CHAPTER 3.

Alicia stood speechless in the living room after her mother left them. The house helps were terrified, fearing those gunmen were robbers. But no one was killed, except that Mr. Max was kidnapped.

The head maid had even phoned the police, who arrived a few minutes later.

"We heard that Mr. Max was kidnapped by some unknown gunmen. Is that true?" One of the two policemen asked. However, the second policeman's eyes fell on Alicia, and he rushed to her side, "Babe, what's going on? Is this where you live with your family?"

Samantha and Caden's eyes widened in shock, as they hadn't expected the policeman to know Alicia.

"Yes, Jonathan. This is where my family and I live," Alicia lowered her head in shame, knowing that she had been keeping secret where her family now lived. She recalled five years ago, that she heard her parents arguing. Since then, their lives hadn't remained the same.

"Tell me, what happened to your father. You need to give us the report on how to help him get released from the unknown gunmen," Jonathan Leonardo asked Alicia. He was a 32-year-old man, light-skinned, and he loved Alicia so much and wanted to marry her. But she kept dribbling the talk of coming to see her father for her hand in marriage.

"No John. You cannot do anything to save my father. He owed Damian Tucker, the ruthless mafia boss," Alicia announced, moving away from Jonathan's embrace. She calls him John.

"What?!" The two officers exclaimed. Of course, they knew who Damian Tucker was.

"How did your father get to do business with Damian? Is your father in the Mafia?" The second policeman, Officer Brown, asked. But Alicia and her siblings shook their heads.

"We don't know. Dad has been owing Damian for long, going on five years now, so they came here and took him away, and the order is to pay his debt," Alicia cried, and the two policemen sighed.

"Hmmm. You know that Damian and his boys wouldn't just come here if your father isn't among their group. We would need evidence to know what the embezzled funds were all about. Do you have any idea what the business money was for?" Jonathan asked.

Alicia quickly shook her head and replied, "No. We don't know what my father does. All that doesn't matter now. If we get anything endangering that could expose their group, that would be a threat to our lives and to my father in their grip. They only told us to pay, or else they would kill him."

Alicia cried as she moved back to sit on one of the black couches in the living room, and the two officers sighed.

"This is serious. So how much are you guys told to pay up?" Jonathan asked, a look of worry washing over him.

"8 million dollars," Caden said, and Jonathan gasped. "What?! That's a whole lot of money. Anyway, you should assist us to get the evidence to get Damian behind bars. That way, the government would apprehend him and take him into custody."

Caden shook his head and said, "I don't know about my father's business. It's a secret business, and maybe that's why they took him away."

"How about your sisters? Can't you use them to get closer to Damian to see if they can get any information on how to arrest their group? We need solid evidence, or would your mother know what her husband does?" Brown queried.

"None that I am aware of. And I cannot allow them to have Samantha or Alicia. We will have to raise the money to pay them up," Caden said, shaking his head in refusal.

"I agree with him, Brown. You don't expect me to offer my girlfriend to that son of a devil. I want to marry Alicia next month. Now all this is happening. Where is your mother, Alicia?" Jonathan asked, his gaze fallen on Alicia. She sadly pointed towards the stairs.

"Come and show me to your mother's room. We should see if she knows how to help us get evidence," Jonathan said, to which Alicia rose from the couch and sadly followed him.

"Don't worry, baby. I will help you raise the money if the need arises. Your father cannot get killed," Jonathan assured her, but Alicia shook her head and doubted him, "Where do you want to get 8 million dollars from? Do you want to get involved in illegal dealings just for my father's sake?"

"Don't worry, babe. I will go to any length for you." He kissed her forehead as they arrived at the front of her mother's room door.

Alicia knocked and entered the room with Jonathan. Meanwhile, Lady Jennifer was on a phone call calling Mr. Max's older brother to see if he could help, but the man refused to help, saying that "Max has never helped me when he was rich, and you don't expect me to lend you a helping hand now."

The call ended, and Mrs. Jennifer sadly looked back at Alicia and then the policeman in black who were holding hands together in her room.

At first, Mrs. Jennifer wondered if she was dreaming, but the policeman spoke, "Good evening, Ma. I am Officer Jonathan Leonardo, Alicia's boyfriend."

"Oh!" Mrs. Jennifer gasped and looked from her daughter to Jonathan.

"I know we didn't mean for the introduction to be this way, but I have plans to come and marry Alicia. I love her very much, especially now that my rank has been promoted to Sergeant," Jonathan explained.

"I see," Lady Jennifer said as she looked at the policeman looking at her daughter lovingly. It reminded her of when she got recently married and fell in love with Mr. Max, before his greed led him to do dirty deals.

"So back to why I am here. We got a phone call that your husband was kidnapped, and we made inquiries from your children, receiving the reports that your husband lent money from Damian Tucker and hasn't paid up yet," Jonathan said, watching Mrs. Jennifer's face intensely.

Lady Jennifer stood in front of Jonathan and frowned.

"Yes. I didn't know when he lent the money, but he claimed to be doing business with Damian's father before Damian took over the underworld," Mrs. Jennifer disclosed, and Jonathan asked her, "Do you have any evidence of what your husband does for them?"

"No. He doesn't get me involved. He never does, and I don't know what he does."

"Hmm. But we need evidence if we need to get your husband freed. Think of any evidence. How about your husband's suitcase or laptop or whatever he uses? We can find a lead from there," Jonathan went further, his gaze fixated on Lady Jennifer's face.

"No..." Lady Jennifer quickly refuted, like she was protecting her husband from getting caught in any crime.

"I am sorry, officer, but my husband never lets me know what he does. We have been married for 29 years, and we dated five years and still I don't know his work. I just know he is a good man and provides for us." Mrs. Jennifer looked sober as she recalled her past.

"Damian gave his word that if we tried anything funny, he will kill my husband, and I don't want to lose him. The police should look for their own way to catch criminals and not using my family. Please, excuse me as I would like to make a call to my older brother to see how we can raise the money," she said.

"Mom..." Alicia tried to speak, but her mother used her eyes to signal her to shut up.

"It's fine, madam. I will see how I can be of help too. I will get going now to report to the station about the case so that my senior can take it from there," Jonathan said, as he bowed to leave.

"Alright," Lady Jennifer forcibly replied. Although, she would have preferred if they didn't report the matter to the station, but it could get worse, especially when it involves her family and a threat to their lives.

Alicia followed Jonathan out of her father's house, and he paused beside the car he came with his assistant and said, "I have to go now, babe. Take care, and I will see what I can do to help your family. Damian has been a threat to many lives here, and if we don't get him, we cannot guarantee our service to saving our people." Jonathan looked frustrated, and Alicia placed her hand on him and told him, "It's fine. Take care, my love."

"You too, babe. I wish this never happened. I already bought the engagement ring, and now this." Jonathan looked so sad, and Alicia told him, "It's fine. We will still get married."

"I know. Take care, and don't go anywhere close to Damian," he advised her.

"Understood," Alicia replied, and Jonathan kissed her forehead goodbye before he left.

Alicia sighed and went back into the house.