Chapter 5

  I stood up from my bed and tiptoed towards my room door, i opened it carefully to be sure no one was coming, every where was clear and silent so i decided to park a little of my belongings and run away from my house, from my father who is always roaring at me like a lion, a father who sees his daughter as an object that can be controlled and be used as some bait go get what he wants.

  

  I zipped up my box after it was filled with a few amounts of clothes that I could need. I don’t know where I’m running to exactly but I just need to leave. I could go to Peter’s apartment,at least it would take a while for my parents to find me there.

  

  Jean opened her window carefully then threw her box down and she started climbing down her window using the tree branches that were close to her window.

  

  She has no idea that zayn was already walking into her father’s compound but she was too anxious to give the compound a second glance, all that was running through her mind at that instance was only how she could run away from her father, She prefers to live with Peter, at least he is the love of her life! At least she would be happy.

  

  “Good day, miss Jean, going somewhere!?” Zayn asked in a loud tone as he tried to call out Jean’s attention.

  

  Jean was swayed away by her runaway plan that she didn’t notice that Zayn was walking into her father’s compound.  “Oh hi—— I didn’t know you were here.” Jean said as she tried to compose herself with her box in her hands.

  

  “Allow me to help you take that back in,” zayn said as he moved towards her and smiled at her softly before he collected the bag from her, “permit me to help,” zayn said as he used his second hand to remove a strand of leaf that got stuck in her hair when she was trying to escape through the window.

  

  I stood still and allowed him to help me with my hair and my luggage not because I wanted to allow him but because I had no choice.

  

  After he was done he started heading inside and I walked behind him.

  

  I noticed my father welcomed him with a handshake and Immediately instructed the maid to collect the box from him, knowing fully well that it belongs to his daughter, he seemed to not be bordered about the fact that I just tried to run away, all he cares about his plan to make me marry zayn! He doesn’t care about my feelings or whatever is my opinion, what sort of a father is this?!

  

  

  “You are welcome to my home, I’m sure you met my beautiful 

  daughter already since she was walking behind you when you got in, please feel comfortable!” Jean heard her dad say as she sat comfortably in a seat that her dad had specially prepared for her to sit right beside zayn.

  

  “Yes i met her, how are you doing?” Zayn replied as he kept a straight face and looked at Jean's dad.

  

  “Hahah that’s good! I’m doing very well, now that you are here and sitting right next to my darling daughter,” Jean’s father said as he pulled his chair closer to the dining table.

  

  I’m currently not surprised watching my father behave this way all because of his selfish interest! He is ready to do anything to maintain his space and keep his business running, he doesn’t care about my happiness or my mother’s happiness or her opinions, he only cares about himself and himself alone.

  

  “Let’s discuss for a while before the maids bring us dinner,so how is business going?” Mr Walter asked zayn as he looked at him and pulled a smiling face.

  

  “Ohh business is going good and chilled, the boys are doing very well, some of them are waiting for me outside the gate, I don’t really like them following me to places like this, I feel I deserve some privacy since I’m coming to see my bride to be for the very first time.” Zayn said as he turned his head and smiled at Jean and she kept a straight face and just frowned at him.

  

  “Oh haha! That’s good and extremely thoughtful of you! I know my daughter is in safe hands and that’s part of the reasons why I want her to get married to you and that’s exactly what she would do!” Mr. Walters said as he looked like one of the happiest souls on earth right now because his plan to sell his daughter off to a mafia lord because of his selfish interest is already working out.

  

  

  “Yes! I’ll definitely do my best to protect her, make her happy and be a great husband,” Zayn said as he chuckled softly.

  

  I kept staring at him because he doesn’t seem like a mafia gang leader after all, he looked extremely calm surprisingly and his dress sense is sure good! He probably wanted to impress me, Peter looks better! It’s Peter that I’m in love with, I want to give him my virginity and I want him to be the man that I will get married to eventually.

  

  “Let me reach out to the maid to bring us dinner.” Mr Walter said to Zayn who nodded then he walked toward the kitchen.

  

  My mom is supposed to be here right now with all of us, since he wants me to get married to some drug lord forcefully, isn’t mother supposed to be here to watch how her daughter is being sold out, even though her opinion cannot count ,she still deserves to be here but my father believes women are not important characters and isn’t needed in this kind of situations, if not for that fact that I’m the one he wants to get married to Zayn,I’m sure I wouldn’t be here too.

  

  “How are you doing?” Jean heard  Zayn’s voice as he asked her and broke the silence.

  

  I watched him speak and I feel so mad, mad at him for stopping me from escaping! I almost ran away from this misery, I almost missed this dinner and spoilt this plan, I was so close! But he came, caught me in the act and disorganized my plan. Why did he have to show up at that period! He should have just let me go! If only I was a few minutes faster, maybe I would have left before he arrived.

  

  The dad showed up first and the maids followed up behind him holding plates full of freshly made food in their hands and they served the food immediately.

  

  “You could go on! Give us a moment,” Mr Walter said as he stood and walked toward his daughter and pulled him up and Zayn nodded while they both walked towards the corridor.

  

  “What is wrong with you?! Why did you try to run away from home? What are you ignoring him when he tried to talk to you? If this marriage doesn’t work out and my deal with him gets aborted, you would have yourself to blame!! You’d really regret your existence!” Jean’s father said shouting at jean angrily ignoring the fact that was crying and trembling with fear and he tried to hit her.

  

  

  “Are y’all not done?” Zayn said as he walked towards Jean and her father.

  

  Dad noticed his presence and immediately switched and began to act all soft and used the same hands that he initially wanted to us to hit me to wipe my tears,my father is full of all kinds of deceit once it comes to him getting what he wants!

  

  “We're coming out already!” He said as he started walking back to the dinning ,zayn turned back and headed back to his seat.

  

  I wiped my tears immediately and tried to compose myself then walked back towards the dinning as they have both left to their seats to continue dinner, i had to walk fast at this point because i know that wasting too much time and delaying my father and zayn from continuing their meal will only put me in more trouble, at this point it felt like I was in some emotional bondage and to think that it’s by the man that brought me into the world only breaks my heart even more.