Thompson's alarm alerted him to wake up and get ready for the adventures ahead. He wasn't a coffee drinker, but he couldn't sleep last night as he was thinking about the struggles he was plagued with.
He recently lost his job as a waiter in an exquisite restaurant after he got into a fight with his Boss. Since then, life has been difficult for them. Living in the slums of Lake Mississippi was very challenging for him and his daughter, Sophia.
"Finally! It's time let's do this,” sighing heavily, Thompson said to himself and hoped he would get a job. Glancing at his wall clock and could confirm it was 8:30 a.m.
They lived in a faded bungalow with cracked walls and worn-out creamed colored paint with his daughter, Sophia, after he lost his beloved wife.
He already embraced his fate and was ready for whatever life had for him. The penny earned from his previous job wasn't enough to pay his wife's medical bills. Sadly, she died of Cancer.
"I know you are in a better location right now. I'm going to make you proud, I guarantee. I'll be vigorous for Sophia, our daughter,” tossing off the bed, he smooched his late wife's photograph and guaranteed. He wasn't convinced of his goal but was hoping to step out and get a job to sustain his home.
Despite graduating with good grades, he found it a bit difficult to get a better job, and now his daughter is about to suffer the same fate. No company was willing to employ her. While some grumbled about Sophie's good grades, other employees just want to shift her panties in exchange for an employment letter.
After bathing, he got dressed in his rumpled suit and over-starched pair of trousers. Constricting his gaze at the dusty and over-patched faded pair of shoes, he shook his head in self-pity and darted to the living room to find Sophia awake, setting the dining table for breakfast.
"Breakfast is served already? You are so filled with surprises,” Surprised to see his daughter setting the dining table, he gaped at her.
“Good morning, Dad. Where are you off to dress like this? Proceeding for another job interview? How many more interviews do you have left? Let me guess, this Is the 7th one for the month. Gosh! ” Placing her hands below her jaw, She wailed in anguish. She can't tolerate the constant pain of seeing her aged father going for interviews that would never yield positivity.
"It hurts me to see you doing this. I should be the one job hunting, not you. I feel so disgruntled with myself. I have erred you and Mom,” she broke down in tears and quietly motioned to the couch to nurse her wounded soul.
"I take the blame for the adversity. If I were prosperous, none of this would be transpiring. Perhaps your mom would still be alive. You know how problematic it has been for you to get a job. Remind me what occurred at your previous job,” he asked.
"My boss dismissed me because I denied having a relationship with him,” she replied, wondering why her father reminded her of the past.
"That's what I am talking about,” Thompson replied, wrapping his hands around her shoulder.
“I stand a better chance of getting a job. Hopefully, I'll get a job today and fix our mess. Remember, we've got less than 4 weeks to renew the rent. Do we fold our arms while we get kicked out?” ensuring his daughter, he advised.
“Okay, Dad. Just be cautious out there. I don't want you to get hurt,” Hugging her father passionately, She smooched his forehead. She fought back tears as he strolled majestically to the exit door.
Shortly after her father's departure, she heard a loud knock on the door. Immediately, she came out of her room to check who it was.
" I guess you forgot something…" She stopped after glimpsing her boyfriend, Johnson, standing at the door entrance looking so excited.
“What the heck are you doing here? What if my father sees you here?” she whispered silently and blocked the entrance.
"Your Dad? I just saw him get in a cab heading to some destination.,” Johnson teased her and gestured inside.
"You're such a jerk. Wait right here while I go get you something to eat,” she conceded and departed for the kitchen.
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“Where are we going? I can't recognize this route.” Panicking like a toddler, he questioned the cab driver after he discerned foul play.
“Say something, would you? Please stop this cab immediately, or I'll be forced to call the cops and have you arrested for alleged kidnap,” he screamed his lungs out, yet the cab driver was muted and unmoved. He kept driving at speed and pretended as though Thompson never existed.
He was frightened. Tension has surrounded his mind. Without being told, he already knew his life was in great danger.
"I plead for your compassion. I'm a poor man trying to make it through. My daughter is still young. She can't handle the trauma of losing both parents in a year.” he begged. His voice had depleted, comprehending it might just be a possibility of attempted kidnap or assassination.
"I dare you to give me everything you've got and get out of my cab,” authoritatively, the cab driver stopped the cab and requested.
"I should wh..at?” he stuttered at the command.
"You heard me, don't you? Just pass the damn phone and cash. I see you want to get killed. Don't mess with me. I'm going to blow your brain off if you keep asking silly questions. I just got out of jail. I'm not afraid of going back there,” Pointing a gun at Thompson, the cab driver threatened. With immediate effect, he obeyed and handed the cab driver everything he had, including his documents.
Emptying his wallet, the cab driver smiled. “Just $900? You are so damn poor. I should kill you for wasting my time. But I won't, for your daughter's sake. Now leave while you still can,”
Stepping out of the cab, Thompson was dumbfounded and peed in his panties. He watched helplessly as the cab driver zoomed off with his phones and valuables.
"Where do I go from here?” Bewildered, he questioned rhetorically as his voice echoed back to him.
Thompson ran after the moving vehicle, shrieking like a lunatic. He didn't know what just hit him. It took him a few minutes to acknowledge he had just been ripped off. Wrapping his hands around his waist, he nodded his head in contempt and sat next to a gigantic fence outside. He couldn't report to the cops or inform anyone what happened."Where do I go from here? I don't even have a dime on me right now. What do I tell my daughter? How will she respond to the devastating information?” Facing the sky, Thompson besought silently in a faint tone. He got so engrossed in his thinking and napped outside, unbothered by the scorching sun melting his skin."What are you doing here?” A passerby woke him."I'm good,” replied Thompson. He yawned and stood up."I need to call my daughter immediately. She must be concerned about me,” ransacking his pocket for his phone, he screamed. He immediately went cold after he realized his phone was gone."Can I please use your phone?” Extending his hand, h
"Don't be silly. I don't want to believe you've got nothing inside that big head of yours. I don't want my father to find you here. We should think of getting you out of here before he walks inside,” She whispered. Her head is spinning already. She could barely think straight to come up with a solution."And I asked us not to make love here. We could have just gone to your place. Now see the mess you caused me.” She blamed Johnson for what was happening."Enough with the self-pity. It wasn't my fault. Don't act like you didn't want it, too. If you were so serious about this, you would have declined. But no, you jumped on the bed and consented.” he clapped back and taunted her. Leaning forward to her room door, Thompson called out again, this time, screaming out his lungs.“Sophia, I know you're in there. Why are you not answering? I've been calling for over an hour. I need you downstairs this minute. Are you trying to play a prank on me?”Making an indistinct chatter, Sophia ordered J
Fabio caressed his cheeks in anger and returned to his room only to find Nikki packing her stuff and set to leave the house."What the heck are you doing here, man?”"I presume you're not blind, are you? I overheard everything your father said to you. I'd rather sleep in my apartment tonight. I can't stand the heat,” Nikki wailed as she attempted to exit the room with her luggage."We can still discuss this, right?” he pleaded and grabbed her box."There's nothing to discuss. Didn't you hear the conditions? You'd be stripped of your inheritance. You're not that stupid to choose me over fortune, right? What I don't understand is why your Dad keeps controlling you as if you were a kid. I can't take this. I'd be back when the drama ended. But right now, I'm out of here.” She wept like a child and departed. All efforts to make her stay proved abortive.The damageThe relationship saga hit Sophia so hard and pierced her heart like a dagger. She got carried away and forgot where she was."G
Fabio and Sophia's tense stare-down seemed to stretch for an eternity, each harboring their secrets and resentments. The air in the room grew heavy with unspoken words, suffocating any chance of reconciliation.Duncan, Fabio's father, shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his eyes darting between his son and his potential spouse Sophia. He had hoped their first meeting would lead to a pleasant acquaintance, but the palpable animosity between them left him bewildered."Do you two know each other?" Duncan's voice broke through the silence once again, his tone tinged with a hint of desperation for answers. He had sensed something amiss from the moment they laid eyes on each other.Fabio's jaw clenched as he weighed his response, grappling with the tumult of emotions swirling within him. Sophia's mere presence stirred memories he had long buried, memories of a past he wished to forget."Is she the one I'm supposed to marry?" Fabio finally spoke, his voice laced with uncertainty as he tried t
CHAPTER 6Acceptance Sophia opened the door of the office, her movements graceful yet purposeful, and stepped out into the corridor. Fabio followed closely behind, the weight of their shared history hanging heavy in the air between them."So you're the one I marry?" Fabio's words cut through the silence like a knife, his tone laced with bitterness and resentment. "Your poor wretched family wants to reap where you guys didn't sow."Sophia stopped abruptly, her heart pounding in her chest as she turned to face Fabio. The hurt and anger that had simmered beneath the surface for so long threatened to boil over, her emotions raw and unfiltered."How dare you?" she seethed, her voice trembling with barely contained fury. "You think you can just waltz back into my life and pass judgment on me and my family?"Fabio recoiled slightly at the venom in Sophia's words, the sting of her rebuke cutting deep into his wounded pride. He had never intended to hurt her and had never imagined that his wo
Duncan led Fabio back into his office, the weight of their earlier conversation still hanging heavy in the air between them. He gestured for Fabio to take a seat in one of the plush armchairs arranged around the ornate coffee table, the rich mahogany furniture exuding an air of old-world elegance.As Fabio settled into his seat, Duncan crossed the room to the well-stocked bar nestled in the corner, his movements deliberate yet unhurried. With practiced ease, he poured two fingers of whiskey into a crystal tumbler, the amber liquid glinting in the soft glow of the overhead lights."Here you go, son," Duncan said, his voice gentle yet firm as he handed Fabio the glass. "A little something to take the edge off."Fabio accepted the glass with a grateful nod, the cool surface of the tumbler soothing against his clammy palms. He took a sip of the whiskey, relishing the smoky warmth that spread through his chest, momentarily chasing away the lingering shadows of doubt and uncertainty."Thanks
Sophia trudged up the front steps of her family home, her mind still reeling from her encounter with Fabio in Duncan's office. As she reached the porch, she found her father sitting in his favorite wicker chair, a newspaper spread out in front of him."I miss the good old days of mail and paper news," he remarked, his voice tinged with nostalgia. "You kids don't know what you're missing."Sophia offered her father a small smile, her heart heavy with the weight of the day's events. She sank into the chair beside him, the worn wicker creaking softly beneath her weight, and let out a weary sigh."How did it go?" her father asked, his gaze gentle yet probing as he studied her face for any signs of distress.Sophia scoffed bitterly, her frustration bubbling to the surface like a pot left unattended. "That son of a bitch," she muttered under her breath, her words dripping with venom. "That entitled prick."Her father's brow furrowed in concern at her outburst, his eyes searching hers for an
Fabio stood in his sleek, modern kitchen, the aroma of simmering marinara sauce filling the air, he couldn't shake the feeling of unease gnawing at his gut. Tonight was the dinner date with Sophia, an event his family had been eagerly anticipating for weeks. Yet, despite the excitement buzzing around him, his mind was elsewhere, consumed by thoughts of Nikki.Nikki, his fiery and passionate lover, had dropped a bombshell on him just days ago: she claimed to be pregnant with his child. The news had sent shockwaves through Fabio's carefully curated world, shattering the illusion of control he had worked so hard to maintain. Now, as he diced onions with mechanical precision, his thoughts were consumed by the impossible choice looming before him.On one hand, there was Sophia, the woman his family had chosen for him, the embodiment of everything he was supposed to want in a partner. She was refined, elegant, and came from a respectable family with a long-standing relationship with his own