Trust Fall (Billionaire Romance)

2. Zamora

MAX

Fuck them. How the f**k could they fire me? Me!? f*****g unbelievable. I'm the best they had, now they want to replace me? I need to go to a bar. I need to go home first. f**k.

I gripped the steering wheel tight as I drove down the road back home. I had to let this aggression out somehow. I know the perfect way for that. Right before I head to the bar tonight.

I parked in the driveway and went inside where I saw the babysitter we hired for Zamora sitting on the couch watching… What the f**k did they call it? Anime? Whatever, she was watching something before she finally noticed my presence and stood up abruptly.

“Um, hi, Mr Quinn. I didn't think you'd be back so soon.” She stated as she fidgeted with her fingers.

I quivered my brow as I looked at her. “Yeah, thanks for watching Zamora. But I'll take it from here.”

I stood in place as I watched her gather her things in a hurry and walked out while saying good night. Once she walked out of the house, I immediately locked it just in case Cleo comes home out of the blue.

I went upstairs to Zamora's room. Once there, I stood in front of the door and let out a deep sigh before walking in.

Zamora sat on her bed with the pink teddy bear we got last week while reading a princess story book. She looked up from her book and looked me right in the eye before her body immediately froze and she cuddled her teddy bear closer to her.

I walked up to her bed and sat down on it, reaching out my hand to her head, ruffling her soft curly black hair.

“There's my little angel. How was the babysitter? Did you have fun together?”

She didn't answer me. She was quiet. I noticed her shaking hands as she held her teddy bear. She wasn't even looking at me. It made me annoyed and irritated.

“Look at me, you f*****g brat.” I said as I pulled her hair, causing her to yelp slightly. At least she was finally looking at me. That's a point at least.

“What have I told you about ignoring me, huh? What the f**k is going through your head, you little b***h?”

She whimpered again, “I'm sorry. I'm sorry. You're hurting me. You're hurting me.”

“Shut up. Now you're gonna do as I say. If you don't, I'll f*****g beat the living s**t out of you and throw you in a f*****g lake. And I'll tell your mother that you ran away.”

“Mommy won't ever believe you. Why are you doing this? What did I do wrong, Daddy?” She was already crying, the tears staining her cheeks. It almost pulled at my heartstrings. Almost.

“Take off your clothes.”

Her eyes widened in horror as she looked me in the eyes again. She immediately started shaking her head and squirming in my grip, desperately trying to get free. It was so pitiful and pathetic watching her like this. Poor kid.

Yeah right.

“The sooner you listen to me, the sooner you can get back to reading your–” I looked at the princess story book on her bed. It was Beauty and the Beast. I remember her once saying Belle was her favourite Disney Princess. Cleo even dressed her up as Belle on her eighth birthday.

“--Beauty and the Beast.” I continued.

“I don't wanna do this anymore… Please, Daddy. I don't like it. It hurts me. Please stop it… I won't tell anyone. Not even Mommy. I won't tell. I won't tell. I won't tell.”

I let out a deep sigh. “Just do as I say. And everything will be fine, okay? It'll be quick. You see, Daddy has had a long day at work. And Daddy got fired today. Your mother isn't home right now, so you're the next best thing before Daddy goes to the bar. It's all fun and games, sweetheart. Remember, this is how every father shows love for his daughter. Your last Daddy was a bad man. A very very bad man who didn't know how to love you or your Mommy. But me? I'm a good man, sweetheart, the best out there. I'm just showing my little angel love. Paternal love that she hasn't ever received. But if you keep trying to stop me, I can't show you that love you deserve, my sweet angel.”

She looked down at her bed like she was contemplating what I had said, trying to understand it better before she finally looked up at me again.

“Y… You promise it won't hurt? A… And you'll stop after this? Promise?” She looked up with hopeful wondering eyes.

“Yes, my little angel. I promise.”

She held up her pinky finger for me to hook with mine. “Pinky promise?”

It was crazy how she still kept such innocence inside her despite all this. I smiled slightly and hooked my pinky finger with hers. Oh how naïve she is. It's pathetic. Utterly pathetic. She wouldn't survive a day in the real world.

“Now take off your clothes"

“O… Okay”

ZAMORA

I laid weakly on the bed once Daddy was done. He said it wouldn't hurt. He lied. He lied. He's a liar.

Once Daddy was done with me, I was already bleeding. But he didn't care. He just left and drove off. He couldn't even show a little sign that he cared about me. He promised. He made a promise. How could he break a promise without a care in the world? I thought promises were sacred? Like the way Belle kept her promise to the Beast to stay in the castle in her father's place.

My blood was staining the bed badly, but I couldn't move. I couldn't go downstairs to use the house phone to call Mommy. I didn't know what to do. I didn't have enough energy to at least call for help. I just had to lie there as I watched my teddy bear that I named Belle get soaked with my blood. The beautiful pink fur turned into a dark shade of red.

I wanna get up. I wanna do something. But I can't. I've never felt so useless in my entire life.

“Mommy…” I muttered softly before I blacked out.

CLEO

I had finally arrived home after a day's work at my bakery. As I walked inside the house, it was quiet. That's weird. The babysitter is supposed to be here. Did she take Zamora out? But the front door was unlocked. Did someone break in? Max obviously isn't home since his car wasn't in the driveway.

I threaded slowly and carefully into the kitchen and pulled out a knife from the drawer. I climbed the stairs slowly, trying to keep my footsteps as quiet as possible so as to not alert whoever was in the house.

I started going through each room one by one, checking each closet, under each bed, behind each curtain. There was nothing.

The last room to be checked was Zamora's room. I slowly opened the door and my knife immediately fell to the ground. My body was frozen in place before I finally came to my senses and rushed to Zamora's bed, cradling her in my arms.

“Zamora? Sweetheart? What's wrong? What is it? Wake up. Open your eyes.” My hands were shaking as I held her but I managed to take her wrist in one hand and feel her pulse. It was faint. But it was there. That was more than enough for me.

I held her close as I got off the bed and left the room, hurrying downstairs and placing her in my car. Once I laid her down in the back seat, I went back inside to get my phone and lock the house before finally driving off to a hospital.

-ミ⁠●ミ-ミ⁠●ミ-

The doctors treated Zamora as soon as we arrived at the hospital. She had been in the emergency room for over three hours. I tried calling Max several times but he wasn't even answering. Where could he be at this crucial time? I was restless and I desperately needed some type of comfort, the least he could do was be here for our daughter.

After I waited for another hour, a doctor finally approached me with the look of sympathy and pity on his face and I immediately stood up, bracing myself for whatever bad news he's about to deliver. Even if I tried so hard to be completely positive, it would've been pointless considering the state I found Zamora in.

“Mrs Quinn, yes?”

“Yes, that's me. I'm Zamora's mother.”

“She’s alive”

I felt the tension in my body loosen slightly.

“She lost a lot of blood and she had a second degree perineal laceration. We also noticed she had finger marks on her neck and we concluded it to be attempted strangulation. Has she been exposed to any kind of s****l assault?”

“s****l assault? What? No. She's been perfectly fine, she hasn't complained about anything.” My voice quivered as I tried to wrap my head around his words.

“Who was she with tonight?”

My eyes widened as I immediately thought of Emily, the babysitter. She couldn't… She wouldn't.

“Please excuse me, I need to make a call.” I told the doctor as I immediately turned around and took out my phone from my bag to call Emily.

I dialed her number and once it connected, I didn't even give her a chance to speak.

“Hi, Mrs-”

“What did you do to my daughter?”

“What?”

“Don't try to lie. What did you do to Zamora? I could have you locked up for this.”

“Mrs Quinn, I didn't do anything to her. We were inside all through the night. I didn't do anything, I swear.”

“Then why did I find her in her bedroom bleeding from her v****a?!” I yelled into the phone, my hands were shaking constantly, I knew I needed to calm down and take deep breaths but not when someone was evil enough to do something so horrible to my daughter.

“What?! Mrs Quinn, I can swear on everything I hold dear, I didn't do anything to Zamora. I left early because Mr Quinn came home and told me to leave. And when I left, she was upstairs in her room. Please believe me.”

“Did you just say you left? As in, Max was home when you left?”

“Yes. He told me to leave and I- Oh no… Mrs Quinn, I'm so sorry. I didn't think he would… I… I'm so sorry, ma'am. I should've stayed. I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. Is she okay? Is she alive? I'm so sorry. I'm so stupid.”

I could hear her voice quivering like she was about to break into a fit of tears so I immediately started reassuring her.

“No, no. Please don't cry, Emily. You couldn't have known. None of us saw this coming. It's not fair for you to take all the blame. I should've known something was going on. I'm so sorry I accused you. I just panicked and-”

“I understand. I understand. You're just looking after your daughter. It's fine.”

We conversed for a little bit before we finally said our good-byes hung up. She said she'll come by the hospital in the morning.

Once the phone was away from my ear, I let out a deep sigh, I was exhausted. I was so tired.

I suddenly felt my phone vibrating again in my hand before it finally rang out. I looked at the caller ID. It was Max. My blood began boiling the minute I realised it was him. The disgusting bastard. How could he do something so cruel? How could he be so evil?

I let the phone ring out two more times before I finally answered it.

“Hello?” I said in the most calm tone I could muster.

“Hey, baby. Sorry I haven't been answering, my phone was in my pocket. I'm at the store picking up a couple things for Zamora. Want me to get you something?” His tone was so gentle and sweet. I didn't want to think he was even capable of doing something so horrible, but the evidence points directly at him.

“No, no. I don't need anything. Zamora's at the hospital.”

I was absolutely certain I heard his breath hitch.

“What? Why? What happened to her?”

“When I got home, she was unconscious and bleeding from her v****a on her bed. Emily wasn't there when I got home. And the door was unlocked.” I used my free hand to grip my shirt tight, trying as much as I could to keep my temper under control.

“What did Emily do to her?”

Conniving lying f**k face.

“I don't know. Can you please just… Just get here?”

“Okay, okay. I'll be there soon, baby. Just calm down, okay?”

“Yeah. Okay. I'm waiting for you. Honey.” I grimaced slightly as I said it before hanging up.

I'll f*****g kill him.

I'll drag him to an early grave.