Chapter one
LORENA'S POVA loud thud and an even louder crash sounded above me. Hoarse, threatening voices yelled at maximum volume, their vibrating timbre echoing though the house.I placed a trembling hand over my mouth and shut my eyes tight. Maybe they would go away if I ignored them or pretended they weren't up there, tearing through our shabby little house. But the noises grew louder.I squinted and focused my senses to decipher what they were saying, it was difficult to hear through the clanging of metals and breaking of ceramic plates and vases. But with a little more focus, I heard them."Where's the money Tanner? Are you taking me for a fool? I gave you more time than you asked for but you still haven't paid what you owe. Bring me the fucking money."Goodness! It was another one of my father's creditors. How much had he gambled away this time?It was uncomfortable in my underground room where I'd spent my whole life, all twenty- two years of it. But I couldn't leave. My parents forbade me from coming out, especially with people around. Nobody knew I existed, and even I didn't feel like I existed."Please, let him go! You're hurting him." I heard my mother say in a teary voice. I could tell that she was afraid. Those men had to be very dangerous people. What if they killed my father?The thought consumed my mind and brought goosebumps on my pale, milky skin. It was true that my father was addicted to gambling and never left the tables till he had lost everything, it was also true that he had caused my mum and I a lot of pain, but he was still my father and I couldn't let anything happen to him. But what was I supposed to do?"That's enough. Bring him to me." Another voice said in an authoritative tone. He was definitely the boss and the others were his henchmen. There was something about the voice that brought back a memory and an image in my mind. It was a face I hadn't forgotten no matter how hard I tried."Marcus Tanner. You took a loan from me, said you wanted to start up a business and would pay back within ten months. I gave you a year but I still don't have my money, not even a single penny. It's three million pesos Marcus. Three fucking million! Where's my fucking money?" He finished with a punch on my father's face, followed by a shriek from my mother.I could hear the sound of his jaw cracking and he spat out blood. I shut my eyes and placed my hands over my ears.Three million pesos? What on earth did he do with it?"Please, he'll pay you back, just stop hurting him. He needs to be alive to return your money.""Well, he has to return it now, or he'll really die here today!" His tormentor replied."No..ple.. please-- I'll get the money. I promise--""To hell with your filthy promises!" He yelled again and bones cracked where his feet met my father's body.No! I couldn't stay down here anymore. I had to do something to help. I looked around for anything that could be used as a weapon and my eyes darted to the corner of my bed and landed on a wooden rolling pin.My mother was a pastry chef and had a little bakery downtown where she sold cakes, pies, bread and croissant. I usually helped her shape and flatten the dough she used. We were in the middle of preparing the batter when the men pulled up at our house and I was sent back into my room immediately.I grabbed my weapon and headed up the stairs that led to an opening on my roof. Above, was an empty room which served as a storage for all my mother's equipment. I came out as noiselessly as possible and shut the little door.I crouched, and tiptoed towards the living room where the noises were coming from."Please, take whatever you need and hold on to it. We'll pay you back for sure." My mom pleaded.The men broke into bouts of unrestrained laughter, hitting each other on the shoulder.What was so funny?I soon figured out the answer.As I reached the living room, I recoiled in a corner and took a peek from where I hid. I could see perfectly how empty the living room was. We had nothing except for our worn out chairs and old television. There was nothing of value in the entire house. Even the house itself was a sorry sight. My mother did all she could to make it livable, but it obviously was worth nothing."You have nothing of value woman. What on earth can you give me? Look at that." he said with a mocking laugh and pointed to the roof with brown patches from when the rain had pelted down and soaked it through. Termites ate away at the ceiling and most of them had built their houses on the roof.Of course, Dad never had enough money to fix the roof but would magically have some money to gamble with. I looked at my feet in shame. I couldn't see the men clearly from here, but from what they wore, I could tell they were filthy rich people. The room was covered in their scent, a very expensive scent."I have a--a land." My father began."We sold it last month Marcus." Mother protested."My--my bakery."No! That was the only source of livelihood we had. We would starve without it. I couldn't let my mother give that away."How much does your little baker shop make in a month? That's some scrappy little place. I don't need it." The man replied, his hand reaching Into his pocket.My eyes widened and my mother let out a gasp."No--please--don't do this--" my father pleaded.He had brought out a gun. A 9mm pistol,and aimed it at my father's head."No! Please, don't kill him I beg you! I'll do anything." My mother was on her knees, begging with tears cascading down her cheeks. She crawled towards him and held his leg. "Please don't hurt him. Give us a little more time. We'll pay you "But he was unfazed and his gaze remained cold. He kicked my mother aside and his finger sought the trigger."Stop!" I shouted, springing out of my hiding place and swinging my weapon at the monster's head. He accidentally dropped the gun and blocked the impact of my attack with one hand. With the other, he pushed me towards the wall and pinned my hand above my head.I was overpowered. He hadn't looked as muscled as he was from a distance. He hit the back of my hand still gripping the rolling pin on the wall, and I instinctively let go. My other hand joined his above me trapping both my hands in his.Vibrant brown eyes stared Into mine. They held anger, shock and annoyance, but those emotions faded slowly, leaving something that I couldn't read.And with each passing second, my eyes mirrored his final expression.It was him!CHAPTER TWO LORENA'S POV It couldn't possibly be him! But I couldn't deny what was right in front of me. It had been six years since I last saw him but his face was forever etched in my mind.He never told me his name, so I had no idea who he was, only that I needed to help him. I had to save his life or he would die.Six years ago, I had snuck out of the house when my mother had gone to the bakery and my father had been out gambling as usual. I was left alone in the house with no one to talk to and nothing to do.For years, the only contact I had with the outside world was what I watched through the window in the living room, peeking through closed curtains. I knew the neighbors and their kids but had never even spoken to them. I would watch Celine and her little brother Conner accompany their parents to their small farm just a few metres from their house. They looked happy and contented.I didn't even have a brother, or a sister, and no friends either. I was sixteen years old and
CHAPTER THREEANDREW'S POV.The house was really small and shabby, it looked more like a shack than a house where people could live, at least compared to the mansion I grew up in.I got a whiff of bread, warm and fresh out of the oven. Or was it pancake? Whatever it was, it smelled really good. But I wasn't there for the pastries, I was there for business.Serious business.I had to prove to my father that I was a worthy son, that he could trust me with the business, especially since he was incapacitated from the accident. I may not be a Don like he was, at least not yet, but I could handle the business as efficiently as he could.This was just a test, to see if I could take over from him when he retired, and the task was simple."Let's go." I said to the guys when we got out of the Chevrolet suburban SUV.I heard a slight scrambling sound from within.Good. They were home, and scared.I nodded towards my boys and one of them stepped forward and kicked the door open. The old hinges br
CHAPTER FOURSARAH'S POVTWENTY-TWO YEARS AGOLoneliness. Silence. Chaos. Pain.All of these described my life as vividly as you can imagine. My life was a mess and the fact that I was helpless and could do nothing to fix it exacerbated my worries. My husband was sweet. He tried to distract me from my painful reality and succeeded once in a while to make me smile. But as soon as he was gone for the day's work, I was left with the emptiness and silence that had become my companion.Marcus and I had been married for seven years and had been trying to have a baby but couldn't. I had had several miscarriages already and was exhausted from trying. We both were. But we wanted children desperately.Things got worse.I had gotten pregnant again and hoped that it would stay this time, but it didn't. I lost the baby at sixteen weeks and this time, the doctor told me I couldn't have a child. Ever.The news broke me and I fell into depression. It was hard to get out of bed, to even bake,which w
Chapter fiveLORENA'S POVI could hardly breathe. Fear had paralyzed my entire being. Was I really not going to see my parents ever again? Would I really have to live with this evil stranger who wanted nothing but to make my life miserable? How could he forcefully separate a woman from her family? How could he be so heartless?The men sitting beside me weren't making things any better. They looked scary with their black, well tailored suit and bulky build. They had dark shades on which aided their stern look and I felt so small in the midst of them.I had been screaming and kicking since the drive to an unknown destination started but they paid me no mind. I was exhausted now, too weak to continue my tantrums. It wasn't working anyway. Instead, I sat still, studying their faces and occasionally, the scenery outside the car window. The glass was tinted so I knew no one could see through from the outside. I could look freely.It was beautiful outside. I thought so the first time I left
Chapter sixJACOB'S POVThe soft bed was now a thorn in my flesh, like the prickly thorns on roses. I had been stuck here for months after the accident and since then, time seemed to crawl by. It was hard, laying here in pain and not being able to supervise my casinos and company. Being bedridden was the worst thing that could've ever happened to me, but there was nothing I could do about it. The doctor said I had torn the ligaments in my legs and I wouldn't be able to walk for a while, quite a while they said. I had to undergo therapy if I was to regain the use of my legs.I was getting better now though, or maybe I just got used to the pain. Pain was nothing new to me. I built my empire with my blood and sweat. I didn't inherit my wealth from my parents neither did they contribute anything into making me the man that I am. They were poor church rats and couldn't offer me anything, nothing close to the life I wanted. So, I had to work extra hard to acquire everything I had. I was a
Chapter sevenSarah's POVSo this was what hell felt like. This was what it meant for your entire world to crumble while you could do nothing but watch. Why did it happen so suddenly though? Why?Marcus laid on the bed, the covers drawn to his chin. He was bruised all over from the beatings he got but I had cleaned up his wound. His bloody clothes laid in a pile on the floor. He was hurt and that was the only reason I hadn't brought down the roof on him. It was the only reason I hadn't kicked him out and sent him to get my daughter back."Sarah..I know what you're thinking." He said, struggling to breathe. The blow to his rib was severe but we had no money to get proper treatment for him. He would survive it with some pain killers and rest. He tried to hold my hands and console me but my icy glare must have made him change his mind because his hands recoiled from mine now."I was going to pay back. I had a plan for the money but things didn't just work out the way I wanted it to.""
Chapter eight.LORENA'S POVI woke up with a slight throbbing on my head. It felt as though I had been smacked on the head with a baseball bat. Not that I really knew how that would feel like but, you get the idea.I tried to open my eyes but the sunlight seeping through the window was too intense and on top of that, I was facing the window directly. It had to be noon. I turned, facing the other way and tried again. My eyes were open but i became confused instantly. I could not, for the life of me, remember where I was. This room was a sharp contrast to the one I grew up in. The bed for one was soft and comfortable and it smelled really clean and fresh. The wall was painted white with some gray hues on places like the window and doors. There were plenty furnitures in the room. A couch, and a glass centre table, a dressing table made of mahogany that matched the wardrobe. Everything in the room screamed class and wealth.But whose house was this?The door opened and a very good look
Chapter NineANDREW'S POVI hurried out of the room because I was beginning to lose my composure. I'd tried hard to control myself and not get close to her, I couldn't let her know the effect she was having on me.I went downstairs to the dining table without waiting for her to follow. I couldn't bear to be next to her. The feel of her skin on mine moments ago still tormented me. Why did she have to try to hit me? I wouldn't have had to touch her like I did back at her house and I wouldn't be struggling to keep my desires at bay. In my mind, I'd already imagined the different ways I could have her.I looked down at my pants and noticed the bulge between my legs. "Shit!" I cursed under my breath."I'm only keeping her here so her parents can take my payment seriously. It's just collateral. If they had something else that was valuable, I would have taken that instead." I said to myself. But did I even believe that?I had already made the decision to stay away from love. There were lots