Chapter 1
1353 Words
“Daddy,” his phone rang with the voice of a little girl, his daughter.
Melissa.
“Yes, darling.”
“Daddy,” her voice broke into a wild cry. “Mom drove me out, she doesn't let me inside the house.”
Dante’s heart was near to explode.
“Why?” He barked. “Why did she do that?” He scolded so hard. “Besides where did you get this phone from?”
He pulled the phone from his ear and peered through it. It was a strange number.
“I begged a woman from here in the street.” She said.
“Which part of the street are you?”
“Howard Street.”
“She's coming!” All of a sudden her pitch rose high.
“She's here! She's here!!”
“What's going on?” His heart was beating so hard, his skin fuming with heat.
“Melissa? Melissa?”
Then it seemed like something dropped to the ground. The phone. Elene had come, snatching the phone away from Melissa's hand. There was struggle in the background, then all of a sudden, everything turned dead.
“Sir, what's it? We are at your sent forth party, you will be asked to make a speech soon.” One of his soldier assistants quietly whispered to his ear.
“Get away first!” He shouted, rising up, he left the arena where the ceremony was going on. He has fought countless wars here in Iraq for the past seven years, through his sweat and blood has achieved the golden medal for himself.
The Field Marshall Position.
What does he want again? Is this ceremony more important than what he has achieved?
The soldier followed.
“Call the chief soldier-in-charge of the ceremony to let everyone know the celebrant has somewhere important to go.”
“And prepare the Jumbo Jet for me. We are flying to Mexico right away.”
“Sir?”
His right-hand man was shocked. “All of a sudden? Why sir?”
“Do what I say!” He scolded.
The soldier stood straight, saluting the Field Marshall.
“Alright sir!”
When Dante left Mexico, his little daughter was left to the care of his new wife, Elene. His first wife, the mother of his child, Dahlia died after childbirth. Ever since then, he has been taking care of Melissa alone for three good years before he married Elene.
Then Melissa was three years old and Elene was a good stepmother, treating Melissa as her child.
Now he was speechless to hear this from Melissa.
“Things must have gone wrong for long,” he murmured to himself.
Throughout the flight, he wasn't himself. His heart beat drums, his legs thumped on the ground and sweat pulled up in his palms.
For the first time, the first and only Field Marshall in the world with the greatest discipline among men was distracted. The man with no fear, no shaking emotions was crumbling inside for his little daughter.
His entire family was wiped out by a rival mafia gang and they chased after him and his brother which they succeeded in killing. Being himself alone left, he vowed to take revenge against these people by joining the Army and being great.
“I need a replica of myself in the world,” this had first come to his mind. “I need to let this heart share its love with some worthy woman.”
He thought this incase he didn't come back but deep down inside he believed he would come out victorious.
“What would have made me mingle with this wicked soul if my first wife hadn't died.”
In a few hours, he arrived in Mexico and went straight to his apartment to meet Elene and demand her to produce his daughter.
Upon getting there, he sighted his wife from a distance with a stout, muscular man at the swimming pool. They were curling and crushing on each other's body.
Dante stopped abruptly, then turned to his right-hand man soldier who followed him. The soldier stared blankly at his master, not knowing what to say.
“Sir, should I call my colleagues, together we will beat and tie them up.” He immediately said.
“No!” Dante stopped him. “Don't worry, I'm going to follow them. I don't need anyone to fight for me.” His voice was stout, filled with so much determination.
“In fact, I don't need to show her who I am now. Let her reveal her true self more.” Saying this, he turned around to go change his uniform with his battalion of medals.
“I thought I could one day come home to surprise her. My daughter’s cries brought me home but coming home, my heart has completely shattered.”
He now had two battles to fight.
From the military headquarters where he changed his uniform, he headed to the police station to enquire about the whereabouts of his daughter. He saw a woman dragging a little girl along the rough road. No one was stopping, his heart nearly bursted.
At once he stormed to the woman to rescue the abused little girl, only to see that it was his little daughter.
Melissa.
“What's going on here?” He grabbed the woman's hands, stopping her from dragging Melissa further but she shouted.
“You thief!”
“Leave me!!”
“Thief! Thief!”
She began gathering attention and soon people were closing in on Dante, they glared at him with irritating eyes.
“I will not let you abuse my daughter. Never!”
“Over my dead body!” He pulled Melissa from the ground, hugging her so tight.
“Daddy!” She cried.
The woman grabbed Melissa's hand, struggling for her with Dante.
“You dare to intervene in my business, to stop me from disciplining my slave whom I bought with thousands of dollars.”
She gave Dante a very hard slap, the crowd cheered. He couldn't tolerate this and was going to discipline her when the crowd closed in on him.
“You dare to touch a woman?” They accused him.
“Didn't you see when she slapped me?” He retaliated.
“Because you're a thief!”
“A robber!”
People from the crowd shouted. “Let's call the police.” They threatened, Dante knew he better speak up rather than keep silent.
“I'm no thief! Go away from me and my daughter, lest I teach all of you a lesson.”
“Even when caught, he still dares to speak boldly.” They sneered and one woman stepped in front of him.
“We can only let you go if we call the mother of this girl and she confirms to be your wife.”
At this, Dante’s heart sank.
It was an obvious challenge. In the crowd, he spotted people who knew him and Elene, probably with who she was with currently. They had orchestrated this.
Without waiting to hear his opinion, they called Elene. “This little girl lived with her.” They pretended not to know him here.
“Hello,” Elene’s voice came up on the line. They took Dante’s picture, sending it to her.
“Do you know this man? If yes, we will let him have this little girl.”
“He claims to be the father,” another added in the background.
Then there was a cold silence that swept doubt and suspense into Dante’s mind. Then after a brief silence, her voice came up.
“Where did you pick that criminal ex-convict from?”
“He was jailed when you didn't see him, I believe he's broken from jail.”
“I have nothing to do with such a person. Can't you see I'm with a prince charming, why link me up with an asshole.”
What a mischievous lie!
These words sunk so deep into Dante’s mind that his urge for revenge at that moment became greater than his urge to save himself and Melissa.
- Writer
