Jennifer.
After what Tomas did to me, watching him consume and then burn my heartfelt letter felt like watching my very essence go up in flames. I was utterly devastated. It hit me hard, weighing heavily on my heart, that I had been right all along: Tomas didn’t love me. It was painfully clear. He had kept that letter from that mysterious girl tucked away safely in his pocket for what seemed like an eternity, and in a moment of blind rage, he chose to burn my letter, which felt just like he was burning my heart too. It was a crushing realization. I had been so foolish to believe that he truly cared for me, that I could somehow win him over with my love and devotion.
Overwhelmed with a torrent of emotions, I grabbed my bag and began to pack my clothes, determined to leave for good, to escape this nightmare. Carl stood there, still watching me with a furrowed brow, his expression full of concern and worry.
Then he reached out and gently pulled my hand, as if trying to anchor me in place. “What are you doing, Jennifer?!” Carl asked, his voice laced with urgency and alarm. I could sense the desperation in his tone; he genuinely cared.
I tried to keep my eyes away from Carl’s, not wanting him to see the tears that were streaming down my cheeks, hot and unrelenting. But Carl insisted, pulling my face around to make me look at him directly. “Look at me, Jennifer,” he said firmly, his voice steady.
“I’m leaving, Mr. Carl,” I huffed, my voice shaky and filled with despair.
“But you can’t! This is your home now. You can’t just leave like this. You need to fight to win his heart back. Don’t be so weak! I warned you from the very beginning that this would be a war, and you were so confident that you would win. What happened to that confidence, Jennifer?!” Mr. Carl asked me, his tone a mix of frustration and deep concern.
“I’ve given up everything. Tomas didn’t just burn my letter; he burned my heart too. I’m so sorry, Mr. Carl, for disappointing you, but I’m not the strong girl you think I am. I can’t handle this anymore. When I saw Jack again, the memories flooded back, overwhelming me, and I realized I still had feelings for him. Maybe this emotional turmoil is what brought me to this moment, where I feel like I’m falling for Tomas, but it’s only one-sided. It’s not a love triangle; it’s a circle that will never end. There’s no winner here, Mr. Carl; we’ll all end up losing. Tomas will lose too. His heart was taken long ago by that mysterious girl,” I confessed to Mr. Carl, my heart aching as I spoke.
I took my bag and walked toward the door of the room, but then I turned back to Mr. Carl, my heart heavy with regret. “I will miss you so much, Mr. Carl.” I wiped my tears with my hand, trying to regain my composure, then said goodbye to him before leaving the room, feeling as though I was leaving a piece of myself behind.
Tomas was downstairs, and as I stepped into view, he turned his body to look at me, his expression unreadable. At that moment, something I hadn’t expected happened; I froze, my heart racing.
Suddenly, the thug who had threatened me before I started working with Mr. Tomas appeared. Once he saw me, he yelled my name, his voice booming through the silence. “Jennifer?!” the thug, Javorius, shouted, and I felt a lump form in my throat. I didn’t know what to do now. Mr. Carl was behind me, his presence a comfort, but Tomas was staring at me, his eyes narrowing as he recalled Javorius.
“Do you know her?” Tomas asked Javorius, his tone a mix of curiosity and suspicion, as if he were trying to piece together a puzzle.
“Know her?! Yes, absolutely!” Javorius grinned while looking at me, his eyes gleaming with malice and intent.
“How do you know her?” Tomas asked, stepping closer to Javorius, his posture tense.
“Her ex stole some drugs and money from me and then vanished, so she’s the one who has to pay instead of him. But she vanished too, and I’ve been searching for her ever since,” Javorius explained to Tomas, his voice dripping with disdain.
“Her boyfriend?! Do you mean Jack?!” Tomas narrowed his eyes at Javorius, suspicion flickering in his gaze.
“His name is not Jack, Mr. Tomas! He used to work for us, and she was helping him too. She was dealing drugs with him in our club, and she was acting as a distributor!” Javorius accused me, his voice filled with contempt and anger.
“What the hell are you talking about?!” Tomas shouted at Javorius, grabbing him by the shirt and drawing a gun on him, his fury palpable. “I’ll kill you if you’re not telling me the truth, Javorius!” Tomas threatened, his eyes blazing with rage as he pointed the gun at Javorius’s head, and I felt a chill run down my spine.
“Mr. Tomas, I’ve worked for you for years! You know that my loyalty lies with you. I’m trustworthy; I’m your man, Mr. Tomas. I’m revealing the truth here. I found her ex just yesterday, so you can ask him yourself,” Javorius pleaded, his voice trembling with fear.
Tomas turned his head to look at me, his eyes widening in disbelief. “Well, Jennifer, any explanation now?!” Tomas asked, his voice thick with disbelief and anger, demanding answers.
“Um, Tomas, there’s a misunderstanding here. I’ll explain everything. This man was threatening me; he wanted me to pay a debt I didn’t owe. He wanted to make me pay with my body. But I can’t,” I tried to explain to Tomas, but he cut me off, his expression darkening.
“Stop it, Jennifer! He’s my man; I know him, I trust him. But who the hell are you?! How could I have been so blind and believed all of you back then? Maya is so much better than you! At least she’s not a drug dealer,” Tomas muttered, his voice dripping with contempt and disdain.
He walked toward me, grabbing my arm and pushing me to the floor, my heart pounding in my chest. “Get on your knees, Jennifer. I don’t want to hear your pathetic voice until your ex-dealer gets here and tells me everything about you two,” Tomas yelled, and I felt a surge of fear.
After what felt like an eternity, thirty minutes had passed, and my ex arrived, looking shocked and horrified when he found me tied up, sitting on my knees, with a guard holding a gun to my head.
He rushed to me, panic etched on his face. “Jennifer?! Are you okay?!” he asked, raising his eyebrows in alarm, his voice filled with concern.
At that moment, Carl rushed over to Tomas, his demeanor cautious. “Mr. Tomas…?” Carl said carefully, trying to diffuse the situation.
“What is it, Carl?” Tomas asked, irritation brewing in his voice, clearly annoyed.
“Read this news article right now,” Carl urged Tomas, handing him a newspaper, his expression serious.
Tomas took the paper and began to read the article. Yes, it was an article I had written earlier, back when I discovered that Tomas was, in fact, the mafia king. I had asked the paper not to use my name, but I was naive to think they would respect that. Of course, they would use my name, and this was a disaster, especially with a gun pointed at my head.
Tomas began to read my article aloud, his voice cutting through the tension:
“Could a billionaire womanizer be a mafia lord?! Yes, indeed! This is exactly what a mafia lord will do to stay hidden! A billionaire named Tic is playing around with women all the time to cover his true identity. How has a man in his thirties built his empire so quickly in just a few years? This question will be answered with more details in the next article, so stay tuned. Article by Jennifer K.”
After Tomas finished reading, he threw the newspaper on the floor in disgust and glared at me, his fury palpable. “Do you really think you can expose my true identity to the world?! I’ll kill you before you get the chance, you little bitch! Just because I fell into your love trap doesn’t mean I’ll lose everything in just a few days because of you!” Tomas shouted, his voice filled with rage and desperation.
I was sweating and trembling, my mind racing with fear over what he would do to me next, my heart pounding in my chest like a war drum.
Then Tomas turned to my ex, his expression icy. “Now, tell me the truth or I’ll bury you alongside her,” he threatened, his voice low and dangerous.
“No, Mr. Tomas, I swear I’ll tell you everything. I met Jennifer a year ago; she was miserable and homeless. I decided to give her a job, to work for me, and offered her a room in my small house. At first, she was just my colleague and roommate, but our relationship evolved into something much more complex. However, she didn’t know I was a drug dealer until she found out by accident. I told her she had no choice; she was in the game now, and the gang leader wouldn’t allow her to escape. She accepted it, knowing the risks. She was sweet and innocent, but she was also clever; she didn’t want to lose everything. But one day, I asked her if I loved her more than money, and I realized I loved money more. So I stole some drugs and cash, leaving her to fend for herself against the gang leader. That’s all, Mr. Tomas. Please forgive me,” my ex confessed, his voice quaking with fear.
“Oh, forgive you?! Are you insane?! You’re dead!” Tomas grinned, a sinister smile spreading across his face as he turned back to me, his expression dark. “Now, what should I do with you, Jennifer?! Do you really believe your pathetic article will put me in prison?!” Tomas sneered, his eyes blazing with anger.
“Then shoot me, Tomas!” I shouted defiantly, my heart racing with adrenaline and fear.
Tomas laughed, a chilling sound that sent shivers down my spine. Then he asked me something that made my blood run cold, freezing me in place. “Have you slept with your ex and Jack?!” Tomas demanded, his eyes narrowing in anger, his voice like ice.
I hesitated, my throat dry as dust. “Um,” I didn’t know what to say to Tomas. My mind raced, trying to find the right words.
“Answer me now, Jennifer…!” Tomas yelled, his eyebrows raised in fury, his patience wearing thin.
“Yes, Tomas! Fine! Yes!” I shouted back, my voice ringing with defiance.
Yes, I wanted them both to suffer! Jack and Tomas! I hated both of them! They treated me like trash and left me with a broken heart. It was my time to be part of this game, not just a toy to be played with anymore. Mind games could kill, and I was ready for the fight, for whatever came next.