TAINTED PASSION.

Cora sat still in front of her vanity mirror staring at the reflection of a young lady she could barely recognize.

Her lips were as red as scarlet and her hazel eyes were shimmering with a thousand emotions. Her neck was adorned with precious stones and on the center of her head sat a delicate crystal tiara.

"Look at you, sweetheart!" Matilda Felan beamed at her beautiful daughter. "I'm sure even the gods are jealous of such rare beauty. You are such a lucky girl."

"Lucky!" Cora said with a bit of melancholy in her voice. "If you think I'm lucky, then why do I feel miserable, Mother."

A tear drop escaped Cora's shimmering eyes. "If this is what it takes to be lucky, then I want to be doomed forever."

The smile on Matilda's face suddenly disappeared and was replaced with horror.

"I want everyone out of this room, now." Matilda snapped at the maids who were still putting finishing touches to Cora's elegant attire.

The maids bowed their heads and quickly exited the room.

"Do not sound ungrateful, Cora Miles Felan." Matilda glared at her daughter's reflection in the mirror. "Do you know how many young ladies out there are praying to be in your shoes? You have virtually everything you could ever want in life at your beck and call. You..."

"No Mother," Cora turned around to face her mum. "I do not have everything. I'm just a pretty bird locked up in a cage. My only existence is to do my owner's bidding. It is true I have everything that money can buy. But the one thing I desire the most and can never have is my freedom."

Cora took her mother's hand and gazed sorrowfully into her eyes. "I want to be free, Mum. Please, help me."

"Enough of that nonsense!" Matilda angrily flung her daughter's hands away. She picked up the hairbrush lying on the table and ordered Cora to face the mirror.

Abigail bit down on her inner lips and did as her mother instructed.

"I will not have you ruin this perfect night with your childish whining." Matilda took down the tiara on Cora's head and started brushing her hair all over again.

Cora stared at her mum through the mirror, wondering whether she had ever loved her.

"Your father has gone through a lot of trouble to organise this pre birthday celebration just for you. All you have to do is smile and enjoy your day."

Cora inwardly chuckled at the thought of the so-called pre birthday party.

'What is a party without friends in attendance? The guest are just a bunch of disgruntled family members who are compelled to attend.' Cora hissed.

Matilda patted Cora gently on the head and kissed her on the cheek. She dropped the brush back on the dressing table and picked up Cora's tiara.

"Babygirl, you are my star and you've brought so much good fortune to us." Matilda placed the tiara on Cora's head and smiled.

"I know you may feel cheated but life hasn't been fair to either of us. There is always a little sacrifice to pay for happiness. You know I'll do anything just to make you happy. I have done my part raising you and now it's your turn to take care of me. Please, my love, don't ever say those words again, especially in the presence of the maids. You know how much some people hate us in this family. They will do anything just to kick us back to the street empty-handed."

More tears streamed down Cora's face as she listened to her mum's heartbreaking words.

"No more tears, cupcake, otherwise you'll ruin your makeup." Matilda turned Cora's chair around and dabbed Cora's tears with tissue paper. She retouched Cora's makeup and smiled.

"Tomorrow, you will clock twenty-one years of age and your father has big plans for you. Just make sure you do everything he says, okay?"

"Okay, Mother," Cora's plastered a sweet smile on her face as her hatred for her mother quadrupled.

Just then, the door to Cora's room opened and a tall devilishly handsome man strolled in.

"How is my princess?" Valentino asked cheerfully as he walked up to the beautiful mother and daughter.

"She's having cold feet but she's fine." Matilda welcomed a brief kiss from her husband.

"Honey, can you give my princess and I some privacy for a special father and daughter bond?" Valentino stroked his wife's cheek while staring at his beautiful daughter's reflection.

"That wouldn't be a problem, honey." Matilda turned to her daughter and flashed her a deadly stare. "Cora, be nice to your daddy."

Cora's heartbeat began thumping louder as Matilda walked out of the room. She felt goosebumps all over her body as Valentino's hands came resting down on her shoulders.

"You look ravishing, my love," Valentino's hands slowly moved from Cora's shoulders to her arms. He made her stand up and turned her around to face him.

"Your beauty grows with every new age and so does my love for you." Valentino tried to kiss Cora but she turned her face to the other side.

Valentino chuckled evilly at Cora's reaction. He let go of her arm and was about to move away from her to lock the door when she quickly held him by the arm.

"Dad, I'm sorry!" Cora said in a trembling tone. She knew the consequences of her actions and was scared of how they would impede her plans for the night. "Mum applied too much lipstick on me and I didn't want to make a mess."

"You don't have to call me, Dad when we're alone. Simply call me the pet name I thought you." Valentino turned back to Cora, his voice was frigid and void of the initial tenderness. He strolled over to the dressing table and picked up a face wipe.

Using the face wipe Valentino carefully cleaned every bit of lipstick from Cora's lips and asked icily.

"Do you have any more complaints, my love?"

"No, b...boo!" Cora held back her tears for fear of exciting Valentino. He hated it when she showed weakness and would torment her body until she lost the zeal to cry.

"Kiss me and make it believable." Valentino pulled Cora into his arms and waited patiently for her to do her magic.

Cora gulped down severally and tried to conjure any romantic scene from most of the books she had read. She didn't know what games Valentino was up to and she was terrified of pissing him off.

The only young man that had ever dared to kiss her in the past had been missing for ages. Cora didn't need a soothsayer to tell her that Valentino had killed that man.

Thinking about her first and last kiss now, she closed her eyes and leaned closer to her stepfather's lips.

When her soft lips touch Valentino's lips, he lost the will to hold back from her softness and innocence.

Cora allowed Valentino to torture her lips as much as he liked until he was satisfied.

"I have a special surprise for you, Cora. But you have to wait till tomorrow night before you can see it." Valentino whispered seductively into her ears.

He was tempted to undress her and taste a little bit of her sweetness. However, the phone vibrating in his pocket reminded him that he had people downstairs waiting for them.

"Sit down, baby," Valentino said softly like someone incapable of hurting a fly.

When Cora sat down as instructed, Valentino helped reapply her lipsticks and powdered her face a little.

"I will leave you to enjoy your last day of sleeping alone in this bedroom. As of tomorrow night, you will be moving over to my bedroom and your mother will be sent to the guest room."

Valentino straightened up and offered his hand to Cora. "Shall we, my love?"

Cora plastered a smile on her face and replied, "Yes, boo!"

When Valentino and Cora came down the stairs, walking hand-in-hand like two newly wedded couples, the cheerful laughter and merriment in the living room seized.

Aside from the gentle music playing in the background, there was complete silence. Every pair of eyes were fixated on the young pretty lady beside Valentino.

There was so much bitterness and coldness as some family member who knew of Valentino's immorality with Cora scrunched their faces in disgust.

The silence in the room would have been prolonged awkwardly if Valerie hadn't expressed her displeasure outwardly.

"Daddy, how come Cora gets to wear Van de Lui for her pre birthday celebration while I'm made to dress in these rags." Valerie snarled at her stepsister.

Valerie and the rest of the Felan family, - excluding Matilda and Lucas -were under the impression that Cora had somehow charmed Valentino with the use of dark magic.

"Come on baby girl, you don't have to be jealous of your sister. You have a lot of beautiful and expensive clothes in your wardrobe. If you feel you don't like what you're wearing, then go to your room and change it. I will not have you whining or causing trouble for your sister." Valentino's tone was laced with both irritation and anger.

"Today is my princess pre birthday celebration and I want everyone present to honour her. I hope I have made myself clear."

Valerie grumbled an apology to her father and walked away in a rage.

One by one, every member of the Felan family came to wish Cora a happy birthday in advance, under Valentino fierce scrutiny.

Afterwards, the laughter and merriment returned to the room.

"Brother, is it true that you'll be taking only Cora to Hinter Island tomorrow for her twenty-first birthday celebration?" Alberto asked while averting his brother's lethal gaze.

Valerie, being the gossip monger quickly excused herself to go use the convenience.

"I will not have anyone indulge in any form of idle gossiping about my business." Valentino threatened, causing his brother to cower in fear.

Even Valentino's aunt that thought of commenting on these devilish plans of her nephew was forced to hold back her tongue.

Just then, Valentino received a very brief call that required him to leave the mansion immediately.

"Sweetheart, I have to leave now but I'll be back on time to tuck you to bed." Valentino kissed Cora on the forehead. "Go on and have some fun but don't stay up too late."

"Thank you, Dad." Cora released her breath which we have been holding intermittently for quite a while as Valentino let go of her arms.

Before Valentino left the mansion, he gave strict instructions to his bodyguards to ensure that no one bullied Cora or flirted around her.

Immediately Valentino left the house, Valerie saw this as an opportunity to taunt her step-sister. She moved closer to where Cora was standing and talking to her mother.

"Happy deathday in advance, tramp!" Valerie sneered.

"I wish you the same... kiddo." Cora sneered as Valerie gaped at her remark.

It was a known fact that Valerie was three months older but Cora had a way of dealing with her like a child.

"How come you haven't changed your rags? Don't you feel itchy in them? Or do you need me to come help you." Cora ruthless remark made Valerie almost lose her senses.

Valerie was at the point of replying to Stella when one of Valentino's bodyguards came over to her and escorted her out of the room.

"Mum, I do not have the energy to party. I have a headache and I need to go to bed now." Cora pretentiously massaged her temple to justify her claims. "Please send one of the maids, preferably Sara, to my bedroom with a glass of water and a painkiller in the next five minutes."

"Can I take you to..."

Cora didn't give her mother any chance to render any form of help.

"That won't be necessary mum. I need to rest before your husband comes back and continues from where he stopped." Cora snarled at her mother and left her side without sparing her one last glance.

Immediately Cora entered her bedroom, she quickly took off her clothes and ran into the bathroom to shower.

When she was done showering, she hurriedly dried her body and change into her innerwear. Then she picked up a club stick that she had stolen from her mother's bedroom and hide it under her gown lying on her bed.

A gentle tap on the door lightened Cora's mood and brought a hopeful smile to her face. She took in a deep breath to hide her excitement as she strolled over to the door and opened it to grant the maid assess.

"Ma'am, your water and aspirin." The maid announced.

"Drop it over at my bedside," Cora instructed, as she carefully shut her door while assessing the maid's uniform size.

Cora felt a pang of guilt hit her heart as she went over her plans and reminded herself that there was no other way out.

She knew that this unfortunate maid was going to suffer a brutal fate at the hands of Valentino and this slowly weakened her resolve.

'Cora is either now or never. A golden opportunity like this may never present itself in future. It's either you leave this place tonight or suffer his cruelty for the rest of your life.'

"Ma'am, I'm done." The maid pulled Cora out of her self-absorbed thoughts. "Would you like me to fold your dress and put them away?"

"No!" Cora's said in a slightly raised tone, causing the maid to feel jumpy. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to act that way. It's just that I'm not done with the clothes."

"It's okay ma'am, you don't need to apologize." The maid smiled politely making it even more difficult for Cora to carry out her act.

"Why do you work for this family?" Cora asked while searching for a reason to condemn the maid.

"I love working for this family because the boss is an honest and good man." The maid answered hoping to please the young madam with her response.

Unfortunately for the maid, her response to Cora's question was exactly what the latter was looking for.

Cora saw the lust in the maid's eyes as she talked about Valentino's kindness.

"Can you please open the bottle and turn the water into the glass? Cora asked nicely.

"Yes, ma'am."

When the maid bent down to carry out Cora's second instruction, Cora carefully pick the club stick from under her dress.

In a swift move, Cora swung the club and hit the maid on the head. The maid instantly slumped on the ground, spilling a little water on herself.

"Shit!" Cora dropped the club stick on her bed and quickly picked up the bottle from the floor. She checked the maid's head and was grateful that there was no blood coming out.

Although Cora's whole body was trembling from her action, she didn't have the luxury of time to sit down and calm herself. She had no idea of how long Valentino was planning to stay out before returning home.

Hence Cora hurriedly undressed the maid and put on one of her sleeping clothes on her. She carefully lifted the maid and placed her on the bed.

"I'm so sorry," Cora whispered to the unconscious maid before covering up the maid's body with the duvet.

After changing into the maid's oversized uniform and a cheap wig, Cora's packed a sweatpant, hoodie and running shoes into a laundry bag. She collected a hundred dollar bill note from her wallet and hid it inside the sweatpants pocket. Then she covered these items with some of her dirty clothes.

"Oh God, please help me escape." Cora took in a deep breath to control her erratically thumping heart. She opened the door and locked it using her single spare key. Then she quietly left in the direction of the laundry room.

Just then, a fuming Valerie who had gotten herself drunk and was venting her frustration on anything or anyone in her path stopped Cora.

"You!" Valerie pointed at Cora whose head was bowed. "W---where are you coming from and where do you think you're going to?"

Cora felt her heartbeat do a fatal somersault at Valerie's question. She knew if she spoke up, Valerie could recognise her voice. Hence, she pretended not to understand Valerie's question.

"Are you deaf or something?" Valerie hurled the content of her wine glass on Cora's body.

"You are a vermin employed by my father. You do not keep mute when asked a question otherwise this is what ill do to you."

Valerie was about to pull on Cora's maid hat when Matilda's voice rang from a distance.

"Young lady, can you stop ridiculing that maid? Go into your bedroom and take a cold shower to calm down."

"You're not my mother, you whore!" Valerie yelled back at Matilda.

This gave Cora the golden opportunity to narrowly escape, undetected.

When Cora successfully got to the servant quarters, she took out her change of clothes from the laundry basket and transferred them into a black nylon bag. Then threw away her spare key where no one would find it.

Afterwards, she sneaked into one of the food trucks undetected by any of the watchful bodyguards and security men.

In the process of waiting for the driver of the truck to leave the mansion, Cora quickly changed into her black sweatpants, black hoodies and black running shoe. She remove her wig and tuck it away alongside the maid clothes she stole earlier.

After almost twenty minutes of patiently sitting still, freaking out at every sound and waiting for the driver to arrive, the truck finally moved from its original spot.

The truck was stopped at the gate for a second thorough search. But the new security man on duty had a deep sense of respect and trust for the older driver. He casually searched the truck before permitting it to leave.

The truck drove for another twenty-five minutes which felt like two hours to the agitated Cora.

When the truck pulled over at a traffic junction, Cora discreetly jumped out from the back of the truck without the driver seeing her.

Keeping her hoodie on, she carefully dumped the nylon bag she was holding in a nearby trash bin before taking a cab to the nearest bus station.

When Cora finally paid for her bus ticket using a false identity, and the bus left the station, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Goodbye, cursed city." Cora's took her first breath of freedom.

Three hours after Cora escaped from the mansion, Valentino returned home feeling thrilled at the thought of taking Cora into his arms. He first stopped by his bedroom and took a shower before going over to Abigail's room.

When Valentino tried to open Cora bedroom door, he observed that it was locked.

"Cora locked her bedroom door? She had better have a good excuse for this."

Valentino's mood suddenly change to one of rage as he knocked on Cora's door angrily.

Sadly, he was met with a deafening silence which somehow crippled his heart.

"Could she have...no she would never hurt herself."

Valentino brought out his master key and hurriedly unlocked the door. He went into the room and observe that Cora was sleeping.

However, he also noticed that there was something wrong with the sound coming from his cute princess. Cora didn't snore but the person on the bed with snoring repulsively.

"Cora..." Valentino peeled the duvet from the snoring lady's body and discovered it wasn't Cora but one of the maids.

All the colour drained from Valentino face.

"No...no...no!" Valentino boomed in a deep, chilly and terrifying voice.

Instantly, an ear deafening alarm started ringing all over the mansion. Everyone was forced out of their slumber and compelled to start searching for the missing Cora.