26 The Man She Was Running Away
From
“Was that the man you told me about before?” Richard asked, offering Samantha a glass of scotch. He then
took a seat next to her on the leather couch in his
home office. She accepted the drink with her pale, trembling hands and gulped it down in one swift
motion. After a moment’s hesitation, she nodded reluctantly.
Richard released a long sigh,
“I didn’t ask anything earlier because I wanted to give you some time to come to me first. But after seeing you like this today, I feel I need to know all the details. Will you finally tell me who you were running away
from?”
Samantl a placed the empty glass on the coffee table and closed her eyes, trying to collect her thoughts. She
still hadn’t decided how much of the truth she wanted
to reveal, and she was in no state to carefully consider her response.
But she couldn’t hesitate anymore either.
15.11
177
26 The Man She Was Running Away From
“The man you saw with me earlier today was Jason Sanson. I assume you know who he is. It’s true that I used to work in a hostess bar, but I was only a simple waitress there. I never did anything indecent, I swear. I never slept with the men who came there, even though the bar’s owner, Mr. Sanson’s younger brother William, constantly pestered me about becoming one of the ‘girls‘ because they earned more money.
One night, William asked me to serve drinks in one of the VIP rooms and entertain a client because the girl he had ordered was running late. The client offered me a drink, and I couldn’t refuse because that would have gotten me in trouble. So, I drank what he offered…
The alcohol turned out to be spiked with something, and it affected me quickly. I can’t say for sure what happened next because I was only half–conscious, but I am certain that man raped me. And not just once.”
I wanted to go to the police and report them, but Mr. Sanson threatened me. He said that as an orphan with no money or connections, going to the police would only get me into more trouble. He said I should keep my mouth shut because if something were to happen
15:11
26 The Man She Was Running Away From
to me… nobody would give a damn. He told me I was worthless.”
Samantha paused and looked back at Richard to gauge his reaction. His quiet, solemn face was exactly what she had hoped for. She took a deep breath and continued,
“So, in the end, I got scared and ran away, leaving everything I had behind. I was afraid Mr. Sanson would still try to do something dangerous to me to make sure I kept my mouth shut, so I left my apartment too. My roommate, the girl who worked with me at the bar, promised she would find me and send my things, but I guess she got scared of contacting me too. That’s… the whole truth, Richard.”
Richard remained quiet for quite some time, leaving Samantha frustrated and anxious. She was dying to see if he bought her story; she was genuinely scared that he didn’t.
Finally, Richard spoke, a deep frown etched between his brows. “Do you remember the man who raped you?”
Samantha shook her head. “I was too out of it to
26 The Man She Was Running Away From
remember his face.”
Richard leaned forward, his expression determined. “I can use my connections in the court to take action against Jason Sanson and all his dirty business. The mayor will be tough to deal with, but I’m sure I can do something”
Samantha winced as she heard him say this. There was no man, she made him up, and if Richard were to go against Jason Sanson, the latter would expose the “real truth” and ruin everything for her. She had to stop him.
“N–no! Please, don’t do this. I don’t want you to get caught in a scandal or have more rumors spread about us. It’s all in the past. Both of them won’t dare to do anything to me now that they know you care about me. I just… want to finally move on.”
Richard couldn’t help but sigh.
“You’re way too nice, Sam. That’s why people want to take advantage of you.”
“Don’t worry,” she reassured him, “I’m sure he won’t bother me anymore. I was just too flustered to see him today, that’s all.”
417
26 The Man She Was Running Away From
Richard leaned back on the couch and crossed his arms over his chest. He didn’t like the idea of leaving this alone, but he also didn’t want Samantha to feel even more stressed because of his persistence.
Although reluctantly, he agreed to drop the topic.
Richard’s phone buzzed with a notification of an incoming call, shattering the silence that had settled in the room.
“I need to take this, Sam. I’ll be right back.”
He got up from the couch and left the room to answer the call. Alone now, Samantha bit her nail and frowned, recalling her conversation with Jason earlier. “Damn it! Why did he have to show his disgusting face today? What horrible timing! I need to find a way to make sure he never meets Richard directly. Otherwise… I’m screwed.”
***
Amelie stepped outside the hotel and headed directly for the gardens. Despite having a lot of work to do, she couldn’t shake off the unsettling conversation between Samantha and Jason Sanson that she had witnessed
26 The Man She Was Running Away From
Eventually, she realized that her thoughts were
entirely consumed by those two, so she admitted to herself that she needed a change of scenery to clear
her head.
As she entered the garden and started walking along the clean pathway, Amelie noticed Liam walking the corgi puppy she remembered from the first night she met him. The man looked absolutely unhappy to be with the dog, and for some reason, it made Amelie
smile.
‘He might be gorgeous, but it’s that subtle cuteness that makes him shine the most. I wonder if others can
see it in him too.‘
“Miss Ashford!”
Liam finally noticed her too and rushed towards her, completely forgetting that the corgi couldn’t keep up with his speed.
“Is this the famous Captain Pantaloons whose name you so shamelessly stole?”
Hearing her say that name out loud made Liam blush with embarrassment. He nodded.
“Von this princa of a dor halanga to mu grandna I had
26 The Man She Was Running Away From
to bring him with me when I came here because Grandpa is hunting abroad and didn’t want strangers to look after his precious mutt.”
Amelie crouched before the puppy and patted him on the head. The dog responded by licking her hand.
“He seems to like you. I’m not surprised.”
Amelie offered him a smile as she stood back up. Liam continued, his tone more serious.
“Are you really alright?”
Somehow, his seemingly innocent question made her choke up on her feelings