“Is that the young man you are throwing yourself at to get his money?” Elizabeth asked Céline the moment she got inside the house.
She had heard the car parking in their porch and she scurried to the window and saw a Lamborghini Sian parked in front of their house.
A Lamborghini Sian!
It was obviously the rich young man from the papers, Damien Culhane.
“Aunt, you don’t have to put it like that!” Céline defended walking to her room
“How do you want me to put it?” Elizabeth asked her, but Céline remained quiet.
It was hard enough for Céline to accept what she was doing, having her aunt say it out loud was making it harder for her.
“Is that the young man you are trying to cheat?” Elizabeth rephrased through clenched teeth. Her niece was being unreasonably stubborn.
“Aunt, please, stop.” The words pricked Céline deep in her heart.
She didn’t think of what she was doing as cheating. All she wanted was the twenty million dollars and after she got it, she would make sure she was a good and loyal wife.
That wasn’t cheating.
Refusing to listen to her aunt, she walked faster and got to her door. She was about to shut it close when her aunt stopped the door with her legs.
“Céline!” She said, now holding the door open.
“This isn’t you. I didn’t raise you like this. Please, let the past remain where it is -In the past!”
Céline wished it was that simple.
She wished she could just ignore everything and let it go. But she couldn’t. Ever since she became old enough to understand what happened to her innocent parents, she had not been able to sleep peacefully. Each night, their faces tormented her.
The prick she felt in her heart intensified and became sharp cuts. It was hurting.
She couldn’t go on with her life knowing her dear parent’s killer was alive somewhere having the time of their life. She just couldn’t do that to the memory of her mother and father, who sacrificed themselves for her.
“I am sorry aunt…” She said her eyes lowered. ” I can’t let the past be as it is.”
Elizabeth shoulders slumped in defeat and her hands fell off from the door. There was defeat in her eyes as she watched Céline shut the door slowly in front of her.
Céline held the door knob. The heart breaking pain she felt inside of her, made her limbs weak. She couldn’t move.
A lone tear escaped from her eyes and she squeezed her eyes tightly shut, preventing more from escaping.
She wouldn’t let herself cry.
Not now. Not today. She would cry when the bastard that had her parents so brutally murdered got their own penance. That was when she would allow herself cry.
She rested her head on the door and thought of her aunt Elizabeth. The older woman only wanted what was best for her. She didn’t want her to get hurt. That was why she kept insisting that Céline stopped this crazy plan of hers.
But even if Céline wanted to she couldn’t stop.
Even if she thought of letting the past be and moving on with her life, she couldn’t stop.
John wouldn’t let her. Her psychopathic ex-boyfriend would go into any length to have her parents killer and them, he would come claim his prize.
Her virginity.
A flash of John’s rotten teeth laughing manically passed her memory and a shudder travelled through her. She turned around and allowed herself to skid to the carpeted floor of her room
What has she done?
What was she thinking making a deal with the devil?
Now so many people where involved. So many people were going to be disappointed at her. So many innocent hearts were going to be broken. She didn’t even want to think of the tens of pregnant women that have gotten killed ever since she realized John, her ex-boyfriend, was the serial killer.
She hugged her legs and tried to calm her hurting heart.
She was a monster.
She remained on the floor, lost in a blank head, reaching for something she shouldn’t.
A knock sounded on the door and broke her out of her trance. Her neck was stiff from being bent in one position for too long. She raised it painfully and checked the time on her phone. It was 11:05 pm.
She had spent over four hours on the floor lost in her own world.
“Céline?” Her aunt’s voice called from behind the door.
With cramped legs, she rose from her position and opened the door.
“Aunt?”
“You haven’t come out since you-” A frown suddenly appeared on her face and she stopped talking. Worry lined her once calm face.
“You haven’t changed? Céline…”
“I- I a-m o-kay aunt. I- I am just tired.” Céline said pretending to smile, but even she knew the smile was not convincing.
“Are you sure?” Her aunt read it on her face. She knew her niece was hiding something. But she had always been the type to allow Céline open up on her own.
“Yu-p,” Céline responded, trying but failing to smile again.
Elizabeth knew something was bothering Céline, but she didn’t want to pressure her into talking. She knew Céline would open up when she was ready. Elizabeth hoped that when Céline became ready, it wouldn’t be too late.
“I’ll leave your meal in the fridge then. You can microwave it and take it to work in the morning. If you ever need something, do not ever hesitate to tell me.”
“Goodnight Céline.” With a heavy heart, Elizabeth turned around and retired to her own room.
“Goodnight aunt…” Céline whispered to her retreating back.
She wanted to talk to her aunt. Tell exactly the kind of mess she had put herself into. But she would only be stressing the woman. And Céline didn’t want to lose her aunt ever. She was the only family she had left. She was a real mother to her. She couldn’t risk telling her such things.
Besides, her only advise would be for them to go to the police. But what if John escaped the police, what would happen then? She and her aunt would be in grave danger.
She couldn’t tell her.
Tired and stressed, Céline pulled off her clothes and went to take a quick shower. She released her hair from the tight chignon she had kept it tied in all day.
After the shower she put on her pink pajamas and slumped on her bed. The moment her body hit the bed, she slept off.
But her sleep wasn’t a peaceful one.
His bloodshut eyes roamed her body hungrily and he smacked his lips together, making a sound that echoed in the surrounding area.
“I have found them Céline.” He said in a singsong manner.
“You have found who?”
“Your mammy and your daddy, Céline!”
He cackled with laughter, his ghastly and bloodied eyes growing larger as he bubbed his head hysterically.
“My parents? You’ve found them?”
“Yes! And now I must have you in my arms!”
He extended his thin and long arms towards her and Céline jerked back in fear. His nails were long and sharp like claws.
“You’ve been playing around with Damien haven’t you! Now it’s my turn!”
Céline took backward steps, her heart rising to her throat as she thought of how to make her escape.
“There is no going back! You are all mine!” He sang, running towards her.
She turned around to run but came face to face with a wall. It hit her right in the nose and as the pain spread into her body, she squeezed her eyes tightly closed.
She groaned and opened her eyes.
She was back in her room and it was morning already. She had fallen from the bed to the carpeted floor due to the dream. Her heart still raced and she knew she had to work fast.
She needed that money to safe herself from the clawy hands of John.
She rose from the bed rubbing her nose and checked the time. It was seven o’clock in the morning. She still had time to get ready and have breakfast before heading to work.
She could have skipped the meal, but she didn’t want to hurt her aunt. If she woke up and met the food still in the fridge she would worry all day. To avoid that, Céline took a quick shower and picked a simple but elegant red dress with black jimmy shoes. She packed her aunt’s laptop and headed out.
She got to the kitchen, placed her bags on the counter and started the oven. She was quiet as she brought out the food from the fridge and placed it in the oven. She didn’t want to wake her aunt. The investigation in the college she taught at was still ongoing, another reason why Céline had to hurry with her plans, so she could rid the society of John.
She ate her food silently and left the house at exactly eight o’clock.
The whole world depended on her. She needed to make Damien marry her no matter what it took. It was too late to back down now.