More than the bargain

Axell’s pov

I and Bryson went down on our knees, including the other guards.

The guy walked in front of me but he had a mask on.

“The boss wants to speak to you!”

“By the boss you mean__”

“Shut your fucking mouth and listen!”

He took his phone out of his pocket and put it on speaker.

“Axell, Axell, Axell. How many times have I told you that I have my eyes everywhere? Do not think my shooter missed. I told him not to kill you just yet because I want to kill you myself, slow and painful”

“Paolo, aren't you tired?”

Bryson yelled.

The masked guy punched Bryson in his eyes hard and he fell to the ground.

“Like I was saying. I want to watch you die just like I watched your parents, and I will. Ah, how I hate the sight of you”

I looked to my side and saw one of my guards walking down the stairs. I tried giving him a signal to go back but he wasn't looking.

“Hey, boss I heard—”

Before he could say anything they shot him twice in the head.

“Fuck! Paolo stop your men! It is me you want!”

“One more word and I will blow your stupid head off!”

The dude with the phone slowly said to me.

“No, do not touch Axell, he is my battle! When you picked this line of work you knew what you were getting into, Axell. Hey,  boys set his house ablaze and kill anyone who isn't Axell”

AVERY’s POV

When I got to my office I sat quietly and looked around me with disgust. 

“You look good this morning, Avery. You got something in your teeth”

“What is that?”

“Jealousy and pain!”

Karen is my worst enemy and the one who makes tutoring my students so tiring for me. 

“Karen, you know if you look at yourself carefully you will realize that you are the one whose heart is filled with hate and jealousy, right?”

“Whatever you say, Avery! At least give your son a last name before coming for me, Avery!”

I stood up angrily and I was ready to pounce on her but Nick caught me quickly.

“Don't you ever mention my son with that filthy mouth of yours! You bitch!”

She moved back a little and held her chest. My eyes were red and my voice was shaky. I hated it when someone tried to talk down on my character by bringing my son into it. 

“Thanks so much, Nick”

Nick was more like my work best friend and he also hated Karen.

“The principal wants all staff in the big Hall”

Nick said while still holding my hand. He is the same age and size as Camila. Not entirely chubby but a little thick with blond hair. 

“What does he want? An announcement so early in the morning? You gotta be kidding me right now”

I exclaimed angrily and held Nick’s hand tighter.

We walked to the hall. Nick and I sat close to each other and I kept staring at how the teachers kept laughing and murmuring like children. 

“Avery, I have told you to avoid Karen, right? She always wants to poke you, and you always let her win!”

“I hate her and I hate it when she drags Logan into our mess! You know the other day I heard her ask Logan what the name of his father is! And he just stood there lost in thoughts not knowing what to say. I felt so bad I almost shed tears. That bitch is trying so hard and I am so close to losing it”

“Hey, hey, calm down, okay? Karen is a hater! She is just jealous that you have been winning the teacher of the month for the last 3 months in a row”

“Yeah, I know that! I would have also been jealous if I wasn't me!”

Nick and I laughed loudly and shook hands. 

The principal got on the stage and everywhere immediately went quiet.

They brought the microphone for him. He cracked a little joke which made everyone giggle and I felt a bit relaxed.  Even though I hated him. 

“I Have called y’all here today to introduce someone to you. Someone, y’all ought to have met a long time”

He twisted his lips, smiled at us, and moved away from the podium.

“Okay, what is happening?”

Nick asked and we both stared in confusion.

The principal walked back to the podium and lifted one of his hands.

“Pardon me I had something in my eyes”

Some of the teachers chuckled while I kept a straight face because nothing was funny at that moment.

“As I said earlier, please join me in welcoming the CEO and owner of Greenville Montessori High School. MR AXELL LEONARDO”

Immediately I heard that name. My neck turned as fast as possible waiting for this person to come out and I prayed seriously to the lord. 

“I don't want to meet him again, please, not after all these months”

I whispered and bit my fingernails as my gaze sharpened.

“Of course, it had to be him!”

I rolled my eyes angrily and buried my face in my palms immediately after he walked out to the podium.

The other teachers were still clapping for him while I was fighting my demons as memories of that night appeared in front of me again. The memories I have tried hard to bury and forget just came rushing back to taunt me.

“Hello, everyone. I don't think I still need to add anything to what the Principal said..”

They all cheered and clapped loudly for him. He was smiling and waving like he was a saint.

“Fucking snake!”

I said with a very thick angry voice.

“Did you say anything?”

Nick asked and I just hit his shoulder with a fake smile. 

“Fine, it seems everyone needs me to say something. Let us work together in good health and strength to make Greenville even better!”

They applauded him and he walked away. I was not just hurt but I was disappointed. 

While walking back to my office I kept having different thoughts in my head. 

‘Should I resign? But if I do, how will I make ends meet? Where do I get a new job? Fuck!’

I hit my hand on the door and hurt myself. Luckily for me, there was no cut, just a scratch.

When I got to the class I didn't joke with the students as much as I used to do. I went straight to business. 

“Who can tell me about our last class?”

One student stood up to explain but we were disturbed by the principal, CEO, and some other heads of the school. 

“Nothing much, Avery. Just showing the CEO around the classes. Please, carry on”

The principal innocently reckoned and I tried my best not to stare at Axell but his gaze was all over me. 

“I hope the teacher doesn't mind if I sit a little in her class, right? English, one of my favorite subjects!”

He moved to the back of the class and stood for about 5 minutes but I tried to avoid his gaze, and I guess he noticed. 

He smirked and walked close to me, and whispered.

“We will be seeing each other more than you think, Avery. I hope you are ready?”

“What?”

“I said good teaching, ma'am. Bye students”

He walked out and his words kept hitting me; they sounded more like a threat. 

After an hour I was done with my class so I walked to the cafeteria to get a soda. A lady girl walked up to me and handed me a soda. I happily collected it and she ran away.

“My students are the best”

I proudly said to myself.

I opened it and gulped the soda down. Then I received a call to come outside for a package when I got there. I don't know how it happened but in the blink of an eye, I was thrown into a van with a sack over my head. My vision was becoming foggy and I was slowly losing my balance.

“Where am I– where are you taking me—”

Before I could finish my sentence I received a hard slap on my left ear and that made me collapse.

When I woke up I wasn't sure how long I was out but when I looked through the little window it was a bit dark. I looked around me and it was an empty spacious space.

“Hello! Anyone! Please, help me!”

“I see you are awake!”

A tiny feminine voice came from behind me. I tried looking backward but my hands were tied to a chair and so were my legs.

“Who are you? Please, don't kill me”

“Oh, no I don't plan to as long as you do what I want”

The lady walked and stood in front of me and slapped me twice on my face again. Tears began to pour down my eyes and I was trembling out of fear. 

“Please, what do you want? I need to get home to my son”

“Nothing much. I heard from a trusted source that you left a party with Axell about a week ago. Well, I need you to stay away from him, permanently, or else I have your address and I promise to come for your little boy”

“No, no. Please, I will do whatever it is you want. Please, leave my son alone”

After pleading for more than 20 minutes for my life they placed the sack back over my head and we got into a van. I couldn't see anything but I knew we were moving. After a long drive, the van finally stopped. 

They loosened the rope over my hands and pushed me out of the van. I fell and scratched my elbow on the ground. They drove away and I loosened the rope over my legs. I was in so much pain when I stood up. And the lady wasn’t bluffing when she said she knew where I stayed because they dropped me right in front of my house. 

I limped into the house and I saw someone I never expected or thought I would ever see in my house. He was holding my son!

“What are you doing here?”