Chapter 9 The family

A low squeak involuntarily went out of Aliza's throat as she wasn't able to believe what her aunt spoke. Fredrick slipped into his bathroom. From the sudden fall, he suffered a shock which landed him in a paralytic stroke. His jaw and lips went twisted to the side. With the irreversible damage undergone by his throat, his vocal cords suffered the brunt of a major damage. He wouldn't be able to speak for the rest of his life.

Small injuries were sustained by his hands and legs too. The damage was beyond repair and the doctor advised he needed complete bed rest for the next two months if he wished to be self-dependent till his death.

Stella had recommended Aliza to take care of him but Fredrick immediately denied it. There was a horror in his eyes no sooner than he heard Aliza's name. Stella was dumbstruck at her brother's sudden transformation. The marriage was out of the question but what got her more annoyed was Fredrick's denial of Aliza's assistance. She argued with her brother that Aliza was his fiancée. Even when Fredrick was in no health to get married Stella wanted to pursue Aliza's marriage with her brother.

Fredrick prohibited his sister blatantly from marriage under any circumstances this time. His ego was falling on the way to tell her the truth. He did not fall but was brutally battered by Aliza's boss to no reprisal. On the other side, Stella was astonished at the sudden change of behavior in her brother. Nevertheless, she wasn't ready to accept her defeat. She was determined to torture the young blameless orphaned girl.

******

After Charla left, Charles called Aliza. On the second ring, she lifted the call. "Good Evening sir." Aliza greeted Charles immediately but he ignored her and ordered a professional. "Next time you plan to go out, you will inform me in advance. You are a girl in your prime age and thus the best target for all the antisocial groups. You stay in my estate and thus screening you from untoward incidents is my responsibility. Because this is the first time I am just leaving you with a warning but I see you break my orders next time, you will vacate my employee quarter immediately. Is that clear Aliza?" Charles raised his voice deflecting his executive power. "Ye..yes sir," Aliza replied timidly, and immediately the call went disconnected without an acknowledgment.

What was that? Was it such a big blunder to go out without informing him?

Little did Aliza know her boss was worried about her till he saw her in the taxi that reached the estate.

The next morning, Aliza wanted to go and visit Fredrick after her working hours. Her aunt wouldn't approve of her leaving her fiancé to his fate. Though Aliza had no attachment for Fredrick except hatred for the suffering she endured because of him she feared the evil eye of her aunt.

This time Aliza was cautious not to make the hackles rise of her boss. When her working hours were over she wanted to inform Charles that she would go to the hospital to meet Fredrick and return home late but Charles had something else planned for her.

Like every day Aliza walked to her boss's room with a cup of coffee. He looked at the mug and then at her in question. "I want a new drawing. Every day a smiley? I'm bored of it." Aliza did not know if she had permission to laugh or just maintain her usual nonplussed nature when she heard her boss throw tantrums about the design on the coffee like a three-year-old kid. She tried her best to arrest her chuckles but the extension of her lips was something impossible to control. "Okay, sir tomorrow I will make a different outline." She somehow managed to speak to him neutral.

As she was about to leave Charles stopped her. "Aliza, yesterday I called to inform you that this evening we are taking a flight to Sydney. I have a business opening to be held there by the end of this month. Remember I had a business meeting a month ago with Mr Rutherford?" Aliza gave a curious nod. "Yes, that deal is settled." Charles triumphed with pride in his eyes. "That is spectacular sir." Aliza complimented with happiness and Charles nodded. "So we will be leaving for Sydney concerning work by this evening in one of my private jets," Charles confirmed in glee.

Aliza did not know what to say to her boss. It was a part of the work she had agreed on while signing the agreement with Richmond Industries but what about Fredrick? How was she going to answer her aunt? She anxiously plays with her fingers looking towards the floor. "Ms Stelwart maintaining eye contact with your boss when he is speaking to you is one of the professional key points and most essential that you have to learn. I have been very liberal with you for not terminating you on the ground." He admonished her with the reflection of irate in his orbs."

Aliza immediately lifted her optics to Charles. "I'm sorry sir, I will not do it again. My fiancée slipped in the washroom yesterday and suffered a paralytic stroke from the shock of the fall. He was admitted to Greenland Hospital. If I do not go and see him, my aunt will be very angry at me. I thought of visiting him today after work but now...." Aliza left her sentence unfinished fearing her boss's reaction.

To the relief of Aliza Charles simply shrugged. "That's no problem Ms Stelwert, we will go and visit your uncle on our way to reach the airport. You can leave now to go home. You may require some time for packing. Isn't it?" He intentionally stressed the word 'uncle' to address Fredrick leaving a clue to Aliza on how much older he is than her to have thought of the wedding. Charles was probably unaware Aliza had no perks on thinking about such sensitive matters. Since the age of six when she lost her parents, she was a deprived orphan even for necessities and had only been offered a second-class treatment.

Aliza felt pressured by Charles to meet her family. She would feel very embarrassed and probably risk her job if her aunt didn't behave respectfully to her boss.

Charles had sent his driver Ethan to pick her up. Aliza was enthusiastic and at the same time a bit anxious for her first flight in her life. This was the first time she was moving out of the country since her birth and that too in a flight. Aliza was born into a middle-class family. Her father is a carpenter and her mother is a nurse. Aliza was the only child of her parents. After they passed away the little property Aliza inherited from her parents along with her responsibilities was handed over to her uncle.

Luckily she had bought a good number of official dresses to wear just yesterday. Thanking her boss for letting her go home she immediately packed all new and best official wear for her trip to Sydney. By evening she was completely ready with her suitcase.

Five minutes after she was picked from her quarter, the car stopped in front of her boss's magnificent bungalow. Only minutes later Charles walked out of his mansion checking the time on his Rolex. Aliza let her jaw hang open peering at her handsome boss. Charles looked charming, and extremely attractive even in a simple gray cotton t-shirt and black pants. He was dressed casually yet powered extremely extortionate. His admirably gelled hair was trimmed and combed flawlessly to suit the thick panes of his high cheekbones with not a strand extended or cut short. He had a rich look with light shadows covering his cheeks accentuating his maleness. Charles had a unique mark of idealism that could make any teenage girl go lip-smacking and tongue-tied.

A servant was walking two feet away from him holding a suitcase. As soon as he sat on the other side of Aliza the engine went to life. Aliza bit her lip to arrest the sexual tension in her. She was going to travel with her boss on the same plane and she had no idea about the flight travel. Will there be toilets inside? How long would the journey be? What would her aunt and Fredrick say when they come to know about her travel? Will Stella be okay with her travel and understand her work responsibilities? Charles did not spare Stella another look after a nod when she wished him a good evening. He was busy typing something on his phone.

On the way to the airport, they stopped at a flower shop and Charles got a bouquet of fresh Lillis along with a basket of fruits packed for Fredrick by his bodyguard. Such a generous boss she had got. Aliza thought about Charles' praise when he denied her to spend money. Their next stop was at Greenland Hospital where Fredrick was admitted.

Stella was helping Fredrick to sit for the evening diet when she saw Aliza approach the room. Her eyes immediately went to live embers seeing Aliza. "You bitch he is your fiancée and has been admitted to the hospital since yesterday, is this the time you come to visit him? Are you a guest here that you come with a basket of fruits and flowers? She pointed to the offerings in revulsion and raised her hand on Aliza.

Aliza closed her eyes bracing herself to receive the sting but the slap never reached her cheek. Instead, when she opened her eyes she saw her boss stopping the hand of Stella from approaching her. Aliza's eyes went wide with surprise. She lifted her orbs to her aunt that were fuming red in wild shoguns staring at her. "Aliza, go out for a second and close the door behind you. I need to speak to your aunt for a second." Charles calmly instructed Aliza.

Little did he know the girl who he had protected fighting hammer and tongs will one day.....