5: The Call

“Hello, Madam. This is Jeff Brody calling you, Damian Tucker’s assistant,” Jeff said, sitting on a black couch in the exquisite living room of Damian’s mansion.

“Yes… how may I help you?” Lady Jennifer asked him nervously. Her heart throbbing faster.

“Calm down, Madam. My boss is trying to see how to make his payment easier, and if you will accept his other proposals,” Jeff said, paying attention to the call.

“Other proposals like what?” Lady Jennifer asked.

Jeff responded, “A contract marriage with one of your two daughters in exchange for the debt that your husband owes us.”

“What?! Which of my daughters is that?” Lady Jennifer inquired. “Or should I present any of them to you?”

Meanwhile, Alicia and Samantha looked at their mother in shock, wondering what her conversation with Damian’s assistant was all about.

“Calm down, Madam,” Jeff said. “My boss wants your younger daughter, Alicia Dawson. Kindly inform her to be available for pick-up tomorrow. I will come around to take her.”

“What?” Lady Jennifer looked stunned.

“Alicia?” She asked her daughter’s name like she had heard wrongly.

“Yes. My boss is interested in her, and if she can accept his offer, maybe you don’t need to pay your husband’s debt again.”

“Wait… Do you mean Alicia, or Samantha?” Lady Jennifer inquired. “Samantha was even offering to become Damian’s woman now, but I don’t know if your boss would like to accept that in exchange for the debt that my husband owes him.”

“Listen carefully, Madam,” Jeff said. “I have other work to attend to tonight. Kindly inform your second daughter, Alicia Dawson, to prepare herself. Except you have the 10 million dollars to pay up the debt. Except that, she is to prepare to meet with my boss tomorrow. Take care, Madam. Goodnight.”

The phone call ended and Lady Jennifer stared into space.

“What just happened, Mom?” Samantha first asked their mother, standing in front of her. “What did Damian’s boys say?”

Lady Jennifer was still seated on the black couch in the living room. She looked at her three children—from Caden to Samantha, and to Alicia, who was looking at her worriedly.

“Mom, what did Damian’s boys say to you?” Alicia finally asked her mother. Her heart beating loudly, especially after the man asked her mother inquires about her.

Lady Jennifer took a deep breath and said, “Alicia… Damian wants you.”

“What? No, Mother. I cannot have anything to do with him,” Alicia replied, sadly. ”Didn’t you tell them that I am in a serious relationship?”

Lady Jennifer sighed. “I tried to explain to the man, but he cut me off and said that you should make yourself available by tomorrow morning, and he would be here to pick you up.” She looked her last child worriedly.

Alicia snapped, “No, Mom. I cannot have anything to do with that monster. So you better call the number right now, and tell him that I am not interested.”

“Alicia, calm down,” Lady Jennifer tried to speak, but Alicia yelled, “No one should tell me to calm down. I told you to accept Jonathan’s offer to help us. But you refused. You refused because of a mafia boss. Mom, I will not accept anything from Damian, not even for a one-night stand with him. Please, excuse me.”

Alicia walked away from the living room, going upstairs to her room, but her mother rose from the black couch and called her back.

“Come back here, Alicia. I am not done talking to you, and don’t you dare walk out on me.”

Alicia paused by the stairs. Her fists clenched, and her fingernails dug into her palms.

“Do you think that I want to have anything to do with Damian?” Lady Jennifer inquired. “You should think about your father and know that he sacrificed a lot to give us a better life, and this is just the least of the things that you can do to help him.” She tried to walk to meet her last child.

“No way, Mother,” Alicia refused. “I will not do it. I would rather wait until Jonathan raises the money.” She didn't stare back at her mother. Tears fell from her eyes.

“I will never trade my body to a mafia boss in exchange for Dad’s freedom. Please, excuse me.” Alicia went upstairs to her room, not waiting to hear her mother out again.

“Why me?” Alicia asked herself as she entered her bedroom and slammed the door shut. “Why must Damian choose me? That mafia boss?!”

Alicia cried aloud, and her mother and siblings could hear her agonizing sobs.

“Alicia, open this door!” Lady Jennifer pounded on the door of her youngest daughter’s room, but Alicia refused to open up.

“Go away, Mom. You don’t care about me, my happiness, or what I want. You only care about my Father, so leave me alone,” Alicia cried, and her mother sighed.

“Alicia, open up. I can follow you tomorrow to see Damian and maybe offer myself to him,” Samantha said. She thought about the good life that she would live becoming Damian Tucker’s woman. His name alone was law, and most of the elite feared him.

Samantha so much wanted to climb that ladder of wealth, power, and dominance, and Damian Tucker was just the right person to help her achieve her goals.

“All of you should leave me alone!” Alicia yelled. “I don’t want to see you all tonight, and I am not going to see that beast tomorrow. Stay away from me!”

Alicia went to her bed crying. She thought about informing Jonathan, but she knew that he wouldn’t even agree.

“A contract marriage with my boss,” Alicia recalled what the caller had said to her mother.

“My boss wants your second daughter, Alicia. Not Samantha.”

Alicia recalled how Damian had stared at her when he arrived to take her father away. The way his deep blue eyes had held her, locking with hers. She had quickly looked away from him, trembling as she clutched her mother's arm for fear of being taken away.

“I cannot marry Damian. Never, and I am not going to see him tomorrow,” Alicia affirmed on her bed, and her phone rang. She thought it was her mother calling her, and she made no attempt to answer the call.

Alicia stepped down from her bed and went to her bathroom to have a quick bath, and to relax all her tense mood. She had a clinic duty the following morning, and she didn’t want to appear at work with a swollen face. So, she hurried with her bath and stepped out of the bathroom.

Alicia stepped into her bedroom and heard her phone ringing. She went to the drawer to pick it up and switch it off. But her heart flew to her lungs when she saw seven missed calls from Jonathan.

“Oh my God! Jonathan might think that I am avoiding him!” Alicia swiftly placed a call back to Jonathan, as she had assumed before that her mother or sister were the ones calling her.

“Hello, babe,” Alicia said nervously on the call.

“Babe, I called your number and you weren’t answering,” Jonathan replied, sighing. He was at home in his new house.

Alicia apologized in a soft tone. “I am so sorry.”

“What happened, babe?” Jonathan asked, his voice laced with concern. “Why is your voice so sad? Is it because of your father’s debt? I promise you that I am going to try and raise the money to pay up that bastard. Please trust me and don’t hurt yourself.”

“I know, just that…” Alicia’s voice trailed off as she didn’t know if to tell Jonathan the truth.

“What’s wrong, babe?” Jonathan pressed, and Alicia hesitated to tell him what the problem was.

“It’s nothing. I will come and see you tomorrow after work,” Alicia replied, still finding it hard to explain the reason to him.

“It’s alright. Have a sound sleep and goodnight,” Jonathan said, and Alicia replied, “You too, my love. Good night too.”

The phone call ended and Alicia sighed. A knock on her bedroom door caught her attention, and she moved over to the door to see who it was.

Pulling her bedroom door open, Alicia came face to face with her mother.

“Mom, what do you want?” Alicia's expression was stern as she asked her mother.

“Alicia, I know that you’re angry with the new development,” Jennifer said. “But Damian promised to release your father and to not hurt him if you agree to marry him. Please…”

Alicia shook her head in rejection and replied, “I cannot do that, Mom. I have a boyfriend.”

“Then you break up with him,” Lady Jennifer stated, standing by her daughter’s room door.

“What?” Alicia gasped. “How can you tell me to do that? Did you ever love someone before, or was that how you broke up with your ex and got married to my Dad?” her question made her mother’s expression stern.

“Alicia, don’t speak to me in such an insolent manner. You have no idea what I went through to give you and your siblings a better life,” Lady Jennifer said. “Only this simple sacrifice from you and you’re beating about the bush.”

“But, Mom, I cannot do it. Just let me be for tonight. Goodnight.”

Alicia went back into her bedroom and closed her door on her mother’s face.

Lady Jennifer sighed and decided to give her younger daughter time to think about Damian's proposal for the night.