Chapter Seven

"Good morning, Alicia," Lady Jennifer cleared her throat and looked at Alicia, who stood in front of them.

"This is Jeff Brody. He came here last night with Damian Tucker. So you have to go with them to negotiate with their boss," Lady Jennifer said. She couldn't look up to meet her daughter's gaze. She felt like a bad mother for offering her daughter to Damian Tucker, after all she had heard about him being a ruthless boss.

"Mom, if this is a joke, stop it. I did not agree to any silly arrangement between Damian and Dad. I already told you that John will get the money, and we will pay them. Why are they here?" Alicia glared at the men in black, and Jeff Brody spoke up, "It's to make the payment easier. Have you thought of the consequences if you and your family are unable to pay my boss by the end of the month?"

Alicia glared at Jeff as she met his gaze. She swallowed hard and told him, "I will never agree to such a stupid arrangement. Get out of my father's house now before I call the cops. I am not going to become your boss's woman. So leave..."

Jeff looked from Alicia to Lady Jennifer to see if she had anything else to say, and he replied, "That's fine. I will let my boss know. Let's go, boys."

He turned around and left the room while Lady Jennifer released a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She was stunned when she saw the men in black arrive to pick up Alicia. She hadn't anticipated that they would come; the phone call the previous night was still a surprise to her.

"Alicia, you have to consider their offer. Please, you are doing this to help your father," Lady Jennifer tried to coax her daughter, but Alicia remained silent as she went to the dining table to sit and have her breakfast.

"Mom, I don't have anything to say to you. You can offer yourself to Damian; I don't care, and I will never succumb to this. I would rather die than allow Damian to lay his filthy hands on me." Alicia glared at her mother, and Lady Jennifer sighed.

"Your father caused all this, and I don't blame you. But what if we are unable to raise the money? $10,000,000 is no joke, Alicia." Lady Jennifer cried as she settled on her chair across from Alicia.

Caden took his seat, and Samantha did the same.

"Mom, I believe we will be able to raise the money. Let's not rush Alicia into marrying Damian. We do not know his plans yet, and we know that he is evil and not just a rumor about him. He killed his last girlfriend, and the news was buried because he is a mafia kingpin. Do you want to lose Alicia for your husband? Dad is already old, but Alicia is young. Please, let's think this through and try to see how else we can raise the money," Caden interjected, and the dining table became silent.

"Mmm..." Lady Jennifer sighed heavily, wishing she had an alternative to raise the money to save her husband's life, but she didn't. Even if she went to take out a loan from the bank, she didn't have the means to raise the money and pay it back. So it was quite frustrating.

Alicia remained silent as nervous maids came to serve them breakfast around the dining table. They served her and her family.

Alicia loved her father, but she could not trade herself in exchange for his freedom. She finished her breakfast, stood up from the table, and prepared to leave for work.

"Mom, I am off to work," Alicia said sadly, and her mother sighed.

"Alright. Take care and don't go anywhere strange," Lady Jennifer advised, and Alicia nodded.

"Alright, Mom. Take care too. Goodbye, sister, big brother," Alicia waved goodbye to her siblings and left the house, as her siblings hadn't started drinking their tea yet.

She exited the house, walked up to her small red car in the driveway, and got into the car.

"Hmmm," Alicia exhaled heavily as she settled into her car. Her phone rang in her handbag, and she picked it up.

"Hello, who is this?" Alicia asked, and she heard a deep voice ask her.

"Why didn't you come along? Testing my patience, right?"

Alicia froze as she removed her phone from her ear and looked at the strange caller. She didn't have this number stored on her phone before. She suspected, "Is this Damian Tucker?"

"How interesting that you already know my voice. I will give you and your family until the end of the month to pay off your father's debt. Failure to do so, and you won't like my actions."

Alicia gulped hard, and before the call ended, she asked him, "Hello, can we pay five million this month and the other half next month?"

"Hahaha!" Damian's laugh echoed in the call, sending shivers down Alicia's spine.

"When I loaned your father this money, I didn't give him half; I gave him the entire amount at once. So when you are expected to pay me back, you have to pay me in full, not half payment. I will let you off now."

"Wait..." Alicia's nervous voice stopped him from ending the call.

"What's it? What do you want to ask again?" he inquired, his cold voice making her heart cringe.

"What do you want from me? Why did you choose me? Why do you want me to become your contract bride? I do not want you or this agreement. I have a boyfriend, and I love him very much and cannot break up with him," Alicia deadpanned in a shaky voice, feeling her heart beat accelerated.

The call went silent for a while, and then Damian ended it without saying anything to her.

Alicia looked at her phone screen and sighed. Her hands shook, as she was scared. She put it away and started her car engine. Then she drove ahead to the hospital where she worked in the developed town as a nurse.

****

After closing from her morning shift, Alicia came out of the hospital building and felt someone's eyes on her.

As she looked ahead at the hospital parking lot, she was shocked to see Damian Tucker standing there, dressed in black, and speaking to the chief consultant doctor of the hospital.

Damian wore a black tailored suit, his short black afro hair neatly combed. His deep blue eyes met hers, his hands behind his back as he listened attentively, looking at her while speaking with the doctor.

Alicia swallowed hard, and swiftly looked away from Damian, before she strode ahead to her car. However, before she could enter, the chief doctor noticed her and hastily called her attention, "Nurse Alicia. Have you finished your morning duty for today?"

Alicia wanted to escape the presence of Damian. She didn't want to look at him but at the same time, she didn't want to be disrespectful to the elderly doctor.

"Yes, Doctor. I'm through and going home," Alicia managed to replied to the elderly doctor, who wore a white coat and black trousers. Doctor Elijah Benard was a 50-year-old man with rich dark skin.

He told Alicia, "Alright. Take care, Alicia. However, this is Mr. Damian Tucker. He is one of our biggest investors and a good philanthropist here in our hospital, who helps the sick in taking care of their hospital bills."

Alicia looked at Damian's face with furrowed brows but, before Dr. Elijah, she faked a smile and replied, "It's nice meeting you, Mr. Damian."

Alicia offered a handshake, just to appear nice in front of Dr. Elijah who held her in high regards.

However, Damian, on the other hand, didn't reply; he looked ahead at Mr. Elijah Benard and told him, "I have to go now, Doctor. Take care, and I will send my assistant to come and clear off the patients' bills."

"Alright, Mr. Damian. Take care too," Dr. Elijah replied, and watched Damian walk ahead to his car, leaving Alicia and him alone.

"Did you know Mr. Damian before?" Dr. Elijah asked, and Alicia shook her head and replied, "No, Doctor. This is my first time seeing him."

Dr. Elijah smiled and said, "That's fine. You can be on your way home."

Alicia stood there watching as Damian approached his black Maybach. A bodyguard pulled the door for him, and he looked back at her before getting into his car and settling into the rear. The bodyguard carefully shut the door, got into the front seat, and the car drove away.

"Hmm," Alicia sighed, her fist clenched as she held her car key. She went to her own car. A red small car. However, her phone rang in her bag, and her heart skipped a beat, thinking it was Damian calling her.

She hadn't saved his number, but upon retrieving her phone from her handbag, she was relieved to see that it was Jonathan calling her.

"Hello, John," Alicia answered his call as she settled into her car's driver's seat.

"Hi, babe. Where are you?" Jonathan asked her in a soft tone eager to see her, to which she replied, "I just closed from work now."

"Okay. Can we meet today? I want to take you out and show you my new house?" he asked her, and Alicia gulped hard.

"Jonathan, where is your new home? I hope it's not far?" Alicia asked, to which he said, "No, babe. It's not far."

"Alright. I will be there soon. Send me the location." Alicia took a deep breath and replied, before she ended the call. She waited in her red Porsche car for Jonathan to send his new home address.

Once she received the message notification that popped up in her phone screen. Alicia started her car and drove off to Jonathan's new house.