ῼ Ash Castillo ῼ
My phone buzzed during lunch, interrupting my deep reverie. I’d been thinking about the conversation I’d overheard. I picked up.
“Hello.”
“Hello? Is that Ash?” the weedy voice said. It was somehow familiar. I frowned, trying to place it. “This is the technician you called earlier today. You asked for a report of the wiring in your kitchen?”
Oh, right. “Sure. Hit me.”
“Well, I’ve actually found a very serious fault in your oven,” he said, gravely. I sat up a little straighter on the floor of the roof. “It could’ve sparked off at any time…and with the fire alarm broken…”
So someone had done it on purpose.
“I replaced the wiring and your fire alarm. Everything should be okay now –”
“Thank you,” I said mechanically, not really listening any more. I was too busy processing. “I’ll be sure to let your bosses know that you’ve been very helpful.”
I hung up. Tapping a slow rhythm on the ground next to me, I wondered.
Who wanted to hurt me…?
***
Ͼ Ella Castillo Ͽ
There was a knock on the door. I was definitely recovering – I was actually sitting up. Another knock later, and with no sign of it being answered, I sighed, I pushed the unopened snacks Will had sent me off the bed (I still hadn’t regained my appetite yet), and pulled the warm covers back, my bare feet meeting the cold tiled floor.
“Coming!” I yelled, when there was another knock, hopping slightly. Who was it? A glance at the clock on the wall told me it was practically the end of the day. I scrambled over to the door.
I glared at Zack.
“It was open, you know,” I snapped, turning around. “I can’t believe you made a sick person get out of bed.”
I settled back into the bed, curling into a little ball to warm up.
“What’s wrong with you?” Zack asked, bluntly. He was standing next to my bed.
“Food poisoning.” He raised an eyebrow.
“Food poisoning? What from?”
“Really, really bad eggs Ash made for me,” I admitted. “He’s an awful cook.”
Zack suddenly grabbed my shoulders.
“Ash?” he yelled, his fingers digging into my arms. I winced. “You ate something Ash made for you? Did he put something in it on purpose?!
“Yeah,” I said, rolling my eyes. I pushed him away, grimacing as I flexed my arms. Damn, Zack was strong. “Ash put in a bunch of gross things. But he really didn’t want to hurt me, Zack. Believe me.”
“How do you know?” he snapped. “He made you marry him – who knows what he might do. Maybe he was trying to poison you!”
I snorted in derision, rolling my eyes. “Ash wouldn’t do that.”
“There,” Zack said, stabbing at finger at me. “That is your problem, Ella. You are way too trusting. You put on a front for the rest of the world, and you pretend to be all hateful. But I’ve known you long enough to know that you, Ella, are soft. You trust everyone you meet, even if they treat you bad. And that,” he concluded dramatically, “is your problem.”
I rolled my eyes again. “I don’t have a problem, Zack. Ash would never do anything to hurt me, okay? Get the stupid idea that Ash is some kind of evil, manipulative genius out of your mind. Because trust me – he’s not.” He’s definitely not a genius.
आप पढ़ रहे हैं
The Billion Dollar Girl
रोमांसWhat would you say, if a stranger wanted to buy you? And what would you say if the stranger offered you a Billion Dollars? Ella goes to an expensive school she can't afford. Ash's rich, but his Dad's making him marry, to curb his wild side. And Ash'...
