THE THREAT

“I want you to get married to my son if you ever want your father to be released!” Mr Carter uttered the very words that would end up turning my life around.

“Again with this joke?” I asked in confusion.

"You really think I'm joking?" Mr. Carter asked, an amused look on his face.

"It's got to be a joke, right?" I said, my voice shaking with uncertainty, still not quite able to process what he was saying.

Mr. Carter's expression didn't change. "It's no joke," he said matter-of-factly. "I'm completely serious."

I was stunned. This couldn't be happening. But Mr. Carter's tone and demeanor left no room for doubt. I felt my stomach drop. This was no joke. My mother and I were caught in the middle of something we didn't understand and we had no idea what to do next.

"What do you want from us?" my mother asked, her voice breaking. "Why are you doing this?"

"I want something that is very important to me," Mr. Carter said. "I can't tell you what it is, but I can assure you that it's worth your while."

"What could possibly be worth all of this?" I asked, my mind racing.

Mr. Carter just smiled, his eyes glinting with a strange light. "You'll find out soon enough," he said, as he turned around to leave.

"Just wait a minute," my mother said, standing up abruptly. "I don't understand what you're saying. Are you saying that my husband is being held captive, and that you want Althea to marry your son in order to get him released?" Her voice was shaking with anger and confusion.

Mr. Carter turned to face her. "That's exactly what I'm saying," he said calmly. "It's a simple transaction. I have something you want, and you have something I want."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, my voice almost like a whisper.

"I'm afraid that's all I can tell you," Mr. Carter said, his tone resigned. "As for Bella, I can't imagine what it will be like for her to see her father with such visible scars. It's a terrible situation. It certainly will be hard to convince her that Daniel actually went to Germany." With that, he turned to leave and began to walk away.

My mother ran after him, her face a mask of anger and disbelief. "How could you do this to us? How could you kidnap your friend and leave his family in the dark?" She demanded. I followed close behind, my mind reeling from everything that had happened.

"Why would you betray your friendship like this?" my mother asked, her voice trembling. "You've known Daniel for years, and you've always been such a good friend to him. Why would you do something so awful?"

Mr. Carter stopped in his tracks, and turned to face us, his eyes flashing with anger. "Daniel was never my friend and he never will be!!! You know exactly why! So, stop with this whole dumb charade and victim card story plot because It's not working on me!”

My mother was silent, her face pale with shock. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Mr Carter got to the entrance and proceeded to walk away from us, heading for his car. My mother and I stayed behind.

Mr. Carter got into his car and drove off, leaving a cloud of dust behind him. My mother wiped her eyes and turned to me, her face full of sorrow. I could see the pain in her eyes, and I knew she was struggling to make sense of what had just happened. She headed back to the living room.

I stood there, frozen in place. Should I try to comfort her? I wasn't sure what to do. Part of me wanted to chase after Mr. Carter and demand answers, but I knew it would be futile. The other part of me just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. I felt like I was in a bad dream and couldn't wake up.

Thank God Bella was not here to see all of this. I said in my mind as I headed for the living room.

"I have to marry Adam?" I blurted out as soon as I entered the living room. The words tumbled out of my mouth, unable to be contained.

"That's what it seems like," my mother said, her voice distant and detached. She was sitting on the sofa, her eyes closed, rubbing her temples as if she had a headache.

"But... that's impossible!" I sputtered, my hands flailing in frustration. "No one has heard from him in ten years! He's a complete stranger to me! Why on earth would I want to marry him?"

"I don't have all the answers," my mother said, sounding exhausted. "I wish I did, but I don't. I'm just as confused as you are."

“Besides, his parents have been in touch with him regularly.” My mother said, finally opening her eyes.

"They're his parents, so of course they've been in touch with him," I pointed out the obvious. "But I don't know anything else about him. Don't you think I should know more about the man that I am expected to marry?" I asked, my voice rising in frustration.

"I agree," my mother said, her expression growing pensive.

“Mom, what do you know about Adam?” I asked.

"I know that he's wealthy and successful," my mother said, her voice soft. "He left home at the age of eighteen to go build his own empire, a legacy that would be great.”

"That's it! I know that. We know that. Everyone knows that about him!” I said, my voice rising in pitch “But that doesn't tell us anything about him as a person. What's he like? What are his values? What does he care about? Does he have any hobbies or interests? Does he have a sense of humor? Is he kind or cruel? Does he have a dark side?"

"So, what's wrong with him having money and a successful business?" My mother said, still calm.

"It's not about the money or the business, it's about the person behind it all. I need to know more about him as a person to make an informed decision." I voiced out carefully.

My mother nodded, seeing the logic in my argument. "You're right," she said. "But you don't have a choice, dear. You don't need to get to know him because you aren't making a decision! You are simply carrying out an order!”

“Then this is a problem, mother, because I can't get married to someone I don't know a thing about! That's not how marriage works, mother for God's sake!” I yelled out loud in frustration.

"Althea Ruiz, you must marry Adam!” my mother declared in a tone that brooked no argument.

I responded with equal conviction, "No, I won't. I refuse to marry someone I don't know. And I won't allow my father's safety to be used as a bargaining chip!"

My mother's eyes widened, but she refused to back down. "You don't understand. There's no other way! This is the only way to save your father!"

“How can you be so sure that Mr Carter is not just making an empty threat? We don't even know if he truly has father captive. I have a hard time believing that someone like him would actually do something like that. Are you sure he's not just trying to scare us?" I voiced out.

My mother's face was grim. "He's a very powerful man," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "He has the resources to make it happen. And I'm not willing to take any chances with your father's life!"

"Where is the proof that he can follow through with his threat?" I asked, my voice trembling. "How do we even know that he can be trusted? How are you so sure?”

“Because…be–because he said so a while ago.” My mother stuttered.

"No! I know there's more to this," I said, my voice trembling with emotion. "There has to be some hidden agenda that you're not telling me about. Why is he so determined to have me marry his son?"

My mother's expression was unreadable, but I could tell she was struggling to hold back her own emotions. "I'm not hiding anything from you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I just want to bring your father home, and Mr. Carter is offering us a way to make that happen. I know it's not ideal, but I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get him back. I can't keep on lying to Bella.”

“You are hiding something!” I insisted.

"I'm not hiding anything!" my mother insisted, her voice shaking with emotion. "I have no idea why Mr. Carter said those things about your father. He must be confused or mistaken. I can't explain his behavior."

"But it doesn't make sense!" I cried out, feeling more and more frustrated. "How can he just decide that they were never friends? They've known each other for years! Something doesn't add up here."

My mother's eyes met mine, and I could see the fear and uncertainty in them. "I know this is all very confusing," she said, taking a deep breath. "But I promise you, I'm not hiding anything. I don't know what's going on with Mr. Carter. I'm just as lost as you are."

Her words were like a splash of cold water to my face. It was clear that she wasn't going to give me any answers, no matter how much I pressed her. I felt like I was getting nowhere. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands.

“If you don't tell me the truth then I swear to God, mother, I will never get married to Adam and you will never see your husband. I will tell Bella the truth, that you were the reason why father got kidnapped!” I threatened my mother.

“Althea…” She called at me slowly with fear and a sad look in her eyes.

“Tell me, what is going on?!” I threatened harshly without any remorse towards her.

“Althea….” She called again, her voice breaking away.

"Bella!" I called out, my voice growing louder as I began to walk towards the door.

"Wait, Althea!" my mother said, reaching out a hand to stop me. "Please, don't do this!"

"Bella!" I said, increasing my voice so that it was serious and my mother would give in "I have something to tell you!" while taking a few more steps to the entrance.

My mother looked at me, her eyes full of worry and sadness “Althea, please don't do this. I beg of you!" she pleaded, her voice barely audible.

"Why can't you just tell me the truth?” I asked in frustration before continuing "Bella, come here!" I yelled even louder, my mother pleas falling on deaf ears.

“Althea…” She sobbed.

"Bella! Where are you?!” I called, growing more and more frantic as I began to head towards the door when my mother's voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Please, calm down, I will tell you the truth," my mother sobbed, her voice firm but gentle. "How could you threaten me with your own sister?!” she asked in disbelief.

“My own sister? She is not the one about to get married, I am. So tell me the truth.” I pointed out.

"You have to promise me you won't tell Bella," my mother said, her voice shaking.

I felt my heart pounding in my chest. I wasn't sure I wanted to hear what she had to say, but I had to know. "Okay, I promise," I said, my voice low and uncertain.

My mother took a deep breath, and then said, "Your father…"