Claimed By The Ruthless CEO

Be cheerful while your alive-Maximus of Tyre

Emily's POV

"Lucas, I'm here!" My lips stretched into a wide smile as I pushed the door open, clutching the valentine's day card and a single rose in my small hands. I couldn't stop the smile that threatened to tear my face-I was so excited to meet my boyfriend

Just like the sun brightened up the dark, Luca was the light that illuminated my void world. To me, he was the oasis in my sandy desert-my life, and the only thing that makes me happy. After losing my mother in a gruesome accident, my whole life went down the drain.

It was always from one painful experience to another.

My father brought in my step mother and an elder sister I'd never met. Since their arrival, I became a slave in my own home, but Lucas was that relief I needed whenever I was close to the brink of insanity.

He was my pill for anxiety, a sweet relief.

As I walked further, I parted my lips, a faint blush on my cheeks, "Happy..." my eyes widened in terror, and i was forced to swallow the rest of my words at the sight in front of me.

Lucas pecked my step sister's cheeks as he whispered sweet nothings into her ears. The sound of their laughter filled my ears and my whole world crumbled before me. "Lucas!" I gasped, my voice trembling with emotion as fear clawed at my heart.

Ever so slowly, he turned to look at me, and so did my step sister, Amelia. His eyes that once gazed at me with warmth stared at me with so much disgust and contempt. For the first time, I felt naked and bare before him. His intense gaze so frightened me, that rose and card I held so tightly fell to the ground.

Lucas raised a brow as he stared at me, "What are you doing in here?" He asked, his voice dripping with disdain. He pulled Amelia closer, wrapping his arms protectively around her, "You should have called, Emily."

"Called?" I breathed, trying so hard to make sense of his words. "Lucas, you're with my sister! You cheated on me with my own sister!"

"Let's end this." His voice was harsh, cold, sending a wave of shivers down my spine. My lips trembled as I struggled to form some words, but only soft sobs escaped them, "No!"

I shook my head profusely as hot tears ran down my cheeks. How was I going to survive alone, with no one on my side?

I was losing my mind, but no one seemed to care about it.

Amelia directed her gaze towards me and she snorted "What's with the unreasonable tears? Do you really have to push yourself on him?"

"But he's mine" I whispered, my vision blurred with tears, but Lucas' next words shattered my already broken heart.

"I was never yours, Emily. C'mon, get over this and leave my house." Lucas said as he dragged himself up, "Let's end this right here and now."

"Lucas, please." I whimpered, falling to my knees in misery.

I couldn't handle it.

The heartbreak, the pain, the torture.

I just couldn't.

"Oh, shut that thing you call a mouth!" Amelia snapped, anger swirling in her eyes, "You're not wanted here!"

"But we're sisters! Why would you do this to me?" I inhaled a shaky breath, "We're sister's for goodness sake! Why?"

"Sisters?" Amelia laughed, a cold, bitter laughter, "You're beneath me, Emily. You're not only my step sister, but my slave. Do you think Lucas would choose you over me?"

I took a few steps backwards, overwhelmed by the words Amelia spilled from her mouth. My legs buckled beneath me and my limbs felt like jelly.

Her words were tearing me apart, and tried so hard to hold on to my sanity, "Lucas, please, tell me this is a prank." I whispered, reaching out to him, but he pushed me away.

"Don't touch me with your filthy hands. Dating you was a mistake." He paused for a while and glared down at me, "My mistake. There's nothing you can offer me."

A lump formed in my throat, "Nothing?"

Lucas ignored me and turned to look at Amelia. He wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his nose in the cranny of her neck, "Amelia here would help me build my company. She's the heir to the Wayne cooperation after all"

Amelia grinned, "Yes, baby. Make her understand how worthless she is." She reached for a white card on the table and threw it at me, " I can tell that you still remember it's valentine's day. Let me wish you with that; happy Valentine's day, little sis." She beamed and Lucas pulled her into another warm hug, "Happy Valentine's day, sweetheart."

That would have been me, but reality was harsh and brutal. Perhaps the reason for my birth was to experience pain and misery. I swallowed nervously as I picked up the stylish white card.

As soon as I opened it up, a tear slipped down my cheeks, "A wedding invitation?"

"Surprise!" Amelia grinned, "Lucas proposed. We're getting married soon."

My lips curled up in a sad smile, "Oh." I whispered, flinging the invitation card away. I was done with being pathetic.

In one day, I lost my man and my world. Everything that had taken me so much time to build came crumbling before me.

When did they start dating to proceed to this stage?

I shook my head and tried to gather my thoughts. I was always treated as the back story, only called whenever I was needed. In my own life, I wasn't even the main character. How pathetic?

I inhaled a shaky breath, "should I say happy married life? I didn't get a happy ending, do you think you'll get one." I whispered as a smile slowly made its way to my lips.

As I walked out of his home, I realized that Lucas was no longer mine; no matter how much I begged, pleaded, groaned, he would never come back.

Walking across the streets, I allowed my feets take me to a strange bar which reeked of smoke and alcohol. I felt everyone's eyes on me as I sauntered in, and I clutched the purse in my hands-so hard that my knuckles turned white.

I walked further and placed my hands on the slab, "Four glasses of whiskey." I whispered, climbing onto a chair to have a seat, "Make it fast, please."

"Four glasses?"

"Yes"

"Permit me to say it's quite strong, my lady." The bartender voiced, his eyes glued to my body. My lips stretched into a lopsided grin, "You wouldn't say that if you know what I've been through."

"I'll be right...."

Suddenly, a buzzing sound was heard as the bartender's phone vibrated next to him. He gave me a small smile, "Excuse me, miss. I'll be quick." He said, picking up his phone to respond to the phone call.

As he placed his phone on his ear, he pressed his lips in a thin line as he watched me, eying me suspiciously. The bartender only nodded from time to time as his gaze still lingered on me.

A shiver ran down my legs and I kind of felt..uneasy, but what could go wrong?

Few minutes after the suspicious phone call, the bartender approached me and placed the four glasses in front of me. "Thanks." I whispered, picking one of the glasses to down it in one go.

As the taste burned my tongue, my vision became blurred and hazy. Since I wasn't used to drinking alcohol, I thought it was the effect of the drink. I picked up the other glass but a searing heat spread through my body, making my mind go haywire.

Fear clawed at my heart and I suddenly placed the second glass on the slab. I raised my head to stare at the bartender, and his lips curled up in a devilish smirk, "It's done." He whispered and my vision darkened.

Oh no, what have I done to myself?

Without sin, without guilt, without evil.

Emily's POV

I parted my lips as I felt a slight burn in my throat. I lay there on a mattress which felt soft against my skin, but it wasn't enough to quench my thirst. I felt like I was being soaked in a burning flame, naked, alone, with nothing else but darkness around me.

My whole body ached and my vision was hazy. I fluttered my eyes open, trying to take in my surroundings, but the only thing I could see was darkness. I tried to move my arm, but it felt like a heavy log of wood. My limbs became like jelly, I couldn't move nor speak. All I felt was a burning ache and it was driving me crazy.

I opened my mouth, trying to get some words out, but my vocal cords were seized. My eyes watered, thinking of what could have happened to me. I was trapped, trapped in the middle of nowhere. All I remembered was the bartender's words, his devilish smirk and the way he approached me. Now I feel lost.

In this hell that I was, the only person I could think about was Lucas. No one would save me, I was all alone. Fathers are our heroes, but mine is a joke. He doesn't love me or care about me, he became a shell of himself after my mother's death, or perhaps he never loved my mother in the first place.

I heard small movements, like the soft sound of footsteps and the sound of the shower being turned on. I tried to move my limbs, but they still felt like a huge chunk of wood. I tried to relax, but my eyes widened in terror when the scent of cedar wood and the scent of the earth mixed with the rain washed over me. It was frightening, but addicting at the same time.

I felt a huge weight pressed against me, my hands pinned against the bed and soft lips pressed against my neck. My stomach sank as my heart raced, beating like it was going out of control. I wanted to scream, cry, push him away, but I laid limp, useless and hopeless on the soft fabric.

A tear slipped down my cheeks, another tear, and this time, I was bawling. I wanted to see his face, but everything was dark, it was all pitch black and nothing else. I could only make sense of his scent.

"You're not moving, or talking, is this how you work?" I heard him ask, his voice smooth, hot, sweet, but his actions were gruesome and lethal.

"I paid for this, you know." He breathed against my ears, throwing kisses all over me. I clenched my fists as fury rised in my chest, Did he just refer to me as a slut? I was the slut he paid for? Was this why the bartender made that suspicious phone call?

I wanted to laugh, laugh out loud at my pathetic life. Nothing was working for me. My life was shitty and disgusting. After losing my boyfriend to my step sister, I get raped on the same day. I'll ask again; how pathetic?

My head felt heavy as the movement continued. This time, I felt nothing else but emptiness. My heart was empty, hollow and dark. I wanted to move my limbs, get up and tear him apart, but I couldn't. Giving in to the pain in my heart, I felt my body go limp in his hands.

Perhaps this was me kissing goodbye to the world?

Hello heaven and goodbye hell? No one would miss me after all, I was lonely and alone. The last twenty one years of my life has been useless and shitty.

The golden rays of the sun seeped through the curtain, almost blinding me. A yawn escaped my lips, and this splitting headache came from nowhere, frying my brains like they were some piece of meat. I felt like I was knocked down by a car, my body felt sore, sticky, dirty.

If there were other words I could use, I would use them all. I tried to gather my thoughts, then I suddenly remembered I was raped by a stranger I never saw. I couldn't touch him or feel him, it was just bland and empty.

Tears gathered in my eyes and in less than a few seconds, I was crying an ocean. I curled my tiny body and wrapped the duvet around myself, screaming and cursing whosoever for giving me a miserable life. I don't think I would ever forgive myself for this, allowing my body to be used in such a way.

Losing Lucas was the beginning of my misery, I should have known he was my good luck charm.

After crying for hours, I turned to the side of the bed and found a note, 'Tell your boss I want a change, the usual, not some weakling.'

A soft chuckle escaped my lips as I read the note over and over again. Shouldn't he have known that I wasn't the slut he was meant to have? Couldn't he tell that I was new to this, naive and broken?

Did he really have to make his way with someone who was paralyzed for a night?

I stared at the note one last time and tore it into a million pieces, just like how my heart was shattered by his actions. I removed the duvet and slowly walked towards the bathroom, eager to scrub the dirt off my body. After soaking myself in the bathtub for minutes, I still didn't feel clean.

Perhaps if I used some more soap, maybe I was going to feel better.

Perhaps if I stayed in the water a little more, maybe it was going to soothe my heart and get rid of the dirt.

Perhaps if I drown in this, perhaps it would save me from this humiliation that waits ahead of me.

My hands trembled as I scrubbed myself more, bruising my own body but I just couldn't stop. It was too painful, unreal, I couldn't believe this happened to me.

I walked towards the mirror and stared at the spots on my body. Might as well call it a Hickey, but to me, they were scars. Scars that would never heal no matter how hard I try to get them off. I stared at my red rimmed eyes, my pale skin and my messy hair.

I inhaled a shaky breath and decided to move on. I styled my hair in a messy bun, picked up my clothes and rushed out of the room. I ran at the speed of light, not wanting anyone to see me coming out of a hotel room.

As soon as I got home, my hands trembled as fear washed over me. I wasn't home throughout the whole night, they were going to kill me. It was past noon, so my step mother was in the living room, watching her favorite show. I tried my best to look normal, but she saw through me like some seer.

"Where the hell are you coming from Emily?" She thundered, her voice sending chills down my spine. My eyes darted around, unsure of the words to say, but her next words sucked the life out of me, "You're lucky you

returned back on time. You're getting married tomorrow."

Yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone.

Emily's POV

"Step mother." I drawed, petrified by her words. Getting married the next day? That didn't seem reasonable enough, but she meant it. With the expression on my stepmother's face, I was sure she meant her words. I wet my lips with my tongue, making my stand, "I refuse. I'm not getting married to anyone."

Smack!

It was the sound of her palm against my skin. I staggered to the back, almost losing my tooth due to the force she used. Tears stinged my eyes as my cheeks burned, adding to the pain I already felt.

My step mother, Britney approached me, her face twisted in an ugly scowl, "How dare you talk back at me?" she spat, her eyes glaring daggers at me, "You think you have the right? If I say you're getting married, then you are!"

At the same time, my step sister walked down the stairs, stretching her arms like she just got up from bed. Her lips lifted up in a smile, "Sister, don't tell me you're just coming home?" she said, walking towards me with a triumphant look, "Ah..mother must have told you about the news."

I held back my tongue, knowing better than to respond to her words. Even as my tears threatened to spill from my eyes, I tried my best to hold them in. After being raped, I was still going to be given to another man?

I would rather die than go through such humiliation.

"Can't you speak?" Amelia thundered, her eyes blazing with fury, "Then I'll take your silence as yes. You're getting married to him in my place." she continued, rendering me completely speechless. My jaw dropped, surprise written all over my face, "Getting married in your place?" I blurted out, finding the whole matter ridiculous.

"I refuse!" I snapped and walked towards my room, but my step mother grabbed me by my hair, her nails sinking into my scalp. A groan escaped my lips, "Step mother!"

"Shut your mouth, you unfilial child!" She yelled as she dragged me towards the basement, where I was usually punished. My eyes widened in alarm and I tried to resist, "No, step mother, please!" but my words fell on deaf ears.

Amelia's laughter echoed in my ears and my heart sank. Everyone was blessed with sisters who loved them, but mine despised me every fiber of her being.

My stepmother pushed me into the tiny room and locked up the door, "That's where you'll stay till your father arrives. Since you're going to talk back at me, let's hear what you'll say when he arrives." She yelled, making sure I heard every one of her words there.

I fell to the ground with a loud thud, bruising my knees and my hands. The floor was cold, the usual way and the room was dark and dusty.

Ever since I was a child, I was always thrown into this room as punishment. Sometimes, I go on for three days without food and sometimes even more. Amelia would steal a piece of jewelry but once she gets caught, she would blame me instead. While everyone cherished their childhood memories, mine were nightmares.

It was only filled with pain and misery-those kind of memories I want to lock up.

Seconds passed by, maybe minutes and even hours. I couldn't tell how much time had passed, but I noticed that the room got darker. I rubbed my arms around myself, trying to keep my frail body warm.

In this dark room, I was reminded of the stranger's groans as he forced himself inside of me and I shuddered, feeling the urge to scream. My breath hitched and I felt like I was being suffocated. The feeling overwhelmed me, and I thought my limbs were paralyzed again.

"Emily, Dad's here!"

Amelia's voice rang in my ears, jolting me back to reality. I sighed in relief when I realized it was only my imagination. It was just a nightmare. Soon, the door opened and Amelia pushed me out of the room like some slave-sorry, I was a slave. What difference does it make?

My auburn hair was scattered all over my face. I paused for a while to gather my hair, but Amelia suddenly screamed. Her eyes widened in terror as she pointed at me like she had just seen some ghost. She ran down the stairs and I was at a loss, wondering if I should run as well.

Sighting my father in the dining room, my heart shattered into a thousand pieces. There he was, smiling at my step mother with no care in the world while I was being treated as a side dish -I couldn't even believe I was his daughter.

"Mom, dad, you won't believe what I saw." Amelia gasped, placing her hands over her mouth as she glanced at me. I drawed my lips in and lowered my gaze, not interested in their conversation. Immediately after their sweet conversation, I would become the topic of discussion and it would end with me being starved. I was used to this torturous routine.

My father, Robert, seemed curious, so he asked, "What did you see, sweetheart?"

"An Hickey." Amelia began, "Not just one, but about two or three. I think Emily slept with a man."

My face turned pale as dread slowly filled my heart. My eyes watered as I shook my head profusely, wanting to deny it, but my dad was already all over me, "I can't believe this!" he growled.

It was always like this. He never asked if it was the truth or not, he never asked if Amelia was lying or not. My father always believed her.

"That's not true." I explained, but my stepmother's words pierced my heart like some poisonous dagger. "Your mother was a slut. I'm not surprised you're sleeping around with men. I should have known that's why you returned this morning."

"My mother isn't-"

"Silence!" My father yelled, slamming his fists on the dining table, "Since you're already used to the ways of men, I think you shouldn't be so surprised about your wedding. Britney told me you're aware, but I'll just go into the details." He continued, his gaze cold and icy, "You're getting married to Theodore wills in place of your sister. I'm sure you know him already."

A shiver ran down my spine and I shuddered. Theodore Wills? The bankrupt psychopath who was rumored to be a woman beater? Someone who treats women like some piece of shit?

"Father, why can't my sister marry him instead." I yelled, tears falling down from my cheeks, "Why would I marry into that kind of home."

Amelia chuckled softly, "Why would I marry him when I have you to take the fall? His family is rich, don't worry, you can always beg your in-laws for money whenever he's incapable."

"Father, please, don't do this." I cried out, getting on my knees to show him my sincerity, "Please, that man could kill me. He would never cherish me." I explained.

"But you're old enough to take care of yourself. Look, you know how powerful the Wills family is. Since they're choosing their bride from our family, it's a wonderful collaboration. Our company would boom and soar higher."

"Then must I be the sacrifice?" My voice came out weak and soft, I was tired of this already, but no one seemed to care. I was getting married to a bankrupt psychopath the next day, just how much do I have to take in?

My step mother smiled, "Then should my precious daughter be the sacrifice? My daughter deserves the eldest son in that family, the heir to the family business, not the bankrupt one." She commented, getting up to walk towards me, "But since she's getting married to Lucas already, I'm more than satisfied."

"But Lucas is my boyfriend."

"And you're not good enough for him, can't you see?"

My father rolled his eyes and called everyone to order, "Let's leave her to get some rest. Her wedding is tomorrow after all." he suggested, but I was not going along with this. Getting married to another man? Never! For the first time, I was determined to escape from this household.

"Dad, let's lock her up in her room just so she won't escape." Amelia said to my utmost surprise a

nd a tear slipped down my cheeks. Perhaps this was a fate I could never escape.