The Villain And His Motives

"Where are my manners? I'm Damon, and you are?" The man who just approached us extended his arm towards me, and I took it without hesitation and shook it gently.

"I'm Mandy." I said. There was no need for him to tell me who he was because the resemblance between him and Jack was too much. He was actually a younger version of Jack.

"What secret were you talking about? Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." His lips curled into a smirk. It was as if he was forcing himself to smile.

"You are nosy, Damon; this is none of your business. Stay out of it. What are you doing here anyway?" Hatred was visible in Becky's voice.

"My uncle is dead, remember? I'm here to pay my respects." Damon spoke with a cold voice; even a five-year-old could tell that there were unresolved issues between them.

Becky refrained from speaking another word, and she quickly returned to the house. I excused myself and followed Becky back into the house, leaving my luggage outside. There was something about the way Damon looked at me that made me very uncomfortable. 

'Maybe it's just the way he is, and I'm reading too much into this,' I thought to myself. Jack's driver brought my bags to my room. My heart was racing in my chest as I fought the urge to question him about Jack's fiance.

"This is the last bag I bought; you can always tell me if you need something from your apartment." He turned to the door and began walking away.

"Wait—you said something about Becky's secrets outside; what was it about? I'm just curious." I tightened my fingers on my phone.

"It was nothing; just forget about that. Friendly advice: don't make her your friend; she's bad news." He hurriedly walked out the door, leaving me with a pile of questions. I knew that snooping around on Jack's fiancé was a bad idea, but I wanted to prove my innocence. And I knew that Becky and Jack's mother knew something about Mr. Miller's death.

I then remembered that Sergio had informed Jack's driver that I must call him. Sergio and I have been in a relationship for about a year now. One thing I loved about him was that he was prepared to wait for me until I was ready to be intimate with him. I dialled his number, went to the door, and closed it shut.

"Listen, Sergio, I'm not in a good space right now. I will call you tomorrow once I'm free. I wanted to tell you that I'm okay." I spoke the moment he answered his phone.

"I haven't heard from you in two days, Mandy. What is happening with you? Someone came to your place and took your clothes. Care to explain to me what is happening?" 

"I had to go away for a few days, my love. I will explain everything tomorrow. I will try to meet you. Don't worry about me; everything is fine." I insisted that I was okay because I didn't want him to worry about me. 

"No problem; I will wait for your call tomorrow. Never forget how much I love you." He stated.

"I love you too...." I was interrupted by the sound of the creaking door. I have only been here for a day, but I have already picked up that people from here don't respect one's privacy. I disconnected the call and placed it on top of the bed.

"I love you too; that was sweet." Damon closed the door and came in my direction, taking a seat right next to me.

"T…that was my friend." I lied bluntly.

"Oh really? Let's call your special friend again then; I'm lonely, and I want to talk to her." His hands quickly flew to my cell phone, snatching it.

"No, no, please don't. It's not my friend; he's my boyfriend, and please don't tell Jack." I grabbed my phone back from his hand.

"You are cheating on my cousin, and you want me to keep it a secret. When I first saw you, I didn't think you were the cheating type." He gave me a smile that made me so uncomfortable. I shifted away from him, and he also shifted towards me, making sure that there was no space between us.

"I'm not cheating on your cousin, and I'm not Jack's girlfriend." I was shocked that he thought I was in a relationship with Jack, even though he was aware that Jack was engaged to Becky.

"If you are not Jack's girlfriend, then why are you here? Are you related to Silver perhaps?" He stared straight into my eyes, searching for answers.

"No, I'm not. Jack is the one who brought me here. It's a long story, and I don't think I'm supposed to talk about it. I'm a bit tired; I need to take a nap." I placed my hands on my trembling knees. I wanted Damon to be gone. I was so uncomfortable around him.

"Not a problem at all." He stood up and began walking towards the door. "You know what? I don't have any friends around here, and I would like to meet your boyfriend. Invite him for dinner tomorrow." He carried on talking while he held the door handle, ready to exit my room.

"I can't invite him here, and I don't want people to know that I have a boyfriend. Please don't tell anyone, especially Jack." I knew he wouldn't like the idea of me having a boyfriend; that's why I wanted to keep it a secret.

I had expected him to give me an answer, but instead he gently closed the door and returned to my bed. He placed his hand on top of my lap. I was stunned and shaken by his behaviour and slowly removed it from my lap, and he smirked.

"I can keep your little secret, but what's in it for me? You know, maybe we can spend the night together here." He leaned over and tried to place a kiss on my cheek. I jumped to my feet and ran towards the door. He forcefully grabbed my hand and prevented me from leaving.

"P..please d..don't. I'm begging you don't hurt me." Tears began burning in my eyes. I tried to blink them away, but they soon began streaming down my face. I couldn't wipe them away, even though they were clouding my vision, because Damon had both of my hands in his.

"I won't hurt you, Mandy; I know you want this. Don't fight it; I fell in love with you the moment I laid my eyes on you. This will be our little secret. Just this one time, and in return, I will keep your little secret." He tried to kiss me again, and this time with force, I screamed so loudly. He released one of my hands and closed my mouth. I tried to push him away from me, but he kept pushing me against the door.

He then carried me and threw me on top of my bed. I continued to scream on top of my lungs, fighting and kicking him away. In an instant, the door opened wide, and Jack stood there with his mouth wide open. I cried more heavily but soon kept quiet when I saw Damon's strange behaviour. He wasn't shaken or shocked by Jack's arrival; he seemed so calm. "What a psycho," I thought.

"What is happening here? I could hear you two bickering from outside." Jack had his gaze fixed on Damon the whole time.

"No, hello, cousin. Really Jack?" Damon answered him.

"I asked you a question: what is happening here and why is Mandy crying?" Jack questioned him again, his voice firmer this time.

"This is nothing; Mandy here was begging me to keep her secret. You know where my loyalty lies. I told her I wouldn't lie to you, and she began grabbing my clothes, begging me not to tell you. I got angry and threw her on the bed." Damon explained with a calm mind why I was crying, and I was shocked at how fast he could just easily lie.

"That's not true, Damon, and you know that....." Tears began welling up in my eyes again.

"Shut the hell up! I'm not talking to you. Damon, what secrets are you talking about?" Jack gawked at me and looked back at Damon.

"He wants to sneak his boyfriend into this house tomorrow. I told her you wouldn't agree to it, but she begged me not to tell you." Damon stole a glance at me and winked his eyes.

"You are lying, Damon; I didn't say that. You said I should invite him for dinner tomorrow." My hands constantly flew to my face as I brushed away tears.

Instead of defending himself from my accusations, Damon turned around and walked away, leaving Jack and me in the room.

"Please believe me, Jack; he is lying. He was forcing himself on me." I kept my head facing down as I spoke.

"I don't have time for your lies; Damon would never look at you that way. Get rid of that useless boyfriend of yours. This is the last time I want to hear about him. You will be carrying the Miller heir; have some respect and dignity for yourself." He shook his head, gave me a disgusted look, and then left my room.

I dropped to my knees and cried hysterically. I wasn't hurt because of what Damon tried to do to me, but because Jack thought I was lying.