Pampered by my Billionaire CEO Husband

Third Person POV

Continuation of flashback

Serena’s eyes widened as she glared at her husband with defiance gleaming in her eyes.

"No, I’m not doing it. Why do you want her here?" She questioned as she kept her gaze steady and pulled herself up to stand up on both feet. "I know you are up to no good."

A low chuckle erupted from Aaron’s parted lips. "No?" He repeated, raising a brow at her as a smirk tugged at the corners of her lips. "What makes you think that you would have a choice, hmm?" He taunted as his eyes danced with amusement while Stella let out a snicker as she walked up to cling her arm around his.

"I’m not listening to you anymore," she retorted before she spun on her heels to walk towards her daughters who were sitting on the bed, still crying for her. But she had only taken no more than a couple of steps before she felt someone roughly grab her by her hair, pulling her back forcefully.

A sharp pain shot through her scalp and a yelp left her lips. Instinctively, she reached back to hold onto her hair to try and release the tension.

"What do you think you are doing?!" She screamed, her high-pitched voice piercing through the tension that was brewing in the air. "Let me go!" She demanded but was only met with a condescending laughter that left her husband’s lips.

"Let you go?" He asked, tossing her words right back at her with a mocking look etched onto his face. "I need to teach you to listen to what I say!" He snarled, his words filled with malice as he tugged at her hair even harder this time while Stella watched with satisfaction.

He pulled her so hard that her back collided with his chest and he wrapped his arm around her to hold her back.

She struggled, shoving against his hold as she tried to break-free. But after all, she was only a thin woman who was too weak to overpower her own husband. "Let go of me!" She screamed again as she continued to kick and flail her arms around.

Seeing her struggle to escape from his tight grip, the corners of his lips twisted upwards into a satisfied smile. He leaned in closer to murmur beside her ear.

"Are you going to be obedient now and listen to me like a good wife?" He hissed, his voice filled with mockery and disdain for his wife. "You don’t get to disobey me, who do you think you are?" He warned as his face darkened visibly.

"I told you I am not doing it!" She insisted, eliciting a scoff from her husband.

"You sure are stubborn, aren’t you?" He sneered with a disdainful scorn as the frown that was etched between his brows deepened. "You left me with no choice, Serena..."

He turned to meet Stella’s eyes and she immediately knew what to do and sprung to action.

Serena watched as Stella walked towards the kitchen to grab the knife that was already lying on the chopping board from the apples she was chopping up earlier.

Stella was holding the kitchen knife like it was nothing, as though it was just a toy. Her eyes flickered down to glance at the sharp blade with a terrifying smirk that was stretched across her face.

Realisation dawned upon Serena in a split second. Almost immediately, her eyes widened as fear and horror were swirling in the depths of her eyes. Her heart was now racing in her chest, threatening to burst out as she watched Stella slowly sauntered over towards the two children on the bed with a knowing look in her dark brown eyes.

"What do you think you are doing?!" She screamed out loud, her voice filled with fear and worry as her eyes stayed fixated on Stella’s every move and the knife in her hand.

It might be the adrenaline that was pumping through her veins, but somehow she managed to break-free from her husband’s tight hold on her and dashed towards Stella without a single warning. She reached out to try and snatch the knife out of her hand but instead all she got was a cut down her arm.

It didn’t even last long before Aaron angrily grabbed onto her and held her back again, much tighter this time. "Where do you think you are going, huh?"

She didn’t even care about the blood trickling down her arm or the pain that was coursing through her body. At that moment, all she could care about was her daughters.

"Don’t hurt my babies!" She begged, her voice laced with desperation as it shook with fear.

Stella stopped by the edge of the bed, less than an arm’s length away from the two girls in crying on the bed. The smirk on her face widened, she enjoyed hearing the desperation in Serena’s voice and the way she begged for her mercy.

"I won’t hurt them," she paused as silence stretched between them for a brief moment. "But, you need to do what we told you to. Otherwise..." she drawled, her voice trailing off.

"I can’t guarantee anything," she continued, finishing her sentence with an arrogant look plastered across her face and smugness radiating from every inch of her skin. She played with the knife she was holding, getting dangerously close to the children.

Serena let out a breath as she looked at her daughters. "Aaron what is wrong with you?!" She screamed even though she couldn’t turn around to look him in his eyes. "They are your kids too! You cannot threaten me with their lives and put them in danger." She continued to struggle and kick but to no avail.

"Why not?" He retorted in a cold voice. "You better think this through. I trust that you would be wise enough to make the right decision, right?" Aaron taunted Serena this time, whispering into her ear and sending a chill shiver right down her spine.

"Fine, fine!" Serena conceded with a defeated look on my face. She sucked in a deep breath. "I will do it. Just... don’t hurt my babies," she pleaded with a helpless look on her face.

Stella placed the knife back onto the chopping board and Aaron finally released his strong hold on his wife. With a look of relief that masked her features, she immediately ran towards her children and hugged them tightly to comfort them.

"Shhh... don’t cry... Mama’s here, mama’s here," she murmured in a soft voice as she gently patted them to calm them down, kissing the top of their heads.

With an impatient look on his face, he snapped. "We don’t have all day, you know," he spat. "Just make the call already," he demanded.

She reached in to grab her phone and her finger hovered over the screen as she hesitated for a moment while her mind buzzed with thoughts.

"What’s stopping you?" He asked. "Do you want money? Will that help?" He mocked when she didn’t say another word. "Call her now and I will give you some money for you and the kids. Take it as your reward, for helping us," he snickered.

Her finger trembled in fear as her eyes were filled with anxiety. Her palms were starting to sweat and she needed to wipe them down on her shirt. Just as she was about to press call, there was a knock on the door that reached their ears.

"Serena?" The familiar voice called out then there came another knock, sounding more urgent this time. "It’s me, Aurelia," the voice announced and she dropped her phone onto the bed in shock while the two of them scrambled to find a place to hide.

***

First Person POV

"So the blood on your arm..." my voice trailed off and it finally clicked inside my head as a wave of realisation washed over me. "It was because of them?" I asked even though deep down I already knew the answer.

Serena could barely say another word as she only lowered her gaze and nodded with the guilt and shame eating away at her.

My gaze softened within the next second as I looked at her. "Serena..." her name left my lips. "You should have told me. Why did you hide the truth from me and made me think that you betrayed me?"

She looked up to meet my eyes, tears glistening in the brim of her eyes and the tip of her nose was tinged red. "I...I..." she stammered, unable to get the words out of her throat. "I did accept his money after all. It was my fault and I can’t deny it. I knew I couldn’t face you," she said, choking on her words as her voice was barely above a whisper.

The other sales person, Julia walked over this time, clicking her tongue in annoyance as she rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Are the two of you done talking? I have a sale to make you know?" She sneered. "Get out of the shop if you are not going to buy anything."

I turned to meet Julia’s eyes with a cold stare. "Do you? Even if I wanted to buy something, you wouldn’t be earning a single cent of your commission from me."

She scoffed loudly. "Then what? You are going to give it to Serena just because she’s your friend?"

I smiled.

"No. I’m not giving it to her either because she’s quitting this job."