Chapter 164 Victim

"Where is she?"

Meredith took her breath with a deadly glare, asking with all seriousness. She wasn't even doing anything but Sofia was already shaking because just like the dark man, Meredith is not a woman to mess with. She has heard stories about how dangerous this woman can be if she is tempted. Looking at her at this moment, she already looked like she had been pissed enough.

"Y-You didn't book an appointment ma'am, if you did, she would have honored it".

Meredith scoffed.

"What does an uncultured pet know about honor?"

"What?"

Sofia was shocked. Is she referring to Zhavia?? Her lips slowly parted in disbelief as she tried to speak but no words could replace the anxiety. She did not understand why Nicholas's mum would say a thing like that concerning Zhavia.

"Oh don't tell me an unfortunate loyal dog like you is also a dumbo".

Meredith still had the indifferent look on her face with her legs crossed as she looked at the woman in front of her in disdain. She wasn't even impressed at all by her efforts to look as confident as she could, she was just annoyed. Her pride was all over the place and was too overflowed that she found Sofia pathetic.

"With all due respect ma'am, I..."

"Do not speak when I speak".

Meredith spoke in a calm and dangerous tone, cutting her off before she could complete her words.

"Keep your pathetic opinions to yourself and never interrupt me until you seize to breathe, am I clear?"

Her pride was scattered all over the place as she spoke in dominance and her eyes were on the head that was bent down to the floor. She had finally succeeded in suppressing and oppressing the innocent lady that looked up to her so much. All her life, Meredith had always been her idol and now this encounter with her just made her realize her place. Everything she had dreamed to say to her, to do, everything gradually dissipated from her head and was replaced with dismay. She was deeply disappointed.

"Y-Yes ma'am".

"A pitiful thing like you should know where you belong and where do not, don't you think?"

And as those words left her lips, she stood up unhurriedly with power secreting from her effortlessly.

"Now, you deliver this message to your boss, tell her that she will be seeing me pretty soon".

Meredith's words sank into Sofia's brain. This was the first time in a long time she had felt like dissipating into thin air. The more she tried to process those hurtful words, the more she felt like shit. Her eyes welled with tears, the tears she didn't think would surface. The impact Meredith left was so powerful that even as she left, Sofia still couldn't move. She was stuck to the ground still confused about how everything happened and why it escalated in that manner. At this point, she couldn't even feel anything, not even air.

Her self-confidence was drained.

It was all shitfest in her head.

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Anthony's eyes were filled with gloom. The fact that he has to do all of these things for a woman that literally detects him just suffocates him to a point where he is choking from irritation. He has never wanted this, none of these. As a matter of fact, he didn't have anything that he had an interest in, or anything interesting going on in his life until he met Meredith. She was the only one that ignited his ambitious side again. She made him interested in exploring the entire world with her.

All he wanted was just to be with her and forget about everything else. He was willing to commit his entire life to her, just with her, that was how much she had him. Hell, she had him good.

"Sir, the appointment with Mr. K.A has been declined". Jordan added– his new P.A.

"Then book another one".

"But sir, this has been going on for months now. K.A is a tough man and he won't give in so easily".

"Every man has a weakness, is it not?"

Jordan hesitated for a while before answering him nervously. "Y-Yes, sir".

"That is how we get him. His weakness".

Anthony's eyes were outside the moving car as he spoke. His gaze was on the road but he was focused on something else. One of the reasons why he came back and decided to carry on the empire was because he wanted to prove himself. He was tired of playing a too-good card. He wanted to go just go away and live a normal peaceful life far away from everything and everyone, but on the verge of doing that he stumbled upon his joy and pain. She made him this way. Yes, Meredith did.

Apart from the fact that SHE stopped him, he knew that it was inevitable. He knew that he would always go back to his responsibilities, he knew that they would always hunt him, and to spare everyone the trouble, he had to return– on the other hand, if she did not hurt him, they would have been living their lives on an island, in a secluded place far from everyone, happy and together. God, what he would do to get that kind of peace.

They were at the airport before he even knew what was happening. He looked around and the entire place was filled with bodyguards and flooded with armed convoys.

He scoffed.

This was what he tried to run away from. This was why he left in the first place. He has never wanted any of this, he hated being in the spotlight. This was not the kind of life he had ever wanted to live, but of course, he is the crowned prince of Paris and he has no choice.

Anthony was irritated to his bones. He had a cold expression as he stepped out of the car in a swift and headed to the jet. His gracious steps were accompanied by others behind him, and his dark aura left everyone spineless.

Anthony De Corrigan || was now Anthony The Ruthless.

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Zhavia sat on the couch with her eyes on the novel she was reading. Her legs were in a folded and relaxed position and her eyes moved slowly. She had managed to calm her nerves after the warm bath in the spring. Somehow, Bennett's therapy helped her, she was no longer shaking as she was before and all the tension she felt dissipated. 

She managed to settle into one of her favorite things to do. Thinking about it, she hadn't done it in a while. Reading was the only thing that took her out of the world apart from being with Nicholas. It is the only thing that makes her at peace with herself and everything else. 

Her eyes scrolled through the pages and her fingers directed the sheets one after the other, making her drown deeper and deeper into another world's entirety, exploiting and exploring at once. She didn't even notice Tiger's presence when he walked in. Inside the dark room, her mind gaze, and concentration were on the chapters she covered in minutes.

He also did not see her there when he walked in because she was crouched on the couch in the darkness. She didn't make a single sound. His steps toward the shelf of whiskey that was behind were soft and swift like a ninja. He always came into this room whenever he wanted to repress his rage, or whenever he felt like having peace. This was like his thinking space, his little space he found for himself whenever he was stressed out, so he did not even suspect that anyone would be there and in this part of the mansion.

He took a glass from the shelf and poured a little amount of the liquid into it, gulping it in one go and immediately filling the glass again. God, he was mad. He came back late because he didn't want to transfer the rage he felt to anyone, he just wanted to be alone. He wanted to cool off alone.

After gulping down the second glass, he felt the burn down his throat and loved the feeling. It helped him feel something other than the anger he felt and it brought him back to sanity and he was thankful because he was already losing his mind. He even felt the urge to light a cigarette which he rarely does unless he goes psycho mode. Fuck it, he was on the verge of going into that mode at this point. That brat pulled his strings and is getting under his skin slowly. She was gradually pulling him into his bloody days and he was scared of being pulled back into that state, it will be difficult to stop when he starts.

Unhurriedly, he moved into the door at the left and strode in with a slight clank. At that moment, her gaze went up. She was alerted. This time she was certain that she wasn't hallucinating, there was someone definitely in the room with her. 

When she heard the sound of the water, she started shaking again. She didn't even know how to react at this point. She just wanted to run, she didn't want to stay and watch or see what was in there. Her pace was the fastest she had ever taken as she dashed out of the room, forgetting that she had been In a world of fantasy some minutes ago. She didn't even care about that anymore.

Her breath was ragged and her footsteps were the only sound in the hallway. Somehow, she started regretting why she strolled there in the first place. Her eyes moved everywhere as she became even more scared. God, she was terrified. She had never been scared of anything before but at this moment everything felt like a horror movie. She couldn't even tell where all these sounds were coming from and why all those strange things were happening. 

The moment she arrived at the stairway she came from, she started walking upward, looking back with every step she took. Her steps were hurried as her heart raced, she didn't want to spend one more second in there. When Nicholas was there none of these things happened, all these strange things began when he left and she was beginning to feel paranoid.

Just as she was about to open the large door that lead to the main large hall, she quickly remembered her phone. She left her phone behind. Hell, how did she forget that? Her heart still raced in her chest as she tried to steady her breath. She turned around and stared at the place the just retreated from and had second thoughts about just forgetting about the phone. She didn't move from the spot where she stood, she was still contemplating whether to go back or just walk away, but she needed the phone. What if Nicholas calls? What if he texts her?

Fuck it I would get another one.

But what if he calls tonight?

Shit, I can't miss his call.

Her mind was a complete mess. She couldn't decide. She tried to move from the spot where she stood but her legs were stuck to the ground.

Damn it Zhavia, get yourself together.

With a deep breath, she managed to move her feet, and with another deep breath, she move the other, dragging her body back to the terrifying zone she had just come out of. Before she realized herself, she was moving again, her heart racing in her chest, her palms wet from fear, and her body trembling visibly.

The stairs were even longer as she took a step towards after another. If she is going to die today, she will die knowing that she was trying to save the only connection she has with him for the two weeks he will be away.

Finally, she took the last step and began moving warily with her eyes everywhere. God, how did she end up like this? She didn't ever think that she would be in a situation like this her entire life. She had watched movies but never did she think that she would be in one at a point in her life.

The most terrifying of it all was that this hallway wasn't one of the brightest, It had more shades than light. She strode to the door that held her phone inside as her heart was about to escape from her chest. She was sure that she was going to wet her pants if she encounters anything.

Her fingers gripped the double handles as she pushed gently with all the strength she could muster up from her both arms because they had long given up on her. She was completely numb from head to toe.

Fuck! 

She was already regretting her decision to come back, she should have just forgotten about the phone.

The large doors opened with loud creeks and she closed her eyes to the sound, praying that she hadn't triggered whatever was in there or called its attention to herself. Slowly, she opened her eyes to the dim room, observing everywhere, before forcing her legs to move.

Her steps were soft and smooth, she tried her hardest to not even breathe when she moved steadily to the couch she sat on before. Her eyes searched everywhere and held onto a spot when she found the phone as her fingers moved hurriedly to it.  She wasn't willing to spend even a single second in there any longer. Just as she breathed out in relief and was about to turn around to leave, his eyes trapped her breath and her throat was given all the strength her body was deprived of as she screamed her lungs out in a high-pitched tone.

"Arrrrrhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh".

Her phone wasn't even in her grip anymore. As a matter of fact, it was nowhere to be found. She wasn't even sure she could still stand. Her eyes were closed and so was her fist. It was the most amusing thing that Tyler had ever seen in his entire life.

He saw her tiptoed into his private room and wondered what she was doing in there. He knew that she didn't see him but he wanted to just watch her and see what she was about to do. Getting this reaction from her on the verge of asking her what she was doing there was just ridiculous. The fact that she came in there on her own and was now the victim baffled him in a way.

Great! just what I need after a long day.

"Are you okay?"

He asked nonchalantly with a folded arm and sarcasm scattered around the place. His eyes were still on her as she stopped screaming and opened her eyes slowly to his voice.

Fucking playing the victim huh?

God, he hated that he had to be the one to do this.

"Tyler?"

She managed.