Pain

The moment she yelled; the door of the meeting room opened.

'Ah!! Bad timing!' Lili pressed her lips and rushed to the nearby female staff. "Let me also pretend with you," she blabbered and corrected the reversed book that the staff was gazing at.

Both pretended to be immersed in the book, whose name they didn't know. While they were acting, all the participants in the meeting walked to the lift along with Beau. She waited for Niklaus because of whom she hid, but he was nowhere visible.

As the people with ironed suits disappeared, Lili tip toed to Nik's room.

"Wait!" she heard Beau's voice. Terror overtook her face with just that one word. She turned back to see Beau's flaring eyes. "Didn't Mr. Cooper ask you to stay in his room? Why were you roaming outside?" his voice roared.

Lili's heart raced with fear, and her heart was literally crying with embarrassment. Everyone in the office was looking at her. She could hear girls giggling and mocking. "Maybe she thought she was the owner, just because Mr. Cooper pitied and married her." A female worker commented and laughed. Along with her, followed the others.

This was not what she expected when she stepped out. She wanted everyone to have a look at her and continue with their work. Of course, she was uneasy because of people's gazes, but she was also concerned about them. She didn't want them to get scolded and delay their work.

But at that moment, what she was most interested in was Beau. 'Does he have to shout at me in front of these many people? Why does he always insult me? Who is he?' Lili always noticed how Beau respects Niklaus before others and how free he acts when alone. 'Do they really have something between them?'

"Come!" Beau caught her hand and dashed to Niklaus' room. "Sit there!" he pointed at the corner of the sofa. His other hand was still holding her wrist.

"Ah!!!" Lili cried as Beau tightened his grip while glaring at her. "Beau, it's paining!" she sobbed, while trying to get rid of his hold. How could her strength be a match for a muscular man?

She tried lifting each of his fingers, scratched with her nails, stumped his feet, and even bit his hand. But even after that, his grip didn't get loosened. "Please!" Lili finally begged with pain. Tears crawled over her cheeks as she felt her palm becoming numb. She could feel a sharp and intolerable pain in all the five spots that Beau's fingers were pressing. The bones in her wrist were aching so much that Lili was sure it would be a fracture.

Beau's lip corner raised at the sight of Liliya's tears. "Hope you remember your position!" He threw her hand and walked out.

Lili collapsed on the ground with deep pink marks on her wrist. Her palm turned bluish- black and she no longer could feel her fingers. "Maa! Maa!" she cried out, unable to bear the pain in her hand. "God! What have I done to get all the suffering?"

Sniffing, she sat properly and pressed her palm with an index finger. "Ah! Ah!" she groaned every time she had applied pressure. "I don't want to be here!" she prayed to the non-existing gods.

After pressing and pinching multiple times and sobbing after each touch, her palm started gaining a healthy colour. Holding her breath, she tried to squeeze her fist a little, but moaned aloud. The pain was unbearable and her veins on her arm popped up in that attempt.

Initially, as her palm got some colour, she thought everything would be fine. But now that she could not close her fingers, her heart raced with fear and worry. Her face turned red, and her nose was as red as a tomato, with non-stop crying.

Clomp! Clomp!

Lili's gaze turned towards the door as she heard faint footsteps approaching. She jumped, sat on the sofa, wept her tears, took a deep loud breath, and hid her hand.

She blinked her eyes to see an unknown, well-built young man. "Mr. Cooper is in the meeting room." She feebly said.

"Mrs. Cooper?"

"Yes!"

"Mr. Stewart appointed me as your bodyguard."

"Stewart?" Lili's forehead ceased to hear that name. As far as she could remember, she didn't know any Stewart. "Sorry! May I have the full name?"

"He is Mr. Cooper's assistant, Beau Stewart."

'Oh!! That rascal!' she thought and tightened her jaw with anger. "So, Mr.…?"

"Kai, Kai Wood!"

"May I ask whom you will report about me, Mr. Cooper, or Mr. Stewart?"

"Mr. Stewart asked me to report to him and that he would convey the necessary to Mr. Cooper."

"Wonderful! Where did he ask me to take?" She questioned, tilting her head and grinding her teeth.

"Mall and then hotel!" the bodyguard responded, still not sure why he was being inquired suddenly.

"If I ask, will you take me to some other place?"

The bodyguard turned into a statue with that question. He swallowed and pressed his lips into a straight line. "I will!" he murmured.

"Good! Will you inform Mr. Stewart or not?"

Lili sneered to see the bodyguard's chest rise and drop. Sweat droplets filled his forehead. "Yes!" Kai at last answered honestly.

"So, basically, I am a prisoner! You are the jailer, and he is the head of the jail!" Lili laughed at her own fate. "You said Mall, right? Did he give you any card or cash?"

Kai's eyes narrowed at her. The question, 'Doesn't Mrs. Cooper have her own card?' was so evident in his face. He shook his head and bent his head down.

Lili licked her lips and forced a smile. "What about the hotel?"

The bodyguard raised his head and looked at Lili in silence. "Mr. Stewart asked to you take a suite room in the Cooper Hotel." His voice cracked at the end and his face looked dark.

Tears filled Lili's eyes. "Kai, can you do me a favor!" she muttered in a weak tone and brought her hand forward. "Can you take me to the hospital?" Her fingers were half open and became rigid. She no longer can move or feel any of her fingers. The marks on her wrist also darkened and her arms looked almost dead.

"What happened?" Kai tensed on seeing the horrific visual. He kneeled and examined her hand without touching. "Who did this to you, Mrs. Cooper? I need to inform Mr. Stewart." He shoved his hands into his pant pockets.

"Will you, if he is the one who caused this?" Lili whispered, looking straight into Kai's eyes. After hearing that, Lili saw how the sadness on his face turned into horror.

His face then turned blank, and lips said something that Lili didn't expect. "Mrs. Cooper, are you fine with getting your treatment on the way to the mall?"