“Where do you think you are wheeling your unfortunate self to?” She asked with a demeaning laughter, “the day is still young, Roman. You are a man! Your mates are in their offices making money but here you are feeding off our sweat.”
Roman wheeled his chair back. “Is there something you would need me to do for you, Mrs Campbell?” His voice was gentle. Daphne smiled wryly, like she was about to make him do the impossible. She dropped her purse to the floor and with a glint of mischief in her eyes she ordered; “pick it up!” Roman looked at her with confusion, expecting she should understand how difficult that would be for him. “Please…my back hurts,” he pleaded, “I cannot bend that low to get your purse.” “But you can pour a plate of my food away?” Roman could see the venom in her eyes that was threatening to blow up. He simply set his mind to it and stretched out to get the purse. He felt his bones cracking as he did it but he had no choice. Daphne gazed at him with disdain. “Here Mrs Campbell,” he whispered, handing her the purse. His back hurt like hell. Daphne scoffed at him and hissed heavily before walking out. Roman was surprised at how cruel she was to him and he hoped that for her sake, she would understand when it was time to stop. *** Amanda and Colton decided to throw a pregnancy party for her to celebrate the pregnancy. They were both party freaks and Amanda loves an exorbitant display of wealth. But Colton's main aim was to invite a wealthy family; the Britt's, to grace the event. He wanted to establish a business relationship with them and he thought that the best way to start would be an invitation to Amanda's party which he knew that they would honor. But Amanda felt uncomfortable with that. “I mean, why do I have to celebrate my pregnancy with Roman while you are the father? “The thought of people assuming that that ramp is the father of my baby sickens me!” “But, we do not have a choice. You know this is important to me because the Britt's have to let me into their business and they will not hear that I tore a home apart.” Amanda became calm. She was reasoning with him now and understood his stand better. “Fine! I will do it. But just know that this isn't what I want and you will make up for it,” she gave him a naughty look. Colton smiled at her and pulled her into his arms, stroking her hair gently. “You know how we do it babe. I owe you for this.” He kissed her softly and gently pushed her away when he heard the sound of Romans wheels approaching. “He is here. Let him know ,” Colton whispered to her and walked away briskly without bothering to tune around to take a look at Roman. They had never met and Colton was not ready for that meeting yet. Amanda cleared her throat and turned to Roman with a disdainful look in her eyes: “You need to be actively involved in serving my guests today and you must act as though you are the father of my child,” Amanda instructed Roman. Roman's lips parted with surprise as he listened to her. He wondered why he had to participate in such a humongous lie. “Why do I have to do that?” He asked, looking at her with a glint of defiance. Rage gradually gathered in Amanda's eyes as her face turned red. “Is that a question for me? Because I am struggling to understand why you would question my authority.” Roman swallowed hard and bent his head, unwilling to allow a fight to erupt between them. Roman nodded. They were alone in the kitchen and he wanted so badly to hold her and ask why she was hurting him that much. His heart was flooded with emotions. When he could not hold it down, he opened his lips and reeled it out. “Amanda, can I ask you something?” Amanda turned to face him, her face showing how disgusted she was by his presence. “Did I ever hurt you in any way?” “What sort of stupid question is that when you already know that you put a hold on my life!” she replied with a brazen stare at him. She was furious. “I just feel that you have trampled on me so much that I question my existence. You are hurting me so much and making my love for you seem like a joke.” His words carried pain and his voice was not steady. “Are you going to cry?” Amanda mocked him, bending over to look into his sad eyes. “I thought you loved being mistreated because if you did not, you would have left our lives a long time ago!” Her words were delivered with such contempt that Roman could not say another word. “I do not want to hear anymore of this trashy talk from you, ever again! Get ready for the party!” With that, she stormed out of the kitchen, leaving Roman broken and sad. Roman wheeled himself back to his room and shut his door. He sat on his wheelchair crying like a child, wondering how any human being would be filled with such hatred and disgust for another human being. It was even more depressing that she didn't feel remorse for putting him in the condition that she did. Roman was dumbfounded. The party started and as usual the guests waltzed into the Campbells' residence with pride and glamor. “Congratulations Amanda,” some of the guests smiled up at her and she adjusted her dress, smiling back proudly. She stood on the stage and Roman was seated in his wheelchair beside her. “My husband and I are pleased to have you here and we thank you so much for honoring our invitation.” Everyone cheered for them and Roman felt eerie. He could not wait to get off the stage. “This is absolute mockery to me,” he thought to himself. “Why did I even permit this?” But he had no choice. He had to do as he was told. Amanda moved him away from the center to a corner of the room, climbing the stairs to get there so that he won't be present in the event. “Our contract is over. You can go about whatever you want to do with your time and your damn life, while I party with my lover,” she taunted him. Roman ignored her and looked away from her, focusing on the happy faces that graced their event. His mind drifted to what his life used to be and he smiled broadly but that smile was swiftly cut short by a familiar voice that called back his misery. “I need a glass of wine, Roman.” It was Jemma and she sounded cold as steel. “You have had so much to drink, Jemma. I have been watching you for quite some time. I think that is too much.” Jemma's face formed into a frown. “Why should you bother if I have?” She roared at him, “it is my body and I do with it as I please!” Roman shook his head defiantly. “I will not serve you another glass of wine, Jemma. It isn't appropriate.” Jemma became extremely angered and pushed Roman hard on his shoulder to go forward. “Stop it!” He groaned loudly, “you are going to hurt me!” “Get lost scum!” She yelled at him, cursing him out and the wheels of the chair turned towards the staircase and before she could reach out, Roman was falling down the stairs with her wheel. He tumbled over and landed right at the center of the party leaving everyone shocked.The guests were murmuring about his clumsiness while the Campbells were furious, especially Amanda.She walked towards him with aggression and pulled him up from the ground.“Why are you embarrassing me in his form?” She snapped at him.“It was not me. Jemma pushed me down the stairs,” Roman replied sharply, holding himself still in the wheelchair.Jemma raced down the stairs, acting as though she was a victim.“That's a lie!” She sneered at him, “he is lying! He was forcing me out of the way and fell off instead.”Amanda turned to Roman whose lips were agape and slapped him across his face in front of the guests.“You scoundrel! How dare you? I have swallowed your shit for so long and I am done!”The guests murmured about the scene. Everyone was shocked at how badly Amanda treated Roman but no one dared to say a word.Daphne saw that the situation was about to escalate and she rushed to their side, pulling Roman's wheelchair away.“Get yourself to your room and stay locked in!”Roman
“Isn't that a joke?” Amanda's eyes were filled with excitement and yet she had contempt.“Roman wants a divorce? How? What gave him the mind to ask for that?”“I have no idea and I do not think I care, mom. What I want the most is to sign those papers and get on with my life.”“Hmm, this does not seem like Roman.”Daphne seemed concerned and worried.“What do you mean, mother?”“Amanda, you and I have known Roman for at least four years, do you think he would survive without this family?”Amanda became thoughtful. She had to think about it.“But mummy, I have wanted this divorce from the day I even agreed to this marriage. Maybe this is my opportunity.”“I agree, Amanda. However, you need to speak with him and hear it from his own lips.”Amanda grudgingly accepted and then, she pulled out her phone to send Roman a text.I want to see you.***Roman was seated at the dining table, having dinner with his father and a few of his relatives when that message popped on his phone.His face f
The Campbells received the invitation from the JB corporation; as they were planning to announce the new CEO of the company.Amanda was excited to be at the party and could not wait to show up there.The JBs were known to be the wealthiest family in California and the Campbells always wanted to be a part of that wealth.“Is Colton coming along too?” Daphne asked, as they stepped out in grand style to their expensive cars that were waiting for them outside.“Of course mother. He is a big name now, why not?”Daphne smiled proudly.“I will be so glad when everyone sees you two together. This is your first public appearance together.”Amanda smiled heartily as they got into the car.Once they got to the party, they were overtaken by the expensive air that emanated from the hall. The guests were all rich and most elite members of the society.“I wonder why we hardly invite these people to our events,” Amanda whispered.“We are big names but we aren't in their League, Amanda. Maybe, after y
The glowing lights that filled Campbell's residence shone through the incoming dusk with so much glory, causing the building to stand out.It was July the 8th; a day they specially dedicated to celebrate their family history and origin and this had become a historical event for the Campbells that they did annually.It is often characterized by beautiful decorations, lighting and tasty meals. It was almost as large as a ball only that they hosted it right in their home. Countless guests would troop in to take in the affluence the family willingly exposed and they would interact with the upper class individuals, flexing their wealth in every way they knew how to.Today was just like every other day and the dinner party had come to an end and the Campbells had just bid the last set of guests goodnight, before shutting the world out.The matriarch of the family, Daphne walked across the living area where the party had happened and cast a loathsome gaze at Roman who was busy wiping the gla
Roman woke up with a banging in his head and a stiffness around his legs. He could feel a sharp pain in his spine and groaned loudly, wondering what sort of pain that was.“Where am I?” He said but his voice was a mere whisper because he could barely speak out loudly.The banging was severe and the pain increased. Roman tried to adjust himself and ended up worsening it. This time, his screams rang through the halls of the hospital and the nurses came rushing in to his aid. “It's okay, sir. Just calm down, you're going to be alright.”The nurses tried to help him lie correctly but he could not stop staring at them with confusion.“Where am I?” He asked, his anxiety ripping off his heart, “what happened to me? Why do I feel so much pain and I cannot feel my legs.”He panicked and his body was soaked in perspiration.The nurses exchanged glances before telling him his fate.“You were in an accident, run over by some lady. She dumped you here and disappeared. We have not seen her for a w
“Speak now!” Chris yelled at her raising her head with his finger, “did you inform your mother or anyone about this?” Amanda shook her head and tears gathered in her eyes. She hated to see her father reacting that way. “I was scared, Dad. But I took him to the hospital immediately…” “And dumped him there only to disappear? Is that in my character?” Amanda shook her head. “I am so sorry Dad. I really am. I was worried that something bad could have happened to him and it would be linked to me.” She was sobbing now and shaking vigorously. “Look how foolish you are. Well, for your information, someone caught it all on camera and your face is all over the clip. Amanda, do you know how much your foolishness has cost me today?” Amanda's eyes widened with shock. She thought the streets were lonely that day but she had no idea that she was caught on camera. “How were you driving when you did not see a human being walking across from you?” Chris asked, groaning so loudly. “I was hear
Chris's gaze went from his daughter to the doctors. He could not speak and he had no words for her at that moment. It seemed like they were villains.He thanked the doctors and promised to be there for Roman, regardless but he was too weak to say more.“Whatever you need for his health, experts, doctors, physiotherapy, I will be willing to pay for it.”The doctors nodded and promised to reach out to him if the need arose.Chris dragged his daughter and they left the hospital. Amanda could not say anything to him and he was silent till they got home.Days went by without him saying a word to her still and it was beginning to get her worried. So, she spoke with her mother, Daphne who promised to talk to her father but the conversation did not go as planned.“Chris, I feel you are being too hard on her. She feels sorry already and I think at this point, we all have to move on.”She was calm but stern.Chris lifted his head to her and shook it in disgust.“I think you are the reason we ha
Sirens wailed tirelessly outside the Campbells' residence. The ambulance and the police, doing all they could to save the patriarch, Chris Campbell.The family was torn apart by the untimely death of their father who reportedly slept and never woke up.It was like a mystery and medical reports showed that he died of a heart attack.Daphne was sad that her husband was dead but a part of her seemed relieved by the fact that Roman would not get a penny from his wealth as she had feared.From them, Roman began to experience the viciousness embedded in the Campbells.“Now, father is dead. I bet you, you will regret ever accepting this marriage proposal,” Amanda threatened him over breakfast one morning.“As a matter of fact, you should start getting ready for a divorce because my sister will not keep up with your ill luck. She has given her beautiful youthful years to you,” Jemma added , gloating over his misfortune.Daphne smiled at her daughter's cruel words. She appeared satisfied with