Bound To The Seduction

Chapter 51: A Trigger

Henry woke up the next day tired and hungry.  There wasn't any cooked food in the fridge since he'd been away for half a month and was too lazy to cook anyway. He decided to drive to the nearest restaurant to grab some breakfast, and since he wasn't going to work today, he changed into a grey shirt, black jeans, and sandals.

Henry picked up his electronic car key and left. He got to the basement parking lot like usual and headed towards his car as he scrolled through his phone.

"That's him," one of the reporters shouted as the rest of them ran towards Henry. 

The sudden noise and clattering of shoes startled him. It was usually silent in the basement all the time. He raised his head to check out the situation. A dozen cameramen stood in front of him with all their cameras and microphones focused on him. The camera flashes nearly blinded him.
Before he could say anything, they started bombarding him with questions.

"Mr. Salva, we've received an exclusive report that you ordered the demolition of the Savvanah Street residential area."

"Yes, the public would like to know why you did that..."

"Can you confirm to the public that you were the one who approved the project?"

"Did you know that the demolition caused several residents to be injured? What do you have to say about it?"

"What else can he say?  Don't all businessmen only care about the money?"

"How could you be heartless?"

The chaotic scene in front of him merged with a painful memory of the past

A fire

A raging fire.

The yellow flames crackled in the wind, as if to display its power, devouring everything in its wake. Smoke billowed, and the wind distributed it everywhere, filling the air with a choking acrid smell. The neighbors coughed as they carried buckets and buckets of water. They threw it at the fire in hopes of holding the fire down. The wind wasn't making it any better. It kept negating their efforts and the fire even spread faster.

He was six.

He woke up to a big fire in their home. It was only him and his mom at home that night. His mom had helped him get out safely but she had fallen right after. Her white dress was covered with blood and soot. The blaring sirens from the ambulance and the fire truck had given him hope, but it slowly turned into a nightmare when his mother did not wake up.

Mamaaa! Mamaaa! He cried as he tried to shake his mother awake like he always did every morning.

Someone had pulled him away from the ambulance as they tried to resuscitate his mother. He was taken to a safe distance from the fire. It was dark and he knew no one among the people present. They had left him alone as they tried to salvage the situation.

The blaring sirens and the terrified screams of the onlookers filled the air. The surrounding noise from all the chaos made his head spin. In a blink of an eye, a group of news reporters swarmed around him.

Dread.

That was what he felt.

Ka-cha! Ka-cha!

All he could hear were the camera shutters going off. All the camera flashes flickered around him like disco lights.  Reporters kept bombarding him with questions without giving him a chance to figure out what was happening. They did not have any shred of sympathy for a small boy. All they cared about was whether they could make a hit with the next headline.

"Mamaaaaa... Mamaaaaaa..."

That was all he could say.

Tears flowed freely from his eyes as he shrunk back. He could taste the tears mixed with snort in his mouth but he did not care. All he wanted was to be with his mother.

The microphones that kept increasing in number made him afraid. It looked like giant clubs next to his mouth. He thought they might hit him with those clubs if he refused to speak.

Just like now, all he could hear were camera shutters.

"Mr. Salva..."

"Did you hire them to beat him up...?"

"I heard that you authorized the project..."

Henry covered his head with both hands and ran toward the lift. Sweat covered every inch of his skin; sticky and uncomfortable. He pushed the button several times in a row as if that would make the door open any faster. As he got inside, he leaned on the wall, panting heavily.

He dashed into his apartment as soon as the lift door opened again. He felt his knees weaken and his entire body trembled. He slammed the door as soon as he got in, leaning his back on the door but he was too weak to stand. He slid his back slowly against the door until he sat on the cold floor.

He took in deep breaths hoping to stabilize himself.  He wanted to make a call but he couldn't find his phone. It dawned on him that he had dropped his phone in the chaos. He had no way to contact the outside world now, or maybe he did.  His mind was a mess and couldn't think straight now.

Henry waited for a while, hoping they would leave in a while.  He wanted to get out of this house now. He couldn't bear to stay alone in this house.  About an hour later, he figured they must have left, so he stepped out of his house again and got into the lift.