Chapter 4 Four

Channel

"Tsk." I let out a mock chuckle, shaking my head in pity for his foolishness of thinking that I'd bring myself to that degrading level because I needed to pay my debt.

"I'd rather go to jail than agree to become your maid and crawl beneath you." I scoffed, giving Rowan a piercing gaze.

He tilted his head backwards, a stunned look on his face. Was he surprised that I was talking back at him?

"Woah, Channel. Not only are you a whore, but you now have the boldness to talk back at me, right?"

"Mind your words. I am no fucking whore. Let me go this minute and find your damn money!" I yelled out at him.

Constantly listening to him call me a whore was heartbreaking. I couldn't take any more from him.

"Fine. Go get the money as usual by fucking men. You are to bring it to me before the end of next week; otherwise, I wouldn't hesitate to throw you in jail." Rowan growled while pointing a warning finger at me.

"You aren't the judge. The judge didn't make the deadline next week. I still have two weeks to find the money. I'll bring it when I have it." I snapped at him before getting off from the bed and marching to the door, "And thanks for the advice. I'll make sure I fuck thousands of men to bring double the amount of your compensation fee." I added with a big smile on my face before leaving Rowan's mansion after I caused his face to turn red in fury.

***

"Argh!" I screamed out frustratingly, my two hands behind my neck and my legs giving way, and I fell on the soft grass in the park.

I have walked round the whole street of New York, looking for a place to work for just a few hours so that I could earn some bucks to feed myself that night and get a place to stay, but no street shops were accepting me.

I already knew why no one wanted to employ me. Rowan was famous; his family's name, Reynolds, was one name most people in the city feared.

The name was recognized for its massive wealth, power, and most especially, the frightening pride of the family.

Reynolds's family was prideful. They look down on others and don't relate with people beneath their class. The very fact that I was poor and penniless but still found love in Rowan's eyes was one reason I was hated by Rachel and her mom.

I was tormented by words, and coupled with the fact that I couldn't give birth, it gave them more reason to frustrate me.

The more I thought about the Reynolds family, the more my anger intensified. Rowan was now showing me his true colors. He had already begun showing the characters of his family-wicked, heartless, and inhumane.

I couldn't walk into any roadside company because I had no CV or any important qualifications to show them. They wouldn't even allow me in, not to mention ask for any of my qualifications.

I had only graduated from high school and never went to college because of my dad's ailment.

The sun was scorching hot, and it burned my pale, white skin. As I bent in one hidden corner of the park trying to shield myself from the sun, I immediately felt dizzy and unable to hold myself any longer. I flopped onto the soft wet grass, with my eyes tightly shut and my body making a violent shake.

I hadn't taken any food today save the water that Rowan, who was a bit kind, offered me after I had woken up from the short slumber I had been in.

Lying breathlessly on the grass, my mind was in a whirlwind of thoughts, my emotions-unable to hold up together again-broke up, and I began weeping.

I cried for myself, I cried because I pitied my unborn child, and I cried at the thought of Rowan's sudden change from being kind and caring to becoming heartless and wicked.

"A hundred million dollars" kept on ringing in my ears.

"Why the hell am I remembering this? I don't know where I am going to find this outrageous amount of money," I sobbed harder, unashamed of the noise of my sobs, which rang loudly in the park.

I lay in the park for close to thirty minutes in tears. I couldn't think straight; no positive thoughts were coming into my head.

The only thoughts ringing in my head were about killing myself and my child or waiting till I am taken to jail because it was obvious that I'll be going there simply because I have nowhere to get a hundred million dollars from.

"Hey, get up." I heard the deep growl of a man by my side who gave me two sharp kicks by the side of my stomach.

"Who's this jerk?" I growled within me while struggling to open my eyes. Why the hell was he disturbing my sorrowful moment?

Holding my sides, I finally opened my eyes to see a giant standing tall beside me.

Staring down from his legs, which wore white shining loafers, to his legs, which were hidden in tight-fitted black jeans, up to his body, where he wore navy blue turtleneck woollen clothes and a white designer coat over it. On his left wrist were seated a shining golden wristwatch and two men's bracelets, and on his right fingers were four different kinds of rings ranging from gold, diamond, silver, and bronze.

His hair was cut in an Afro style, and the top curled. On his neck sat a huge diamond necklace.

Honestly, he was looking so flashy and well-kept with groomed beards, long lashes, and straight and long jaws with small, thin red lips.

"Gosh! This stranger is strikingly handsome!" My brain sang in awe while my heart stopped beating for some seconds, unwanted butterflies dancing in my stomach.

"Wh-wh," I gulped, unable to find a better way to form a coherent statement.

"Wh-wh-who? Ahh, Christ!" I yelled frustratingly in my head.

With eyes narrowed into tiny lines, lips folding and unfolding in impatience, and with raised shoulders, the stranger tucked in his two hands into his pocket, stretched out his right leg, and with eyes glistening in disdain, he said, "Let's skip the introduction because we don't know each other and get to the reason I am here."

I watched his lips move, words flowing out of them fluently but sounding cold and distant.

"Why are you here?" I muttered, looking confused.

With a heave of a tired breath, he said the words that momentarily paused my breath.

"Channel Sidney, let's get married."