Chapter 6 The Attack

Rays of light began to occupy the sky in the early hours of dawn. Aliza grimaced on when the light would arrive in her life or was she ever fated for such happiness? As soon as she placed her legs on the floor a shooting pain bothered her knee. Aliza trembled in ache and slowly walked to the bathroom holding the walls of the room.

She reached into the mirror of the bathroom and looked at her face. Tears flowed endlessly out of her eyes for the horrible suffering she endured because of her aunt and her monster fiancé. How was she going to face her boss with such a dreadful appearance was the first question that occupied her mind. A round purplish lesion surrounded her eye. The corner of her lips had blood marks because of the bruising kisses Fredrick gave her. Red marks of bytes occupied her neck.

Her knees were beaten so badly that she couldn't stop but limp with pain. What was the answer she was going to give her boss if he asked her about the artwork on her face? Will he continue her in the job? If he retrenches her should she pay the firm the 20 million as signed in the contract? Where will she get that much money? The last time he found sketches on her face, he called her a slut and severely detested her. That look of his still haunts Aliza today. She could stand anger in her boss's eyes but she could not tolerate contempt for her. He called her cheap and stamped her a whore - the horrible name chases her dreams she couldn't recover to date.

Aliza was in a pool of sweat as she thought about the possible scenarios she was to face in her office today. She borrowed a full-hand top from Charla so that at least the bruises on her hand couldn't be made a note. She debated to herself about all the possible excuses she could give to her boss if he questioned her on her thrashed features.

Walking to her boss's room after a knock, Aliza placed Charles's coffee mug on the table and was about to leave. Thank heavens he did not see her face Aliza sighed. But her relief was short-lived. "Wait, where is the...." Charles stopped midway in shock looking at the face of Aliza consecutively with a feeling of loathing on his face.

Charles wasn't the person who would misbehave or go abrasive towards women. His sophistication and civilization intervene before he does that to any lady. He decided to settle the dues of Aliza and send her away from the firm without tarnish. She was a black mark on his reputation. Little did he know about the true character of the woman before employing her. Charles chided himself. Unlike his previous reproach, Charles did not communicate anything negative or derogatory to Aliza. He simply wanted to get her to resign from the job without besmirch.

"Aliza calls Charla into the office?" He ordered her to type an official mail on his laptop. "Sure sir" Aliza replied, energized. She was in the seventh heaven that her boss either did not notice her bruised features or chose to ignore them. Either way, she felt very fortunate and thanked the Almighty for saving her on the day. Within a few days, she would heal and become normal. Aliza suddenly became very positive about her thoughts when her boss did not show anger toward her.

Charla walked inside Charles's room as soon as she was informed. "Charla drafted a resignation letter for Aliza and took signatures from her. From tomorrow onwards she need not come to the office and you will get back to be my personal assistant cum secretary. I'm terminating the lady from the job because she doesn't have a character. She is a stigma to my eminence and esteem of my company with those provocative dirty marks on her face." Charles concluded with a slight blemish.

According to the orders of her boss Charla couldn't leave the room to do the required work. She stood rooted to the ground twiddling with her fingers. Charles raised his eyes to Charla in command. His orbs owned a suspicious look. "Sir I know I'm in no position to speak this information to you and I very well know I am risking my job in this by supporting Aliza against your decision." Rising from his seat Charles pushed his hands inside his pant pockets and walked in slow raptorial steps toward Charla. His lips were plastered in a thin line intimidating her with his controlling aura. "What do you mean?" He accentuated his dominance. Charles did not like at least bit the old woman's indirect referral.

"Sir please...." Charla made out a bleak request taking steps back "I do not have time for unnecessary drama, Charla. Do not beat around the bush and come to the point directly." Charles told her firm. "Sir Aliza is not a girl without a character. She is fired. All the marks you see on her face are not the results of sexual turn-ins but the blemishes of severe abuse both from her aunt and her fiancé. Aliza desperately needs a powerful someone's help who could bring her out of the clutter and maybe some psychological counseling too for the years of oppression, and torture she had to suffer.

"What are you saying, Charla?" Charles asked her unbelievably and had his eyes on stalks for which Charla nodded keeping her eyes on the floor. "I am sorry sir." She told him rather unheard of cowardice. "Aliza has been an orphan since the age of six. Both her parents passed away in a road accident. Since then she has been raised by her uncle. Her aunt loathes Aliza's presence in her house. As a result, she uses her as an all-purpose maid. Now she plans to marry her off to her forty-five years old brother, a philanderer, and an alcoholic. Yesterday was her engagement with the dog and he used her like his punching bag when she decided against sleeping with him."

"Fucking hell" Charles exhaled muttering low to himself. He then looked back at Charla. "Let this information be between you and me." Charla gave a curt nod and spoke gratefully. "Thank you very much for not sacking me sir."

Charles immediately lifts his office intercom and tells his bodyguard. "Yeah Ethan, I'm sending down a girl. Take her to her home, help her pick up her belongings, and settle her in the employee quarters attached to my castle. And one more important piece of information..." Charles made an ascending inflection. "You need not hesitate to teach the people in the house a lesson in case of a requisite physical action if they resist the girl from picking up her luggage. Is the matter clear?" He asks Ethan and disconnects the call after he hears a firm 'Yes sir'."

Charles instantly called Aliza to his office. Getting up from the seat as soon as she put down the receiver Aliza made a huge prayer to God to let the day pass without a hitch. "Yes, Ms Stelwart..." Charles addressed Aliza after she wished him. He deeply observed her walking style and gulped down a huge curse. "Ms. Stelwart, our business is expanding and I would require the services of my assistant outside working hours too. Calling you to the office at odd hours may be too risky considering you as a girl in her prime age. As regards your allowances, you need not hesitate but will be sufficiently compensated along with a rent-free accommodation of employee quarters beside my bungalow."

"But sir...I'm engaged, my fiance..." Charles turned a deaf ear to Aliza's frail disagreement and did not leave any clues for further argumentation. "I hope the matter is clear to you, Ms Stelwart. A driver is waiting for you downstairs at the office premises beside a Gray Limousine A193958." He shunned her professionally, dismissed her from his room, and picked up his receiver to speak to someone on the phone.

Aliza had no choice but to follow her boss's instructions. No sooner had she reached the office parking, than a buffy middle-aged man greeted her. "Good Morning madam I'm Ethan, your driver for today." Throughout the ride, Aliza had been sweating profusely in pensiveness despite the air conditioning being too high in the vehicle with the torment she was about to face from Fredrick and the outburst of her aunt.

Ethan observed Aliza from the rearview mirror. He was smart to connect the dots - the cadence in his boss's tone, the bruises marked on Aliza's face, and the limp in her leg. An understanding grin flashed his features and also a surety in his heart that the naive girl had been lucky to finally reach the hands of a seraph.

"Uncle Nelson, considering the demands of work in the company my boss had ordered me to shift to employee quarters immediately," Aliza told Nelson anxiously fearing the irate her aunt, and before Nelson could reply Stella reached Aliza. "You bitch you did not tell your boss that you are going to leave the job soon? How dare you.." Stella was about to slap Aliza.

Aliza closed her eyes in fear anticipating a sting on her cheek but the slap never reached her. Opening her eyes she discovered Ethan was holding firm the hand of Stella stopping her from attacking. He twisted her arm and pulled it to her back. Stella screamed in pain but Ethan did not loosen his hold until her arm turned blue with the marks of his fingers. "Keep your hands in your control." He admonished Stella low and menacing. Nelson had a victorious smirk on his features. Finally, the thing he couldn't do for years, somebody else had done it for him.

As soon as her arm was released Stella immediately called her brother. Fredrick reached the house within ten minutes at the speed of a rocket and fumed at Aliza while she was packing her last few things. "You filthy whore, how much did that pig grant you to sleep with him?" He raised his hand but Ethan immediately forced him to halt his actions. He hit him so hard that Fredrick flew in the air and fell on the floor in a bump.

"You will not say one more word against my master. Otherwise, I will smash you to pieces." Ethan intimidated Fredrick with a warning and kicked him in the guts. "Young madam, if you finished packing, can we leave now?" He asked Aliza politely. Before Aliza could speak Fredrick interceded. "Wait till my hands reach you, you whore. You're soon going to take the replies for your actions from me." Ethan passed a disgusting look at Fredrick, picked up the luggage of Aliza, and walked her to the car.

"Stay happy Liza." Nelson softly patted the head of Aliza in a fatherly affection. Aliza hugged her uncle avoiding the fierce stares of her aunt.

As soon as she reached the exit of the house her eyes went wide in astonishment. The person she least expected was standing in front of her.