"Oh my goodness. We've been trying to find you for months. What happened to you? Where are you? We had no idea when they moved you from the base camp, and no one saw who kidnapped you. The CCTV footage was tampered with, and the guards that had been on duty were all killed in order to silence them." Gaya, his new second in command said as soon as she picked the call.
He hoped they gave Dagon, his original second in command a proper burial. He had been one of the soldiers killed in the explosion that made Alrik retarded.
"I'm doing okay. I'll explain everything later. But for now, the only people who should know that I am alive and well, are you, and the inner circle. Apart from the six of you, nobody should be informed till we investigate and discover the traitors and their allies."
"Yes sir."
He may have been away for a while, but he was still a soldier.
"How about my companies?"
"We've been managing them in your absence, sir. Hoping and waiting for your return."
"Good. I owe you all my gratitude. I will send you the location of my city. Begin immediate preparations to move the headquarters of Crestview group to my vicinity." He ordered.
"Sir, that would take several weeks. We would need to solicit for a proper space to construct a building, or buy one, then manage employees, and others."
"I want it done in three days. Make an announcement about it on the news now, and solicitors will come to you. Every company in the country will be falling over themselves to partner with us and make the move go as smoothly as possible." He said and she sighed.
"As you wish, sir."
"We'll talk later. For now, I have things to handle here. I'll call you tomorrow morning to get a status report."
"Roger that, sir. In the meantime, stay safe, we can't lose you again. The team will be ecstatic to have you back. We have a lot to tell you."
The call was disconnected, and Alrik moved to take a shower. He waited in the room for Eliza to come back, so he could surprise her with his sudden recovery. But even when it was noon, Eliza didn't return. He kept waiting, and out of boredom, decided to watch the news. He smiled when he saw that the announcement had gone viral already. And just in the space of a few hours, four thousand different companies had submitted bids to become partners to his company. Every news station was carrying news of the sudden decision to move his company headquarters, and it was even having an impact on the stock market. While he stayed in the room, he had no idea how his wife was being mistreated.
Eliza was in the gardens, on her hands and knees, cutting up weeds, digging up the soil to loosen it for new seeds. They wouldn't even be using the garden for her grandfather's birthday, but she had still been forced to do this menial task, even though they had a gardener. When she was done there, she had to go to the kitchen to wash all the dinner wares by hand, and alone, even though there was a dishwasher, and multiple maids to assist.
"It's time for your meal, Eliza." One of the maids said as she approached with a tray of cold food.
They no longer address her respectfully. She was the only member of the family that they called by first name and without a title. When the maid got closer, she pretended to trip, and poured the food all over Eliza.
"Oops!" The maid said without remorse, and the other kitchen staff laughed.
Tears welled in Eliza's eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She may have lost everything, but she still had her pride. She ignored their insults and continued working. When she was done, it was almost time for the event to begin, so she went to take permission from her mother to leave, and get changed. She met all of them seated in the family dining room.
"Why do you need to change?" Her first brother, Francis, asked with a scoff.
"I need to wear something more presentable and come back for grandpa's party. I already have my gift in the house, but my dress is in my room. I will also use the opportunity to check on Alrik. He's been alone since morning." Eliza responded.
"You will not be attending the party as a guest. You will join the maids to serve food. They will give you their uniform, so go to the maids changing room and get yours, then stand in line with the other staff while the guests arrive." Mario, the second brother spoke this time.
"You want me to serve at the party? But,"
"But what? You refused to divorce that filth you call a husband, so you're no longer a part of this family. You're just a poor freeloader that we allowed to live here out of pity. If you choose to defy me, then you can take your lunatic husband and sleep on the streets." Her father snapped.
Eliza felt like crying again. She couldn't believe this was coming from the same people she called family for so many years. He didn't bother arguing so she wouldn't be thrown out with Alrik. Her meagre wages from working weren't enough to afford rent outside.
"Can I at least give grandpa my gift?" She asked, and her grandfather waved her away to go get it.
When her grandfather unwrapped the gift, he immediately began to laugh.
"This cheap rag is what you got for me?"
"I made that myself. I stayed up for several nights to knit it, and I used my last money to buy the best wool for it." Eliza responded.
"It's disgusting. I can't even use this to clean my dogs."
"You've finally allowed yourself to sink to the gutters, Eliza. How shameful. Get out of my sight, and go to your duty post."
She ran out of the dining room in tears, but her torment wasn't over. When she got to the changing room, the other maids had sprayed her uniform with smelly water, and it was too late to find an alternative because the guests had begun to arrive. They laughed as she was forced to wear the stinky dress, and avoided her like she was infected with a contagious disease.
She tried to stay hidden when the party started, but was forced to serve a group of her old classmates when they called for her.
"Geez. You stink!"
"Where did you get your outfit from? The garbage?" A male named Barry whom she had turned once down his proposal said, and the rest of them laughed at her.
She wished the ground would open up and swallow her out of shame.
"You look like you need a bath. Here, let me help." The first female that had spoken said as she grabbed a glass of champagne and poured it over Eliza's head.
"You used to be the prettiest girl in our class. Look how low you've fallen, all because you insist on being married to a street rat."
They all laughed again. There was a commotion at the entrance that made everyone look, and Eliza was shocked to see her husband trying to get past the guards.
Alrik was furious. He had gotten tired of waiting in the house and decided to come out to look for Eliza, and had watched her being humiliated.
How dare they insult her just because she loved him too much to divorce him? They would all regret laying a hand on her. He could see the tears and hurt on her face even from where he stood. For every tear she had shed, he would pay them back a hundredfold.