Beautiful Madness

Finn sat silently in his chair. He stared at the man in front of him, who was staring at him intimidatingly. He took a deep breath, trying to hide the intense emotions in his chest. "Are you sure?" Finn confirmed his Boss's order. "Yes. I've given it a lot of thought," Finn's Boss replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "But__" "Just do it!"Finn's Boss ordered sternly, "Do you feel incapable of doing something so simple? If you feel incapable, say so. I can send someone else." He shrugged. "No, it's not that. It's just __ that if we do it, it will make a mess, which is very dangerous. "That's why we have to plan carefully." Finn's Boss persisted. "But__ Ah!" Finn sighed in exasperation. "What's wrong with you, Finn? Why are you so opposed to my plan?" "Because you told me to kidnap someone!" said Finn in a high tone. "What's wrong with kidnapping? Even killing people, you've done that many times. Why do you object to this one?" "But she is__." Finn defended his argument. "This is business, Finn! We don't discriminate. Why are you so melancholy?!" Finn's Boss demanded. "But this is going to be a big problem!" Finn refused again. "I'm sure you can handle it. I trust you." Bos-Finn patted him on the back. *** Finn Oakwood saw someone from behind the wheel. She was a beautiful woman with auburn hair, similar to copper. Beautiful and shiny down her back. She had just come out of a hospital lobby. According to the information he had received, the beautiful woman owned the leading children's hospital in his city. Finn lit a cigarette as he watched the woman intently. Her every move caught his attention. So beautiful and graceful. A luxury car pulled up in front of her. She opened the back door and went in. Then the car drove off with her. Finn slowly followed the car carrying her, keeping his distance from her so as not to be seen following her. She stopped at school. He also parked his car some distance away while he watched what the woman would do. The woman Finn was following got out of the car and stood by the door when he saw a little four-year-old girl running toward her. He continued to watch her. He can see the affection between mother and daughter. A small smile played on Finn's beautiful lips. He saw their closeness made him feel warm. A few moments later, the car carrying the woman drove away and stopped at an ice cream parlor. There seemed to be a man in the car, whom Finn recognized as the woman's husband. He left the happy little family chatting inside. A thin, meaningful smile was on his lips. *** Ruby parks her car in the courtyard of a coffee shop. She pulled the emergency brake lever, then turned the key to stop the engine. Ruby smoothed her makeup again in the small mirror she carried in her purse. She smiles with satisfaction at the final look of her makeup. Ruby is now 33 years old. Her appearance is even more beautiful, with red-brown hair on her back. Her eyes sparkle like blue diamonds, so mesmerizing. She has a smile as beautiful as a goddess in Greek mythology. She works as a pediatrician, and her hospital is one of the best. Ruby rolled down the window and smiled as she waved to a man sitting in an outdoor seat at a cafe. The man returned Ruby's smile and waved back. He was no less charming than Ruby. The handsome man's name was Benjamin. His wavy black hair is neatly combed and parted on the left side. His tanned irises sparkled happily. He could make women crash into a telephone pole or hit a wet floor warning sign in a shopping mall because their attention was distracted by his good looks. Ben became more and more skillful and good at running a business. The clothing company grew bigger and bigger. They ship their products to many countries. Ruby and Ben promised to have lunch together at this cafe. They have been married for seven years and have a daughter named Bella. The little girl is four years old. Because of their busy schedules, they rarely eat together. That's why when they have free time, like now, they talk to each other. Ruby got out of the car. Her hair was blowing in the strong wind. So did the leaves that flew in all directions. She closed her eyes tightly to keep the dust and sand out and covered her beautiful face with her palms. Ruby lowered her hands and opened her eyelids as the strong wind passed. She took another step toward her husband. A happy smile did not disappear from her sweet, soft pink lips, as smooth as cherry blossom petals in spring. Ruby's steps stopped abruptly! She was shocked when a black car suddenly stopped next to her. With her eyes wide open, Ruby turned to look at the car. Two men wearing black face coverings ambushed her. They grabbed her arms. She is terrified and struggles with all her might. "Ben! Ben, help me!" Ruby screamed. They violently dragged her body into the car. Benjamin looked up at the road from his seat. He immediately jumped up and sprinted toward his struggling wife. The chair he was sitting on fell backward. Benjamin ran and yelled loudly to his wife, "Ruby! But before his footsteps could reach Ruby, the car carrying his wife had driven away. "Ruby!" Benjamin continued calling loudly for his wife, who continued to drive away and disappeared. He dropped to his knees on the ground. "Ruby! f**k! Who are you?" Ben yelled, cursing. His body was shaking, and his breathing was rapid. His face was crimson with burning rage. Every drop of blood in his body was boiling with rage. How red he felt that his wife, whom he loved so much, had been kidnapped. "Ruby!" He cried as his wife sobbed. People gathered around, approaching and asking what had happened. Ben was confused. He was in a daze and had no idea what the situation was. "My wife! They kidnaped my wife!" he repeatedly said with cries of pain. The mobile phone in his pocket rang. Ben looked at the screen. Just a string of private numbers. Ben's shaking hand pressed the green button. "Hello," he said nervously. "Ben, help me!" cried Ruby in a loud voice. Her voice suddenly changed. Someone was covering her mouth. "Ruby!" Ben shouted. "Ben, listen carefully. If you want your wife to be safe, go home, and don't call the police!" The male voice on the other end was intimidating. "What do you want?!" Ben shouted again. His anger was running wild. "Listen, Ben. Go back to your house! Don't make a scene. Remember that! Calm down. No police, so your wife can be safe. I'll tell you what I need," the man said in a cold, deadly tone. Ben put his cell phone back in his pocket with deep sadness. "Come on, report it to the police," the people in the square shouted. Most of them were patrons of the cafe. "No need, I'm sorry. It was just a prank. It's my birthday." Ben said as lightly as he could. Everyone in the place uttered an expletive. What a lousy joke they had pulled. How could a woman do that to her husband? Everyone left. Ben returned home as his captors had instructed. He waited in their big house. He was staring at his phone on the table. Never before had he looked forward to his cell phone ringing as much as he did today. Fear swelled violently, filling his chest cavity. "What am I going to tell Bella later?" Ben muttered to himself. He was still waiting, and never before had waiting been so unbearable. *** "Let go of me!" Ruby continued to struggle and kick in all directions in the car. Fear filled every drop of her veins. "Calm down, dear! Stop making noise." A man said. He was in the front seat next to the driver. He turned and pointed the muzzle of the gun at Ruby's forehead. Instantly, Ruby's lips tightened. The man laughed softly. "Good! Nice behavior will keep you safe, darling." "Hahahaha." He laughed again. Even louder this time. As if seeing Ruby scared was fun for him. "Take care of her!" he ordered. The two men who had herded her into the car responded. They took small brown bottles from their pockets and poured them into handkerchiefs. Ruby scrambled to her feet. As a doctor, she knew for sure it was a chloroform solution. The man to Ruby's left held her hands behind her back while the man to her right pressed a handkerchief over her mouth and nose. Although she struggled, her body's need for oxygen forced her to inhale the air from the cloth. Everything looked shadowy. Ten seconds later, it all disappeared from Ruby's view. *** Ruby massaged her forehead, which was throbbing violently. Her whole body felt weak. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around. She was lying on a yellow-brown bed with a wooden frame. Ruby tried to recognize the place. By Ruby's estimation, this room was at least 5 x 6 meters. It was made entirely of wood. Some decorations made of deer antlers and abstract paintings hung beautifully on the walls. Two chairs and a table, also made of wood, were neatly arranged in the corner of the room. The bright light from the round glass window caught her attention. Ruby dragged her frail body closer to the window. She was surprised to see a beautiful mountain range surrounded by dense forest. The leaves were yellow-brown and falling. It was late fall, so all the trees had died, leaving only branches and twigs, but the pines were still tall and green with leaves. Ruby saw a parked UTV. It looked like an ATV, but this one could carry four passengers. The building was quite large. She could see through the window that there were more rooms. It looked like a big house or a hunting lodge in the mountains. There were high steps in front of it. She could tell it was a house on stilts with the floor high above the ground. Had she been under different circumstances and not been kidnapped, Ruby would have been amazed at the beauty of the surrounding nature. Bright green seawater, flanked by mountains, emptied into the ocean at the far end. A few swans were swimming on the surface. A group of fish-eating birds occasionally dipped their beaks and flew back with their beaks full of fish. "Where am I?" Ruby needed clarification. She obviously didn't know. She woke up in the middle of nowhere, which looked beautiful. Ruby looked at the door, which was brownish-yellow with a diamond pattern carved into it. The sound of footsteps on the wooden floor caught her attention. The door opened. A man emerged from behind the shutters. He looked at Ruby, who was still standing at the window. Their eyes met. The man smiled. "Sleeping Beauty is awake," he said, looking at the watch on his wrist.