Eric gave Cecelia a skeptical look, and after a moment, he asked her if she was an actress. She said that she wasn't. "And if you don't believe me," she added, "you can ask Crystal. We went to school together for three years, and I even gave her a bag recently!"

Cecilia didn't know that Eric had been nearby and watching them when she had been betting with Crystal. For the moment, though, Eric didn't unmask her. He wanted to see what she was up to, so he pretended to believe her. He smiled and asked, "What do you want to do to Richard?"

Cecelia smiled seductively. "I will tell you everything," she said. "And I will leave it to you to explain it all to Crystal."

Eric stared at Cecilia with interest. "Are you hitting on me?" he asked.

.

Cecelia was surprised by Eric's straightforward approach, and she gasped.

"I am definitely not!" she exclaimed. "Crystal is my bestie. I would never try to steal her, man."

"Actually, you can hit on me if you want," Eric said. By now, they'd reached the parking lot, and Eric pressed a button on his key fob to help him locate his pink Lamborghini. The vehicle's lights flashed three times, and its horn honked in sync with them. "Before you do, though, I suggest that you take a look in the mirror."

Cecelia frowned. What the heck is that supposed to mean? - she wondered as she silently followed him to his car. He got into the driver's seat, and she waited patiently for an invitation that never came. Eric started his car, put it in reverse, and took off like a bat out of Hell, leaving her to eat his dust.

Cecilia began to cough as her lungs filled with dirty air. She looked down at her dress and clenched her fist in rage. It was filthy. Frowning, she made her way back into the hospital, and when she arrived at Richard's room, she began to cry. "Look at what Eric did to your beautiful face!" she wailed. She ran to his side, took his hands into hers, and asked him what they were going to do next.

historical

"Next?!?" Richard roared. "There is no next!"

Cecelia: "But what about my plans?"

Richard: "fuck your plans! Look at me, Cecelia. I have no manhood. I have no balls. I have no face. If it weren't for your plan, I never would have kidnapped Crystal, and I wouldn't be in the position that I'm in!".

"You can't blame me for this!" Cecelia pointed to where Richard's cock and balls had been and said, "If you want to blame someone, blame Nathan." She gently touched his ear. "Blame Eric."

Richard sighed and said, "I suppose you're right..."

Cecelia: I have no idea what those men see in Crystal. She is such a bitch, and she's soooo ugly... Hey, do you think Master Bush would be interested in me?"

"Fuck you bitch!" Richard yelled. "Why would you want to be with the man who disfigured my face?!?!"

"No! No! No!" Cecilia waved her hands in the air defensively. "You misunderstand me. I just thought that if he was with me, he wouldn't defend Crystal anymore. Then we could continue with my plan."

Richard: "You dirty whore! I don't believe you. Now that I have no genitals, you don't want to be with me. You're a traitor. Admit it!"

"That's not true!" Cecelia cried. "At least think about my plan, okay. It makes sense, but if you don't like it, we don't have to go through with it..."

***

After leaving the hospital, Eric drove straight to Beverly villa. He parked his car in the driveway, ran up to the door, and began to ring the bell. Then, when no one answered, he looked through the window. It was dark inside, and he could see that no one was home.

Eric walked back to his car and lit a cigarette. He took a long drag, held it for a thirty count, and as he let the smoke out, he looked up at the sky. He needed to know that Crystal was okay, and he wanted to comfort and protect her. He couldn't, though, and his feelings of helplessness were maddening.

Eric was suddenly startled by his phone buzzing in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw that he'd received a text message from Alex. It said, "Crystal is safe. She's at a concert."

Eric was overjoyed. Even if she was with Nathan, he was happy. All he cared about now was her well-being. He smiled as he flicked his cigarette to the ground and put it out with the toe of his shoe.

As he was getting ready to leave, the young couple next door pulled out of their driveway. He let them go first, and then he followed behind them.

***

By the time Crystal and Nathan returned, it was already half past midnight. She was exhausted, so she took a quick shower and went to bed. She fell asleep right away. She had planned to sleep in the next day, but she was woken up quite early by her next-door neighbors.

Frowning, she got up and got ready for the day. She used make-up to cover the bruises and wounds on her face and neck and a long sleeve shirt to hide the marks on her arms. Then she went downstairs, made herself a cup of coffee, and took it outside to drink on the porch.

Next door, she saw that the neighbors were moving new furniture into the house. She thought this was strange because the young couple that lived there spent most of their time overseas. They spent the minimum amount of time here that was required of them for them to maintain their visas. Thus, there was no need for them to have nice things in a house that was their home on paper but vacant in actuality.

She didn't have much time to think about this oddity, though. She had school to think about. As per her conversation with Nathan, she knew her bodyguards would be arriving soon, and she wanted to be gone before they got there.

****

Crystal smiled as she entered the classroom. The teacher hadn't arrived yet, and despite the noisy students all around her, Serenity was asleep at the back of the room. Her head was on the desk, and she was drooling. She's working too much-Crystal thought sadly - I wish she would accept my help...