HER LAST MISTAKE

That morning, Vilian didn't feel so good about walking out. She had no choice but to use the gym at the mansion. It wasn't like she obliged her stepmother. She was unfairly thirstier than usual in the morning. Not to mention that her chest was slightly burning. Vilian sipped the water from her bottle for the umpteenth time as she headed to the fitness room.

I must be having acidity, she thought and made a note to have food a little better than usual.

As she came to stand in front of the transparent glass door, she glanced behind her and felt someone stare at her. But there weren't any to spot. She shook her head and stepped into the room.

There wasn't much equipment in it. It was located right beside the garden, separated from the Frost mansion. It wasn't the first time she had entered the room. But once or twice. The room solely belonged to her stepmother. As far as she knew, she was a yoga and meditation person. So the room was filled with some weird and unknown tools that Vilian didn't even know how they worked, let alone their names.

The only few things she recognized were the yoga mat and the stability ball. There was a jumping rope too. Vilian dropped her little sports bag beside the doorstep and walked over to the pieces of equipment, observing one after another, before she opened all the ventilating shutters and let the fresh air in. The sun was yet to rise fully. But the little reflection was enough to bathe the whole room in gold.

Vilian took off her jacket and dropped it in her bag before she started her exercises with little stretches and then push-ups. Push-ups followed by jumping jacks, and jumping jacks followed by squats. She lost track of time as she continued doing exercises.

The door to the fitness room opened slightly and closed, not quite audible enough to reach Vilian, for she had her ears plugged into her AirPods as usual during her workouts. She was doing her downward push-ups after her upward push-up stretches. But suddenly, her reflexes kicked in as soon as she felt a hand crawl up her back. She rotated around and stood up immediately in alert, only to see the ugly grin of the pervert.

A teasing whistle left his lips as he ran his gaze over her body and licked his lips lustily.

"Woho! Look at you. What a sexy body my fiance has, huh?"

Vilian soon walked over to the door to pick up her jacket from the floor before she glared at Eric.

"Not so fast, baby," she heard him say and was soon pulled by her waist harshly. She was shocked at her death as she crashed into his body. Her whole body was on alert and itchy, trying to get rid of him. She wiggled and struggled to get rid of him as she gritted her teeth.

"Let go of me, Eric," she screamed in rage.

"Tch! Tch! Tch!" He clicked his tongue thrice and leaned forward behind her, nudging his head on her nape as he had her both hands locked tightly in his and breathed in her lustily.

Vilian could feel chills running down her spine from disgust. Biting her teeth, she mustered her strength and kicked his balls as hard as possible. The clutch on her hands loosened. Soon she pushed him away and dashed toward the door, before grabbing her bag and locking the door from outside, while Eric was still writhing in pain and crouching down on the floor.

She glanced at him over the glass. It seemed like he was screaming as he glared at her, but she could not hear from the other side. She pointed her middle finger at him before she walked away.

As she fastened her pace toward the back door, she took out her phone and glanced at the digital time displaying on the screen. It was five past eight already.

"Ms. Vilian!"

A familiar male voice came from behind her, a little distanced from her, and called out.

"A word, please," she heard the man plead from behind, approaching her. Vilian didn't bother to spare a glance at him. Instead, she took off one of the bag straps and placed her bottle in the backpack.

"What is it, Marcus?" She continued with the underlying irk, "Has he been repulsed by my departure?"

"I'm afraid it isn't that, Mi'lady."

Vilian glanced at the fidgeting man.

"Master would wish to have a word with you, mi'lady," he scratched his head and waved up behind him.

Vilian swiped her gaze up lazily and spotted her father standing up at the gazebo, his gaze sharply set on her. She sighed and retraced her steps into the mansion through the main door as she tightened her fingers on the thin bag strap.

As she walked out toward the gazebo, she could see her father standing in the same place he was in earlier. As Marcus announced her presence, he just nodded his head, not once bothering to glance behind at her or greet her as a father would do to his child. Marcus walked away from him before bowing his head and leaving the room for the two to continue their conversation. It must be one of his orders, thought Vilian. Marcus gave her a reassuring smile, his gaze softening toward her before he left the room. But reassuring her did little for her at the moment.

"You called for me?" Vilian questioned with much caution and heard a deep sigh.

"Oh, my... dear... daughter." She heard him drag the latter, "Vilian, is it?" He pretended as if he'd forgotten her name, trying to irk her.

When was the last time she heard him address her as his daughter when there wasn't anyone else? The last time she remembered was when she had pulled a stunt in front of his important guest, and he had called her that way when he'd planned to punish her, to spend a whole week out of the mansion with no food to eat and no proper clothes to protect her from the chilly weather. She was only ten and was pushed out to walk out in the middle of the night.

The very thought of it terrified her inner particles, her whole being. She could feel chills running down her spine. He turned at once with a cynical gaze as if he had something hidden under his sleeves. She saw him take a slow step toward her, thoughtfully.

"Hmm... Do you know why you've been summoned here, my dear?" He neared her, but she didn't dare budge as she held her chin up and gazed right into her father's eyes. "I see... You've grown extra heads recently, huh?" A loud chuckle left his lips, sweating her fisted palms. He walked slowly around her as he came to stand right behind her. She felt her breath catch in her throat in fear.

"If that's all you had wanted to speak of, excuse me," said Vilian, turning to leave. But she felt the strong and heavy hand on her shoulder, frightening her to death. She disguised her fear as if she were not facing him at all.

"Tch! Tch!" Demus patted her shoulder slowly but made sure she felt how irked he was. "We're not done," he said as he smiled and continued, "At least, not yet, my dear, be a loving daughter." There it was again. The unusual endearment.

"I'm running late," she said.

"Oh! Are you? But I'm curious what that could be for."He asked the question knowingly. "Well, let's put that aside. Astrel told me about the modeling contract he had canceled for his winter collection with that general's daughter or whoever it is and explained the situation briefly. Though it is strange of him to hire someone measly and merely experienced in this field, I see quite a lot of advantages when taken into consideration," he said, degrading Vilian so lowly. Vilian gritted her teeth.

'Such a sly fox. You would even sell your daughter to get you and your ass of a mistress into the world of power!' her head screamed as she glared at the man, who now walked ahead, facing his back to her.

"I, of all, demand that you be at your best, though I'm very aware of your inexperience. Don't tick me off, girl," he said as he eyed her up and down boringly. "Given that he himself had called me and requested that I come, I'm surprised at it. I have no idea what he saw in you. But whatever it is, remember you're doing this for the company."

There was a brief pause before he continued what he was to say and glanced over at the gazebo, "Don't you dare think of doing something reckless as to offend him, which will also be your last mistake and the very reason to dig up your own grave," he warned her as he glanced over his shoulder at her threateningly.

"Leave!" he yelled annoyingly as he waved his hand, shooing her away as if she were some measly peasant.