Chapter 30

"Are you okay Nina?" Lia asked worriedly, as much as Nina is not a great talker, she doesn't like when she's silent.

She look strong and unaffected by what just happened.

"Yeah, I am fi..." Nina paused hearing the beep of her phone.

The caller ID flashed Derrick on the screen.

She pressed the green button and Derrick's voice boomed.

"I am just right behind the car you are in, come out. We are going home"

He ended the call before she could reply.

"Lia."

"Stop the car, I will go home from here."

Lia glance at her confused.

"I can just drive you home if you want."

"Don't worry, someone's here to pick me up. Please relate to Mr. Brian that the shoot went well"

With that, Nina came out of the car. She couldn't think straight, if she did would think of what Derrick was doing there in the first place and how he knew she was inside the car but Nina's mind was covered with mud as at the moment.

She spotted Derrick's car packed by the road side, she rushed inside and met Derrick inside.

"What happened? Did anyone hurt you? Why is your face not bright? Tell me, who hurt you? Who touched you? I will destroy the person, I will reduce the person to the grassroot. I will make sure he or she regrets being in this world, tell me, was it the director? Just wait,I will make him pay."

Derrick angrily swiped his phone to make a call but Nina was quick enough to stop him.

"No! He... He didn't do anything to me."

She protested.

"Then who?" He asked clenching and unclenching his hand as he gritted his teeth.

The thought of someone making Nina sad is turning him into a mad person.

No one has the right to make her sad.

Not when she's under his watch.

"No one, I shared the stage with my sister. Seeing her opened my old scars, that was just it." Nina said fidgeting with her fingers.

"Did you want me to get her blacklisted from the modelling industry as a whole?" Derrick asked.

Nina couldn't help but chuckle. She really can't imagine how devasted she will feel being thrown of of the industry.

"I would love to but not yet." She replied.

Derrick pulled her into a hug unexpectedly.

"I am sorry I wasn't there for you."

He whispered into her ear.

2AM:

Nina let out a loud cry immediately the hot electric iron landed on her back.

Her father kept it in a particular place on her back without removing it.

"D... Dad please, I am sorry. It's hurting please forgive me." She pleaded in tears.

She couldn't move because she was tied to the chair.

What was her crime? Her only crime was saving her sister Sintia from the street boys she insulted.

Nina protected Sintia, she made her escaped from them but they ended up giving Nina a thorough beating in place of her sister.

She came home all wounded, bruised and hurt so badly only to discover that her Sintia reported her.

Sintia told their parents that Nina gave her body to the street boys. She lied against her.

A slap landed on Nina's cheeks. That was her mum, she wasn't given the chance to vindicate herself.

"You won't bring disgrace to me you slt." Her Mum yelled.

Her Mum began wiping her mercilessly with a rod while being tied and a hot iron burning her skin.

She cried, begged but no one listened to her.

She was tired, scared and weak.

The pain became unbearable for her, her spirit left her soul. Even her kegs failed to shake as it was in the beginning.

Her body turned red, purple and pink.

She wondered why her family hates her so much.

"No." Nina shouted and passed out.

The scene changed to her looking so worn out.

Nina felt so hungry, she gets to steal their leftovers a few few times.

Sometimes, she'd eat the dog food to stay alive. Maybe one day, they will change and love her like they do to her two younger sisters.

Nina panicked on hearing her mum's voice.

She knew she was in trouble like always

Before she could move to her, Jenna and Sintia pounced on her.

They pushed her down. Sintia sat on her and asked Nina to move like a horse with Jenna dragging her hair.

She was being moved around the room with her hair.

She like her scalp was going to cut out of her head.

She do rather get beaten than being dragged by the hair.

The day she wanted to fight back, she was locked up for two weeks with no food no water.

Ever since she never dared to...

Her cries rang loudly in the room. No one came to her rescue,

"Wake up Nina, Nina, Nina wake up." Derrick rushed to get tapping her.

Her loud cries woke him up from sleep.

"Nina, Nina."

Nina jerked awake. Her forehead drown in sweat, her face look so terrific like someone's who has seen a ghost.

Ha! She had a nightmares, it felt so real.

She ran to Derrick and jumped on him as her cries became even more louder.

"Shhh! It's okay, I am here with you"

"No one can hurt you anymore, please stop crying." Derrick said stroking Nina's back gently.

It angers him so much that she's suffering because of her family yet, she doesn't want him to take them from the surface of the earth or better still, take them back to the grassroot.

But Derrick respect Nina's decision, he knows she can take her retaliation by herself.

All he wants to do is sit back, secretly protect her and watch her deal with her family.

Nina's voice died down she wasn't crying nor sniffing anymore, all her weight fell on Derrick. The only thing heard was her faint and steady breathe.

She's sleeping! Seriously? Derrick couldn't help but chuckle.

How can she fall asleep just now?

He quietly lay her back down then covered her with the sheets.

Derrick gaze admiringly at her. Her tears dried up on her cheeks but that doesn't make her less beautiful.

She looks beautiful even in her sleep. A sleeping beauty!

God wasn't wrong when he sent her his way.