Chapter 2: Almost

Ariana's heart skipped a beat just by looking at the man in front of her. Dark blue eyes nicely set dark brown hair with light brown speckles, perfectly sculpted nose, and pink sensual lips. "Wait! f*ck?! Am I fantasizing about him? Sh*t Ariana! You don't even know him!" Ariana exclaimed to herself.

She noticed she was still standing there looking at the stranger. She quickly averts her gaze and looks down, her hair covering her face. After a few seconds, she looks up to see the receptionist making gloppy eyes at the man. She mentally choked and managed to clear her throat.

She came out of her trance and looked at her side. She rolled her eyes and said "Didn't I tell you that the interviews are canceled. Go now," the receptionist said as she raise at her.

"But why? W-Why is the interview canceled?" Ariana asked nervously.

"Because our CEO had to fire the HR manager due to some mistake he did and now there is no need for a secretary. Okay? Will you leave now?" The receptionist said calmly. Ariana then nodded and left the building all the while feeling someone's eyes on her and she hoped it was not that stranger.

"Why couldn't they have informed us beforehand that the interview was canceled?! What a waste of time and money!" She whispered.

~

It was already five o'clock in the afternoon when she arrived home, and she worried it would not be one of those days when her stepbrother arrived home early. She slowly opened the gate and noticed that Jade's car was not in the car park. So she exhaled a sigh of relief and happily went inside the house. She was hungry because she hadn't finished eating anything since yesterday.

"Where the f*ck have you all been?" His stepbrother exclaimed. Ariana was startled by his voice. She slowly turned to see him sitting on the sofa; he stood up and began walking up to her, and she remained stagnant.

He yelled, "I asked where you f***ing been!" Her entire body shook with fear. "J-Jade, I-I just went for an int-interview, but it got canceled, so I had to come back," Ariana said, her voice quivering.

He approached her, managed to grab her hair in his grip, and forced her to look at him. "You're lying, aren't you? You've got to be pimping around somewhere f***ing some dude I don't know about, am I right?" He said it to her face, tightening his grip on her hair.

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she struggled to break free from his hands without saying anything because she knew he wouldn't believe her. He abruptly removed her hair, causing her to drop to the ground.

She began to exhale gasps in an attempt to get away from him. "Get out of my sight, now!!" He shouted, and she looked at him, stunned; this was the first time he didn't beat her, despite being furious just a minute before. "GO!" he shouted again, and Ariana dashed into her room, locking the door behind her.

"Why didn't he beat me? Does he feel guilty about everything? Does he suddenly realize he's wrong? Or is he just not in the tone to reach me?" she wondered as she went to her bed and lay down when she heard the door squeaking noise. She looked up, terrified, to see Allan, her stepbrother's friend.

"Why is he here?" she wondered nervously as she began to perspire; he grinned as he approached her bed. She got out of bed. "A-Allan, w-what are you doing here?" she trembled, her voice shaking.

Allan was a part of her past she didn't want to revisit. He is a permanent scar in her life, the man from her traumatic experiences. He was the one who destroyed her life. Her heart has been crushed into so many pieces that no one can restore it. The man who robbed her of her dignity.

"Well, well! You've cultivated into one fine young lady, haven't you?" he said, smirking at her as he approached her. She gulped and began to walk backward. She couldn't show him how scared she was.

"A-Allan, why are you here? Who let you-" She came to a halt when she suddenly realized something. "J-Jade," she murmured to herself, but his evil smirk said he heard it as well. His stepbrother had let him in.

"N-No! He can't do this to me. I-I'm still his sister!! N-No, this can't be—" she began to panic, unable to believe her stepbrother had done this to her.

"Well, sorry Ariana. He's not your brother anymore, and he didn't treat you like his real sister! Your stepbrother sent me to your room so I wouldn't waste time or have a conversation with you and don't you know he sold you to me. You are now my f**king pet, Ariana," Allan laughed.

Ariana's eyes widened as she attempted to flee through the door, but he grabbed her arm and dragged her to the bed, pushing her into it.

"No!! It's not true!! Jade!! Jade, please help! Jade!" she screamed as the door swung open. Allan and she both looked at him and ran towards him, tripping a few times.

"Jade, please stop him. Please don't do this Jade," Ariana pleaded, but her stepbrother refused to cooperate. "I need f**king money and I don't have any. You're a f**king whore after all. I'm just putting it to better use," her stepbrother explained.

"For Heaven's sake, Jade, I'm still your sister; are you crazy!? Don't you have any conscience?" she asked, but he didn't respond.

"The moment my parents died as a result of you, you were no longer a part of the family, you weren't even my real sister, so it was better to sell you so you could be useful to me for the last time," Jade explained.

"No! Jade, please don't do this; I'm looking for work; as soon as I get a job, I'll get you money," Ariana pleaded, hoping to persuade him.

He stared at her for five minutes. "Dude, don't fall for her droopy eyes; she's mine now, and I've already given you the money, haven't I?" Allan interjected.

She quickly shook her head as she noticed them both staring at each other. Jade then took a deep breath.

"You need to leave, Allan," he said as he handed over the money bag and exited the room. Allan groaned and gave her a lethal glare. Ariana exhaled a sigh of relief and exited the room.