My boss hasn’t been touched in 5 years without screaming. Tonight, he grabbed my wrist.
Part 1
My boss hasn’t been touched in five years without screaming in pain.
Tonight, he rejected a room full of powerful women, walked straight to my corner, and grabbed my wrist.
The chandelier lights cast a heavy gold glow over the ballroom.
Dozens of the most influential women in the city stood in a tense line.
Each one wore silk and diamonds.
Each one had been carefully vetted for one purpose.
They were here to become Craig’s wife.
Craig had everything money could buy.
He also had a condition that no doctor could cure.
Whenever someone touched him, his body reacted like it was being burned alive.
Rumors about his violent reactions whispered through the staff corridors every day.
I kept my head down.
I adjusted the cuffs of my black uniform.
I held my serving tray tight against my ribs.
I had worked in this house for ten years.
I knew better than to look up.
The heavy mahogany doors swung open.
Silence dropped over the room.
Craig stepped inside.
His face showed absolutely nothing.
Helen stepped close to him.
She kept her hands carefully tucked away.
She whispered something to him.
Craig scanned the line of waiting women.
The first woman stepped forward.
She reached out with a confident smile.
Her fingers brushed his sleeve.
Craig flinched hard.
His jaw locked.
He stepped back.
He told her not to touch him.
The woman shrank back.
Whispers broke out across the room.
One by one, the others tried.
One by one, Craig recoiled.
The air in the room grew thicker with every rejection.
Then Craig stopped moving.
He wasn’t looking at the line of women anymore.
His eyes locked onto me.
My breath caught in my throat.
I gripped the edge of my tray.
I wanted to step back into the shadows.
Craig walked straight past the silk dresses.
He ignored the confused murmurs.
He stopped inches away from me.
He told me to come here.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
I stepped forward.
Craig raised his hand.
The entire ballroom held its breath.
His long fingers wrapped firmly around my bare wrist.
Nothing happened.
No flinching.
No pain.
Craig just stood there.
He stared down at where his skin met mine.
He announced to the room that he chose me.
Helen gasped.
The room erupted into chaos.
Craig didn’t let go.
He pulled me out of the ballroom.
We rushed down the silent hallway.
We stepped into his private study.
He dropped my wrist.
He stared at me like I was a ghost.
He told me not to move.
He reached out again.
He pressed his palm against my arm.
His muscles braced for the burning sensation.
His shoulders slowly dropped.
He muttered that it didn’t make sense.
He demanded to know who I was.
I swallowed hard.
I told him I was just a maid.
He stepped closer.
He grabbed my hand.
He said everyone else felt like pain.
He narrowed his eyes.
He said I was hiding something.
The heavy door swung open.
Helen marched inside.
She glared at me.
She demanded an explanation.
Craig kept his grip on my hand.
He told her I wasn’t leaving.
Helen warned him about embarrassing the family.
She looked at me with cold calculation.
She realized I was the only person who didn’t trigger his condition.
She whispered that I was dangerous.
She turned and left.
The study felt completely empty.
Craig told me I wasn’t leaving the house again.
I stared at the floor.
He ran a hand through his dark hair.
His brain now treated any human contact like a lethal threat.
The nightmare had started five years ago.
Memories of a brutal car crash still haunted him.
The suffocating heat of the flames remained fresh in his mind.
Being trapped in the twisted metal had broken something deep inside him.
His sharp gaze suddenly shifted back to me.
The realization hit him that I was already working here back then.
Taking a slow step forward, he invaded my personal space.
An accusation hung in the air as he suggested I had expected his touch.
Unable to hold his intense stare, I quickly turned away.
My voice shook as I told him he was overthinking a strange coincidence.
Instead of arguing, he walked over to pour a glass of water.
The silence broke when he stated I either knew the truth or I was lying.
Without waiting for an answer, he ordered me to stay by his side from now on.
The next morning, the estate felt like a loaded gun.
I walked behind Craig down the main corridor.
Dan leaned against the wall.
He smirked at us.
He asked if I was the chosen one.
Craig told his brother to watch his tone.
Dan dropped the smile.
He warned Craig that people were talking.
He said things like this didn’t happen without a reason.
Dan walked away.
The warning hung in the air.
That evening, I stood by the window in the upper lounge.
The sun dipped below the tree line.
Craig stood behind me.
He said I had been avoiding him.
I kept my eyes on the glass.
He asked about the night of the crash.
My control finally snapped.
I turned around.
I confessed that I wasn’t supposed to stay.
I told him I pulled him out of the burning car.
Craig stared at me.
He whispered that it was me.
I told him the crash wasn’t an accident.
I told him another car forced him off the road.
I told him I saw the drivers waiting to make sure he died.
Craig’s face turned to stone.
He realized it was an assassination attempt.
He asked why I never told anyone.
I told him the drivers saw my face.
A massive crash shattered the quiet.
The window exploded inward.
Glass rained across the rug.
The lights died instantly.
I reached out in the pitch black.
My fingers grabbed his arm.
Footsteps pounded down the hall outside.
A heavy bang echoed against the oak door.
Craig pulled me behind him.
He whispered that someone was here.
I gripped his sleeve tighter.
They found us.
