Shadows of the past

"Won't you tell me?" Olivia asked, rolling her eyes.

"Since someone will buy Chinese dish for you. Tell Austin to buy cake for me when he's coming." Mia said slowly. Olivia blinked her eyes as if there's something inside.

"Why? Are we fucking him together?" Olivia asked still blinking her eyes. Mia looked at her and hissed.

"Must we fuck him together? Or, are you fucking Mike that want to buy the dish for you?" Mia joked and they laughed.

Olivia took her phone and sent a message to Austin.

"But I still want my dish. It's better if he buys it." Olivia said, smiling.

"Greedy girl. As if her stomach is big to contain everything." Mia said, staring at her.

"It's very big dear. But I don't know why I'm eating like a fool this days." Olivia said, rubbing her stomach.

"You will explode soon. Better go to gym everyday." Mia advised as she pulled her hair.

"My hair is in disarray, I will visit the salon soon." Mia said, dragging her hair in bits.

"So, tell me about that guy." Olivia said, staring at her.

"Gossiper? Gossiping is enough to make your stomach explode, stupid girl." Mia said and they laughed.

"Well since you have been asking, I'll tell you." Mia said slowly while Olivia adjusted on the bed.

"His name is Amir from Australia. He is my new boyfriend, I really don't know much about him yet." Mia said, smiling as she wave her hands.

"What does he do for a living?" Olivia asked slowly.

"Looking for a job, he is new here." Mia replied.

"Well, he is nice. I like his style. So you should keep him but does he accept what you are doing?" Olivia asked slowly.

"He has no choice, I will never quit this job." Mia said, rolling her eyes as if she was prepared for the worst.

"If he doesn't, you should quit. You are so addicted to sex now, is it that sweet?" Olivia asked, feeling disgusting.

"It is very sweet baby. Especially when the cock is large and the guy is ready to pay tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands and even millions for your body as far as you satisfy him." Mia said smiling and Olivia frown her face. She felt it's irritating.

"Why are you frowning as if you have not tasted it?" She asked slowly.

"Well done to all of you that are enjoying." Olivia remarked as she turn her head.

"But why are you not doing it? Despite the fact you are already here, is it because of him?" Mia asked and kept her phone.

She adjust herself on the chair looking at Olivia.

"I want to know the truth, you promised to tell me someday." She reminded, blinking her eyes.

"Well.....well, it's not because of him. I never wanted to. That's why I'm avoiding everyone in this house so they won't find out." Olivia said in a low voice.

"I understand but hope he will marry you?" Mia asked slowly.

"I don't know and I won't force him." Olivia replied, she wished he would.

"He supposed to. I mean he has to. You don't need to force him." Mia said, staring at her.

"And if he don't, should I kill him?" Olivia asked. She was very sad but she knows she had no choice.

"You don't have to, I will do it for you." Mia said with a stern look.

She wasn't joking about it, Olivia laughed at her childish behaviour. She is always like that.

"So tell me, why are you here? You should leave and make your own path." Mia said slowly.

"My stepmom, she brought me here." Olivia said in a sad voice, her past keeps recycling in her head.

"Your stepmom?" Mia asked rhetorically. Though she wasn't expecting an answer, she wished to know more.

"Yes. I was five years when I lost my mom. She was my everything. She was always there no matter the circumstances, she was my life. The only one I rely on. My dad usually go on business trips so he was never there. I hardly see him at home. In a week I might see him for a day or two or sometimes I won't see him. After my mom died in the hospital due to kidney failure. Her two kidney were damaged and the operation wasn't successful. My world crumbled. I was abandoned and mistreated. My dad married another woman within six months after my mom's death, though he did it for me but it was my worst nightmare. He was hardly home and I wasn't treated well yet I couldn't tell him anything. It will only worsen my situation. I resigned myself to fate and put up with everything. The beating, starving, punishment and all others." Olivia explained and tears trickled down her cheeks.

She had never told anyone this story other than Austin. And today she was telling Mia. Though this story is her weakness, sharing it once isn't bad at all.

"When my dad noticed my behaviours, the scars on my skin and my thin structure, he was worried. He kept asking me questions about them. I couldn't tell him anything. I was scared. My stepmom never allowed me to attend school. She always spent the money my dad sent for herself. If my dad is around, she will locked me in the store room before he wakes up and lied that I have gone to school. I think my dad noticed all these, he came home a day unexpectedly. Then my stepmom was beating the hell out of me. London wasn't this developed, you can mistreat a child and no one will question you as far as it is yours." She stopped and sigh deeply.

"That's bad. It's very weird." Mia commented. She felt bad for her.

"He was very shocked. He yelled at me for keeping quiet. He was very angry and he beats her mercilessly. Was it to save herself? Or to protect herself? I don't know but she stabbed him with a knife in the kitchen. My life was shattered that day. She never allowed me out. She was scared I might expose her. She paid someone to bury my dad in secret and became more mean towards me. I only ate once a day, always wearing torn clothes and always indoors. If she's leaving, the door will be locked. I didn't struggle with her, I can't even struggle with her. She will just kill me so I endured everything. At least to be alive. It's better than dying." She wiped her tears.

"It's okay. I understand." Mia said.

"After she squandered all my dad's money, including selling some of his properties and even my mom's expensive jewelries. She was broke. No more money in the account, no more money to waste. Then her friend advised her to send me here and she did. Any money I'm paid will be sent to her but luckily for me. I met Austin two weeks after, I was just twenty years and he was twenty two. It was love at first sight for us. He promised to help me. He always sent money to my stepmom. Though I don't know where he gets it from but I really didn't care, I just don't want to do this. I'm staying here to recover myself while thinking on what to do. And I don't want her to be suspicious. I want to leave quietly." Olivia said as more tears trickled down her cheeks.

Even Mia noticed she was crying. This world is truly wicked, just as Celine had told her. She sigh heavily and looked at Olivia.

"I will help you with anything." Mia said as Olivia cried more, she couldn't hold her tears back and it flows freely.

"You don't have to, I will be able to do it." Olivia said confidently. She can't waste all those years for nothing.

"I insist, don't even bother refusing. I will do it without your consent." Mia said and Olivia smiled.

"What are friends for? I will always support you." Mia said grinning from ear to ear as if waiting for some applause.

"Thank you." Olivia said smiling, she cleaned her face with her hands.

"What is she thanking me for? What did I do?" Mia asked sarcastically while Olivia scoffed and hissed.

"Rude fellow." Mia mimicked and they laughed.

"I wonder why everywhere is empty, I think no one is here." Skylar said as they walked inside the house.

It was her father's house, the huge mansion is very far inside. But it seem unusual unlike before, the house is usually guarded but today no one is here.

"Didn't you call him?" Jace asked and looked around.

"No, I wanted to surprise him." She replied with a disappointed look on her face.

"Did he travel?" She asked rhetorically.

"When last did you speak with him?" He asked, staring at her.

"After our marriage, immediately we arrived in USA." She replied and bite her lower lip.

He looked at her shocked, is she normal?

"After our marriage, you didn't speak with your dad?" He asked but it sounds more like a statement.

"I didn't want to disturb him. I thought I should leave him alone for a while." She said, looking around the large room.

"You are more than a fool." He scoffed angrily.

"Why won't you call your dad? Did he complain about it? Why are you so careless?" He asked angrily.

"I just.....I didn't....

"It's okay, let's keep checking." He said, looking at the hallway.

Maybe they should go that way. Suddenly the door leading outside opened and a young hefty man entered with a gun. He points it at them and lead them out.

"Please don't kill us, we are not criminals. I'm just looking for my dad." She said in a low voice as they walked outside.

They saw other men there with three cars, Skylar looked around as if she missed something.

"I didn't see any of this when we came here or is it my eyesight?" She asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Me too. I thought I'm mistaken or something. They are different from the other guards, right?" Jace whispered in her ears.

"Yes they are." She whispered back.

"No whispering." One of the men yelled and they were shocked.

"How can you yell like that? I almost lost my unborn child." She said trembling. Jace looked at her shocked.

"Why would you say that?" He asked, staring at her.

"Well, I was so scared." She replied and held his hand.

"I wonder where my father is, who are these people? Did anything happen to him?" She asked and started sobbing.

"Father." She called and cried more.

"Why are you crying? This is all your fault, you didn't even call him for two years. You forgot about him, thanks for your stupidity." He scolded her.

"We even left the State to see him. You didn't inform him of our journey, nothing. You wanted to surprise him, right? Is this the surprise? We can't even find him and now these men seem to be blood thirsty." He said and held her shoulder as she cried more.

"It's okay. Stop crying. Sorry that I scolded you, I'm sorry." He said, patting her back.

"Is my father dead? Where is he? Tell me where he is now." She yelled and cried more.

"It's okay Skylar." He said and cleaned her tears. Immediately one of the men's phone rang.

"Yes sir." He said immediately he answered the call.

"Let them in." A masculine voice is heard from the speaker.

"Yes sir." He said and ended the call.

Looking at the guard close to him, he beckoned to him. He whispered something to him and the guy nodded. They put them inside the car and drove through a tunnel. Skylar was still crying. She can't imagine something happening to her father.

She can't lose him now. He is the most important person in her life. She needed him badly especially now. He is the only one who can help her out of this mess.

"Stop crying, stop blaming yourself." Jace said. He was tired of her noise.

"I can't, what if my father is dead?" She asked and rest her head on his shoulder.

"Your dad is fine, nothing happened to him." He reassured in a low voice.

"Then, where is he?" She asked and continued crying.

"We will look for him once they let us go." He assured her sincerely.

"Really? You will help me with it." She said and looked at him.

"Yes I will." He said and smiled. She smiled too and hugged him.

"Thank you so much." She said smiling. He cleaned her face with his hands.

"Don't spoil your beautiful face with tears. If you see your dad, what will you tell him? How will you explained what happened to you? Do you want him to lock me up?" He asked, staring at her.

"He won't." She said smiling.

"How sure are you?" He asked, still staring at her.

"Hundred percent." She said smiling.

The car stopped and they all alighted. Skylar and Jace stared at the building in front of them shocked. It was magnificent and classy. This is the type for multi billionaires. They looked at each other wondering if someone is truly living here.

"Is this your father's new house?" Jace whispered in her ears.

"I don't know, I'm more confused than you." She replied slowly. They looked at the house and then faced each other.

"I don't think it is, if not this men would have respected us." He whispered back.

"Let's sit and wait." She said in a low voice.

A man came out of the house. He was putting on glasses. He was in his late seventies but his gorgeous personality made him look like a forty year old man, he smiled at them. Though they were surprised and shocked, they didn't say anything.

Skylar tried to hide behind Jace concealing her fear. She looked tensed and prayed this is over, Mr. Robert Hall removed his glasses slowly and smiled. They were shocked to see him, Skylar jumped on her father happily and tears pour out of her eyes.

"Dad, I missed you dad." She shouted and cried more.

"It's okay my princess, I'm always here for you." He said smiling.

"What about that house? Do you want to sell it?" She asked, staring at him.

"No dear." He replied slowly.

"Why did you leave there? Is it not big enough?" She asked holding his cheeks as if checking for something.

"I decided to change location in other to avoid my worst enemy." He said slowly.

"Enemy?" She asked rhetorically. He smiled and looked at Jace.

"My son in-law." He called smiling.

"Good afternoon sir." Jace greeted slowly.

"You are welcome, let's go inside." He said, pointing to the door.

"You are welcome from the States. The servants will prepare something delicious for you soon. Please be patient." He said happily.

"But dad, what happened to you? And, who are the enemies?" She asked, staring at him.

"Let's go inside, I will tell you everything." He whispered in her ears. She smiled and they went inside. Jace followed them behind.