CHAPTER THREE: THE KIDNAP

The employees at STANFORD COMPANY scurried away in fear and terror, refusing to breathe. The arrogant chiseled bastard proprietor had returned, his face hardened like a piece of rock. He returned no one's greetings and greeted no one, not even with a wave.

His mind was a mess. His pulse palpitating, his body tensed and his lips shivered. Why couldn't he block her out?

He kept seeing her in his dreams, when he woke up, when he was at work, even when he was having a bath, he kept seeing that one face. Her smiles were all he could see when he was having a bad day.

"No!" He snapped, trying to shake the thoughts away. 

And was she thinking about him as much as he was thinking about her? He doubted that, she had made it clear when she chose to get married, that he was out of the question, out of her life, their relationship had ended twenty years ago, twenty fùcking years ago.

So why could his mind not get rid of the feeling of her thighs against his?

Purple Brendon!

The feelings made him frustrated.

It made him angry.

It made him mad.

Arrrgh... His hands swept down everything on his table with a loud start.

.

.

"Have you yet considered patching things up with Evelyn?". His father's deep voice reached out to him like a nightmare.

Lucas turned to look at his father. Why must the old man complicate things every damn time they meet? By tradition, Lucas was expected to have dinner at the family's mansion every weekend, and every weekend, he was being reminded of the irreversible decision to marry Evelyn, the daughter of his father's business partner. 

He cleared his throat and pondered on a suitable response for his father. Evelyn was a beautiful girl with a chubby face that fitted perfectly. He liked her enough to look forward to his occasional meetings with her.

What he felt for her ended the day he met Purple.

His eyes slowly darted from the meal until it met his father's own

"I have refused to consider Evelyn, yet again father. I will always marry when I'm ready,"

Ben Duke flinched immediately at his son's response. 

"When will that ready ever be, son? You flirt around with every girl in town in the name of dating. Out of these girls, who have you decided to settle down with? None. And what? You're getting older. Tell me the hell how you intend to get married when you have spent your entire existence being a joke?"

"I have seen my wife, father," Lucas responded, his eyes distant.

Ben Duke edged forward in surprise.

"Yes Dad, she is the young lady that has chosen to lighten up my world,"

"And who's this goddess of yours? Do I know her?"

"She was a friend of mine who left me when I was ten"

"Friend? What friend?".

"Her name is purple, her name fits her just like the sun fits the sky".

"Purple?.... Ben seemed to think aloud

"Wait... Are you by chance referring to the daughter of Alice Brendon who worked in the company some years back?"

Lucas shook his head in acknowledgment, his smile widening.

His father's reaction was the exact opposite of his. His eyes stared in shock. The metal chair creaked as it was forcefully pushed behind.

Ben Duke stood on his full weight and slowly shook his head to the sides in disappointment. He opened his mouth to speak but suddenly stuttered.

"Do you mean that damned daughter of the harlot that almost ruined my company twenty years ago?"

As much as he foresaw his father's disapproval, he did not expect this dangerous reaction from the man standing in front of him. His father looked as if he was about to tear him up. 

"Dad…, I apologize if I have awakened a buried memory in you, but you must know that Purple is the choice I have made…"

"Shut the hell up!" He yelled. "Of all the women in this universe, you choose to settle with that bloody harlot? No, you'll never marry her, not while you remain my son! or else I'll kill her with my bare hands," 

His father's words made him disgusted

"I don't need you to help me live my life, Dad, but whatever your plans may be, don't forget you have a daring son". 

He made to walk away when the next words hit him like a blow.

"Are you also willing to let go of the company's inheritance for your useless love then? I cannot continue to harbor a son that refuses to obey me.

Lucas froze in his spot, his fingers curling to produce a fist, and his hands tightened until he could feel his fingers piercing deep into his flesh. He made a careful turn and walked up to his father with a smirk on his face.

"As expected, trust you to blackmail me with the company. Your demands are selfish and insensitive, that is why I cannot succumb to them. I am not your puppet and never will be. I am your son! and you're my father, but right now, I wish I had never become a product of a failed marriage." Lucas hissed.

The slammed door announced Lucas's departure from the room.

Ben Duke controlled himself from screaming aloud. He was a foot away from being doomed. What would become of his business deal with Evelyn's father?

Damn, the son of a bitch! He snarled.

He puffed hard on the cigarette as his brain whirled with thoughts. He had never imagined the future of his son with purple in it. The black hole Alice Brendon had left in his heart had refused to seal.

He gritted his teeth as his blood pounded in his ears and his thought raced aimlessly. Suddenly his lips spread in a sly smile.

The plan was worth executing.