Prologue
Scarlett Lewis stared at the innocent angelic face of her baby boy whom she delivered last week. Sitting in her humble one bedroom apartment she couldn't have been happier as she breastfed her baby.
"Austen, yes Austen, that's what I'll call you, sweetie. You heard your name Austen?" She cooed at him as he concentrated on his sucking, without a care in the world.
She sighed, not knowing how she would balance her work as well as the baby. It was tough being a poor single parent with no one to turn to for support.
Her best friends Valentina McGuire and Alexandra Thornton were already married and she didn't wish to bother them. Karen was too involved in her career as a PA to the CEO of a top business group that she didn't get time for herself let alone help Scarlett.
Austen had fallen asleep and placing him on her bed, she went to the kitchen, checking for food. Her neighbour was a kind old couple who helped her a lot but she couldn't depend upon them. Opening the small refrigerator, she took out the last carton of milk and poured over the cereal that she had served herself.
She was ravenous. Childbirth and breastfeeding was taking its toll. She didn't have much money to buy much food stuff after her delivery. Whatever she had was spent meeting the medical expenses and buying baby necessities.
She worked as a receptionist at a two-star hotel in Austin. The pay was enough to make her survive, but now that she was at home, recuperating from the delivery, all her money was finished.
She remembered spending her early years at an orphanage. There wasn't much food and she was always hungry. She never saw her parents. They had dumped her on the doorstep of the orphanage. However her good looks and quiet nature attracted her to a good natured couple and they adopted her giving her a home and education. She was forever indebted to them.
After finishing her college, she had just taken up a job at a hotel when her foster parents died of a car accident. She was an orphan again.
Their son took possession of all their properties and valuables, breaking all contact with her. She would have been on the streets had she been jobless. Karen gave her shelter. She stayed with her for a month.
She thought about that dreadful night when there was an event at her hotel's nightclub. As an employee, she was on duty there along with many others. Karen had accompanied her there. After her duty was over, she sat down to a few drinks with Karen. She was done for the day, when a tall, rough and handsome man came up to her and engaged her in a talk.
That was all she remembered that night. In the morning she woke up in an unknown bedroom, naked. Panic was too small a word for what she felt. Hearing the sound of a shower in the washroom, she realised that her abductor might be in there. The soreness between her legs confirmed her that she indeed might have been raped in her unconscious state. Frightened, she picked up her clothes from the floor and quickly wearing them, ran for the bedroom door. She found her handbag near the main door downstairs. The entire mansion was empty at 4 o'clock in the morning.
She rushed to the huge black gates and stood staring at them. How would she open that?
She didn't find her shoes, so barefoot she climbed the gates, slowly and steadily so as not to wake up the guard who was sleeping.
She ran for nearly a mile, barefooted and finally found a cab to take her home. After twelve days she discovered her pregnancy. Karen helped her throughout her pregnancy and then Scarlett shifted to a one-bedroom apartment after a month.
Sighing at her pathetic life, she finished her food, she decided to ask her neighbour to look after Austen while she went to buy necessary stuff.
She knocked on her neighbour's door and Maggie opened the door. Her eyes crinkled with a smile hovering uoon her lips upon seeing Scarlett.
"Come in dear, what do you want to have? I've made bacon and ham quiches and peach cobbler today," she said as Scarlett's mouth watered. She was fed up with eating cereal and milk for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
"Aunt Maggie, I need a favor actually. Can you sit with Austen for a while? He's sleeping and I need some groceries," she said hopefully.
"Sure dear, why not? You go ahead," she said as she walked over to her apartment and sat down on the couch in the living room.
Scarlett picked up her handbag and dashed to the shopping mart nearby to get basic stuff for her and the baby with the little money she had.
Returning, with two packets, she walked down to her apartment to save money. Halfway to her apartment, she had an eerie feeling of being followed. Turning around, when she didn't see anyone, she just discarded the thought, blaming her nerves for playing games with her mind. Who would follow her? She didn't have neither friends nor foes. Her three friends were different and very busy.
She walked home but the feeling of being stalked did not go away. Confused as ever, she went into her apartment. Suddenly turning back for one last look, she thought she saw a man with a black hat, duck behind a wall. She just caught sight of his beard, moustache and black hat pulled low over his face.
Who was he? Was he a thief? She didn't need to worry as she had no money.
Heaving a deep sigh, she went inside to find Maggie sitting and knitting. "Oh honey, you're back? I was just knitting your baby a sweater," she said, beaming.
"Oh thank you aunt Maggie," she gushed, touched that she was doing so much for her and Austen.
"Oh rubbish dear. I've kept some food in your fridge. You just warm it up and eat. Ok? You've lost so much weight. You need to eat, girl," said aunt Maggie, patting her head. As soon as she left, Scarlett arranged all the stuff she bought and then tired and hungry, she attacked the refrigerator to check what aunt Maggie left for her.
Her mouth watered at the bacon and ham quiches and she ate three. Then she went to check Austen and change his diaper. She would have to join work soon else she wouldn't survive. Where would she keep Austen?
