Stephen groaned as he stretched his body on the bed, he was feeling so exhausted and forced his eyes open as the daylight from the window reflected on him. Why was he tired after a full night’s sleep? His head hurt as he sat up; after yawning twice in a row, he stood up from the bed and walked to the window side. He looked outside the building and could tell that it was past early morning. How did he sleep for so long?

As the billionaire CEO turned to find his cellphone, he froze at the sight of something else. Blood!! There was a blood stain on the bed. He quickly checked his body to know if he had injured himself but there was no wound on any part of his body.

Stephen was scared and confused at the same time, he tried to remember what happened the previous night, the memory was blurry at first, like an imagination or more of a dream. He tried to put them in place, piece by piece and slowly it began to come together.

His jaws fell apart when it crossed his mind that he might have forced a lady to lay with him the previous night. He remembered being drunk and horny but the memories after that seemed more like a dream. He was confused… Did it really happen or was it all just a silly dream?

Stephen examined the bed slowly and saw something, it was the rope of a bra; of course he would recognize that anywhere and any day, he used to be a playboy and saw quite a lot of that. His heart dropped at the sight of that.

“No… It can’t be, it has to be a dream,” he muttered to himself as he swallowed hard, trying to convince himself that it was all just a nightmare.

Stephen didn’t know how to feel about it, he turned to the bedside table and the whiskey was still in place. He picked up the bottle and sniffed it for any abnormalities but everything seemed fine. He took his watch from the top of the small cupboard and checked the time, it was ten minutes past eleven already. He quickly turned on his personal phone and messages from his family began to come in, they were worried about him. The only people that knew of his whereabouts was his right hand man, Domenic, who was in the same hotel as him, but in a different ward.

Stephen put a call across to Domenic immediately, he asked him to arrange for a car to pick them up from the hotel in thirty minutes. After that, he rushed into the bathroom for a quick bath. He couldn’t believe that he had gone to bed without a shower; that was more shocking than sleeping with a girl who he didn’t know or remember. He needed to fix the latter, but after the first was fixed.

** ** ** ** **

“What do you mean nothing happened? You came knocking on the door at 2am in the morning, you were supposed to be at work, so where the hell had you come from? And why are you not leaving for work today? I thought your morning shift begins today?” Mrs. McCurry threw a bunch of questions at her.

“Mom… I already told you. Nothing happened, I just can't go back there, I will find another job soon, I promise.” Ana replied, trying to force a smile like everything was fine.

But the truth was that nothing was fine, she was broken on the inside but due to her family’s condition, she had to put on the act; what she wasn’t strong enough to do was return to her place of work. She cannot go back to the place of the incident, even though the manager would be mad at her for bailing, he will be more than happy to have her back, but she just didn’t want to return there.

Aside from being scared, it seemed like that chapter of her life was over. She should never have taken that job in the first place, it wasn’t a place for simple naïve girls like her, and she had learnt her lesson the hard way. The only thing of value she had has been taken away from her, her virginity had been ripped away from her by a selfish man who cared only for himself.

“You are lying to me, Anastasia. Did you get in a fight with someone? Were you fired? Did you do something wrong? You know you can tell me whatever it is, you don’t need to hide anything from me.” Her mother insisted.

“Mom, I am not lying or hiding anything, you have to believe me. I just chose to quit because I don’t think the job is appropriate for me anymore. I know I need the money for college but I will find another job, I just need a little time.” Ana pleaded

Mrs. McCurry sighed and shook her head, and then she came closer. “Is it that boy you are seeing? You came home with him last night, right?” she asked softly.

“What? No mum, this has nothing to do with Jake. He actually picked me up from the road when I was unable to find a cab,” she replied.

“Of course, how did you expect to find a cab by that time of the night? What if something had happened to you? don’t ever do something like that ever again. You should have called your father and he would have come to pick you up if it was so necessary that you left in the middle of the night. And you still haven’t told me why you deemed it necessary to leave the hotel at that time of the day… Did someone say something inappropriate? Did anyone misbehave with you?” she queried.

Ana swallowed hard the moment her mom mentioned that. She found it difficult lying straight to her mother’s face but she couldn’t just tell her that she was molested and sexually assaulted by a crazy rich young man; how would she explain that she was raped by the infamous Stephen Grey of the Grey family… one of the most reputable families in the country as a whole.

She opened her mouth to speak and just then, there was a knock on the door. Ana’s heart skipped as she feared it was someone from work, they must have come to know why she left and didn’t return. She had turned off her phone since she got home that night to avoid taking any calls from them.

“I will go check… check it,” she stuttered nervously.

“Yeah, you do that and come back here to complete our conversation.” Her mother replied and scoffed.

Once again, Ana gulped down saliva and began to walk down the hallway leading to the entrance door. She was scared; if it was someone from work, what would she tell them? She hadn’t thought of any lies. What if the man who raped her had framed her or told lies about her?

As she got closer to the door, her heartbeat sounded even louder; she was petrified to her bones, and then the worst happened. It was either her mind was playing games with her or it was really happening. She caught his scent!! That cologne! She recognized the scent of that cologne… it was the first thing that greeted her when she went into his room last night. This cannot be true!! He wasn’t here, was he??

Anna stood in front of the door with her heart racing, she didn’t know if to open it or just wait till the person went away. She could still perceive that scent from last night, it was a unique and obviously expensive masculine cologne; she doubted the people who lived around here would be able to afford such.

The knock came again and she quickly grabbed the handle of the door, she turned her back to it and breathed in heavily, before letting it out. Anna then opened the door and came to face a man who had his back to her, he turned around slowly and she froze. It was him!! Stephen Grey was standing at her door!!

Anna couldn’t believe it, what was he doing here? How did he find her house? Why did he come here? Did he know she actually lived here? Was this a coincidence? These questions purged through her heart with the speed of lightning while she remained mute and frozen.

Was he really there or was she just imagining it? The elegant young man, dressed in a royal blue classic suit and a black shiny shoes to match. His black sunglasses sitting perfectly above his pointed nose, the sun reflecting on his very easily cognizable light brown mustache and his majestic upper curls standing high; he was like a Disney Prince.

Ana moved her eyes slowly above his head and she could see the luxurious black car parked in front of the house, she didn’t even hear it arrive. The engine was either very silent or her discussion with her mom was loud.

After a minute of staring and saying nothing, which felt like an eternity to Ana because she was feeling so many emotions at the same time; confusion at the peak of them all. Stephen was the one to break the silence, it seemed like he had been taken aback as well by her appearance. Seeing her with drunk eyes, maybe this wasn’t what he expected to meet.

“Hi,” he uttered softly and took a step up the threshold stairs.

Ana took a step backwards immediately, fear flickering in her eyes. She was going to close the door on him when he spoke up immediately.

“Wait… Please wait, I am not going to hurt you, just hear me out.” He pleaded.

“What is worse than what you have already done to me? Just go away.” She replied immediately, trying to sound calm and undisturbed by his presence, even though it was just a pretense. She was terrified by his presence.

“I am very sorry about last night, if you give me the chance, I would like to properly apologize.” Stephen said.

Ana scoffed and shook her head. “Apologize for what? Abusing me? Ruining my life? costing me my job? Taking away my dignity and pride as a woman? Hurting me physically, psychologically and in every other way? What do you want to apologize for?” she queried.

“If you would just listen to me…”

His words were cut short by her mother’s voice. “Who is that, Anna?”

Anna turned around immediately. “It is no one important, I will be there soon,” she replied immediately, and then she walked outside fully and closed the door behind her.

Stephen sighed and stared back at the car, someone was waiting for him inside it. He turned back to Ana. “Anna…”

“Don’t call my name,” she interrupted immediately.

“Look… I know what I did was horrible and you think I am a bad person, but that is not the truth. I can't explain what happened or why I did what I did but I can assure you that I wasn’t in my right mind when it happened, I was under the influence of alcohol and I must have lost control of myself. This has never happened before, believe me.” He pleaded.

“Why should I believe you? Aren't you Stephen Grey? Billionaire playboy; this is the way people like you behave, they have no respect for others, they do whatever they please because they know they can get away with it. So because you were drunk, that is a valid reason to attack an innocent girl and disrespect her in the worst way possible. You have ruined my life, Mr. Stephen Gray and I would never forgive or forget you. I know there is nothing I can do to you, but Karma would pay you a visit someday.”

“Look girl, you have the wrong perception of me. If I was the person you say I am, do you think I would be here right now, apologizing to you?” Stephen queried.

“So because you came to my house to say sorry, that makes you a good person and I am supposed to just forgive and forget what you have done to me? What about my dignity? How do I regain it? What about my job? What about my pride as a woman?”

“I can get you another job, a much better one if you need. If you want money…”

“I don’t want your money!!” Ana half-yelled, and then quickly turned back to know if there was any reaction from inside the house. “You rich kids think money can solve everything, I don’t want your money, Mr. Grey… Keep your stupid money to yourself. Just go away from my life and never come back, I hope our paths don’t cross again, I hate you so much!! You disgust me and I never want to see your face again!!” she spat as tears began to roll down her eyes.

Stephen was silent for a while and then he sighed. “My friend is waiting for me in the car and so I would have to leave now, but I must let you know this before I leave. I am very sorry for what I did to you Anna and it wasn’t on purpose. When I realized what I had done when I woke up this morning, I went to ask of you but your manager reported that you didn’t show up at work after you abruptly left a resignation last night and your phone was turned off. I had to request your address from him which had led me here. I understand that you are in pain and it is all because of me, but I am really sorry about that, Ana. I know I cannot make up for what I took from you, but if you should ever need anything from me, please do not hesitate to contact me… here is my profile card.” He said sadly and pulled out a card from his breast pocket.

Anna stood there staring at him while tears rolled down her eyes, she refused to accept the card from him and he had no other choice than to drop it at her feet. Stephen walked away towards the car, he stopped at the door and turned back to her with a sympathetic face and then he got in and moved away.

Anna remained standing there while she watched the car drive away, she then sat down at the threshold of the building and let the tears flow freely. She didn’t know how to feel about this; now he was making it difficult for her to blame and hate him. Why did he have to be nice to her? Why did he leave her with mixed feelings? Was she supposed to just forgive him and move on with her life? or live with the hatred she has for him? Would she even be able to move on with her life if she doesn’t let go of her anger and hatred for him?

Ana felt so powerless and with lack of direction. What was the next phase of her life going to be like? She had already quit her job and she stood on the ground that she was not going back to that hotel or any hotel at all.

The door opened and her mother walked out. Ana was quick to clean her tears immediately and act normal before her mother would notice. She took the profile card and hid it in her palm as quickly as she could.

“Who was that person and what did they want?” her mother asked while standing over her.

“It was a stranger, he was asking for directions to the parish.” Ana lied

“And that was why he thought it was necessary to knock on my door? The stupid thing is, I don't know how to use a google map?” she fired.

“It is okay mom, he left already.” Ana replied and sniffed in to hold back the raging tears.

“Are you crying?” Mrs. McCurry asked suddenly as she noticed her daughter’s red eyes.

“Huh? No… not at all, I just got something into my eyes, and I tried to get it out so my eyes got teary.” She lied again; she didn’t even realize how good she was getting at this lying thing.

“Well, go wash it out with water, don’t just sit there… chop-chop!!” Mrs. McCurry signaled and Ana got up, heading into the house.

“Okay Domenic, remember… if anyone is to ask you about last night, don’t say a word about it. Just tell them that we arrived at the airport this morning and if they want to know more about the details, they should meet me.” Stephen instructed as they arrived at the Gray mansion.

“Sure Boss.” Domenic replied.

They were at the back of 2018 model Range rover sports, a professional driver sitting in the front. They arrived in front of the massive mansion and the driver stopped the car. Stephen could hear her screams as he stepped out of the car, she was heading straight to him in excitement.

Jenny Bricks, daughter of a female influencer and single mother. Jenny, who was looking to take after her mother by becoming a model, had met Stephen in one of the elite parties and had fallen in love shortly after. Now they were engaged and planning to get married in a short time.

“Steve!!” she called fondly as a shorter version of his name and then she jumped into his arms like an over excited teenager.

“Hey sweetie,” he smiled and hugged her back. “I have missed you,” he added.

“Liar!” she yelled and pulled away from him, then she hit him on the chest playfully. “I know you didn’t miss me one bit,” she insisted.

“Of course I did, why wouldn’t I miss the love of my life?” he teased.

“And what about us, did you miss us as well?” Mrs. Grey’s voice sounded from the entrance of the hallway.

“Mom!” Stephen’s face brightened up as he hurried towards his mother, leaving Jenny behind. “Of course I missed my adorable parents!!” he added and then hugged his mom.

“Oh my baby boy, mommy missed you more. Why did you have to grow up so fast? Now you travel all on your own and leave us worried,” she whined.

Jenny stood in by the flowers and frowned her face, she was jealous that he put his parents over her. No matter how much he loved her, he would always choose his parents first and she disliked it. She was going to be his wife and yet he gave his parents more attention than herself.

She scoffed and walked towards them slowly, her chest burning in jealousy. She couldn’t wait to get married to him, take him away from here to a new house and have him all to herself.

“So how was your flight, son?” Mr. Grey queried.

“It was good Pa, just a little delayed due to the weather.” Stephen lied. He hoped that his parents hadn’t done any research after his disappearance or they might learn that he was lying and then he would be forced to admit that he had spent the night in a hotel.

Now, staying at a hotel wasn’t the problem, he was an adult and could sleep wherever he wanted, but his family, especially his fiancée would be angry to know that he chose privacy over them. If she even felt unwanted at the slightest, she would make a fuse over it. But how would he explain to them that at times, a person just needs their personal privacy and peace of mind?

“Zach!! Please take the young master’s luggage to his room.” Mr. Gray instructed the neatly dressed butler who wasn’t standing too far away.

“Sure, Sir.” The butler replied and then pointed to two of the servants to come with him.

“Please come inside Son, I will ask the maids to send your food to your room because we already had breakfast.” Mrs. Gray informed him.

“Okay Mom, thanks a lot… I am not only very hungry but I have missed the dishes made by your beautiful hands.” He teased me.

“I hope that is not a bribe for me to forget what you promised me before you left for Asia?” she frowned immediately.

Stephen chuckled and shook his head sideways. “No mom, of course I got your present for you, I will send it to your room personally later in the day.” He replied.

“Okay my boy, that’s very nice of you.”

To cut the drama short, Stephen Grey received a warm welcome from his family which consisted of his father, his mother and his fiancée at the moment. Of course there were other members of the family but they were not present at the moment. He had a brother and a sister, the brother was not in the country and his sister must be at some party or birthday or wherever rich girls love to hangout.

Stephen retired to his room and as soon as he sat on his bed, he got enveloped by the thought of everything that had happened last night. The wealthy son and heir to the Gray dynasty was worried, he was deep in thought with his conversation with Ana. Her words had really stung deep into his soul and her tears were hurting him.

He knew that she was in pain but he also didn’t approve of what she thought of him, she didn't know him so she had no right to judge him or point fingers at him. She saw him as a bad man; truly, he wasn’t always a responsible gentleman but that was all in the past, and he hated to be identified by something he had given up on. What intrigued him the most about her was the fact that she had rejected his offer to get her a job or give her money.

Most ladies were willing to offer their body in exchange for those things, but she cared more about her dignity. Did such women still exist? A woman who values virtuousness over ill-made wealth and influence? She could have easily accepted the money and forgotten that everything happened but she would rather remain unfortunate and hold up to her self-esteem and dignity.

Now that was what bothered him the most, the fact that he couldn’t influence or bribe her with his money. Yeah, she didn’t threaten to file charges of assault against him which she certainly could if she wanted, even though that it could be at her own loss due to their financial statuses, but regardless he was troubled by her words, her tears and her character.

Could a person be that good? Or was it all an act? But for what reason would she put on such an act? It doesn’t benefit her in any way, unless she has other plans that he wasn’t aware of, and the thought of that left him more curious.

Stephen’s thoughts were disturbed by a kiss on the neck; it was of course his fiancée. She sat on the bed behind him and began to kiss him continuously on the neck while hugging him from behind. Stephen sighed and closed his eyes, he hadn’t seen her come in.

He was trying to concentrate, but not on her show of affection, he was troubled by the middle class girl whose virginity he had taken away and yet she threw his money in his face, promising to hate him forever.

“Babe, what is wrong?” Jenny asked as she noticed he wasn’t reciprocating her show of affection, he had even stopped her from unbuttoning his shirt.

“I am sorry, I am not in the mood right now.” He replied bluntly.

“Huh? What do you mean you are not in the mood? You have been away from home for a whole week; a week where I have been all by myself, missing you and waiting patiently for you to return, and now that you are here, you say you are not in the mood? Why?” she queried.

“It is nothing serious, I am just worried about some issues at work.” Stephen lied to save his head.

“Liar! You have had a whole week for work and now that you are back to me, you are still thinking about work? You won't even touch me or look me in the eyes. Tell me the truth Steve, are you cheating on me? You were with some other girl back there, weren’t you?” she fired.

“What? Of course not,” Stephen retorted and turned back to face her. “You know I would never cheat on you, I would be crazy to do that.” He denied.

“So you haven’t had sex since you left a week ago?” she asked.

“No I haven’t, I promise I am not that person anymore, ever since I put a ring on your finger, I haven’t been with any other woman. You are the only one I want to make love to, there is no woman prettier than you in the world, so why would I cheat?” he queried.

Jenny blushed immediately and looked down shyly. “Really? Awn… I love you so much,” she screamed and kissed him on the cheek.

Stephen smiled. “I love you more, Hun. Now, let me show you what I got for you during my travels,” he said, quickly changing the topic as he felt guilty lying to her. Of course, he had been loyal to her, up till last night when he slept with Ana.

“Great… What is it? I can’t wait!!” she uttered in excitement.

Stephen brought out a small box from his breast pocket and opened it, then he brought out a diamond necklace. “Here, this is for being a good girl,” he announced.

“!!!” she squealed in excitement and took it off his hands. “It is so beautiful, I need to show my friends ASAP.” She announced and ran off immediately.

“You didn’t even say thank you!!” Stephen uttered but she was gone already. He sighed and slumped down on the bed. This Ana issue was eating him up!!