Mia Cara (A Temptation Series Book)

Chapter Five - Stalked

Her reaction to his advances shocked Marcus. No one had rejected him this way, and he was totally confused. What went wrong? She wanted this all along, didn’t she? Why else would she come all the way here for the second time? He didn’t believe that anyone could be that naïve and wanted to return free money.

Getting up, he walked out of his room, looking for her. He stopped in his tracks when his glance fell upon the open door and the open gate. So she had figured it out, after all! Maybe he had underestimated her capabilities. Picking up the remote control, he pressed the buttons to close the gates and the door, locking them shut. With his cheek still stinging from the intensity of the slap, he went to take a cold shower. He needed it desperately.

Later, when he went to the kitchen to get himself a bottle of water, his glance fell upon the envelope that Cara might have left behind. He frowned and got up, walking towards it. He picked it up and checked the contents. It seemed as if she had forgotten to take it along with her. He kept it aside in his pocket.

Foolish girl! Maybe she left it on purpose so that she could come back again for it. He would wait for her in that case! Wait to punish her!

Cara reached her home at last and went straight to take a shower, to wipe all his marks from her face and body. Hatred and disgust filled her heart and mind. She hated rich men now! They were all the same, as*h*les!

“Cara, are you sick?” asked aunt Maggie, coming inside the house and looking at her with concern. The children were at school and she just walked inside with lunch.

“No, aunt Maggie. I’m fine, just tired,” she lied, picking up the soiled laundry to wash.

“So, did you return the money to the new owner?” asked aunt Maggie.

“Yes,” she said without informing her of the details. Aunt Maggie sighed and placed the food in the kitchen. “There's temporary work at the cafe down the street. My friend, Susie, is nine months pregnant. Her delivery is next week. Would you be interested to fill in her place till she’s ready to re-join?” asked aunt Maggie. Cara’s eyes brightened at the prospect of work.

“Yes, aunt Maggie. I’m ready,” she said with excitement.

The next few days, Cara was too busy with her day duty at the Corner Cafe and her evening performance at the Kingston Club. Although she didn’t hear from Marcus Donnelly again, she couldn’t ever forget the way he had crushed her soul. She had lost interest in men forever!

It had been five days since she had escaped from the Southampton beach house and as she served at the cafe for the last time; she looked around the place dejectedly. Susie gave birth the day after she joined here as her replacement. It had been a couple of days already and she and her baby were fine, so she was eager to join back.

“Cara, do you know that man, over there?” asked Gina, another server at the cafe who became a good friend to Cara within a brief span of time. Cara looked at a retreating figure on the opposite pavement, walking away briskly. She frowned at the familiar man who had been haunting her ever since that fateful day.

What was Marcus Donnelly doing here, of all the places in the universe? He had no reason to be here at all! Or was he here to punish her for slapping him? Fear gripped her heart, and she looked around again. No one was there.

“No, why?” she asked with a shrug, pulling out her notepad and pen to take orders from a nearby table. The cafe had a beautiful outdoor seating area which she had been designated today. How did she miss Marcus Donnelly then?

“He had been watching you for the last hour. I saw him when I went inside and now, after an hour, he was still there. Be careful, Cara, he looks dangerous and creepy,” said Gina as a shudder went down her spine. Cara frowned, knowing that she was right. Marcus Donnelly was lethal and could crush your spirit with just a single word. He was the rudest creature on earth!

“I’ll be careful, don’t worry,” she said with a fake smile at her friend. The rest of the day, she monitored the road but found no one. So was it her nerves playing tricks on her? Why did she feel like she was being watched all the time?

It was 4 o’clock when she almost ran home, not wanting to meet Marcus Donnelly on the way. She just had enough time to eat and freshen up and then rush to Kingston Club for her performance.

Her siblings were doing their homework while uncle Joe was dozing off on a couch nearby in the tiny living room of her home.

“Cara, today I got full marks in my math assessment. Are you happy with me?” asked an enthusiastic Vera as she jumped up to hug her.

Cara’s face brightened up with happiness. So what if she herself couldn’t pursue her own studies? At least she was educating her siblings well. She would ensure that they went to college and had better lives than her. “I’m so proud of you, cupcake,” she said, hugging her back.

“I’ve made soup and ham sandwiches for lunch, Cara. Will you eat now?” asked Adam eagerly, seeing the tired lines on her face.

“Yes, I’m starving. We had to be on our toes the whole day,” said Cara, sitting down. Liam served her food and brought it to her.

Uncle Joe woke up with a start and looked around at Cara. “When did you come home?” he asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“Just, Uncle Joe. I’ll be going to Kingston Club now,” she said, quickly munching her food. Uncle Joe sighed and shook his head.

“You should be in college. I wish I had lots of money,” he said, getting up. His words touched Cara’s heart. No one cared so much for them as Uncle Joe and Aunt Maggie.

“Me too, Uncle Joe."

“Me three,” said Liam with a sigh. They all turned to look at him.

“What would you do if you had lots of money?” asked Uncle Joe with interest.

“I would send Cara to college,” said Liam thoughtfully. His simple words touched her heart.

“Yes, and if I had money, I would buy a house for us,” said Vera. Adam said nothing and sat fidgeting with his fingers.

“What about you, Adam?” asked Cara softly.

“I would hire a lawyer and clear dad’s name,” he said, looking into Cara’s eyes with tears in his eyes.

Cara felt tears prick in her eyes too. She opened her arms and all three children rushed to give her a hug.

“I’m sure we will make all our dreams come true one day,” she said, hugging them close.

“Yes, I’m sure of that, too. You will always have my and your aunt Maggie’s support in anything you do, children. We are family,” said Uncle Joe, patting Cara’s head lovingly.

“Thank you, uncle Joe. Yes, we are family,” said Cara. She felt much better after that conversation and rushed to Kingston Club for her performance in a better frame of mind.

The performance went well, but again, she had the strange sensation of being watched. Of course, she was on stage with a jam-packed audience present to watch her show. It was an everyday thing for her, but this feeling of being stalked was completely different. She sang back-to-back songs, and the audience cheered and sang along, swaying and enjoying the Karaoke hour.

Finally, she was done and rushed over to the dressing room to change out of the glitzy dress that Rudolph Sterling had allowed her to borrow from the club’s wardrobe. Since her show was selling well, he had insisted that she dress up well for the show. She collected her pay and walked out of the club to the bus stop.

Again, there was that feeling of being stalked that made her look all around the bus stop in fear. At 7 o’clock in the evening, with the place teeming with people, would Marcus Donnelly grab her and punish her?

To her relief, the bus came to a halt, and she climbed in. As she found a window seat, the bus started moving. Out of the corner of her eyes, she thought she saw Marcus Donnelly driving away in a white Mercedes. Turning, she looked properly, but there was no one. Was it her imagination, or was he really here? Was he really stalking her for his revenge?