I headed back to the living room to find her admiring the pot of red roses mother had gifted me when I got this apartment as my 12th-year birthday gift. My mother is a dominant person in the house, and her presence is rarely felt. Her only duties are to serve my father, accompany him to functions when necessary, and communicate his wishes to us.
You can imagine how everyone would go to their mother when they are sad or dejected for comfort; it is not the case for my brother and myself. She is simply a great wife but not someone we can rely on because there is nothing, she can do to help us.
Her eyes always look sad, like there are a million tales of sadness behind them. Growing up, I used to wonder what the problem is and ask her, but I have grown accustomed to seeing her sad eyes, which she always masks with happiness whenever she has to appear in public. But the moment she is back home, she blends perfectly with the furniture.
She always gives me weird gifts on my birthdays, like a flower pot with a short message on it. I still remember the little note on the rose simply read: “be careful with the thorns”. My last birthday, she gifted me a cactus that reads: “mother’s love”. I had wanted to puke when I saw that but simply tossed the cactus to another corner, leaving it to the butler to arrange it properly when he comes around.
Rita noticed my presence and commented, "I never knew someone like you would like flowers". I replied curtly, although I had wanted to ignore her, but I could not bring myself to do that since this was the first time, she is trying to have a proper conversation with me.
“I don’t like flowers; my mother simply gifts them to me for my birthday,” I responded.
“She must really love you,” she declared.
I would have agreed more that she likes flowers, but there are no flowers in the mansion, so I cannot be too sure. Or maybe she is not tending to them because father probably does not like them, and she is fulfilling her desires through me. I rambled.
“Why are you keeping them then if you think so?” she questioned.
I looked at her but could not say the answer out loud. I have been keeping those flowers because I keep getting the feeling that she is probably trying to pass across some messages with those notes, and I have probably been too consumed in my own pain to understand them.
I had promised myself that I was going to crack through this puzzle this year if she tries to send me another flower. Although she did, I have been too busy tending to my brother to have any time to invest in that, so I still haven’t been able to decode the message.
“Do you like red wine, or would you like something else?” I responded, trying to change the topic, and she simply rejected.
“I told you I don’t want anything,” she said without sparing me a glance.
I looked at her, sensing that she wouldn't budge regardless of what I said. So, I opened the wine, poured some into a cup, and downed it in one gulp.
"See, can you take some now?" I urged, but she scrutinized my actions, searching for signs of discomfort or deception.
Pouring some wine into her glass, I raised it to her, but she showed no sign of accepting it from me.
"Come on, just take it already. Do you think I'd drug it and conveniently drink it myself? Can't you trust me?" I muttered in frustration.
"You haven’t given me a reason to trust you, and it's better for me to not add fuel to the fire when I’m about to be burned," she replied calmly.
Frustrated, I sat down, dropping the wine and the bottle on the table. I looked at her seriously. "It’s better I explain myself to her, that way, she will be able to protect herself too."
"Look, I know you might not want to believe me, but I brought you here for your own sake. If I had left you back there for a minute, you might have found yourself in a worse situation than the club I mentioned earlier," I explained.
She looked into my eyes, trying to gauge my honesty, and it seemed to work because her expression relaxed. She glanced at the wine, then back at me, nodding in dismissal."Fredrico, don’t you think you're being very cheap right now, trying to instill fear of the unknown in me just because you want me to take this drink? If you think I will fall for this cheap trick, then you do not know me.""This girl is just as stubborn as a cow. What will it cost her to just take the drink from me? Does she find me so untrusting?" I muttered to myself, pouring some more for myself and downing it again, loosening the tie that seemed to be suffocating me.Rolling up my sleeves, I faced Rita once more. "Rita, would you consider switching schools?" I began, but she was about to berate me again when I held my hand up to stop her. "Listen to me before you start nagging. It will be in your best interest to leave this country entirely.If you want, I can send you to the US, Canada, or any other country. Yo
I was shocked by the notification that popped up on my phone. My boss confirmed the leave I applied for.I was dumbfounded. When and how did I apply for leave without being aware? I called him, trying to make sense of everything going on right now.He picked up on the second ring, and I quickly asked, "Tim, what do you mean by you will find someone to replace me pending the time that I'm able to resume work? Nothing is wrong with me, and I’m perfectly fine. I can even come to work right away.""I’m sorry, I can’t allow that," he said, and I could sense fear in his apology. "The café is the only business that my entire family depends on for survival. I can’t bear to risk it for just a week of your absence, but I promise you that you would always have a place here whenever you're ready to return," he said, sounding very apologetic."Alright, Tim, but can you at least tell me what is going on?" There was a long pause before he finally answered. "I got a call from someone in Fidelis Group
Adam Fidelis reclined in his opulent office, surrounded by mahogany furnishings and adorned with exquisite works of art. Sunlight filtered through the grand windows, casting warm hues upon the plush carpeting.With an air of authority, he sat behind his expansive desk, meticulously flipping through files with practiced ease.As he perused the documents, his countenance exuded confidence and authority, every movement deliberate and calculated. His presence commanded attention, a testament to his stature in the business world.Suddenly, the tranquility of his sanctuary was interrupted by the arrival of his secretary, a poised and efficient woman whose every gesture bespoke professionalism. She stood at the threshold, her expression betraying a hint of apprehension."Sir," she began, her voice measured but tinged with urgency, "there's something I need to bring to your attention."The man raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued by her tone. "Go on," he prompted, setting aside the files to
Adam was very displeased, but he knows Fred to be very stubborn; he would not discuss the issue further. He slapped his phone to the wall in annoyance before reaching for the landline sitting on his table and pressing a key.The phone got picked at the second ring. "Hello, sir," the voice at the other end of the phone said.Adam tugged at the ties to loosen it before responding. "Get me the full information of what happened in Picaremore University today and fetch me the girl. Dead or alive, I want to meet her.Also, get me every information that you can find about her family, take her to the warehouse; I need this to be done before the close of the day.""Alright, sir, on it," he responded before hanging up.Adam sank back in his chair before muttering, "Looks like no one is scared of me anymore. I will be sure to make an example of that classless bitch."He pressed another number on the telephone, and the secretary came in. "Fetch me another phone from the store and clean up this me
Rita opened her window and peeped to check if there was anyone guarding the window-side, and true to her fear, there they were: three guards standing firm like rooted poles. They noticed her and looked up."It's nothing," she said, waving her hand as if surrendering to them. The guards returned their gazes forward, and she recoiled back into the room.She paced aimlessly in the room, biting her nails. "I need to get out of here," she muttered, and an idea seemed to have popped into her head as her eyes lit up. She rushed to her mini studying chair, pulling it away from the table with which it was perfectly synced.She quietly dragged it to the bathroom, trying not to make any noise to arouse their suspicion. She sat on the chair and turned on the recorder on her phone, recording herself singing. After about thirty minutes, she saved the recording and quietly returned the chair to the room.She smiled sheepishly, as if giving herself a pat on the back for coming up with such a brillian
Her body was already getting tired, but she could not afford to stop running now. She kept running down the quiet street, and just when she thought of slowing down to catch her breath, she missed her steps and fell, rolling down the slope.She grunted in pain as she looked at her bruised hands and legs.Her whole body was now very dirty, and she looked like she was just fished out of the dirt. She pulled her weak body up and started raining insults on Fred for putting her in this situation for something so trivial as tears pricked down her face.She heard the honking of a car that made her look up in anticipation, hoping the person might be able to help her to the nearest hospital. "At least I will be safe there for a while before he discovers my whereabouts," she thought. She flagged down the car, and it stopped in front of her."Can you please help me to Picarmore Health Centre if you are headed that way?" she hurriedly shouted the moment the car stopped in front of her. The driver,
"Will you not come out?" he shouted, and before she could bring herself to make sense of his words, the door adjacent to her opened, and the frail figure of a lady came out. As she moved closer, she could finally see her beauty that was hidden behind the sadness that enveloped her eyes."Welcome," she said to him before drifting her gaze to her.She nodded as if saying hello, and she waved back. She seemed harmless, and her eyes seemed to be full of tales. She thought to herself, "Could she have been kidnapped as well?" Fear gripped her at the thought of that when she finally noticed her protruding belly."He will come around later, so take care of her bruises and have her clean up," he said, breaking her chain of thought. "Wait, does that mean he is leaving already? How do I escape if he leaves with the key?"The lady exchanged looks with her, and as if she could read her mind, she said, "You took the first aid kit the last time; there is nothing for me to use for her."He grumbled b
They turned to each other, showing their hands. Camella rushed to him, injecting the contents of the syringe she just fished out into him."What is that?" Rita asked. "Are you killing him?" she snapped again before she could answer. "Just calm down already and get the door, take his phone too. It's a sleeping drug; he is as strong as an elephant. We need to do this to buy us time."After emptying the contents into his body, she locked the door from outside and followed after Rita. She got into the driver’s seat before starting the car. The engine came to life, and they sped away from the forest.She kept going at a very high speed that Rita had to hold on tightly despite using the seat belt, as the car kept tossing them while climbing over stones and through the woods.Camella continued speeding before she came to a crossroad, she faced Rita and asked for which one they took when they were coming but the later was confused. I’m sorry I did not really pay attention so I don’t know whic