Sadistic Obsession

Chapter 4

For the entire day, the divorce papers I signed were all I could think of. It was hard signing it and I could not bring myself to fully accept that the love I thought was going to last until my last breath just disappeared in a snap.

And here I was, back to the old me who first came into this city years ago. The only difference was that back then, I was just a country bumpkin trying to make a living in a large city. But now… I was a country bumpkin thief and a gold digger accused of something I never even did.

I entered the washroom and washed my face. The cold water seeped into my skin. I just wished it would be cold enough to numb the excruciating pain in my chest. I wiped my face and returned to my post, getting the newcomers’ orders and cleaning some oily tables. The busy work in the restaurant helped me get my mind out of the divorce, but just when I thought my day would end uneventfully, it seemed like I just jinxed it.

My shift was over and I needed to go to the public market, however, I came to an immediate stop when familiar faces came into view.

Mrs. Storm, my ex mother-in-law.

She stepped out of the sleek black car with an envelope in hand. Mrs. Storm carried herself with effortless grace wherever she went, making me admire her.

Her presence, however, in this area of the city made her stand out and out of place at the same time. One look at her was enough to tell that she did not belong here.

“Oh, dear,” she commented as her gaze scanned the vicinity. “This surely reminds me of our first meeting.”

I did not say anything. Even though she was someone I looked up to, Mrs. Storm regarded me as nothing but an undeserving woman for her son, Kade. Clearly, it had something to do with my status and for my unique appearance.

“Little girl.” She grabbed my chin with her gloved hand and forced me to look at her. “Pretending like you are back to the slums will not change the fact that you have stolen from Levanti Motors. Let this be my last warning, country bumpkin.”

She then let go of me. I watched her remove her gloves and threw it right to the trash bin. It made me take a step back from her as it felt like I was too dirty to even be a few feet close to her.

“Take this.” Mrs. Storm threw the brown envelope in my direction. “Think of it as my last act of pity since my son refused to even give you a single penny for alimony.”

I opened it. Fresh and crisp cash came into sight. With my current situation, this would be a great help. It would help me get through until next year while I worked as a waitress. However, it made me wonder why Mrs. Storm would give me this.

“I do not need it,” I said, handing it back to her.

She took a step back and eyed me with disgust.

“You already touched it so it is yours.”

“But why?” I asked. “You never liked me so why are you suddenly helping me?”

Mrs. Storm looked away with a grin.

“Just keep it and do not ask further questions.”

Those were her last words before Mrs. Storm got back into the car. I watched the black car rev away from where I stood, a lingering odd feeling lodged at the back of my mind. Yet my gaze looked back at the envelope.

If Mrs. Storm was giving me this money, did that mean that she did not actually believe I stole from her family?

Thinking it that way somehow comforted me. Back then, Mrs. Storm made it clear that she would never accept me as her daughter-in-law as I did not have anything to my name.

No money.

No connections.

And I was unable to finish college.

It did not qualify me as the ideal partner for Kade, but he still fought and married me. I originally thought that Mrs. Storm never held an ounce of liking towards me, but it seemed like she actually did.

I smiled a little as I tightened my grip on the envelope without looking away at the black car until it vanished from sight.

“Wow…”

A small voice came from behind so I immediately turned to see who it was. She stared at me…

If I was not mistaken, she was one of the customers in the restaurant. She had black and short hair. Her pair of glasses made her look like a college student.

“Just wow,” she added while still looking at me.

Rather than looking… It was more like gawking. Before I could speak, she suddenly rushed towards me and those big eyes of hers were now too close I had to step back. Yet she drew closer.

“Uh-huh…” She started to circle me. “Hmmm…”

I could feel my cheeks and ear burning so I looked down. I turned to my left to leave, but just after a few steps, her hand gripped at my shoulder.

“Do you have some time to spare, young miss?” she asked with a scary smile. “I have a job offer.”

She seemed to be like those people who scam others, offering jobs with a lot of money only to be sold to the black market. That thought made the hair at the back of my neck stand to their ends.

“No, thank you,” I said, freeing myself from her grip and walking faster away from her.

I thought I ran away from the short-haired girl, a yelp escaped from my mouth when she suddenly appeared in front of me. What now? She had superpowers of speed?

She handed me a small card.

“That’s where I work. We are currently short-staffed and with someone as hardworking as you, we can really use some help.”

She stepped closer so that our faces were only inches apart. It seemed like this person had no personal space in her vocabulary.

“If… This is an only if situation, okay? Do not get your hopes up, but who knows? You can be recruited to become a part-time model.”

She winked at me before waving goodbye. That person… She certainly was an odd person. Putting the card into my pocket, I headed to the public market to buy some food for the week before depositing the money Mrs. Storm had given.

Upon returning to my apartment, the card fell out of my pocket. I took another glance at it. Its black and gold design gave off a classy vibe.

Celestine Media.

Nobody in this city would be unaware of this entertainment company. They were known for their A-list actors and models. As someone who was nicknamed ‘White Ghost’ during my childhood because of my different than normal appearance, I never dreamed of becoming a model.

However, that glasses person said that they needed some support staff, which seemed to be a good choice as well aside from working as a waitress.

Faustina Walters. So the glasses girl was Faustina. Below her name was a contact number. A part of me was scared of joining such a big company, however, the pay might just be a little bit higher than what I was earning at the moment.

After a long debate with myself, I grabbed my phone and sent her a message. Calling at this time of the night would be rude. And… Doing something new might just be something that can help me get through my divorce.

The second I left my phone to get ready for bed, it suddenly rang.

Faustina.

This woman… She was quick, I must give her that. With a bit of hesitation, I answered.

“I’m happy you are interested in joining us. I heard from Leonora that tomorrow is your day off. Do you want to come with me at work and see what happens? I mean… It is much better if you are going to see with your own eyes on the things you are expected to do once you get hired. How about that?”

“Okay. What time should I meet you and what’s the dress code?”

“I will fetch you in your apartment at 6 in the morning. You can wear your casual clothes since you will be going there as a visitor.”

After our brief conversation, I laid down on my back and stared at the ceiling. It would be a lie if I said that I did not miss my life with Kade before. However, that was something I can no longer dream about.

I must be satisfied with how things were right now. The only reason why I was still not in jail was because Kade did not push through with filing a case against me.

Though… I cannot help but wonder what pieces of evidence convinced him that I stole a huge amount of money from their company. He was well aware that I had no idea what goes on at his work and how things were done yet he still insisted that I stole the money.

It pained me that I could not even ask him to show me the evidence because of that no-contact clause in our divorce.

In what other ways could I possibly prove my innocence?