Twisted Fate

Nicolas didn’t know when Jerome walked in and like a flash, he pushed him backwards, raised him up in fury and punched his face several times.

“Mum… mum!” Lisa exclaimed as she rushed over to her mother. She started shaking her mother violently and screaming.

She kept shaking her mother violently and didn’t pay attention to what Jerome was doing to her father.

She heard her father’s yelling as if he was going to gust his guts out. She couldn’t tolerate it and went to fetch Jerome who was already sound asleep.

She shook him up and told him she’s scared of the way their father was yelling. They needed to check on their parents.

That was how they got in and met a scene. Her father was going to choke her mother to death.

“Jerome let’s save mum first” Lisa yelled, scared that her mother had really died. Her tears were already running down her cheeks.

Her complexion had turned reddish. Fear gripped her and she was shaking and trembling at what might have happened to her mother.

Jerome punched his father one more time on his face and Nicolas staggered and fell backwards.

He groaned in pain. He tried to stand up on his feet but staggered back again. He saw Jerome lift Jackie and hurried his steps out of the room.

Lisa also followed, with teary eyes and loud sobs. What had he done to his wife? He doesn’t really love Jackie but that doesn’t mean he wants her dead.

And to think that she would die by his hands was detestable. Oh no. He stood up and felt an agonising pain oozing from his face.

That rascal of a son had disfigured him. What the heck was his problem? Jerome will pay for what he did to him that night.

He dares to hit his father and chooses to revenge his mother on him? He would teach him a hard lesson he would never forget in a hurry.

*************

It wasn’t quite twenty minutes after Alex Foster got into the Mansion when Ella heard a knock on her door.

That’s it, he had discovered that she went in there. She stilled her heart and went to the door.

When she opened her door, she found Ms Cooker was shivering “Ma’am, did you touch any of Mr Foster’s documents when you went to use the computer in his study?” She asked.

It was written over her that she’s scared of what Alex was going to do next.

“I’m sorry Ms Cooker, I mistakenly clicked a button and some information popped up. But don’t worry, this isn’t your fault at all” Ella persuaded.

“I’m afraid Mr Foster wants me to call you” Ms Cooker declared. When Alex was furious and asked her who got into his study, she quickly said his wife did.

“It’s okay Ms. Cooker. I was actually expecting him to send for me” Ella said and just stepped out of the door.

She started going towards the sitting room. She completely forgot she was dressed in her night wear.

Alex was dressed in his pyjamas as well. This was the first time Ella would see him dressed differently from a suit.

He turned his back to her and his hands in his pants pocket. Ella glanced at him to his feet and saw him having his slippers on.

“Mr Foster..” Ella was going to begin when Alex cut her short.

“Who gave you the right to step your feet into my study?” His voice was hoarse. There was annoyance hidden in those words.

“I forgot my computer at my mother’s place and I needed to submit my thesis today. I then decided to use your computer.

I’m sorry I didn’t seek your consent first. Sincerely I am sorry, hubby” Ella apologised. Her voice was filled with remorse.

Ms Cooker stood by the sideline. She just wished this didn’t go beyond Mr Foster’s present fury.

“I swear to you Alex, it wasn’t intentional. It’s a mistake. Believe me” Ella pleaded more.

If someone doesn’t cross his limits, keep his words and respect her privacy. Why should she be the one to trespass and hurt him?

Alex squinted. Ella Smith apologising so much to him for using his computer? He wasn’t upset because of the computer she used, but because she saw some information that wasn’t meant to be seen beside him.

Can she really be this humble? But she refused to apologise to him the first day they met. She would rather lose her job than utter the three words, I am sorry.

But he also went beyond his limits that day. He harassed her and that probably might be the reason she refused to apologise.

She was right back then while he was wrong. If anyone was supposed to apologise that day, he was the one.

He was supposed to say sorry to her. He was supposed to apologise to her and not the other way round. He had learnt something sacred from Ella.

He would never disrespect anyone again. No matter their status and position in the society, he would accord everyone their respect.

“Did you read that information?” Alex asked next. Those information were important to him, it’s completely his private life.

He had never discussed it with Festus. He had kept it all his life to himself. Why would Ella be the first to see and read it?

“No, I glanced at it. I didn’t really peruse it, I just peeked at it” Ella replied. She had to hold herself back from smiling.

Alex became speechless.

Alex carefully turned to face her. When Ella saw that he was turning to face her, she looked down, avoiding his eyes.

Alex fully turned and saw Ella in her night wear, he was dazed. He didn’t know she wasn’t properly dressed, revealing her alluring body shape.

He felt his body tightened and a dirty thought crossed his mind. Quickly he waved it off. She’s his wife, only in name.

Her body was never going to be his to ravish. But he found himself looking through her transparent dress one more time before forcing himself to look away.

“Don’t go into my study without my consent next time” Alex declared.

Ella nodded and raised her head to steal a peek at Alex but he caught her, their eyes locked and she saw his eyes, as calm as an ocean.

His blue eyes were unblinking and it doesn’t look like he would look away any moment soon. Ella found herself staring into those eyes.

For the first time, she admitted that Alex was charming. She knew he was handsome. But looking into those eyes, she realised that being handsome was an understatement.

His eyes bear a lot of his charm. It was difficult for any woman not to be carried away by staring into those eyes.

Ella doesn’t know how long they both stood, staring at each other but eventually she said “good night”

“Good night,” Alex replied.

Jerome and Lisa stood by their mother as the doctor examined her. Jackie had opened her eyes but appeared weak and fragile.

“She’s fine now. If she had spent another ten seconds being choked, you would have lost her” the doctor declared.

He put down some notes and then asked, staring at Jerome “whoever tried to choke her needs to be arrested. Who did this to Mrs Anderson?”he asked and before Jerome could answer, the doctor added “I will call the police now so that..” the doctor was not through when Jackie said,

“It’s nothing. I was just tired of living and decided to choke myself” Jackie lied. She looked at Lisa and Jerome coldly, indicating that they should not say a word.

Jerome was going to debunked her mother’s claim when Jackie said, “Jerome, quickly get me my footwear, it’s in the car”

Lisa’s eyes became moist. What kind of love makes a woman so protective of her husband?

She knew her mother loved her father very much but the latter doesn’t love her. Now, her father almost killed her if she and Jerome didn’t step in at that moment?

Here she is, protecting the man and lying against herself. How can someone be doing this to herself in the name of love?

Jerome’s eyes were filled with resentment over what his mother just said. She was covering up for his father and lied against herself?

When did she start keeping her footwear in the car? They had rushed her to the hospital in an unconscious state and yet, she talked about a footwear in the car that never was.

The doctor was amazed. He certainly knew this woman was lying. If she had tied a rope around her neck and try committing suicide, he would agree with her claim.

But finger prints around her neck, bruises all over it, she claimed she tried to kill herself.

If she wanted to be protective in an abusive marriage, he wasn’t going to give her a chance to return to that home.

He isn’t stupid and brainless like her. He would say what she never expected and he would see that he carried those words into action.

“Are you sure Mrs Anderson, that you did this to yourself?” The doctor asked, showing sympathy and concern.Copyright by Nôv/elDrama.Org.

“Absolutely doctor, I don’t know what came over me”Jackie replied ignoring the frosty stare on her son’s face.

“Well,” the doctor began, taking a closer look at her bruised skin he continued “if you really did this to yourself, you might try doing it again, and the next time, you might not be lucky to survive it.

“For that singular reason, I will have you taken to the rehabilitation centre immediately!” The doctor declared.