Chapter 103 Right Hook, Wrong Day
\[Lilia\]
The night ended nice and light after Aya and I shared everything we’ve been through. She also told me about this one time she had a run-in with Sabina, and just as I had suspected, that woman was pure evil. Aya claimed that she was minding her own business and doing her chores the same as the other maids when she came in, dragging the hair of another girl behind her. At first, she thought it was one of those who were bullying her, but it was someone she didn’t know, and she found out it was one of those newly hired.
Unfortunately, the poor soul accidentally spilled the juice she requested on her so-called designer’s dress. Sabina humiliated her in front of them, slapping her in the face, pushing her to the floor, and making her kiss her shoes for forgiveness. She did it without an ounce of guilt, and the maid cried her eyes out the entire day, shaking to the bone with fear. Sabina even warned them all not to make a mess with her, or she’ll kill them.
No wonder I hated that woman, even the first time she opened her mouth and talked to me.
I’ll make sure to do my training well, and when the time comes, and she starts to demean anyone again, I will not stand down and fight her back. I don’t care if she is Kael’s fiancé, he might want to kick me out or kill me afterward, but I will not let that evil woman rove around and make this place a living hell for everyone. I also told Aya to stay away from her as much as possible and avoid getting near that woman. I don’t know why Kael chose her as her fiancé, but I know one thing, she holds power that can control him.
The following day, I woke up with my breakfast already ready, and Aya only left me a note saying she was called into the kitchen to help with the other chores. I couldn’t hold her for that. I mean, she obviously has other tasks to do than tending to my needs, which is something that I am perfectly capable of doing on my own.
She stayed all night to keep me company, which was more than enough for me.
I quickly finished my breakfast and cleaned myself, preparing for today’s training. I also made sure to bring some extra clothes this time and two jugs of cold water. I don’t want yesterday’s encounter with that witch to happen again.
So, better be ready than being sorry.
I arrived at the gym a little early. Good thing that the doors were already opened, and I could stretch my muscles before Sasha came and beat the hell out of me today. Well, Val did say that pain is the only way to make me stronger.
“Well, well, looks like we have an early bird.”
I was in the middle of doing my lunges when I heard Sasha's voice reverberate in the background, grinning at me with mockery as though it was a rare occurrence to see me this early. I couldn’t blame her for thinking that way. I am not usually a morning person, and sometimes I woke up in the middle of the day. Well, in my defense, I was locked up in my room with nothing else to do, except if I had a good book to read or if Aya would spend the rest of her free time with me, and we’d play board games—which is not that frequent.
“Well, well, look who’s becoming tardy?” I derided back to her, smirking as her face twisted into a sneer.
She put down her duffel bag on the benches and took out the wraps on her hands and then gloves as I continued stretching. Extending my arms above my head and arched my back while practicing my relaxed breathing.
“Woke up on the right side of the bed, huh?” Sasha hoisted herself into the ring and joined me, stretching our muscles.
“More like excited to punch someone’s face,” I responded, bouncing on my heels as I did jumping jacks.
My body began sweating, and I think I have warmed up enough.
The gym door flung open, and Val came through. I was about to greet him, but I immediately held myself back soon as I saw the expression on his face. His eyes were hard and cold, his lips pursed tightly, and his jaw clenched. It seems as though something pissed him off early in the morning.
I hesitated at first, but I was curious as to why he wasn’t in the mood and if something had happened that we ought to know.
“Is something the matter, Val?” I asked concernedly, leaning into the corner of the ring ropes and looking down on him. I didn’t want to sound prodding, and I hope he won’t consider my approach as one. It won’t be good if I’ll piss him even more.
However, Val did not pay heed to my inquiry.
“Start now.”
Instead, he regarded my question in a cold tone without sparing me a glance as he proceeded to the benches and sat down with his head hanging low and shoulders sagged.
I only sighed, backed away from the corner, and moved to the center, cocking my neck from side to side and facing Sasha as she was already in an offensive stance.
“Well, somebody sure did woke up on the wrong side of the bed,” she remarked, bounce-switching on her feet and throwing me a punch, aiming at my face, but I immediately dodged it and slid to the side twisting my body into a full turn.
We were like dancing a tango.
“Stop it. He’ll hear you. He looks like he’s going to kill the next person who’ll breathe to him in a wrong way,” I said, darting a quick glance to Val, but he wasn’t still looking at us.
“I don’t want to be that person.” Soon as I finish the sentence, Sasha throws another punch, an uppercut. I was too distracted as to why Val was acting this way and hadn’t seen the attack coming until it was too late, and it landed squarely on my jaw.
“Ah, shit!” I hissed, shaking my head as my vision momentarily doubled, and staggered backward. I could taste blood on the inside of my lips, and some of it dripped down my chin. I was fortunate enough not to be knocked off my feet, and I was able to regain my balance right away. At the same time, my sight cleared.
“Focus, Lilia,” she groused, throwing me another cut, but I gave my trust to my reflexes and avoided the blow.
“You’re the one talking to me,” I shot back, wiping the thick blood off my chin and spitting the remaining of my bloodied saliva into the ring.
“It’s called technique, babe.” Sasha smirks coyly and again, bounces on her feet, crisscrossing from side to side, and switches her position. I watched her moves closely, followed her dance, and predicted her next movement.
She was hinting that she was going right, but I know this. She’s not going to get me to fall to her decoy, so I followed my instincts and went left. I was about to corner her and throw a punch when she suddenly twisted to the right.
“Oh, you say—” bitch! I did not even get to finish what I wanted to say.
She duped me!
It was too late again. Her hard right hook punch landed on my gut and it felt as though everything I ate for breakfast threatened to heave out of my mouth, knocking all the air out of my lungs. My body couldn’t take the impact of her punch, and the next thing I knew, my feet left the ring and flew to the corner.
“Oh, fuck! That fucking hurts!” I grunted loudly, gasping as my back slammed into the ring floor.
My body protested with every inch of movement I made as I panted, staring into the beam of light mounted on the high ceiling as I listened to my body sing in pain.
“I said, stay focused.” Sasha’s face appeared in my line of vision. She was leaning above my head with her hands bracing on her chest. “Another lesson, when your opponent predicts your next move, always abort the mission and change course,” she clearly elaborated, enunciating each point of her statement, making sure that I would not miss any of it.
Though my head is still fuzzy from the impact, I don’t think her words were sinking into my brain. “You were going to the right. I thought it was a decoy, so I went left,” I reasoned out, groaning as I clutched my stomach where she hit me.
“Yes, that was my initial plan, but I noticed that you had it figured out, so I quickly altered my moves in a spur of time,” she answered. “Your wit needed to be quick when you’re in a fight, or else you’ll end up having a punch hole to your side. Do you understand?” One of her brows raises, and she looks at me sharply.
I inhaled carefully, feeling the pain in my lower ribcage shot down into my abdomen when I took a deep breath.
“Yes.” I inaudibly whispered, rolling to my side, hoping to ease the pain.
Sasha gazed down at me with a preen, nodding her head as she took my arms carefully.
“Good, now stand.”
Then she helped me get onto my feet.