3 chapter 2– marred reputation

Reaching her quaint home, Sabrina walks into the familiar, monotonous, quiet house. Suppressing a sigh, Sabrina removes her shoes and pads over into the kitchen.

Maria Marlo, the head of the maids, greets her and passes by. The only maid that dares to speak to her is Rachelle.

They're all afraid of the Chase couple, fearing their lives and reputations.

"If only I could invite Amanda and Akiyah." Mumbling to herself she continues with her daily routine.

Get a snack, change into clothes and study until night time.

Her parents are hardly there, leaving her with the house and the maids that pop out of nowhere.

She sighs as she thinks how lonely she is and being an only child is harder than it may seem. She'd rather have siblings  than the loneliness that she experiences almost everyday.

A bright note sticks out like a sore thumb, stuck onto the modern refrigerator.

'Won't be back till late. Love you xx.'

The usual note left by her mother, the handwriting a dead giveaway.

"Parents not coming back?" Rachelle asks Sabrina, sending her flying up. The suprise and slight fear of someone coming in had disappeared upon seeing her.

"You gave me a fright, Rach." She holds onto her chest as though the pain of fear had stricken her deeply.

"Don't be such a dolt, you should've known I was around."

"Well you're making yourself to be a dunce, my parents report to you guys about their whereabouts. They hardly tell me." The thought of her parents leaving without telling her, makes her fall into slight tremors.

"I'm sorry, Pooh. You know they love you." Sabrina laughs at the nickname and the outrageous statement she said.

Love? Her parents don't know the meaning of such a thing.

"Mh, I believe you."

"Nana." Rachelle pouts out her lips and attempts to comfort her Pooh.

"Okay okay. I've got to go study."

"Okay, call me if you need anything."

If only you could bring me happiness. Sabrina thinks to herself and only brings more sadness upon her shoulders.

Much, much more.

°•°•°

"Knock knock."

A faint voice speaks from the other side of Sabrina's door, momentarily taking her out of her trance.

"Come in."

Her father steps in, still in his business suit and muddled hair, an unusual sight.

"I need to talk to you."

Sabrina faces him fully, giving her full attention. She nods and proceeds to gesture for him to sit on her bed, not really comfortable with someone standing while she's sitting.

"I'll be frank with you. Your mother's reputation has been marred by a newspaper article and she's devastated. We're trying to fix it but she seems to have lost hope. Will you cheer her up?"

Sabrina suppresses a scoff and nods, much to her dismay.

"Of course father, anything for you guys."

He stands with a satisfied smile, moves closer to her and hugs her like she's just done him a favour. A favour she wishes to never had agreed on.

"She's in the study if you want to see her." She nods and he swiftly leaves the room, leaving her glacial room.

The feeling that's left is void of any warmth and feeling like being in a vault, trapped.

She stands and prepares to go cheer her mother up. What can she actually do that will cheer the grumpy woman she calls mother?

Stepping into the narrow hallway, she moves hurriedly towards the study. She passes by a swarthy, scrawny sculpture, wondering what her parents saw in such a thing.

Standing in front of the oak doors, she prepares herself for her mother's possible wrath. Two knocks and a faint voice replies back, sounding distraught.

"Mother."

"Sabrina." As she assess her mother, she notices how dim the room is and the faint smell of cigarettes and perfume lingering in the air.

She scrunches her nose as she sees the burning cigarette, wafting up unbearable air.

"You're back to smoking, I see."

"And you're criticizing me again."

It's true, Sabrina used to criticize and judge her mother, frowning her nose up and acting better than she is. When in actual fact, they were the exact same.

"I'm sorry, mother. Father has asked me to cheer you but you're hard to please."

"Pft, don't you think I know that already? You're my spitting image, well personality wise."

Her mother keeps the small stick between her fingers, occasionally taking a drag or two.

"You've told me so many times." Sabrina sighs aggressively and goes to sit across her mother, taking a cigarette and lighting it up.

"Since when do you smoke?"

"Since my parents decided to disappear at odd hours and leave their daughter with a house full of liquor and possibly, drugs."

Her mother shrugs, as though to say she doesn't care and continues smoking in silence.

"You know that stuff will kill you one day." Sabrina says with a cloud of puff surrounding her.

"Same goes to you sweetheart."

If an outsider were to look at them, they would call them crazy. But this is Sabrina's way of cheering her mother up.

"We have to stop eventually, who knows if will live long and we're probably taking away our life span." Her mother moves the small stick away, tapping once then twice and moves it back to her chapped lips.

"You say that but wait for next week." They chuckle and sit in silence.

"What happened, mother?" Like the silent girl she is, she whispers the sentence as though she will be disregarded.

"Funny, real funny. The journalist thought she could be slick but turns out, she's like the rest of these journalists."

"Always hungry for something."

°•°•°

After sitting in the room for hours, puffing out toxic air and murmurs passed about, Sabrina treads tiredly to her room.

Upon opening her door, she sees a small but slim figure, sitting in her plush chair.

"Hello Sabrina." The baritone voice stokes her, sending her heart in a frenzy.

"Hendrik?"

She doesn't believe that his sitting here, in her room, sitting comfortably in the plush chair.

"I had to come after hearing tragic news about your mother. Is she alright?"

She nods meekly and slowly steps in, forgetting that she's not alone in this mansion of a house. She never knows who could be lurking about.

"But why come all the way here? Couldn't you call?"

He chuckles, a chilling, blood curling chuckle.

"Sabrina, I care too much about you. I needed to see you."

As she walks closer to him, she catches a whiff of alcohol.

"Mh."

Is all she could reply. A simple reply, yet it has alot of meaning behind it.

"Did you not miss me Sabrina?"

He stands up, slowly and carefully, towering over her small frame.

"Did you not?"

A heavy sigh leaves her lips, leaving the room feeling cold and a gentle gust of warmth emitting from Hendrik.

"I did miss you, Hendrik."

He grins, a beautiful yet evil grin. He grabs a hold of her hips and just like the first time, he kisses her ever so slowly, tenderly and passionately.

She responds to his kisses, letting her hands travel up to his hair, tugging them softly. The familiar grunt of approval makes her toes curl and stomach clench.

He grabs under her thighs and lifts her easily, like the feather she is to him. His memorised the room many times, so it's not hard to find the plush bed and placing her gently.

He kisses her jaw, holding her closer to him. He needs her, just like an addict needs their drug. He can't describe the feeling of being with her, the heavenly scent that emits from her and the euphoric feeling he gives her.

Every single time.

"Hendrik." She murmurs lowly, as though whispering a secret.

His always described that sound as a blissful sound.

"Why do you like it when I- moan your name?" Sabrina sits perched on the counter with a chocolate cookie in her hand.

"It's the adrenaline of stolen kisses, how secretive they are. Just like how stolen water is sweet and bread eaten in secret is pleasant."

"I'll accept that answer, only because you smoothed talked your way out of this one." She giggles and he only captures that moment, ready to have a future with her.

She grips his shirt and flips them over, not surprising Hendrik. Knowing how demanding she is, his not at all surprised.

She sits on top of him, smiling gleefully.

"I remember the first time we were like this, an awkward moment that turned out to be the best moment."

He can remember it like it was yesterday, the taste of buttercream on her lips and feeling the frill jacket that she wore. How he wishes to stay in that moment then, reliving the same relishing feel he had felt.

"How can I forget. My kitten is one wild cat." He chuckles as he lets her spread his legs wider, getting comfortable over his hips.

"I'm not the only guilty one here, mister. You're worse."

He remembers how he would turn his head away while she removed the bottom half of her clothing, but now things have changed.

He praises her body everytime she undresses, telling her how beautiful she is. All she can really do, is blush and thank him.

She removes her top and he stares at her silky skin and her gold locks, watching as they fall in tendrils of golden syrup.

Like the sweet honey that she is.

As she begins her slow torture, he feels himself moving closer and closer into the familiar, heavenly state called happiness.

She expertly moves her hips, not needing the help she had once sought out for.

°•°•°

Laying in the dark room, the breaths of both Sabrina and Hendrik tenderly fill the air. Hendrik holds her close, feeling the smooth skin of her back.

"You should leave soon."

He contemplates the idea. He shrugs and begins getting out of the bed.

"What are you doing? What's going on?"

Sabrina sits up, sheets wrapping around her body. The sheets slip off slightly, revealing a little bit of skin. He turns back, staring far too long than needed, and goes back to slipping into his jeans.

"You want me gone and that's what I'm doing. Going."

Sabrina's face falls, all colour drains from her face. Her lips part and she stands, naked as the day she was born. She holds onto his arm, gripping onto his arm tightly.

"No! No, not now Hendrik. I said that just to remind you, not to chase you away. Please stay."

She pleads.

Desperate just for him to stay.

Just for awhile long.

°•°•°