Chapter 8 Back Again

KIMBERLEY Coming back to the mansion felt like stepping into a prison. There was no warm welcome. No concern. No acknowledgement of what I had been through. Not that I expected anything from Alexander, but a small part of me had foolishly hoped. Hoped that after what happened, after being gone for two days, without calling, he would at least ask if I was okay. But I was wrong. He didn’t even spare me a glance when I walked in, drenched in exhaustion from the hospital. Instead, he sat on the couch, scrolling through his phone as if my presence was nothing. As if I was nothing. "You're back," he muttered without looking up. I swallowed hard. "Yeah." A long silence followed, I felt like am just an idiot, I wouldn't have answered 😔 😭 I would have just stayed mute. Then he sighed, tossing his phone onto the table and leaning back. "Try not to steal again, at least not something so worthless, try stealing a company's document instead. Because It’s pathetic stealing such useless stuff." My fingers curled into fists. Of course. That’s all he had to say, I didn't even steal anything, she framed me. But timid Kim doesn't have the guts to speak that out loud. Not Are you okay? or Do you need something? He couldn't say that. Just mockery and nagging that's all he could do, after being away for two whole days. I bit my lip, forcing myself to stay quiet, to not give him the reaction he wanted. I turned away, heading toward the stairs. But his next words stopped me cold. "Oh, and if you planned on thanking me for ‘saving’ you, don’t bother. I only took you to the hospital because I didn’t want a corpse staining my car seats." A sharp pain stabbed my chest, but I didn’t let him see it. Well I was happy he was the one who took me to the hospital, and he admitted that, but it felt so worthless if he did it because of the cops. I just kept walking, not wanting to break down in front of him, because that's the only thing Kimberley was good at. The next day, I arrived at his office, my heart pounding for reasons I couldn’t explain. I had barely spoken to him after the morning I came back from the hospital, and maybe, deep down, I wanted to test something. To see if he cared. To see if there was even a single ounce of decency in him. But what I walked into shattered whatever foolish delusions I had left. His office door was slightly open. I was about to knock when I heard a soft moan. My stomach twisted. No. Please, no. I pushed the door open slightly, just enough to see him. Alexander. Leaning against his desk, his arms wrapped around a beautiful, blonde woman. His lips were on hers, his hands gripping her waist. Like I didn’t even exist. Like what happened between us meant nothing. Rage burned through me. Before I could stop myself, I pushed the door open fully. The woman gasped and pulled away, smoothing her dress with a smirk. Alexander? He didn’t even look surprised. Just bored. "Am I interrupting something?" I asked, my voice shaking. The woman laughed, running a finger down Alexander’s chest. "Oh, don’t mind her, Alex. She looks so lost." I ignored her, my focus locked on him. "Seriously?" I spat. "I almost died, and this is what you’re doing? You didn’t even ask if I was okay!" Alexander sighed, rubbing his temples like I was annoying him. "Kimberley, don’t embarrass yourself." "Embarrass myself?" I choked out, my vision blurring with angry tears. "You’re the one shoving your tongue down someone’s throat while I…" He stepped forward, his expression suddenly cold. "Listen," he cut me off. "I don’t owe you anything. You are nothing to me. Just a business deal. A temporary arrangement. Nothing more." His words felt like knives. The woman giggled beside him, enjoying my humiliation. I took a shaky breath, forcing myself to stand tall. "You're a heartless bastard," I whispered. "And you," he smirked, "are just a thief." I froze. The accusation. The insult. The reminder of what happened at the ball. Tears stung my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Without another word, I turned and stormed out. Leaving his office should have felt like freedom. But it was only the beginning of my humiliation. Because as I walked through the hallways of his company, I noticed the way people stared. The whispers. The giggles. The way they pointed. "Isn’t that the gold-digger?" "The thief?" "I heard she tried to frame someone at the ball." "Why is she even here?" I clenched my fists, swallowing the lump in my throat. Keep walking. Keep your head high. But it was impossible when someone tripped me. I barely caught myself before hitting the floor, my knees scraping against the cold marble. Laughter echoed around me. I turned my head, seeing a group of Alexander’s employees smirking. "You should be careful," one of them sneered. "Wouldn’t want to steal another ring and get caught, would you?" More laughter. More insults. I pushed myself up, my entire body trembling with rage and humiliation. I turned to the security guards at the entrance, expecting them to at least step in. They just watched. They didn’t care. And when I caught Alexander standing near his office door, arms crossed, watching the entire thing? He did nothing. That was when I made my decision. I wasn’t going to stay here. I wasn’t going to be a laughing stock, I didn't steal anything and am not a thief so I won't stand and watch this pest treat me like one. I was going to run, but my feet felt so heavy, I just bent my head and slowly walked away. Of course I am so timid and shy, I can't even face any of them, I couldn't speak or stand up for myself. Maybe he was right and I am so pathetic. Right now, all I am going to do is, go inside, arrange a few of my stuff and leave. Yes I am running away, he won't look for me, of course he wouldn't after all am just a deal to him, a damn contract. And this time? I wasn’t coming back, I will run as far as I can. No looking back.