Beneath The Billionaire's Deception

Chapter 3

Anita moved back and forth in her room clenching the phone in between her hands. The great, high, impenetrable walls of Raymond’s house loomed over her like prison bars. Her life no longer belonged to her. Raymond had full discretion for anything that happened to her during the days – she was not allowed to move around, talk to people, or even leave her room. Nonetheless, even in loneliness, there was a dull glow of warmth – memories of Stanley – her childhood friend, the only man who taught her to care and trust.

Sitting there deep in thought, she heard her phone ring.

Charles’s name appeared on the screen. She brought the device to her ear, and as she breathed heavily she said, “Charles, I…” I think something’s wrong. Raymond is watching every move I make. He is even distancing me from all the people he knows and it feels like I am in prison here.”

Charles held the phone for a moment, his face deadly serious. Anita, listen I know you have been struggling, but we need all this.

“We have no choice. Just make sure you watch out for Raymond and don’t provoke him.”

Anita clenched her fists tightly, biting her lip. She could not allow herself to cry. “This isn’t what I expected, Charles.”

“I know, Anita. But for now, stay calm.” For any reason, we cannot offend Raymond.” You know what he is capable of, which is a dangerous thing when a man has nothing left to lose. We need him on our side.”

Anita tried to hold her breath and was quick to feel the rhythm of her beating heart. She found herself torn between her love for her brother and becoming a victim of r**e fear from Raymond. “I will,” she murmured, but panic rose from the deepest part of her with a fervor she did not think she could ever conquer. “Could I live in such a manner?”

The call was cut off but the feeling of fear did not fade away. Even the words of comfort her brother gave her did not help; she realized that he did not get it, and he did not know that she was afraid.

It took Anita to sit on her bed and close her eyes for a moment. She was overwhelmed by memories. Her thoughts went back to Stanley, a friend who was probably the only one she had known since childhood. She could nearly touch his hand, as they stroll near the river and both have fun with the light of the sun shining on them. Something stirred in her heart, at least a memory of what used to be when life seemed so much simpler.

The door opened, and Raymond stepped in. The room’s atmosphere became instantly more tense. His eyes landed on her phone.

“Talking to someone?” he questioned in a monotone but his stare was intense. Anita forced a steady breath. “Just Charles.” she said, “I wanted to call someone from home.”

Raymond's face grew grim. “Your brother has no idea what is good for you. You shouldn’t be calling him so often. In this house, my rules are followed, not his.”

Anita’s stomach knotted. “I… I just want my family,” she answered, making sure to smother her voice in a calm demeanor as she did so.

Raymond looked at her, his face betraying a teasing grin at the corner of his lips. “You’ll get used to things here. This is your family now.” His voice was gentle but his steely glare did not disappear.

“So, we will be having a guest over tonight. The good news is that Eric will be accompanying us for dinner. I want you to be a lady of good character.”

With that Raymond turned and left the door closing with a cold snap on the entire situation. Anita sat there, and my pulse raced with anticipation. Eric, Raymond’s business partner, has always been a man who troubled her. He was polite but seemed to be assessing her, something in his eyes was cold and very shrewd. It was clear for her to see that he had some power over Raymond and they were more than business partners.

At night, Anita was dressed carefully, her heart throbbed when going through the hallway in darkness. She got to the door to the dining room and stopped at the door when she heard Eric’s voice from inside.

She moved closer towards him, listening intently, her breathing becoming rapid.

Eric’s voice was strong and rich, deeper than most people might expect. “She’s growing too curious, Raymond.” That is why we can’t afford to have her expose another thing.

A chill ran through Anita. Were they talking about her?

Raymond answered slowly, “She won’t find anything. Anita knows her place.”

Eric let out a cold chuckle. “You believe she is as ignorant as you would wish her to be? Any time any woman like her starts to open her mouth, she begins to ask questions. If she becomes a risk…”

Anita leaned against the wall and felt her heartbeat in her chest. She could barely breathe. Were they discussing… how to stage her murder?

His voice lost a little of its authority but the threat still hung in every word he uttered now. “If it gets to that, it will be on me to deal with it. For now, she’s under control.”

Anita’s mind began to wander and a wave of terror swept over her. How had her life gotten to this state? She wanted to run away, but now she felt the walls slowly pressing on her. She had learned her lesson at last; she belonged to Raymond now. The darkness that surrounded him may be very threatening, and perhaps much more than she had thought it would be. But for her, it was not okay to let the fear take over her.

The echo of the steps increased and they started approaching her location. She was cornered – with the door behind her, and the darkened hallway before her – there was only one thing left for her to do – run into the darkness. She had to be smart, she had to look for the escape to help her from Raymond’s clasp.

Then she heard Eric whisper to somebody, “Let us get rid of her tonight”.

Anita’s heart raced. Tonight. They were planning to get her out of their way tonight!