Dark desires

CHAPTER FIVE: DONT RUN

NUT'S POV

First of all, what was going on in my dad's mind to let that guy into our house? What the hell was that smirk? I couldn't keep my eyes to myself; he looked way too cocky, acting like everyone would just fall at his feet. I didn't bother to interact—I casually greeted him and bolted up the stairs, feeling like he was checking me out.

I hate people like that. Once I was upstairs, I took my phone and did the most logical thing anyone would do when meeting someone new: I Googled him. From what I found, I should be concerned about my dad's safety. How did he get involved with people from the mafia? I know my dad does some shady stuff, but at least he usually makes an effort to hide it.

*Phone rings*

Caller ID: "Nagging Bee 💓"

Smiling, I picked up the phone.

"Oh my god, look who finally decided to call her brother! Here I was thinking that after you got married, you forgot about me. I'm not mad at all, totally not."

I could hear her laughing on the other end. It’s good to know she’s doing okay.

"Oh, shut up, Nut! With all the work going on at the company, you never told me you were coming back. I know I’m not your first priority, but suddenly I hear from Dad that you're home and didn’t even say, 'Hey, sis, I’m back.'"

She had a point, but I didn’t think I was at fault—coming here wasn't even my idea. I should be in Bali, enjoying my vacation.

"Sis, you know that can never happen. You’re the most precious person to me. Who else would I have anything to tell? And I thought you had your own company with your husband. Am I missing something here?"

For a moment, there was silence on the other end. I thought she hung up.

"Look, I don’t think it’s my place to tell you what’s going on. You should talk to Dad about it."

I didn’t like how that sounded at all. Dad hardly tells us anything, so for him to include Rina means something’s really bothering him. I wasn’t happy to be kept in the dark.

"Is it that serious? I hope this hasn’t been going on long and I’m the only one who didn’t know. You should have called me. You know Dad doesn’t do that."

Now everything was falling into place: the strange guy, the lack of food in the house, and Dad not hiring any new staff—just the old ones. Is he bankrupt? But that’s impossible, right? I was so confused.

"I don’t know how I’m going to talk to Dad. I’ll do it in the morning. How’s Gap doing? I know he’s not with you right now or he’d be the most irritating person on this phone."

I could hear her laugh. Gap is my friend from high school, and when he started dating my sister, let’s just say a few punches were thrown. But we’re over that now. He helped me through tough times, even if it hurt to know he was with my sister behind my back.

"I left him at home; he didn’t have any work today, so he’s taking care of the house. You should come over tomorrow. We can have some drinks and maybe go out together."

Ah, marriage hasn’t changed them one bit. They’re still the party couple they used to be. I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad, but they love clubbing.

"I’m definitely dropping by! I missed you, so of course. But please keep your husband off my back; I don’t want him to get another black eye from me."

I could hear her laughing as she hung up. It was good to talk to her, but I was still concerned about everything she had told me.

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The Next Day

Last night was the worst. I couldn’t sleep, thinking about what Rina said. I finally dozed off around 3:00 AM, but since Dad would be leaving early for God knows what, I had to catch him if I wanted to talk. I woke up early, usually taking hours to get ready, but I rushed and dashed outside, lucky enough to meet Dad coming down the stairs. He looked horrible—like he hadn’t slept a wink—which only heightened my concern.

"Dad, I need to talk to you about something."

He paused, turned around, and looked at me like he was trying to gauge what I wanted.

"Can we do it when I get back? I have an important meeting right now."

With that, he turned and left. I wasn’t surprised, but at least he said we’d talk later. Let’s hope he comes back before I go to bed.

I went back to my room and really got ready this time, because later I had to visit my sister.

I missed her so much.