Becky’s POV “Hey! Take it easy,” Linda said. “What is the rush?” “Sorry I… I… I was going somewhere,” I stammered.“Everything alright?” She asked suspiciously.“Yes, fine,” I snapped impatiently.“Phil came to take Anna upstairs, he said you were ill, but you were fine at dinner, so what caused the sudden illness?”I had to control myself not to scream at her.“I have to go,” I said and pushed past her. I ran out of the compound and into the street. It was as if I was being chased after by my feelings, and I was eager to get away from them.I was hurt, angry, confused and tired. The streets were almost deserted. So it was easy to run through them. I could make out a few people standing in their garden and I knew they would be wondering what was chasing me. It seemed like I had run for hours before I became exhausted. I looked around for a place to rest and saw a large tree to my left. I went over and sat under it, leaning my back on the trunk. My legs were tired and sore. I would g
Becky's POV I tried to pull myself together. “Where is mom?” I asked quietly.“She went shopping,” Wendy said nervously.“Guess I better get going,” The blonde girl said. “See you at school tomorrow, Wendy.” I watched her go, wishing I was as cheerful as she.“Your friend?” I asked Wendy, for want of something to say.“Yeah, we go to school together. She was just here to assist me with my assignment,” she said awkwardly.“I remember it used to be me doing it for you,” I said softly. “May I enter?” “Sure!” Wendy stood back and I went in.The living room was just as I remembered it. It felt bittersweet being in my childhood home.“Becca, I know you are mad, but I can explain,” Wendy began, sitting beside me. “Mom asked me not to tell you that we hadn’t moved, so you won’t think of moving back in. I know it was wrong, but I agreed because I didn’t want to hurt you. Please don’t be mad.”“I am not mad at you. I just want to know why you guys didn’t move away.”“I don’t know exactly. Mom
Becky’s POV “Hey, are you okay?” Looking, I saw Phillip. His eyes showed so much concern.I wiped my eyes using the sleeve of my shirt, while sitting up at the same time. “Yeah. I am fine.”“No, you are not.” He sat next to me. “What happened?”“It is true,” I mumbled and began crying again. He pulled me towards him. I lay on his chest crying, my tears soaking his shirt.“Take it easy.” He lifted me from the floor, and led me to sit on the sofa.Then he allowed me some minutes to calm down before he gave me a tissue and a cup of water. Then, again, he asked me what happened. Still sniffing , I told him everything, as it had been at my mom’s house.“I really am sorry about that,” he said. “Any idea why she is behaving this way?”“No, she was never like this before.” I sniffed. “She just suddenly changed.”He had an amazed look. “Was it after your dad died?” he asked.“Before that. After Wendy, my sister, was born.” I sighed. “It was as if all the love she showed me went to her.”“W
Becky’s POV We were silent for a long time, but there was a question that nagged me. I needed to ask.“Did you ask Linda to move down here permanently?” I asked him.He frowned. “Ask Linda to move down here? No. She wanted to because she was hoping we could start a relationship, but when she saw it wouldn’t be possible, she changed her mind. Why?”“She said you asked her to move down here.”“Linda sometimes tries to force things to be the way she wants them,” he said.Meaning she lied. Which meant she had lied when she said Phillip told her he wasn’t interested in me. We watched movies till nearly midnight. I began to feel sleepy.“Want me to go?” He asked.“No. I want you to stay.” I looked up at him. “I love that you are here.”We kissed. He lay me down gently on the couch, and we continued kissing. My phone began ringing. I ignored it, not wanting to stop the kiss I was enjoying. I knew it would soon stop ringing.But it didn’t. It continued ringing till I woke up.Groaning, I ro
Becky’s POVAfter we said goodbye to Brenda and Linda, Larry drove us home. On the way, I noticed Anna seemed very sad.“Cheer up Anna. I will make sure you talk to her every day.” I promised.“I know you will, dear. I just wish she never had to leave. Almost all my family, friends and those I love have gone,” she said sadly.“Don’t say that, Anna. You have Phillip and Frank and a lot of other loved ones left,” I told her.I do not like to see her sad, so I thought of what could cheer her up.“Maybe we should not head home yet, Anna, we can visit the park,” I suggested.“I will prefer that,” Anna said.We headed for the park. We sat on a bench watching the birds.“How are your plan
Phillip's POV When Celine and I entered the dining room I noticed Rebecca’s smile froze. I sighed. I hadn’t wanted to bring Celine to dinner, it had all been Frank’s idea. Celine had come to my office this afternoon looking tearful. “What is it, Celine?” I asked, irritated.“You haven’t bothered to call or text me. You don’t care how I am, and yet you know how much I love you. Why are you treating me so cruelly?” She asked.“I am not. It is just that right now I am busy, you know that.”“Busy? That is why you walked me out of your house last time? Or was it because of Linda?”“Don’t start Celine. You were making a scene. I was trying to stop you.”“So Celine is the evil one. Everyone else is good. You choose Linda and even Rebecca over me.”“That is enough, okay. I don’t have time to waste. I am working.” She burst into tears.“For goodness’ sake, Celine, stop. You are making a scene,” I said.Frank came in.“Phil I-“ He stopped and looked at us.“What is going on?” He asked.“Celi
Becky’s POV Throughout dinner, I played with my food. Celine being here had spoiled my appetite. Why would Phillip still be having her around? Did he have feelings for her? But he had said he had feelings for me, so what was he doing with her? Or was he just toying with my emotions? I was confused and upset. He barely said a word to me at dinner, but he did warn Celine, when she was being rude and hostile. After dinner, he took her upstairs. I couldn’t stop myself from feeling hurt and jealous.Anna, too, wasn’t happy to see Celine.“I don’t know what Phillip sees in her.” She complained to me as I took her upstairs.Neither do I, I thought. As I came out of her room, I looked upstairs and thought of going to interrupt whatever he and Celine were doing. I could pretend to want to talk to him about what had happened today with Anna. But I changed my mind and went downstairs. Frank was waiting for me in the living room.“Becky, how about we hanging out a little since I am staying here
Becky’s POV I couldn’t sleep. The whole night I lay tossing and turning in bed. Had I carelessly tried to burn the house down? I know I had entered the kitchen to make a cup of coffee, but I had changed my mind and hadn’t even lit the stove, or had I? I was confused, upset, and worried. What was Philip going to do? I was up before dawn and realized I had to go back to the house to get my clothes.Trembling, I went back to the house.It wasn’t as terrible as I imagined. The kitchen walls were black, but the rest of the house wasn’t affected. I stood in the kitchen looking around. Then something on the floor caught my eye. I bent to pick it up. It was a matchstick. I stood looking at it and felt myself grow cold. I never used matches, ever. I only used lighters. And neither Phillip nor Frank, my only visitors, used matches either. So where had this stick of matches that had been used to light the gas stove come from?From the person who had lit the stove. I thought.I stood shaken and
Becky’s POVIt didn’t take long for the cop to find the key and get the chain off my leg. I felt a little dizzy when I tried to stand, but aside from that I was fine. The officer insisted on taking me to the hospital even though I told them I was okay. All I needed was a bath. Phillip rode with me in the ambulance while Celine and Frank were handcuffed and taken away.The doctors agreed I was okay except for the bruise on my ankle, I was told they would keep me for twenty-four hours then I could go home.“I will call Sandra, and the rest to let them know you are okay,” Phillip said as he kissed me.“Sure.”Finally, I was able to take a shower. I felt a lot better, but when I laid down, I couldn’t help being furious about the whole thing. How could Frank do such a thing? He said he loved me, was kidnapping me a funny way of showing it?Sandra and Jenny arrived so quickly I wondered if they had been in the area.They hugged me tightly, laughing and crying.“Thank God you are okay! What
Phillip’s POV“Frank! What the hell! Is this a joke?” Rebecca asked.I just stared at him, too lost to find my voice.“Does it look like a joke, Rebecca?” Frank sneered.“Frank, what are you doing?” I finally was able to mutter.“We are working together. Are you surprised?” Celine asked.“What? So Dom is working for you?” Rebecca asked in astonishment.“Sure. He has been my eye in the house from the day he was hired,” Frank smirked. “His job was to keep an eye on everyone there.”“Why?” I asked, stunned.“Are you asking, you idiot?” he laughed. “You really think I like you? You are dumber than I thought.”“We have been working together from the beginning. We knew each other before he introduced me to you, so it wasn’t so hard to come along,” Celine grinned.“So all the sabotage I have been having at the company, and the investors pulling out because of a false rumor, you were behind it?” I flared at Frank.“Yes. And I also told Jessica to dump you. I told her you were having an affair
Phillip’s POVIt was quite late when I got to the beach. Throughout the drive I kept wondering if I was doing the right thing. The kidnapper had phoned me on my way down and asked me to meet him there. He had told me to turn off my handset, and leave it in the car, warning me not to try anything stupid. The way he spoke, I guessed he was somehow observing me. And on my way down I had a feeling that there was someone coming behind me. I pulled up in front of the rundown abandoned building on the edge of the beach that had once been a warehouse. I did everything I was told and stepped out of the car. The air was cold and damp. I could hear the waves and my heart raced as I walked towards the building. I touched an old wooden door and it opened. It was dark inside, but the moonlight streamed in. Everywhere was quiet.“Hello!” I called out. The empty building echoed back at me.“Anyone here? Rebecca?”“Put your hands behind you!” A voice said quietly behind me.My heart skipped, but I o
Becky’s POV“It has been awhile hasn’t it?” Celine sneered.“So you are behind this? You are working with Dom! I guessed it.”“I am not the only one, stupid.” She laughed.“Who else? Your dad, right?”“You don’t need to know. Did you really think you and Phillip would get away with what you did to my family?”“We didn’t do anything!” I said angrily. “He did. My dad lost his company and reputation because of him! Now it is time for payback.”“You won’t get away with this, Celine!” “Save it! We already have. We are going to get money and get rid of you both.”I swallowed nervously.“What do you mean?” I demanded.“Simple, stupid. We are going to get ransom for you, then make sure you are never seen again. Are you scared?” She asked mockingly.“It won’t work. Phillip has probably informed the security agencies. If you kill me, you will regret it,” I said bravely.“He hasn’t, and he won’t. Besides who said anything about killing you? Although I would have preferred that, my partner has
Phillip’s POVSandra and Jenny looked at me anxiously as I hung up.“Well?” They asked.“The caller is asking for two hundred million dollars.” Sandra gasped. “When does he want it?” She muttered.“In five days.”“I will pay for it.”“Do you have that much money aunt Sandy? Your company may collapse,” Jenny told her.“I don’t mind,” she said. “Okay, I will pay half. Can you make up for the rest, Phillip?”“Wait, you want us to pay the ransom?” I asked, surprised.“Of course,” they chorused.“No. We are not paying any ransom. I will call the police.”“No! The kidnapper warned you not to, remember?” Jenny said.Sandra joined her. “She is right. We will keep it quiet, pay the ransom and Rebecca will be returned to us.” “Come on you two, you can’t really believe that? What if he gets the money and we never hear from him or Rebecca again?”“It is a risk we have to take,” Jenny said.“I prefer to risk going to the police,” I insisted.“No. Pay the money. It is the only way to get her bac
Becky’s POVI groaned and twisted as light infiltrated into my eyes. My eyes still felt heavy and that arrogant fragrance was still hovering over my nose.I thought I was at home and was drifting off to sleep again when I heard a cellphone ringing somewhere. The ringtone sounded like mine. I forced myself to open my eyes, and realized with a shock that I wasn’t on my bed at home.Quickly sitting up, my head spun a bit, and realization hit me that I was on an airbed. I looked around and noticed how small and dusty the room was. The only thing visible being the airbed and a portable toilet. Light streamed in from a glass window that had metal bars.Where am I? I thought.I scanned through my brain to recollect my past. Then I remembered. I was at the cemetery, about to leave when I saw Dom standing near my car. I remembered the hankie he tossed before me before I went blank.My heart skipped a beat. Did Dom kidnap me? Why? For money or something more? I tried to stand up, but I felt a p
Phillip’s POV“Enough Wendy! Go to your room!” Her mother snapped.Wendy frowned. “If you know where she is, mom, you should say it. If anything happens to her, you will be held accountable.” She marched to her room.“You see what you have caused! Now my own daughter thinks I am guilty!” She told me angrily.“Are you?” I asked, looking her in the eye.“Don’t be stupid, of course not. I didn’t know she was missing until Wendy started accusing me this afternoon. She was here yesterday and left the way she came.”“So where were you hoping to get the half a million from?”“Like I said, from Rebecca. She promised to give it to me.”I frowned. This was definitely a lie.“She couldn’t have,” I said. “I have looked at the financial records, with the way you left the company, if she took that much money out she risked going bankrupt. So how was she going to do it?”She looked surprised then uncomfortable.“Well maybe from her savings.”“Definitely no. She hasn’t saved up to that.”“I said mayb
Phillip’s POVAn officer stood there. The look on his face caused my heart to sink.“Good evening, Sir, I am asking for Rebecca Richards,” he said.“She is not here. Is anything wrong?”“We found her car parked at the cemetery. We would like her to come and remove it.”“The cemetery. Oh my God!” Sandra said, coming to join us. “She is not with us; we guess she must be in trouble.”“Have you made a report?” The cop asked.“No. I wanted to wait for twenty-four hours. But I will go now and do it,” I responded.I went straight ahead with the cop to remove the vehicle. The car keys, her phone, and her purse were on the driver’s seat.It became glaring that something was definitely wrong. ***“Jerry has something to do with this!” Jenny insisted.We were all in my living room. After I left the station, I went home and let Sandra know what had happened, then I called Frank and Jenny to inform them too. They didn’t waste time to show up in the mansion.After we all agreed that Rebecca may ha
Phillip’s POVFrank was sitting at a table eating lunch when I got to the restaurant.“I thought you guys had changed your minds and weren’t coming. I decided to order lunch for myself and have a lonely meal,” he complained.“Sorry, I got caught up in an emergency meeting,” I said, joining him.“On Saturday?”“Like I said, it's an emergency.”“Is everything okay now?”“Yeah. I have it under control.”“Why weren’t you picking your calls?” He asked.“You called me? I didn’t hear it. I turned off the volume. Is Rebecca not here?”“No. I called her too, but she did not pick up. She must be at work.”“No. She is taking time off work to prepare for our wedding.”“Really?”“Yes. I thought she would be here, that's why I didn’t hurry so much.”“Nope. I haven’t seen any sign of her. I have been calling her all afternoon,” Frank told me.I dialed her number. It rang without an answer.“She is supposed to meet Jenny this afternoon to pick up her gown. I guess that is where she is. She must have