Page 16 of Corruption
I looked a bit confused, and he laughed. “I know you’re sneaking down to the kitchen at night. Am I not feeding you properly, or could it be that your old man never fed you?”
“I... fed myself,” I whispered, looking at the ground and feeling guilty for stealing. However, now that my body was slowly adjusting to being nourished properly, it demanded more and more. Even at night, I was hungry. “Sorry...”
“Don’t apologize to me. You should have said something, and we will increase the amount of food at your meals. Your body is just getting used to a new and better lifestyle. It will help you grow.”
“I’m not a child,” I retorted, yet Vince laughed, reaching out to ruffle my hair.
“We seriously need to cut this. Can you see anything?” he teased me, waving a hand in front of my face.
I pushed back my hair and nodded. “Sure.”
“Liar. Say goodbye to the bangs,” he informed me before he stood up and snapped his fingers, signaling for me to do the same.
I scrambled to my feet, and he motioned for me to get back up there again. My arms were already shaking, but my determination was stronger, and I grabbed the bar again, now having something worth fighting for.
Chapter 8
-Jared-
I knocked on Vince’s office door, but he wasn’t inside. Descending the stairs, I found him in the grand dining room, engrossed in something on his phone that brought a smile to his face as he stirred a spoon around in his morning coffee. As he heard me approach, he set his phone face down on the table.
“Jared, morning,” he greeted me.
I nodded in response but remained standing by the chair next to him, a touch uneasy. I wasn’t sure if it was safe to leave yet or if there was still a target on my back.
“It feels good to be back, doesn’t it?” he remarked, picking up his coffee and taking a sip, though it seemed like drinking was already becoming a challenge for him.
“You’re going to need a straw soon,” I commented, drawing a laugh from him.
A faint smile graced my lips, and Vince leaned back in his chair, nodding.
“Most likely. If I let it get that bad.”
I sighed, crossing my arms.
“I sense a request or maybe even a complaint coming. Son, I honestly thought you would bring her. Your obsession has been years in the making, and now you finally have her. Why wouldn’t you take her everywhere you go?” he asked.
“Maybe because I don’t want her to know about this part of me,” I countered, feeling slightly annoyed that Vince had pressured me to bring her here.
“Why? Shouldn’t she know why she should truly fear you?” he asked. “Isn’t that your plan? To make her feel as small and afraid as you did?”
“You taught me that I didn’t need to look like a monster to make her scared. There are other ways to make people shit their pants,” I reminded him.
He nodded, smiling. “There definitely are.”
“The thing about Alison is that she loves finding weaknesses. She can look at you and somehow just know. Giving her insight into my past is like handing her a dagger, then pointing to a vulnerable spot and asking her to plunge it as deeply as she can. I’m practically offering my neck for the axe,” I snarled.
“Smart girl, and beautiful. Maybe you should marry her,” he joked, grabbing a piece of toast from his plate and taking a bite. My heart froze in my chest, momentarily recalling the dream with the cop handing me a ring and calling Alison my wife. Vince noticed my tension and lowered the toast. “I was joking.”
“Yes, of course... of course,” I murmured.
“Because you remember what I told you, right?”
“Yes, getting too accustomed to the pain, you became addicted to it,” I recited.
“You don’t seem to truly internalize it when you say it like that,” he retorted.
“Don’t worry. My worst nightmare would be being tied to that woman. I loathe her more than I can express. I’m just a bit stressed about having her here.”
