The arena was rigid with tension as the strongest guard uncurled one of the long whips. Alex could already feel the hairs on his back rise with the expectation of pain. “Rufus,” Mrs. Maria called. “You will give him forty strokes and no less. If he dies before the fortieth stroke, we’ll bury him at the mansion’s dumping ground.”Gasps of horror swept through the crowd. They all knew their boss never made empty threats. This was as real as it got. Amanda turned to her colleagues.“Did you hear that?” She said tearfully. “David is about to be beaten to death. We all know he’s not at fault. We need to do something!” She whisper-yelled.They all heard her but pretended like they hadn’t. This was bad. Very bad. Mrs. Maria stepped out of the arena for a water break and deciding to take matters into her own hands, Amanda got to her feet and confronted her co-workers, her shoulders squared with determination.“This is the last time I’m going to say this. I will not let David suffer horrend
“…so you’re telling me that David did not push the cake?” Mrs. Maria asked, her face twisted in a confused expression.Emilia nodded.“No, ma’am. He didn’t.” “Why did he take the blame, then? Why did he lie to me?”“He just wanted to cover for us.” Emilia said quickly. “He knew you’d punish all of us if you found out that the cake fell because of our commotion. His act was purely heroic. I’m sure he didn’t mean to lie to you.”Behind them, Miguel’s lips curved in a wicked smile. His army was greater than theirs. This was a war they were never going to win.”Mrs. Maria turned to Caleb.“Is that true? Did David really take the blame when he wasn’t at fault?”Caleb nodded. “It’s One hundred percent true, ma’am. We’re the ones at fault. We’re ready to take whatever punishment you decide to give us.”Mrs. Maria was still confused. Something was very fishy about the entire story.“Do you all understand that you haven’t even answered my question? All you’ve done since you interrupted my are
The crowd buzzed with anticipation as everyone waited impatiently to see the cleaners’ next move. Amanda looked at Mrs. Maria who shrugged.“I accept his idea. What are you all waiting for?”Without wasting time, Caleb stepped aside and said boldly;“I know and believe that David did not push that cake. Those who believe the same should come over to my side.”The cleaners who’d already declared their support for Alex all stood behind Caleb. But there was a problem. Those who were not in support of David outnumbered his supporters. Miguel stood aside, smiling wickedly.“I said it, didn’t I? The number of people on my side is greater than those on your side because the majority of us know that you all are lying. David is guilty.”Caleb gave him a confident smile.“Uh… you may want to retract that statement.”Miguel’s smile disappeared instantly.“What do you mean by that?”“You can turn around and see for yourself.”Miguel turned quickly and his eyes widened in disbelief when he saw s
“Ethan,” Mrs. Maria sounded outright exasperated at that point. “Why are you doing this?Without responding, Ethan calmly inspected Alex’s chains. When he was done, he turned to the guard beside him and gave him a hard stare.“Where’s the key?”The guard blinked in surprise.“But, sir…”Ethan turned to his mother.“Seems like you have very disobedient staff on your payroll, mother. If you cannot control the people whom you pay to work for you, why then would you expect that I can be controlled?”He turned to the guard once again.“I’m asking for the last time. The key. Give it to me.”The guard bowed. “Of course, sir. Right away.”He fumbled in his pants pocket and produced a rusty key holder which held two keys. Ethan pulled it from his grasp and hurriedly attacked the chains on Alex’s wrists and ankles.Miguel was pretty sure he was experiencing a heart attack in slow motion.“Ma’am.” He called Mrs. Maria, sounding absolutely horrified. “Are you really going to stand back and watch
Camila hated the sight of blood. Just like she hated David Wyatt before today. Or not.She didn’t know why, but when that whip had landed on his back, something inside her had shifted. Something feral. An emotion she’d been trying so bloody hard to hide curled through her veins, fueling her with the need to run into the arena, snatch the whip from the guard’s fingers and burn it to pieces.Unable to control her emotions, after he was whipped the first time, she ran back to her room, not willing to sit there and watch him take the other thirty-nine strokes.It was whilst she was just sitting there and staring at the wall that she realised why she’d felt that way, why her chest felt like it would burst when she saw David chained to that wooden beam.No matter how hard Camila tried to convince herself that she hated David’s guts, she didn’t.But deep down, she knew she did not look to see him hurt. She hated that hazy look of pain in his eyes. She hated seeing him suffer.Camila knew sh
Miguel seemed to have passed out but the problem was, Philip seemed not to care. Before anyone could stop him, stormed to where Miguel lay in a pile of rubble and pulled him upwards with brutal force. Alex was shocked when the former opened his eyes and stretched his lips in a wicked smile.“What you’re doing right now, Philip, is putting yourself into even deeper trouble.” Miguel sneered, the smile on his face disappearing in a flash. “If you lay those filthy hands on me one more time, I promise I’ll make sure you leave this house today.I’m the closest to Mrs. Maria amongst all of you. Trust me, when I say something, I will never stop until I get it accomplished.”Philip’s shoulders trembled with rage at Miguel’s heartless threats.After what seemed like an eternity, he released him and stepped back.“I thought we were friends, Miguel.” He said, his voice filled with anger and hurt. “I supported you despite knowing that most of your plans were wrong.I stood with you when everyone
Alex carefully twisted the handle of his door and peeked his head inside. His eyes narrowed with suspicion when he realised that there were no signs of life in there. Nothing at all suggested that someone had gained entrance into the room. Everything was in their rightful positions.But somehow, he was one hundred percent certain that someone had come into the room… because the white powder he’d sprinkled on the door knob had mysteriously disappeared and that only meant one thing — someone had touched it.He took a deep breath and walked inside, all his nerves going on high alert. The moment he stepped inside, he picked up the object that was closest to him to use as a weapon — a pen knife he’d somehow forgotten to put away.After searching the balconies and not finding anyone or anything strang, Alex decided to come back inside and search some more.He was just about to place a call to one of the guards when he heard a slight sound coming from the bathroom.Alex froze, his heart al
Tariq stumbled backwards and landed on the cold marble floors with a loud grunt of agony.Alex swung into action immediately, holding out his hands and helping the older man to his feet. Tariq’s face was twisted in a mask of pain as he rubbed his reddened neck. “What the hell is wrong with you, boy? Damn, you almost strangled me to death.”Alex knew they were in a dire situation but Tariq’s expression was so comical that he couldn’t help the smile that curved his lips.“Why in the bloody hell are you laughing?” Tariq asked, sounding completely exasperated.That was the last straw. Alex burst into full blown laughter, clutching his sides and trying hard as possible to draw air into his deprived lungs.Tariq rolled his eyes and walked away, still stroking his bruised neck.“Good Lord, this boy damn near killed me. What did I ever do to deserve such torture?”Alex followed him out to the balcony, still trying to hold back his laughter.“I’m so sorry, uncle Tariq.” He said when he final