Stacy's POV
Just as every morning oozes with hope, a renewed strength and the reminder of a long day scouting for better opportunities, the evenings reminded me of home, my mom, her sweet buttermilk pancakes.
The lousy atmosphere of the bustling city did little to infuriate me, no, and not even when the streetlights shone so bright.
I swear I might develop a migraine, it didn't stop me from marching onwards, smiling. The day had ended well, and finally, I was about to take the first big leap into actualizing my goals.
Jennifer had informed me earlier in the day that I should be called in for an interview in a few days, and despite my superior watching in on me closely at work, I couldn't help squealing in delight.
I wore an extra smile for every plate I served, and my feets felt really floaty when I busted out the doors of the restaurant, eager to deliver the news to my room. I was about to take the right fork off an alleyway when I heard a muffled groan.
It was no doubt a child's, and it didn't take long for me to spot the source of the sound. Laying motionless beneath the dark veils of the garbage cans, a little girl laid there, whimpering.
I clasped my hands shut on my lips, careful not to make a sound. It dawned on me what other possible horrors would have crossed this alleyway; the same one I walk past almost every day.
I ran up to her, crouching low so I could inspect her. I immediately scanned the alleyway, trying to be sure there was no one else around.
“Hey,” I whisper, surprised by my own somber tone, “Who in the world did this to you?”
Her eyes remained closed, but I could tell she winced when I lifted her from the pile of trash, careful to rest her head against my chest as I carried her home.
I kept whispering silent prayers, hoping we didn't get attacked before helping her to the safety of my house.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.
Sweat and liquor filled the air, but it wasn't enough satisfaction for Chris as he thrust deeper into the petite figure underneath him.
Her moans filled his ears, and for a first, he restrained himself from shutting her up.
“Faster, baby,” she moaned, thrashing her butt hard against his thighs. She wasn't getting enough, and he wanted more. He grabbed her firm by the waist, increasing his speed, thrusting faster as his eyes rolled back into his skull.
Her moans increased, and almost at the same time, both hit their climax, their breaths knocked out. Just as Chris crashed back into bed, a call came in.
Nothing pisses him off than a call when he was 'off duty'.
“What the f*ck is it now?!" He growled, his hands playing at the nipples of the petite girl.
“Ella's missing, boss, and we're sure Naomi is behind this.”
Chris is the head watchman of the mansion and even on his day off, he has to be called if something happens.
The girl was snuggling in closer, but it was enough to push her away, sending her head first to the wall.
“That b*tch," he muttered. “Knew she has a message of her own to deliver. Well, what about the watch? You could have tracked that, you dumb piece of shit!"
“There was no way of tracking it down, sir. Naomi must have taken it off Ella.”
Chris was already up his feet, his hands rummaging through the mess of a room, scooping his pants off the floor.
“You said Ella went missing; who else could have possibly known?”
“Rose and Mabel, sir but Rose is missing too, and Mabel, well, she's still present in the mansion. She was deployed yesterday for another wave of combing the city.”
Chris cocked his gun and secured it deep in his pants, wearing his shirt above the cover.
“Mabel must not utter a word about this. Not even a stutter. It isn't time yet, so have our men keep their feet around the perimeters of the mansion, in and out.”
"Yessir!"
He had dropped the phone to prop the buttons of his shirt when he noticed the girl was still nursing her wounds.
“Are you crazy?!” He roared, startling the girl. “Get the f*ck out b*tch! And get your asses into that mansion. All of you! You better keep our planted spies safe; nothing must alter the operations of our boss. Any word gets out, and it will be you and your girls paying for it. Understand?!"
The girl nodded, and he dashed out of the room.
*.*.*.*.*..*.*.*
Stacy's POV
My mom's eyes had been lingering on the little girl since I kicked the house doors shut a little too loudly, but now, I could feel her eyes boring holes into my back.
With a little help from the First Aid kit, I was able to wipe her most obvious wounds, gentle on the open wounds on her neck and torsos.
The girl stirred and turned, but a few minutes into midnight, and she was sound asleep.
“Now,” my mom cleared her throat as we walked towards the kitchen, “are you going to explain how you found the girl you brought home?”
“Well I prayed to God for a baby, and he gave her to me." I smirked, rinsing my hand in the sink. My mom fakes a shock, “My my, Holy Mary is that you?!” She said, rolling her eyes at me.
"No way! Now you are taking it too far mom?" I chuckled, turning for the stairs.
“What they did to her was awful, and I'm careful about taking this to the police. I might be concerned, but I want to keep us safe too.”
“We might be safe if you didn't bring her here,” my mom said, a wave of uncertainty clear in her tone.
“Are you saying I should have left her there?” I frowned.
“No no, I just ... I have a feeling this isn't right. We should be careful about this. About her.”
And with that, my mom turned for her room. I could sense her eyes boring into the girl as I dabbed at her wounds, her eyes revealing stories untold, but I knew she wasn't going to open up to me; no matter what it was.
As I caressed the little girl, watching her sleep, I couldn't help but feel a pang of excitement, wondering what our first encounter would turn out to be like.
Marcelo's POVThe gates creaked open, but I had no patience in waiting to get to the end of the driveway. My head was pounding, my fists hungry for blood and vengeance, and that feeling was growing every passing second.I opened the doors of the car and jumped out of it, oblivious to the muffled shock of my driver and bodyguards. I could spot Ryan at the entrance of the house, his hands already holding on firm to the door knob. I pulled my gun out of the leathered holster lodged in my jacket and I narrowed for the mansion with a glare no one dared to defy. Two days, and my Ella has not been found?!“And what is this I'm hearing?” I asked Ryan as I walked past him, not stopping an inch as I stormed into the mansion. My men were already positioned all over the house as instructed, but it was hard to tell who amongst them was the traitor. My years of experience wasn't simply going to fish them all out.“Ella still hasn't been found, s-sir,” Ryan stuttered. “But we found something on t
Stacy's POV “Why are you asking me for my phone?” I asked, a brow raised. My mom looked like she had something to let out of her mouth, and when she took a seat close to the girl, I was surprised at how calmly she spoke.“We might have taken you into our home, and provided you with shelter, but do you think it's wise to call anyone out there right now? Plus, maybe someone is still after you and we don't even know your name! Or —"“My name is Ella Jones. I am eight.” The girl responded curtly, “now please, can you help me with your phone? I really need to call my brother right now. He could be in danger!”Her voice sounded urgent and afraid, and I didn't know what refusing her would make her do. I could tell my mom was asking me not to, but I already peeled my smartphone from my pocket and handed it over to her. I watched in awe as she navigated my phone, but I was even more shocked when I realized she was operating my phone without asking for my passcode. Just how did she do that?S
Marcelo's POVMy phone rang in my pocket, it was Cathy calling, probably worried about Ella too I thought as I picked it up. "Alright. So you got a call from Ella, and she was saved by ...""Some woman," I completed her statement, "Naughty Ella wasn't going to let me know her name until I came to pick her up.”Cathy laughed heartily. "No way! But ... does that mean you will be staying in with her? What about the —"“Cathy,” I growled, “we will have a problem if you're going to lecture me about my father's mission.” I could almost picture her raising her hands in surrender.“Roger that, sir.” She said teasingly, “but you know Rose is still out on the loose, and so is Naomi.”“We haven't figured out who pulled the trigger on Mabel, and don't you think Ella is safe back here in Bluestone?” Bluestone was a five hour drive and I knew I had to be on my way quickly.“No way! We just got attacked there by 'The Raven', remember?” I asked sarcastically, laying emphasis on Cathy's assumption.
Marcelo's POVI couldn't place what struck me as spectacular in her eyes, but it was suddenly hard to lower my gaze as soon as I saw her. Her eyes could be likened to a sea of honey, so viscous it's hard to swim out of. Her blond hair meandering down her shoulders, curly and messy, but it felt it was made to suit just her. I could trace the tiny spots of freckles on her cheeks, they were unnoticeable but you could only tell when you were just a finger-length away. For a moment, I couldn't make out Ella's words, and my eyes began to trail down her face to her lips —“Brother!” Ella whined, tugging at my arms, “wouldn't you step in already? You're keeping them waiting,” She said excitedly. I would have sworn it was me being delusional, but I felt her gaze linger on mine just for a while longer before I walked in. Many would die to have my shoes sitting on their doorstep, but she doesn't know who I am?For a moment, I was grateful Ella was there to snap me out of my thoughts. I sud
Stacy's POVWhen I stepped outside and saw him, I was shocked. My eyes melted in his cream gold eyes, looking so innocent, his dark brown hair was messy probably because he has been looking for his sister. I thought as my gaze met his. As he came forward my nose caught his citrus scent, his broad shoulder standing out. He was looking so confident in that suit gosh! I looked at his lips and felt something. I can’t seem to shake it off, I could feel he was looking at me as much as I was looking at him. I was so nervous so I knew I had to break this silence first.“I’m Stacy William,” I said just to ease this whole tension. And when he opened his mouth to talk, I was staring at his lips. His down lips were ripped out as if telling me to bite on it, what am I doing here. I shaked my head as if that would stop my thoughts.And his voice snapped me out of my thoughts. “I’m Marcelo Jones.” I heard him say, like hell I wouldn’t know who you are.It was until he left I started to convince
Three days ago(Flashback)Rose had been darting around searching frantically for Ella's medications when Naomi barged in. “Hey, you will not lay a finger on —" she was silenced by a huge smack. Rose recollected what Ella had said about Naomi, and she knew just what Naomi was planning to do.“The girl is shivering!" Rose cried, “let her be!”Naomi wasn't listening, because she was already scooping, shaking Ella from the bed, flinging her over her shoulder so carelessly. “I'm not blind to see that now, am I?” Miami answered her not caring about what she has to say.“The girl needs urgent medical care, I personally got her drugs today!” Rose yelled back, but a wave of realization hit her. “You took those drugs out of here didn’t you?” Rose spat, her anger growing. “What do you want with the girl? Have you lost your mind?”Naomi could tell Rose had seen through her facade. She cocked her gun, still clinging on tight to Ella.“Do as little as whisper a word to the boss, and I will — R
Marcelo's POVI was in my office working, my mind still preoccupied with everything that has been happening.I opened my laptop to check the mail and I saw one mail in particular that caught my attention.The sender’s name was Stacy William and she was applying for the cook position in my restaurant here in Chicago.Is it truly her, I guess Ellie’s wish is really going to be granted and damn I can’t wait to see her again. I stood up lost in thought, heading towards the door as I needed something to distract myself with.“Meet me up at my personal study, Ken.” "Yessir!"The frown on Ella's face suggested otherwise. “And why would you leave now?” She said, oblivious to the pain she had been wailing non-stop about. The one the chubby nurse had inflicted on her with a smile on her face. “You just mentioned that dad was coming over."“Yes, but —""Chris, I think you are free to leave. My brother is waiting behind."I stare at Chris, pleading with my eyes. He had his eyes fixed on Ella on
“Take it easy with the gun, babe," Mr Jones chuckled, but his smile faded when he noticed she wasn't backing off. “Marcelo was there to watch, and I'm sure if Ella wanted me to know anything, she would have told me."“Or Marcelo," the lady added.“There's nothing that gets to Marcelo without my knowledge. Chris and Ryan make sure of that. Now, I don't want to smell you or any one of your minions close to my daughter.”“You should be thankful that a kind angel out there discovered Ella.” Mr Jones raised a brow, "You were behind this?!” “Listen. We needed to know more. We needed to proceed. Time was against us, and we couldn't just sit, lying around.”“You allowed your emotions to get in the way the last time. We need that code, and these minions aren't helping us out.”“They are my children, and I decide what to do with them. Now, I don't want to know if you sent Naomi to do this, but just know that Ella hides nothing from me. She never had and she won't start now. Stay away from her