Chapter 2

Of course, Tiffany left out the gun part. 'What a great hero. He saved you. So cool.' Nathalie drinks her glass empty. Now she is rolling on the floor. Her face all flushed. She is way too drunk. 'We should stop boozing. If you go on like this, you'll end up in an alcohol-coma.' Warns Tiffany, but Nathalie does not listen. She wants to hear the rest of the story.

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Thanks to the popular Youtuber, the entire school had discovered what happened that night time. Including the neighbourhood. No matter how many times Tiffany tried to explain. No one believed her words were valid. So, she ended up being the wife of that mysterious man. The fans of that lousy Youtuber ultimately found out where the mysterious man lives.

Tiffany got kicked out of her apartment. The house owner rented her apartment to someone else who was willing to pay double the amount of rent she pays. Anyhow the whole messed-up situation escalated further. The fans kept bothering the mysterious man, notifying him that his wife is kicked out and was standing on the street with nowhere to go. After some time. To her astonishment. That man was standing in front of her. He walked over to where she was standing. 'Come with me.' Only came out of his mouth. Tiffany looked in disbelieve. She is going to follow a guy who just threatened her a few days ago. That won't happen. The man took her wrist and began to drag her to his vehicle. She attempted to pull her hand free but failed. He unlocked the door and forced her in the car, walked around the car, and got in the driver seat. 'It's safer to keep an eye on you for now than letting you go that comfortable.'

She can't believe it, such an arrogant man. 'I won't tell anyone about what happened that day, so let me out. Jerk.' Tiffany instantly regretted calling him a jerk. He eyed her with an angry glance. Slowly clenched his eyes and palpated his temples with all his fingers to calm himself down.

He brings Tiffany to his luxury residence. The living room is so spacious. It only has a big tv with a small sofa. Not even a table. Nothing more. He pointed to a door. 'You'll stay there for now.'

Tiffany walked to the door and opened it. A small room with no furniture. No bed. What is she supposed to do? Lay on the bare and cold floor? 'There is no bed in this room.' She said. The man looked her way. 'It's up to you whether you like to sleep in the same bed with me or to fix your bed yourself. I gave you a place to stay. What else do you want more?' He lashed at her. Tiffany did not talk back. She walked into the empty room and closed the door behind her. Sat on the cold floor and called the house owner. 'Can you send my stuff to the address that I send you just now? No charges. You could at least do that to me after kicking me out without waring me, can you?' She ended the call.

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That's about it, the start of a messy nightmare. 'Nat, I'm going now. You go to bed.' Tiffany gets up from her seat and heads towards the door. Nathalie protests for Tiffany to stay for the night.

It is a great evening. There are still people walking down the streets savouring the delightful weather. So did Tiffany. She gradually cycles along the energetic road. Nothing out of the ordinary it seemed. Until she sees a young girl being pulled away by a man while cursing her and delivering her several kicks, there was no one who came to help her. They did not even dare to look at the girl that keeps screaming for help. Her pleadings remained unanswered. Tiffany jumps off of her bike, places it against a street pole. She blocks the abusive man from his path. 'Isn't it embarrassing the way you act like that? You can't just drag someone like that throughout the middle of the street?'

The man swings his arm and becomes defensive. Tiffany needs to act fast, or else the man will be tougher to manage. She looks at him for the last time. He is not armed. Some of the bystanders are filming it with their phone, and some are livestreaming it. 'Who are you to question me, you tramp. Get out of my way, before I kill you.' The man grabs his pocket as a warning. That makes Tiffany mad, and if she goes down today as well. How humiliating would that be?

'Let her go. Look, she is in pain.'

'Get out. It's a family business. An outsider like you has no right to interfere in our family affair.' He raises his voice, and more people come to watch them. 'Even if it is a family affair. Sir, you can't just act like this on the street. You are using violence.' Tiffany comes closer. The reach is just an arm's length. The man notices it and swings his arm again. Tiffany manages to hold his arm, twists it against his back. The man groans in pain. He let go of the girl. The girl remains seated on the ground, cries as loud as she can. Tiffany finds it rather disturbing and not helpful at all. 'Are you okay?' She asks the girl. The girl nods her head. 'Can you get up and call the police for me?' That'll make her stop crying now. So, the girl does as Tiffany says. The man tries to break free. He begins to act aggressively. Tiffany is having a hard time trying to hold on to the man. He is about to hit her with his other hand that is still free. He is holding a small rock in his hand. Tiffany didn't notice it. And just right on time, his arm appears behind her to block the hit. She looks up and sees him holding the man down with his sturdy grip.

A voice raises out from the crowd. 'Oh, look. It's the same couple who defeated the killer from the BBQ restaurant. Am I right?' Everyone starts to murmur among themselves.

'You are asking to get killed, brain dead woman.' Whispers Mark in her ear. Tiffany shrinks her body. Mark is leaning against her so he can hold the man in his place. She shifts her body and moves away from him. Mark notices it. 'So, you'd rather stick to that violent man?' And she leans back to him. Mark scoffs, which makes Tiffany angry. Not long after that, the police arrive and takes the man away. It is her uncle with a thick criminal record. The police had thanked the duo before they left. Even they recognized the two from the previous murder case.

Mark brings Tiffany home in his car. Well, he has to. Because the crowd recognized them, Mark could not leave her there. The moment he enters his house, he starts undressing as he walks towards the bathroom. Leaving traces of clothes behind him. 'Wash them.' He says as the cherry on top of HIS cake. Tiffany is furious. She lets out a silent scream, stomps her foot on the floor, and did a high kick into the air out of anger. Why can't Tiffany talk back to him? She does admit that he is quite intimidating the moment he looks at her but still. Tiffany has to defend herself from his verbal abuse. One by one, she curses under the breath and begins to collect his clothes from the floor. Throw his clothes in the washing machine, hits the start button, kicks the innocent washing machine before she leaves.

She plops down on the couch. Her eyes slowly shut down. Her head bobs up and down. Tiffany decides to lay down, waiting for Mark to finish taking his shower because she is also in need of taking one. She has been sweating throughout the whole day. Mark comes out under the shower exactly over 15 minutes later. He wraps his body with his bathrobe and walks out of the bathroom. He sees Tiffany lying on the couch with her eyes closed. Her legs wide open, one leg over the back of the seat, the other leg, hanging outside. Arms positioned over her head. Just like an old guy. He comes closer and leans in on her face. 'Such an ugly and a stupid woman.' But Tiffany, out of reflex, grabs him by his collar and tosses him over. She is hovering over his exposed upper body. Tiffany rests her head against his bare chest. She is sleepy from her interrupted sleep. 'Stop it, you damn pervert. What are you trying to do to me?' She slurs her words and takes a big bite on his shoulder. Mark groans and manages to grab her jaw with one hand. He frees himself and grabs Tiffany by her hair, jerks her away from him. She is now aware of what has happened. Her eyes are growing bigger while facing Mark, who is rubbing the spot she bit. He let go of her hair before he pushes her away from himself. He remains seated while eyeing her. Tiffany sits on her knees, looking at the floor out of embarrassment. 'I was always impressed by how stupid people lived a life so carefree.' Mark pokes her on the arm. 'Using your brain is not an option for you. Right? It's like I'm raising a dog. And now I'm supposed to train you too? Should we start with potty training?'

That's it. Tiffany can't take it anymore. She grabs him by the collar again, and this time she bites his neck as hard as she can. Mark is perplexed at her action. She makes sure that he would bleed this time. The taste of iron means victory for her. It is Mark's turn now as he holds her by the throat and squeezes it. Tiffany has no choice but to let him go. Don't cry, don't cry in front of him. She keeps repeating that inside her head. Over and over again. But it's too late. Her tears stream down her cheek, making Mark's fingers wet. But the worst thing is, he did not let her go, nor did his grip soften. He remains in that position. Tiffany has difficulties breathing, so she taps on his arm multiple times. He looks at his arm and releases her from his grip. Tiffany is seeking for oxygen. She holds her throat and starts to hyperventilate. With the little strength she has left, she gets up and locks herself in the bathroom. That's the end. The first thing she will do in the morning is looking for a new place. It was stupid of her to let him move her into his house. She turns open the warm water and jumps under the shower, still rubbing her throat.

Mark walks over to the kitchen to get himself something to make the bleeding stop. Did he go too far as choking her for too long? Mark knows the difference in strength, and she bites him like that to defend herself. He has to admit that she is a tough woman. No one else had treated him like this before. The women around him would either flirt with him or be scared, to even come close to him. So, he is waiting for her to get out of the bathroom as his interest in her peaks up.

An hour passed by, but Tiffany did not come out of the bathroom. The water stopped running 40 minutes ago. There is also no sound of any movements. He walks over to the door and stands one step away from it. At the perfect time, Tiffany unlocks the door and comes eye in eye contact with Mark. She has red eyes. Also, the place he had grabbed her was becoming pinkish red. She did not show any signs of fear. Instead, she looks angry. 'Worried that I'd leave without paying for lodging? I'll pay for it tomorrow.' She leaves him standing behind.

Interesting. Mark's lips curl up into a heinous grin.