Ruthless Redemption

CHAPTER SIX: MEMORIES OF THE PAST (CONT'D)

Emelia stood frozen for a moment before she finally turned around.

"Miss, someone would like to see you," the man said again. He had only said it once, but the words echoed repeatedly in Emelia's mind, growing louder with each replay.

Her worst fears were inching closer to reality.

"No," she muttered under her breath. "This can't be happening. It can't be Fred... Maybe it's just someone else... a friend from the past," she tried to convince herself, but her heart hammered violently against her chest.

"W-Who? What? Oh... okay," she stammered, her voice shaky.

The man's expression remained neutral as he said, "Come with me, please."

Emelia's legs felt heavy, her knees weak as she followed the man through the corridors of Maluma Enterprises. Her mind spiraled, her thoughts colliding like a violent storm.

She wasn't scared of seeing Fred. But the way she had rejected him back then-the guilt surged through her veins like poison. He had been vulnerable, grieving the loss of his parents, and she had turned him down in the most callous way. She had been so blinded by her love for Marcus that she couldn't see how much Fred needed her.

Would he remember? Had he moved on? Or had that rejection twisted him into something else?

Emelia swallowed hard as they stepped into the elevator. The ascent was slow, agonizing. Each ding of the floors passing by felt like a countdown to her reckoning. The man beside her swiped a card over a sensor, and a door slid open, revealing the topmost floor of the building.

Emelia's eyes widened as she stepped into the office. It was a sight to behold. Luxurious furnishings gleamed under the soft, golden lights. Expensive artwork adorned the walls, each piece more extravagant than the last. The marble floors shimmered beneath her shoes, and the scent of polished wood and expensive cologne filled the air.

She tried to convince herself that it couldn't be Fred. The Fred she knew was a high school boy with a broken heart, not the owner of such an empire.

"Boss, she's here," the man announced.

Emelia's gaze darted around, searching. Her eyes landed on the man seated at the far end of the room, his back turned to her as he gazed out the floor-to-ceiling windows. The skyline stretched endlessly before him, and from this height, the world below seemed small and insignificant.

"You may leave," the man said in a cold, emotionless voice.

Emelia shivered. That voice was familiar yet foreign-deeper, harder, and far colder than she remembered.

The assistant nodded and exited, closing the door behind him.

Slowly, the man swiveled around in his chair. The world seemed to tilt as Emelia's eyes locked onto his face.

It was Fred.

But this wasn't the Fred she remembered. Gone was the jolly, love-struck boy from high school. The man before her was sharper, harder, and hauntingly handsome. His dark eyes bore into her with a chilling intensity, and his jaw was set in a cruel, mocking smirk.

"Emelia Meyers Marcus," he drawled, leaning back in his chair as if he owned the world. "Long time no see."

Emelia swallowed thickly. The floor felt like it was crumbling beneath her feet.

"Fr-Fred..." she managed, her voice barely above a whisper.

"It's Mr. Maluma to you," he said sharply, his eyes flashing.

Emelia flinched, the sting of his words cutting deep. He was right. The boy she had once rejected had become a man-a powerful, ruthless man.

"What brings you to my company, Mrs. Marcus?" Fred said, pronouncing "Marcus" with a venomous sneer. "Did you come to flaunt your perfect little marriage?"

Emelia's knees threatened to give way. "I... I came for the interview. My husband, he-"

"Your husband?" Fred chuckled darkly, the sound devoid of any real amusement. "The love of your life, Marcus?" His eyes gleamed with a sinister satisfaction as he leaned forward. "Tell me, how is he? Still the same pathetic loser he always was?"

"Fred, please," Emelia's voice cracked. "He's been struggling. We both have. We just need-"

"What do you need, Emelia?" he said, rising from his chair and strolling toward her. The air around him seemed to pulse with power and danger. "You mean the man you chose over me? The man you said was the love of your life? Now you need me to save him?"

Emelia's eyes filled with tears. She dropped to her knees, hands clasped together. "Fred, please. I'm begging you. Don't punish Marcus for my mistakes. Please... give him the job."

Fred's jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing. "Get up," he snapped.

Emelia remained on her knees, tears streaming down her face. "Please, Fred. Don't do this."

"Get. Up." He grabbed her arm, yanking her to her feet. Emelia stumbled, but Fred held her firmly, his fingers digging into her skin.

"You had your chance, Emelia," he said through clenched teeth. "I would have given you the world, and you threw me away like garbage. Now you come crawling back, begging for my help?"

"Fred, I didn't know-"

"You didn't know?" he laughed, a bitter, hollow sound. "I was nothing to you back then. Just a pathetic, heartbroken boy who lost everything in a plane crash. But you didn't care. You had Marcus. You had your perfect life. And now?" He leaned closer, his breath hot against her face. "Now, you have nothing."

Emelia's knees buckled, but she refused to let them give out. "Fred, please. I'll do anything."

His gaze darkened. "Anything?" he echoed, his lips curving into a wicked smirk.

Emelia's heart pounded painfully in her chest. "Yes," she whispered.

Fred's eyes gleamed as he released her arm, taking a step back. "Alright, then. Here's my condition."

Emelia's breath hitched as she waited for his words.

But Fred's face twisted in fury. He suddenly seized her face, his fingers digging painfully into her cheeks.

"You want to beg for my mercy now?" he sneered. "You think a few tears will erase what you did to me?"

Emelia whimpered, her vision blurring with tears.

"You chose him over me," Fred snarled, his face inches from hers. "So now, you will suffer with him."

With a vicious shove, he released her, and Emelia staggered backward, catching herself against the desk.

"Get out," he growled. "Out of my office. Now."

Emelia wiped her tears, her entire body trembling. "Fred..."

"I said get out!" he roared, his voice echoing through the office like a thunderclap.

Emelia turned and fled, her sobs echoing through the corridor as she stumbled toward the elevator. The doors closed, trapping her inside, and as the elevator descended, she sank to the floor, her face buried in her hands.

Fred Maluma had become a monster.