"Damn!"
Purple stared at the clock for the umpteenth time while tapping her trembling feet. The white bleached walls of the hospital and its antiseptic smell made her more sensitive and conscious of the blood pumping through her veins.
Fear embraced her like an old friend, a draining, exhausting fear. A fear that could not be tamed. It enveloped her insides so much that she trembled, wishing the world were not so full of evil.
While there were good people in the world, others were lurking in the darkness, their sole purpose to cause destruction, to ruin happiness. These 'others' existed to make her life miserable, at least so she thought.
She sat still, wanting to cry, yet hating herself for being so vulnerable with her emotions, so weak. The solution was not tears, and she knew that.
The sight of a doctor distracted her thoughts and she rushed over to take his hands in hers
"Doctor— My mom… is she okay?" She asked, her voice rising up and down in quavers.
The man looked at her small, distressed face and flashed a perfect smile.
"The injuries were fatal, but we were able to keep the bleeding under control. With enough rest and medications, she will be much healthier."
"Can I see her?"
"Sure," he said with a gleam and walked away.
Purple sighed. She was grateful that her mother was alive, at least. All the fear was for her mother, fear that something terrible might happen to her, or worse death. She couldn't risk losing the only family she had.
As she walked to the bed, she could not help feeling pity for her mother who lay so pathetic and weak. A drip was connected to her hands, her eyes were opened but they looked distant.
"Hey…," she said in a low whisper but loud enough to distract her mother.
Alice Brendon turned to look into her daughter's eyes. Her hard face slowly melted into a smile.
"Hey, you came,"
"Yeah,"
"I'm sure you had work to do, you shouldn't have…"
"Hush…. Momma, that's not the question and you know that. What happened? You were the only one who had the accident, nobody else got hurt. Your car is terribly damaged, you're only lucky to be alive. This is suspicious, who would make you a target?"
Alice shrugged her shoulders
"I don't know, an arch-enemy or perhaps a nemesis, who knows?"
Purple observed her mother's dark brows and grimaced. "You are acting so uncaring, like nothing happened. You could have died, Mom. It could have been disastrous"
"Hey baby… I'm okay. I've got this under control. When will I be discharged?"
"The doctor says you should rest, and that's exactly what you'll do, okay?"
There was no response and Purple took it for approval. She thought about her family and sighed. She had not really had the happiest of childhood experiences. Her father had died when she was just five leaving behind piles of debt, and the beginning of a troubled childhood.
And to wrap it all up, they were always moving, from one town to the other, with no place to call a home, yet she was determined to fulfill her dreams of being a successful woman, even though these dreams seemed like an illusion, impossible to achieve, futile.
.
.
.
Three days after Alice Brendon got discharged, she got into a fight with Collen Drake, the leader of a gambling den. Alice claimed that Collen was responsible for the accident because she owed him money.
The fight ended with Collen sprawled on the floor, almost dead.
They had to relocate again.
Their arrival in New York brought about a sense of belonging. The weather was beautiful and purple felt like she could belong there for once in a long time.
It was only a matter of weeks before she secured a job as an accountant on the other side of town in an organization owned by a rich wealthy man.
The man, John Duke, was attracted to her at first sight. Her mother took advantage of this opportunity and gave John the liberty of marrying Purple in exchange for securing a job in his organization.
She hated John with passion, but her mother's pressure, and the need for a happy life were slowly eating her up.
'Why would fate be so cruel, was there no happiness in the world?' she wondered over and over again with no answer.
…
Somewhere in Liverpool, a man and a woman were making out in a cozy airy hotel room. Their moves fueled by emotions unknown, rapid, and jerky, when suddenly, as if struck by thunder, the man suddenly pulled out and sat up quickly on the bed.
Surprised, the woman sat up with a look of worry on her face.
"Lucas, is anything the matter?" Her hands reached out for his cheeks.
Lucas sat as if not hearing, his head bowed. Then, bringing himself to look into her eyes, he removed her hands from his face, heaving a sigh with a determined face.
"Clara, I want us to break up," he said.
Clara's face twisted in shock. "Wh.. What do you mean?"
"I mean what I just said. I no longer have feelings for you"
"But we started dating just a month ago"
"Exactly why I fúcking want to break up!" He flared. "All the women I've dated in the past never lasted a month,"
Clara stuttered "Were you using me all along? Lucas, you know how I feel about you,"
Lucas sent her a furious look like he was disgusted by her.
"You know the answer to that question better than anyone else, don't you, Clara? You feel nothing for me, and your fakeness disgusts me. Gold digging, that's all you girls exist for"
With a look of finality, he concluded
"Save your love for the trenches Clara, I'm done."
Clara stood frozen, unable to speak. What the hell was he thinking?
"Lucas—," she began
"Get out!" He yelled, cutting her short.
The sudden command and the audacity in his voice made her shiver in fear. She passed a final look at his darkened face and left the room, banging the door in departure.
As she left, Lucas let out a sinister smile. His revenge on the women's race had just begun. Women were the most undeserving creatures he had ever met.
They didn't deserve better, or if not, why had all the women he had dated pretended to love him when they did not? None had ever truly appreciated him, so why should he reciprocate something he didn't receive?
As long as he had money, he could get any woman he wanted with a snap of his fingers, why give his heart out when all he could get in return were pain and ruin?
…
The crowd bristled with a liveliness that left Purple with a feeling of tremor. She was so alone and without a partner in this business conference that all she wanted to do was go right back home.
She glanced around and wished she had not come, but just like a beggar, she had no choice. It was not her company, she was just an ordinary employee. She had to know her place.
She sighed and made to go back to the hotel when someone caught her eye and she froze in her spot.
"Wait…what?"
He had a sinfully seductive smile, a jawline that fitted perfectly, his brilliant blue eyes had the bright color of the sky.
He was fucking handsome and deserve to be crowned the god of beauty. How one man was handsome enough to send a thousand butterflies crawling in her was a question she could not answer.
Just at that moment, he smiled, a smile that knocked off her breath sending her into some kind of a trance. It was so enchanting, alluring, so defined.
She recognized him now, even when she knew she shouldn't.
"Fuck!" She gasped.
It was Lucas Duke! The man of her past! The memories came together, piece by piece, and she welcomed them. Years back while she was just ten, Lucas was her darling sweetheart. Infact, she got to see him everyday, both in school and at home. They had developed a bond, a connection, a friendship, until suddenly, one day, just like the flashlight of a torch, her mother had flown her out of the country with no particular reason. She hadn't seen him since then, but now he stood before her looking so sweet and hot like he hadn't felt her absence. She couldn't tell if it was a good thought or a bad thought. He looked up right at that moment, and his eyes locked with hers, unable to tear away. Immediately, the world came to a standstill between them. It was a timeless moment, time seemed to slow down, until they had communicated with their eyes, with their bodies. She broke the gaze and made to walk away, conscious of the shuffling of feets behind her. Soon enough, he caught up with her
The employees at STANFORD COMPANY scurried away in fear and terror, refusing to breathe. The arrogant chiseled bastard proprietor had returned, his face hardened like a piece of rock. He returned no one's greetings and greeted no one, not even with a wave. His mind was a mess. His pulse palpitating, his body tensed and his lips shivered. Why couldn't he block her out? He kept seeing her in his dreams, when he woke up, when he was at work, even when he was having a bath, he kept seeing that one face. Her smiles were all he could see when he was having a bad day. "No!" He snapped, trying to shake the thoughts away. And was she thinking about him as much as he was thinking about her? He doubted that, she had made it clear when she chose to get married, that he was out of the question, out of her life, their relationship had ended twenty years ago, twenty fùcking years ago. So why could his mind not get rid of the feeling of her thighs against his? Purple Brendon! The feelings made
Three weeks later. Purple sat on the couch, nursing her bruises. Her scalp was aching with a pain she could not describe, her fingers were damaged once more. Tears flowed freely from her cheeks, her husband had bullied her again. She had gotten married two weeks ago to John. It was in the marriage that John showed his real self. He constantly reduced her worth to a punching bag. It was a suffocating hell, She was tired of complaining to her mother who she was beginning to detest. She knew that in reality, her mother was being plain selfish and greedy. She pushed her into this hell of marriage to claim all the benefits that came with it. Or else? What mother would claim ignorance of the plight of her daughter? What mother would refuse to look beyond the fog in the air to save her daughter? It was only a mother who had designed her existence to embrace heartlessness like a lover. Her mother fitted perfectly into the description. Her phone rang and she looked at the number. It was
Lucas smiled at first, refusing to believe. Then slowly, his face changed as the look on Purple's face became tight and grim. "What's up with the confrontation", his questioning eyes asked as he bent to pick up the paper that had fallen to the floor. He opened the letter in a sheer stiffened posture. As his eyes glanced down at the contents, he let out a squeal, gripping the sides of his head as if to cover his ears. "Who the hell gave this to you and what does this have to do with me?" "You should know Clara by now, the woman you are supposedly having an affair with. She is almost three months gone, pregnant for you" For a moment, Lucas thought his heart had stopped beating. He tried to speak, tried to dodge the fuzzy thoughts playing games in his mind, but could not. He could not fathom what under the heavens Clara was playing at. He knew as much as he could hear the thumps of his beating heart that the baby was not his. He was done with her a long time ago. How dare she mess
Lucas peered over the hot sun as he waited for Clara. He tried dialing Purple's number in the process but kept hearing "service unavailable". He had dropped her messages on different platforms, but she neither replied nor read them. He knew she was still angry, but what he hadn't thought of was that she would go this far to express her displeasure.Sweat broke out in a vague amount on his forehead despite the air conditioning in the car where he patiently waited. The short, fumbling movements with his phone hammered the thoughts that had been lingering in his mind.He saw Clara from a distance and heaved a sigh of relief. As she entered the car, she apologized for her lateness and Lucas mumbled a reply, signaling the chauffeur to move the car"Where are we going? Clara questioned"I told you, I have an amazing surprise for you" he replied absentmindedlyClara smiled as she turned to look at his hard stoned face, she took in his gleaming white starched attire. His hair poured beautifu
Purple felt a soreness in her throat that refused to go away. She had misjudged a man she was supposed to cherish because of a trivial issue. This was one of the moments she intended to stick by his side, trust in him, believe him, but she had not, and now, she had to act fast.She could not bear the thought of losing the only man she had ever felt a connection with. She dialed his number and he picked on the second ring"Can we meet please?""What do you want Purple," he said grimly"I just want to talk", her voice was filled with plea"I'm not in the mood to talk""I beg you, Lucas, please hear me out"Lucas released a croaked laugh"What a sad irony darling, a few days ago, I was in your shoes, begging, pleading with you to hear me out. But what did you do? You regarded my pleas as mere trifles. And now……."Purple sighed as she thought hard about his words"Fine… I'm in the house if you need me". He hanged upPurple cleared her desk hurriedly and left her office.As she sat on his
Lucas stared at the bizarre pictures of the crime scene in wonderment. The tongues of the victims were slit and their eyes gorged. What they had done to deserve this brutality was a puzzle he could not solve in hours.His mind went to the state of turbulence in the company and he felt an odd sensation of dizziness spring up in him. He dialed a number on his screen."Hello, After a pause, he continued, any leads?""Yes sir, the autopsy has established that they both died by strangling. There are no traces of the weapons used for the slitting. However, the killers left a fingerprint that is currently traced,""Killers?""Yes, the style of the killing is the same, but we have established that they were murdered by different people"Lucas heaved loudly"How long will this take, Mr Cowen? The media are beginning to ask questions…"Cowen interrupted, "Be calm, Sir, I understand you're worried about the reputation of your company, but we are trying our possible best to…..""Maybe your best i
Purple clamped hard on the cold metal bar as she paced around in the small cell room. Then, with a need born of despair, she sat on the hard cemented floor in a bid to fight the violent rush of anger in her bosom, but no! She was not going to be a sobbing baby.She thought hard about the irony of her situation and how she would eventually be executed for a crime she did not commit. In an hour, she would be taken to court where it would be decided if she would live or die.A guard opened the metal bar"Are you ready?""Yeah,' Purple sighed "I am"She was handcuffed and led outside the door into a long white van. A crude-looking man drove through the silent streets and stopped at the entrance of a mini-building. She was taken to a room, filled to the brim with people. The whooshing sound of the spinning fan made her want to faint with dizziness.She tried to make out their faces but could not. All this crowd for people that were not known while they were alive? Or was it because of Luca