by Jude Ouvrard
The clock already showed three o’clock. I had to get out of here. Calvin had another two hours of work from what he had told me, and I was starting to have a bad headache. Probably due to the anxiety.
I grabbed my things and made my way to Tina, who appeared to be talking on the phone.
“What do you want me to do, Candi? Iris is everywhere, watching over me. She’s smart, she’s not stupid.” She listened to what Candice had to say. “I know. I’ll guide you. I’ll get her to you as long as I can get my hands on Calvin or Justin.”
What? Hell, no.
“Okay, Okay, calm the F down. No Calvin.”
I had heard enough; it was about to make me sick to my stomach and my head had started pounding. I knocked on Tina’s door and opened it without waiting. Tina told Candice to hold the line.
“I’m going home. I’m not feeling well. Please let my fiancé know as soon as he’s out of his meeting, okay?” I made myself clear, knowing Candice could hear me.
“I’m sorry, I’ll tell him as soon as I see him.” She gave me a devilish smile, or maybe it was only my imagination. She, too, wanted Calvin, and that was when I knew her job here would only last a day. I wouldn’t allow it to go any longer. Tonight, I would find time to talk to Calvin about this, and I damn well knew he wouldn’t accept Tina into his company.
I walked out of the building with shaky hands and a pounding heart. My guts were telling me Candice knew no limits, and she would do about anything for Calvin. On his part, Calvin had tried repeatedly to smooth things down while I had chosen to ignore her. God, what kind of a mess was I in?
I had to fight to keep him.
I had to because he was mine.
There was so freaking way I would suffer a broken heart again. Never.
Calvin loved me and I had never loved anyone the way I loved him.
When I reached the sidewalk, Justin yelled my name as he came running toward me. “Have you talked to Calvin yet?”
“No, he’s still in his meeting and he hasn’t answered my texts. I’m not feeling good. I’m going home.”
“I’m heading that way, you need a ride?”
“Yeah, better than a cab.”
He laughed. “Wow, thanks, I’ll take it as a compliment.”
I followed him close. “It’s not what I meant. I had a shitty day and now, I’m dealing with the Tina-Candice issue.” He stopped mid-track. “I’m sorry. Thanks for offering,” I said with a coy smile.
“You better not get yourself in trouble. I won’t have that fucker in a mentally crazy state again. I’ve dealt with this enough already.” He unlocked his car with the remote. “Get in.” I did. Justin sounded angry. Or was he trying to scare me? “I’m serious, Iris. Stay away. He has it under control.”
“Yes, I’ll stay away. I’m just going home,” I lied. I so damn well knew Candice had heard me telling Tina I was leaving. “I have a headache and I really need to lie down. No WW3 planned yet.”
Silence reigned throughout the car. We were in traffic and I didn’t expect to make it home in under thirty minutes. I started getting agitated because whatever would happen, I couldn’t get hurt or Calvin would lose it. Justin had a point. I had put Calvin through enough. Was I having second thoughts? Maybe, but I had to remain fearless.
I closed my eyes and focused on Calvin. Images of us, words he had spoken to me, promises and love declarations. Focusing on the good part of us would keep me strong. His touch, how soft his lips were every time he kissed me, and then there was that smile. That smile that had the power of making my insides twist instantly into knots. Calvin had very good genes— his eyes, and his hair. I sighed. I loved him for everything that he was and today, being away from him, had turned out to be the longest day ever.
“Iris, wake up, you’re home.” Justin woke me up with his loud voice.
“Oh crap! I’m sorry, I dosed off.”
He smiled. “You should rest, Iris. You look like crap.” His smile widened. “Good crap, though. I’ll talk to Calvin about Tina. I can’t let this go. He would kick my ass if he found out I knew something about it.”
I knew Danielle would tell Justin everything. “I just want him to come home to me. Don’t keep him away from me for too long.” I said, getting out of the car. “Maybe I should be the one talking to him.”
“The faster he knows, the better. Look, I have to get going, but please, until Calvin finds out, you should stay inside.”
I nodded, knowing he had a point, but it frustrated me. Everybody acted so protective around me. I could defend myself most of the time. I always had when I was back home.
The security guy saluted me as I entered the building. I pressed the elevator button, feeling my headache growing stronger. Stress would do that to me. The doors opened and I entered; a couple followed close behind me and another walked on behind them while I entered the code to the penthouse. I kept to myself, praying everything would be fine, from the headache to Candice. The couple got out on the third floor. I kept my eyes closed while I massage my forehead. When I reached the penthouse, I got out and realized I was followed by a silhouette. My eyes met with hers.
“Candice.” What a surprise! I wish I had kept myself on guard and watched who came in the elevator.
“Hi, Iris. I don’t want to scare you. I’m here to talk.”
“Don’t you think you went a little bit overboard to talk to me?” My voice didn’t come out as strong and confident as I had wished. Weakness didn’t have its place here.
She came closer to me, forcing me to step back. “It would be a lot easier if you weren’t ignoring me.”
“I’ll give you that. What do you want?”
“I want you out. Calvin and I shared something and I want it back.”
“You want your job back?”
“Him, in every way I can.” She worked hard to intimidate me. In all honesty, it worked for a brief moment, until I remembered Calvin was mine. Mine only.
My heart started pounding as the elevator’s doors closed and I was stuck with her in my home. She looked pissed, and she smelled of alcohol. I thought I would confront her in the lobby, but not in a place I thought was safe. Blaming myself for not being more careful in the elevator wouldn’t help me now, but it didn’t stop me from wishing I would have paid more attention.
"What's your plan, now?" I asked and Candice laughed to my face. "You want him, but you got me. What are you planning to do?"
"I just want to talk." Yeah, right. I wasn’t that dumb. She knew that by getting to me, Calvin would show up and listen.
My head pounded and each heartbeat made me wince as it echoed through my skull. I tried to think, to keep my cool, but really, I had no idea where this would lead me. Had she planned on killing me? I hated this situation.
"I need to get something to drink. Follow me."
"Don't you feel lucky to be living here? All of this, you didn’t work for it, it’s not yours."
"Don't worry, Candice, I wake up every day of my life reminding myself of exactly that." What a bitch! I already knew I wasn’t bringing anything to the table. She wanted to make me feel worthless, and it worked. “I may not be perfect, but you’re not either.” I shouldn’t have said that out loud. "Do you want something to drink?"
"I'm not here to chit chat with you like we're best friends. I need you to understand that you’ll back off. Calvin and I were just fine before you arrived," she slurred, her breath hitting my face. She smelled of hard liquor.
"What about Calvin? Doesn’t he have a say? Don't you care what he wants?"
She stepped closer to me and I kept my eyes on her, fearless.
"Are you really sure he wants you? Because I'm the one he claims in the bedroom every night, and every morning for that matter."
"It's a lie. He used to be perfectly happy with me." Anger filled the tone of her voice. I expected her to get more aggressive. She looked furious.
"If you say so." I tried to act like I didn’t care; like I didn’
t feel threatened. I poured myself a glass of wine and left it on the counter while I turned my back to her and grabbed some Advil from the opposite cabinet. I had a feeling this situation would end in a bad way. "Are you really serious about this, Candice?"
I turned around to face her, put the Advil into my mouth and sipped some wine to down the pills.
"I want you out. It's that simple." She watched me with a smile that made my stomach twist in knots.
"Okay." I shrugged. “Remember that he asked me to marry him, not the other way around.” Maybe I should stop pushing her over the edge.
My phone started ringing. I had left it on the small table not too far from the elevator. I started talking to distract her, so I could get to it, but she stopped me in my tracks.
"Don't. Let it ring," she ordered. “It’s not important.”
"If you know Calvin like you think you do, you would know that if I don’t answer, he’ll worry. He’ll come to me or send Justin. You decide, but I think it would be smarter if I pick up the phone." Please, agree to this. Please.
Her eyes went from me to my purse, back and forth until she made her decision. Please, please, let me pick up. Calvin would know only by the sound of my voice that something was up.
"Go. Don’t say I'm here," she said, displeased.
I ran to the phone, my knees shaking. "Hello."
"Babe, thank God. Are you okay?"
"No." I could feel the tears coming, but I had to stop it from happening. Candice stood feet away from me in the kitchen. She could hear everything.
"Is Candice with you? Please say no."
"Yes, Calvin. I’ll see you soon."
I hung up knowing he knew everything he needed to know. I expected him, Justin, or the police to be here in no time.
She came to me and only now, I noticed Candice wasn’t wearing her typical slutty outfit. She had running shoes, yoga pants and a t-shirt, all in black. Probably why I hadn’t recognized, or noticed her in the first place.
“What did he say?”
I didn’t know what to say to her. “Nothing of importance.”
“What did he say?” This time she screamed every word, inches from my ear, making me jump in shock.
“I don’t have to tell you what the fuck he said, Candice. It’s between me and my fiancé.” Fiancé pissed her off, I could tell by the look on her face. She hurled herself at me, and before I knew it, I was spinning and falling to the floor. She back-handed me with unexpected force.
“You’re crazy, Candice. You’re fucking crazy,” I said getting back up and she laughed. Her laughter was unstoppable. I backhanded her and her neck snapped to the side. She stopped laughing and stared at me with furious eyes.
“I’m not crazy, but you’re wasting my time. I have to eliminate you.”
“Eliminate me? Good luck with that. I’ve faced people much stronger than you before.” The taste of blood in my mouth reminded me of the attack a couple of months ago. I started to believe Candice had a mischievous plan to hurt me or kill me. With unsteady legs, I got back to the kitchen and spat some of the blood in the sink. I hated the taste. I drank more of my wine and Candice started laughing again.
“The process of elimination has already began. Maybe Calvin won’t have enough time to rescue you. There’s traffic, and Calvin will be busy with a very demanding Tina, who really wants to be a good assistant.”
“Screw you, Candice,” I groaned. “He already knows about you, and Justin’s probably not too far from here.”
“How sad it is when you’re depending on your boyfriend and his right-hand man to defend you.”
“I’m not. I want him to see you for who you really are. He won’t be with you after that. He’ll be disgusted by how much of a lowlife you really are.”
“Shut up! Just shut the fuck up.” She pushed me against the counter, my back hitting the marble.
“You’re losing it, and losing him too, for good,” I spat at her and she retorted with another slap to my face. I had it coming, but yet, I couldn’t react fast enough. The signal between my brain and limbs came too slow.
“Are you going to let me hit you so easily?” she said, hitting me again. My cheeks were burning and my vision was blurry. Was I crying, or was it because she was hurting me? I had no idea. “I thought you were going to fight me harder for your man, your fiancé, but it looks like you’re too weak.”
I tried to hit her, I used all my strength, but she stopped me. I tried again and I got her, but only because she was laughing so much.
“Ow!” Her hand covered her jaw where I had hit her. “You still have some power in you, little minx.”
I felt nauseous, dizzy, and sick to my stomach. Why? I had never felt like this before. Every body part had become heavy and I could barely control myself.
“How are you feeling now, Iris? How are you liking the wine?”
She drugged me. She fucking drugged me. Panic raised in me. What had she given me? How much? I didn’t want to die of an overdose. “You’re a sick bitch, you know that?”
“I told you I would get rid of you. You should have never turned your back on me.” She laughed. “I’ll be the one taking care of Calvin when you’re gone.”
I tried pushing her away, but I had become so weak; I barely made her move while I fell to my knees. She pushed hard enough to make me fall on the floor. Helpless and unable to get up, I started crawling to where I had left my phone. My hope to make it was slim to nothing, but I had to try. It was all I had. I could hear it ring, or at least, that was what I thought was happening. Everything surrounding me seemed to be coming from another world. My head had started playing games with me, while Candice tried her best to keep me down. I could feel her pushing me or yelling at me, but I had one goal in mind, and it took everything out of me. Pain radiated throughout my body, but it didn’t stop me from reaching the one thing that could get me out of here alive.
I needed help after all. I had to be saved from this hell.
My legs were numb. I climbed up to reach the top of the counter and grabbed my phone. Everything around me spun so fast, way too fast, making me tumble back to the floor. It rang as soon as I took possession of it. I pressed the answer button but Candice appeared and put tape on my mouth so tight I had trouble breathing. Screaming with my mouth shut, anger got the best of me. If only it had been strong enough to make me fight. I kicked her and she laughed to my face. I tried removing the tape, but I couldn’t find the beginning or the end. My nails dug under the tape, and I pulled. My need for air became my reason to fight. Once I uncovered my mouth, I yelled Calvin’s name as loudly as I could.
Candice talked on her cellphone. I heard the mention of Tina’s name a couple of times.
“Tina, I’ll have Calvin, she’s about to suffocate. She’s weak, so weak,” she said with a smile on her face. “You did a good job, baby girl. I’ll get you the money you need.”
My breathing was still sporadic and the need to vomit became uncontrollable. I started vomiting on the floor, on me. I couldn’t even try to move. My body was about to shut down and die. I could feel it. Breathing hurt and vomiting exhausted me.
Before the dark side took me completely, I watched Candice leave the penthouse. The smile that appeared on her face before she hid her hair and features under the hood of her sweatshirt was pure evil.
I coughed and coughed, needing air or help, but I was alone and dying.
My eyes closed and the blackness took over.
Was I in the middle of an earthquake? Everything appeared to be shaking around me. I could barely hear any sounds. My back hurt, I had no idea where I was, but it wasn’t comfortable.
“Ms. Hartwell… Ms. Hartwell… Help is on the way,” a man informed me. He sounded so far away.
I kept coughing and coughing; it was all I could really feel. A burning sensation in my throat and chest. I wanted to ease the pain, but couldn’t move. Without any warning sign, I started vomiting again even thought I had nothing left in me. I
t hurt so badly.
“Ms. Hartwell… please.”
Lightning, flashes of light into my eyes. It irritated me.
“Ms. Hartwell, wake up, please,” I heard a foreign voice ordering me. Who was he? Where was I?
I tried opening my eyes. I did, but it made me dizzy. “Why?” Why was the security guy with me? I had never spoken to him before.
“Mr. Banks will be here soon. Keep your eyes open,” he begged, and I wondered why.
Mr. Banks. “Calvin…” I whispered before going back to the darkness. My body floated, my mind raced, and my heart ached.
Calvin, I need you.
I’m dying.
My body started shaking again, I had no control over it. It shook even while someone tried to keep me in place. I could feel a pressure, strong hands holding my shoulders and then, it went silent. I ran as far as I could from the dark shadows. I was out of breath and begging for air. Would I really die that way? What kind of death was this? My life meant too much, Calvin loved me and I wanted to be there for him. I had to fight.
I ran through deep grey clouds. I couldn’t see the end, or hear any sounds. All I thought about was reaching the light and inhaling the fresh air. My lungs hurt. I had no oxygen as I ran faster and faster. The clouds became a blur, a never-ending mass of darkness before me. Images appeared in the blur. It went too fast; like a plane crashing down from the sky, except the crash never came. Rose, I could feel her, see her. I couldn’t just go like that. I had to breathe, I needed some air. Panic rose in me as I gasped for air.
I heard numerous beeps and people talking, but nothing I could comprehend. A huge relief came upon me when I finally felt oxygen filling my lungs. More beeps. My body and mind were exhausted, I relaxed and let myself find peace. I lost myself in a deep sleep.
Shivers ran up and down my body; I was cold, but I felt better. My imagination keep me alert. It was so freeing; I had difficulties differentiating the reality from a dream. I had images of Calvin and my sister while we were in Florida. Flashes of my nights out with Krys and Danielle.
But why couldn’t I open my eyes and wake up from that blur? What happened to me? Panic set back into my mind. More beeps came from the outside world; echoes of different voices resonated in my mind, and soon I was brought back to a peaceful sleep.