Chapter 14: Choosing
" who's that?", One of the maids asked Ally as she went back to her duty.
" just some men", she replied not giving the maid much attention,
" Oh, some men are already coming to look for you...tell me, is that your new crush?", the maid teased Ally but she wasn't anything, " he is good looking though",
" you should get back to work, he's not my crush or anything", she replied coldly.
" tsk, you're no fun", she pouted her mouth and left her.
Ally resumed back to what she was doing but her mind was feeling unsettled, disturbed, and guilty.
" I shouldn't have said that much", she said and sighed, falling back on her butt and scolding herself. She had just told a total stranger things she felt like she shouldn't and that was because she was so angry at that moment that she couldn't caution herself.
A few minutes ago
" Who are you?",
" I'm her friend",
" Clarisse does not have any friends",
" she does now, I'm her new friend but I feel like I don't know anything about her, she constantly zoned off and doesn't tell me anything, so I felt like I should make an inquiry about her myself, that way I can provide her some company and comfort", the stranger said.
She needs that, she needs someone. Ally thought to herself.
" what do you want to know about her, I also don't know much but let's see if I can provide you with some", she said,
" What kind of person is she?",
" Clarisse is a very kind person, a fragile and simple girl, all she ever said she wanted was happiness",
" I heard she was once married",
" yeah, she, unfortunately, got married to a devil", she answered getting pissed just by remembering the kind of person Victor is,
" a devil? Were they not on good terms",
" never for once, he never treated her like a wife, never, not anyone in this family",
" How then was she treated?",
" she has never eaten with them at the dining table, she is opportune to only eat once a day, and that's when she must not by mistake bump into any of them",
" Like...in the middle of the night?",
" Exactly, how can they treat human beings like ",
" and her husband?",
" ugh! Don't make mention of that animal, he was obsessed with Clarisse's cousin and blamed her every time that she was the reason he couldn't marry her sister, he made her sleep in the basement and not only that, that bastard once violated her and that caused her to get pregnant, she fainted the night she found out about her pregnancy under that tree, he had sent her out of the house because he brought Alice home",
" he cheated on her? With her sister?",
" yeah, it was raining that day", Ally said crying, " she was so happy that she wouldn't be alone again, she said she was going to have her own flesh and blood and even though she was haunted by the memories of that night she was still going to keep the baby, she said it's going to be her source of joy and wished it should be a son. It was like she wanted to be protected, but those bastards took it from her. The last time I saw her was at the hospital but she didn't even know I was there, she was looking so blank and lifeless, it was like she had no single hope in this world, I couldn't stay and kept watching her so I just left", Ally said crying.
The stranger sighed, he was touched and angry also, he knew this report was going to piss his boss off but he had to do his job.
" Don't cry, she's now his safe hands", he said assuring Ally, one thing he is sure of his boss is that even if he's ruthless and domineering, he has morals.
" please take good care of her", Ally pleaded,
" Worry not, she's in safe hands", he said.
Alicia sighed as she remembered.
" What happened to Clarisse that night isn't something I should have said out, that's like hurting her dignity, she did nothing wrong but, I shouldn't have told anyone that", Ally said feeling guilty, " I'm sorry Clarisse, you're the only one who treated me like a friend and not just a maid, I should have done better, I'm sorry", she said to herself but she was since.
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Christian led Clarisse into the building, the attendants and the guards bowed as they walked by with a man and a woman following along. They arrived at a spacious room, that looked luxurious and beautiful with the brown couch and the glass table in the middle, there ain't much in the room but the expensive furniture and paintings made it very luxurious.
She looked down immediately Christian turned to her. The man and the woman excuse themselves leaving both of them alone.
" let's have a seat", he gestured and they both sat down.
Clarisse sat down preparing herself for similar words and situations, she wasn't expecting anything from him or the marriage, she was filled with resentment, not at anybody but at the universe and heaven for taking everything away from her, they took everything away from her and she felt like she was just an extra in the world so she wanted to be left alone.
Chris noticed her absent-mindedness, she wasn't looking at him and he was not sure what she was thinking but he knew he needed to start a conversation.
" I know the wedding was arranged and we haven't had any proper meeting or know anything about each other but you're free to ask me anything you want to know about me, and allow me to introduce myself personally, I am Christian Charles",
" I'm sorry ",
" hm?", He wasn't expecting that, " why...are you sorry ",
" It wasn't me you wanted to marry",
Yee...yeah? I...",
" Of course, I'm sorry that I'm the one you married".
Chris was confused, he didn't understand what she meant, he didn't have anyone he wanted to marry but he was told the woman whom he was supposed to marry was not available so he's marrying his sister because that's who passed mum's test.
'Of course, who would want to marry someone like me, a woman who got married and was divorced within a month and shamelessly married another man in two weeks? Of course, who would want to marry such a woman who's not attractive, Alice threw the garbage away for me to take care of, I'm sure he's also pissed, would take his anger on him and when the time comes she'll come for it and I'll be divorced again ', Clarisse said in her mind with a blank expression and sighed.
It doesn't move her anymore, nor does it surprise her.
" you don't need to worry about me, I'll remain invisible, will not come around for you to see me so you won't feel uncomfortable in any way, and will stay away from your vision and also the family. Once again, I'm sorry", she said still not looking at him, and bowed in apology slightly.
Christian frowned and said in a deep and vibrant tone that made Clarisse's heart skip so hard,
" and why would my woman do that?".