Loyalty And Ashes

Elizabeth

I lost my job. I've lost everything I worked hard for and why? Because I was trying to please him. My parents don't care as long as I marry into a wealthy family.

It's always been me trying to please everyone.

I can't take it anymore.

I'm breaking up with him.

He was on his knees about proposing to me but I plan on ending it here and humiliating him in public because I'm done putting myself at a disadvantage.

I'm fed up with his whole existence.

I'm fed up with being used as a tool and looked down on.

I sipped on my drink trying to suppress the urge to throw up on his face.I hate him.

"Elizabeth, I don't know what I'll do without you." He said.

I rolled my eyes internally.

He continued." You've improved my life, and without you, I would fall apart." He reached for his suit pocket.

I looked around the restaurant; it was pretty crowded, and people were already peeking at us except for one man sitting at the far end of the building.

I don't know why he had caught my attention but I could feel his immense aura in my bones. Just the movement of his chest as he breathed gave me goosebumps.

He looked like a city thug, a gang leader or maybe a mafia lord, and I'm into that kind of man. He had tattoos peeking out from his button-up.

I trailed my eyes on those veins on his arm. He had long fingers and I couldn't help imagine how they would feel curled up inside me or maybe wrapped around my neck.

He has nails, too, not fingers but long nails, and I found them insanely sexy and attractive.

My breath caught in my throat as our eyes locked; the look he gave me was so nonchalant like I was but another irrelevant human. But it also held something deeper.

His eyes, they carried this flicker of danger in them.Like I was staring at something forbidden.

I watched as he sipped from his mug and ate the toast. He was insanely attractive but I did not like the aura fanning around him.

Still he was attractive.

I took in his facial features; I could only see half of his face, but that was enough for me.

I'll create the other half of the picture with my head later and then day dream about him sweeping me off my feet.

I sighed , why am I even having such thoughts? I've had enough heartbreaks so my thoughts should be less men ,more me.

"Will you be my wife ?" Felix snapped me out of my lust-filled reverie.

He was supposed to put the ring on my ring finger, but I beat him to it and picked up the ring. I brought it close to my eyes, scrutinizing it to see if the diamond on top was fake.

I've owned enough jewellery to differentiate fake diamonds from real ones, this here was fake.

He was as broke as shit!

I scoffed. "Eww ... No!" Tossing the ring on the table, I walked out on him.

My heart beating loudly in my ears at what I just did. I walked out on Felix Sanchez.

No one walks out on him let alone refuse his proposal. I'll deal with the consequences later but for now ,I need to get out of this place.

The restaurant turned quiet and only the sound of my heels could be heard.

I threw one glance back before pushing the door open, but I didn't see the tattooed man.

That restaurant was the same restaurant where my high school friend got her heart broken and tell you what...he was the same guy.

I just returned the favour.

My phone rang and kept ringing even as I made my way outside. I bumped into someone while trying to put my phone on DND and I almost dropped my purse.

I looked up to find a set of irritated eyes, that of the man who had given me that nasty look inside the restaurant.

How did he get outside in such a short amount of time? Maybe he left when I wasn't looking.

For a few seconds, we just stood there with him glaring at me, his teeth grinding against each other.

The next second, he shoved me aside.

Yes, he placed his wide palm on my shoulder and shoved me roughly out of his way, then stepped past me like I was a pest.

I staggered, almost falling to my feet.

I groaned from the impact." What the hell !"

He didn't respond or even turn around but I knew he heard me.

What should I expect from men who have tattoos and are dressed in all black?

I huffed out an angry breath and proceeded to flag down a cab while my phone kept ringing.

My supposed boyfriend or rather ex was calling, I wasn't going to answer, not yet.

I stalled for like 15 minutes before finally answering.

" Yes?"

" Lizzy, please, where are you? Please let's talk, I can't lose you. Is there anything I did wrong ?"

I sighed. " I was never yours to begin with, Felix. I just used you, and now you've been dumped just like you dumped Avery."

His voice cracked." That was years ago! You can't do this to me, Liz."

"You disgust me, Felix. You're a selfish asshole." And then I ended the call.

The taxi driver gave me an amused look." You still haven't told me where you're going,"he said grumpily.

"To Luciano Hotel."Cold wine and a nice bath would do me some good.

" Are you married ?"

"Nope "

"Engaged?"

"Nope?"

"Relationship?"

"Nope"

"Then what was that about? "

The taxi driver was nosy, but I didn't mind; this might be the last time I would see him, so there was no big deal.

"I hate good men."

He raised a brow glancing at me through the rearview mirror."But surely, you would get married someday right?"

"Nah .... I just told you. I hate the male species."

"Whatever your reasons are, I know you can't keep it up forever. My wife used to hate men, too, but look at us now. You'll find someone who will change your heart someday."

I looked out the window, I didn't think any man would be able to break through the wall I had around my heart.

I had been hurt too bad to let it happen again. I'm the way I am now because of them.

Felix had gone on a different level and deep down I know he'll come for me. He doesn't take no for an answer let alone a humiliation from a nobody like me.

He continued. " Not all men are trash, you know."

I laughed."I don't think so."

"You just haven't come across the good ones yet."

" Well, the only good man I know is my dad." I just lied after all , everyone thinks they have a good father until it finally hits.

He took a left turn, and the hotel came into view; I had arrived at my destination.

"Don't worry, you'll meet someone who'll change your view on the male species."

I only smiled at him.

I intend to stay for a month at least because Felix would come looking for me at my house.

He would lose his mind and act rashly; he has anger issues, so for my safety, I'll be staying here.

Did I mention that this was a five-star hotel that belonged to my parents? Parents who cared too much about fame to look after me since I was a child.

Happily, I walked in and was directed to my room on the top floor. The first thing I did when I got in was quickly take off my clothes and hop into the jacuzzi.

A few minutes later, the sound of my phone ringing woke me up. Sloppily, I got out of the tub and grabbed my phone.

"Yes, Dad?"

" Where the hell are you?" He yelled.

I contemplated for a moment then replied. "Umm...in my room?"

"What's this video I'm seeing all over the internet?...do you intend to ruin my reputation ?"

I furrowed my brows, what was he talking about?

"What video are you talking about ?"

He snapped."I'm allowing you two days to resolve whatever dispute you have with Felix and find a way to get that video down!"

And he ended the call.

I sighed.

My best guess was that the proposal video was all over the net.

Wrapping a towel around my body, I sat on the bed and opened my Instagram account.

I scrolled down the page and saw the video of Felix proposing to me.

They didn't leave out how I threw the ring at him and walked out; it wasn't just one person who posted it.

Probably half the people who were at the restaurant did. Of course, there were negative comments; some were saying I was heartless, and some said I was a bitch.

As usual,I always receive hate.

This was Felix Sanchez, the city Prince that I turned down and humiliated publicly.

I scrolled further down and saw more negative comments.

- Why would she date him in the first place if she wouldn't marry him in the end?-

- it's obvious, she's a gold digger -

- I hate women like that, she's a bitch !-

- I heard she's the daughter of the owner of Luciano Hotel; she's a spoiled brat. No wonder she'll never settle down.... she'll die an old hag -

I know I'll get insults, but calling me an old hag?

I bit down on my lips as my chest tightened from hurt,the corner of my eyes stinging a little.

They thought Felix was the victim. Let's see what they'll say when I expose Felix.

I searched for the video and just as I was about to upload it ,I paused.

My fingers trembled slightly as they hovered over the screen.

If I do this ,I'll put myself in more trouble than I already am. No one goes against Sanchez let alone try to humiliate them but if I don't do this then no one will know the kind of person he is.

Closing my eyes ,I clicked on the button before I started having second thoughts and then back out from fear.

It was a video of Felix drinking, smoking, and lap dancing with countless whores in a bordello.

They all criticized me over some video; let's see what they'll think of their Golden City Prince now!

In the video description, I took my time to formulate a plausible storyline that would be in my favour.

Then my eyes caught a Silhouette in the video, and I scoffed. It's that arrogant Jerk that shoved me roughly.

I hope we meet again so I can put my fork through his eyeballs.

I crunched up my nose on my brazen thoughts. That was so unlike me.

Once again, don't judge me; I already choose pleasure over love.

It's safer.

But that tattooed man, why was he staring at me like that?

Like I was a prey.

Elizabeth

I had a dog and I had forgotten all about her. I had left her at my house in the morning, and now it is 4 pm.

Quickly, I rushed out of the building and then flagged down a cab.

Half an hour later, I arrived at my house and guess what? My Ex boyfriend was sitting on the stairway with his hands tugging his hair.

This was why I didn't want to come home, dealing with him was exhilarating.

He raised his head when he heard footsteps approaching. He looked haggard and drunk.

"Lizzy! My love,"He staggered towards me, and I didn't notice the rope in his hand.

Gosh!

He stank!

I had to cover my nose with the back of my hand."Get out of here! You're polluting the air !"

He attempted to grab me, but I dodged just in time. "That video happened a year ago, why did you lie ?"

" I would rather not look like the villain, besides, I was telling the truth." I shrugged, at least he keeps track of social media. I just ruined his social life with that video and I don't regret it.

I rushed to the door and tried opening it before that psycho would stagger near me, but the door wouldn't budge. Just when it finally opened, he grabbed my hand." You will say yes...you will marry me! I have to take over the company,Liz. You have to marry me."

I understood he was desperate because he still hadn't found a wife at his age and he won't be able to produce an heir if he doesn't find a wife.

And his father wants a grandchild before he completely hands over his business to his son. He's an only child,to continue his lineage,he has to produce a child and I was supposed to be the baby making machine.

I can't ruin my life like that. I know Felix,the moment I have his child, he'll dump me and take the baby.

I can't let that happen.

His grip on my hand tightened such that I couldn't escape, he moved closer to me and attempted to kiss me, but I slapped him hard across the face.

The stench coming from him was enough to make any living creature die, even his hands were clammy.

" If you don't get out of here right now, I'll call the cops." I threatened,my hands trembled as cold sweat broke out on my face.

I was feeling a mixture of fear and anger. The streets were empty, and I didn't think any person or car would pass by anytime soon.

I thought about screaming to get some attention.

" Let me go," I said this time more calmly.

He grabbed my other hand and pushed me against the door. "I'm going to propose again and make a video then you'll upload it on your page ... I won't let you turn me into a laughingstock." He growled in my ear.

Pain ripped through my face as he slammed my face on the door. I didn't want him to feel my fear or he would take advantage of it so I struggled to keep my composure.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to upload that video of you sleeping with your uncle's wife on the net." My voice cracked as I struggled to free myself.

He tightened his grip; I was beginning to feel pain in my arms and on my face pressed against the not-so-smooth door.

Panic set in as his hands rummaged through my body.

God help me, he would get arrested for this.

He licked my ears from behind. " Oh...no, not with that filthy tongue." A quiet sob escaped my lips.

I'm strong ,I shouldn't cry.

I'm not weak so why won't my body stop trembling?

Why won't my heart stop racing?

Felix was one of those bad boys in college, funny how we still kept in touch after so many years, but that was all because my parents wanted me to marry him.

Only I know the kind of man he is and only I can bring him down but I don't have the power to do so at least not currently.

He had raped a girl once but gotten away with it because his dad had connections with the police, he also did drugs and all sorts of evil things you could think of. I took it upon myself to make him pay for hurting Avery.

"If you don't do as I say then I'll strip you, tie you to the bed and have fun playing with this nice ass." His hands went to my backside. Then he wrapped the rope around my neck, choking me.

I gagged,the tears finally flowing freely.

" You'll marry me, Elizabeth. You have no choice." His grip tightened.

I couldn't breathe as tears trickled down my eyes.

I coughed, fighting for breath.

"Let me go...You'll end up in jail if you don't let me go, me go." I cried, my voice shaking.

I bucked and trashed, trying to free myself as I let out screams.

How come no one could hear me? We were right outside for Christ sake. I felt my lungs collapsing as he pressed my face to the door, and for a moment, I thought this was the end for me.

"We'll see about that."He started tracing his hands around my body, he was about to squeeze my boobs when I heard a loud crashing sound. The strong metallic smell of blood filled my nostrils.

At first, I thought it was my blood until Felix slowly let go of me and landed flat on the floor unconscious.

The first thing I did was gasp for breath as I coughed out spit and snort. This was one of the reasons I broke up with him, he wouldn't think twice about hurting me if I got him angry.

He was violent and abusive.

Breathing heavily with both eyes red from crying, I turned around and saw the last person that had broken me emotionally.

"Are you okay?"He asked, reaching for me.

I blinked the tears away rapidly, trying to find composure as I nodded.

" Thank you." I whispered as I stepped away from him as soon as I started hearing the police siren.

His voice was cool. " You're welcome, I just thought I'd check up on you today."

My muscles tensed as he spoke. " Thanks for calling the cops"

" I didn't call the cops, that old lady did."He said, pointing at a frowning white-haired lady standing across the flower pot that separated our houses. She hissed at me, adjusted her glasses and turned away.

As usual, she gave me cold shoulders, but that's Mrs. Hamilton of all people; I never knew she was capable of such good things. I should thank her later.

The cops pulled over and took Felix into their car. One of them came up to Dwain asking their usual interrogative questions.

When they finally left with Felix,I took a five minute breather and then I cleaned up the mess at my front door, trying my very best to ignore his presence.

His presence still made me quiver till now,but I have to be stern. I'm not that girl before. I'm not that same Elizabeth that trembled at his feet.

"Elizabeth, can we talk ?" He said in a low voice.

I sighed. " Thank you for your help ,Dwain but I'm in no mood to talk.Not now,not ever.Now if you'll excuse me, I need to feed my dog."

My hands were shaking and I did my best to hide it. This man had broken me beyond repair. He made me his whore,he destroyed my self dignity ,he used me ,then took away my sanity and dumped me.

I'm just a girl trying to fix her life back but he still won't let me go.

"Wait ...just ..." I didn't let him finish and slammed the door. That wasn't a nice way to treat someone who just saved my ass, but I couldn't help it, he deserved it.

I ran into my bedroom searching for pixy and there she was on my bed, lying weakly with her eyes closed.

I got pixy after my therapist said I needed emotional support and it turns out she was right.

" Oh dear ... Pixy, I'm so sorry." I had forgotten to fill her plate before I left, the only thing she had since morning was a few pieces of potato chips.

I had starved my beloved dog and roommate for hours all because of Felix.

Speaking of which, surely he would spend some time in prison if his dad didn't get him out.

I went to the kitchen to make some cookies. I was going to take it to Mrs. Hamilton as a token of my gratitude.

When it was ready, I wrapped them in a nice plastic bag and hopped off to her house.

I rang the doorbell twice, this was the first time I was going to speak with Mrs. Hamilton directly. Our encounters had been mostly indirect and fierce eye battles but now it was face to face.

I'm only going to her place to avoid Dwain,he was still outside my door and I knew what he could do to me if I were alone in my house.

All those actions he pulled off earlier were just Facades.

I swallowed, plastered a massive smile on my face as I heard soft footsteps and soon the door flew open.

My hands were still trembling because I could still feel his eyes on me.

He knows where I live now,I'm not safe anymore.

Her house was nice and a bit too colourful for an old lady; the bright green rug, coupled with the peach painting on the wall, gave the living room a characteristic childish look.

There were so many paintings on the wall which I think her granddaughter made. I had seen the young girl and her mum a few times when she came to visit, and she brought new paintings each time she came.

I stepped in as she led me to the sofa. I placed the little gift I came with on the side table while pixie rolled up on the rug close to my feet.

Plastering a fake smile on my face, I reached for the box of cookies and handed it to her. " I made this as an appreciation for helping me earlier." She took it, opened it and sniffed it.

She snapped it closed and adjusted her glasses."Then you should join us, your friend and Alma are making pancakes."

Alma was her house help, and why did I suddenly have an idea that she was referring to Dwain? Besides, I knew he hadn't left because his car was parked outside Mrs. Hamilton's while he watched me with those predator looks.

I rolled my eyes."There's no need, I won't be staying long anyway."I made a motion to leave.

As long as Dwain was here then it's best I left. He can be a saint in the open but he's a devil behind that face of his.

She gestures for me to sit back down."Oh ..no...you should stay and at least try the cookies you made, just in case you put something in it."

I was taken aback. " Did you think I'd poison you?"

"Oh...yes, you broke my flower pot once !"

" That was an accident!"

" You threw a stone at my cat!"

" That was because it purred at me!

"That was a kind gesture!"

" Well, I ......"

Our bickering was interrupted by someone clearing his throat. I huffed and sat back down.

Dwain placed a plate filled with hot pancakes on the table and sat next to me.

I tensed immediately,what the fuck was he doing here?

"So...what were you guys arguing about ?" Alma handed a bottle of water to him, slightly bowed and quietly left.

I nonchalantly picked a cookie from the box.

" It's none of your business, don't you have work?"

"Of course I do, I'm not jobless. I just wanted to check on you."

I scoffed."Of course, you're not jobless like me, isn't that what you wanted to say!"

He ignored me, helped himself to some pancakes and also gave some to Mrs. Hamilton. She smiled at him and rained blessings on him.

Mrs. Hamilton giggled."Back in the day, my mom owned a bakery. She used to make the best breads, cakes, muffins, you name it! Our small bakery was always filled with people."

" What about now?"Dwain piped in.

Mrs. Hamilton shook her head in sadness. " We sold it, my mom got a better job, but she didn't stop baking. She only baked for the family. "

I rolled my eyes, it was time I took my leave. I noticed my cookies were pushed aside on the table, and I was the only one eating them. I had a feeling that it was going to end up in the trash can.

" What about you, Miss Elizabeth? Do you cook ?" She asked.

Dwain gave me a look, I hated this question. Of course, I knew how to cook, but the problem was that the food only tasted delicious to me. Other people who tasted my cooking left bad remarks. I couldn't get why they were unable to taste what I was tasting.

" Of course, as you can see, I made these cookies," I said with a smile on my face.

She threw a glance at the box. " I didn't perceive any fragrance."

Ok ...this was way out of line. I was getting tired of always receiving criticism for my cooking.

" You didn't taste them !"

"I don't need to ..., biscuits and sweets should have a sweet fragrance but yours doesn't."

Angrily I stood up and grabbed my cookies. " You know what !.... You can shove these pancakes up your ass."I spat and stomped out of her house.

I did not like the way my voice sounded, it sounded weak.

"Elizabeth...that's rude.Apologize!" Dwain yelled after me.

Of course, he would take her side; they shared the same view, after all. Not bothering to look back, I walked quickly to my house, hoping that he wasn't following me, but unfortunately, he was right behind me. I wasn't quick enough to shut the doors.

" Elizabeth, you should apologize!"He scolded, stepping in uninvited.

I laughed dryly . " Sorry but no ...can't do it !"

"This is your problem!" He snapped.And probably why you'll always have issues with everybody."

"So I'm the one at fault here? ...even after she insulted me."I blurted out.

He raised a finger at me. " The moment you'll learn to accept your faults ...is the moment you'll stop having issues with everybody! ...this is precisely why we drifted apart. "

I stared at him blankly, my eyes stinging. He was blaming me again for our break-up.

I forced a smile. " No...I clearly remember why we broke up. It wasn't because I blamed others, you made that clear."

I saw his expression soften, he must have realized the impact of his words. But,I know him well enough to know when he was pretending.

" You said I was a fat, naive and dependent girl who doesn't know how to take care of her body."I paused and used the back of my hand to wipe the tear that escaped my eyelids.

He reached forward, but I stepped back. " Elizabeth I...."

I raised a finger."Don't say a word."

" I understand that you don't want someone who doesn't have a job and still depends on her parents. You said that I might poison you with my bad cooking, and you were ashamed of how I looked".

This time, I was already crying. My eyes were blurry because of too many tears in them.

Whatever anger he had wanted to lash at me surprisingly disappeared. " Elizabeth, please...I already apologized several times. I only wanted you to lose some weight, but you took it the wrong way."

I scoffed, he was blaming me again. " You said you were ashamed of me!"

The silence that followed proved how heartless he was.

" How could you say that to someone you claim to love? And then you..." My voice broke.

I don't want to remember that part of our relationship.

He opened his mouth but no words came out.

" If you can't love me the way I am without seeing me as a tool." I breathed,my chest hurting." Then don't love me at all. Let this be the last time we see each other."

He stayed silent....of course, he didn't have anything to say. " Please leave my house."

" This isn't the end, Elizabeth.... I'll give you some space."

And he left.

I stood still till the door shut and then walked to my room

I stood in front of the mirror. Truth be told, I was fat...from my backside, my tummy, and my boobs. Even my cheeks were chubby.

I used to hate my body and I think I still do.

I still had a good figure, so I didn't understand why Dwain saw a nasty, fat girl in me. Why he treated me like trash and some toy he could use because I couldn't meet his standard.

Why did he make me believe I was worthless? Why did he take every piece of myself from me?

I just wanted to be loved but he broke me.

Tears rolled down my face as I raised my sweatshirt to take a look at my tummy. I had a lot of belly fat, and those nasty freckles on my cheeks. I even have stretch marks.

I hated the way I looked, and I was going to change that.

How can you date someone for two years and in those two years, he never said you looked pretty?

I have to do something about my body or I won't get my revenge on him.

********

Smiling brightly under the fading moonlight, I adjusted my sweatshirt. I woke up feeling giddy and extra motivated this morning. So here I was about to go jogging and burn some calories.

I contemplated waiting a little longer until the sun came up fully, but then I would end up being all sweaty.

And my nosy neighbours wouldn't stop talking about how their fat neighbor finally decided to lose some weight after she fought with her ex-boyfriend.

Shaking my head to clear my head of any depressing thoughts, I plugged in my air pods and hit the road.

I didn't bother checking the road because who the hell would be awake at this godforsaken hour?

That was a big mistake on my part because I not only didn't see the car coming ahead of me but also didn't hear a sound because of the loud music playing on my air pods.

The next minute, I was hit and thrown out of the road.

I landed on the pavement, knocking my ankle on the concrete.

The impact wasn't that much, but I could feel a throbbing pain from my butt and ankle.

Cursing, I squeezed my ankle, trying to relieve the pain. Whoever it was that was driving the freaking car came and stood over me. From the silhouette, I could tell it was a man.

" Are you fucking blind," I screamed at him, my eyes beginning to water.

He just stood there dressed in a cop uniform staring down at me like I was a lost cat, not even bothering to help me up.

The first ray of the sun escaped the clouds, shining down and reflecting on the earth. The first features of his face I took note of were those ocean eyes and blonde hair. My eyes flew to the imprinted name on his uniform - Eren Scott.

If I weren't in pain right now, I would take my time to appreciate God's creation. He was goddamn beautiful!

His sleeves were rolled up to his elbow so where the hell did his tattoos go ?