Chapter 2 Revealed

Marcus casually lit a cigarette as his hands laid gently on the steering. He puffed smoke in the car, making its scent spread quickly. Kimberly stood unaffected. She still had a hard time believing how the events of tonight had turned out. Marcus faced Kimberly who sat quietly in the car lost in thoughts. He furrowed his brows in irritation. “Are you really that stupid?” He threw out the lit cigarette in his hands dispelling the smoke which had gathered considerably in the car. Kimberly woke up from her daze. “I can’t believe this. In this kind of situation you should have barged in instead of just running away.” Kimberly stared at him with a mixture of anger and resent in her face. Her despair and frustration disappeared simultaneously. A sense of truth hit her hard. “Did you know about tonight?” Of course he did, that explains his appearance at the hotel earlier. “You knew this was going to happen between the two of them tonight and you will let it happen, even had the audacity to bring me here.” Her voice was trembling. She was making an effort to sound stronger but she couldn’t deny that it hurt her even more. The lather on the other hand, was just a stand by observer who enjoyed the show. “Was this your idea of a game? Was this your idea or your brother’s?” Kimberly didn’t deem crying appropriate in this situation and yet she couldn’t hold the tears from strolling. The mere thought of inquiring the reason for them to do such was very nauseating. But she didn’t. Yes, she had the chance to enter and end everything but she didn’t. When the moment of truth hit her, she had decided to run and enter the car rather than face it. From the very start Marcus was just a cold observer who had watched her collapse and had stood watching her run like a coward away from the mansion. Without warning, Marcus stepped on the break and gripped her throat almost simultaneously. His eyes were dangerous and his tone was deep. He wore an expression of killing. “What makes you think you are so important that we will bother dealing with you? Do you think I have nothing else to do but stick around and play children’s games?” He raised his voice as he tightened his grip on her throat. Kimberly was struggling hard to remove his hand, but her strength was no match for him. Kimberly's face turned pale before he released his grip. She was just too insignificant in their eyes for them to bother with her. “You saw everything for yourself. And in case you don’t know, what you saw today is just a tip of what awaits you in the future. Do you find it hard to accept it? Well, I’m just helping you to accept it early. So you are better off now.” Marcus’s words sounded so righteous, but he still didn’t bother to hide the mockery within. “It was your cowardice and idiocy that brought this upon you. I told you I could help you change everything, but instead of you entering, you just ran like a dog with his tail between his legs.” Marcus slapped her gently as he let out a laugh. His tone was full of mockery. Marcus was a heartless person in this matter. He just stood by, watching every moment unfold with no concern. At least he is better than most. He had promised to help her if and only if she confronted them, but the moment he saw her running away, he knew that this fight was just too worthless. He spent the night expecting to see something interesting, not just some sad action. “Forget it. The women of Caddel are so interesting. Sacrificing their happiness and freedom for the sake of family reputation.” Marcus unlocked the passenger door and rolled down the window. “Get out!” A stupid, unintelligent, boring woman definitely doesn’t deserve to have a seat in his car. Kimberly’s thoughts drifted away. When she had arrived at the mansion, she was tempted, even before her hand had tried to push the door open. And here she was, with a choice to hurt herself all for the sake of some family reputation, just like others who had come before her. “Didn’t you hear what I said? I said you should get the fuck out!” Marcus's annoyed voice rang loudly in her ears. Everything that happened tonight was really beyond her expectations, but the man next to her was making it even more embarrassing. Kimberly held the door knob only to stop midway. Was she really just going to leave without doing anything? She removed her hand from the door, dragged Marcus from the collar of his shirt, and drew him close. The distance separating them was nothing more than a few inches. Marcus pushed her hard, and her back landed loudly on the plastic frame of the door, causing her back to ache. Her mind went blank as she realized that her previous action was crazy. Marcus strengthened his collar. “I don’t have time for your child’s play.” He continued driving. His face was burning with irritation. Had any of his friends Ben with him now, they would have easily seen that Marcus’s mood had really gone off track. And provoking him now will lead to nothing good. But all Kimberly could see was a chance to seize an opportunity, which she could easily tell wasn’t going to come by again. “If you really did find it so boring and interesting, you wouldn’t have bothered yourself to bring me here.” Marcus continued driving his expression, not making an attempt to brighten up. He turned towards her irritation, creasing his brows. Suddenly, Kimberly remembered about a cousin of hers who was also given to marry a family. It was a contract marriage. The family was even more crazy, and her situation was worse than what she was currently facing. She had a lot of opportunities to escape the torturing and suffocating environment, and yet, for the sake of the so-called family reputation, she had to sit and endure everything. And just like that cousin, she was posed with the very same choice. And she doubts she will have the same patience and endurance as she had. “If you are still so interested in that thrill you were looking for, then I believe you must really want to see what happens next, right?” Kimberly's voice was trembling yet calm.