Chapter 5 You’re Hurting Me

“Mason, I’m so glad that you want to follow my footsteps,”

Victor spoke, “one day, all of this will be yours. You will become the Chairman

of this company.” Caroline was about to knock on the door, but she could not

help but overhear the conversation. “What about Caroline? She has been working

harder than I have. She even has more interest on this company than me.” Victor

placed his hand on Mason’s shoulder. “There is no need to worry about her. You

are the heir of all of this.”

            “But…

she has been working harder than me, she has more experience and-.” Victor cut

him off, “no buts. I have already made my decision. My first son should be the

one to inherit all of this. There is no need to worry about your sister. I will

make her the Chief Executive Officer and you will become the Chairman of this

company, once the time is right.” Caroline, who overheard the whole

conversation, clenched her left hand into a fist and tightened her grip on the documents

she had been holding in her right hand. She walked away with feeling the

bitterness from overhearing her father’s conversation with her brother. She strutted

to her office and closed the door. She did not want to make a scene in front of

all the secretaries.

            Once she

was inside her office, Caroline threw the documents she held in her hand across

the room. She felt so betrayed. Just a few days ago Victor had assured her that

he would be handing down the company to her. Though she could not legally drink

yet, Caroline grabbed a bottle of whiskey and a glass she had stashed on the bottom

drawer from her desk. She poured the whiskey on the glass and drank the beverage

as if it were a shot. Caroline kept replaying the conversation she overheard.

She told herself to not lose her cool, but she could not hold it in anymore. She

had so much suppressed anger that she acted out of impulse. She threw the glass

on her hand across the room, making it hit the wall. Joseph was about to knock

on the door from Caroline’s office to notify her of the meeting that was about

to take place.

            When he

heard the rambunctious sound from the glass shattering, he went inside

Caroline’s office in an instant. He looked at Caroline to ensure that she was

fine then looked at the shattered glass on the floor. He could tell that

something happened. “Miss King? Are you alright?” After drifting off, Caroline

responded, “yes. I’m fine, assistant Young.” Joseph hurried to pick up the documents

on the floor and handed them to Caroline. “Miss King, the shareholder’s meeting

is about to begin. Please go. I will clean up this mess.” Caroline reluctantly

left her office.

            When the

meeting was over, Caroline was gathering some documents and as she stood up

from her chair Victor spoke, “Caroline, can I speak to you for a minute?”

            “Not

right now, Chairman. I have work to do.” Caroline refrained from addressing her

father as “dad” in the company. “Please, it will only take a minute.” Caroline

sat back on the chair and spoke, “alright. Speak.” Victor spoke with a hint of

pettiness on his tone, “why are you being so cold to me?”

            Caroline

remained silent. She decided it was best to not confront her father about his

decision. She knew that he might deny everything or lie to her again, fill her

with hopes and dreams. She always dreamed about being the chairman of the

company, to have all the power. She has always been ambitious, she has always

wanted to grow, and be better, be the best.

            To break

the silence, Victor spoke, “your brother is accompanying me to visit some

clients this afternoon. We will not be here for the board meeting. I’m sure

you’re aware of how important this meeting is. Pumpkin, you must attend the

meeting.”

            Victor’s

words confused Caroline. He wants Mason to become the Chairman, yet he has

never attended a board meeting. Ever since Elizabeth let her, Caroline has been

working at the company. Despite her young age, Caroline has already attended

many import meetings. Though this was going to be the second time she would

attend such an important meeting by herself. “Chairman… will you ever hand down

the company to me?” Victor sighed. “Pumpkin… I think it’s best for me to hand

over the company to Mason.” Caroline looked up to meet Victor’s gaze, “why?”

            “I just

think it’s best for a man to manage a company.” It is all clear now. That is all

he ever did. He lied, he cheated. What else could she expect from him? Caroline

always had hoped to be the favorited child. She yearned the feeling, the favoritism

that a parent gives one of the children.  She would always see how Roxy was always favorited

by both her parents, she envied that.

            Growing

up, Victor was never there, but that did not mean Caroline didn’t grow up without

a dad. When she was young, her mother started dating Caroline’s uncle, Victor’s

twin brother. Caroline practically grew up with her two cousins as if they were

siblings. Caroline loved the idea of growing up with her cousins, though there

were times she wasn’t too fond of the idea. She hated the fact that her cousins

grew up with both their parents near. Despite the fact that they had separated,

the kids always had both parents preset. She even envied her little brother, he

got to live with both his parents growing up.

            Back

then, Caroline was too young to understand what was going on. The only thing

that she knew was that the man that raised her was her uncle. And for a while,

she even got to call him “dad” but then, her mother separated from him. She was

alone again, but this time was different, this time she had her little brother

who also lost that parental figure.

            In rare

occasions, Caroline would meet Victor, the atmosphere always seemed different

around him. She did not feel like he was her father, it felt like he was a

stranger. In those rare encounters, Caroline would ask him about his job. After

all, she has always been curious. She began to grow more fascinated by the

world of business. When she turned twelve, she persuaded both, her mother and

Victor into letting her work at the company. While working at the company, she

was still not fond of Victor, until a serious turn of events occurred. After

that day, Caroline was not as wary of him anymore.

             Before working at the company, Caroline had

already learned the history behind her mother and her father. It took her a

while to trust her father; however, she never trusted him completely. From her

mother she learned to never fully trust men. “All they do is lie and cheat.” But

from being exposed to the business word at such a young age, Caroline learned

that one should not trust anyone fully; not even oneself.

            Victor

stood up from his chair and stepped closer to Caroline as he extended out his

hand. Caroline gently placed her hand on his and stood up from her chair. “Thank

you, Pumpkin. Thank you for filling in for me this afternoon.” Caroline faked a

smile and walked out of the meeting room with documents on he hands.

            When she

returned to her office, everything had been cleaned up. She looked for her

bottle of whiskey but was unable to find it. Joseph must have gotten rid of it.

Caroline spent the rest of the morning going over some materials for the

meeting, as Joseph cleared her office. She had already made up her mind. There

was no turning back now. By the time all the other executives were gathered at

the meeting room, Caroline’s office was almost cleared out.

            Caroline

went to the meeting room and conducted a different meeting than the one

planned. By the time the meeting was over, Victor and Mason had arrived back at

the company. Caroline had all her stuff packed. She entered the Chairman’s

office and left a letter of resignation on the desk. That day, Caroline left

the company without ever turning back.

            The next day,

Caroline was woken up by the maddening sound of the alarm. She let out a sigh

of relief. She was thankful that she did not have another nightmare. Perhaps

she was too tired to actually dream anything. She got up from the bed and got

ready for work.

            When she

finished getting ready, she took off the key necklace her father had given her.

She did not want to wear something he gave her. She suddenly received a call. She

stepped back into the room and walked over to the nightstand next to the bed. She

looked at the caller ID and debated on whether to answer the call or not.

            When she

finally answered the call, the man on the other end of the line asked, “Why did

you take so long to answer?”

            “Because I

didn’t want to answer.” At least that was what she wanted to say but instead

she said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear my phone.”

            “You’re a

terrible liar,” Liam coldly spoke, “I’m here, let’s go.” Caroline asked, “go

where?”

            “I told you

yesterday. I’ll be taking you to work today. You have five minutes, if you

don’t come, I’ll go up.” Caroline was about to refuse, but he hung up the

phone. Caroline angrily threw her phone on the bed and continued to get ready

for work. She did not care about taking her time. Either way, Liam wouldn’t be

let into her penthouse without a key.

            When

Caroline finished getting ready, she went down to the lobby of the building.

She walked out of the building and saw a black Rolls Royce parked right

outside. Liam’s assistant got off the car and opened the door for her. She sat

in the back sit with Liam. His angry expression startled Caroline. Without

looking at her, Liam spoke, “You are thirty minutes late.” Caroline rolled her

eyes. “Let’s just go. I have things to do.” Liam looked at her and said, “I

told you had five minutes.” Caroline chuckled, “Mr. Sabbatini, can a woman

really get ready in five minutes.”

            “You made me wait for you.”

            “I didn’t

ask you to. That was your choice. You could have just left.” Liam looked away,

ignoring her comment. “We’re not going to your office yet.” Caroline gave him a

death stare. “What do you mean by we’re not going to my office?” Liam kept

silent and signaled his assistant to drive.

            Before they

passed by a famous café, Caroline spoke to Liam’s assistant, “I’m hungry. I

haven’t eaten anything. Could you stop at that café, please?” Liam’s assistant

looked through the rear-view mirror, waiting for Liam’s signal. Liam lightly

nodded, making his assistant stop at the famous café as Caroline said.

            After they

had breakfast and were back in the car Caroline asked, “can you take me to my

office now?” Liam just ignored her question. “Answer me,” she commanded. Liam

coldly looked at her and said, “there is something I need to do first.” The car

ride was silent until they arrived at their destination. “Where are we?” Caroline

asked. Liam just opened his door and got off the car. Then he opened Caroline’s

door for her.

            In Liam’s

penthouse Caroline was astonished by the view of his penthouse. He lived in

such luxury. Caroline knew he was wealthy, but she never imagined that he would

be that wealthy. “Why are we here?” Caroline asked. “I told you. There

is something I need to do.” Liam sat on the couch and signaled Caroline to go

sit next to him. Caroline sat next to Liam. “I assume you remember who I am?

From that night in Cancun?” Caroline held her head high and spoke, “yes, quite

bold of you to leave a hickey on someone you even don’t know.”

            “Quite bold

of you to enter a stranger’s room while being under the influence of some

drug.” Caroline stood up from the couch and exclaimed, “What is wrong with you?

If you knew that I was drugged, then why did you do that to me?” Liam leaned

back on the couch. “Why are you raising your voice? If I had not helped you,

who would know what could have happened to you?” Caroline snapped, “what **** is

wrong with you? Do you hear yourself? Are you out of your Goddamn mind?” Liam

stood up to try to calm her down. “Don’t touch me!” She was about to slap him when

he grasped her wrist. She tried to slap him with her other hand, but he gripped

her left wrist, as well. She tried to kick him, but he stopped her.

            Liam threw

her on the couch and got on top of her. He leaned closer to her face and she

turned her face away. He placed his hand on her shoulder then slowly made his

way down. He whispered, “don’t worry. This time, I won’t touch you until I get

your consent.”

            Once Caroline

calmed down, he took a sit next to her. She stood up and started to make her

way towards the elevator. “Don’t you want to know the reason why I brought you

here?” Caroline stopped on her tracks and turned around. She saw the man

sitting on the couch coldly looking at her. Curiosity killed the cat, right?

Caroline stepped a bit closer and said. “start talking.” He coldly spoke, “Dante

told me about the deal he has with your father… So, I have some rules before we

get married and I would like for you to understand them.”

            “How can

you accept to marry me? You don’t even know me.” Liam grabbed one of the

documents from the coffee table in front of him and read, “Caroline King.

Twenty-one years old. Zodiac sign: cancer. CEO and chair of C&K

International. Worked at King Corp. for six years. Born in New York City. Moved

to Atlanta at the age of four. Moved back to New York at the age of twelve…”

Liam looked up from the document and spoke, “mysteriously went missing at the

age of thirteen and miraculously found two days later.”

            “How do you

know about that? All records of that kidnapping were deleted!” Caroline walked

closer to him and snatched the document from his hands. She glanced through the

papers but could not find what she was looking for. “Answer me!” Liam coldly

looked at her and responded, “Gabriella told me about it. If I’m not mistaken,

your mom and her were best friends at the time.” That’s right. That same year,

Caroline’s mother and Gabriella reunited again, after several years. Caroline

wrinkled the papers in her hand into a ball and threw them at Liam. “I’ve had

enough of your games.” Caroline turned around and walked towards the entrance.

             “If you wanted to marry me… I’m sorry to get

your hopes down, but I don’t want to marry you and I will not marry you.” Liam

cleared his throat. “If you want to safe your father’s company, you will marry

me.” Caroline turned around to face him and said, “I have no intention in doing

such thing to save something Victor was so careless to gamble. That was his

mistake and I will not pay for it.”

            “If you

don’t want to do it for him, do it for you. You have to pay for taking advantage

of me that night in Cancun.” Caroline scoffed. “I took advantage of you?

You are deranged. You were the one that took advantage of me.”

            “You came

onto me and now you need to pay the price.”

            “I was

drugged. I did not know what was happening at the time and you just took

advantage of me!” Caroline was the first person ever, to raise their voice at

Liam. He was getting more intrigued by this woman. “Maybe it was not such a

bad idea to marry her after all,” He thought. “You went into my room and seduced

me.” Liam continued to tease Caroline to see how long it took until she snapped

completely. He was told by his father that she was a little hot tempered. And

he was right. From the moment she got on his car, he noticed her strong

character.

            “First of all,

it is not my fault you don’t have any self-control,” Caroline spoke, “second of

all, I cannot remember how I got there!” Caroline continued to raise her voice

until she realized that talking to him was a waste of time. “You know what? I’m

leaving. I don’t have time for your nonsense.”

 Liam took out his phone and played a recording

he had saved. Caroline’s turned red, she turned to Liam. He remained with a

straight face. “If you don’t marry me, I will post this video I took you all

over the internet.” She was dumbfounded. “How could he do such thing?” Caroline

thought. She walked to where he was sitting and tried to take his phone from

him.

Caroline managed to take his phone

from him, but it was locked. She tried to get into his phone, but she could not.

“You are disgusting! You asshole, how could you do such thing? You need to

delete this right now!” Liam just ignored her insults, irritating her even

more. She was going to slap him when he suddenly grabbed her wrist. “You are on

thin ice,” he warned her. Caroline tried to get free from his grip, but he just

gripped harder.

“Ow, Liam, you’re hurting me!”

Caroline whined, making him loosen his grip a bit, but he still held onto her. “Liam

let me go!” Liam was getting annoyed by her demands. He stood up, grabbed her

other wrist, and threw her on the couch again. Liam went on top of her and

pinned her on the couch. He got so close to her face that they were only inches

apart. They were so close she could hear his breathing. Caroline’s face was

turning redder and redder while Liam just kept his poker face.

Caroline thought of how to get free

now. She tried to make him think he was hurting her but that did not work. Liam

was leaning closer and closer, as he placed his index finger under her chin and

his thumb on her bottom lip. With his thumb he traced her bottom lip.

Before he could go further, his

phone rang. He stood up and answered his phone, “speak.” His deep voice echoed in

the penthouse. He sounded so cold and irritated.

When he finished the call, he wore

an exasperated expression on his face. “What’s going to be, Caroline? Are you

going to marry me, or should I post the video?” Caroline had been so focused on

how irritated he sounded while talking on the phone that she did not realize he

had ended the call. His voice lingered in her mind.

His question made Caroline debate

whether to marry this man, whom she had no feelings for, or he ruined her image,

her career and everything she has worked so hard for. Caroline agreed, “fine, I

will marry you. But I have a few conditions.” Liam nodded, “okay, what are your

conditions?” Caroline stood up from the couch, “first, you will delete that

video. Second, we will not make our relationship public. Third, in a year, we

will divorce and pretend nothing happen, I will go on with my life and you go on

with yours.”

 “Is that all?” Liam asked. Caroline nodded. “I

also have a few conditions; they’re on the table. If there is anything you don’t

agree with, write your comments next to the condition.”

 Liam went up the stairs to make a phone call. Caroline

was left alone in the living room revising the document Liam left her. She

grabbed the pen on top of the document started to write her comments. She wrote

a comment on every condition he had.

When Liam stepped back to the living

room, Carline stood up and walked up to him. “Here are some comments I have.”

She handed him the document. Liam just glanced at the document and said, “I had

no problem with your conditions, so you better not have any problems with my

conditions.” Caroline scoffed. “Actually, I do have a problem with your conditions.”

Liam ignored her comments and handed her a document he held in his hand. “I had

my lawyer make up this contract. That way I know we are on the same page. Caroline

glanced over the contract and spoke, “do you expect me to ready fifteen pages

and then sign this agreement.”

“I already went over it and signed

it, the only thing that is missing is your signature. You must sing it before

you leave.” Caroline looked at her famously branded wristwatch and became

anxious. She had much work to do to be fighting with Liam. “Can’t I just read

it over later and get back to you?”

“I need it before you leave. That

is if you want to leave.” Caroline looked down at the document in her hand. She

walked over to the sofa and read the document. The faster she read it, the

faster she would be able to leave.

When Caroline finished reading the

agreement, she signed it and handed it to Liam. “I will have my lawyer make you

a copy of this document.” Fourteen pages from the agreement were conditions

which Caroline and Liam had already talked about. The last page was an

agreement where both parties agreed to divorce in a year if they wanted to.

Liam looked at his designer wristwatch

and said, “come on, I have things to do. I’ll take you to your work.” Liam

dropped Caroline off and went to his company, Sabbatini Group. The day went on

and the only thing Caroline could think about is how she sold herself to the

devil by agreeing to marry Liam. Caroline had accumulated work. She left her company

very late and she was exhausted. She called her chauffeur and went home.

When she got home, she heard a

strange noise, it came from the kitchen. Someone was in her penthouse. It

wasn’t Susan. Caroline gave her the weekend off for her to go meet her family. She

walked to the table she had close to the entrance and grabbed the gun she had hidden

under the table. She slowly made her way to the kitchen. Everything was dark.

All the lights were turned off. She turned on the kitchen light and she was

ready to fire at the intruder.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***