HOW YOU LIKE THAT | JENLISA

Chapter 26

Jennie

The room wasn't familiar to me this time round. It appeared to be the same dungeon or underground area that I'd walked into earlier. A dim yellow bulb illuminated the place, and I was lying on the concrete floor with nothing but a jug of water on the side. My legs felt numb and fractured. I couldn't move them an inch even if I tried, but it was covered in plaster, so a doctor probably tended to my injuries, and that meant there were people working under the Manoban family who chose to remain silent, maybe they had a family doctor who took care of all the dirty work for a hefty payment.

I ran a hand through my hair and it felt greasy. My stomach growled, as I realised that I must have starved for a long time. Unfortunately, the room did not even have a window, so it wasn't possible for me to guess if it was day or night. Days could have passed as I lay here in this prison. Perhaps I'd slipped into a coma, I would not even know.

The pain in my legs was worse than before and even though I hadn't seen Sorn hit me, I was positive that I'd heard her voice. She'd hit my legs repeatedly with the bat.

These people were monsters. They had made sure that I couldn't plan an escape for another few more weeks. They enjoyed feeding off weakness and fear, and that's the last thing that I wanted to give them. I could pretend to obey their orders and strategise my next move.

Just then, I heard the locks turning, so I backed up against the wall.

It was Nichkhun who walked through the door, followed by a maid holding a tray in her hand. She didn't even blink when she saw me on the floor, as if this was a daily occurrence and something that was not worth dwelling upon. The aroma of food entered my nostrils, and it made my hunger even worse. I would kill for a morsel of the food on that tray, and that's exactly what they wanted; for me, to be starved and desperate for food that I'd agree to do anything.

He sat down on the floor, just a few feet away from me, with a stoic expression hanging on his face. His apple-green eyes studied me warily. Unlike the few times that I'd seen him before, he wore casuals and he looked relatively younger, like some attractive man that I'd see walking down the street, and not the powerful man in control of a billion-dollar conglomerate whom I'd met on my first day here.

Nichkhun waved a hand of dismissal at the maid. "You may leave now, Jessi." He said sweetly.

Jessi bowed her head and walked out of the room, while closing the door behind her. He held the tray of food in his hand. I sneaked a peek of the plate and there was roast chicken, with mashed potatoes and a thick piece of oozing lasagne.

You're fucking kidding me! This was torture, knowing that Nichkhun wouldn't let me have the food. He might have just brought it down here to tease me with it.

"You're hungry, aren't you?" Nichkhun asked me in the same voice that dripped of honey.

I glanced away; I couldn't stand looking at it anymore. I didn't answer him.

"Nan told me you loved lasagne."

"I would have also loved to see you dead." I retorted.

He laughed the way one would laugh at a joke that their best friend cracked. "You're funny, Jen, and I like the fact that you're still strong, regardless of the situation that you're in. We've had employees crying and begging for their life. I'm glad we took you on-board."

"What do you want, Nichkhun!?" I asked.

The tray of food careened over to me when he gave it a slight push.

"Eat your chow. We'll talk after that." I stared at the plate of food in front of me.

What if he'd poisoned it or planned to drug me with it?

Reading my thoughts, he gave me that sly smile again. "If we wanted you dead, you'd be six feet underground by now. The food isn't poisoned." He stated, while pulling the plate towards him and sampling a bite of each before setting it down. "See? I haven't dropped dead. If you won't eat your dinner, that's fine. I have people who can force it down your throat. The choice is entirely yours."

I picked up the plate and began eating it slowly. It was so good; I was going to cry. Nichkhun watched me silently as I ate and after I was done, he handed me a glass of water that I chugged down quickly.

Emotions tightened on my throat as I asked him, "You're not going to let me go, are you?"

"If you do as I say, you'll be free, Jen." He blinked at me. "You have my word."

"What do you want?" I questioned for the second time.

"Your co-operation." He answered, looking at me dead in the eye. "I need your help, Jen. That's all I'm asking. In exchange, you're never getting hurt again, or mistreated by any of us. If you show me that I can trust you fully. I'll even take off the tracker."

"What do you mean by co-operation? What is it that you need from me?"

"You'll know soon enough. In the meantime, please take good care of my sister. It appears like she's taken quite a liking to you."

"Can you take me back to my room?" I asked.

Nichkhun laughed again, "It's funny how you appreciate the little things in your life when you're put in a situation like this." His eyes twinkled with cruelty. "Like I've said, you need to earn it, Jen. If you show me that you're a good girl and that you can obey me, we'll take you back upstairs."

So, I was going to be stuck here for a while.

Before leaving, he stopped and turned. "Sorry about what Sorn did to you. Don't take it too personally."

When he left, he turned off the lights completely.