TWO

“What are you doing here?” A familiar voice echoed in my ears

“Kiera!”

My eyelids fluttered as I found myself back in reality. I glanced around trying to comprehend how I got here. I must have been so pain-struck that my legs instinctively led me here.

 “You shouldn’t be here Kiera,” Joe, one of Miguel’s bodyguards said sternly.

Besides him, three other guards stood at the entrance.

 “I… umm… I … need to speak with Miguel,” I stuttered, still reeling from the devastating revelation.

“You can't see Miguel now. Besides you can't go in without an invitation,” Joe responded, his tone unyielding.

“Please, let me just speak to him once. I don’t know what Elise has given him, but I'm sure he isn’t thinking straight,” I pleaded, but Joe maintained his stand.

Impulsively, I dived toward the guards trying to force my way through,

“Stop creating a scene Kiera, there are paparazzi around, and I wouldn’t wanna do anything to hurt you, so please just go home,” Joe insisted.

I fumed, as the pain that was subdued in my heart erupted,

“I’m not moving an inch until Miguel comes out and explains to me why he is getting married to my evil little sister, else I will invoke hell here,” I screamed, drawing the attention of the hovering paparazzi.

Swiftly, Joe signaled the guards, and before I could utter another word, they grabbed my hands and legs, lifting me off the ground.

 “No, I'm not going anywhere.. Put me down… I need to speak to Miguel,” I cried helplessly as they carried me away, the paparazzi eagerly capturing every moment.

My face was subdued with embarrassment as they threw me on the floor like a discarded pawn in a lonely alley, the groceries scattering around me.

“If you value your life, don’t show your face anywhere close to Miguel ever again,” one of them threatened. With that, they straightened their suits and walked away.

The pain I felt was unimaginable as tears splattered out of my eyes without control.

As I mopped around the floor desperately trying to salvage the groceries, a droplet of water suddenly landed on my hand, followed by more.

Lifting my head, I watched as the sky opened up, pouring down its own tears.

 “Have you not tortured me enough today?” I screamed, hoping that the universe would hear my cry.

I sat there, weeping as the rain poured on me mercilessly.

After several minutes, the rain subsided, and I gathered the strength to pull myself from the sodden ground, my clothes drenched and my spirit crushed.

Wiping my face, I squeezed the water from my hair and while I was at it, I spotted two guys approaching me, their steps fast and calculated.

“Give me everything you have, quickly,” one of them said, his voice hard as rock.

I shivered from both cold and fear, “ I … I don’t have any money on me,” I stammered, my teeth chattering.

The latter lifted his top revealing the gun tucked into his pants, and my heart sank. Shivering, I handed them the little cash I had and they snatched it and ran off without a trace.

I was helpless, I couldn’t cry for help because there was no one around. My whole body turned numb, and as I took my first step, my knees wobbled and I almost fell. I walked a few distance and finally spotted some people. I tried to ask them to assist me with some money to get home, and while some looked at me like a deranged cow, others completely ignored me.

Drenched, cold, broken, and devastated, I began my journey home.

After two hours of walking–the worst and longest two hours of my life, I finally arrived home.

As I clasped the doorknob, a sudden convulsion seized my hand, causing it to lose its grip. My strength faltered, and I collapsed to the floor.

 ***

As my eyes fluttered open, the intense pounding in my head was almost deafening.

The fog that covered my eyes slowly disappeared as I tried to make out the blurry figures before me.

“Ah.. I see you’re awake now,” a gruff male voice grated in my ears, instantly tearing the remnants of the fog off my eyes.

“Papa!”

I cried out desperately, trying to rush towards my father, as I saw two men standing beside him with one holding a gun to his head. However, I found myself suddenly restrained in a chair, my hands bound behind me.

My eyes frantically scanned the room as confusion and terror sowed themselves in my heart.

There were 5 suited men present in the room, including a man who was seated with his legs crossed as he casually smoked a blunt, his overbearing aura suggested that he was the boss, and the others were his bodyguards.

The mood was further darkened by the presence of Dahlia, perched on the sofa with a gun also trained on her, by one of the men. If it were up to me, I would have gladly sanctioned two bullets in her f*cking skull–a fitting retribution for her cruelty. After conspiring with Elise to rob me of Miguel, she now dared to return. Why wouldn't she just move in with them in their paradise? Instead, she returned here, hell-bent on prolonging my suffering.

 “She’s awake now, take her and leave us alone,” Dahlia voiced out.

“What’s going on here? Who should they take?” I questioned curiously, my voice shaking.

“You see… I have one policy. Never steal from me,” the man smoking the blunt said.

My brows constricted in confusion, “I don’t know you sir, and I don’t remember stealing from anybody, not even you. So you might be mistaking me for someone else,” I explained, trying to reason with him.

He let out a short sinister chuckle and pinned his eyes on me,

“Not you, Him!”

He pointed to my father who was shaking in fear, as his heart went up and down.

“$15 million, that was the amount I gave your father. Oh, he begged and assured me that he would pay back with interest within 12 months. It has been 4 years now, and I haven’t seen my money. You see, I'm a businessman, and to keep my business running, I need money. Now, I’ve come to take my money, but seeing that it won't be happening, I will give you two options. One, watch as I put a bullet in your father’s head or pay off his debt.”

“I’ll pay off the debt, don’t harm my father, please. Just give me some time, and I will come up with the money,” I intercepted without a seconds delay.

“Oh no sweetheart, that’s not how it works. I mean from now on, you belong to me.”

A wave of disgust brushed against my skin,

“Why wouldn’t you take her?” I glared at Dahlia, “She’s his wife, and she has some tips and tricks to make a person’s life miserable. She’ll be an asset to you, I swear.”

Dahlia’s gaze was intense enough to strangle me instantly, but I gave her a deserving once-over.

He glanced at Dahlia for a few seconds and laughed, “This? She’s as useless to me as your father’s corpse. I’m not here for negotiation.”

“Over my dead body, I’m not a piece of item to be battered,” I spat out.

Suddenly, he signaled to the guard, who had his gun pointed at my Papa. The guard's finger grazed the trigger, and my father's legs shook as he whimpered in fear, peeing himself.

"Mija," my father cried out, his voice breaking with anguish.

Witnessing my father in such a distressing state was the most heartbreaking thing I had ever encountered. He did not deserve this fate. Despite Dahlia's constant attempts to make my life miserable, my father had always stood by me, until his illness, which rendered him incapable of doing as much as standing up for me.

As the guard’s finger tightened around the trigger, my resolve crumbled at the sight of my father’s suffering,

“Wait… I choose the second option.”

“Good choice,” he smiled, taking out a file from his suitcase and giving it to one of his bodyguards to give to me.

The guard approached me, taking out a pocket knife, he cut the rope that restricted my hands and handed the file to me.

As I opened the file, I read the life contract, and droplets of tears gushed down my eyes.

Sniffling, I stretched out my hand, and the guard handed a pen to me,

SIGNATURE; [M~.kiera]

I signed, sealing my fate, and giving up my life to a complete stranger.