A Massive Price For Her Freedom

I sighed heavily as I looked at Jack in dismay, hoping that he would tell me that it was all a joke. But to my surprise, he didn't; instead, he stared at me with an expression that said, 'I'm waiting.' I took my eyes off him and questioned him softly.

"You want me to sleep with you in return for my freedom?" What happened next completely left me stunned. Jack began laughing at me like I was some lunatic, and that made me angry and lost.

"What is funny? I wasn't aware I had cracked a joke. You rich people think you own everyone. How can you possibly want to take away my pride just for my freedom? That's very low, even for you, Mr. Miller." I faced him again, and this time I wasn't angry but disgusted by him.

"Oh! Mandy right? Are you seriously vouching for yourself right now? Tell me that you are still pure. Listen here, you murderer; I don't care about you at all. And please don't flatter yourself. I will never look at you like that; you are way beneath my league. I'm engaged, so I suggest you cleanse your mind of such thoughts." He paused, frowned, and flared his nostrils like he had just smelled something rotten before he continued.

"I won't even touch your hand; the surrogacy process will be performed by doctors, and they will explain everything to you. Now I want to know, What's your take on this?"

"I would do anything for our freedom, but I have one concern: how about my father? Won't this affect him at all?" I wasn't sure how to ask him because I had no idea if he knew something or not.

"Your father? Is he also involved in this?" 

As I had thought, Jack had no idea about the deal his mother made with my mother. It looked like he also had no idea that my father was hospitalised at all. As I pondered this whole situation, I realised that I might be right that Jack's mother is involved in the murder of Jack's father.

"I asked you a question! How is your father a part of this whole situation?" Jack barked at me; if I wasn't sitting in a chair, I would have lost balance and fallen.

"No, I'm sorry about that. What I meant to ask was if you were going to tell him about any of this. I would prefer it if he wasn't told about any of this." I fiddled with my fingers, getting worried that he might see that I wasn't telling the truth.

"I have no interest in your family matters, and I want it to stay that way. Now that we have an agreement, go to your apartment and pack everything that you will need. I will have the rest of your stuff delivered tomorrow at the Miller mansion. You will be staying with my family from now on."

I did as I was told and avoided asking further questions. Packing my clothes took me nearly 30 minutes. I returned to the car, and Jack's driver drove Jack and me to the mansion. In my mind, I had a lot of questions, but the main one was, How can one marry someone and then murder them in cold blood? But my mind disputed this thought: No sane wife can murder her husband. So much had happened in the last couple of days, and I didn't know who or what to believe.

In no time, we arrived at the Miller mansion, and Jack escorted me to my bedroom. As I walked behind him, the events of what happened on that fateful day kept replaying in my mind, and that was a reminder that everything can just end in an instant.

"This is your bedroom; feel at home. I'm afraid you have to do your personal laundry and clean your room since our helper, who happens to be your mother, is a criminal and in jail. We have chefs; you can request that they prepare your favourite meals, but that doesn't mean that you are not allowed in the kitchen. Any questions?" Jack stood by the door after throwing my heavy suitcase on top of the bed.

"Do you hate me for what happened to your father?" My mind just went on a wild trip, and I honestly had no idea how I let that question escape my lips.

"I meant questions related to the house, not the nonsense that you are asking me. Asking you for this favour doesn't mean that I have forgotten that you killed my father, so don't ever bring it up again." His cold voice escaped through his teeth as he directed his gaze at me.

"I'm sorry about that; I don't know how that came out. If I have any questions, I will ask anyone around here, but for now, everything is okay." I slowly turned away from him and began unpacking my bag. I was startled by the sound of the door closing.

"Finally, he's gone." I spoke softly to myself as I swiftly turned around to confirm if he was indeed gone. I threw my heavy weight on top of the queen-sized bed, facing the ceiling with my arms crossed on my chest.

I thought that if I wanted a normal life at the Miller mansion, I had no choice but to prove to Jack that I had no involvement in his father's death. But how was I going to do that? I didn't even know who the real culprits were. I was disturbed by the sounds of footsteps coming in my direction. It was as if someone was running from something; it wasn't my home, so there was no way that I could have ignored them. I slowly rose from the bed and took a few steps towards the door.

"OUCH!" I ducked from the door, which almost smashed my forehead. With my heart racing, I gawked at the person who almost hit me with the door.

"You are Jack's fiancé, right? I'm Mandy; we've met, but I didn't introduce myself properly." I faked a smile to shield the fear that had coerced through my veins.

"What the hell are you doing here? First, you took my father-in-law away from me. Now you want to worm your way into my relationship with Jack. I won't allow you to spend even another second in this house. You better put those clothes back into the suitcase and leave." I had expected for this to happen but had not anticipated for it to happen so soon.

"I'm sorry, but I can't leave because Jack is the one who brought me here. And I promise you, I'm not here to ruin your relationship with him; I just want to do my part and then leave." I explained it to her.

"Your part? Are you listening to yourself right now? Giving Jack children is my responsibility, not yours. I don't care about this agreement you have with him, but it ends now! You have no idea what I'm capable of, so please take your things and disappear." She shouted at me, then walked to the bed, put back the clothes, and dragged my suitcase out of the house.

I stood there shocked, not knowing what to do, then I began running after her, begging her to let go of my suitcase. On the way, I bumped into Silver, Jack's mother.

"What is happening here? And tell me, What are you doing here?" Silver didn't hide the fact that she was shocked to see me in her house after the conversation we had.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Miller..."

"Call me Silver." She interjected.

"Silver—Jack is the one who brought me here; he said if I become his surrogate mother, he will grant me and my mother's freedom. I had no choice but to agree, but now Jack's fiancé is chasing me out." I spoke as quickly as I could, with the hope that she could do something to help me.

"Becky is right to chase you. You have no place here; Becky is the only one who will give me a grandchild, not a loser like yourself. Jack went to the office. I want you to vanish from here and never look back. Remember, we had a deal; if you don't hold to the end of your deal, I don't have to remind you what will happen to your father." Her face looked so serious as she spoke.

"I'm begging you, Mrs. Mi—I mean, Silver, I will do absolutely anything; just don't let my father die. I apologise that I got caught up in this. I will leave this town and will only return when the court date is set." I was in a very complicated situation because I didn't know whom to listen to, but I knew that I couldn't let anything happen to my father, even if it meant rotting in jail.

"You know what to do." She turned away from me and began walking away. I felt tears burning in my eyes. I quickly brushed them away with my hand and began rushing towards the door.

Just before I could step outside, I heard Jack and his fiancé fighting, and I knew that I was the cause. 

"That disgusting girl you are talking about is going to carry my child, whether you like it or not. She is not going anywhere!" I heard the sound of Jack's voice shouting at his fiancé.

"Over my dead body, Jack. I don't want her in this house!" Becky, Jack's fiancé, answered him in an angry voice.

"You will have to find a way to live with that. She is staying, end of story, unless you have changed your mind about carrying my child. Oh, and this stunt you just pulled, never ever repeat it, ok?" Jack bellowed at her again. I quickly made my way to where the noise was coming from.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I think she is right; I have no place here. Don't worry about my freedom; I will be fine, Jack." I spoke the moment I reached where they were.

"I don't have time for your nonsense; you can go and help my driver bring the rest of your luggage inside the house or go back to your room right now! You are not going anywhere, and I will have someone to make sure that you are treated fairly at all times." He gave me one final stare, then disappeared into the house, and Becky ran after him.

All my life, I have been used to doing things myself. That's why I decided to go and help Jack's driver with my luggage.

"I'm here to help, if you don't mind." I said as I lifted one of my bags.

"You don't have to do that, but I'm glad I got hold of you. Someone came when I was in your apartment, packing your bags, Sergio, and he said I should tell you that he needs to see you. He said it's important." I could tell from his facial expression that there was more to what he just told me.

"Did he say anything else?" I questioned him with my voice trembling.

"No, he said nothing. Listen, I know why you are here, but does my boss know that you are seeing someone? I mean, it's not a good idea, and I don't think he would approve of it." He spoke softly with so much concern for a girl he had just met.

"This is interesting, so the precious Mandy is in a relationship with someone else. I wonder what Jack will have to say about this. What if you are already pregnant?" My heart skipped a beat and began pounding heavily when I heard Becky's voice. I turned slowly and faced her. I wanted to beg her not to tell Jack, but I knew it was useless. 

"You won't tell my boss anything if you want your little secret to remain safe with me." Jack's driver threatened Becky, and that made me curious and eager to uncover the truth.

"What secret are you talking about?" I wanted to warn them that someone was approaching, but I couldn't because he had his eyes fixed on me the entire time.