CHAPTER TWO: BREAKING FREEZING!”

My annoying ringtone sounded startling to me. I scrambled for the phone without opening my eyes since I was still very exhausted. When I found the phone, I slightly opened my eyes to take it without looking at the caller ID. I didn’t say anything but waited for the caller to speak up. “Where the hell are you?!” My aunt’s angry voice thundered at the other end. I was miles away from her, but I felt the room shake at the sound of her voice. Even my eyes flew open in respect. “Aunt, I… erm…,” “Of course, you don’t know what to say; you have disappeared since yesterday afternoon until this morning, and you stutter.” “Aunt, I was at work with Mr. Thompson,” I tried to explain, as I was in a dilemma “Shut the f*ck up and head here now, you shameless and jobless sl*t.” It was the moment I tried to jump out of bed, as it was my usual style every time my aunt summoned me, that I realized I was in great pain. “Ouch.” I cried as the sheet dropped to reveal my thighs and sensitive areas in a red mess. It was at that moment that Aunt’s words came back. “You have disappeared since yesterday afternoon, and you stutter when asked your whereabouts.” “Since yesterday afternoon?” I repeated asking myself, and vague pictures of me making love to a very tall man with strong arms and broad shoulders flashed through my mind in a very disorganized format, but I still couldn’t help but wonder for how long I had been with him. My phone vibrated; it was a message from my aunt. I checked it. You had better not keep me waiting for your shameless piece of sh*t. It read; I rushed into the bathroom despite the pain between my legs and quickly had a bath before rushing out of the hotel. “Good morning, Aunt,” I was greeted the moment I arrived at the Gilbert mansion. My aunt was the Gilbert family's youngest and only surviving child. She had inherited everything after my mother died. My aunt used to love and care for me until my mother died, and she took over. “Where have you been?” She asked, ignoring my greeting as usual. “I was with Mr. Thompson all day.” It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either. I couldn’t tell her I just had the most remarkable sex ever, could I? "Yeah, sure, the same Mr. Thompson who came here looking for you twice, and when he couldn’t find you, he handed me your sack letter!” She fired, throwing a letter at me. “He did what?” I was genuinely confused, but my aunt wasn’t buying my innocence. I opened the letter. She was right; he had fired me. “That f*cking son of a bitch,” I cursed under my breath. “Aunt, I truly don’t understand what is going on here or why he fired me, but I will go find out now.” "Oh, you can save yourself all the trouble; I did all the inquiries myself.” Whenever she sounded like that, it meant trouble. I already had a long night, and my whole body ached. Drama was the last thing I was ready for, yet I listened. “Mr. Thompson fired you for breaking a very crucial company rule.” “And what is that rule, if I may ask?” “Meeting with clients outside the company,” I couldn’t hold back my laughter and forgot in whose presence I was. A hot slap shuts me up. “Do you mock me, Mae? You take me for a fool now, don’t you?” “I’m sorry, Aunt,” I apologized even though I was boiling with rage inside me. “But it is a false accusation; Mr. Thompson had insisted I go with him to meet the client outside the company.” “And why would Mr. Thompson break his own rule, Mae? You want to fool me, is it?” "No, Aunt, I wouldn’t dare.” “Good! That was not the only reason you were fired, Mae.” She revealed it, and I looked at her keenly. “You crossed your boundaries as a worker and tried to seduce Mr. Thompson, and when he refused you, you ran off to a strange man.” From her voice, I knew that she loved the news, which pleased her. She also knew very well that the reverse was the case, but she wouldn’t let such an opportunity slide. “That is a lie, Aunt, and you know that." I defended myself angrily. “You have always been a dirty slut and nothing more.” She insulted me, and it ate deep into my heart, especially because I knew what she was referring to. “You know the kind of person Mr. Thompson is; he drugged me.” “And what did you do about that?” She fired back, provoking me. “I slept with another man!” I fired back with tears in my eyes. I had never raised my voice at Aunt before and knew what to expect, but the whole scenario hurt me. “Yes, I was hot and needed a man, and I did get one, but it was never Mr. Thompson.” “How could you do such a thing to Mike?” Mike was my fiancé; she never really wanted me to get married to him. But after choosing me over her daughter, she had to put up with me having something her daughter could never have, and that was the only thing keeping me in that relationship. She wants to use it today to blackmail me, but I am more ready than she thinks. “I don’t fucking care about him or his fucking family; they can all go to hell.” I confessed without thinking. Her harsh and stern look softened, and for once, I thought she was being compassionate. I almost let the tears in my eyes flow freely. “How could you do this to us? What will happen to our name, Mae?” Her voice was shaky, and it seemed she was about to cry, but somehow, it felt fake to me. “After everything I did to raise you well, you could have thought about Mike briefly before laying with another man.” "Well, I don’t have any regrets.” My voice was firm because I meant it. A familiar voice replied to me while Aunt started sobbing. “You don’t deserve his love, Mae; I’m disappointed.” “As if,” I answered her, not planning to let any insult slide. I turned to face my first cousin and also my aunt’s only child, Sonia. However, she was not alone; she was with Mike. “Mike, let’s go outside.” She advised with so much concern in her voice. “Mike?” Aunt asked as though she wasn’t aware of his presence, but I was pretty sure she knew he was there. It was part of their plan. “Oh Mike, I hope you haven’t been here for a while. She asked knowingly while I watched them. His eyes were fixed on mine with resentment and bitterness, but I maintained a carefree expression of his annoyance. “I have been here long enough to hear all that I should have heard.” He explained with Sonia’s arm in his.