Tortured

"Are you out of your mind?!!? Marriage!!?" Hailey's wide eyes stared with bewilderment. 

How can he say something so casually?

Anger surged in her veins, ready to throw everything in the room, if only her hands weren't tied with the rope. 

"I'm not kidding, girl. You have to marry me and you don't have any option left." he told her clearly, firm on his decision. 

"I refuse to marry you! And that too as Lynn? I've been Davidson my whole life! How can you suddenly bring a man out of nowhere and claim him to be my father?" 

Hailey was no fool. She had no clue what was going on around her, what circumstances are, but she wasn't willing to accept her so-called new identity so easily. 

Why? The danger attached to it. The new world which she would like to never pass her hello. 

Zayn didn't say anything to this. He simply instructed his man, "Watch her out. You know what to do." After passing the words, he looked at the little girl. 

"Don't let me be harsh on you. Tell me when you are ready to talk about this topic." 

"No! Never! ZAYN! Let me go!." 

"HEYY!"

Her pleas fell deaf to the men in the room. She was neither given a second choice nor was entertained anymore. 

The room fell pitch dark again. Two men remained in the room, but she was unable to see their faces. Their siltehouse fell in her view and guns attached to their waist. 

Panic was spreading all over her body while Hailey continued to scream over the top of her lungs. "HELP ME!" 

"TAKE ME OUT FROM HERE!" 

"I'm not the one you are looking for! Call you boss!" 

"ZAYN!" 

Her shrill voice was barely heard by anyone as her heart continued to ache. The new discovery of identity now embedded in her mind. 

Giving it a thought, she was confused. How can Davidson.. be not her father? If Lynn was her father, where was he when they moved to different cities? When her mother and her were under tough conditions? 

When a life-death situation was at stake? Where was he? 

'If he was an unavailable father.. Why am I now facing the consequences of his name?' Who leaked that she's his daughter?

Hundreds of questions rose in her heart. She wanted answers. However, the priority was to get out of this place. 

The night continued to defer. From the small window, she watched the moon outside and slowly the heaviness in her eyes was overtaking her body. 

Hailey didn't know hen she drifted to sleep and the next time she woke up, the sunlight was bright in the room. To her surprise, the men were still standing at their place as before. 

"H-Hey.. c-can.. I.. get.. something.. t-to eat?" 

"You have to talk to the boss first." came their replies and in frustration, she kicked the ground. 

"Boss? Even for food and water? Are you kidding me?" 

"I haven't eaten for hours! And you are asking me to talk to him for his permission? Do you guys have any bit of humanity left in you?" she asked angrily but to no impact, they didn't react. 

A sigh escaped her lips,  and she once again closed her eyes, didn't know jingshe would once again fall back into deep slumber. 

The lightness covered her body where weakness was weighing on her body. This time, she woke up around midnight to see the moon high in the night sky. 

The eyelashes were getting heavy where she hasn't eaten anything for an en itre day. 'They are true to their words. Harshness is their way of making me submit.' 

She was barely old to be entangled in this mess. Her throat was aching due to deficiency of water. Thigh red marks traced her wrist but least cared. Hailey continued to stare at the window, in dismay. 

Until the door was opened and someone entered. Hailey was suddenly alarmed and tried looking at the person. But to her dismay, there wasn't enough light for her to entertain. 

"W-who.." 

"Sh.. kid. Drink water." she heard a lady's voice. Hailey didn't delay or revolt and quietly drank the water which the lady offered through her hands. 

She gulped the water in one go, making some relief wash over through her throat. "T-Thank.." 

"Compromise girl, you don't want to be hurt anymore." She heard the lady say the truth and a frown appeared on Hailey's forehead. 

"Comprosmi? He's asking me to marry him!" 

"So.. marry him." 

How can people treat marriage so casually, Hailey thought. She was  astonished at peole/s thinking, unable to comprehend  whether this lady was here to help her.. or coince her? 

"W-what.. Zayn's.. age?" Hailey asked nervously.

"Twenty eight." came a firm answer and this shocked the girl, "I'm barely twenty! H-How... can he even think.." 

"You don't know your worth rightnow. Marrying him will protect you from harm." worth? Hailey was once again standing in the same spot of confusion. 

"W-which.. worth?" 

"You will know eventually." the lady said again. "Anything else?" 

"W-why.. does... he wants to marry me.. except worth?" Hailey was curious and the lady said, "You will need to talk with him about this." 

Taking a deep breath, Hailey nodded her head, "Alright, call Zayn. I'm ready to talk now."