Chapter 22 Caught in a Web of Control
Easton was even more ruthless than I had imagined!
+5 Free Coins
Thinking about Carly’s call earlier, she rested her head in her hand, trying to keep it from splitting open.
Her life had turned from full color to black and white overnight. Her voice and her choices were no longer her own, controlled by others, leaving her feeling chaotic and overwhelmed.
After discussing a strategy to deal with Easton, Ellis headed to an interview at a large company.
Competition in big corporations was fierce. Talented people were everywhere, and while her resume looked impressive to most, it paled in comparison to the high achievers around her.
Her only advantage? She had worked as an assistant to the president of Hudson Group.
The interviewer looked her up and down. “Ms. Ellis, based on your experience, it seems like a good fit for the secretary position in our president’s office. Would you like to try for that role?”
Ellis hadn’t yet mapped out her career plans, and being suddenly redirected from the position she originally applied for left her momentarily speechless.
With many candidates waiting to be interviewed, the interviewer couldn’t waste time. Seeing her hesitation, he quickly wrapped up the interview, saying, “If you make it to the second round, we’ll let you know.”
Large company interviews often had multiple rounds, and though Ellis hadn’t been through many herself, she knew the process.
Back in her still–unfamiliar rental apartment, the overwhelming uncertainty she had been suppressing resurfaced
Lost in thought, she drifted off to sleep.
Exhausted from days of poor rest, her body finally gave in, and she slept straight through until the next morning.
She was jolted awake by the relentless ringing of the doorbell. If it hadn’t been for that, she might have slept until noon.
She hadn’t yet formed the habit of checking the video doorbell before opening the door. When she opened it, several people stood outside, both men and women, all staring at her with sharp, determined
eyes.
The woman in the lead said, “Hello!”
Before Ellis’s brain could register what was happening, two men sprang into action. One grabbed her left shoulder, the other her right, and together they hauled her out of the apartment.
Her body moved without her consent, and Ellis blinked in panic, “What are you doing?”
No one answered.
Terrified and confused, she was forced down the stairs and into a black Lincoln.
Two men sat beside her, and for a moment, she felt like a criminal being escorted by police. Across from her, the woman made a phone call, speaking respectfully to the receiver, “Ms. Carly, we’ve picked her up successfully. We’re on our way to you now.”
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