Chapter 6: Sad News

Julia stood on the porch worried and not sure what to do. She was going to leave her home, and her mother to live under the same roof with a man whose family humiliated her. She had been taken away while in town twice already and none of the people passing by came to her rescue. It was like they were blind to the whole scene of her abduction. Her screams attracted no rescue from anyone. She recalled what Jason and his guards had all said to her; Scream, like someone would come.

It was obvious people were afraid of this guy and his people and hence they would not interfere with anything that had to do with them. Julia sighed and wondered how her mother would feel if she went missing for days because she decided to ignore Jason and Jason sent his guards to abduct her. Julia exhaled deeply and made a conclusive decision in her mind.

"For now, she will just obey Jason and figure out a way to come back home later. It's best if she tells her mother she is going to be away for a couple of days. She would say she found a new job outside the town," Julia thought, and entered the house.

When Julia entered the living room, she was expecting to see her mother, sitting on the sofa reading her book, but she was not there. Her gaze quickly moved towards the bedroom.

"Mum, where are you?" Julia called out to her mother and walked towards her bedroom.

"Mum?" Julia called her again, knocking gently on the door.

Julia kept calling her mother and knocking on the door but there was no response. She turned the doorknob and it was open, so she entered but froze in place at the sight that greeted her. Her mind went blank and the ground began to slip from beneath her feet. She took two more steps inside and darkness engulfed her, followed by an airy feeling around her which lasted for a while and she could not feel anything again.

Jason was back in his apartment located in Southwest Ranches City. The door was opened for him as soon as the elevator bell rang and he walked in. In deep thought, he headed for his bedroom, ignoring the greetings of the manservant who had opened the door for him.

The servant just carried on with his responsibilities as they were all used to this kind of treatment from Jason. The servant knew Jason was angry about something. Jason lives in the apartment alone with the servants and guards. No visitors and no parties, practically nothing happens in the apartment. There is only one man who comes around and they will spend hours unending in his office and sometimes his bedroom with the door closed. All the workers in the apartment were beginning to think Jason was gay and the man that comes around to see Jason, was Jason's partner until that strange woman came out of his room. It was the first time they had seen a woman in his apartment.

Inside the bedroom, Jason sat on the chair still thinking. His father, Mr Johan Haward, does not just do things. There is always a reason behind his actions. In his mind, he thought, his father would choose James, the eldest, as the heir, but was surprised he got him to marry and used that as a prerequisite for becoming the heir.

"Why would he do that?" Jason thought, got up and walked towards his study table, opened the drawer and brought out the two marriage certificates which had his name and that of Julia.

Their signatures and that of his father as a witness. He put it back and went to use the bathroom. There was a good side to being the heir of the Haward family; you join the circle of the rich and powerful, good for business. It will also provide him with the means of finding out why his father took such a decision.

Jason went back downstairs and had his dinner, watched the news channel for a while, and had one of the servants prepare one of the guest rooms for Julia since she was coming in the next day. He retired to his bedroom for the night.

The very next day, Jason left the apartment at 6 a.m. for work and instructed the servants on what to do once Julia arrived. They were surprised a lady was coming to the apartment again and this time to stay, but kept their thoughts to themselves.

When Jason returned home later, at 6 p.m., he was surprised Julia had not arrived from his enquiries. He frowned, as it was past the time he had given her and she was not in.

"This girl wants to test me," Jason said, and called one of his guards and asked him to go find Julia and bring her to him.

"I will teach her how to honour one's word, once spoken," Jason said to the guard before climbing the stairs to his room, and the guard also left immediately to carry out his task.

Inside his bedroom, he first took a shower after he sat behind his desk, going through some files he had brought home from work. His phone rang, interrupting his concentration on his work.

"Speak," Jason said as soon as he picked up the call and brought the phone to his ears.

"Sir, we have a situation," reported the guard.

"What situation?" Jason enquired.

"The lady has been arrested, Sir" the guard reported.

"For what?" Jason enquired, sounding very calm.

"Sir, murder," reported the guard.

"I see. Who was murdered?" Jason questioned.

"Sir, her mother," replied the guard.

"The police are still here at the house. Sir, what would you like me to do?" the guard added.

"Find the police station where she is being kept and bring her to me," Jason instructed, as if he didn't hear the part where the guard said she had been arrested on suspicion of murder.

"Yes, boss," replied the guard and he disconnected the call.

The guard spun the car around and followed a police car which moved from the scene to the station where Julia was being kept. Julia had spent the night in a police cell awaiting what would be done to her. She was surrounded by officers when she gained consciousness. She had not spoken since. The last image printed on her pupil was the murder scene of her mother who was lying in a pool of blood on the floor face down. Julia's eyes had turned red from her silent cry which left her face with tears flowing down her cheeks. She had neither eaten nor closed her eyes even for a second since she was brought in. She had become a shadow of herself sitting at the place where the officers had left her.

"Who is in charge here?" the guard asked as soon as he entered the station.

The two officers at the front desk lifted their eyes to look at the person who had asked the question. Standing in front of them was a handsome man in a very expensive tuxedo with a royal seal on the left side of his chest.

"What do you want?" asked one officer after looking at him up and down, not paying attention to the royal seal.

The guard brought out his badge and showed it to him, "That woman cannot stay here. She belongs to my boss" he announced.

The other officer saw the royal seal and quickly alerted his colleague.

"He is a guard from the Haward family. What should we do?" the officer asked, "I don't want any trouble," he whispered to the other officer who was standing close to him.

"Why are you arresting the daughter of the woman who has been killed?" the guard asked them and they went silent.

"Are you blind or stupid or just lazy?" the guard questioned and again his question was met with silence. "Who is your boss?" he enquired.

"Who is looking for me?" came a voice from inside, which was followed by an averagely tall man with a potbelly.

"Are you the one in charge here?" asked the guard.

"Yes, what do you want?" replied the officer who had just walked in, resting his hands on the reception desk as he looked squarely at the guard.

"Did you know your men arrested and brought to your station a lady whose mother had been murdered?" the guard asked him.

"Finding this lady in question unconscious did not communicate anything but they rather went ahead to arrest her with no evidence pointing to the fact that she may have a hand in her own mother's death," the guard said.

"Yeah, there was a murder in her house and she is a prime suspect. Do you want us to handcuff you instead?" the officer replied, but realized he didn't ask him who he was to have that boldness to talk to him like that.

"But who are you?' the officer enquired.

"That is the question you should have asked before giving me that answer," replied the guard.

The guard pulled out his phone and sent a message. In less than 5 minutes, the officer received a call.

"Yes, sir," the officer said after answering the call and bringing the phone to his ears.

"No, sir," the officer said.

"Please, sir," the officer said, and the call ended.

The other two officers looked at the officer in charge as his face changed from a deep frown and gradually turned solemn while talking on the phone.

Lowering his head, the officer said to the other two officers behind the desk, "Set the lady free,"

The officer in charge then removed his badge and gun, gave them to one of the officers at the reception and exited the station. Just like that, he was fired, surprising the two officers behind the reception desk. One of them quickly went to get Julia from the prison cell and brought her to the guard.

"Did he just get our boss fired?" asked the other officer in a whisper.

"Yes, he works for the Haward family, even their maid can get you fired" replied the officer in a whisper as the guard exited the station holding Julia by the arm. Julia just walked like a zombie.

"Talk of rich, influential and powerful," commented another officer.

"Yeah, they get away with everything," commented another officer.

"But I know that girl. How did she get involved with them?" one officer asked.

"She is beautiful, I am sure she is the boss's bed warmer," replied another.

Outside of the station, the guard put Julia into the car and strapped her in the back seat. He drove close to an hour to get to Southwest Ranches City. He made the next turn towards the apartment. Once at the apartment, he got Julia out of the car, holding her by the arms. The guard led Julia to the 6th-floor apartment and entered the living room with her.

Jason descended the staircase and entered the living room upon hearing the guard had arrived with Julia. Upon entering the living room, he found the guard standing there with Julia, who seemed to be disconnected from the world. She stares blankly at nothing. Jason looked at Julia carefully and instructed one of the servants to take her to the guest room which had been prepared earlier for her. The guard turned to leave.

"Find out who murdered her mother," Jason said to the guard before going back to his room.

The servant took Julia to her room and made her sit on the bed before leaving. Julia remained seated on the bed staring blankly at the wall. Some food was sent to Julia but she would not eat or speak to anyone.

Jason was in his room when he heard a knock on his door.

"Come in," Jason said, and the servant entered and stood at the door, creating a good distance between herself and Jason, who sat on the chair.

"Sir," she said and bowed first, "She will not eat," she informed Jason.

"It's only been a day, just let her be. She will eat tomorrow," Jason said, and dismissed the servant.

Once Jason was done with what he was working on, he stepped out of his room and went to Julia's room. Julia was sitting on the bed staring blankly at nothing.

"Such a reaction is understandable; she just lost her mother in a barbarous way," Jason thought, leaning on the door frame and looking at Julia carefully.

Jason took some steps towards Julia and stood next to her. He lifted her head, placing his finger under her chin. He stared into her gorgeous eyes and all he could read was pain. Julia was hurting badly but could not react. Jason pressed the bell in the room for a servant and one rushed in quickly.

"Get her to lie down and stay with her," Jason instructed, and exited the room knowing Julia could sit till morning in that condition.

The servant helped Julia change into something comfortable and made her lie on the bed as instructed and the servant prepared to sleep on the sofa inside the room.

Julia lay on the bed, memories of her mother and her together came flooding her mind. She didn't know who her father was as she had never met him and her mother never spoke about him. It has been just the two of them and now her mother is gone, leaving her alone.

With these thoughts, her tears began to flow down her cheeks uncontrollably.