Chapter 5

Meghan's POV

It's been two days and the conference meetings were still ongoing. The good news? It always started after my shift. I was cleaning the conference room again on the third day when I noticed two men coming into the room. One of them approached me to say, "It was supposed to be clear by now."

"No…I still have got time…"

"No, we have an emergency meeting here. How dumb you are to talk back to me?" Passing me a look of disgust he got on his call and ordered, "Where are you, Bernard?" Bernard was our hotel manager.

Not giving him much thought I resumed my work and that man in the suit too didn't talk to me. Of course, he was going to yell at Bernard. I wasn't someone he will waste his energy on. I, on the other hand, knew I was working according to the rooster I was assigned.

That person left and I too finishing my work. I was getting out of the hall when I found Mr Bernard. He hissed in a low whisper. "What you did?"

"I did absolutely nothing." I tried to clear myself.

"That person is Mr Francesco's assistant. You can't dare to spoil his mood." He seemed pissed and I wonder why.

"But…" I try to clear but he cut me off.

"No buts…you hear me." Holding my mop hard I passed him but got static looking at the person coming from ahead. This time he too stopped. His eyes met mine and I inhaled sharp wondering what now. A little smile spread over his mouth as he too stopped to look at me.

His eyes scanned me from my head to toe as I stood there not moving either. "Ms Marshall…move." Bernard hissed near my ear and I blinked.

I moved all the time looking at him while he too turned to his back with a smile. I wonder for the whole time what now? From his smile, I could tell that he recognized me. Coming home I stared at my emails wondering if I got a reply from any of the firms I applied to these days.

The next day, the moment I dropped Becky at her Daycare I got a call from Bernard. I went to see him and he seemed quite frustrated. "What are you trying to pull?" He asked making me look at him weirdly.

I wonder if they were firing me now. "What is it about?" I asked and he gave me a sarcastic laugh.

"Nothing…you are promoted." He said handing me the keys.

"What does it mean?" I looked at my back as he started leaving his cabin taking long strides.

"This is where you will be working now." He shouted as he left and I went to take my supplies. Anita gave me weird looks too. I got the supplies ready and heard someone say. "Such a slut," I looked at my back and found two women passing me. Their stares had disgust. I looked around wondering who they were talking about but then thinking they must be discussing something else I shrugged off the thought.

I took the elevator and pushed the supplies until I reached the said suite. I turned the keys around and pushed the door enough to get my trolley in. It was quite dark in here and I walked to my left to find the lights. I switched on all the lights before feeling a presence behind me.

I gasped jumping up and looked at him. My body took my back until I felt the wall behind. "This is not what I was expecting you in,..." His speech slurred and I inhaled feeling his fingers on my arm that was bare in the uniform. I got my shoulder up and felt like throwing up feeling his breaths so close. I wanted to push him, yell and get away but I was way too shocked.

"...But it suits you. It is better that you lighted the place. I would love to stare at you...striping." I tried to breathe and started panicking. My eyes stung and my legs felt weak. My whole body had goosebumps. My whole body trembled as I looked at him shocked.

"Why are you acting so weird? Come on, I want this pretty mouth…" My eyes were full of tears as I try my hardest to breathe and sobbed when he let his body plastered me to the wall.

"I am your daughter!" I cried my hardest pushing him away with all I got. He looked at me shocked. He didn't remember me and I sobbed pressing my hand against my mouth before running out of the suite. I ran and took the emergency stairs to only get me exhausted to my full.

I sat there crying my eyes out. I felt disgusted with the fact he is my father. I still remember my mother taking me to him and he threw us out. My mother had cancer. All she wanted was to secure me and this cruel man had nothing for us. I was eleven at that moment and each of his insults were tattooed on my heart.

My legs wobbled as I tried to make the way to change into my dress. "I am sure he couldn't satisfy her. It's written on her face." Bella the woman who was the employee of the month sneered at my back while ignoring her I took my things emptying the locker. I left keys at Bernard's table along with my resignation letter. Picking Becky I got stares from the attendants too. I knew now what Bernard meant…what those girls meant near the lockers. Only if they knew...only if they...

I got back home and put Becky in her cradle. She was tired and sleepy. I got under the shower and cried there for hours until I couldn't. I was so tired I wanted to sleep forever. I wonder when I will die? When all of this will be over. I was so tired.

Coming out I got myself under the covers and looked at my baby's crib. She didn't deserve it. I had to…I had to live no matter what. And, this is when I recalled the time when Josh wanted Becky to happen. The times when we were married recently and he worried over why I wasn't getting pregnant already. I remember him being happy when I told him about my pregnancy. And, for a moment I smiled. I smiled and closed my eyes living that moment again. The way he smiled or jumped listening to the news about my pregnancy. I was once whole...and, just for a moment, I wanted to pause my life there...forever.

But then I remembered the day when someone recognized me at the party. He was angry, mad and complained about why he had to be born at Ruby's or how his past will never leave him as he is married to me now. I tried to understand him all the time and now I wonder what I did wrong. I wonder what's changed. I wonder…who made him believe that he has to throw his wife, child and mother out of his life. I took two long breaths and tried to recall his happy face, our good day...I wanted those to relax. Those days...memories were like a drug. But I couldn't. All I could recall was his anger and I sobbed burying my head into my pillow.

Why...why why why why please for once...only for once I wanted to recall how we were happy. How I almost had everything.

But then the moment from today passed my mind. I used to be sorry thinking Becky will not have a father's love in her life. But if fathers are like this…she was better without one. I threw the pillow to the other side of the room and muffled my sobs with my fisted hands.

I only woke up with Becky crying. I looked at the time and it was past her breakfast. I got out and change her diapers before taking her out to the kitchen counter. How much I wished for Ruby to be here. I could tell even Becky misses her. There was nothing I could make her and I knew I had to run a grocery run.

"Hey…baby," I kissed her before breastfeeding her and didn't feel any energy to go for grocery. It was only at four in the evening when I got her ready to take her out for groceries. I was about to leave when I got a call from an unknown number.

"Hello," I picked up,

"Meghan…that's your name, right?" I narrowed my eyes and blinked recognizing this voice.

"What do you want?" I wonder why he would call.

"We got a lot to catch up on. I suggest you see me at eight in the same suite." I huffed recalling about yesterday before snapping.

"I won't,"

"You have to if you don't want me to call you…ever again." There was everything suspicious the way he sounds. Even if he wants to talk to me that too, god knows what, to discuss why he had to invite me to the same suite.

I wonder to whom I should leave Becky and tried Tisha's number to see if she was available. She agreed to help. At seven she was at my apartment. She did ask me where I was leaving but I wonder what to tell her. "I have a meeting with someone. I will be back soon."

She passed me a suspicious look and I huffed. "No…it's really not what you think…it's quite…opposite."

I had a t-shirt under my coat and had my blue jeans on. I didn't want any other employee at the hotel to have wrong ideas again. I took the elevator to the suite and wonder what he was to say. Was he going to be sorry for yesterday? But on phone, he doesn't sound sorry. I contemplated returning right from the door but then collecting every bit of energy I walked in.

My heart got at ease noticing two other men in the suite. I have never seen them here and they were definitely not staff. But then I found a waiter serving food on the table where he was seated. And, I could recognize that waiter. I let my breath go. I had greeted him once. My anxiety was going away as I made my presence known to Mr Francesco.

"What you wanted to talk about?" I asked and he looked at me and smiled showing me his two gold teeth in front.

"I wanted to ask if your mother is still alive…but why don't you take the seat first." I got my bag on the floor after taking the seat in front of him.

"You…don't really know her. Do you?" I asked and he smiled. "Of course,...I don't."

"She had cancer. You…practically threw us out calling us a scam." I looked down recalling that time.

"No, I knew even at that time that you were my daughter. And, I did send someone to finish the job even at that time if I am not wrong." I wonder what he actually meant. Did he mean he sent help?

"But I guess we can do it today." I looked to my left to find one of those men in the suit coming to me. "What's…what's happening?"

"No…you are not supposed to be this stupid. Listen, you…are not meant to be here. They…are professionals. You won't even feel it and they will be done with the job."

"No…no…" My lip trembled as one of the men came to stand behind me.

"Why?...please,…let me go. What I ever did wrong to you? You shouldn't kill me." I asked but only find him leaving his chair. I held my left arm with all this panic making me dysfunctional.

"Please,…I have a daughter. She got no one besides me." I don't know how I managed. My voice was hoarse. And, this did make him stop to only look at the man standing behind me. "Take care of that too." My eyes widened as I got my eyes to look at my back.

"You can't really kill my daughter in front of me? Let me go...at least." I looked at him and tried to get up for only the man standing behind me to hit my head to the table.

I looked at the waiter for help but he looked away as I don't even exist before following my father.

I looked at the fork and didn't think twice before hitting the hand over my head. Getting my right foot over the table I turn to the second man and got my legs secured around his neck when he came to attack before pulling his hair with all I got.

"Leave me!" I shouted pulling his hair even more. I was so scared. I groaned when he threw me over the dining table.

"Kill this bitch." I got the knife in my hand this time and stabbed it in his shoulder. He cried and leaving him I looked at the man I wounded first. I walked to the door slowly showing him the knife.

"Please...I am sorry...let me go...I can't fight you two...please...I have a daughter." And, when he didn't stop I tried to charge, for someone to only kick my back. I fell on the floor and looked up to notice a man with grey eyes. He was huge as hulk.

"Come on, Terry...you don't kill a woman like her. You...stomp over her."

I groaned when someone kicked me into my guts. "No..." I coughed out blood and couldn't focus when that guy named Terry kept kicking me in my back or head. I tried to look at the man who had fisted my hair to look at me.

"I was paid to make it painless for you. But you started all of it by attacking us." I couldn't say a thing. If there was anything in the sight it was my end. My whole body was broken, at this point, dying didn't sound bad.

I looked at the gun at my head and heard that hulk saying. "I want this woman."

"No, no, no, no, boss...we are paid to kill her. And, she can attack."

"Why else do you think I want her? I would love a wild cat." I don't know what they talked about further. I was in a sac under a trolley. I didn't know if they had killed me already or decided to not kill me. I was so sleepy. I wanted to sleep.

I looked at Anita at some point. And, she did stop the men to ask something. The way they loaded me in the van and not in the backside I collected they were keeping me alive.

"Where are we?" The hulk asked,

"We are to kill her daughter..." Terry replied,

"Well, how old is she?" Hulk asked making me move my hand. I had to walk. Somehow I had to.

I removed the cover from my head to stare at hulk's eyes. "You want this beer bear girl." He asked and I tried to speak. My stomach hurt and I used my wrist to get myself ahead to only groan at the pain shooting from my core.

"Yea,...Terry...you go after her baby. And, if she can stop you...she can." Terry left and I felt that hulk picking me up from my arm. I groaned with the pain as he got me out. "Come on...walk bitch...have you never been beaten?"

I sobbed realizing Terry was nowhere to be seen. "Well, that's going to be changed because I am going to beat you to...death every day." He pushed me ahead and I was ready to be dust but inhaled on a man's cologne.

"Get your hands off her. She is mine," That hulk slurred while I look up. I wanted to ask that man to save my daughter but only sobbed. I hated how my mouth won't move and only groaned in frustration pulling that man's shirt helplessly as hot tears fell over my cheeks.

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