Father's cruelty

Mela's POV

No, you wouldn't do that because they are both your wife and daughter." I said, shaking slightly.

He let out a brief laugh. "Why do you think I would spare them, if I didn't spare you, huh?"

He was right. If he didn't spare me, why would he spare them?

"What more can be expected from a monster like him." My inner voice spat in disgust.

"What do you want from me? Haven't you take enough yet? Don't you feel satisfied with what you already stolen from me you beast?" I yelled, my voice laced with defeat.

"Language, Mela." He said, his voice calm, yet I could feel the rage simmering beneath it.

Tears streamed down my face. "Why are you doing this to me? What have I ever done to deserve this? Was it so wrong that I ended up in your family? Was it wrong that I had to be your daughter?" I sobbed, my words barely audible.

"Oh, please stop being melodramatic. I don't have time for all this." He said with a disgust.

"Now listen to me. If you want your mother and sister alive, you will do exactly as I say. Every command I give must be followed without questions." He said, his tone dark and ominous.

I forced myself to speak. "What do you want me to do?"

"When the time comes you will know. Until then, I will end this call. And one more thing, whenever I call, you will answer. If you don't, your loved ones will pay the price for your stubbornness. And when you speak to me, show respect. No curse words. Understood?"

"Okay." I whispered, trying to process everything. It all felt surreal, too much to comprehend.

"Good girl. Bye for now." He said before ending the call.

Oh God, wouldn't it have been better if you had just taken my life? I never thought I'd see the day when my own father would threaten me, using my mother and sister as leverage, his own wife and daughter.

"You can't expect him to be kind to you." The voice in my head reminded me with brutal honesty.

"But they're his family too." I argued not ready to accept the truth.

I was still crying in the hallway when I heard footsteps approaching. Quickly, I wiped my tears away so neither Mira nor anyone else would see me like this.

Turning toward the footsteps direction, I saw Brayan and a girl I assumed was the one he brought home last night.

"Hey, Mel. Good morning." Brayan greeted cheerfully.

"Good morning, Brayan. How are you?" I asked forcing a smile.

"I'm great. How about you?" He asked, his expression turning concerned.

"I'm okay, Rayan. Hey Miss." I said, acknowledging the girl beside him.

"Hi, good morning." She responded. "I'm Rena."

"Oh, Rena. That's a nice name." I said.

"Thank you." She replied with a smile.

"You're welcome." I said.

"Rayan, are you going to drop her off?" I asked.

Brayan's eyes narrowed. "Mel... were you crying?"

"No, I wasn't. Why would I cry." I said forced a laugh.

He didn't look convinced but let it go. "Okay, if you say so."

"Yes, I did. I am absolutely fine." I lied.

"So, are you dropping her off?" I asked again.

"Yeah, I was just about to before I saw you."

"Okay. When you get back you might not see Ira and me, we're heading to school."

"It's okay, I know. Oh, and Mel, I need to talk to you when I get back." Brayan said seriously.

"Alright. If I'm still home, we'll both talk for sure."

"Okay. Bye then." He said before leaving.

I went back to the room to check on Mira, but wasn't there. She must be in the shower.

What is with this sudden change in dad's attitude? What does he want me to do so badly that he's threatening me with mom and Riddi's lives? I just hope it's nothing illegal.

"Prepare yourself for something illegal," my inner voice warned. "Because he's capable of anything. And when I say anything, I mean anything."

"Well, I just have to do whatever I must... for mom and...."

"Mel!" Ira's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Yes Ira?" I replied lazily.

"Go shower now. We need to leave early... I have a lot of work to do." She said irritation evident in her tone.

"What do you expect from someone who was partying all night." My inner voice mocked.

"Right." I muttered.

"Okay." I said, walking inside the bathroom.

I turned on the heater to warm the water. The bathroom was already fogged up from Ira's hot shower, making it feel like a steam room. I stripped under the shower, letting the water cascade over my wavy dark hair and down my body.

My mind drifted back to Dad's threats. What does he want from me? Why is he forcing me to obey him?

Bang! Bang!

Loud knocks on the door jolted me from my thoughts.

"Oh, shit. Damn it. I forgot Mira was waiting."

"I'll be out in a minute!" I shouted and the banging stopped.

Quickly, I wrapped a towel around my body and another around my hair. As I stepped out, Ira shot me a deadly glare. And I gave her a pleading look.

"Dress up. Now!" She ordered.

"Yes, Mom." I replied sarcastically, grinning.

"Don't call me that." She snapped before storming out.

I picked out a royal blue sweatshirt and sweatpants, dried my hair, oiled it, and brushed it into a neat bun before heading downstairs.

Tessa was setting the table.

"Good morning, Tess." I greeted with a forced smile.

"Morning, Mela. How's your ankle?"

My ankle? Oh. I completely forgot about it. The pain was gone, so I hadn't even noticed.

"It's fine now. See? I'm walking perfectly fine." I said.

"That's great."

I sat at the dinning table, eyeing the spread...bacon, scrambled eggs, grilled tomatoes, sausages, toast and juice. Tessa was pouring tea for Ira.

"I'd prefer coffee instead. Black, no sugar." I requested with a small smile.

"Right away." She replied.

I turned to Ira. "So, what's on your schedule today?"

"I have a lot of classes. I probably won't see you until later."

"Okay." I replied. At least I wouldn't have to talk much today.

"Are you lost in thought, Mel? Do you have classes today?" She asked, uncertainty in her voice.

"Yeah, I have a physics class this morning. We can go together, if I won't make you late that is."

"I'll wait, but don't take too long."

"Okay."

After breakfast, I grabbed my bag and headed outside, where Mira was waiting by the car.

"I'm driving today." She declared, her eyes pleading.

"Fine. But no speeding, okay?"

"Okay!" She grinned.

Beep! Beep!

A car horn drew my attention. It was Brayan. He got out and walked towards me.

"Hey, Mel. I guess we'll talk when you get back." He said, sounding disappointed.

"Yeah." I replied.

"And what exactly are you two talking about that I wasn't informed of?" Mira asked, eyeing us suspiciously.

"Hey, Mira." Brayan deflected.

"Good morning, Rayan."

"Morning. Off to school?"

"Yeah," she replied. "But you still haven't answered me."

"Okay, bye girls." He said, avoiding the question and walking inside.

Mira turned to me, giving me a death glare.

"I don't know what he wants to talk about." I said truthfully.

"Oh really?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, really. We're getting late."

She sighed."Oh, shit." Then rushed to the driver's seat.

As we drove off, I prayed silently. Please, God, let us get there safely... because Mira is a terrible driver.

"Wait and watch the marathon race that takes place." My inner voice said mockingly.

"Shut the fuck up!"

*****

We arrived at school safely... thank God for that. I'm truly grateful.

"Hey, Mel. I'm heading to class now. Bye." Ira said.

"Okay, Ira, but hand me the car keys. I'll be leaving early, so I'll take the car. When you're done with classes, just give me a call, and I'll come pick you up " I said hurriedly.

"Alright, but please keep your phone close, okay?" She said, her brows furrowing as she waited for a response.

"Yes, I'll keep it with me." I assured her, taking the keys. She immediately turned to leave.

"I'm late for class...bye!" She called out, running off.

Well, now I'm all alone. I'd better get to class before professor Clarence arrives and bans me from entering.

I quickly grabbed my bag and made my way to the classroom. As I walked through the corridors, I could hear murmuring voices. The closer I got, the louder they became, undoubtedly gossiping about me. Not that I expected anything less. A bunch of shameless gossipers.

Who cares?

"No one." The voice said with excitement.

I continued down the hall to go to my locker, when a guy suddenly blocked my path. Looking up, I swear a tall guy with mahogany hair and honey colored eyes, smirking at me with a mocking grin.

"Hey, baby doll." He drawled, still smirking.

"Move." I commanded, shooting him a deadly glare.

"Oh, the witch is trying to cast her spells on me." He mocked, laughing, as he directed the words to the students standing close by, listening.

"Since you've already called me a witch, how about I show you some of my witchy moves, huh? Would you like a demonstration?" I said coldly. I could see his confidence waver, though he tried to act unfazed.

"She's trying to scare me off." He chuckled, glancing at the bystanders in the corridor.

"You can try if you want." He taunted.

"Move. Out. Of. My. Way." My glare intensified, hear rising within me.

"No, I w–"

Before he could finish his sentence, I landed a solid punch to his jaw.

His head snapped up, and I saw blood trickling from the corner of his lips.

"So, have you gotten a taste of my witchy moves?" I asked, mirroring his earlier smirk.

"Now, will you move, or should I show you more?" My voice was laced with warning.

He didn't move, only glared at me as though he wanted to strangle me. But before he could act, a few guys stepped in and pulled him away, his shirt already stained with his filthy blood.

I walked away towards my class after picking up my text book, only to spot that same Black American guy approaching me.

"Hey, Mel." He greeted with a smile engraved to his lips.

"Don't call me that!" I snapped without even looking at him.

"Sorry, sorry." He apologized, though I paid him no mind.

"In case you've forgotten, I'm the guy you met at the library the other day... Zyilth Williams." He continued, still smiling.

"Zyilth, you said?" I repeated, mockingly.

"Yeah, Zyilth." He replied beaming.

"Zyilth, or whatever you call yourself, I don't care. First of all, I haven't forgotten you or your annoying face. Secondly, if I recall correctly, I told you I want nothing to do with you, not even as a friend. I already have enough friends, and I'm perfectly fine with that. So, if you don't want me kicking your ass, stay out of my way." I snapped, my patience wearing thin.

"Relax, babe." He said with a mischievous grin.

I couldn't stand his presence any longer, so I turned and walked straight into my class. Just as I stepped inside, Ms. Clarence entered and began the lecture.

*****

After the class ended, I got up to leave when my phone rang. Glancing at the screen I saw the caller ID... Villain.

Oh, great. How much worse can this morning get? First this monster called, then that disgusting guy, then the annoying Zyilth, now him again?

I took a deep breath to steady myself before answering.

"Hello." I said, keeping my voice as calm as possible, though inside, I wished I could strangle him to death.

"Mela, the time has come for you to obey my orders." He said viciously.

Everything stilled. My breath caught in my throat.

"W-what... w-what command... do I have to... obey?" I stuttered trembling.

"Oh, nothing much." He said, his tone deceptively casual. "You just have to marry Erald Valentino Balencentra."

He sounded calm, but I could hear the satisfaction dripping from his voice.

"Are you fucking kidding me? You must be joking." I said, my body shaking.

"Language, Mela." He snapped harshly.

"I– I'm sorry." I stammered, still trembling.

"But... which Erald Valentino Balencentra are you talking about?" I asked, desperately hoping it wasn't the one I feared.

No, it's not him. It can't be him. I can't marry him. He's dangerous, a soon to be Mafia leader. I can't.

"No, Mela, calm down." My inner voice tried to reassure me. "It's not him. You can't just assume it's same Erald Valentino Balencentra."

But the panic has already set in.

"I don't know which Erald you're referring to." I said, my voice quivering. It can't be the one I'm thinking of.

"Let me clarify," he said, his voice laced with finality. "You're going to marry Erald Valentino Balencentra, the Mafia heir to the Balencentra empire. That's who you'll be marrying and if you refuse to, you mom and sister...you know the rest."

No!

"This can't be happening." My inner voice protested.

My knees gave out beneath me, and I collapsed to the ground.