CHAPTER 90

THE VOICES OF THE PEOPLE AROUND ME WERE BECOMING LOUDER BY THE MINUTE. I I slipped out of consciousness and into the awakening blinding lights. I felt like I was floating. Around me, all I could see was light, wrinkling into darkness trapping me in its grasp.

It was almost suffocating me, making me grasp for oxygen. I coughed for breath and suddenly, my body pulled through the heavy blankets heaped on me. I felt a suffocating warmth get off of me as though freed from an entity.

When I finally opened my eyes, I was hit with blurry vision caused by the light. Remembering the last traces of my memory, I woke up abruptly not knowing were I was. Looking around, I sighed in relief releasing I was in a familiar room. I looked at myself and I was clothed in good beautiful pyjamas. I think they were mind but I couldn't remember ever buying such. Grey and red weren't a perfect combination as seen through my eyes.

Memories of yesterday came racing back to me. Fear. Terror. Torture. Struggling. Almost sexual assault. And the a knight coming out of nowhere to rescue me. Where was he? I had to find him and thank him. Was he the one who brought me here? But this wasn't his house nor was it mine then it had to be Lauren's. Yes, it was Lauren's.

But how did I get in Lauren's house from that hotel? Where was Jeannine and Lane? They had a very good explanation to do. Trying to remember it all my already bad headache was getting worst by the second as though I was being hit with a sledgehammer. I covered my body in my arms after a cold breeze swept through from the open window.

I didn't understand how I got here in the first place but I was sure I hadn't done anything terrible.

I turned my gaze to the nearby window and saw a butterfly fly in.

When the soft creature landed on my face,I felt a touch of glory and amusement. A whole new realm opened up and instead of pain, I felt peace. The coldness that I felt dispersed and now I felt warmer. Everything was burning and I had no way of escaping the burning sensation that was surrounding me. The flames flickered closer.

They where genuine flames and they burned in iridescent patterns. Intrigued by the colours, I reached my hand out to touch the flames. They seemed to follow my movement and flickered closer to my hand. The sight was so rare; so different such that it seemed to put me under a trance. Eventually, my hand was engulfed in the flames but the weird thing is that they didn't burn.

I reached in further up to my elbow was in. Then, my waist started to burn. It was a horrible sensation that raced through my body as the iridescent flames ate me up. It was as scaring as the sight of a syringe but through it all, I was completely numb that I couldn't feel any sort of pain. I tried to pull back but was unable to. It's as if there was a spirit in the flames that kept pulling me to it.

Soon, the flames engulfed my whole body and I heard whispers coming from it.

"Elly....." said the voice.

My face brightened after I had heard the voice of the one I loved. I extended my hands and reached out to embrace him back.

"Adam....." the weakness in me immediately left and I felt so much stronger. I hugged him tight not wanting to let go.

I was frightened. I felt scared and nervous despite finding the fact that he was here and my heart wasn't shattered anymore.

"Elly....." he mentioned my name again and I broke the hug. I was embarrassed to look at his face because I felt terrible.

"Adam am so sorry...I just---"

"Shhhhh" he pressed his finger on my lips. "Say no more...."

His eyes narrowed and surprisingly, kissed me. His hands pulled me off the bed and had me sit in his lap. What the heck was Adam doing?

Seeing that he wouldn't stop, I kissed him back perfunctorily being sure to reserve some space between us.

I wasn't ready for all this.

Adam, however, stood his ground and kept at it. He grabbed me around my waist and pulled me against, holding me into place.

"Sweetie, go slow...breathe....." I chuckled and ran my hand on my face settling on his cheeks. He blushed and I smiled wondering if he could ever be more brazen. Even in his desperate times, he was as calm as the eye of a storm.

Seeing that his emotions were in control, I kissed him slowly and steadily, growing and increasing by the second. I let my hands go around his neck and he supported me with love.

The room was suddenly ignited by the ardour we were letting out making me believe once again, he was the man for me.

How could some psycho assassin expect me to just leave him? Was he serious? Threatening me to death and believing I'd really take him at his word and flee like a gazelle.

Oh he was wrong.

If it was death, it would find me with Adam. No one else...

I thought of him and escalated the smooch. It got beautiful and admirable from us who were in it to whoever was looking at us.

Adam tasted like beautiful love and I wasn't willing to let him go anytime soon.

"Can you please wrap up...." More of a command than a request was the tone. I let go of Adam and breathed after I realised who was talking.

Natalia Ramos!

"Come with me please...." she held my hand without even waiting for me to reply. I snatched my hand away from her and she backed away from me.

"Easy tigress...you'll surely have dinner but it won't be me...." she laughed nervously and I walked past her brushing her shoulder.

I walked out of the room and down the stairs. I really was in Lauren's house.

"Eleanor...you're up...." she ran to me and quickly brushed my face, placing a huge jumper on me. She shoved me to the couch and stuck my feet into two sky scraper stilettos.

"What's going on?"

"The press....they're outside...they want to know your views regarding the movie after the scandal with Director Lane...." She explained and quickly applied lip gloss to my lips.

I wasn't even given time to recover and here they were dragging my face in front of the camera.

"She should be in a hospital not in front of the cameras...." Aaron objected but one sharp look from Natalia was able to silence him before I could even side with him.

Lauren dragged me outside and I stood on the podium. There was already an ocean of people and I questioned their actions. The veranda was extremely crowded along with the courtyard making them look like a swam of homeless bees.

It was evident they had been standing their for a very long time and everyone was looking to capture first hand information.

Camera shutters were clicking and flashlights blinked everywhere. Each one was asking me a question and I thought just how I would be able to reply to all these.

I closed my eyes and thought of just one fitting reply to all of their questions.

"I will not be proceeding with the filming of the movie Rustom henceforth. Am stepping down as the co-staring lead actress and they will have to find someone to replace me....."