The Mystery of a traveller.

Chapter 8

Joshua's POV:-

"Let's go to the factory now. We have a lot of guns to test." She said, interrupting my beautiful thoughts and getting up from the chair on the balcony and going inside after pecking on my lips.

We never shared romantic love talk, but I could feel the connection. She may be too, the gravitational pull whenever we are distant for too long.

I nodded and went to freshen up and change. Speaking of gun testing, cherrys factory is producing guns 10 times faster and more efficiently in the entire country. Her factory is well-known throughout the country now. Some envious people speculated about her doing something illegal or having a loophole that allows her to be on top, but no one had the guts to come and investigate the factory or her residence, because everyone loves their lives, and Cherry never hesitates to take it from them.

I even taught Steph how to shoot as well as test guns. As of now, she tests the pistols and revolvers and shotguns, and also silencer guns, while I am helping with the testing of larger firearms such as rifles with scopes, and also grenade launchers, cannons, etc.

Mr. Wellington is delighted now to have me as a guest because I am a great asset to their factory's profits and growth.

Steph's father is the perfect drinking companion. He even treats me as their son. He is a fun person to communicate with, but God knows when it comes to cherry, he changes the topic or leaves the room. Sometimes I wonder if Steph was being tortured by her father or if her father was being tormented by Steph. He always keeps a cold aura around her and hesitates to talk about anything with her.

I arrived at the factory in the disguise of normal labor after 30 minutes of Steph's arrival leaving no room for any suspicion of me, its not like I am afraid of what will happen if they know about me but I just want to avoid causing drama. "Why is there less manpower today, Cherry?" I inquired as I entered the testing area and closed the door behind me.

"As you know I despise lazy individuals, and they weren't really of any help in producing weapons, besides we both, and machines are enough. Don't you think, Josh?" she said with a vicious smirk across her lips and aimed the gun at the target. "So, you fired them just like that?" I asked curiously.

"No silly I wouldn't let them wander like that if they knew about you-" she smiled eerily and pulled the trigger before continuing "so I killed them," she replied while giving me a triumphant grin as if proud of herself, and the bullet she fired directly penetrated through the target stack precisely a perfect shot.

"And don't you think the folks who already suspect that you are doing something sketchy, will be coming for you....because of labors disappearing from our factory," I asked being worried "They don't have proof that I killed the labors and even if they would find something against me, I don't mind conducting a bloodbath" She stepped closer and whispered near my earlobe and fuck, it made my blood rush, don't know if it was because of her delicate voice doing the blood talks or her lips brushing my earbud, maybe both.

Author's POV: -

She was standing in the bathroom, her both hands on the sink supporting her upper body as she stared at herself in the mirror bitterly, she sees the monster which had consumed her and the darkness of her soul. Its true what they say about the dark. You shouldnt be afraid of the darkness itself, but what hides in it!

Stephanie's POV: -

I glared at myself in the mirror in front of me. My objective was very clear since I talked to Joshua at the factory the first time, which was just using him as a gun tester for my factory's advantage without him knowing, and taming me for his sexual needs so that he would stick with my factory and won't leave before my purpose was over, was just a part of my plan, but there was something which I never thought would be such a big obstacle in my path..... MY HEART!

I was dead inside, surrounded by nothing but darkness. My heart was made up of stone, but when did it begin to bleed? Why does his touch always make my heart race, and him calling me Cherry never fails to make my blood rush to my cheeks involuntarily? My heart has many times restrained itself from the guilt.

Guilt, somewhere in the corner of my heart, echoed 'you should let him go, you should let all of this go.' But how can I just let go of an opportunity to prove myself to my father like he always wanted? I can't forget all the suffering I have been through to be phenomenal, to be perfect, and fetch our manufacturing unit on top, which my father desperately wanted, and this is my chance.

Joshua is my chance. Because of him, I know and am still learning how to test guns and even shoot, so that in the future, even if he vanishes, I can still test guns and develop new weapons on my own. I will be fucking unstoppable with no imperfections, just like my dead brother, according to my father. Finally, he can be proud of his daughter, and then maybe he can give me the fatherly love that I always craved for but because of my brother, never received.

After my self talk in the bathroom yesterday I wanted to resist him so that my brain can atleast blame him that he's the reason I am losing my mind and nothing from my side. My I wish it was as easy as it sounds. My eyes were on the target as Joshua taught me how to fire an assault rifle. But my mind just drifted into a trance of him slamming me against the table, touching me aggressively, marking and claiming me as his, and banging me hard until I couldn't walk for weeks. No matter how much I hated this, I wanted him more than my guilt.

His muscular arms held me and the gun in place. He is whispering instructions regarding how to operate the gun that I cant focus on with those lascivious thoughts crossing my mind. I completely missed the target, firing at the top left corner of the wall. Shit. My heart and body are not cooperating.

Joshua and I are in a strange place in our relationship. The closeness, the intimacy, it feels like there are moments when we are inside each other, but not in the physical sense. However, the relationship is still mainly physical. There is affection, but no confessions have been exchanged, no concrete revelations of undying love, but there is still love in his touches, and the whispers into ears during sex or maybe lovemaking.

My goal is important for myself. Someone has to be the selfish villain. I'm the most villainized player right now. People don't like me. I should focus on my plan even if I destroy myself in the process because I never considered my heart or feelings. Then why now?

I want to stay in his embrace and cry my heart out, but I also want to yell at him for making me feel this way. I hate how he makes me feel. I hate how he always devours the dishes I prepare for him and praises me as if no one can cook better than me. I hate how he never complains about my scars. I hate him for never telling me that he is exhausted in the factory or he wants to rest instead always helping me and my factory make more profits. I hate it when he looks at me with those sparkling eyes and touches my hands softly. I hate to love him.