing but to wrap her palms around that chubby neck and squeeze the life out of her. Everyone was being so rude here, she couldn't get it. Was rudeness a qualification to work with the Gomez or was everyone in the Gomez courtyard sadist?

Early that morning, she had simply asked a harmless question but had received insults for an answer. Almost everyone was being so saucy and Melissa wondered why they were that way.

Deciding to endure since there was no other place she could sit — the big bus was filled with people — Melissa tried to preoccupy her mind with something else. How had her mother slept without her? Had she cried her eyes out or had she slept peacefully? Was she making efforts to get her loan paid? What was going on with her?

Melissa was brought out of her deep thought when the bus came to a stop and they were all ushered out by some of the guards who had accompanied them. The bus had been filled with many ladies whom Melissa had never seen and behind them was another bus which had brought the men. Melissa's eyes scanned the large piece of land used for farming and her mouth fell open.

The Gomez farmyard was about twenty hectares of land, Melissa had never seen a farmyard that large. As she walked with her fellow labourers, she found herself gasping at the landscape. The farmyard was divided per acre into two: one part was used to grow plants while the other was used for rearing livestock.

The Gomez had about a thousand cattle, sheep, pigs and fowls. On the farm also grew various crops such as oats, barley, wheat, vegetables, potatoes, grains and sugar beets. At the far end of the farmyard was an orchard of apples, oranges, and grapes.

Melissa had never seen anything like this and for a moment, she stood akimbo, staring at the greenery before her. Her dark brown eyes dilated and all she could think about was running through the plants.

"Will you walk, Ginger head?" She heard someone yell at her and that was enough to keep her moving.

They finally stopped walking when one of the guards, who looked like the captain, raised his palm in the air. Without being told, Melissa watched as everyone fell into lines and she slowly joined them, wondering what they were up to.

Immediately, the captain started dividing them into groups of ten while the male labourers were divided into three groups: those who would operate the tractors to plough and till the uncultivated part of the farmyard; those who would use the combine harvester to harvest the grains crops which were due for harvest; and those who would join the ladies in looking after the animals in the ranch.

While most females were sent to the ranch, Melissa was among the unfortunate few who were given the job of placing the already sealed grains into a grain cart for the men to transfer them to a semi-truck where they would be transported to be stored in a grain elevator.

Melissa noticed that the grain crops, especially the wheat had now turned golden yellow and were now brittle. She had always been interested in farming as a little girl but that dream had been cut short when she had been sent to Aunt Myra at Cumbria. Melissa still didn't know why her parents had made such a decision.

Halfway through the job, Melissa was already sweating profusely. Who knew working on the farm could be this tedious? Her long ginger hair was sweaty and various strands fell over her face. There was dirt on her face too.

The dress she had been given felt really tight around her bosom and she had been having difficulty working in them. All she wanted was to pull the green dress off, have a very cool shower and sleep on a comfortable bed, so when a whistle was blown, signalling resting hour, Melissa was beyond glad.

She wasted no time in joining the rest in the farmhouse built in the middle of the farm after washing her arms and face. The farmhouse was a large building made from bricks and thatch.

They were served a plate of spicy tofu with creamy coconut sauce, a meal Melissa had never tasted before so she ate with great relish.

The large room was filled with plain chatters as the labourers sat in groups, discussing with their friends but Melissa sat alone, eating quietly. She was yet to make any friends and she wasn't bothered by that. Making friends meant she was accepting her present situation. She didn't want to get so comfortable, not when she was thinking of ways to leave.

Never in her wildest dream did she think she would end up as a labourer in someone's farmyard. It was crazy and before she could stop herself, she was already laughing. Very hilarious!

"Melissa." She stopped when she heard a light voice call on her and she turned to see Paula, her bunkmate, standing before her with a big smile.

"I have been looking for you." She made her way to sit beside Melissa, flipping her wild brown hair behind her ears. Now that Melissa could see her up close, she noticed the freckles on the girl's face.

"I thought I'd see you at the ranch but you weren't there. I guess you were assigned to the grain category. I know how difficult that can be. The last time I worked there, I had blisters on her palm." Paula shuddered.

"I hope you don't have them too." She grabbed Melissa's hands to examine them critically.

"I'm fine." Melissa tried to pull her hands from her hold but Paula held onto them.

"Your hands are so pretty." She exclaimed. "So slender and soft. They have no business working on a farm. Why are you here? To earn some money or what?"

"What do you think?"

"I don't know. I get confused when I think about it. One minute, you look like you are here for the money, the other minute, it's like you're here against your wish."

"Why are you here?" Melissa decided to change the topic.

"To work and earn." Paula shrugged. "Here has been home ever since I lost my parents. Sir Charles Gomez is so generous. He doesn't have to provide a home for his workers but he does, especially for people like us with nowhere to stay."

"So everyone here has no place to stay?" Melissa probed.

"Not all. Ivy left her parents to come here. Apparently, her parents couldn't cope with her bitchy attitude so they might have asked her to come to live here instead. Many other girls are like that but some are . . ." Paula slammed her palms over her mouth like she wanted to stop herself from saying a forbidden word.

"Some are?" Melissa reiterated, expecting an answer.

Her brows furrowed when Paula looked around before leaning closer and whispering.

"Some are sold to pay off debt. I know about two. So sad. I wonder why any parent would sell their kid out to pay a debt." Paula shuddered once again.

"Who are they? The two you know. Who are they?" Melissa found herself asking but before Paula could reply, they heard the sound of the whistle, signalling the end of their break.

With that, the workers stood to their feet, grumbling as they marched out of the farmhouse. Melissa sighed as she watched Paula fall in line with her crew and she rubbed her temple wearily, her skin pale from being out in the sun.

As she worked, Melissa kept passing furtive glances at the women that worked with her. Could any of them be sold too?

Suddenly she heard a person whisper her name and she jumped.

"Paula!" She almost screamed but the freckled lady placed a palm on her mouth before she could.

"What are you doing here?" Melissa pushed her hand away.

"What do you think? I sneaked out of the ranch to come meet you." Paula grinned.

"Are you out of your mind?" Melissa had not been long on the farm to know that sneaking about would attract punishment. Paula should have known.

"I'm not." The girl giggled, making Melissa wonder if she was okay.

"Don't you know — " Melissa was about saying but she kept shut when she saw Paula looking somewhere with dilated pupils. It felt like she had just seen something so fascinating and she looked really flustered.

Melissa immediately followed her line of sight and she frowned when she saw two men on black horses, galloping to where they worked. Melissa's face darkened the moment they grew closer and her hands began to ball into a fist. She watched with twitching eyes and ticking jaws as they both got down from their horses, the Captain and guards rushing to meet them.

Melissa didn't need to be told twice before she could recognise them. Of course, she couldn't forget the man who had ordered that she be dragged, and definitely not the young man whose smile made her sick.

While thinking about who it was that had been on the top verandah while she had been carried away that day, it finally dawned on Melissa that he was no else but the one who had remained on his horse while Louis assaulted her mother when they came to her house.

It seemed like both men were best of friends since they were always together. Melissa didn't find this surprising because they were both sick in the head so they could make great buddies.

"My goodness! It's Jordan. Oh my God!" Melissa heard the girls around her whisper happily to one another and her frown only deepened. So he was Jordan? The one with the sick smile?

Melissa's fists were turning white and she was shaking with fury as she stared at the dark-haired man. He was dressed simply in a cowboy hat, a button-down shirt, a pair of dark Jean and brown boots. The first two buttons of his shirt were left unbuttoned, revealing his chest and the veins of his strong arms were also on display, for he had folded his shirt to his elbow.

His eyes were a dark pair, a mysterious glint dancing in them and a frown was etched on his face, making him look so unapproachable.

Melissa watched as he scanned the farm with his eyes, before walking into the farmhouse with the Captain and guards leading the way.

"I will die fulfilled if Jordan someday looks at me," Paula said with a dreamy sigh and Melissa turned to her with a glare.

"Then you're hopeless." She snapped.

"What?" Paula looked confused. "Jordan is the man of every girl's dream so you can't blame me for thinking this way."

"Definitely not mine."

"Don't you like him?"

"What's there to like?"

"A lot. He's mighty fine, so hot. . ." Paula had begun to fan herself with her fingers. "If only I could get him to notice me."

"Good luck!" Melissa snapped, picking up one of the sealed grains bags and walking away, leaving Paula dumbfounded.