Ambers

Chapter Two

“…”

“Hey…handsome, where’d you come from” she mumbled as she squinted trying to focus her eyesight.

Her voice slurred from the drinks, and her eyes were tipsy.

Vincent didn’t look once thrilled at her. “Are minors meant to drink, Fred?”

Being thrown the unexpected question, Fred stumbled with his words before giving a simple “no”

Someone should please save him from his boss tonight, because he could either die from fear or the threatening look his boss keeps giving him.

“Hey, handsome who said I was a minor, huh?” Roseanne countered his claims about her which were fake. She messily searched her side bag to retrieve her ID which showed her name and age –she was 22?

Seeing the slight look of disbelief on both their faces, she felt smug and she chuckled while trying to smooth her haywire hair that had been packed in two cute buns.

Tilting his head to the side, Vincent tugged at his tie forcefully to loosen the knot, before going ahead to undo his cufflinks and casually throwing them aside as if they weren’t worth anything. He removed the blazer before moving to fold the sleeves of his shirt, revealing the tattoo on his arm that ran across his shoulder and beneath.

Fred widened his eyes. Was the master stripping? ‘Oh my eyes’ he muttered before turning his eyes away. Roseanne sat there in a daze looking at the man who looked like he didn’t belong on earth but some other planet. A strand of his blank ink hair fell to his forehead. He was busy as if he were the only one in the car. Suddenly he looked up and his dark unfathomable eyes met hers, the air was knocked out of her body, and before she could muster a word, her wrist was tugged at as if she weighed a paper, she was carried and placed to sit on his lap.

Roseanne shrieked at the sudden pull which she had not expected. Fred who had turned his back to the car, had subconsciously turned back, and when he saw what was happening, he immediately turned around and closed the door.

“Hey, what do you think you are doing!” Roseanne roared, or so she thought, as she tried to wriggle herself free from his tight grip. Vincent kept mum as he peered at the girl who had a hard time staying still. He retrieved a cigarette that she hadn’t noticed before. He picked a lighter and handed it to her, placing the cigar in his mouth between his teeth, he said in a low voice which gave no room for refusal “Light it”

Roseanne quickly lit the cigarette but suddenly her voice hitched and she straightened her posture. He had gone to place his hand on her waist and slightly gripped it.

Vincent took a long lazy drag, then blew the smoke at her face in a thin, deliberate stream. She inhaled it immediately and broke into a fit of coughing, her big eyes had turned teary from each cough. Tears had started to fall and Vincent wondered if it was from the smoke alone, or if he had indeed made her cry.

Regardless, it didn’t deter him from taking another drag and repeating the process, till he had exhausted the cigarette. His cold eyes went back to her small face which was red and teary. His eyes went dark, as he looked at the vulnerable, stupid girl, and his mercy.

“Next time you don’t trust any freaking strangers, do you understand me?” he asked in a threatening voice

Roseanne nodded her head vigorously as she sniffled and tried to get away from the scary man. However, his grip on her tightened as he brought her closer to him, his hot breath, touching her face. “Words sweetheart, you answer with words,” he said

“Yes,” she said, and seeing that, he was satisfied, and his grip loosened on her to which she got away from him to sit by the other end of the car flushed against the door, she then tried to open the door but it wouldn’t budge, making her burst into tears.

“–I’m sorry, C – can you let me go please?” she pleaded, and continued “I promise not to report to the police”

Raising an eyebrow, Vincent chuckled, “police?”

He then scoffed and asked “Where do you stay”

“Huh?” she asked momentarily shocked before she blurted out “14 Alder Lane, Westborough”

Getting his answer, he called out to Fred who got in and drove off. The drive was quiet – too quiet. Fred glanced through the rear mirror. The girl was huddled by the door, seemingly afraid of the man by her side. The man in question had gone back to close his eyes and was asleep.

Arriving at her home, she immediately unlocked the doors, and she dashed out and ran without looking back. Fred shook his head in pity, he knew this feeling of fear because he experienced it every day and he felt like crying now.

“Aren’t you driving?”

Fred was out of his reverie and ignited the engine.

… ….

NEXT MORNING

Roseanne groaned in pain as she felt a splitting pain in her head. She tried getting up from the bed, but ended up falling back.

Minutes later, she dragged her lazy body to the bathroom to wash up and brush her teeth. She hated getting drunk the most but had to do that sometimes because of meetings and dinners that were compulsory for her as the assistant to Starlight Entertainment Company.

Recalling what happened yesterday with Lisa and Luciano, her mood soured and dampened the more.

Roseanne Hayes, a 22-year-old, worked in Starlight Entertainment, which was one of the leading companies in town. She was known as a capable manager who had managed to breed many A–list artists in the entertainment industry. She worked with Luciano, who was the CEO of the company, and was seen as the power couple because of how charming and capable they all were.

Lisa was fortunate to sign a contract as an artist there due to the help of Roseanne and is now viewed as one of the fastest-rising rookie artists in Hollywood.

In the beginning, Roseanne thought signing Lisa was a good idea, but as years went by, she seemed to disagree. Her younger sister had a big appetite for a delusional ambition. She wanted to climb the social ladder so badly that she did everything to get there. Hollywood had its perks, this means behind the scenes all sorts of agreements happened. She had started to cling to the A–list celebrities, but she needed more, and fortunately landed Luciano.

Luciano had long coveted Lisa. She had a great shape and voluptuous body that men lusted after and he was no different. More so, she flaunted her body by wearing skimpy dresses that left little to the imagination. So when Luciano had approached her, she wasted no time accepting him.

Roseanne sighed as she lay back on her bed. She had decided to resign, and call off the engagement. She knew it was a bad idea because she was paid well, and getting a job impromptu was going to be a hassle.

But that bridge will be crossed when she’s reached it. Humming a song as she scrolled through her phone she remembered something and let out a shriek. The strange man. That big scary man, just the thought of him made her shiver in fear.

Thankfully, her thoughts were interrupted by a call. “Hey Jenny, yes I’d be free today we can meet at the café “

Jenny was her best friend from childhood, someone she had grown up with and had schooled together. Jenny works in a media Company and was a well–known Journalist who covered many exclusive outlets. She was Asian, she had their signature black hair and small eyes with a petite body. They were a weird but strangely perfect combination due to the difference in their race.

***

“Hey girl, I thought you were going to ditch me yet another time because of how busy you were with Luciano and his company,” Jenny said in a sarcastic wave as she sipped a latte.

Chuckling, Roseanne laughed and said “So sorry your highness, I’m free today…and maybe for the time being,” she said, her voice turning to sound slightly grieved.

“Is everything okay?” Jenny asked, her face turning and tone turning to become serious. Roseanne pouted and started talking sounding grieved. She recounted the incident of the previous day, leaving out the strange man.

“How dare that scumbag? I knew he was a jerk from the very beginning.” Jenny had never liked Luciano. She said he looked like a pampered spoiled brat who only had what he did because of his parents. However, seeing that her friend had gotten engaged to him, Jenny had no choice but to give her blessings.

She had heard rumors about how he often went after ladies of all sorts and was always seen in a hotel with one socialite or the other. However, no matter how big his scandal got, his family had always covered it up.

“I’m so sorry baby, but I’d be honest with you, I’m happy you got to see the real him under all that guise”

Roseanne smiled “Yes I know. It hurts, but it’s better than living in the dark. Jenny, I will be jobless though. I want to resign, but I’m scared I won’t be able to get a job anytime soon, and my bills are there to pay.”

“Baby girl you would get a job. Who wouldn’t want to hire the best manager in town, a very cute one to be precise.” Jenny teased which made her blush.

***

STARLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT

Luciano paced back and forth as he checked his Rolex every second. It was past noon already, and he hadn’t seen Roseanne nor received any text from her. He was scared that she would resign but his fears vanished when he realized that she could hardly land any job that was better than his offer, and pay.

So, his fear turned to anger and he was ready to lash out at her and tell her to separate private life from work, which was professional. He wanted to tell her that she needed to handle her job seriously, to which if she doesn’t she would be replaced or demoted.

All his thoughts stopped when he saw her walk through the door. He hardened his face and said in a cold angry voice. “Do you think I pay you to slag off Ms. Hayes?”

She flinched a little bit and he noticed. He had known how she feared being shouted at and could be controlled when she was out of her wits.”

“Do you pay her to sleep with her sister too?” Jenny’s voice rang from the door. She had fallen a step back and just arrived to hear the absurd question from the shameless man.

Luciano stood up abruptly “Who said you could come in?” he roared. He had never once liked Jenny, you could say the feeling was mutual.

“You son of a b*tch ! What do you take my friend for? You and that h*e of her sister deserve to rot in hell” Jenny wasn’t gentle or calm and therefore attracted a crowd. The employees all came around to check out what was happening.

Jenny retrieved the resignation letter and slammed it on the table before tugging at Roseanne’s hand to go, as if she hadn’t caused such a drama.

“That was so cool,” Roseanne said minutes later, infatuation written all over her face.

Jenny gave a smug smile and accepted the praise without an ounce of shame “Of course baby girl, I don’t fear no man’ Jenny surely never sounded Asian. Probably because she grew up in America, she had their accents and attitude.

“But girl, you need to tighten up your game. You have to stop being so timid and easy to bully” Jenny added with rolled eyes. Roseanne laughed and said while hugging her in a bear hug “But that’s why I have you my prince charming, the knight in shining armor saves the damsel in distress”

Jenny laughed and hugged her back. For a second, just for a second, the world felt colorful and quiet. She wanted to live in this moment forever, Roseanne thought.

‘Hey let’s get you a new job. I have a friend who works at Knight Global, if we are lucky we can land you a job there. I heard even the cleaners there earn huge amounts. “

“Are you serious? You aren’t kidding me right?” Roseanne asked in disbelief.

“Now why would I kid over a serious matter girl? Trust me huh?” Jenny said with a smile

“I miss home, come let's go, I’ll treat you to a hotpot”

“yay!”

UNKWOWN PLACE

“Please… what did I do wrong? I think you’ve got the wrong person”

Chuckling, a man in khaki pants sat by the table. The room was dark, but that didn’t stop the victim from seeing his predator. The robust man had a scar that ran across his neck which showed his narrow escape from death.

“I don’t think the boss is ever mistaken about his targets, Mr. Antonio.”

Antonio’s eyes widened. He knows his name?

He was tied to a chair and had been beaten to a pulp while blindfolded for hours. He felt he was on a thin thread between life and death.

“I’ll double what was promised to you, just let me go,” Antonio said as he began to cry.

Chuckling, the man stood up, looking more intimidating “Old man you don’t beg for mercy this way” saying that, he delivered a solid punch to his stomach making him groan in pain. The hit made his face go white like that of a sheet of paper.

“You should step away from your position in the company, or this will be the last chance given to you,” Kane said in a monotone voice before he signaled for the release of Antonio.