The Kidnapping

Lily's POV

"Nana Rosa's time is running out," Dr. Philip announced, his words hanging in the air like a death sentence.

"The cancer has spread aggressively," he explained gently. "We've explored every possible treatment, done everything we can, but unfortunately, it's too late."

"We need to perform surgery immediately, but it's expensive. Without it, she'll..." He trailed off, leaving the unspoken consequences hanging.

"How much?" I asked, desperation clawing at my heart.

"$5,000,000," Dr. Philip replied gently.

$5,000,000? Where on earth would I find that amount? And with such little time, I can't take a loan at this point. We're barely surviving

Nana Rosa's frail hand grasped mine.

"Lily...don't worry," she whispered.

“No, there must be something we can do...anything. We can ask Mr Walter to..”

“It's no use, Lily, I'm already owing more than I can afford, more than you know,” she whispered, a faint, warm smile spreading across her pale lips.

My grip on her hand tightened, desperation coursing through me.

"No, Nana, don't talk like that," I pleaded, my voice cracking. "You'll get better, you have to."

I closed my eyes and started chewing on my nails. Who will I ask for help? $5,000,000? Will it be possible?

But then, something suddenly clicked in my mind. The Art competition! Someone reviewed my work online days ago and sent an invite for a competition in Milan

"I know a way!" I exclaimed.

"What is it?" Nana asked, looking at me hopefully.

I narrated my brief conversation with Mr Bernard to Nana. “I have to go to Milan for the competition. I'll win it and come back with the prize money to save you, Nana."

But little did I know, this resolve would lead me down a treacherous path.

*****

I struggled to get comfortable in my seat, eager to arrive in Milan.

"Mind if I join?" a gentle voice spoke from beside me.

"Not at all," I replied, shifting to make room.

"Timothy," he said, extending his hand.

"Lily," I responded, shaking it. As the plane took off, we chatted about everything from art to travel. I couldn't help but notice the way he listened attentively, his eyes never leaving mine, making me blush.

As we prepared to part ways, Timothy and I exchanged numbers. After he left, I was waiting for a cab, and then I noticed a group of men in suits nearby, staring at me as if I owed them money.

One of them approached me. "You're Lily?" he asked.

I nodded, feeling uneasy. "Uhm, How can I help you?"

He didn't answer; he signaled to his men, and then a black van stopped in front of me.

Uhmm, that didn't look good.

Before I could react I was violently thrown into the van. My heart pounded in my chest as I heard the door slammed shut and the engine turned on.

“W-who are you! W-why have you taken me!” I screamed, but I got no answer; instead, a tape was placed over my mouth and a hood over my head, suffocating me.

When the van screeched to a halt I was carried out till I heard the door slammed shut behind me. I was chained to a chair and the hood was taken off.

"So, Lily," one of the men sneered, ripping the tape off my mouth. "The warehouse."

I shook my head, tears flowing down my cheeks. "W-what warehouse."

The men exchanged looks. One of them pressed a gun on my head.

"Please, don't shoot me!" I begged, crying uncontrollably.

Just as they were about to interrogate me further, a phone rang. The leader answered, listened for a moment, and then his face twisted in horror.

"What now?" one of the men asked.

"It's the boss," the leader replied. "Baby is missing!"

The men rushed out of the room, leaving me shaking in fear. What did they want from me? What warehouse are they talking about?

This can't be happening, not now. I need to leave before they get back. My eyes darted to the keys on the table and I struggled towards it. Just when I was close, the door opened slowly and my heart stopped.

I closed my eyes and prepared for the worst but still, I prayed it wasn't the kidnappers.

"H-hello?," A shaky voice said.

I opened my eyes to see a little girl with blue eyes, curly black hair and wet cheeks. She looked like she had been crying."Hey, are you okay?"

She shook her head, her lower lip quivering as she cried and pointed to her knee. "I...I fell," she said, her voice trembling.

I glanced down and saw a scrape on her knee. "Oh no, you're bleeding”.

What was she doing here? Was she kidnapped too? What would they possibly want from a little child? Money?

“My name is Lily," I said gently. "What's yours?"

"A-Ava," she stammered.

I smiled, trying to reassure her. "It's okay, Ava. I'm here. We'll figure this out together."

Ava nodded and came closer to rest her head on my thigh. I instructed her to take the key from the table and unlock the padlock. Finally, I was free. I used my scarf to tie her knee, hoping the bleeding would stop then I took a gun from the table. I took in deep breaths before leaving the room.

"Where are we going?", Ava whispered.

"Anywhere but here, maybe to the police" I replied, trying to keep my voice low.

Ava looked up at me curiously. "Why?" she asked, confusion etched on her face.

Why? What does she mean by 'why'? I didn't have time to explain. I carried her and ran through the corridor. But Ava started to squirm.

"Put me down!" she cried. “I'm not going outside with you!"

I didn't understand. Why would she want to stay?

But before I could ask, footsteps echoed behind us. People were shouting.

"Find them! Don't let them get away!"

Ava kept screaming, which was confusing.

Just as I was about to open the door, I heard a gunshot, and I froze. Someone had shot the handle of the door.

A cold pit formed in my stomach and I held Ava tight against my chest. Tears threatened to flow down my cheeks.

I slowly turned around to see a man at the top of the stairs. His presence was terrifying as his companions stood beside him. He looked very tall, with dark hair and piercing blue eyes.

His gun was still smoking from the shot he'd fired. His eyes locked onto me and then Ava before noticing the gun I held.

If looks could kill was a person. It would be him.

"Where do you think you're going with my daughter?" he demanded, his voice sending shivers down my spine.