World Delivered to my Psycho Ex - Chapter 3

Rhodes is not able to carry out Angie's command and now he has to face the consequences.

+++

Rhodes smiled at Angie, sitting across from him at the table. He used his fork to pick up a baked potato and a few sautéed mushrooms from his plate. Angie took a sip of her red wine and returned his smile, proud that Rhodes seemed to enjoy the dish she had prepared. He cut a piece of the beef stroganoff with dijon mustard and brought it to his mouth. "This is really good," he said, speaking with his mouth full.

"I plowed all day in the kitchen, sweety, just for you," Angie said.

Rhodes looked down at his hand and noticed Angie's hand slowly inching towards it, her fingers lightly brushing against his. Every instinct in his body told him to withdraw his hand, but he kept it there nonetheless.

He smiled at Angie, giving her the impression that it was okay to touch him.

"I hate to cross any boundaries," Angie said with a smile.

"That's very thoughtful of you," Rhodes said, feeling Angie's fingers winding around his hand like snakes.

He glanced over at a nearby shelf. There sat his tiny car, looking like a child's toy that had been carelessly tossed aside.

Besides this, there was a glass jar that might not have been particularly notable if it hadn't been for the fact that Elena, the human resource advisor from work, had been imprisoned inside it. Her body shrunk to only two inches due to Angie's terrifying abilities.

From this distance, Rhodes could not see her face clearly, but he could see that she was naked and huddled on the floor, trembling.

Angie noticed his expression and directed it towards the large glass jar on the shelf.

"Oh, that poor thing!" Angie said, and to Rhodes's surprise, Angie's worry sounded genuine. For a moment, he thought that this might be an effect of Angie's powers.

Why on earth would Angie be concerned over the one she shrunk down and brought here in the first place? Maybe Angie was manipulating Rhodes' brain to alter his perception of reality. Or maybe… it was a small glimpse of humanity that Angie still possessed.

Rhoded brushed the thought aside. The reason for Angie's concern didn't matter. What mattered was finding a way to help Elena.

"I agree. It seems like she's freezing. If untreated, it could lead to hypothermia," he said.
“Not if I can help it,” Angie smiled. In an instant, a small blanket materialized above Elena inside the glass jar. Initially taken aback, Elena quickly grabbed the soft fabric and wrapped it around herself, grateful for the warmth it provided.

"I'm not all heartless," Angie said as she noticed the disbelief in Rhodes's eyes. She leaned back in her chair, swirling her glass of wine in her hand, giving Rhodes a mischievous glance from across the table.

While Rhodes was relieved that Elena was still alive, he couldn't help but worry about what would come next.

As expected, Rhodes could not bring himself to follow through with Angie's request for him to kill her as a way to make amends. He knew this before he even tried. He didn't have it in him to be a killer, so he didn't bother trying to force himself into it. Instead, he admitted to Angie that he couldn't go through with it, confessing his cowardice and inability to take a life.

As the words slipped through his lips, Rhodes braced himself for the worst. He expected Angie to explode in anger and maybe even set his clothes on fire or something for disobeying her orders. He also feared she might take matters into her own hands and kill Elena herself. But none of that happened. After a flicker of disappointment in her eyes, Angie's demeanor suddenly shifted to an overly nice tone, saying she understood it was too much to ask of him.

So Angie simply invited him over for dinner. Elina had to suffer, though. However, rather than facing death, Elena was "fortunate" enough to be shrunk down and left naked in a glass jar on one of Angie's shelves at her home.

To soothe Angie's feelings, Rhodes thanked her for it.

Rhodes was still unsure about Angie's ultimatum, which was to wreak havoc on the city if he didn't follow her command. She hadn't acted on it yet, and Rhodes was too afraid to bring it up. He secretly prayed she would just let it go and never mention it again.

"I think I'm omnipotent, Rhodes," Angie said as she twirled a strand of hair around her finger. Her gaze drifted out the window for a moment, looking dreamily, before returning to meet Rhodes' eyes again. "Do you know what that means?"

Rhodes took a slow drink from his beer glass and wiped away the foamy mustache that clung to his upper lip with his sleeve. "Sure, sure," he replied.

"I don't think you do."

She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table and propping her chin in her hands.

She locked eyes with Rhodes, her own shimmering with determination. "I can change the world, Rhodes." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I can make things better."

Rhodes's throat tightened as he mustered the courage to speak. "Just like you made things better for Elena?"

He immediately regretted his snarky remark and worried that Angie, who seemed unhinged, would react with anger.

Angie appeared deep in thought as if she was carefully weighing his words. Her gaze flickered towards Elena, who was now slightly more comfortable under the blanket but still confined in the uncomfortable glass jar.

"There," Angie stated matter-of-factly, despite Rhodes only seeing her blink once.

As Rhodes turned to look over his shoulder, his eyes widened in disbelief. What had once been a simple glass jar on the shelf was now a stunning miniature mansion, complete with intricate details that made it look almost real.

He couldn't believe his eyes and turned to Angie with a questioning expression. "Where is Elena?"

"Oh, Elenaaaa!" Angie sang. "Come on, girl, show yourself."

As Rhodes narrowed his gaze, he could make out a tiny figure appearing on the balcony of the miniature mansion, looking no bigger than a bug.

"You've made her even smaller?" Rhodes said.

"I provided her with comfort and luxury, maybe even more than she was used to," Angie stated. She got up from her seat and made her way over to the shelf. Small and fragile, Elena took a few steps back as Angie's figure loomed over the miniature mansion, casting it in shadow."

Angie's face leaned forward, her nose nearly touching the balcony where bug-sized Elena stood, gaping up with anxiety. "Go on, girl, explore the house. It's got everything - a jacuzzi, a king-sized bed, a fully stocked kitchen with all your favorite foods, and even a small movie theater. And check this out - I've arranged for your own personal butler to cater to your every whim."

 Elena turned around with a puzzled expression and was surprised to see a well-dressed man, just as tiny as her, standing by the open door, holding a bottle in his hand.

"Would you like some red wine, ma'am?" he asked, speaking with a refined English accent.

Angie smiled and went back to the table where Rhodes was still seated.

"She's still a prisoner," Rhodes said.

"And alive," Angie countered, reminding Rhodes that the woman was meant to be dead and that he should be thankful that she wasn't.

Rhodes let out a deep breath and leaned back in his chair, watching as Angie brought her wine glass to her lips for a sip. "So now what?"

After taking a sip of her wine and savoring the taste, Angie responded with a smile on her face. "It's quite simple, my dear. I have complete control over you now. I can make you do anything I want, make you feel any emotion I desire, whether it's lust or love for anyone I choose - even for me."

Rhodes swallowed, dreading what might come next.

"But I don't want that." Angie continued, locking her gaze with his. "You know I'm addicted to your love. The thought of living without it is unbearable."

"So force it upon me then." Rhodes tried to appear confident as he spoke. "Make me love you because, at the moment, I don't."

Angie's heart ached at these last words, but she maintained a composed expression as she replied with a shake of her head. "That wouldn't be authentic. No, dear, what I require from you is your love, but it must be genuine, born from the depths of your heart, and not coerced by some external force."

"And what if I can't?" Rhodes said.

Angie shifted her gaze from Rhodes to the miniature mansion on her shelf. "The house where Elena lives is self-sufficient. She can be my pet as long as she likes. She'll be safe here." Her eyes drifted towards the window, overlooking the distant city.

"The world, however…" she sighed, with a dark glint in her eyes.

Her eyes found Rhodes's again. "Well, you know me better than anyone, Rhodes. You know how well I can handle it when things don't go my way."

"You get restless," Rhodes said.

"I get restless," Angie winked before taking another sip of her wine.

Sitting in the backseat of the cab on his way home, Rhodes reflected on his evening with Angie and the things she had asked of him.

She had given him the impossible task of rekindling his love for Angie, even though he despised her.

The implied warning remained at the back of Rhodes' thoughts.

Rhodes knew that if he would fail, Angie would vent her frustration on the world, and with her being omnipotent, the consequences would be disastrous.

Throughout human existence, the stakes have never been higher than they were with Angie McCain. This single woman was downright dangerous.