Irresistible Boss Succumbing to Your Touch (Maria Anita) novel Chapter 3

Manuela’s POV

I woke up in a car, terribly startled, confused, everything hurt, and my head was spinning slightly. With some difficulty, I sat up and looked at the driver through the rearview mirror. He was the same one who had driven the car from Paradise Port to here.

"Stay calm, miss. I won't harm you," he hastened to say.

"You've already done enough harm. You brought me to this hell." I looked at my face in the rearview mirror; it was horrible, and tears started flowing. "Look at me, look what that woman did."

"Miss, I just follow orders, and we don't question Calvin's orders," he tried to justify himself but avoided looking at me. "Please, don't cause me any trouble. I'm going to take you to my house, my wife will take care of you, and you'll stay there until Calvin gives another order. No one will hit you there. I don't think the boss will let that crazy woman near you again; he was furious with her."

"You won't let me leave, will you?" I already knew the answer.

"I can't, miss. Now, please, stay quiet. You're badly hurt, and I don't want to have to tie you up," he warned, and I thought it better not to speak anymore, especially since I was in pain, so much pain.

He stopped the car in front of a house with high walls and a completely closed gate. The gate started to open, and he drove in and closed it again. From the outside, no one could see what was happening inside. He opened the car door for me.

"Can you walk?" he asked, and I nodded. He helped me out of the car and led me into the house. "Josefa! Josefaa!" he called, and soon a middle-aged woman came, drying her hands on an apron.

"Oh, my goodness! What's this, Eugene?" the woman asked.

"A girl, can't you see?" he answered rather gruffly. "Come on, help me."

"Who is she, Eugene? Watch what you're getting me into!" the woman warned.

"It's the boss's business. Help me get the miss to the couch, and I'll explain," he replied, and I noticed the woman's disapproving face.

They left me sitting on the couch and left the room. When they returned, the woman was carrying something in her hands.

"Come, miss, I'll help you take a shower," she said, and I stood up; I really needed a shower. "Eugene, go get the things I told you about, this girl needs bandages."

She helped me remove my dress and underwear, turned on the shower, and placed a small stool so I could sit. She handed me soap and left a bottle of shampoo and conditioner beside me. I groaned when the water hit my body; it was lukewarm but stung the wounds on my skin.

"Oh my God, who did this to you, girl?" She looked at me horrified. "Let me wash your back."

Josefa touched me gently, almost as if she was afraid of breaking me. She carefully washed the blood off my back while I cried, but it was not the physical pain that made me cry - it was the pain from all the cruelty I had been subjected to and knowing what was still to come. After I took the shower and dried myself, she handed me some clothes.

"Look, girl, the clothes will be a bit big, but the underwear should fit well, they're new. I had bought them as a gift, but I can buy others later." She sighed while helping me put on green cotton shorts and a white t-shirt. Indeed, the clothes were big, but I didn't mind - at least they wouldn't press against my wounds.

We returned to the living room where her husband was sitting. Next to him was a plastic bag.

"Miss, the boss said you'll stay here today. Tomorrow is your wedding." The man wouldn't even look at me.

"Oh, girl, if I help you that old man will kill me." Josefa was torn between helping me and saving her own skin. "Why do you say she's not your mother?"

"Because she isn't. I just found out. She kidnapped me when I was a baby and lied to everyone all this time. But she always beat me and mistreated me. She was going to kill me today." I was trembling.

"I never thought that woman was any good. So different from Mr. Blanco’s first wife. Now she was a real lady." Josefa smiled.

"Did you know her?" I asked with interest.

"Yes, my mother worked for her. She was a good woman - honest, kind, and loving. My mother only stopped working for her because she got sick and went to live with my brother. This was a bit before she got pregnant again. Sometimes I would go there to see my mother, and the lady always welcomed me warmly, sat with me in the kitchen, offered me snacks, and chatted. As for Rita, I knew her from way back. She acts all innocent now, but she's a real piece of work! Did you know she was Calvin's mistress?" Josefa knew well the past that I was unaware of.

"I found out recently. I feel terrible for my father," I said.

"Do you have any idea who your mother is?" Josefa asked.

"It could be my father's first wife, or it could be another woman, but I still don't know which one." I sniffled and looked at her as she gazed at me with pity.

"Oh, honey! What a situation! I would really like to help you - nobody deserves to marry that pig Calvin. They say his first wife died from all the beatings." Josefa spoke and immediately realized that what she said had frightened me. "Look, don't think about that. I'm going to prepare something for you to eat. Just lie down there, because the medicine I gave you is a bit strong and will make you drowsy. But pay attention - don't try to escape. There's no way to leave without Eugene seeing you, and if you try, he'll tie you up, and you're already badly hurt."

I looked at that woman and accepted her advice. In my condition, I wouldn't be able to get anywhere, and I was starting to realize that nobody was going to help me.