It was Diego who kept following her.
The alien presence that kept trailing Giselle was Diego.
His gaze was intimidating enough for Giselle to get arrested to her feet. Despite the horror that screamed inside, indicating to walk away, her limbs couldn't move an inch.
She stuck glued to the ground with sweat covering her whole body.
Watching her panic, Diego finally cut the call.
He held nothing but an intimidating smile on his face.
He isn't angry or sad.
His smile only terrorized Giselle.
She felt her heart run in fear.
After all, the guilt and the humiliation still stained her spirit. Battling in for her love, Giselle felt compelled.
"You are an interesting person, Giselle," Diego said, putting the mobile in his pocket.
Their encounter disturbed the passing by strangers, and so Diego approached Giselle and picked up the bag left on the ground.
"Mind if we could talk for a bit? It looks like we are disturbing the public, come on," Diego said while his cold hands took Giselle's.
"N- No, I- I have to go home now-" Giselle uttered while fighting his grip.
Her response received a tight squeeze from Diego. He was hurting her with his hold.
Giselle hissed silently from the pain.
Other than responding to Diego, Giselle didn't do anything out loud. She even breathed inaudibly, and her movements restricted to none. She froze on her spot, silently combating from Diego's pull.
"Well, there is nothing wrong with a few words sharing."
Diego firmly pulled Giselle to a nearby alley.
One would call it the barren streets where the hipsters and notorious crowds hang out. Diego intended to scare Giselle, and it worked.
Giselle got frightened while being hauled into this area.
Luckily, Diego only planned to take her till the entrance. He was aware of the streets as well and refrained from going further. Though he intended to scare Giselle, he knew not to mess with these types of people in particular.
With Giselle still suffering, Diego confirmed that she got scared of the scene. Upon confirming, he stopped and pushed her away harsh. Following Giselle was the bag he picked up for her. It fell on the ground too. There were fresh ingredients inside, which got all mushy from the throw.
Giselle yelped from the rough landing. It took her a few seconds to recover while trying her best not to fret or dwell in fear. Quickly getting up, she dusted her clothes, collected the bag, and stood a little far away from Diego.
Naturally, Giselle's eyes wandered to see not anyone present. Having people stroll the place itself makes it scary, but with no one around, it is even eerier. Giselle felt nauseating from how much the place reeked alcohol scent. Scrunching her nostrils, she refrained from breathing through her nose.
The walls with Graffiti drawings, overflowing garbage containers, and broken liquor bottles scattered were a few highlights of the place. Amongst all was one intoxicated guy wasted on the ground. He looked destitute, with scars riding on his face, and ripped clothes. It seems like the guy won't wake up for now since he too smelled of heavy alcohol.
Giselle swallowed from what her eyes perceived. It is not advisable for anyone to even enter a place like this, let alone get stuck, by herself, along with Diego- Giselle felt shattered.
"What do you want to talk about?" she asked nervously, keeping an eye out.
"I already told you to disappear," Diego came straight to the point.
Giselle stammers to respond.
"You sure have guts to go deceiving me behind my back. Do you realize that I'm Lillian Grey's best friend?" Diego claimed.
Giselle remained silent.
Her panic-stricken face did not know how to react.
"You do realize why she is so damn insisting on you to meet her, do you?" Diego asked.
Giselle's eyes twitched, responding to his inquisition.
"I see, you too noticed it already. No wonder you stayed and agreed to meet Lillian." Diego sneered.
"You clearly know that she is giving you a chance and you still want to accept it, don't you have any shame?" Diego directly offends Giselle.
Despite his calls, Giselle chose not to utter a word. She bore to take it with her if she is going to keep having hope and continue fighting for what she genuinely wants.
Diego kept throwing insults at her and only received her silence in response. It enraged him. Little by little, Diego started losing himself over this wordless dispute.
In the end, seeing her refuse to reply stubbornly, Diego asked Giselle if she is in love with Lillian Grey.
The question was too direct, and it made Giselle finally react. Her body flinched when she heard it.
Diego knew the answer already, but still, he wanted to hear Giselle admit.
"Yes, I still love Lillian. I'm sorry, Diego-"
He knew.
Diego knew, and yet he insisted on hearing it from Giselle like he wants her to say something that will anger him more.
"I can't let you have her," Diego interrupted before Giselle could even complete talking.
"I can't, and I won't let you come near her," Diego sternly said.
Seeing him enrage even without Lillian's knowledge, Giselle only got bothered as she told him it wasn't his choice as to who should approach Lillian Grey.
"I think I do, what do you even know about me?" Diego snaps, rejecting her statement furiously.
"I know, Diego," Giselle confirmed.
Diego's puzzled face let Giselle reveal the long-hidden truth.
"Is it because you are in love with Lillian so much that you don't want me near her?"
As if he got stark naked in front of thousands of people, Diego's long protected secret got exposed by someone he held so much hostility. Her straightforward words hit him, and Diego completely lost himself to wrath.
Not only did Giselle approached the girl he liked, but she had the nerve to go far as to reveal the one thing he kept hidden for a long time.
Diego can no longer feel his conscious work properly.
All that ran in his head is the girl he hated so much standing in front of him.
Diego thoroughly detested Giselle's presence.
Crashing into her, Diego grabs Giselle harsh. He pulled her by her hair in one hand while the other strangled her throat.
Startled from the way he acted, Giselle realized it was a mistake of her to expose him brazenly. She found herself getting throttled by the guy who lost his senses already.
Giselle battled to release from his grip.
By hitting him on his legs, Giselle was able to create a space as Diego lost his balance from the stinging pain. However, he assumed her next move. Without giving her the possibility to escape, Diego pulled her hair again. This time he did not care and went severe.
Giselle cried from the pain.
Diego did not bother anymore.
The lonely barren street is now hearing the screams from Giselle and deep grunts from Diego as he was seeking to hurt her.
"Yes, I love Lillian, and you are a hindrance to us. What did you think that Lillian is unlikely to date because of her personality? No, you have no idea how long I stood next to Lilly, protecting from those guys who tried to approach her. And now, you think you can swoop in casually and take possession!"
"Do I have to keep reminding you, your damn place?"
Diego's anger-filled strength over-powered Giselle. The guy attacked her intending to destroy. When Giselle slipped for a second, Diego used it to yank her against the wall.
Strapped and caged in between his arms, Giselle felt nothing but deadly fear crawling inside her. Slowly, she began to lose hope.
Warning Diego, again and again, to get away and leave her alone, Giselle shouted, screamed, yelled, and lastly begged. However, nothing worked against the guy.
Diego didn't do anything necessarily, but only his gaze pierced at Giselle, watching her struggle.
No more can he take her causing a racket, Diego, without hesitation, began molesting the girl brutally.
For Giselle to be in a position for the second time, being assaulted by another guy, it was worse than death itself.
No longer can she voice out because tears started raining down.
She tried pushing away Diego, but the guy held her with his brute force.
"I know what Mike did, Giselle," Diego reveals.
Hearing those words froze Giselle, she couldn't fight anymore. Looking at Diego with absolute horror, the tears still kept running.
'He knows.'
'He knows it.'
Giselle panicked.
Even after knowing what the guy did and still having the humanity to behave this way, Giselle felt utterly disgusted.
"I think it is time for you to learn that you are not gay," Diego spoke.
"Just because you never dated a guy doesn't make you gay, Giselle. Let me prove it to you right now, and then you can see it for yourself that you don't need Lillian Grey anymore,"
'How can he?' – Giselle shuddered.
Her vision blurred from tearing up.
She begged Diego to stop.
Giselle kept begging without any hassle.
"..."
Only after seeing her not struggle any longer, Diego snapped out of his irrational state.
As if woke up from a dream, the guy stared at Giselle;
Realizing how he misbehaved!
Giselle's pathetic state and her tearful eyes; She no longer looked at him and only kept her vision down.
Seeing her like that shocked Diego as well; He cursed at himself for dragging this too long.
Touching her, he felt disgusted and stained.
Nonetheless, his anger still dwelled within him.
'I won't get fooled again by you.'
Diego vowed to end this once and for all.
Noticing a group of young men enters from the street from the other end, Diego followed.
They seem to be heavily drunk and babbling bullshit. Two of the six, from the group, suddenly started fighting while the rest four continued stumbling their way towards Giselle and Diego from afar.
"Leave," Diego said.
Giselle looked up and then only spotted the approaching men who aren't themselves. They are the type of unruly people one can find in this alleyway.
"Leave," Diego said once again.
Giselle stared at Diego in a complete daze. Because of his assault, Giselle began to feel drowsy, but still, she saw him tell her to leave.
The two who fought out of no-where now joined with the rest of the group as well. Together, they moved towards Diego and Giselle.
When Giselle silently chose to leave, Diego pulled her again.
"Leave this place," he said.
Pausing for a while, he spoke again.
"Do me a favor and leave this country as well. As long as you are near my Lillian, I can never confess to her. You know that she is in love with you, right? I can no longer change her, but you can, and you will. I don't want to ever see you again in our lives. Disappear, and I will let you live, if not-"
Diego stopped, looking sideways at the approaching men who are still yet to near these two.
"Fellows, I got a nice lamb for you all here. Care to join me?" Diego yelled at those men daringly.
Giselle's eyes instantly grew because she knew what Diego meant.
Turning back to Giselle, Diego's gaze, as malicious as it can be, he spoke.
"This is your last chance. Disappear from Lillian Grey, or you will get abused by those guys. These men don't care if you're gay or not."
The group of men chattered within themselves before turning to Diego.
"Hey man, what did you say?" one of the guys tried asking.
Giselle could hear, see, and feel everything.
She noticed how Diego looked selfish.
She was struggling even to breathe, and this guy blackmails her heartlessly.
Seeing him continue talking to those drunkards, Giselle urged Diego to stop it.
Her undying love for Lillian still wished to fight and escape, but Giselle's reality was even harsher than she could expect.
Crossing halfway, the group recognized Giselle and started ogling at her while passing heinous remarks.
One can never feel at ease hearing those guys describe what they wish to do to Giselle.
The more Giselle begged, the more Diego became ruthless and stubbornly locked her in his grip.
When she found that there is no other way to get out of this situation, Giselle finally gave in, agreeing to disappear once and for all.
"Listen, I don't want to see your pitiful face once again. Remember, this is only a warning for you. If you ever dare to show yourself or appear in front of Lillian again, I won't be kind like this to and wait,"
"I can do worse than this."
Diego warned as Giselle agreed and swiftly dragged her out of the streets within a few seconds. Throwing her away, he hid from getting exposed to the strangers. They all looked at Giselle in shock.
Giselle got left in a mess once again, but this time she can't expect Lillian to come and help her.
Fearing for her life and sanity, she did not look back and kept walking towards the other direction.
The bags she carried got stamped to the ground by those drunkards as they finally reached the entrance.
Asking for the girl who was there a few seconds ago, they all waited eagerly for Diego to answer.
"That one is diseased-ridden, you don't want to play with her."
Diego's snide remark annoyed the group.
One of the guys who was looking forward to playing with this girl yanked Diego for messing with them.
Realizing the position he was in, Diego sincerely apologized.
Those men were too drunk to respond and pushed away Diego to leave.
Falling, Diego saw them walk away. Returning his gaze once again to the abandoned alleyway, he noticed that the bags Giselle carried got smashed into the ground.
Sighing to himself, he stood up to dust off and leave as well.
**
There it is...
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