Damn!
Damn!
Damn!
Nathaniel was confused as panic marred his handsome face, his brain working highway. Who could take Angelina? His heartbeat was hysterical with every tick of the clock.
He plopped on the couch and furiously typed Nicholas' number on his phone as he bit his fingers anxiously, waiting for him to pick up after the first and second rings.
Fucking pick up, for fuck sake!
Then finally, he heard Nicholas's voice, and he sighed in relief; he moved closer to the edge of the couch, "Fucking come here when you are back!" Nathaniel barked on the phone, his breathing coming out in short pants. He was disorganized. Just a few minutes after Angelina's disappearance and the message, he could feel his soul leaving his body. Nothing must happen to Angelina.
Nicholas quickly picked up the distress in his friend's voice. His friend — Nathaniel was always calm, and it was rare to see him showing his weak side of him. Something terrible must have happened. He checked his voicemail to see he had missed a message from Nathaniel asking him to track a number. "What happened, bro," he asked. He knew he wouldn't call him this late at night for nothing.
"It's Angelina," Nathaniel uttered, tapping his foot on the floor.
"sister in law? What happened?" Nathaniel sucked in his breath and narrated everything that had happened.
"Okay," Nicholas responded, "I'm coming, don't do anything rash," he said, taking his car keys.
Nathaniel's phone slipped off his hand as he raised his head. He could feel his head throb, the front door was opened, and the men who went to search for Angelina entered with a failed look. He knew they couldn't find her. How the heck were they able to take Angelina for just a few minutes?
Ester came out with her nightgown, staring at the commotion in the house. She didn't know what happened, and the boss had dismissed them earlier today, maybe to have a couple of times. But the immediate ring of the notification bell jolted him from her nap as she took her shawl to cover her thin gown. She pulled one of the men to a side and asked what had happened.
After listening to everything, she felt sad and angry, and she strode to the living room to see Clara, who was rubbing her neck and kicking her. "Why did you come back?! Are you not satisfied with what you did?" Ester looked at her granddaughter, who had no remorse on her face for what she did; rather, she had a satisfying smirk on her face.
This unfilial child! she rubbed her temple, waiting for her response. Clara's mother died when she was small, and her father was nowhere to be found. Her mother, Esther's daughter, had a one-night stand, and being the grandmother, she raised her. She raised her with everything she had while serving the Hugh family but this unfilial daughter…. As Ester at her carefree attitude, she was forced to raise her hand and slapped hard across the face.
A shocked gasp left Clara's mouth, and this was the first time her grandmother had slapped her. She had always been given everything she wanted since she was small. Now she was back for Nathaniel. What was terrible there? She was surprised to see him happily married to another girl. She'd been stalking them to know everywhere in the house.
She could get into the house by dressing as the new caretaker, and no one was detected. How could Nathaniel move on quickly like that? She just wanted to explore more before she got committed, and now she was back; she wanted her man.
Ester turned her back, and tears fell from her eyes as her body shook in despair, "go and never come back," she sniffed, "I've already had enough of your attitude," she whispered.
"Nana," Clara laughed nervously, staring at her grandma's back, "Are you really throwing me away?"
"I've already thrown you away since. Don't come and damage a lovely family because of your selfishness." Ester wiped the tears on her face and turned swiftly at her, "You are dead to me. I don't have any family," she muttered and walked away, leaving a shocked Clara.
"Ñana!" she called after Ester, "You can't do this to me," she screamed, "I'm your only family."
Nicholas bustled in as a distress bell, and jasmine followed. Jasmine went to her son and hugged him tighter. She could feel the anxiousness eating him up because of the biting of his finger till it bled and didn't feel anything.
"I'm here," she mumbled, taking hold of his bitten thumb and rubbing it. "Nicholas told us what happened," she said softly, "we are going to find her,"
"Angelina is out there. God knows what she was going through with our baby," he bit harshly, "I failed as a fucking husband and as a father!" his hands trembling, cupping his hands together as he fiddled with them.
"On my way, I've detected something," Nicholas paused and whipped his head around the room, "Wait, where is Clara?" he asked, looking at Nathaniel, who shrugged in response.
"Damn! Fucking find her now," he ordered, and the men searched for her.
"As I was saying, I think it wasn't a coincidence that Angelina met you guys in that position and for her to get kidnapped like that," he pinched the bridge of his nose, "I think it's a plan."
"True," Jasmine nodded in agreement, "to lure Angelina out without any guards, they needed her to believe you are cheating —" Jasmine deduced from the information she was given.
"Then what can I do now?" Nathaniel asked, staring at them, "I mustn't bring anything along!"
"You will take something along," Nicholas injected.
"I can't fucking put her life in danger,"
Nicholas pulled Nathaniel closer and whispered his plan, "This is what I mean. Do you get it?"
"Yeah, that's good,"
****
Angelina didn't know where the adrenaline came from as she rushed out of the house. Her heart kept telling her that Nathaniel wouldn't have done that. Maybe she misunderstood something, but her mind kept showing her the reality. The rain stung her eyes as unshed tears made her vision blurry. Angelina reached the gate and saw a cab, and the door was opened as if it was waiting for someone, and she hopped in without asking the driver.
"Please, just drive," she muttered, as her cloth was drenched from the rain. She would go to Bell's place for the night then by morning, she would ask for an explanation. No matter what he said, she would believe him.
When she noticed the driver wasn't driving along the normal road, she tapped the driver only to see him smirking at her and turning, covering her nose with a handkerchief.
Angelina tried to fight off the chloroform, but it wasn't impossible as she was lax and her eyes drooped tiredly; the last thing she heard was, "mission accomplished."
Angelina woke up with her head pounding. Her hands and legs were tied together as a cloth was used to cover her mouth. She was sitting on the ground, and her clothes were wet, but her kidnapper didn't do her the honor by warming her up. Her voice came out gurgled because of the gag; the door was opened as someone in a wheelchair strolled in.
Angelina stared at the woman, and she'd never seen her in her life. What did she do to warrant being taken? She didn't have any money to give.
"Clara's idea really works, father." an old man in his mid fifty came in, holding a pistol with him.
"Just a position ticked her off, and here she is in our hand," the man responded, patting the girl's head.
"Yeah, that whore is smart," Angelina didn't understand what they were saying. Who is Clara? Who are these people? She looked at them, waiting for any explanation as her throat bobbed.
"Blame your husband for putting you inside this mess," the old man said, walking to her and careless her face while she cringed in disgust. "You are beautiful. I can see why that body hides you," the man murmured, touching her face, then removed the gag as Angelina used the opportunity to bite the man's thumb, which was on her lips.
The man cursed out, looking at his red thumb before slapping Angelina's face while she grinned in satisfaction. You can just touch her and see no reaction.
"You bitch!" the man said, aggravation, looking at the woman whose kips had split from his slap, yet she was still smiling.
The limped lady wheeled herself to her father's side, "dad, don't stress yourself with her," she mumbled, calming her father down while he huffed, glared at Angelina, and moved away.
"That smirk will soon be off from that lipa now," the lady said, strolling her wheel outside, and again, both duo left Angelina in silence.
Angelina sucked her bleeding lips, licking them, then tried to loosen the rope. She quickly sent a silent prayer to heaven for her husband to be safe.
Angelina's stomach growled in hunger as she hissed. Had she known before running off, she should have brought the chocolates she bought, "Hey, kidnappers!" she called out loudly, waiting for any response, "I'm hungry. My baby is crying for food," she yelled.
"Shut up!" another green-eyed man came in, eyeing Angelina irritatedly while she whistled, uncaring of his eyes. If he felt like he should make it fall from their sockets, she would pick those eyeballs and cook them.
"I'm hungry. At least if you kidnapped me because of my husband's mistake, at least feed me —your captive," she reprimanded, snorting at the man.
"I'm coming," the man shook his head.
After some minutes, the man brought two slices of bread in a tray and a sachet of water, pushed them to her while Angelina raised her brow. "Won't you free me to eat?"
"Why will I free you?"
"Why won't you free me? Am I a dog?" she raised her brow, "At least, treat your captive with respect," she smiled sweetly while the man huffed and took out a knife and cut the rope. Angelina groaned in relief, stretching her wrist muscles, seeing them red from the binding.
She took the bread and nibbled on it softly before munching it happily, and she didn't care about the world as she filled her stomach.
"Are you okay now?" the man asked, seeing her gulping the water down.
"If I can see more, I won't mind,"
As the man opened his mouth to give her a response, a new voice came inside, "Why won't you eat more, cow."
"Oh," Angelina fake gasped, "at least what I'm eating is showing in my body, but is it showing in your body, mole-rat?" she rhetoric back before raising her head to see the woman that granted her her presence in her small abode.
"Did you just call me names?" Angelina didn't respond, "I can't blame you. It's because —" the woman bent to Angelina's level, gripping her cheeks as she turned her head, looking at her face.
"I don't know what Nathaniel sees in you. I'm his first love," the woman screamed at her face and closed it, cleared her through, and spat on her face.
"How dare you!" The woman raised her hand to slap Angelina, but Angelina's hand moved faster and slapped her.
"You are asking me how dare you when you eyed my man," Angelina said, gripping the lady's top and continuing to slap her, "how dare you endanger my husband's life," slap, "how dare you to call my Nathaniel your first love but left him to be humiliated," a slap, "Nathaniel is fucking mine!" a slap again. The woman could not release herself from Angelina's wrath before the old man burst into the fight.
The man had a hard time removing the woman from Angelina's clutch as she bared her teeth at the woman Angelina.
"Nathaniel is mine! Mine only! Try to eye him, then face my wrath."