Morning came and I was ready to leave Malcolm. I had packed my stuff last night as soon as I had come back to my room. All I had to do now was wait for Malcolm to leave, and then I was out of there.
Where was I going to go? Maybe to one of those shelters for homeless people.
Changing into a pair of jeans and a shirt, I left my room to go make breakfast for Malcolm. The sad thing about me leaving was that Malcolm wasn't even going to pay me for working for him.
I hope I find a decent job soon.
Turning on the stove, I began preparing breakfast for Malcolm. I pondered over my situation while making breakfast. I knew I would have to change my name and appearance as I doubted that Malcolm would let me run away with his child. I just hoped I would find a job quickly.
"Good morning, Ariana," Malcolm greeted, sitting on a chair.
"Good morning, Mr. Bennett," I replied, putting the eggs and bacon on a plate and placing it in front of Malcolm.
"How are you?" He asked.
My brows furrowed in confusion. Why was he asking me how I was? He never asked me before. He even greeted me a good morning, something else which he never did.
"I - I'm fine, Mr. Bennett, thank you," I replied hesitantly.
"Good." Malcolm smiled at me. He actually smiled. And it wasn't one of those sadistic smiles, this one was genuine and sweet. It completely transformed his face. He looked soft - approachable.
Not wanting to take advantage of the new Malcolm, I decided to go to my room to make sure I had everything in my bag, and I wasn't leaving anything behind.
"Where are you going, Ariana?" Malcolm asked.
"Uh, to my room, Mr. Bennett," I answered.
"Call me Malcolm, and why don't you have breakfast with me, then you can go about your work," Malcolm suggested.
My confusion mounted. Okay, there was something wrong with him. Why was he being so sweet? He hated me. And why was he telling me to have breakfast with him when half the time he couldn't even stand my presence?
"Malcolm, are you okay?" I asked, not wanting to delude myself into thinking something that would never be true.
"Yes, Ariana, I'm very well," he replied with a small smile.
"Why are you acting like this?" I questioned.
"I'm not sure what you mean," Malcolm responded.
"Why are you being so sweet?" I enquired.
Malcolm smiled at me. Standing up he came over to me. Cupping my cheek with his hand, Malcolm lowered his face a little.
"I just realized that I was very harsh with you last night, I shouldn't have treated you like that," he answered.
Last night? He was harsh with me last night! He had been harsh with me since the moment I met him!
"It's okay, Malcolm, it was nothing really," I said. I was going to be out of here in a little while, didn't want to leave on a bad note.
"So sweet. I'm going to go to work now, you take care of yourself, okay? Don't stress yourself out," he ordered.
I nodded. "I won't," I said.
Kissing my cheek, Malcolm turned and left the penthouse. As soon as the door closed, I made my way to my room and took out my duffle bag from under the bed. Making sure that everything of mine was in the bag, I zipped it shut and left my room.
As soon as I tried to open the penthouse door, I found it locked. I tried to check the latch and the lock only to find myself being locked from the outside. Panicking, I ran towards the cordless phone and dialed Malcolm's number.
"Hello?" Malcolm spoke.
"Hello, Malcolm?"
"Ariana, is everything alright?" Malcolm asked.
"Malcolm, the door, it's locked, somebody locked the main door from the outside," I told him.
"I locked the door from the outside, Ariana," Malcolm replied calmly.
My heart started pounding in fear. Why would he do that? I had to leave, I had to leave now.
"You? But why?" I questioned.
"Because I know you're planning to run away and I'm not going to let you," he responded.
Tears pricked my eyes. "Malcolm, you can't do this, you can't keep me here like a caged bird!" I shouted through the phone.
"Lower your voice, Ariana," Malcolm ordered in a menacing tone that I was so used to hearing. "And you'd be surprised as to what I can do, baby. You're not leaving me, not now, not ever." With that, he cut the call.
Throwing the cordless phone on the couch, I charged towards the door and tried to open it, but I failed - miserably. Nothing worked. From shaking the door to using a bobby pin, nothing worked.
Giving up, I stormed into my room and locked it. Throwing myself on the bed, I let out tears of anger and frustration.
What did I do to deserve this? It was supposed to be a simple blind date. I didn't intend to stay with Dark_Phoenix forever. One night, that was all it was supposed to be. Now, I was forced to suffer the consequences of that one night my whole life.
Why was Malcolm doing this? I was trash in his eyes, why did he want to keep me around? I would be more than happy to have joint custody of the baby. I didn't think I'd be able to survive with Malcolm my whole life.
What was I going to do?