JAC 6

IMMEDIATELY, Taphney placed her important belongings in her small suitcase. She only brought a few pairs of clothes and her important documents. She and her father planned for her to leave for another country until they had enough money to pay Ashton.

"Do you have everything you need now, Taphney?" her father asked as they walked down the stairs of their mansion. The young lady nodded vigorously. She had already finished packing despite having had a few drinks at the party she had just come from.

Her father wanted her away from their place and safe from whoever this Santocildez person was.

"Are you sure you want me to go first? I can wait for you at the airport," Taphney asked her father.

"No, Taphney. It's better for you to leave the country first. Mr. Santocildez has a huge interest in you. I didn't know he was that kind of man. Wait for me here, I'll just wake up Kuya Atong to take you to the airport."

"And where do you think you're going?"

As they heard the voice, they both stopped in their tracks. Taphney looked around the living room and saw a man sitting in their expensive armchair. He was surrounded by several men in black tuxedos.

"Who are you? How dare you enter our house without authorization? Are you one of those burglary gangs? What the hell? I'll call security--" Taphney's father started to speak, but was interrupted by the man in the chair.

"Why don't you ask your father, Miss Vergara?" the man said with a sarcastic tone.

Taphney wanted to hurl insults at the arrogant man, but she didn't have the time. Her father wanted her to leave immediately so she would do just that.

"Dad, don't wake up Kuya Atong. I'll just take a cab..." Taphney said as she gave a quick glance to the man who was still smirking and staring at her.

After a few minutes, her father still hadn't responded and didn't move from his position.

"Dad? Are you okay? I'm leaving now. Don't bother waking up Kuya Atong--"

"What are you doing here, Mr. Santocildez? You gave me a week, and it hasn't even been a day since you told me that," her father finally spoke, and it took Taphney a while to realize the name he had mentioned.

What's going on? Taphney quickly looked at the man who was now slowly standing up from his seat. She stared at him from head to toe, unable to believe her eyes. How could her father owe this man a hundred million pesos when they were almost of the same age? Taphney had always thought that Mr. Santocildez was an old man with wrinkled skin and a big belly. She had no idea that he was this handsome.

"Well, yeah. Sort of. But I suddenly thought that you and your child might run away, which I was not wrong about. Because look at you two, why do you have a suitcase? Are you planning on running away from your debts? Never on my track-"

"I'm the only one leaving. I have a party to attend-"

"Don't you dare cutting me off when I'm speaking, woman." The man spoke authoritatively.

Taphney couldn't understand why she suddenly felt afraid with just those simple words from the man. But she forced herself not to show any emotion. She was used to it. She could play any different emotion without anyone noticing it. Since her mother passed away, she told herself that she would never let anyone see her cry or get hurt.

The young woman took a step back when she saw her father block her path, as if protecting her. She felt a pinch in her heart again. She could hide any emotions she wants as long as her father is not associated with it.

"Dad-"

"Don't you dare talk to my daughter like that, Mr. Santocildez! I'm the one at fault here, I'm the one who owes you, so don't involve my daughter!" Mr. Vergara shouted angrily.

Taphney hurriedly threw her luggage down and held her father's arm. She was not used to hearing or seeing her father angry. She tried to calm herself down because she did not know how to calm her father down if they were both angry at that damn Santocildez.

"What a scene, I think I'm going to vomit. Tristan?"

The father and daughter turned their heads when a man slowly walked towards them. He only stopped a few steps away from them.

Taphney almost lost her soul when she blinked and saw a gun pointed at her and her father. She felt like she would faint at any moment. Could their lives end here? Would she and her father follow her mother?

"P-please spare my daughter. Please, I'll be the one to pay. I'm willing to give my life to you as payment, just please leave my daughter alone. Don't involve her in the sin because I'm the only one at fault," Taphney's father pleaded with tears in his eyes.

The young woman couldn't hold back her tears when she heard Tristan, the man holding the gun, cock it and point it at her father. "Anything you wanted to say to your father, woman? This is your last chance -"

"No! Fuck it. Don't you dare pull that trigger you dumb ass!" The girl angrily responded to whatever Santocildez was saying. She felt even angrier when she heard him chuckle, as if it was nothing to him that he was threatening two lives. He was like a demon!

"...you think it's funny? Threatening others' lives? Do you find that amusing that you can laugh about it? You're such an asshole!"

Taphney felt like her soul left her body when in a blink of an eye, she was standing face to face with Santocildez, who had a gun pointed straight at her forehead. She couldn't move, and all her strength seemed to have vanished.

"Cat got your tongue? Where's your courage now?" He taunted.

But the girl couldn't speak. She even forgot to blink. A tear escaped her right eye, and she couldn't even wipe it away.

"Please! Mr. Santocildez! Spare my daughter, she's just shocked. I'm sorry, forgive her please. Take me instead. Leave my daughter alone."

Tears streamed down Taphney's face like a broken faucet when she saw what her father had done. He knelt in front of these people. It was so painful to watch her father, whom she respected so much, kneel down to save her.

"Dad, get up. Don't bow to those animals. They are not saints, get up daddy-"

"Please, Taphney. Stop opening your mouth. You're only making things worse. Just keep your mouth shut, I can't bear to see you hurt while I'm still alive-"

"But they are the wrong ones! Just because of money they are willing to end another person's life? Fuck-"

"What are you trying to say then, Miss Vergara? Isn't money all that matters to you?"

"What?!" The girl was in utter shock. What was Santocildez saying? But instead of answering her question, he didn't look at her again.

"Enough with the drama. I'm getting sick of it. Now, I'm giving you two options, Mr. Vergara, pay the hundred million now, or I'll take your daughter as payment."

"How can I come up with that amount in such a short time? Please give me enough time," the father pleaded. They were just fooling each other if he said that they could produce one hundred million in a week.

Maybe it would have been possible before, but with the current situation of their airline, it seemed highly unlikely.

"Pay me after a week, or I'll take your daughter as payment-"

"Stop threatening my father, will you? I'll go with you. Just put that motherfucking gun away from him. I might lose it and grab it from you before I shoot you." Taphney bravely said.

She couldn't feel any fear anymore. She had moved on from that. She had removed the fear and worry from her heart. She would rather be with the demons than let her father be in danger.

What would Santocildez do with her? A maid? She was so stupid because she didn't know how to do any household chores. Maybe he would just break everything he sees in her house.

"No, Taphney anak. No, stay here. I'll take care of this. Don't get yourself involved in this mess," Taphney's father said as he pulled her away from where Santocildez was standing.

But she didn't listen. She didn't want her father to get involved in this anymore. She couldn't bear to see him suffer anymore. She doesn't care anymore. There's no room for fear in her heart now.

"No, dad. Let it go. And you..." Taphney said firmly, then lightly tapped the gun still pointed at her forehead. It moved slightly, but she didn't show any sign of fear. She maintained eye contact with the man.

"Hmm? What about me?" He teasingly asked.

"Stop threatening my father about the payment. I'll go with you. Just leave my father alone-"

"As you wish, woman. Let's go, everyone..." The man's men quickly dispersed and walked out of the mansion's large door. Taphney thought the man, Santocildez, would follow, but he suddenly turned to her.

"What-"

"Don't take too long. I'll give you three minutes to bid your goodbyes. Get out after three minutes or else I'll throw a grenade here at your mansion." The man's threatening words received only a cold stare from Taphney. Was he Lucifer's brother? Or was he planning to take Satan's place? Why was he so cruel?

The face may look pleasant, but the personality is rough. So impolite!

"Taphney, my child! Are you sure about what you're going to do? Something might happen to you. I don't know if I can bear it if I lose you too, my child. I don't want this, please. You should escape-"

"Dad, calm down. I know what I'm doing. I want you to trust me, okay?" She calmed her father down. Taphney hugged her father tightly so that he couldn't see her tears. She didn't want her father to see her weak anymore.

When she stopped crying, Taphney faced her father and held both of his hands tightly. "While I'm away, do everything to have that hundred million, okay, Dad? Do everything to get me back. After returning the devil's money, then we'll leave. I don't know where we're going, but our priority is to pay back that animal's money. I'll be fine, Daddy. Please don't worry."

"I'm sorry, Tapheny. I'm really sorry-"

"Ssh, it's okay, Daddy. I'll be fine. Your daughter will be fine. I trust you. You'll get me back as soon as possible."

Before she finally let go of her father's hands, she looked at him one last time before giving him a kiss on his hands. She hoped that he would get her back soon. She didn't know where she was going, who she would be with, and the only thing she knew was that she no longer had control over her life. She no longer had the life she used to have. The only thing she had was her courage and belief in herself.

She hoped she could survive for the safety of her father and for her life.