13~The Slave Contract[2]

[Emily]

I never knew until now that there was a clause that required me to work for seven years. Was that even legal?

At that time, I had been heavily pregnant and just needed the job and the security that came with it.

“I… I didn’t realise,” I stammer. “I was…”

“Ignorant?” He cuts me off again, his tone clipped. “I bet you didn’t even read the paper you signed.”

My face flushes hot, wishing I could go back in time. Wishing this were all a dream? That I wasn't standing here with him.

His gaze doesn’t waver. “Ignorance doesn’t nullify obligation.”

I clench my jaw. ‘So you’ll sue me if I leave?’ I want to ask, but I don't.

“If you breach your contract, LensCorp has every right to pursue legal action,” he continues, moving from his desk to stand in front of me. I subconsciously move back.

“Legal action? For resigning?” I blurt out, without thinking.

He tilts his head slightly. “You’re not resigning. You’re abandoning a binding agreement.”

I stare at him, frustration and fear twisting together in my gut. “You don’t even know me. I can't stay here because…” of you. I stopped myself just in time.

“I don’t care about that, Ms Matthews. All I know is that you’re an asset to this company. And I don’t take kindly to losing assets.”

My chest tightens, and I realise I’m trembling. I hate that he can see it.

“I would like to speak to Ms Grayson regarding this matter,” I say bitterly, unable to contain the frustration and anger I feel. At him, but mostly at myself. How could I have signed that document without fully reading it?

“Speaking to her doesn't change anything,” he says. “Get that through your head, Ms Matthews. You have two years left on your contract. And I suggest you fulfil them if you don’t want me chasing you to the ends of the world.”

My throat burns, and my heart’s beating so fast. “You can’t do that.”

Deep down, I know he can, and that terrifies me.

He leans forward slightly, and suddenly the air between us feels tense. “I can,” he says softly. “And I will.”

The finality in his tone cuts through me. His words feel like a threat. No raised voice or intimidation, just quiet certainty. The kind that doesn’t need to be shouted to be terrifying.

I nod stiffly because if I open my mouth, I’ll break.

He studies me for a moment longer. “Good,” he says finally. “Then we understand each other.”

I turn to leave, my vision blurring. I want to enter a stall in the washroom and cry my eyes out.

“Ms Matthews,” he calls before I reach the door.

I stop but don’t turn around.

“For your sake,” he says, “don’t make any decisions you’ll regret.”

Gosh, I hate him! With all my breath

My hand tightens on the doorknob until it aches. “You don’t have to worry about that, Mr Lockwood.”

And then I’m gone.

The hallway feels like it’s closing in on me. I make it to the washroom before the tears come, gripping the edge of the sink as my reflection swims in and out of focus.

“Two years,” I whisper to myself. “Two damn years.”

It feels like a sentence, like a slave contract.

When I finally find Lisa, she’s at her desk typing away. She looks up, sees my face and immediately pushes her chair back.

“What happened?”

I pulled her from her seat to the stairs, my hands still shaking. “He was there, in Ms Tasha’s office,” I whispered.

Her eyes widen. “Elias Lockwood?”

I nod, feeling empty. “He’s using Ms Tasha's office in the meantime. And…” I swallowed. “He saw the letter.”

“Shit!”

“He said I can’t resign. Apparently, there’s a contract I signed five years ago that doesn’t permit me to.”

Lisa frowns. “What? That’s insane.”

“I signed it when I first got the job,” I say, rubbing my temples. “I was pregnant, scared, and I didn’t read the damn thing well. I just needed the paycheck. I can’t believe I’d been such a fool. This is all my fault.”

Lisa’s expression shifts from confusion to fury. "No, it’s not. You were alone and desperate at the time. So is he going to force you to stay? What about talking to Ms Grayson?"

“It doesn’t change a thing. I signed a contract, Lisa. I can’t walk out.”

She leans forward, her voice a whisper now. “Emily, we need to get out of here. He’s dangerous. You can’t be around him.”

“I don’t have a choice,” I whispered back. “If I break the contract, they’ll sue. I don’t have that kind of money, Lisa. And he…” I stopped, glancing around to make sure no one was coming. “He told me he would chase me to the end of the earth if I didn’t fulfil my legal obligation.”

Lisa’s jaw tightens, “Shit, Emily. We know what he can do, so we’ll have to be careful. Guess I won’t have to turn my resignation letter in then. Gosh, I hate that devil incarnate!”

For now, I’m trapped. Bound by a piece of paper and a past that refuses to die.

And Elias Lockwood, my nightmare, my mistake, is right here, holding the pen.