Ain't love Enough, Sir?

Abraham drew menacing steps towards the anthropoid. Richard's face was covered with sweat. Anxiety warred on his face as he took trembling steps backward.

"How dare you touch her?" Abram growled holding his hands in fists like a hungry predator. His treacherous eyes poured out venom and red and emitted anger that touched the roof in his savaging beastly aura.

Richard started looking around searching for an object that he could defend himself and kill the ruler before him. But Alas! He found none. When you can't beat you compromise. And that's what Richard did. "I am sorry. Please leave me. I will not only stop looking at her but for any girl. It's a promise."

He knew he was almost dead and prayed for his dear life. "Please don't kill me." Richard pleaded for one more time.

Abraham clenched his jaw. "You should have thought of the pros and cons before I came here. Alas! You have nothing to help yourself now, you pig. I am your peril speaking who is going to end you mercilessly."

But before Richard could answer, Abraham heard another voice from beside. And it was Crystalline. "Crystal?" He asked her doubtfully.

She screamed in fright, her eyes closing off in terror as Abraham landed blow after blow on the fiend's face. "Stop it!" She shook forcedly with terror like someone was beating her.

Abraham looked at her and was alarmed by the way she was reacting. "What happened to you, Crystalline? Come back to your senses." He ran to her rescue and softly patted her cheek in worry to get her out of the shock she was enduring.

Crystalline could not hear him. Her body refused to cooperate. Hardly a couple of seconds passed and she began to sweat profusely and her face turned red like a tomato. "Please don't touch me....please do not touch me...." She shouted and began to pulsate, unable to reach her breath.

Abraham looked at her thunderstruck. This was a discovery he was making about her. Luckily something struck in his mind right on time. He held her face firmly so that her eyes were squaring his. "You are fine Crystal. I'm here. Relax. You are going to listen to me. Take a long breath in and breathe out." He repeated the words for her several times when finally she relaxed and closed her eyes.

After a few seconds gradually she came back to normalcy. "She gets those panic attacks whenever she is psychologically unstable or depressed." A soft voice came from behind.

A wolfish look crossed the features of Abraham. "You...you are the reason for this. Isn't it?" He pulled his hair for a grip and continuously hit his face against the wall.

"I will surrender to the cops." He succumbed to the floor as Abraham blew another fist on the bastard's stomach. With blood flowing down a river from his withered face, he was on the verge of collapse from the number of hits that he received.

"That's not going to happen. How dare you try to touch a girl who is like a daughter to you." He raised his leg holding him by the collar and plunged his feet between his legs.

"Oomph" he held his crotch and landed to the ground in an unlimited pain.

Abraham raised his fist almost hitting him for the boundless time when he could feel the pressure of a hand on his shoulder. "Please don't kill him. I want you beside me, not behind the bars." Crystal implores with tears running endlessly out of her eyes.

"I don't share what is mine with others and you have tried to meddle with my most precious. You wanted to touch her, right? Now you are not a man anymore to touch her or any other woman in this world." His leg lifts instinctively stabbing him in his stomach and one last weighty plunge between his legs by his feet.

Richard takes a hard staggering breath and drops unconscious on the floor.

*****

He looked at her pink full lips that were bleeding in the corner and his vision scrolled down. Her slender neck had several nail marks covered in red an apparent view of physical torture. It broke his heart. "You..."

"Why didn't you tell me about him earlier?"

He asked her in agony almost unheard of my tone.

His flaring eyes were directed to the muck curled in a ball in soft whimpers. Abraham looked at Crystal's hands which had several burn marks finally landing on her svelte digits. "Aah," a soft whimper left off her.

It was then he looked at the pool of blood on the floor."What happened to your ring finger?"

The pain was too much to bear prohibiting her even to speak. "He had cut my finger because I refused to remove our wedding ring." Crystalline's voice was too fragile because of huge blood loss finally dropping unconscious to the floor.

Crystalline Collins is an affectionate, kind-hearted girl from a small town near Manhattan. She is now 17 years old, young and beautiful with deep chocolate brown eyes and ash-colored hair that she inherited from her father.

When she was six months old, her mom died of a heart attack and her father remarried.

The woman who came home could be her father's wife but not her mother. Right from the age of three, she started using Crystalline for household work.

Her half-sister Stephanie is four years younger than her. She is not as beautiful as Crystal. Her step-mother- Josselyn was always jealous of Crystal for this reason. She bought very beautiful and costly outfits for Stephanie and gave only rags for Crystal to wear. But Crystal was happy with what she got as long as she didn't get beating from her stepmom.

It is the dream of Crystal to work hard, get good grades and one day get a decent job to support herself and her dad. Freddy is the only person in the family who loves her but he would act unconcerned because the greater he would show his affection to Crystal the more severe is Josselyn's jealousy.

"Daddy, I need your signature on this application." Crystal reached her father's workplace immediately after her work at home without anybody noticing her.

"Sure, my princess. Daddy will never stop you from achieving success. I wish you happiness in your dream career."

Freddy wants to see his daughter happy by any means. He knew she was suffering very much from the sick treatment of her stepmother and half-sister. That's why when Crystalline brought him an application to study at NYU he readily agreed.

"Princess, I signed the application but I seldom doubt if I would be able to pay the fees." Freddy is a carpenter. He didn't earn enough for his daughter to earn a university education. His earnings hardly sufficed to feed the four stomachs in his family a three-course meal."

"You don't have to pay for anything Daddy. This is a scholarship program. For the top grades I achieved, hopefully, I would gain a free seat." Freddy anticipated that God would help Crystalline because she worked very hard to get a scholarship at NYU.

It was finally the day of the result. Early in the morning when everybody in the family was still sleeping, Crystal sneaked into Stephanie's room and opened her laptop to check the result and it was the happiest day of her life.

Crystalline succeeds in getting the scholarship to NYU for her dream career. She secretly went to her dad's room to wake him up and share with him the gleeful news just then she heard the twisting of the front door.

She tip-toed behind the door to hide herself and check who it was. Alas! It was Richard. He is the brother of Josselyn, a womanizer, and looked for an opportunity to exploit the innocence of Crystalline. Why was he in her house so early in the morning?

She came out of her hiding place and informed him with a disgusted look not meeting his eyes. "Mom and Dad are still sleeping. Come after another two hours."

A sardonic grin crossed his features. "Then what were you doing in their bedroom? Did you think I did not see you come out of their bedroom? You planned to steal money from your dad's pants pockets. Isn't it?"

"No...no..I...I...went there to inform my dad..." Crystalline's voice halted in the middle of the sentence. She should in no way share her happy news with him because he will spoil all her plans.

"You went there to inform your dad, what? That you were stealing money from his pants pockets?" A ridiculous smirk laced his brims.

"I know my sister doesn't even grant you pennies but give you a load of donkey's work. Whereas your sister goes to school and puts on new clothes for every occasion and festival. So you are jealous of her and go to their bedroom to steal money. Do you think I'm not aware of your mission?" He towered her in dominance with his hands ducked in his pant pockets

"I do not have to steal. I only have to ask and my dad will give me everything. Coming to wearing branded dresses, I'm not on any day jealous of Stephanie. She is my sister." Crystal said unwaveringly but he turned a deaf ear to her.

"If you want me to keep my lips sealed and not tell my sister anything, you have to do me something." He looked down at her in a self-conceited fashion.

"What is it?" Crystal asked him adamantly.

"Uh..uh. No arrogance should be heard in your tone, my cute bird. You are here to bargain, not to dictate terms to me." Richard came closer to touch her cheek but she took two back in repugnance.

Crystal's action instigated annoyance in him. "How dare you avoid me! I have been waiting for this day for so long. You are so beautiful, sexy, and young." His eyes scrolled down her body in lechery.

Crystal shivered under his intense glare in abhorrence. He was smelling cheap liquor and cigarettes. And she hated that smell. "Stay away from me. Otherwise...."

"Otherwise what? You cannot do anything to me my beautiful parrot." He came closer and inhaled her hair spray dipping his head on her shoulder.

A sort of extreme disgust occupied Crystal and she immediately stepped back. "Bloody slut!" He pulled her violently to him holding her arm.

Her breasts collided with his chest. A lustful chuckle came out and he was about to kiss her when Crystal bent her head to escape the smooch.

"Not one more chance!" He growled low like a hungry wolf and squeezed her breast.

Crystal cried aloud and pushed him away. In the process, she hit her leg on the table and the flower vase on it fell breaking to pieces. The sound woke up Josselyn and Freddy too.

Crystal breathed an air of relief and detached herself from the grip of Richard. "You bitch, how did you break such a costly flower vase, you're not a source of even a penny and on the contrary, you brought me such a huge loss. That is the vase my mom gave me on my last birthday." Joselyn shouted.

Freddy did not care about the tantrums of his wife but looked at Richard thunderously. "What are you doing in my house and that too with my daughter early in the morning?"

"Your daughter was trying to steal money from your purse and on the contrary you are reprimanding answers from me?" Before Freddy could speak Josselyn took over.

She stomped to Crystal and pulled her hair about to hit her head against the wall. "How dare you steal money you whore. What do you want to do with that money? Buy beautiful clothes and look more attractive than Stephanie?"

Crystal anticipated a huge hit followed by an earth-shattering pain in her head like always but the hit didn't reach her. She opened her closed eyes and saw her father holding firmly the arm of Josselyn and stopped her from hitting him.

"You will believe this drunkard and womanizer and will not even give Crystal a chance to speak? If my daughter was a thief much more would have been lost in this house than what we lose today. This house runs with three course meal on the dining table only because of her." He warned Josselyn perilously.

In the process, Richard showed her a huge stack of currency notes. And the features of Josselyn immediately changed from terror to miserliness. "I don't care what this bitch intended to do in the bedroom. Enough of the loss I and my daughter suffered because of her. Richard wants to get married to her. In return, he will give us 50 thousand dollars with which we can clear away all our old debts."

Earth shook under Crystalline's legs. "No Daddy please don't marry me away. I want to study. Look...." She went hastily to Stephanie's room and brought out the laptop to show it to Freddy. "I got selected for a scholarship program at NYU."

Josselyn's face turned red and Richard's features were worth watching as if his cat lost its life. "She is not going anywhere but to get married to Richard and clear our dues." Josselyn finally stabilized herself from the shock and spoke.

Freddy nodded, making Crystalline's heart beat erratically. "If clearing dues is the only matter here, why don't you marry Stephanie to him after another 2-3 years? She is a backbencher and fails every year. On the contrary, Crystalline cooks for all of us, does all the household chores, and also studies well."

Josselyn's face turned into a hurricane at her husband's statement. But Freddy didn't care. He looked at Richard glaring daggers. "Get out of my house before I beat you black and blue."

Richard staggered out. Freddy looked at Crystalline with pride and appreciation. "You finally did it, my child. Congratulations! Now there is no one to stop you chasing your dreams. Fly high and never return here."

Freddy was very happy and blessed his child giving her a warm send-off the next week to join NYU.

Little did he know he was going to be the one who would shatter her dreams.

Six months passed and on a grave evening, Crystalline received a call from her step-mother. "Your dad suffered a heart stroke. We need two million dollars for the surgery within a month. Otherwise, he would lose his life."

IT WAS, Abraham Rochester thought, the worst possible kind of day to be wrestling with Santa Claus on a sloped, snow-covered roof. Almost six inches of snow had been predicted overnight by the weather department and it was what exactly happened which was enough to make his day go disastrous.

"Sir, we may have to take an emergency landing at Miami because of the bad weather." The pilot announced from the speaker.

He had finished his meeting with the Russian delegates and was on his way back to New York when nature rebelled. The air hostess fluttered her artificial eyelashes in an invitation. But Abraham wasn't ready. "Find out how long it would take to land."

"In ten minutes sir." The pilot replied.

The wind blew heavily as soon as his shoe-clad feet kissed the snow-covered land which brought chills. He read the time on his Rolex and grunted. "Lion, drive me to one of my branch offices in the city." He ordered the driver soon after getting down from his private chopper.

Fifteen minutes later...

The traffic had stagnated everywhere. But despite the uncooperative weather when he looked outside the floor-to-ceiling glass window of his opulent office, he saw the never-ending crazy crowd doing Christmas shopping. "What the fuck!"

He was pissed by the ridiculous crowd. How could people go so insane for just a festival that happens every year? Just then his phone in his pants pockets rang. "How are you, son? Will you reach home for Christmas?" It was his mom.

Abraham resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It has been more than six years since he went home on Christmas. His mother keeps inviting him year after year despite his negative replies. "Mom, I am busy. A new branch is about to open."

"You always give me the same response." Nancy left a tired sigh.

Abraham felt festivals and family gatherings as a pain in the ass and a form of deranged quest to earn happiness which can seldom be achievable. "Mom it is only because of my hard work today Rochester Industries is one of the top listed companies in the USA. I cannot take leave from work and chit-chat with you."

"You feel family as a burden. But one day you will realize your mistake. I will wait for that day to happen." His family called him a robot and his employees represented him as a Grinch, a stick in the mud who has zero emotions. Whatever the people thought about him Abraham is now used to the remarks. He least cared about them. Maybe that is what he is! Because there is nothing in this world that runs without money.

"Sir, we have only two days for Christmas. Could we have an annual break for a week?" His assistant requested him fearfully.

"Okay. Announce a week-long break for all the employees of Rochester group." Abraham announced. He may be represented as calculative, cold-hearted, and insensitive. If he is not shrewd he could not have raised his father's ten million worth textile firm to a turnover of a hundred million today. Addedly also spreading its wings to electronics and engineering.

"Sir, you received an invitation to Lincoln's charity show in New York." His secretary stuttered standing behind. Abraham's employees thought twice to talk to him. In the last four months, he had changed ten of his secretaries. But nobody knew why it was that way.

All the women changed only for one reason. They sought to please his cock more than his business. Abraham hated laziness and unprofessionalism. He loathed employees who sought shortcuts rather than work sincerely. He needed dedicated staff, not porn stars.

"Send them ten million in cash. I'm not interested in going there." Abraham looked at the uncooperative weather and huffed before he informed his secretary.

"Sir, the charity show is to raise funds for the downtrodden who are admitted to the American Cancer Institute."

Abraham took the invitation and read it. Famous models from all corners of the world will feature in the fashion show doing ramp walks and the highest bidder will date the model he bid followed by a one-night stand.

'What a stupid idea!' Abraham thought. But on contra examining, getting laid with no strings attached does not sound as a bad bargain. The pressure of work had only been exceeding for the last six months and he was not able to look after his bodily requirements. Letting out a few thousand and setting himself free at least for a few hours was a welcoming option.

"Okay tell the in-charge, I will be there." Two days later he was present in the State Fashion Association hall. Businessmen, film stars, and celebrities from all corners of the world assembled at the place to witness the fashion show. The paparazzi are also present. Winners from popular beauty pageants are taking part in it.

******

That was one of those horrible winter days in the city of New York. It was too late by the time Crystalline had finished the extra class on accountancy.

It has been a week already since her mom informed her about her dad's urgent heart surgery. Crystalline could not arrive at positive news to date. Arranging as big an amount of two million dollars within a month is not a child's play.

She had tried all sources. But the maximum she could collect even through loans is only 10,000 dollars. Where would she get such a huge amount of money?

It was then her friend Sasha showed her an advertisement in their university magazine. There is a charity show where international models from everywhere in the world are participating and raising funds for the diseased of the less privileged.

"Why are you showing this to me, Sasha?" Crystalline asked her annoyedly while packing her bags hastily.

"Read the advertisement thoroughly, my friend, it could be useful to you. There are two vacancies to do a ramp walk and become an international model." Sasha walked closer and cupped Crystal's cheeks.

"Darling you could be one of them. You are beautiful, intelligent, and talented." Sasha encouraged her.

Crystalline left an uncomfortable laughter. "Sasha I need money immediately maximum within three weeks. Whatever you are saying is like building castles in the air. How could a normal girl with ordinary looks be one of them? And if I turn famous and fortunate earning through modeling two million dollars cannot happen in the next fifteen "

"You call yourself ordinary? You're a very beautiful young girl, Crystalline. You can always give this a try. In case you are selected and could be one of the participants, you would get half the price of the bidding amount and in return, it's just a date with the man who bids for you." Sasha encouraged Crystal.

Sasha is the wellwisher of Crystal. She has been watching her friend turn from sorrow to a disaster after she heard the ill-fated news about her father's failing health. It is only her good intention to improve her financial condition of Crystal. But what Sasha hid from her friend only wishing the best for her is, that it is just not a date but also a one-night stand with the billionaire.