Beneath The Billionaire's Deception

Chapter 2

Anita had always understood that marrying Raymond Smith would not be a fairytale or a marriage of her dreams but she hadn’t thought the walls would shut down so soon.

It had been only two weeks since the wedding and frankly speaking, the dominance of Raymond was quite noticeable. It started small—they were demure and apprehensive, the staff, and it appeared as if they tried to turn their heads away whenever she was nearby. Anita felt maybe it was the result of inexperience, anxiety, or stress from being in a new environment. However, as the days rolled on, so did the loneliness.

It was like a conversation Raymond had one morning over breakfast, “You’re not to go out of this house again without informing me.” He asked me this in what I could only describe as a nonchalantly normal manner, as if ordering this were the most natural thing in the world. It became necessary for him to always know the whereabouts of the woman, so he said.

Anita’s fork froze mid-air. “This was going to be just a visit to my brother. Well, it’s not like I will be out all day.”

Raymond slowly blinked, and I noticed a mild threat in his eyes. “It’s not about the time, Anita. It’s about control.”

She placed her fork on the plate, and a cold feeling grew in her stomach. “Control?”

He smiled at her, though the smile never quite reached the expression in his eyes. “You will start to like it.” Some people are lucky to be in a position to learn to like a thing they never liked before through the force of circumstances. This is for your safety.”

Anita noticed there was something wrong, but she kept quiet, not wanting to anger him anymore. Hearing the allegations and the truth she had made her decision to marry Raymond for her family’s sake.

Charles required her to be strong to make sure they survived, to make certain they would make it out alive. But now she was beginning to wonder if she had sacrificed too much. By saying yes to the marriage and all that came with it, she was trying to find a way to reconfigure the balance and get some of it back from him.

For days, Anita was able to limit herself to the room and the small number of people that surrounded her.

Raymond was not even home most of the time, he spent most of his time either in his study or in business meetings.

Every once in a while they exchanged words; it was always about the rules he had established with her. She had to tell him wherever she was going before she stepped out of the house. She could not go out to call her friends and relatives without the permission of her husband.

Just to say a simple word to her brother she felt as if she had to fight for permission.

“Why should I not be able to call my own family?”

One night, she asked Raymond after he had refused her chance to visit Charles, motivated by a simple intention to call.

Raymond did not look up from the papers he had been working on. “Because, Anita, you belong to me now and I expect you to act accordingly.”

The way he said these words was freezing her to the bone. She attempted to protest but the man named Raymond was clearly in no mood for such things.

The next day, he took her phone and put another sim card on it, which had very few contacts in it. “Anita it's for your good, " he said, grinning as though he did a good deed.

Anita began to feel like a captive in her own house.

Minimally, the restrictions made her uncomfortable, and how the servants treated her too.

The girls moved quickly around the house with their faces down and barely said a word aloud whenever Raymond was nearby.

One evening while on her way to the bedroom, Anita stumbled upon a maid shaking while arranging Raymond’s dinner tray.

Anita asked as if wanting to touch her arm. The woman jerked back, she seemed terrified.

“Please ma’am, don’t ask questions.”

Anita felt her heart was broken. There was evil in this house and she was slowly coming to the understanding that the evil was born out of Raymond.

One day, Anita was unable to sleep, so late at night, when all was quiet, she went down to get some water. There was no sound in the house except for low voices coming from the Raymonds’ study. She was not a gossip but felt the need to listen to this conversation, there was so much hatred in the air.

She moved herself closer to the door which was slightly opened.

“I have arranged for the shipment,” replied Raymond in a menacing voice. The authorities will not be a problem for you as long as you fulfill your part of the contract.

“I don’t know, Raymond,” another man said, probably Eric, the man who runs the business with him, Anita presumed.

“This is becoming more risky, if we get caught…”

“We won’t,” Raymond interrupted him.

“You leave that to me.”

Anita’s breath hitched. “Shipments? Authorities? What was he talking about?”

She flattened herself against the wall as she dared not move from her spot.

“This could destroy everything if it goes wrong,” said Eric concerned.

“It won’t,” Raymond said sharply. I believe that we have gone too far for failure. Now, stop it and just do as I tell you.”

Anita’s mind raced. In what kind of business was Raymond involved at the time of his death? It didn’t sound legal.

When the conversation ceased, Anita hurried away, fanning her face intensely afraid of what she had done. She had known that there was more to Raymond’s wealth than what met the eye, but this was something else. This was something that was not good and better still, criminal.

Anita returned upstairs as fast as she could go, with more questions on her mind. Was this why he was so controlling? Was she just a tool that was used by him in his kingdom of lies?

Laying in bed one day, a feeling of dread rose within her; she was far more invested than she acknowledged and trying to get out might be more lethal than continuing to be.