STRAIN BOND 2
CHAPTER NINE
"A mother's heart bleeds for her straying child. Her faith soothes her crying temples."
YEARS LATER
Red dress, red stiletto heels with a matching red crimson messenger bag. She dyed her hair black and straightened it out. She looks different from what everyone knows her to be.
She walks in a catlike motion down the stairs of the jet plane her father got her on her 18th birthday. She changed her looks and put on a perfect disguise.
Emily Stone is a devoted health worker. She did that to honor the memory of her late grandfather. She has a heart of gold always ready to help the poor, but her weakness is her addiction to smoking, alcoholism, and being headstrong.
She loves to party a lot and has she loves to do drugs. She started taking drugs in her teenage days to cover up for the pain she felt toward her dad.
Although her dad treats her special, she yearns for freedom. She does not understand why she has to undertake so many responsibilities at a young age or why she has to stick to a certain type of living.
They told her she has to only mingle with rich kids, and people of her social status, and this makes her angry.
She never went out without her bodyguards, and she made sure her father fired most of them.
So, when she stayed with her aunt in India at the age of 10 for a brief holiday, she decided she wanted to stay in India.
She mingles with people of all kinds. But she wished her father will be more lenient about his social status and his incessant barks of going to church on Sundays.
No nightclubs, no partying. If you want to party, it has to be with the crème de la crème of society. She hates those parties and social gatherings because they are boring and unpleasant.
She puts her hands in her small purse and brings out her lighter and cigar. She lit the cigarette in her mouth and wears her dark eyeshade to protect her eyes. Emily does not care if people will stare at her. She loves to smoke anytime she feels right.
She has lived in India with her aunt for 11 years and she loves living in India, helping her aunt out as a voluntary worker. Although she comes back to Texas from time to time to visit her father. She came to Texas to stay for somewhile after the burial of her grandfather 5 years ago and she left Texas to be with her aunt in India.
Her father never loved the idea of her staying so far away, but her stepmom is an angel that helped her get her way when the holiday at her aunt's place was over. She is happy she will be with her family after a long time away.
She knows she has to be reserved in Texas. But she will do her best to get along with her father. She dreads any confrontation with her father.
She doesn't understand how they grew apart when they love each other so much.
She decides she gets to choose her path even if her father is against it. She loves her independence a lot, and she is grateful that her aunt feels the same way too.
She came to Texas by surprise. No one was told she was coming.
She plans to stay in a hotel for the moment and finish what she came to do before returning to her family.
She does not need a chauffeur, a bodyguard, or a royal entry; she wants to be treated like a normal person.
She knows it will thrill her younger siblings to see her.
She leaves the airport and hires a taxicab to take her to the nearest hotel. She prefers a normal hotel because she doesn't want to be recognized by anyone she knows. Although she put on a disguise. She knows her hair dye will wear off with time, so she has to hurry with what she is doing, and she is not ready to confront her dad.
She drops her cigar and steps on it with her heels before she enters the cab.
She sits at the back of the car and the cab driver asks, "Where are you headed, madam?"
she replies, "Take me to the nearest and most clean hotel around."
"Ok, ma'am." the driver says.
The driver drives a few meters away from the airport and stops in front of a white-painted 25-story building.
"We are here, madam." The driver says.
Emily draws a clean note of money and gives the driver
"Keep the change." She says.
she alights from the cab and the driver offloads her bag.
The bellman proceeds outside to take her luggage and put it on the stroller while she walks forward towards the entrance of the hotel.
"Welcome miss." the bellman says.
The design of the front entrance of the hotel looks like her dad's architectural designs.
Her dad dived into the real estate business after her grandfather passed away, and everyone acknowledged her father's skill in architecture. Most architects love his building structures.
She enters the reception to book a suite. The receptionist greets her with a friendly smile.
"Hello, madam, welcome to GRANDEAUX BLOSSOM hotels and suites."
"Will you like to book a room?" the receptionist asks.
"Yes," Emily replies.
"Please find me a comfortable room or suite. I will stay for two weeks." Emily says.
"Right away miss." the receptionist says.
The receptionist scrolls through her laptops and says,
"Suite 265 is vacant. It has a parlor, a master bedroom, a study, and a jacuzzi."
"Will you like to take that?" She asks.
"That is right for me," Emily replies.
The receptionist looks away and Emily scrolls through her bag to remove her card. Emily has a nerd friend in India who is a computer nerd that does her tech work, and she could create a fake identity for herself.
She hands her card to the receptionist for payment and the receptionist proceeds with the transaction. A few minutes later, she looks up at Emily and says with a smile, "please enjoy your stay, Miss Satterfield."
"Thank you," Emily says with a smile.
She hands the key over to Emily and the bellman leads her from the reception into the lobby to take the elevator.
They both enter the elevator; Emily feels so uncomfortable standing alone in the dark elevator with the bellman. She wishes to light another cigar, but she had to control her urge.
The elevator door opens, and they head towards another reception. The bellman opens the door when they get to her suite.
Emily is pleased. The suite is spectacular and elegant. Dumping her bag on the floor, she sinks into the cushioned chair and throws off her shoes in a random motion.
The bellman asks, "Where do you want me to put these bags, miss?"
She replies, "leave it in the bedroom. I will sort it out later myself."
"Yes, miss." He says.
The bellman leaves the bag in the bedroom while Emily relaxes her body on the long soft cushioned sofa. Minutes later, he leaves her room. Emily rises and gives him a tip.
"Thanks, miss."
"If you need anything, make a call and we will be happy to serve you."
"Enjoy your stay, miss," he says.
"Thank you," Emily replies.
Emily falls back onto the sofa and stretches out her leg for a few minutes. Her feet ache from the heels she has to wear, and she feels she needs a cool bath or to relax in the jacuzzi.
While she fidgets about what to do, she drifts into a deep sleep. Her lids cover her eyes. The tension and stress in her body gradually escape from her body. Her mind calms, and her senses shut down..
She lay limp on the sofa with her bag and shoes on the floor. A few hours later, someone knocks on the door, and she wakes from her sleep.
"Who is it?" she asks
"Room service." the lady replies.
"Just a minute," Emily says.
Emily rushes into the bathroom and takes off her clothes. She comes out wearing a white bathrobe.
"You may come in," she says.
THE CRUEL MAFIA.
Hudson's anger boils at the turn of events ever since Lance's construction took over the real estate business. Things have changed a lot between him and his business peers. They all signed off with Lance's corporation. Lance has them all eating from the palms of his hands.
No one wants to do business with him anymore except for a few clients. They say his designs and building structures are outdated. They preferred the modern trending structures erected by Lance to his.
Most companies had to merge with Lance's companies, or they had to copy some of his building structures. Lance has become so powerful, and this has affected his business and his reputation a lot.
He stares at Lance's picture with so much disgust on his tablet as he reads the news. He wishes he can take him down right now, but he has to wait according to plan so they can finish him off.
He remembered the lawsuit he filed against the Stones corporation that won him millions of dollars. Hudson thought that will be their end, but they survived the relapse and grew stronger.
Now Lance comes to steal his place by investing in real estate.
Hudson sits in his once-active office. That is not what it used to be. Wallowing in regrets and hatred towards the man who made his life hell.
He puffs the smoke of his cigar on Lance's smiling face on his tablet and he scoffs at him.
He blames Lance and the Stones' family for his poor fortune. Even if it was the last thing he would do, he swore revenge on them.
Puffing his cigar in the air, he thinks of a strategy to get even with Lance, even though it will cost him so much.
"After all, I have nothing to lose. He has taken all I have." He says to himself.
"Am going to crush him bit by bit. I'm going to pinch him where it will hurt him the most."
"I will make him beg and wish for death. Am going to destroy Lance Stone."
Hudson raises his glass of whisky and says, "Cheers to my upcoming revenge." He says, smiles wickedly, and picks up his phone from the table.
He dials a number and says, "Proceed with the plan, and hung up."
Hudson relaxes into his large executive chair. "This is going to be exciting." He says as he gently sips his whisky.
THE ADDICT.
Emily's tension heightens as she needs to smoke some marijuana to calm her nerves, her hands unsteady, her breath heavy, and her eyes fluffy. Her whole body is quaking.
Her anxiety heightens, and she rushes into the shower. The warm waters caress her body with a softness that left her moaning.
She needs the dope so badly, that is the only way she can stay active. She relaxes in the gentle cascade of the water on her skin. Her mind wanders to where she will get marijuana without being caught by the police. Her dope is almost gone, and she has to replenish it soon.
She stood in the shower for 30mins to calm her nerves. Coming out of the bathroom with her bathrobe on. She takes her bag and removes the marijuana laced with a bit of cocaine. Her dealer said it will help her feel good.
She looks at it and kisses it before taking her lighter and putting on a spark. She sits in her parlour watching a soap opera as she smokes her dope. This helps her escape the misery she feels.
She inhales the mixed drugs into her system; her nerves wake with excitement, driving her brain to the peak of pleasure. Her mind gets delirious and dirty. naughty images haunt her vision.
She smiles with excitement she cannot explain. Her sex hormones spike up and all she wants is to get laid. She is losing her mind, and she enjoys it cos it makes her feel on top of the world.
She keeps smoking, inhaling, and puffing the heavy smog into the room. She shut all the windows before she started smoking so no one would perceive the smell of her dope, but the room choked with the stench of marijuana.
She stands up wobbly and grabs a bottle of wine. She opens it and takes the entire bottle in her mouth.
She gulps the sour liquid down her throat. She loves the sore taste of the French wine, and she did not stop drinking until it is three-quarters gone.
She places the bottle beside her on her sofa and relaxes a bit. The effect of the cocaine mixed with marijuana was strong on her.
While she was in her highest cloud, her phone kept ringing, but she could not stand up to answer her call. She left the phone ringing till when it stopped. Several minutes later, her phone beeps a message.
Emily could not care less about whoever called. She crawls into her room and lies on the floor, naked.
She stares at the ceiling, hallucinating, and smiling deliriously. She is on top of the world, and nothing can compare to the feelings she has.
A DESPERATE RELATIVE
Natasha stone Agarwal is Emily's aunt who lives in India with her husband. She has three children (Manav, Sunita, and Deepak).
Natasha is the only child of the Stones family who inherited her dad's NGO charity organization in the Asian region.
She never got involved in the family business, although she has shares in her dad's company.
She prefers to be an educationist and has grown so much from the fortune she inherited from her father. She is now a philanthropist, like her father.
she is one of the major shareholders of her dad's corporation alongside her siblings, but she loves that her father gave her what she loved most, and she is grateful for his kind heart.
Worried about Emily, she paced back and forth as she keeps calling her cell to know if her niece is alright. It's been a whole day since Emily left for Texas and she has not contacted her. She is thinking something might be wrong with her.
Emily is headstrong and difficult to manage, but she has a heart of gold and that's why she loves her so much like her own daughter. She hopes she will settle with her dad and they get along again as they used to be.
Lance and Emily's relationship has turned sour due to Lance's insensitivity and his unrealistic demand from his daughter.
After several failed attempts to call her niece, she relents and leaves her a message.
"Emmy, please pick up the phone." She says desperately, "Am worried about you. Please call me when you get my message."
"Your cousins send their greetings."
She hangs up the phone and sits on the chair. Natasha is afraid Emily will do something stupid and she will get into trouble with her father.
She is not ready to face her brother's wrath anymore.
Natasha stands up from the chair.
She moves towards the small prayer shrine in her home and lights a prayer incense stick.
She holds her palms together to touch her chest, and she prays, "please God, help me keep her safe for me."
"Guide and lead her to do right at all times." Amen.
She bows her head in devotion, engrossed in deep prayer in silence for her niece and her family...