Billionaire Daredevil In Love

NADINE.

I might have woken up the entire house that night, big as it was. I shrieked in pain as each lash landed on my bare flesh. As he flogged me, he tore off my clothes, exposing more of my skin to the flagellum. I pleaded, screaming my voice was hoarse, till I could cry no more, but he would not stop. After what seemed like ages, he stopped hitting me.

“And that’s what you get, bitch,” he said, breathing heavily, “for fucking with me.”

I wondered what he was talking about. His shirt was soaked in sweat, and he looked spent. I whimpered on the floor.

“What did I do to deserve this?” I asked.

“Humiliating me,” he said, his voice becoming steady. “Dragging my name through the mud.”

“And isn’t it enough that you have been trapped in this house without contact with the outside world?” I asked him.

He sniggered wickedly.

“I can do whatever the fuck I like,” he said and turned to leave.

I picked myself up from the ground, went to the bathroom and tried to have a bath. It was a painful experience as my back and arms stung when water touched my flesh. I cursed aloud and hurried out of the bathroom.

I thought again about Anna and the cancer that was growing in her as I lay curled up on the bed.

“If I could do something about it,” I said to myself as I sniffled.

I lay on the bed till I closed my eyes in sleep.

Clayton:

I was exhausted after dealing with Nadine. When I went to my room, I had my bath and relaxed. She deserved everything she got, that bitch, Nadine. Never in my life have I been humiliated like I was earlier that day.

“Clayton Rocco, self-made billionaire,” I said, looking into my bathroom mirror, “being made to feel like such an idiot because of that nobody!”

I heard my phone start to ring and so I went into the room.

“Hey, man, what’s up?” I heard Trent’s voice. It sounded slurry and I knew he had had a lot to drink.

“I’m good,” I answered. I really wasn’t in the mood to talk.

“Look, man,” he said, “I’m sorry about earlier. I didn’t know that bitch, Bella, was that rude. I would have found someone else for you.”

“It’s fine,” I said.

“Ahh, man,” he said. “You know what? I’m gonna make it up to you. I’ll host another party at the club soon, and I’ll get you the finest chicks. No rude ones this time, I promise.”

“I don’t think I’m interested in that,” I said roughly.

“Come on, man,” he said, “you’re still angry. Look, I promise you, this time, it’s-”

“Look, Trent,” I interrupted him, “I’m not even pissed anymore, I’m just tired. And I need to get some sleep, please.”

“Alright, alright,” he said. “I hear you. Talk later.”

He hung up and I went to bed immediately.

Nadine:

The aches that I felt in my body were worse the next morning when I woke up. My body was covered in welts and I only managed to get up from bed. But still, the first thing on my mind was my sick sister. I wished it was a bad dream that I was waking up from, but it was not, unfortunately.

The butler came inside to give me my breakfast. He looked oddly at the marks on my body, and as if understanding what they meant, where they came from, did not say a word.

“Sleep well, miss?” He asked.

I nodded absentmindedly.

“Can I use your phone?” I asked him.

I knew he was not going to refuse me. He seemed to understand the dire situation that I was in, coupled with the marks on my skin from where Clayton lashed me. He slipped his hands into his pocket and handed me his phone. I called Anna, but after more than a few rings, she did not pick. Already panicking, I called Naomi. She picked immediately.

“Hi, Nadine,” she said.

“Naomi, why isn’t Anna picking up?” I asked.

“Good morning to you, too, Nadine,” she said sarcastically, “and did you sleep well?”Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

I realized my mistake and chuckled. I could afford to do that because something in Naomi’s voice seemed to convey that all was well, at least, that things had not gotten worse than before.

“I’m sorry, I’m so nervous,” I said. “Good morning.”

“Well, Anna is fine,” she said to me.

“Good, very good,” I said, the storm in my mind settling. “Where is she now?”

“She’s asleep, Nadine,” was the reply. “The medication she’s taking, some of them are too heavy, and I guess they make her really sleepy.”

“Ohh, okay,” I said. I looked up at the butler who stood not too far from me, his hands folded in front of his chest.

“One more thing, Nadine,” Naomi said, just as I was about to tell her I would call her later, so as not to delay the butler any longer.

“What?” I asked. I could tell by the way her voice feel that something was up.

“Look, I wasn’t going to tell you this before, because as your friend, I feel a sense of responsibility toward your sister,” she said. “But we’re going to need some money to get Annie through this phase. Like a lot of fucking money.”

“Jesus Christ,” I said under my breath. I had not thought about this. I started to wonder about the financial straint this had put Naomi in already. From the cost of transportation getting to the hospital, to Anna’s feeding, to the drugs she had already bought.

“I’m so sorry, Naomi,” I said to her.

“Nah, girl, it’s fine,” she said. “At least for now. I have this covered.”

“Thanks, Naomi,” I said.

“I’m going to go to the hospital today and get the bills for her meds and then we’ll see about it,” she said.

After she hung up, I started to think hard about it. Something needed to be done about Anna’s situation.