Chapter - 1

Amara P.O.V

“Yes, almost done. Give me a couple of minutes!” I responded to my mother’s yell.

This morning I woke up to this unplanned trip which is totally uncalled for considering that we’ve just been to Bali a few weeks ago. But who can say no to a little travel.

Finally zipping up my suitcase, I take one last look at my appearance in the mirror as I exit the room. At the beginning of the staircase stood my 7-year-old brother, Ryder, waiting for me to head down.

“Little bun” he looks up from his bunny plushie at his nickname.

“Why aren’t you down, yet?” I ask while kneeling down to tie his undone shoelace.

“I was waiting for you, Amara” he says with one of his signature giggles.

Despite me being too older than him, he calls me by my name which I let go because it’s cute when he spells it.

“Why?” I ask about being almost done with the shoelace.

“Because, you told me I shouldn’t be running down the stairs recklessly because I may hurt myself” he answers.

“Good boy!” praising him I guided him down with one of my hands with my suitcase in another.

Now that I am down, I take in the hastening atmosphere in the living room. What is happening? All the maids of our house rush from the kitchen to the living room with some food packed containers. The guards hurriedly collected our luggages probably to load them into the car.

I see my mother and father talking to some of the head maids, so I walk over to them with my brother.

“Mamma!” I call out to earn their attention.

“Finally, Amara, you are down. Get in the car immediately” my father informs.

“Wait, aren’t we having our breakfast?” I ask.

“In the car, Amara” my mother says, ushering us out.

“But why? Why are we in a hurry?” they both halt at my question.

Gazing at each other, as if they are searching for an answer to my question, they finally turn towards me.

“We are late for our flight!” they utter in unison.

Wait, so, the almost biggest businessman in the New York, who have numerous guards surrounding his mansion for his and his family’s security and many maids who get his daily needs done within a snap and the man who spends the money as if it grows in his backyard is worried about being late to the flight because he can’t buy another plane ticket in a matter of seconds?

Wow! Perfectly normal!

Walking to our main porch, I notice not two but only one car. Usually when we head out, my father and mother would take one while me and my brother take the other with drivers in each.

Tossing aside the things I have been witnessing since the morning, the most startling moment should be my father getting into the driver’s seat.

MY FATHER IS DRIVING THE CAR!!?

Well, perfectly normal no.2!

Not to be dramatic, but trust me when I say I never saw my father driving the car, not when he took my mom on surprise dates, not when he dropped me off to school on my first day, not when my mom was pregnant with my Ryder and needed urgent medical care.

As I and Ryder got in the back while my mother was in the passenger seat, we exited the mansion gates. I saw Ryder stirring around in his seat being uncomfortable so, I turned around to find him a pillow which is when I saw our guards following us.

“Dad, our guards are following us.” I notify him through the rear-view mirror.

“Well, that is what I pay them for” he shrugs.

 “But we never take security while we are on a vacation. You hate drawing attention” I reason.

“Our safety should be the first priority, Amara” my mother chimes in.

Now, my parents’ odd behaviour is reaching the bar, maybe this is when I should start worrying.

“Mamma, Dad. Why are we going on this sudden surprise trip? Did something happen that you are not telling me?” I finally voice out the question which has been itching me since I opened my eyes this morning.

“Nothing’s wrong, Amara. Just lean back and relax!” My mother dismisses the topic.

“It can’t be! Did dad’s company go bankrupt so we are running away?” I gasp at the realisation.

“Stop running your imagination wild, Amara” my father glares from the rear-view mirror.

“But then why---“.

“Mamma, I am hungry” my brother cuts me off.

My mother then passes me a look which meant for me to shut up and attend to my brother's needs.

Opening the formerly packed breakfast container, I pass it over to Ryder.

Now that I think of it, my parents' uncommon behaviour began last night.

Last Night

As usual I was enjoying my Friday night with my girls when I received a call from my father. Excusing myself, I strolled to the outside of the club, since the music inside is booming.

On the phone

“Hey, dad!”.

“Amara, where are you?” my father’s hurried voice came through the other side.

“I am out with my friends, dad”.

“I need you to return home, right now!” he demands.

“Did something happen?” I frown at his words.

“Just come home, right now!” he repeats and the line goes off.

There was never a curfew for me and both my parents were never interested in who I am with or where I went, as they trusted me enough also considering the fact that I am twenty-five years’ old.

So, if he is hellbent on needing me home right now, then maybe this is something important.

Bidding my goodbye to my friends I got into my car and headed home.

Nearing the gates I saw a series of Black SUVs leaving the mansion. Did dad have a business meeting?

Entering in I saw my mom already waiting for me in the living room.

“Mamma, Dad asked me---“.

“Amara, go upstairs to your room” she cut me off as I started.

“But mamma dad called me and---“.

“Amara, just go. He’ll meet you upstairs in your room once he is free” she deadpanned.

I headed to my room, got ready for the bed and eventually slipped into my dreamland but my father never came.

It’s been a while since we've been heading to the airport, and it looked like we still have a long way to go, so I slumped back into my seat to take a nap but the sudden halt of the car startled me.

I quickly took a look at my brother who was still sleeping soundly and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Are you guys alright?” my dad posed looking back at us while I nodded in assurance.

“What’s that about?” I look outside to the front between my mother and father to see a black SUV car straight infront of our car.

“Well, he shouldn’t be driving that way” I voice out and see that my father is backing down to take a different route.

“Dad, why are you backing down, he is the one in the wrong” I frown.

My father is everything but a coward. I have never seen him accept defeat without a good fight, not when he is in the right.

Another halt as he started to back up the car. I turn around to see another black SUV.

I was so into the situation that I didn’t notice the terrified looks on my parent’s face.

“Dad, who are they?” I ask snapping them back.

“Just a business partner of mine. Seems like he is here to meet. Let me just go and say a quick hi” he unbuckles his seat belt.

Only when my father is a few feet closer to the car infront of us, I see a tall, muscular figure getting down.

The silhouette got down from the car and held this powerful and dangerous aura around him.

“What a strange way to have a business meeting!” I mutter.

It’s now been a while of my dad having his little ‘business meet’. Between them it didn’t seem like a conversation or a business deal, atleast not to me. It was more like the stranger was making amends to which my father was obeying.

Just when I thought everything is almost alright, I saw the man grab my father’s collar.

The nerve of that bastard!

Unbuckling my seat, I unlocked the door.

“Amara, don’t----” I slammed the door shut, not letting my mother complete her words.

Marching over them, I call out.

“Dad!”.

Their intensive glares at each other breaks as they both now set their eyes on me.

“Amara, get back in the car!” my dad demands crossing the few steps left between.

“What is happening here, dad? Why the hell did you let him lay a hand on you?”.

Hissing in anger, I turned towards the strange man and met with a pair of beautiful chocolate brown eyes. A strange spell made my body immobile for a moment. Only when his woody musk scent filled my nostrils, I realised that he is now standing only a few inches away from me.

“Daddy’s little princess, aren’t you?” he mocks with a nasty smirk on his flawless face.

Before I retort back, my dad guards’ me by hiding me behind him.

“This conversation is over, Zale!” my dad states picking up my hand and ushers me towards the car.

Only a step forward when I feel a strong hold on my other hand. Turning around I see the mysterious man grabbing onto my right hand with a steel grip.

“This conversation is over when I say it is!” he grits his teeth.

With a jerk he pulls me towards himself and I feel my hand slipping out of my father’s.

“Remember? I told you I would take her away from you when she’s useful to me. Well, now she is!” my father’s worried-sick expression washing away the shadowy man’s anger while replacing it with a grin, a cruel one.