Chapter 5 A Terrible Figure

• Edeline’s whole body was drenched in cold sweat. Her beautiful eyes were wide open, tormented by a nightmare that shook her to the core.
• Her face had turned pale. Her slender body trembled uncontrollably from overwhelming fear. Her small lips quivered, making it hard for her to speak.
• Right before her eyes, Edeline was tormented by something terrifying and disgusting. Dirty fingers eagerly reached out to touch her. She tried to fend them off, desperate not to be touched by those filthy hands.
• “D-don’t… don’t touch me…” Edeline stammered in terror.
• “Your body looks stunning, Edeline. I… ah, I can’t bear to look away.”
• “Savage! Don’t… don’t touch me—”
• The nightmare vanished as Edeline’s eyes were forced open. The disgusting touch, the terrifying threat, and the figure she wished to forget all disappeared without a trace.
• Yet the dreadful images left deep scars in Edeline’s mind. She hadn’t yet realized it was just a nightmare.
• “Dr. Edeline? Are you okay?”
• Edeline tried to look away. Gasping for breath and feeling slightly dizzy, she studied the person standing to her right.
• The situation was completely different from before. What she had faced was dominated by darkness—thick and frightening—while now everything was bathed in white light.
• As her vision cleared fully, Edeline realized she was back in the real world. The dark shadows in her mind faded like waves as she woke from the nightmare.
• “Dr. Edeline? Can you hear me?”
• “L-Lina…” Edeline whispered weakly but clearly.
• “Thank goodness you’re awake. I was so worried about you,” Lina said.
• Edeline gave a faint smile. She knew Lina had panicked because of her frightening reaction to the nightmare. Slowly, Edeline steadied herself while confirming where she was.
• “You fainted here. When I was called, Dr. Elvis had already given you treatment,” Lina explained.
• “I fainted?” Edeline was surprised.
• Lina nodded. “He said you had a nosebleed! Then, because you hadn’t eaten and were exhausted, you passed out. He also said once you recovered, you were allowed to go home.”
• Edeline understood her condition that had led to unconsciousness. Anxiety had robbed her appetite, leaving her without nourishment in the morning. Plus, she had missed lunch due to her busy shift in the ER.
• She realized she was still in Elvis’s office. Lying on the soft sofa, she guessed she hadn’t been rushed out to avoid negative rumors.
• An intern doctor fainting on her first day—that was something Elvis would want to keep under wraps.
• “If I go home, who will be responsible in the ER?” Edeline asked.
• “Don’t worry. Other doctors have been assigned to replace you. The important thing is you recover quickly,” Lina replied.
• Feeling well enough, Edeline decided to leave. During her time in the room, she never saw the owner of the office. Where he had gone, she didn’t care. What troubled her was the faint memory before she lost consciousness.
• Curious, she tried to recall the blurry image of a little girl with beautiful long hair running toward Elvis. She also remembered the cruel moment Elvis pushed the child down. She faintly heard the child’s cries.
• That temperamental man! Even a little child wasn’t spared from his cruelty.
• He truly drained Edeline’s emotions and thoughts. So much so that she didn’t notice she had arrived at the upscale residential area where Abraham had given her a house to live in.
• Edeline entered the modern-style home after the driver left. The silence that stretched inside welcomed her. Her soul was mesmerized by the luxury dominating every corner.
• Abraham had been very kind to her. The house was fully prepared for her to live in. Even the refrigerator was stocked with food. At one point, Edeline felt unworthy of Abraham’s excessive kindness.
• “Mr. Abraham would be angry if I refused to stay here. I have to find an excuse. This house is too luxurious for me,” she decided aloud.
• ***
• “I’ve told you over and over, don’t ever take her out of the house, especially not to the hospital!” Elvis shouted sharply.
• He didn’t care about the small figure cowering nearby. Nor did he care how his arrogant attitude affected the five-year-old child’s psyche.
• “I’m sorry, Mr. Elvis,” a nanny standing behind the child spoke reluctantly. “But the young lady has been crying and insisting on seeing you—”
• “I’m the one who pays you! So you obey me!” Elvis cut her off cruelly. “Or are you tired of working as her nanny?” he threatened.
• The nanny didn’t dare argue. She just shook her head in obedience, avoiding Elvis’s dark, angry glare. But there was a flicker of courage in the little girl named Shopia Dalton. That small figure was the source of Elvis’s anger.
• “I-I… I miss Daddy. Daddy didn’t come home yesterday.” The little girl bit her lower lip in fear.
• Elvis showed annoyance at the whining voice he was tired of hearing. “Are you deaf? Or are you deliberately ignoring my orders? Don’t ever come bother me at the hospital!”
• His voice was calm but his angry growl revealed his hatred for Shopia. The innocent girl shed tears of sadness.
• “Do you want to be locked in that dark storage again as punishment?!” Elvis shouted a serious threat.
• “I-I didn’t do anything wrong, Daddy.” Shopia’s voice trembled with fear, but her teary eyes still looked at Elvis.
• “You came to the hospital, Shopia! You disobeyed me!” Elvis spoke even harsher.
• Elvis was cruel. Shopia only wanted to ease her longing for him. She didn’t deserve harsh words from the man who should shower her with love. After all, Shopia was his biological daughter; his blood flowed through her small, frail body. No need to ask how Shopia felt—her tear-streaked face showed deep sorrow.
• “Daddy hates me?” Shopia’s innocent voice trembled painfully.
• “Since you were in that woman’s womb, I’ve hated you,” Elvis replied coldly and heartlessly.
• Shopia’s tears kept flowing. “I love Daddy.”
• “I hate you,” Elvis said with clear disdain. “You’re weak! You’re sickly! You’re always a burden! Your mischief brings bad luck to others! You should be considerate so the nanny and everyone in this house don’t get into trouble! Or… do you want me to send you to boarding school?”