Chapter 24: Chapter 24

Even in your darkest moments, do not ever think you're alone, because you may not know it; but someone somewhere always has your back.

- Grace Chanbee

[Amber's POV]

"Mmmh! Mmmh!!" I mumbled, my incessant pleadings muffled under the pillow as I felt choked up, struggling for my life, being strangulated as hell.

I tried to make out any reasonable word but it was impossible and I felt like a failure.

Could it be that it was all a dream? Probably, all I needed to do was close my eyes and everything will be okay.

Something dropped on the floor making a noise and distracting whoever was trying to murder me with my very own pillow and in my own bedroom, as the pressure applied to the pillow lessened.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, I used all my might to push up the pillow away from my face. This apparently caught his attention as he struggled to press it back on me and complete his mission, an act I wasn't going to let him get away with so easily.

Ignoring the weak state I found myself in and in between gasps for air, I shifted aside, letting him miss his target by placing the pillow on the bed instead and he groaned out in frustration.

With my new staggered style of walking making me akin to a drunkard out of fatigue, I slipped out of the bed and panted heavily in search of getting my breath back.

The whole atmosphere was dead with silence and in the pitch black of the night, I saw his eyes twinkle; a bright yellowish one, having a semblance to the irises of a tiger.

As he approached me, I shuddered and opened my mouth to scream but it appeared that I was rather too slow as he got to me by lunging forward, placing his hard palm over my mouth, making it impossible for me to scream.

"This girl, you don't ever die, do you?" His thick and deep voice asked rhetorically, more like growled.

I would've said something or at least, whispered, if not for the grip his hand had over my mouth, making it unbearable for me to speak and to just swallow my words.

"Is it that you were a cat in your past life? Nine lives, is it?" He mocked.

Shivering terribly and struggling to breathe, I waited for him to do his worst, speculating and waiting to counter his next move.

"You have to die. It wasn't hard to get your foolish cousin out of the way, but you, you're just a stubborn bitch. I've watched all these years and I waited for the perfect opportunity, but nothing I ever do seems to be working out. I've sent minions all this while, but this time around, I'll finish the task which I started, it seems only I possess the power to do so," He said, still in his deep threatening tone which sent electrifying shocks all over me as my heart thumped in and out with fear... Fear of the unknown, fear of death.

He pushed me to the wall and as dark as the night was, I was able to see a long shiny substance which glinted in the dark of the night.

"I wanted your death to be silent and peaceful, but since that plan just fell through, I have to end your life one way or another. Luckily for me, I don't take chances and I already came prepared. I'm gonna slit your throat with this Russian nicely made knife. You've always been a smart little girl; This is what we call Plan B, isn't it?" He said, chuckling softly, gloating over his predisposed success.

Oh my goodness! He was holding a knife and the realisation of that made me do more than quiver in fear, I practically felt the urge to pee that instant as the thought that I could be dead any moment from then without anyone hearing so much as a whimper from me increased little by little till it engulfed my whole body and soul.

Not releasing his hand from my mouth, he pressed the knife against the edge of my neck and I babbled in fear, diverting my mind to thinking of how to escape from his claws immediately.

My pleas for pardon and forgiveness for whatever I must've done wrong, whatever that was, all fell on deaf ears. I couldn't get the words out but as muffled as the sounds that managed to get out were, it was still obvious I was in a state of panic and I was pleading with the man who wanted to kill me.

Putting two and two together, I came to the realisation that all that was needed to be done was to just alert the guards' attention.

Gathering enough courage and not caring about what I was doing and fully damning the consequences, my trembling fingers came up slowly and my heart beat a hundred times faster.

Not missing the grin he had on, I took advantage of his gloating and was sure he had no idea concerning what I was going to do.

Using my knee as a tool, I hit him in the groin where it hurt the most and he yelped in pain, his unpreparedness sending him off balance and sending the knife clattering to the floor.

"Help! Help!" I screamed, not pausing for breath this time around.

"Bitch!" I heard him mutter.

Controlling my numb legs which were too tired to move, I spun across the room with only one goal which was escaping; my whole being knew it was now or never.

I got to the door and placed my hands on the door but as a stumbling block once again, he came to me and held my legs, pulling me backwards inspite of how I tried to move forward and leave the place.

"Help! Help!" I screamed once more with my last ounce of strength before my legs gave in to the pressure his strong hands had on my feet, slumping heavily to the ground.

I heard him cackle and my feet refused to respond to getting up, hence making my last option before I probably died to move forwards slowly while using my chest and hands for support on the floor like I was swimming as he came after me.

"Where'd you think you're going? No one can save you now!" He said then wrapped his hand around my neck, squeezing it; an attempt to strangle me to death and I coughed, feeling choked up and tried to remove his hand to no avail.

I dug my sharp fingernails into his neck making him scream hard as I fought and struggled for my life.

We heard the alarm go off.

"Fuck! Bitch! I'm screwed!" He yelled under a mutter of cuss words and released my neck, sending my head to hit the floor with a loud thud, making me ache all over.

"Till we meet again, Amber Sanders," He said in a contemptible tone and fled in the darkness.

It wasn't long before footsteps approached my room and upon swinging the door open, the lights in my room were switched on.

"Baby. My goodness, what's wrong?" I heard my mum yell out in concern as she ran to where I lay, still coughing hard and gasping for air.

Nausea rose within me and everywhere suddenly became blurry and their voices which were panicking and concerned suddenly became faint to my ears as my eyes shut close.

*****

[Justin's POV]

I tapped gently on her door, but I didn't hear any response whatsoever ushering me to come in.

"You can just go right in. I bet she won't be offended," Her mum said to me.

I sighed. It had been almost twenty minutes since I had been standing at her doorstep knocking and calling out her name, but she failed to respond.

Her mum shot me a small reassuring smile, urging me to go in even though she hadn't told me to yet.

I smiled back at Eunice Sanders, her mum who had a great and hospitable personality, which was quite surprising as I was aware of the mean old grumpy Gilbert Sanders being her husband.

It was strange that although they both seemed like the direct opposite of each other, they had been married for a notable period of years. Wow, not all birds of a feather flocked together in that sense.

Bracing myself, I opened the door and gasped at the elegance of the vast princess-type bedroom she possessed. The place was a lot bigger and finer than the entire stick-built house which made me wonder why on Earth she'd have somewhere like this all to herself but still choose to stay at my home where we had little or nothing.

I swallowed hard and acted normally, even though I still couldn't get a hold of myself as I had just been getting different shocks since I stepped into the mansion.

The gate itself was small and not really fascinating but it was a completely different story upon getting into the compound itself. The house couldn't even be compared to the billionaire mansions one saw on the television, this place felt like paradise itself with all the many flowers, silver, gold and diamonds interior and all the shiny sparkling furniture of immense luxury and class.

It must have cost a fortune for Mr Sanders to acquire such a big mansion in a popular estate for only the rich in a big city like Los Angeles and I was certain he possessed many more mansions of diverse quality that were as admirable and magnificent as the one he resided in with his family.

Come to think of it, their family consisted of just three people and I was sure the servants had their own quarters, so how were three people occupying this sort of mansion?

This was what I was talking about. Grams also deserved a good life like these people, didn't she? And if I could provide for Danielle, Katie and Adrian, Nelly will have enough courage to leave her abusive home.

Sighing, I looked around a bit and saw Amber sitted in front of a mirror at the far end of the room, unmoving, her back turned, her hair all tangled and messed up.

"Amber?" I called.

It was like she was out of hearing as she didn't so much as flinch when I mentioned her name.

She only stayed sitted, looking lost, demoralised, visibly shaken and troubled.

I wondered what was wrong with her and walked slowly to her side, then touched her shoulders, causing her to snap back with a start.

"Please, don't kill me," She said, clasping her hands together, closing her eyes even without bothering to see who it was first.

"Why are you closing your eyes, babe? It's me," I said.

At the sound of my voice, her eyelashes fluttered and slowly, she opened her eyes, trembling in fear then looked relieved upon seeing me.

I crouched before her and cupped her face in my hands. She looked so scared, so terribly afraid, so freaking traumatised. My heart bled upon seeing her in the kind of state she was in.

"Are you okay?" I asked, knowing the answer to the question even before she gave a reply.

"Do I look okay?" She retorted in a calm voice, like she had forced the words to come out.

"You don't. Spare me a moment of your time then?" I asked.

She shook her head. "It's of no use. You won't believe me either," She said.

"Try me."

She heaved a deep sigh and shook her head in negativity.

"Please, Amber, please. Just a moment for your troubles, please," I asked of her.

She blinked on purpose. "A moment for my troubles it is then," She responded.

"Thank you," I told her.

Drawing a stool from her bedside, I watched as she just stared into blank space, not wearing any expression at all. The incident must have really shaken her.

Just before coming into her room, I had had a conversation with her father. Apparently, they had heard Amber screaming for help in the middle of the night and had rushed to her room to see what was wrong with the guards even sending off the warning bell.

However, on getting to her room, no one was there except her and she was lying on the floor, looking weak till she collapsed. From what we had discussed, he had informed me that the guards searched every nook and cranny without sighting any intruder.

Her mother had also explained that they had brought in their family doctor to examine her and he had said she may be having nightmares and illusions because of the trauma she must have faced during the accident that made her lose her memory.

Upon hearing this, I asked how it was possible for her to have illusions when she didn't even remember her past but her mum replied that the doctor said it was very possible; her mind could still feel frightened and tensed about the previous incident even though her brain was unable to recall what had transpired that day.

I sat opposite her and that caught her attention as she faced me seeing I was ready for us to have a discourse.

"Okay, Amber. I'm going to get straight to the point. What exactly happened to you in the night?" I asked, after clearing my throat.

She swallowed. "I felt... It was as if someone was... was trying to end me, the pillow was on my face and he aimed to actually smother me..."

"Sure it wasn't a dream?" I asked.

She shook her head. "It was real, Justin, I swear, you have to believe me," She replied.

I sighed. "Go on."

"He didn't succeed. I was able to leave him and while trying to revive my sanity, he... He came and... He wanted to slit my throat, Justin," She said, her fingers quivering as she tried to remain still.

Her mother already filled me in on the details; hence why it wasn't surprising to me. I knew Amber couldn't make up such a thing and knew exactly what she was saying, but I couldn't comprehend it. How was it possible for someone to sneak into her house in the dead of the night when there were hundreds of guards? It just didn't seen right.

"You're sure he was a man?" I asked.

She nodded. "Absolutely. There was actually something... Something strange about him, Justin," She said.

"What? Tell me," I said, getting more interested in the conversation.

"Justin, he had...he had yellow eyes," She said.

That felt so unbelievable and unreal. "Yellow eyes?" I asked.

She nodded. "It was...so scary."

"What else was significant?" I questioned.

She pointed at her neck. "Look here, Justin, the doctor says I was probably having a bad dream and held my own neck, but that's a lie. This is proof that he was here and he did this to me," She said.

I touched her neck and she winced a little. There were dull red marks there that were evidence that someone tried to strangle her.

"You didn't get to see his face, did you?" I asked.

She shook her head.

"Amber, you really believe someone tried to kill you at night?" I asked, once more.

She nodded rapidly. "Yes, yes, yes. Please, do me a favour and believe me. They practically think I'm crazy but trust me, Justin, I know what I saw and I know how I felt. I was scared and I thought I was going to die, please, believe me," She pleaded, her eyes getting teary with sincerity laced in her voice.

I considered her words and thought critically for some time, till the answer suddenly found its way to my brain.

"You know, if someone actually tried to murder you in your own home and no one saw the person go in nor out of the house, it only means one thing," I said, choosing my words carefully.

I could see her teary eyes instantly become filled with inquisitiveness. "What does it mean?" She asked.

"It means the person who tried to kill you is in your own home. I'll tell your mum to tell your dad to position guards at your door and install CCTV cameras if possible to ensure that such doesn't repeat itself again," I said, determined.

"I've been so scared since this incident took place and I'd actually feel safer if there were guards standing at my door, protecting me. You'd really do that for me?" She asked, looking really surprised.

"Yes, I will. Thankfully, your mum seems pretty much easy to talk to. You know what else, Amber?" I asked, wearing a smirk.

"What?" She inquired.

"I do believe you," I responded.

She smiled and stood from the chair, coming into my arms and hugging me tightly, probably feeling relieved that she finally had someone who believed in her; someone who trusted her.

Not wanting to get caught up in the moment, I gently let her out of my embrace and she stared at me for a while then sat back in her chair.

"I'm sorry, I've forgotten you're not allowed to be close to me this way again," She said, disappointment laced in her voice.

"I'm sorry, Amber," I offered.

She shook her head, motioning it was fine. "I understand. You know, I thought about it and although I can't imagine what I'd have done had I been in your shoes, I totally understand you. It's not easy to get all you've dreamt of just like that and you were right. I don't think I have the strength to keep fighting my parents, I'd have probably given up and of what use are you to me in prison?"

"So you understand me now?" I asked.

"Yeah. And thanks to you being the only one here who believes me, I've decided you're probably the only one I can confide in. In essence, it's fine if you're my therapist," She said.

This brought a smile to my face. "You're kidding, right?" I asked, not trusting if she was really being sincere or just pulling my legs.

"I'm not. I don't wanna be somewhere great tomorrow and you'll be stuck in jail, unable to make a meaning out of your life. I really want you to help me recover because not only will I be getting back my life's meaning and knowing why things are like this, I'd also be able to help a friend. You deserve more than a million dollars, Justin, and if my recovery will make life better for you and Grams, then I'm in," She said with a shrug.

"Thanks for your understanding," I said.

"Friends it is then?" She asked, extending her hand to me.

I shook hands with her and put on a smile. "Friends it is then," I affirmed.

"Let's drink to that then. I'm gonna get some bottles of soft drink from the fridge," She said, standing from the chair and walking to her mini fridge.

There was something different about her. Instead of the Amber who'd cry and beg for them to just forget the world and be together, she was understanding now and willing to let go of her feelings which felt like the right thing to do; but now, seeing this new side of Amber who wasn't just selfish because of her feelings, I was not sure if I wanted to do the right thing anymore.

******

[Author's POV]

Gilbert watched outside from Amber's window with Detective Andrew by his side, smiling impressed at what he had just seen.

"I told you he was going to do a good job. No feelings attached, they're good friends, she'd easily open up to him and at the end of the day, you'll get back your old Amber and he'll have enough money, not even bothered about you nor your household anymore," Detective Andrew said.

"Indeed, you were right. However, detective, do you think I should install CCTV cameras within Amber's room and place guards in front of the room?" He asked in concern.

"You know, sir, in every rumour, there's an atom of truth. Your daughter may be telling the truth that someone really tried to kill her and Justin's right in saying it's possibly someone from within. I'd advise you actually station guards in front of her room but the CCTV cameras are a no-no. I'm sure you don't want people to see when your daughter's dressing up," He said, giving his own opinion.

Mr Sanders nodded his head, seeing reasons with him. "You're a smart man, I'd give you that."

Detective Andrew laughed heartily, feeling pleased with himself as he got a once in a lifetime compliment from Gilbert Sanders.

The mastermind who stood afar off in the corridor, clenched his fist and nearly threw a punch in the wall due to anger and frustration.

Time and time again, he failed. With the new guards which were going to be stationed at Amber's bedroom, how was he going to have his way again?

An opportunity was going to present itself, he thought. At the end of the tunnel, there's always light, he thought, instilling confidence in himself.