Tangled with the CEO

Sorry.

Sorry to all those heroines who thought they were smart and helped only to get caught by the villains. Sorry for scolding you guys. I never thought I would be among them but here I am, where exactly I don’t know but in a similar situation. Now I understand the pain and suffering you went through that might be projected as stupidity. Sorry for shouting at you guys for not realizing the obvious outcome. I should have known. It was not easy to demonstrate stupidity laced subtly with intelligence as I did.

And thus, here I am, a sitting duck, an innocent lamb getting ready to be slaughtered. Does that make me stupid? I hate to agree but yes, I am stupid. I’m currently tied to my chair. The left side of my face is throbbing horribly from the hit I took and there is something seriously wrong with my left eye which is closed shut. My body is covered in bruises. purple and yellow made war on my skin and unable to resolve their differences settled on their chosen territories. It's a beautiful road map if it was on any canvas. Unfortunately, the colorful pattern on the body we are speaking of is mine. I don’t know how much time has passed since my last beating. My stomach grumbles reminding me that the last thing I ate is Long gone. There is nothing in this room except the chair I’m tied to. Even the wind is subtle as if it's testing the waters before making its presence known. And even then, I can only feel a slight breeze. Nothing that can soothe my aching body makes me think that we are far away from nature. I can hear water dripping somewhere, making its own rhythm.

Drip...tap.

Drip...tap.

Drip...tap.

The odd sound was soothing in its eery fashion if one is looking for it. Unfortunately, my attention whenever I was able to concentrate is focused more on scorching the place for anything useful.

It’s been 5 days since I was captured. They thought they could break me, but I still had some fight left in me. I am not going to let go that easily. Whoever is doing this doesn’t know me completely. I have a hunch who is behind this. I try again to loosen my hands without any success.

Suddenly I hear footsteps approaching me. I know it’s not time yet for the next round. Something is wrong. I take my position hunching my shoulders and looking weak. The door opens and I blink just to make sure I’m looking right. My brain is telling me something, but I’m still stuck in my position. I think I took too many beatings, That’s it. That must be-

“I presume my guys took care of you nicely,” the person in front of me asked while checking her nails in a leisurely fashion.

I don’t know what to say, am I hallucinating? How could this be? Where did I go wrong in my calculation? I thought I figured it all out, but then how could I go so wrong? Why will she do it? What will she gain from this? How is she involved in all this?

“I know you are not that dumb; I’m talking to you,” the person in front of me sneers, jabbing at me with the gun held in her hands.

Finally, I could make my mouth work after a couple of seconds and all I could breathe out was “Why?”

I wanted to shout that word, but only a wheeze escape from me. I’m shocked. That’s it. I heard somewhere that taking too many beatings can make a person hallucinate her surroundings. That must be it. Yes, I'm hallucinating. My mind tried to reason with what my eyes are conveying.

“Seriously, do you think I’m going to all bad villains on you like in old movies and confess my crimes? Grow up. But I have to say I’m disappointed in you. I sure thought you would be able to solve but anyways”.

And she pointed a gun right at my head. It’s funny how they say you can watch your whole life passing before your eyes at the time of death, but I didn’t feel anything. Neither my past nor the fear of my unknown future. In a way, my body is still numb, especially, my brain from the shock I never saw coming. Would I have been able to dodge from my current prediction if I was able to join the puzzle pieces in time? If only, I looked deep. If only... A slow burn started in my belly at my thoughts. This is not me. I was the one who takes action instead of wallowing in self-pity. I recognized it as unconcealed anger. Anger at my current predicament.

If looks could kill then my eyes would have burned holes into the body of the person standing before me. Hatred, anger, and disgust all mixed together as I bore my gaze at the person for the deception I was dealing with.

And then there is no more time for my thoughts. I was never one to beg. Neither would I do it now. It was never me. But regret... regret is one thing that coiled around me like a thick snake. It coated the insides of my mouth and left a vile taste inside my mouth. Regret that I was not able to stab the person in front of me. Regret that my revenge was left in the last leg of the journey. The bitter taste of defeat, of helplessness, is more than my body could swallow.

“It was nice meeting you," the smooth, sweet voice with which the words were uttered was in contrast to the scene in that room. The sarcasm couldn't be missed from the tone.

And then...

BANG.

I woke up groggily looking at my alarm, “shit”!!

It’s 9. How come I didn’t wake up to my alarm? Normally It’s so loud that the whole building can hear it and then I remembered last night.

I still can’t believe whether It’s true or a figment of my imagination. I quickly checked my call register and there it is the truth. The phone number of my sister with whom I haven’t spoken in 6 years. I didn’t believe my ears at first when I heard her voice last night. She sounded excited and happy. I forgot how her laughter sounds. If I can remember she never was happy when she was staying with us, mom, me, and her. There was always a cloud of sadness clinging to her. So, it was quite a shock when I heard she with a complete personality change. She said she wanted to clear the air between us, I’m not sure what that meant for us. It’s a little bit too late for me.

She left us when I was 15, still a minor to do anything, still in the clutches of an evil witch aka our mom. I don’t