CHAPTER-35

W hospitals**

"Why will she get wounded on the head again why!, Do you know how dangerous that is?, You want her to lose her memory?, I know I shouldn't be talking like this as a doctor but....I once had a daughter too and I'll behave exactly this way if Sapphire was my daughter" Dr Woods said Immediately he finished attending to Sapphire

"The truth is....we suddenly couldn't find her, and when we found her, she was already like that" Hardin said

" But I told you guys before discharging her, I told you to keep an eye on her, you think Sophia is nice?" Dr Woods said

" So....you mean to say, she's the one behind all these?" Blaine asked

" I never said that, by the way she's stable again and no matter what, I'm not gonna discharge her till she's fully recovered, exams can wait, heard she has good connections with lecturers so she'd be allowed to write her exams when she heals up" Dr Woods replied

" Should we call Mrs Julia?" Clark said

" No, she'll start crying again, I can't stand her crying again, leave the poor woman alone" Nadia said

" But she'd surely come check on her tomorrow morning again, what should we tell her then?" Jacinthe asked

" We can just say she went to school first" Hardin said

"Cool, what did the cops say about the rookies?" Blaine asked

" We should rather go to the station by ourselves,the girls should stay" Clark suggested

" Sure" Jacinthe said

" You both should never leave her side, please" Hardin said

"We know better than to do that" Nadia replied and the guys rushed out of the hospital.

STATION**

The guys went in hastily after alighting from the taxi, the goons are still there, wriggling in pains as they got interrogated.

"They are hard ones, they kept saying they can't say the name of the person they're working for, they've been under torture since you guys left but.... I think the person must be influential, that's why it's difficult for them to talk, whoever it is must have payed for them to seal their lips no matter what" the cop in charge of the case said

Hardin walked straight to them and kicked their faces, he sent them flying around till he was cautioned

"This is a police station, you can be sued" the cop said and Hardin sighed before relenting but he grabbed one of them by his neck.

"Tell me, who sent you guys" he demanded and the rookie smiled despite his wounded bloody face

"You think I'll tell you?, Even if you kill us we won't, go and die" he laughed and Hardin punched his face, he fell and continued laughing.

" It's useless, but we'll continue torturing and investigating" the cop said

" Bloody shit" Blaine muttered frustratedly.

🌹🌹🌹

New York**

The Langford's mansion, a week to the engagement**

"Are you really gonna get married to the girl your mum wants for you? " Sapphire asked Seth who's standing in front of her.

" Sapphire I'm crazy right now and I don't even know what to do, she held me captive and I can't escape" he replied

" So, is this how it's gonna end? " Sapphire asked, shifting back from him

" No Sapphire, I promise to fix it, I promise" he replied

"Fix it?, It's just a week left, a week to the engagement Seth, what do you want me to do" she said, crying slowly

" Please stop crying" he said, feeling extremely hurt with her tears

"How can I stop the tears from falling when my baby is getting engaged to another girl" she replied, still shifting back

" Please stop, I promise to fix it" he replied fearfully.

"No you can't, you can't be free from Sophia, and I think she's coming for me too" she replied and took one last step back, she's now standing on the edge of the cliff.

" Sapphire no.... You can't do this" he said, he can feel his throat drying up.

"I can't live to see you getting engaged to another girl, I can't do it Seth, so all I can do is wish you a happy married life in advance" she said and closed her eyes

" Sapphire... please you can't do this.... sapphire..." he quivered but she jumped down the cliff before he could get to her.

He went down on his knees and let out a devastated scream.

"No!!!!!!" 

He suddenly stood and walked to the edge of the cliff too.

"You won't go alone, let's leave together pretty" he smiled and without thinking twice, he jumped down the cliff too.

" No....no.... Sapphire!!!!" He screamed back to life, it was all a dream.

" Michael... Michael are you ok?, Michael open your eyes" Nora said fearfully beside him.

He slowly opened his eyes, breathing heavily....sweat covered his face already.

"What happened?, Why did you scream that loud?" She asked worriedly.

Seth looked at her for a while before hugging her tight

"Nora" he whispered.

"Michael don't scare me" she replied, hugging him back

" I had a dream" he said

" Dream?, A bad one? "

" Very bad one" he replied..

" A request from young miss Petra, young master you need to come downstairs right now" a maid said by the door.

" Tell her to go and die" Seth replied

"No Michael, we planned to always do what she and Sophia wants right?" Nora said, wiping his face with a towel

" Tell her he'd be there in a jiffy" she said

"Yes young miss" the maid replied and left

LIVING ROOM**

" I wasn't able to see him yesterday cos he won't open his door" Rowen said to Petra who's sitting in front of him

He actually came for another visit, Sophia is not around, she went on a trip.

"Oh, he can be stubborn at times you know" Petra replied, placing her right leg on the left, she's wearing a bum short and a buttoned armless top.

She stylishly unbuttoned the first and second button, revealing her white bra and part of her boobs

Rowen smiled, getting what she's trying to do, he has seen a lot of these in WSU so it's not new but to think a girl who's getting engaged in a week's time is doing this is unexpected.

"I hope he comes down" she said, rubbing the exposed part of her boob with her fingers seductively.

"How can Sophia choose a slut for her son" Rowen thought, smiling slowly.

Suddenly he heard footsteps walking down the stairs and he looked up anxiously.

Petra quickly covered up and smiled . "He's finally coming" she said and Rowen stood

" Can't wait" he whispered, his heart beating so fast... He's about to meet the great Michael Langford!, And he'll be the first outsider to meet him before his engagement, that's an achievement

He started a countdown in his mind Immediately. "Five.... Four.... Three... Two..

And he appeared.

His eyes took over his face in utter shock as he beheld Seth and Nora, his baby sis who once came visiting in WSU.

Seth isn't excluded though, he's equally shocked, staring unbelievably at him.

"What the hell" Rowen muttered

*So Hardin wasn't lying*

*Should I just faint?*

*It's really Seth Hidalgo*.

Nora looks surprised too, she can still remember seeing him in WSU.

"Se....

" Shut up! " Seth interrupted and Rowen took in his lips.

"Well... Meet my fiance to be" Petra said, holding Seth's arm.

"Follow me" Seth said and took Nora back upstairs.

"I think he's in a good mood today, you should follow him before he changes his mind" Petra said, holding Rowen's arm.

She rubbed it seductively and a seductive wink followed before she released him.

"I'd love to talk to you privately before you leave" she said.

He went upstairs without replying and opened the first door he came across, luckily it's Seth's room.

"How did you get here!" Seth asked immediately, rushing to hold his shoulders

"Whoa!, I should really stop underestimating, you?, Seth Hidalgo, one of the two best English students in WSU...now Michael Langford in New York?, Wait are you crazy or what?" Rowen said

" Can't you figure out why I left home to come to WSU already?" Seth said

" Oh, arranged marriage with that bitch?" Rowen said

"You know her before?" Seth asked

"She was trying to seduce me earlier, I saw free boobs" Rowen winked

" Can you just be serious?" Seth said

"I'm damn serious, if I'm still a playboy, trust me I'd be fucking her pussy right now" he said

" That slut, I knew it" Nora said

" Why are you here?" Seth asked

" Well, queen strike a deal with dad" he smiled.

" Oh.."

" But, is this mansion a barrack?, Why are there so many guards?, It's suffocating to see guards everywhere" Rowen said

" It's to keep me from escaping, Rowen you need to help me" Seth said

" How?"

" You should pretend like you don't know me from anywhere before, like we just met right now and luckily I liked you" he said

" I know, since when have you been captured?" Rowen replied.

"A week ago" he replied

" What!, How will Sapphire cope, hell!, And you... You look pale and sick, it must be so hard" Rowen said

" Trust me it's the hardest thing I've ever experienced, fucking hard" Seth replied and Rowen hugged him.

" I'm keeping my hugs for my future girlfriend right now but I'm giving you one, you're lucky" he said

" Jerk" Seth said, breaking the hug

" Have you been contacting each other?"

"Contact?, Our phones were burnt" her replied

" Then you both have not been communicating since a week ago?, Oh jeez I wanna kill, wait.....were you both adopted?, Are you sure you're her kids?, How the fucking hell will a mother treat her kids this way.. this is harsh" Rowen said

" Your phone please, I need to call" Seth said and Rowen got his phone, Nadia called immediately

"Lucky you" he said before picking

"Hey babe...are you with Sapphire right now?" He asked

" Rowen i was too sad to tell you that Seth got taken away by his real parents..the Langford's since a week ago... Sapphire got into an accident that same day and hurt her head badly, last night again...she got attacked by rookies and her head was hit, she's in the hospital again, we just finished our second paper which she didn't even write, I'm heading back to the hospital with Jacinthe right now" she explained .

" Holy shit!" Rowen shouted shockingly.

Seth snatched the phone from Rowen with teary eyes.

"Are you joking right now?" He said, crying already

"Wait... Seth?" Nadia said, her voice shows how shocked she was

"Just answer my question please!" He shouted

"Did I sound like I'm lying?, My poor friend has been suffering since you left, Do you know how much she has been passing through?, All because of you, she won't eat nor talk!, She kept getting wounded in the head, I think she might go crazy" Nadia said loudly.

" Fuck my life... shit!' Seth said, crying more while roughing his hair, walking around the room

"Are you in the hospital already?" He asked

" Just getting in" Nadia replied

" I'll video call right now, just let me see her face I beg you" he said

" Ok" she replied and he hung up to make the video call, Nadia picked and he held his breath

"Just look what she has turned to, all because of you" she said and turned the camera to Sapphire on the bed.

Her head was bandaged and her face looks lifeless, her lips dried, she's getting transfused with blood.

He zoomed in on her face and his tears fell on the screen

"Pretty" he whispered sorrowfully

"You're like this... because of me?" He cried

"You're unconscious with a wounded head because of me?, It's all my fault!" He screamed

" Easy bro" Rowen said, coming to look at her face

" Pathetic I must say" he said sadly

"Is this really Sapphire?" Nora said, covering her mouth so she won't shout, she's crying too

" I'm a devil" Seth said

"It's not your fault" Rowen said

" I'm screwed" Seth cried, sitting on the bare ground while staring at her face.

🌹🌹🌹

Ireland; Dublin**

Karen Chad's mansion**

"She's here madam" Karen's guards reported and her lips formed a short smile, she adjusted her mask and sighed

"Usher her in" she said 

"Yes ma'am"

The guard left and a minute later, Sophia came in with Carlos.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Karen" she smiled, taking her seat

"Same here Sophia, never knew a meeting like this will come alive" Karen replied

" Well I decided to meet you cos birds of a feather flock together" Sophia said

" Are you sure about that?" Karen said

" What do you mean?"

" Are you sure we're same?" Karen said tactfully

" I mean...you're the most successful woman in Dublin,I'm the most successful woman in New York, shouldn't we get to know each other better?" Sophia said

" I might be your worse nightmare, who knows" Karen said

" You keep talking like you know me somewhere" Sophia said

" Why are you here?" Karen asked, avoiding her questions obviously.

" I've always wanted to meet you, and besides, I want you to grace my son's engagement on Sunday" she replied and Carlos brought out the invitation, he handed it to one of Karen's guards

"I can't wait for Sunday anyways, it'll be a pleasure to attend" Karen said

" Really?, Then I'll be expecting you, and after the engagement I hope we'll become closer" Sophia said

" Maybe" Karen smiled.

" Will you come masked?" Sophia asked

"I go everywhere masked" she replied

"Oh.." Sophia said

"If you won't mind, I have papers to attend to, Sunday it is then" Karen said and stood

" Ok, Sunday" Sophia said and Carlos led her out

"I even forgot to offer her wine, well I guess her lips are too toxic to touch any of my cups" Karen said.

Wine was poured for her and she sipped gently.

"Now that the devil herself invited me, let's wait till Sunday, you might not survive it Sophia" she smiled.

🌹🌹🌹

Next day**

New York..The Langford's mansion**

"Carlos" Nora smiled when he entered the room that morning, his hands behind him

"Hey cutie" he said, hugging her

"I need my gift right now, what you bought for me in Dublin" she pouted

" Of course" he replied and revealed his hands, he's holding a teddy,cute one

"It's beautiful" Nora smiled, taking it from him

"It's yours" he said and she hugged him again

"You're the best Carlos" she said

"Where's Seth?" He asked

"He's with Rowen in the game room" she replied

" Rowen?, Who's that?"

" Go to the game room, you'll find out" she replied and Carlos left the room immediately.

As he walked down the doors, he brought out his phone and played the video.

He shed tears as he watched it, unable to control his emotions.

"Sophia how could you" he muttered.

He continued sobbing quietly till he wiped his tears and made to return his phone to his pocket but it got snatched by Petra.

"Give it back!" He said, trying to take it from her but she quickly played the video and her eyes widened

"Are you trying to blackmail her with this?" She said 

"Give it back" he said and snatched it from her

"The queen must hear about this" she said and rushed to Sophia's room.

Carlos took to his heels and ran all the way out of the house, the other guards watched him confusedly, not knowing the cause of his race till order came from Sophia.

Carlos was still running out of the mansion when the guards grabbed him and his head was covered with a bag, he was tied and tossed into a car which drove out of the mansion immediately.

🌹🌹🌹

A secluded part of the city**

Carlos was thrown down from the car and the three guards started hitting him with sticks mercilessly till he started bleeding.

The bag was removed from him and he fell weakly to the ground, bleeding allover.

A red car stopped immediately and Sophia stepped out fast, she came to him and pulled him to his knees then slapped him, he bled more blood from the mouth.

"You're my most trusted man Carlos, but you decided to betray me" she said

Carlos smiled and she slapped him again.

" You're not doing this because I betrayed you, you're doing it cos I know the truth, I've been working with you since eight years ago despite the fact that I know what you did to madam Sophia" Carlos said 

Sophia dipped her hand into his pocket and brought out his phone. "I'll burn this myself" she said and Carlos smiled

"You must be so daft to think I have just this, I transferred the video to a lot of safe places already, and soon ... I mean soon .. your dirty secret will be out for the whole world to see" Carlos smiled.

" Bastard!" Sophia yelled and kicked his face with her heels

"You think you can stop me?, No you can't, you can't!!!" She screamed and kicked him again.

" Aarrgh!!" He groaned in pains

Sophia extended a palm and a gun was placed on it by one of the guards

"You'll regret doing that...to madam Sophia....I promise" he said

Sophia shot the gun and the bullet rammed directly into his forehead.

"You can't destroy my plans ... Never" she said and returned the gun .

" Burn his body" she ordered the guards before entering her car.