Broken

05

I carefully picked out all the shards and cleaned the cut myself. The cut on my thigh hadn't even healed and I had to deal with this one.
The tears in my eyes never stopped flowing and it blurred my vision making it difficult for me to see what exactly I was cleaning.

"Since you want to kill me by giving me poison,you'll go to bed hungry" he spat out coldly.

"Ye..yes..yes sir" I said in a shaky voice. I had faced far worse things than what he was doing but it still hurt. The blood soaked the bandage and I hand to change it again.

"You start working with me tomorrow" was the last thing I said before drifting off.

"Ah!" I screamed when I felt a cold wave hit me. It was water. It was so cold it stung.
"Wake up!" I heard a commanding voice say. I stood up from the floor,still drowsy. My palm was aching and it hurt when I clenched it.
"Work starts in an hour and four minutes. Get ready in thirty." He said and walked out.

I yawned and and walked to the bathroom,bathed hurriedly and got dressed. I covers the cut on my thigh with a bandage and wore my skirt. My hand was immobile thanks to the cut.

"CLAIRE! IF YOU DONT GET DOWN WITHIN TWO MINUTES, I'LL COME AND DRAG YOU DOWN BY YOUR CUT!" He screamed from downstairs.

"I'm..I'm here" I said quietly.

We walk sit in the car in silence. I chose to sit at the back because I knew if I sit beside him,he'll just tell me to go back.
I looked out of the window mesmerized by what I saw.
I wasn't allowed to go outside much when I was with my dad so this was like a road trip for me.

"Woah!" I half-yelled when the car came to an abrupt halt.

"Get off"

"Wha...what?"

"Claire,get off"

He smiled at me and there was a twinkle in his eye. He just loved to see my suffering.
"The office is about 10 minutes away. I'm pretty sure you can walk" he said and sped off leaving me by the road.

"Hmph!" I mumbled under my breath. I walked briskly to the office,entered the elevator and went to the 50th floor.

"You're 10 minutes late!" He said to me without looking at me.
"I'm..I'm sorry..sir" I answered,my voice meek and soft.
"You'll be working as my P.A and your "office" will be right outside mine. Your first assignment is to round all the figures up in this file and create a special folder for it. If it's not done before 12,no lunch for you? Got it?" He said in a bossy voice.

"Got it" I answered with a nod.

I walked out of his office and seat in my new chair. Luckily,my dad taught me how to handle work when he wasn't busy beating my mom or raping me so I knew the ropes.

ELRON'S POV.

I looked at her as she walked away and there was this calmness that flooded my chest. I didn't know what it was but I didn't want it to leave.

The walls of my office were a single side mirror so I could see her but she couldn't see me.

No El,you can't trust her. They're all the same. Remember Zoey?

Zoey had ruined the way I saw women. I used to see them as people who needed protection from the world around them but turns out,they didn't need any of that.

I sat by my computer when she walked in "I'm done with the rounding up,sir."
She placed the folder in her hand delicately on my desk and stood with her hand behind her. I loved her respect.
I read the folder and rose an eyebrow before saying "I don't like the presentation. Do it again".
She looked at me slightly shocked and I liked the way her green eyes twinkled in confusion.

"Bu-but si..sir..I..I" she stuttered.

"You heard me right. Do it all over again...it better be ready before I get back from lunch." I told her while standing up.

"Wi..will I get to go for lunch?" She asked me.

"If you finish in time" I answered before walking out of the office.

I was left alone in the office. I made sure to read through the file before I sent it to him. But still it didn't suit his taste.
I sat in my chair and tried to forget the burning hunger I was experiencing.
I finished rounding it up a few minutes before he arrived.

"I'm done sir" I said while giving him the file.

He read it for a bit,then looked at me and said "Who taught you this?"

"My dad..sir"

He closed the file and placed it in his desk and told me to leave the office.
I didn't dare to ask him if I could and sat quietly by me desk.

It was closing time and I was packing when one of my colleagues approached me.

"You new here?"

"Yeah."

"Oh nice. I'm Enzo"

"H..hi Enzo"

He smiled at me and I felt happy. "I'm Claire" I said while still packing.

"Nice name" He said with a charmer's smile.

"Thanks" I answered.

"I'll see you around,Claire" he said with a wave.

I waved back and left the office.

I sat in the back of Elron's car and looked out the window when he started driving.

"Stay away from Enzo or what will happen to you will be worse than your hand" He said when we got home.
I nodded and hurriedly walked inside as if he didn't live with me.

The weather was a bit colder than yesterday and because of that,the floor was a bit cold when I laid on it. The man above me seemed to be already asleep when I closed me eyes.

ELRON'S POV

I looked at her sleeping figure on the floor and there was a pang of guilt in my heart. I looked at the clock and it read 1 am. I couldn't sleep and I decided to wake her up so that she would sleep beside me.

"Claire." I called out. No response. "Claire." I called out again. Yet no response. I touched her body and it felt cold. She seemed not to be breathing.

"Claire, wake the fuck up!" I shook her yet she didn't wake up. That was when something was wrong. Her fingers were cold and her warmth was slowly depleting. I knew if I wasted anytime she would loose her life.
I placed her in my car and drove like a madman. My heart was pounding in my ears. I felt as if everything had slowed down. I looked at Claire and fear gripped me when I saw how pale her face was.

"She's cold. She isn't breathing" I told the nurses when they placed her on the gurney.
I saw her in an oxygen mask and I realised how severe it was.