Kimberly's heart was still pounding from what had happened at the designer shop. The car ride home was silent she couldn't even look at Roy. Everything felt heavy, confusing, like the world had suddenly turned against her. When the driver pulled up to her family mansion, she inhaled deeply and stepped out, trying to calm her shaking hands.
But the moment she walked through the door, her stomach dropped.
Her father was sitting on the couch, his expression dark as thunder. Beside him sat Kelvin Reid and his father, Mr. Reid, both watching her like hunters waiting for prey.
"Father…" Kimberly's voice was weak. "You're home early."
Mr. Hayes didn't reply. He just looked at her then at Roy with eyes so cold she almost stepped back.
"Father, I can explain—" she started, but before she could finish, her father rose suddenly, his face burning with anger.
"You can explain what?!" his voice roared, echoing through the entire house. "Explain how I trusted this man to protect you, and he ends up in a shop kissing you in public?"
Kimberly froze, trembling. "Father, it's not what you think..."
Her words were cut off by a sharp sound.
SMACK!
Her father's fist landed squarely on Roy's face. Roy stumbled back, blood instantly dripping from his lip.
"Father, stop!" Kimberly cried, running forward.
"I employed you as her bodyguard, not to flirt with her!" her father shouted, his chest heaving.
Roy didn't move. He stood still, silent, his jaw clenched.
"Nothing happened!" Kimberly screamed through tears.
Kelvin stood up slowly, pretending to look pained, but the smirk on his face betrayed him. "Sir, with all due respect, I saw everything. They were kissing like… like lovers."
"That's a lie!" Kimberly yelled, turning to Kelvin.
But Mr. Hayes had already heard enough. His disappointment was deeper than any words could describe. "No matter what you say or do," he said firmly, his eyes still on Roy, "this wedding will still go on."
Then he turned to the men standing near the door, his private guards. "Teach him a lesson he won't forget."
"Father, no! Please, don't do this!" Kimberly screamed, running in front of Roy, but two of the guards held her back.
"Father, please! I'm begging you!" she cried, kneeling at his feet. "Please don't hurt him!"
But her father's heart had turned to stone. "Take him out," he said coldly.
The guards punched Roy hard, again and again. He didn't fight back maybe he couldn't. He was outnumbered. Kicks landed on his ribs, his back, his face. Blood stained his shirt.
Kimberly's screams filled the house. She tried to pull away, but the guards restrained her. Tears streamed down her face.
"Please stop! You're killing him!" she sobbed.
When her father finally raised his hand, the men stepped back. Roy was barely standing. One last punch to his stomach sent him to the ground.
"Throw him outside," her father ordered.
"Father!" she cried again, but it was useless.
The men dragged Roy out, his blood leaving a faint trail on the marble floor.
Kelvin stood watching with satisfaction, his lips curling into a small smile.
Mr. Hayes turned to the guards again. "Take her to her room. Lock her up. She's not leaving until I say so."
"Father, please! You can't do this to me!" Kimberly cried as they pulled her away. "Father!"
But her father turned his back on her.
The door slammed behind her, and the sound echoed through her chest like a crack in her soul.
---
That night, Kimberly lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling, her eyes swollen from crying. The moonlight fell softly on her pale face. Every breath hurt. Every memory of Roy made her chest ache even more.
She didn't eat. She didn't sleep. Her phone was gone. Her laptop gone. Her world gone.
She felt like a prisoner in her own home.
Morning came, and a soft knock echoed from the door. She didn't move.
The door opened slowly.
Kelvin walked in, dressed neatly in a white shirt, holding a tray of breakfast.
"Kimberly," he said softly, "I brought you breakfast."
She didn't turn to look at him.
He set the tray on the table and sighed. "You haven't eaten since yesterday. You'll get sick."
Silence.
He walked closer to the bed. "I forgive you, Kimb," he said. "Everyone makes mistakes. Just stop being so hard on yourself. If you apologize to me and to your father, everything will go back to normal. You'll get your freedom back."
Still nothing.
Her fists clenched tightly under the blanket. Psychopath, she thought. You did this.
Kelvin's smile faded when he realized she wasn't going to respond. He straightened his shirt, pretending to care. "Think about what I said," he muttered and walked out.
As soon as he left, Kimberly buried her face in her pillow and cried again.
Minutes later, a soft knock came again. This time it was one of the maids. "Ma'am, please," the young woman said gently. "You need to take your bath."
Kimberly turned her head slowly, eyes still red. Then an idea sparked in her mind.
"Where's your phone?" she asked.
The maid blinked, confused. "My phone?"
"Yes," Kimberly said firmly. "Please. Just for a minute."
The maid hesitated but eventually handed it over, trembling. Kimberly dialed Natasha's number with shaking fingers.
"Tasha… please come to the house," she whispered. "I need you."
*********
When Natasha arrived, she didn't bother with greetings. She rushed upstairs straight to Kimberly's room.
The moment Kimberly saw her, she ran into her arms. They hugged tightly, both of them trembling.
"Kimberly, what happened?" Natasha asked, holding her cousin's face.
Kimberly's voice broke as she explained everything from the fight, to her father's rage, to Roy being beaten and fired.
By the time she finished, Natasha's eyes were wide.
"What? Kimb… how could this happen? He actually hit Roy?"
Kimberly nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks. "He fired him, Tasha. And I can't even call him. Dad took my phone."
"Did you try his number?" Natasha asked quickly.
Kimberly nodded again. "Switched off."
She burst into tears. "What if they've done something to him, Tasha? He's the only surviving son of his family. What if he's—"
"Hey, hey," Natasha interrupted softly, pulling her into another hug. "Don't say that, okay? He's alive. He has to be, everything will be fine."
Kimberly sobbed harder. "How is everything going to be fine?"
Natasha rubbed her back gently. "I'll ask my detective friend to look into it. We'll find him, I promise."
Kimberly nodded weakly. "Thank you, Tasha."
"Anything for you, cous," Natasha said, holding her tight.
**********
Far across town, in a hidden estate surrounded by tall fences and old oak trees, another scene was unfolding.
Roy sat shirtless on a chair, his body covered in bruises and dried blood. A maid pressed a wet cloth against his forehead while another wrapped a bandage around his ribs.
Standing before him was Madame Elena, an older woman with sharp eyes and silver hair tied neatly in a bun.
Her voice was cold. "How could you let this happen, Christian? You've ruined the plan. All of it."
Roy didn't look at her. He just stared at the floor, silent.
"You were supposed to get close to her, not fall in love with her," she continued, her tone like a knife. "Now everything's a mess."
Roy finally looked up, his face swollen but his eyes burning with determination. "I've got everything under control, Madame Elena."
"Under control?" she scoffed. "You've been beaten half to death, thrown out like trash, and you call that control?"
He stood slowly, wincing in pain. "I'll fix it," he said quietly. "I made a mistake, but I'll fix it."
Elena crossed her arms. "I don't know what you're planning, but this isn't the plan we agreed on. If you're going to continue, you'd better remember why we started this."
Roy looked at her, his voice low. "I remember."
She studied him for a moment, then sighed. "Then fix it, Christian. Or don't come back."
Roy turned away, walking toward the window. The night breeze brushed his face as he stared out into the city lights.
His reflection in the glass looked like two men Roy, the bodyguard, and Lord Christian, the avenger.
He touched the bruise on his lip gently and whispered, "It not over ."