Games.
1764 Words
I paused and fixed my eyes on her. “What do you mean?”
“Remember the company that stole our bid?”
I nodded.
“A package was sent to Dad the other day. It contained pictures of us and Mom with blood sprinkled on our faces. It looked like a death note.”
“Why would anyone send Dad a death note?” It didn’t make sense to me. For as long as I remember, our strongest competitor has always been W corps but even they, knew when to draw the line. Never play with Family. Losing the bid was like losing the company but it wouldn’t have as much impact if I were to marry Ryan as planned. His company would’ve invested a whole lot in ours and everything would’ve been okay.
“It seems to me W corps president and Dad holds a grudge in and outside of business. You know Dad will never prioritize the company over your happiness. Losing the company is just--”
“A little thing compared to losing his family.” I completed for her, my eyes looking in the distance as I tried to make sense of this situation.
Dad is being threatened. If he loses the company, chances are, he might also lose his outside forces which means his power and then whoever wants to tear us apart would do it easily as we would be in our most vulnerable state at the time.
So, even if it is not his wish, Dad is forcing me to marry that scum to save ourselves. “There must be another way.” I whispered, getting on my feet as I paced around.
“There’s only one other way which is almost impossible to achieve.” Avery says.
I knew what that way was. Get someone else to invest.
“How much are we talking about?”
“Eight hundred billion.”
My mouth dropped open in shock. No wonder it was almost impossible. That is one huge amount.
“You now understand why I said there’s no other way.” She said softly. “I also understand it’s all my fault this is happening.”
“I’m glad you know that.” I said, turning my face away from her and releasing a breath. “You think Ryan loves you?”
“I know he doesn’t.” she said swiftly and a frown quickly forms on my face.
“You know?”
“I do.”
“Then why?”
“To protect you.”
“Bullshit!” I half yelled then tried to control my voice so Mom doesn’t barge in here. She knew? She was trying to protect me?
How did she have the audacity to tell me this?
“You were madly in love with him and I needed you to see the true face of who you were marrying.”
“Oh that’s very creative.” I rolled my eyes and scoffed. “You expect me to f*****g believe that?”
“Think about it. When you were shopping with Audrey, I told her to make sure you get me a gift and then-”
“Stop it. I-I cannot listen to this.”
“Dad has cut me off as punishment but I still don’t regret anything.” As if saying her last words, she left.
And I was alone once again, letting my thoughts and doubts cloud my mind.
******
Ryan: Baby, the security won’t let me in. Could you come down and talk some sense into him?
Ryan: I miss you wifey. Let’s meet up for lunch, or dinner?”
Ryan: You keep ignoring me. Makes me want to lose my cool.
Ryan: I will give you ten seconds to come down.”
“What a f*****g psycho! I seriously want to beat the s**t out of him.” Audrey exclaimed as we both continued to read the messages that kept coming in. Each one worse than the last.
I sighed and went to look out of my window. He was indeed outside, leaning on his red flashy car. A few days ago, I would’ve though this pose was really sexy. It always made my heart race whenever he would wait for me like this but now…
Our eyes met and I saw his lips curl then he typed something on his phone and my phone chimed with yet another message obviously from him. He points at his phone signaling for me to read it but I ignore it and draw the curtains close to keep him out of my view.
He was acting as if nothing had changed between us. As if this was just a game to him.
“What are you going to do?” Audrey asks me worriedly and I let my lips curl just like his and picked up my phone.
“I’ll call the cops. They’ll definitely do a good job keeping him away.”
“As if that can stop him.”
“Not when I make it look like I am about to be murdered.”
I picked up my phone and made the call and Audrey couldn’t hold back her laugh when my acting kicked in.
“You’re really going to make him spend some money.”
“Not enough to hurt his pocket.”
She sighed, “If you weren’t going to marry him at the end, I would’ve really considered hiring someone.”
“To do what?”
“What else? Teach him a lesson he would never forget.” She said. “What if, just what if somehow, acid gets thrown at him? I am not saying I will do it but what if?” she grinned while saying that and if it was any other person they’d have been creeped out by her expression as she said those words.
“That is a good idea. I might consider it.”
“Right?” she jumped and chuckled wickedly as if she was already imagining the scene. “No one has to know we did it.”
I shook my head at her. “You underestimate him too much, Audrey. Rumors have it that he leads a gang and an intelligence network.”
She sighed once again and looks at me, this time, seriously.
“Are you sure you’re okay though?”
Am I?
I haven’t tried asking myself but well, I know the answer to that.
I am trying my best. To ignore the pain and betrayal. Thinking about it at this moment might really break me down.
I smiled at her and didn’t say another word but she understood me quite well and squeezed my shoulders. I could see the hurt in her eyes.
“Right now, I just need to find that man.”
“The owner of the black card?” Her brows raise and I gave her a nod.
Excitement clouds her eyes as she immediately shifted closer to me. “It would be a good idea to ask him to marry you instead.”
“No silly.” I immediately burst her bubbles before her imaginations gets wilder. “Eight hundred billion is all I need from him.”
“Even a trillonaire wouldn’t take out such amount easily.”
Of course I knew that. First, I need to know if he is capable enough and then I’ll offer him a deal.
Scratch that.
First and foremost, I need to know who he is. Only then will I be able to figure his secret desires and boom, I’ll offer him an irresistible deal that would be of benefit to both of us. I save my family and save my life.
It sounded simple in my head but the reality is that, it is still almost impossible to achieve all that. What if he has no desires I can fulfill?
Better start from somewhere.
“I think it’s time to begin the hunt” I say and Audrey smiles, opening the laptop in front of us.
I searched for the list of top ten co-operations in the country and one by one, we dug into the finders, drawing out the pictures of their recent heirs or current president. There must be a picture of him somewhere but no matter how deep we dug, I didn’t find anything that could help.
“If this person doesn’t own any of the trillion dollar companies then I’m afraid he cannot help you.”
My spirit was beginning to d the more I realize it could really be true. The reason we couldn’t find him was because he wasn’t as high up as we thought.
“There’s one we still haven’t checked.” Audrey eyes me and I roll my eyes at her.
“W corps. It’s impossible to be from there and if he is, then it is useless.”
“There’s no harm in checking right?” she pulls the laptop over to her side and looked up our rival company.
Strangely, there was not a single picture of the current runner, recent heirs or even past runners. The internet only contained information about the company and their names.
“Gael Fordson.” I read out the name boldly written on the screen and then something clicked in my head. I immediately rushed to my room to find the black card.
“What is it?” Audrey stares up at me and I show her the card with narrowed eyes.
The card didn’t have a name on it. It had initials instead.
G.F.
Gael Fordson?
This better not be what I was thinking.
It cannot be him because if it was, it completely changes everything.
Audrey’s mouth dropped when she saw it and then our eyes met.
“Holy s**t. Why do I have goosebumps?” she rubs her arms and I collapse on the couch, exhausted.
The little hope I had faded right in front of me.
“What if it isn’t him?” Audrey asks.
“What if it is really him?” I asked back, staring up at the high ceiling. It means he recognized me when he gave me a ride, when he gave me a black card and when he left me at the hotel.
“Okay, let’s not get ahead of ourselves until it has been proven.”
“Then there’s only one way to get it proven.” My voice is low, almost like a whisper as I continued staring into space until a knock on the door jolts me up.
It was the cops.
- Writer
