THE SECRET HEIRESS

TRUSTWORTHY

RONY

I wanted to shout for help but couldn't. I was bound in the passenger seat in between two armed men. One of them pointed his gun at my temple, the other one held it with both hands aiming at my booming heart. My hands and feet weren't bound and I could make a move. I could do all the running and shouting but at the cost of earning bullets from those men in black uniforms. There was no use asking about the person behind my kidnapping. Seth Frost. I knew him all along.

This was not his first attempt. Seth tried to kidnap me even on my eighteenth birthday. I was lucky to escape him back then, but luck is not always on one's side. The womaniser who loved making headlines about his affairs had always wanted me by his side. Veronica Thompson was nothing but the golden trophy he had been after throughout his life.

---

As we entered the dusty road, I began to remember those hideous eyes. I would go to hell but not to a man who held a heart to see me burning alive. Weaving an escape plan in captivity was baseless, but I feared the consequences of my inaction. Regardless, I started plotting to free myself.

Jumping out of the window of a public toilet was my last resort. Even though it was scary, I did exactly that. The dark alley further favoured me as I stealthily walked past the chain of vehicles just like a shadow. I walked like a cat, silently but with enough speed. Once out of their sight, I entered a taxi. The last thing I heard while leaving them behind was two gunshots. The driver understood his assignment and he drove as if he was flying a jetplane. I trembled at the thought of somebody being shot because of me. I had escaped from the back side of the toilet, leaving them waiting at the front door. They had snatched my purse and my belongings, so I had to pay the driver with my watch. There was no need to tell him to hide his identity. He had seen what happened to whoever helped me. So, he fled, leaving me in the middle of nowhere. Not a single vehicle gave me a ride after that. I walked along the highway with no track of time. But I had to keep walking lest they would find me, again. That's where I met a person, equally terrified and in a hurry like me. I didn't know for a fact that he had actually met my kidnappers on the way. And that he had barely escaped their gunshots as much as I had.

.....

Where he lived was a shady neighborhood, not very far from the highway. I followed him, closely, as he walked to their front door. It was an old and shabby house with just two rooms. It was congested on the inside and I only know how much I was struggling to breathe in his house. It wasn't filthy at all. However, I had never been in such a small house earlier. Thankfully, the air inside that house was way healthier than that of Seth Frost's mansion. I was content that at least I was in a good environment, even in the slum.

I was very tired by the time he left me alone in his grandmother's room. Hygiene was the last thing I had on my mind, because I lay in the bed, wearing the same party dress and with my make-up on. However, I couldn't fall asleep. Restlessness engulfed me. I needed to contact my dad at the earliest, but I didn't know how much the driver should be trusted. I had escaped those kidnappers but I wasn't totally out of danger.

Looking at the engagement ring in my hand, I thought about my wedding, which was in two days' time. Tears rolled down my eyes as I began to think about Alex. He must be out there, searching for me. Did he even know where I was? He must be clueless. On top of that, I was forced to write a note mentioning that I was eloping with my long-time boyfriend when, in fact, I had none. The more I thought about him being hurt, the more I couldn't sleep. I wanted to fly to where I should be but I wasn't a bird. And even if I was one, my wings were controlled by my fear of being found. If given a choice, I would love to choose my own death rather than being with Seth Frost.

.....

"Did something happen, Miss Rony?" I could tell that he was genuinely concerned about me.

'Umm...Mr. Driver, the thing is that.....actually,' I began but couldn't form a proper answer to his question so I apologised instead. I was going to lie all I had to but I wasn't going to let him know that I was afraid of the rain. The raindrops had clattered their metalled roof so much so that I had to sleep on the floor of their kitchen.

"It's okay. You don't have to feel bad about anything. You have escaped a tragedy. I can understand your fear, Miss." He nodded his head in the gentlest way. " Will you tell me why those men were after you? If I have to take you back to where you come from, I need to know the truth." He continued to wait for me to answer his question while I contemplated in my head whether it would be right to tell him the truth. In the end, I decided to keep him in the darkness. I didn't want any further troubles in my life.

'I can't tell you everything right now, but you must know that Mr. Frost is really scary. He wants to find me because I am a witness to one of his biggest crimes.' I couldn't hide the pain in my heart caused by the mere mention of his name. I had tried to forget about him for so many years. However, Seth Frost was that chapter of my life that could hardly be erased.

"Oh!" The driver sighed hard. "I don't want to scare you, Rony, but I know what kind of person Mr. Frost is. I have met him once." "I will try my best to protect you from his men, but we need to go to the police first, okay? Your family members must be worried about you." He was kind enough to think about my family, but what he didn't know was that I had a reason not to approach the authorities at any cost.