Chapter 13: Sarkon's Pain

Sarkon dropped the file on his desk and plopped back against his chair. The entire week he had heard about the harassment Maria went through, one after another, and it was the worst kind of hell for him. He still didn't know who was behind it. Karl wouldn't tell him. "The eye can't tell," he said. His scarred brow dipped seriously. Bullsh*t! Sarkon gritted his teeth at the files laid in a mess before him. Karl knew exactly who, but he wouldn't tell because knowing Sarkon's temper, it would topple everything they had painstakingly built all these years. Sarkon stared out into the vast midnight sky and the silvery waters of the sea. Those emerald eyes continue to haunt him at night, disrupting his sleep. She hasn't left home for this long. It's natural that you miss her. Sarkon scoffed at the window pane. Missed? He never missed anyone. Such human emotions were pointless. "They only make you weak." His father's voice reverberated in his mind. Shoving both hands into his pockets, the handsome hulk continued sulking at the black-and-white scenery outside. There was a knock on the door. Sarkon turned toward it as Karl entered. Jolted upright, Sarkon asked, "Maria?" Karl stopped near his desk and nodded. "What is it now?" The dull voice didn't mask the worry in his heart. "Maria…" Karl began. "What happened to her? Is she hurt?" Sarkon grabbed the collar of the leather jacket and hurled the ex-biker toward him. "She's fine, Sarkon," Karl's hoarse voice calmly assured him. Those blue eyes bulged in shock. Slowly, the long fingers relaxed, and Sarkon turned away from his bodyguard. He raked his hair to the back in frustration and glared over his shoulder. "You were saying?" Karl cleared his throat and reported quietly, "Maria confronted them." Sarkon straightened in pure surprise. He closed his eyes as a brilliant smile appeared on his lips. Remembering Karl was waiting for his response, he swallowed his excitement and responded in a bored tone. "She did, huh?" "Yes," Karl replied earnestly. "She's alright then?" Sarkon uttered nonchalantly as he sat on his chair. Inside, he was dying to know what Maria did. He felt something like a ball of sunshine in his chest, and it was about to explode. "She's fine." Atta girl! Sarkon gave a tiny smile as his fingers squeezed the old metal piece in his pocket. ***** "I can lend you one of my old phones, Maria," Sophie suggested as she chewed on her bread. Maria shifted her gaze from the cheerful blue sky to the doll-like face of her new friend and smiled. "I don't need a phone, Sophie," Maria took a bite of her sandwich. "I'm good." Sophie was aghast. "Don't you need to call your family?" Maria stared at the blue sky and whispered, "I won't be calling them because if I called, they'll think that something's wrong." "I see. So they don't know what happened to you?" Sophie patted her friend's back. Maria shook her head sheepishly at the fresh green grass at her feet. She inhaled sharply and smiled at the sky. "It's all in the past anyway." Sophie opened her bottle of coffee and nodded. "It sure is. It's amazing, right? All the pranks have stopped!" Maria nodded with a weak smile. Julie hadn't spoken to her for days now. It all seemed strange. "Maria!" The two girls turned toward the direction of the voice. One of the girls in funky clothes was running toward them. "Maria! There you are!" The girl stopped a foot from her and beckoned her to follow. "There's a call for you at the dorm!" The two girls exchanged confused looks. "Someone called the dorm asking for you!" The messenger shouted in between deep breaths. "Come on!" Maria grabbed her bag, excused herself politely, and ran with the girl in funky clothes. The matron was exceptionally unhappy to see Maria when she arrived at the office. She shoved the handset to Maria and also a note that read: No personal calls here. Use your mobile next time. Maria nodded apologetically and pressed the handset to her ear. A familiar deep voice came through immediately. "Maria." "Uncle Sar–" The matron seemed to be eavesdropping, so Maria turned the other way and whispered discreetly, "Uncle Sarkon! I wasn't expecting your call." "Why are you whispering?" The deep voice sounded annoyed. "I'm glad to hear from you, Uncle." "Maria," Sarkon exhaled heavily, "what happened to your mobile?" "It… It fell into the toilet." Maria lied and squeezed her eyes tight. A sigh came through, and then Sarkon spoke again calmly. "We'll send you a new one." "Wait!" Maria twisted the cord between her fingers. "Just… Just a normal one will do. Please. I- I don't want to be distracted." "Alright." Sarkon breathed. "Have you been eating well?" Maria glanced at her unfinished sandwich and beamed at it as if it was Sarkon's face. "Yes! I have huge meals every day. I had… have such a huge appetite. You should've seen me. You'd be shocked! I wanted to take photos and send you, but you know, I don't want to be distracted. I would've put on weight if it weren't for the exam stress." "Maria," Sarkon whispered in exasperation. The gentle tone felt like a caress on her neck. Piercing blue eyes and wondrous lips invaded her mind. A lump formed in her throat. Maria swallowed hard and muttered, "Y-yes?" Another sigh came through and then a curt response, "I'll call again." The line went dead. Maria stared blankly at the floor. He sounded mad. Is he mad at me? Did I say something wrong? Then, her eyes were struck with horror. Does he know that I'm lying? Do I sound obvious? "Are you done?" The matron tapped her shoulder. Maria swung around, "Y-yes! Thank you. And I'm sorry." She handed over the handset and scurried out of the office. ***** Sarkon removed the phone from his ear and stared silently at his desk. Sophie, Albert, Karl, and Sanders stood in silence until their young boss spoke again. "Karl, get a mobile for Maria. She must get it today." "Right away," the rugged man in a black leather jacket growled. Sarkon kneaded his forehead as he muttered in a defeated tone, "3G." Karl halted at the door. He reeled back with a shocked expression. "3G? But we're at 5–" Sarkon rubbed his temple. "Go." "Alright." Karl left with his brows knitted tight. "Sophie," Sarkon let out a breath of exasperation, "send over snacks. You know what she likes." "Y-yes, Mr. Sarkon." The maid bowed and hurried off. "Albert." The butler bowed and asked, "Coffee and pills, Sir?" Sarkon nodded and waved his hand in dismissal. Once the door closed, Sarkon relaxed into his chair. "I'm ready. What do you have?" Sarkon reached for the metal piece in his pocket and held it tightly. Sanders stopped smirking and frowned. "We got the land." Sarkon sat up, all fired up again. "We'll hear from him soon then." Sanders nodded. "Archie was notified. News is spreading as of now." The ruthless rising star in the business world stood and walked to the window. Everything was going as planned. The king of business would come for him, and he would negotiate a very special deal. Sanders placed a file on the desk. "The contract's inside." "I'll look into it." "Maria's bullies," Sanders adjusted his gold rimmed specs, "I've got the list." Sarkon took over the piece of paper and scanned through the names. He crushed it with a single hand. His eyes were in full rage. "What do you want to do?" Sanders asked quietly. His expression was sharp and emotionless. "We're no longer in that business." Sarkon rubbed his lips as the wheels in his mind churned furiously. He wanted all of them to pay for what they had done to Alfred's baby girl. They must pay. "It'll just be a small payment," Sanders suggested with a glint of excitement in his eyes. Sarkon picked up a file and began reading. "No one must know." Sanders nodded and left. ***** Maria stared at the mobile on her bed. It looked very normal and old school. You asked for it, she scolded herself silently. Yes, she did. With a sigh and a warm grin, she held up the phone and started trying the buttons. It suddenly lit up, and a strange autotune exploded in the room. "Goddamn it, Maria!" Julie threw her covers aside and sat up angrily. "Are you trying to start a war with me again?" "Sorry, Julie!" Maria's fingers flew into a panicky mode and started pressing any buttons she could see. But the strange tune continued blaring. "Turn off that d*mn thing! I have a performance tomorrow! I swear to God if–" The noise immediately cut to silence. "Sorry!" Maria looked sheepishly at her glaring roommate. "I'll let you do anything to me then. Goodnight." "Good my a*s!" With a trail of grumbles, Julie dove back under the covers. Maria held the phone to her ear. Sarkon's voice came through clearly. "Who was that, Maria?"