"Princess, do you love him?" He asked using a soft voice I haven't heard in a very long time.
Love him? I don't even know what my feelings were so how would I know what to say in response.
All I knew was that I wanted to spend every day with him. Wanted to have sex with him all the time. That was I also felt about Riley but when it was time to leave him, I didn't feel as hurt as I thought I would. One thing was certain though.
My feelings for Sylvester were different from what I felt with Riley and stronger. But do I love him? I don't know. Why was he asking anyway? How was it any of his business? I became more angry and tried to wrestle my hands out of his grip to no avail.
"Let me go!" I yelled at him.
"Princess, if you love that boy then you have to leave him." He said to me gently, ignoring my tantrums.
"Why would I leave him? Just because you say so? Who are you to tell me who to be with? You are nothing. A nobody. Know your place or you wouldn't have a job tomorrow!" I became irate and was hysterical.
He suddenly opened his car door and shoved me inside. I grabbed the handle and struggled to keep it open but he was too strong. Once he closed the door and started walking away, I opened it and wanted to step out but stopped in my tracks because he had doubled back and grabbed me on my shoulders.
He shook me violently and shouted at me. "Snap out of it!" He then let me go. I stumbled back and was stopped by the body of the car. He had knocked the wind out of me so I just stood there staring at him in shock. "Now get in the car." He sneered with that scary voice that had me hiding in my room for days when I was a baby. I was drained by that shake. His voice and the glint in his eyes scared me. So I quietly got in the car and shut the door. Then my body started shaking of its own accord. Tears tumbled down my eyes and just as he opened his side of the car and got in, I started wailing.
Uncle Liam settled behind the wheels and just let me cry. After I was done, he offered me some tissues and I blew my nose into it.
"Why?" I asked after some time.
Uncle Liam was my bodyguard. I had even requested that Dad let him follow me to NewYork and Uncle Liam readily agreed. After my tantrum earlier in the evening, even if I should say I don't need him to follow me to New York again, they would probably not listen to me. After all that drama, Mum would need someone to watch me. Better the devil that I know than an angel in the sky. I would be needing his consent in the future so we might as well revamp our relationship now.
"Why did you tell him that knowing how much I need him?" I tried to sound pathetic.
"Do you remember the boy that tried to rape you at the orchard?" He said after some silence.
Fear; deadly, mind numbing fear gripped my heart. My chest became heavy and painful.
"The dogs that mauled Joshua, eat him alive."
"What?! Oh my God! Why?"
"Your mother asked me to feed him to the dogs. So I did." He shrugged casually. I started breathing hard and my hands started shaking.
"If you don't want your boyfriend to suffer the same fate or worst, you should stop seeing him."
All I could do was nod like a dunce.
Now I understood why that grumpy old man sent me packing. He was scared of Mum. Mum had someone killed…
"Was she the one that had Joshua killed too?" I asked, dreading the answer.
"No. That was your Dad."
"Oh my God!" I shuddered with my hands over my mouth.
"You know you can't tell anybody this right? Not even Sylvester. He will only get into more trouble."
"Yes ! Yes! I know." I wobbled my head again.
"Do you think Mum knows about Sylvester?" I asked with a shaky voice
"She doesn't now but she will know soon."
"But… but… that old man said he called them."
"No. He called me."
"Oh my God."
I broke down in tears again.
I had my suspicions but I was never sure. Especially about the guy that tried to rape me. His family was one of the few living on the farm. After his disappearance, his family left and there were lots of side talks with hostile undertones. A few male staff that relate with me started avoiding me and it was all just awkward back then. As for Joseph's death, I had it all wrong from the beginning. I had it all wrong until Dad clarified some days ago that Joseph was cheating him with Mum. I had always thought that Mum found out about him and Dad and had him killed due to jealousy.
Knowing that your parents are capable of committing murder is not thesame as knowing that they are murderers. I didn't know how to feel.
" When you get home, stop arguing with her. Just do as she says." Uncle Liam suddenly said after letting me cry for some time.
"But..."
" Princess, you can't fight your Mum. Just do what she says for now."
"Okay. " I nodded again.
"Go get your car. It's getting late."
"No. I will pick it up tomorrow." I said, shivering.
Uncle Liam got out of his car and walked up to mine. He locked it up and returned to me then we drove out of the mall's parking space.
All the way home, I kept stealing glances at him in tears. Uncle Liam really had a long talk with me today. It would be the longest talk we have ever had since I was 12 years old.
When we got home, it was almost 10pm. Too early for anyone in my house to go to bed but everywhere was quiet as a grave. Not waiting for Uncle Liam to finish parking the car, I got out and made a run for the back door, fearing that Mum was going to be waiting at the front door.
But luck was not on my side because I found Mum and Riley watching a movie at the kitchen's small dining table, apparently outsmarting me by waiting for me there.
"Oh, you are back." Mum said and stood up. Riley followed in her steps immediately.
"We will have a talk in my study now that you have calmed down."She concluded then turned to leave.
How could she even say that I was calm when my eyes were so red and heavy from all the crying I had done on my way home?
I hesitated but Riley shook his head, warning me not to start any drama. I thought better of it and followed her with Riley behind me. I guess he was making sure that I comply.
The walk to mom's room was short and the moment we stepped in and Riley closed the door, a deafening slap hit my face. I stumbled to the ground where I looked up in utter shock.
Mum had hit me for the first time in my nineteen years on earth.
She hit me and her eyes and the smirking of her lips told me she enjoyed it.