3.NO WAY OUT

JULIET'S POINT OF VIEW 

I stood by the roadside like a mad lady trying to avoid the psychiatric hospital. I am not bothered about my scattered hair; even as I gaze at STAMP BEE saloon, I can see the magic they are performing on different ladies through the transparent glass at the entrance.

But I'm at the end of the wall, and I don't care whether I look good or not; today isn't my wedding day. I just don't know where to turn to.

"You have only 12 hours, Juliet." I still reminisced on Doctor Frank's warning, 

If I don't get the money to the hospital before the due time, I don't want to think about what will happen to my mother.

I'm left with only one way in and one way out, "Mr. George." 

I know he's always ready to have me do his biddings: "Once I sign the marriage contract, I'll remain his slave forever, but life is giving no choices here." My mind reeled in this for almost an hour, and my eyes began to get blurry.

My stomach began to hurt frequently; I could hear the grumbling sound coming from inside of me, and that's when I remembered it's been 4 good hours, and I haven't taken anything into this mouth of mine. 

This wasn't my fault, but at some point I was hungry, and at another the hunger vanished into thin air; I guess adversities had the best of me.

I was still contemplating what to do to revive my mother when I heard my phone ring again. In my mind, I thought of the good and the bad occurrences if the caller is Doctor Frank.

I thought maybe he had seen someone who's willing to pay my mother's medical bill, or maybe she's dead; the bad one pushed me to answer the call immediately on one beep.

"Hello, Doctor Frank, Is that you?" I asked in a low tone, trying to hear his voice clearly.

"Hello, Miss Juliet, I'm no Doctor Frank; this is a friend you have neglected for long and still keep on neglecting, but I want a comeback." I could hear a masculine voice on the phone,

"Hiss!" I exclaimed while gritting my teeth.

"Cut me the crap; get the hell out of my phone. If you don't know who you want to speak with, stupor." I yelled at the man, with my eyes blazing with fury.

"Uh! It's me, Mark Thomas, from London High School. I'm so sorry; I'm just trying to be nice." He muttered with his deep voice, etched with confusion.

"I don't care; just leave me alone. If you don't have better things to do, please, I have to go. Good-bye." I said and quickly hung up the call.

"Hell with Mark." I grumbled on top of my voice; I wasn't in any mood for a reunion of old students; all I was fixed with was how to get my mother back home with me.

After a few minutes I picked up my phone and dialed Mr. George's number, then I paused my hand when I was about to tap the green light.

"Am I really doing the right thing?" I questioned myself inwardly, but I had no answer for that at that moment, but one thing is sure: I don't want my mother to die on me now.

Without hesitation I called him; after a few seconds he picked it up, with a smile glued to his voice at the receiving end.

"I know you will call back," he said in a low and calm tone.

"I'm ready now." I declared sharply, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Alright, I'm in the office waiting patiently for you right now." He spoke sternly, and giggles, giggles that send a shiver down my spine.

I stood up from the road bench after a cab stopped in front of me. "Take me to NOVARTIS Group of Companies." I said, and thank goodness I still have the $50 with me, thanks to Donald.

*******

After an hour in the cab at NOVARTIS, I quickly stepped down with my staggering feet. I didn't even have to wait for the security guards to open the gate for me. Instead, I helped myself inside with my identity card, which I scanned through the security scanner pasted outside the giant gate.

Meanwhile, the sky has changed its form to the third one; the weather has changed also. I couldn't even see any of my colleagues in their offices. I guess I have spent too many hours trying to figure out how to save my mother without coming here to meet George Watson, but look where I am again.

At that moment I wasn't scared of what he had planned before my arrival. I don't have much time to waste; I can do anything right now. Even if he asks me to sleep with him, I'll confidently disflower myself; after all, it's just for a day.

When I nearly got to his office, eventually he had seen me in the CCTV FOOTAGE, so he called the telephone on my table, which is adjacent to his office.

"Just come in; I've been watching your beautiful and sexy steps as you arrived." He whispered on the phone.

I walked up to his door like he had instructed and opened it gently to the front. As I stepped inside his office, the first thing I set my eyes on was a white document on his table. I guess he's truly interested in the contract after all.

Then I slowly took a step forward. I never bothered to sit on the chair; even as he pointed to the seat for me, he had already placed a biro on the paper.

"Can I sign now, sir?" I asked him in a hurry; he knows I'm at a desperate point of doing whatever he demands.

"Of course, my Juliet." I hated whenever he called me like that, but who cares at this point?

I took the paper, read the heading, "Contract Marriage," and then scanned through to the last page, where I would put my signature beside his. I didn't even bother to check the content of the contract; I saw the terms and conditions but ignored it.

"Here I've signed, so what's the next thing to do before I get the money?" I questioned just to be sure; it's only the contract, or he still has to lay with me.

"That's all. I have your Monument Bank account details. I'll wire your money as soon as possible," he said while he had already started typing on his phone. 

And within a minute or two I received a message beep on my phone, and the message reads, "YOU HAVE RECEIVED 23 MILLION DOLLARS FROM GEORGE WATSON." 

I was wowed on seeing the message; I felt like hugging him, but that's if it was a gift from him and not a trap.

"Thanks, sir." I didn't even know when the appreciative words came out of my mouth; does he even deserve it? I guess I don't care.

"You are welcome. Say my regards to your mom; I'll come check up on her today." He said in a cunning tone that something was fishy with his sudden change of behavior, but I don't know what, and I don't care; I have the money now, and I need to go now.

I raced out of his office; without hesitation and never looking back at him, I headed straight to the main gate, ignoring the calling of the security personnel coming right at me from the back.

"Wait," one of the security personnel kept on calling, but I never stopped; I felt like flying like a supergirl straight to the hospital.

My phone kept on ringing in my pulse but when I checked it as saw, Doctor Frank, I never bothered to pick up anymore, I know I've gotten the money already, all I have to do it's to get there before the last of hour of the 12 hours given.