The Escape Plan
1539 Words
I stormed out of the house, tears rolling down my cheeks uncontrollably. I crouched down, wailing out loudly in front of a parked car across our house.
I couldn't believe this, the home I called family teaming up against me, to sell me off for their interest.
My stepmom's consent to it isn't of much shock to me but hearing my father lash out bittered words at me hurt me a lot.
I would not have been a useless daughter to him if only he knew, I equally made Fordham Group into what it is today.
I grew attached to my dad after losing my mom while she was on the verge of giving birth to my younger sibling in the hospital operation room. That was when I was in junior high school, then I thought the world was crumbling, I felt lost and all alone.
I had never imagined my mom leaving me, I resent her a lot then for leaving the little me in this sacred world.
That's when Dad took the responsibility of being a mother and at the same time a father to me, those were the best moments of our bond. Showing appreciation for his kind love, I secretly invested Mom's secret funds into his business making it boom up to Fordham Group today.
But the lovely memories didn't last long after my stepmom came into the picture. Suddenly, one day. Dad brought her in alongside a little boy who seemed older than me and introduced them to me as my new mother and elder brother.
“Vanessa! Dad brought you a surprise gift!” I remembered him saying that day.
Their presence in our family marked the beginning of my loneliness and suffering in Anderson's home.
“Miss, is anything wrong?” I heard a young man's voice.
I looked up to see a quite young handsome man, staring at me as I crouched at the car's side weeping.
I looked at the sight before me and sighed deeply. He looked quite charming, just like my type of man.
“I'm okay” I mumbled, helping myself up from the car's side.
“Are you sure? You seemed a bit stressed out. I can drive you to the hospital, if you don't mind” he said, carefully examining me with his eyes.
I found this quite offensive, why does he seem like a kind man with ulterior motives?
“I said I'm fine!” I growled at him, frustrated at him being overly kind when he had only met me today.
I turned back and walked away hastily down the street not knowing exactly where I should head to.
But one thing is the only thing that could bring me back to life from the depression clouding over me right now, getting myself wasted in fun and pleasure.
I waved down a cab immediately after I got to the main street.
“Hark Club, please” I mumbled to the driver as I climbed into the car, leaving behind Miss Vanessa Anderson of Fordham Group.
I noticed him looking at me from the front mirror and could sense some irritation on his lip.
What is he thinking of staring at me in that manner? To hell with all this old ass.
“Why are you hesitating?” I asked when I noticed he was not igniting the car.
“Young lady, don't you think it's too early to stop by a clubhouse?” he said, glancing at me from the rear mirror with a wink.
This Texas old ass doesn't just mind their business. Who the hell is he to try to seduce me?
I know I'm gorgeously beautiful to make any man drool, but I'm reserved away from an old d**k.
“Will you just please drive to my destination?” I chewed down the anger burning in me.
Immediately he noticed my sudden change of tone, he ignited the car right away and headed off to Hark Club.
*****
“You're welcome ma'am” the staff greeted me as I walked into the CEO's office, Caroline.
Caroline had been my friend since college, all thanks to her I knew a true friendship could exist.
All my other classmates only wanted friendship with me because I'm a rich company heiress, always on expensive wear.
Yeah, I'd admit to that, I love a high sense of luxury.
“Vanessa?” She exclaimed on seeing me enter her office.
I smiled faintly and sank into the chair across her table.
“Babe, why do you look shabby like this?” She said, noticing right away the difference from the Vanessa she knew.
I give her the merit, she's good at figuring out mood changes and she also possesses a good sense of guessing.
“Before any questions, get me a liquor. The strongest I can handle” I said.
She pressed the button on her table and instantly a young boy in the official uniform entered.
“Get me a Mojito mix and two glasses,” she said to the boy.
“Why two?” I asked, surprised at why she was requesting two glasses.
I'm here to be intoxicated and drenched in drunkenness not to share a bottle of liquor.
“How can I let you drink alone?” she said, standing up from her seat, and walking toward the seat across from me.
“I think I'll have to sell my shares in Fordham Group, with how the stocks kept plummeting,” she said, her face showing she was throwing a joke.
I scoffed as I closed my eyes, resting my head on the couch.
Fordham Group is the least on my mind right now.
“You know Donald Grants, right?” I asked.
“Yes, of course. Who doesn't know the ugly rich man that owns the big GH distribution” she replied, squeezing her face in disgust.
I guess being a friend makes our tastes in everything almost peculiar. Caroline is also a huge fan of handsome men just like I do or even more than I do.
Her present boyfriend is a successful model that is featured in a lot of advertisements, he is a well-known model in Texas and out of the country, while I'm just a single ass that sticks to partying with any unknown guy and disposes them later in the morning.
“My dad has arranged our wedding,” I said with a faint voice.
Caroline's jaw dropped, almost crashing down to the floor. She must have been so shocked at my outburst.
She would have never imagined the picky me getting married to just anyone and to make it worse, Donald Grants of all men.
Who cares if he's filthy rich when he's just an ugly duck?
“This is awesome news. What do you intend on doing? You can't just stick to them turning you around as they wish” Caroline exclaimed, her eyes glaring hard into my face.
I know, I can't continue being a pushover for the sake of that family. That's why I've decided to do the worst.
“I'm running away,” I said, to her surprise.
“What!?” She muttered and slammed her palm on her forehead.
“That won't be the right option. You know your dad will chase you down to the end of the world to fulfill his wish” she said.
She's right, Dad will always find me whenever I run. I remembered during my senior high school days, that he had wanted me to study Theater arts, for the sake of promoting the company's image, but my dream was to study financial accounting to be of major help to the company.
He chased me down to one of the African countries I had run away to and brought me back home to study his desired course. But that's when I was naive, I'm no longer the young Vanessa who kept quiet to being a pushover.
“There's always a way to go through it. Find me a run-down house in the countryside with a large ocean”.
“What? Are you trying to kill yourself?” Caroline exclaimed, jerking up from the seat.
“Why would I? I still have a lot of pleasures to explore” I said, grinning widely.
“Then what's that for?” Caroline murmured, taking a seat back.
“It's a change of game and a secret. Just do your best to find what I named. And also a building that has a rooftop would be good” I said with a curled smile.
Caroline stared at me in surprise. A question lingered on her face. She must be wondering what I have up to my sleeve this time around.
But certainly, I'm not committing suicide as her expression seems.
“Get me some food, I'm hungry” I pouted.
“You think this place is some sort of restaurant that you can just come by to eat,” she said, playfully curling her tongue.
I laughed at her words as she stood up and walked out of the room.
I will make sure to play this hide-and-seek away from my family carefully this time around.
- Writer
