Clarissa's back

3

EARLIER

In a black Mercedes Benz sat a man, his gaze lingered on the laptop to which he typed away.

His phone nearby rang out loud to which he got hold of it, but before he could respond to whoever was at the other end, the car suddenly came to an abrupt stop jerking him forward.

A slight frown was quick to cast up his face and from the rear view mirror, Jarry stared at his boss making his breath to hitch.

"What's wrong?" Lucian's voice sounded and frantically, Jarry was quick to respond.

"Uh... I don't know. I'll go check it out" he replied. Unbuckling his seat belt, he left the car to access what was wrong only to find out that the car had a flat tyre.

"Boss, the car has had a minor problem" he relayed with a nervous smile painting his lips but on seeing the frown up Lucian's forehead increase by the minute, he was quick to add.

"I'll fix it up right away" he uttered before scurrying out of there.

Lately, Lucian's mood had worsened over time and Jarry was finding it difficult to keep up with him.

He would try his possible best just to make sure that everything went as planned but even with that, nothing ever seemed to be enough.

It's been five years since the young madam had left without a trace and it seemed that with her disappearance, gone was Lucian's smile.

Lucian gave a sigh of frustration before he slammed the laptop closed.

His eyes wandered round the vehicle while his hand stretched to loosen his tie.

The door pulled open and out he came letting the breeze that blew to tussle his hair.

The mark of frustration increased as he watched Jarry do his best to fix the tyre.

He couldn't stand here anymore or else he might just latch out on him.

Glancing at his wrist watch he still had about fifteen minutes before his meeting with some important business prospects.

Moving away from there, he headed towards the restroom when suddenly...

There was a loud scream. It was distant almost making his eyes to squint at the source of the noise.

"Help! Help me!" Yelled a little girl as her hands went up in the air and her feet running as fast as they could.

"Someone help me" she shouted before she suddenly slammed her petite body against was seemed. Like a rock.

Tipping her head up a little, her eyes met the sight of a well tailored suit and although his face was unseen, she went on to yell.

"Daddy!" 

Now her words made Lucian's brows to tighten into a knot, his gaze squinting at the girl who clung tightly unto him.

"Let go" his voice sounded and no doubt it startled the child who flinched.

But yet, her hands never let go of his legs.

Instead, Sophie wrapped her hands tightly against the man's legs consistently yelling out daddy to him.

"Daddy, pls hug me" she said, her voice pleading but Lucian only tried to pry his legs from the small girls grip and surprisedly, she did have a strong grip.

Her face was covered by the layers of hair that fell on her face but her porcelain skin was smooth.

"I'm not your daddy. Now let go" Lucian was becoming quite upset and irritated.

He wasn't one to deal lightly with just any child.

The loom of irritation sprawled over his face.

"Please help me, a bad guy is coming to take me away" Sophie uttered as she pointed in the direction she came from.

With his gaze lifted towards the direction she pointed at, he found a man running towards them.

His steps paused for a few second, his gaze lingering on the girl before going to the man in a uniquely expensive suite.

Just as he contemplated whether to approach or to do otherwise, Lucian's gaze darkened.

He didn't need any more words from the girl to know what happened.

And with half a smile, he bent towards the girl, his hands tapping gently on the girls head.

"Where did you run to? Daddy was quite worried" he said and the man on hearing these few words, was quick to run on heels heading in the other direction.

Sophie seeing this, gave a sigh of relief.

The bad man was gone.

She had just gone to use the restroom when that awful man approached her.

He gripped tightly on to her not wanting to let her go and thinking she was like the other children,he had tried to trick her into coming with him using using cheap tricks as candy.

But Sophie was no ordinary child. Yes she might have the body of a five year old but her intellectual sense was way beyond that.

It got to a point that the teachers at her school had offered to skip a few classes as her brain was beyond the level she was in.

But now looking at the man's failed attempt to abduct her, she stuck her tongue out laughing at him.

She had wanted to scurry out of there when the man before her held her hands prohibiting her movements.

"And where do you think you're going?"

"Let me go" she struggled but it went in vain.

Her strength was no match for the man before her.

"You use me and now you want to go without relaying your gratitude" Lucian's voice sounded.

Sophie's attention turned to the man before her.

With a sigh leaving her lips accompanied by her struggling which died down, she whipped her hair off her face to stare at the man before her, her lips parting to utter.

"Thank you" she said. 

Well, she was grateful for his help and she guessed if it wasn't for him, she would have been in a great trouble.

She figured the least she could do was to say thank you besides that's what her mother thought her.

With her hair flipped backwards and her face coming in view, Lucian finally saw the face of the little girl.

His pupil went wide in utter shock and for a moment, there was a hitch in his breath.

His hands holding the girl slightly loosend as he stared at her dumfounded.

All this because, the little girl in front of him had about 77- 80% of Clarissa's looks.

Yes, the little girl looked a lot like Clarissa.

"You..." Lucian uttered but no words left his lips, all was hung in his throat.

Sophie seeing the perplexed look the man had, waved her little fingers in front of him.

"What happened? You look dazed like you've seen a ghost " she commented.

Just as she had finished speaking, footsteps sounded from behind them and coming in sight was Jarry who came in search for Lucian.

"Sir, I was looking everywhere for you. The car has been fixed.

We can now go..."

The rest of his words seemed to have been caught off when his gaze landed on the little Sophie.

Just like Lucian, even Jarry was dazed by the sight before him.

Sophie who saw his perplexed look also thought that he too had seen a ghost and when she turned to see if there was anyone or anything behind her, she found nothing.

There was absolutely no one.

Lucian regained his composure, his aura now turning a bit tensed as he uttered.

"What's your name child?" He asked her.

"I'm Sophie " Sophie replied with a smile casted up her face.

Her hand pulled the teddy bear she was with closer to her.

"And your mom? Where is she? What's her name? Where did you come from?" 

The sudden questions being blasted at Sophie made her wince in suspicion.

She didn't know him and she didn't feel like uttering anything about her whereabouts or her mother to some random stranger.

"Mr thank you for helping me today but I would like to go now" she uttered withdrawing her hand from Lucian's loose grip. 

"Sophie, Sophie" a distant call of her name was heard making her come to the reality that her mother must be waiting for her.

She didn't want to keep her worried and so, flashing a smile to the stranger, she quickly said her goodbyes before fleeing from there.

Sophie ran out in the direction of the voice.

Lucian watched as her little legs ran but he wasn't intended on letting her go without knowing of her whereabouts so he followed suite.

He did the math in his head as his legs moved like they had a mind of their own.

The girl probably was around the age of 4-5 years.

His guess, 5

And that was the time Clarissa had fled with his child.

If the child was here looking almost like the baby version of Clarissa, then it meant...

Clarissa was also here!

He had taken a bend when he found Sophie with a woman whose back was turned to him.

He guessed that she was Sophie's mother and possibly Clarissa.

They were heading out and quickly he followed suite but wasn't able to catch up to them as they had entered into the car and sped off.

Anger boiled from within him for not able to meet up.

He had long searched for his wife everywhere but she couldn't be found.

Almost like she had disappeared into thin air and now he had the opportunity but...

"Ah!!!" He screamed out into the open.

Jarry who had practically jogged to meet up with his fast pace came towards him.

His breathing heavy as he uttered.

"Sir, she looks just like young madam" he uttered stating the obvious fact.

Through out the years, he had watched his boss search for the young madam like a crazy man.

He had every official, every investigators almost everyone go on a rampage to search for Clarissa.

But when everything turned to a dead end, he almost lost it.

For years, he kept on looking but there didn't seem to be any hope.

It even got to a point that they almost had to presume her dead.

But Lucian wouldn't hear any of it.

"Do you think... She might be the mother? Do you think she's back?"

Asked Jarry staring at his boss who was fueled with utter rage.

Instinctively, he stepped back so as to not inquire his mighty wrath.

"I don't think. I know it's her" he said through gritted teeth and a fierce confidence that terrified Jarry.

With Lucian still staring into the distance to where the car had driven off, he ordered firmly.

"SEAL THE AREA AND START INVESTIGATING"

***

My heart dropped dead when I found Sophie talking to Lucian.

How... How did he find her?

Everything in me screamed against my luck right now.

My legs as though having a mind of their own had intended to step forward to yank my child away from Lucian.

But...

I couldn't.

I couldn't risk him knowing I was back to town or more or less, that I was Sophie's mother.

Right now, one could say I was praying to the heavens for some miracle.

I racked my brain on what to do but the more I thought of it, nothing came to mind.

I couldn't let Lucian speak to Sophie for another second and when I was about to step forward,  Miranda stepped forward.

"Have you found her?" She asked when suddenly, her gaze landed on Sophie's little figure with the man.

Then an idea popped up in my head.

"Miranda, yell out Sophie's name. She'll come to you" I uttered.

I was panicking and Miranda could see it.

Without wasting time, she did as told.

"Sophie, Sophie "

She called out and thankfully, immediately Sophie heard her name, she fled from there.

I in turn left, heading to the car as I knew that was where Sophie was running to.

Luckily for me, I got hold of Sophie in time.

"Mummy, I'm sorry for keeping you waiting " Sophie muttered on seeing my tensed state.

But no reply left my lips, instead, I took her hand hurrying towards the car.

Not another second to he wasted here.

Once in, I gave an order to drive and once the engine came alive, the car sped.

My heart which was once threatening to explode gradually calmed down.

A tear crawled up my eye lid as the very thing I was trying to avoid happened.

I wished I never saw Lucian but here he was in a close range with my daughter. 

Did he recognize her?

Did he figure out that I was her mother?

I couldn't help but ask myself as I pulled my daughter into my arms.

I seemed to have hugged her too tightly as she struggled to breath.

"Mummy please don't be sad. I won't waste time again" said Sophie trying to keep the incident that happened to herself in order not to make me worry.

My arms around Sophie didn't leave her.

With my teeth gritted together and my gaze some what fierce, I instantly made a decision.

I wasn't going to let anyone or anything to take away my daughter from me.

Not even Lucian.

I'll protect her with everything in me and that I swore to myself.

But unknown to me, the search for Clarissa has once more begun!!!