Neglected mate of an alpha

Chapter 5

Ann quickly dropped her bag on the couch and rushed to her son.

"My son. What happened, why are you crying" she asked as she noticed stains of sauce all over his shift.

"It's Precious. she refused to give me more sauce, instead, she poured the pot of sauce on me" he sobbed

"Yeh! the witch wants to kill my son! I will kill you today" she muttered. she dashed towards the kitchen where Precious was still mopping the floor. In anger, she grabbed the broom from the corner and started beating Precious.

"It's not me mom! it's John that spilled the sauce on the floor" Precious cried out in pain.

" Where... where were you when it happened? I asked you to take care of this boy but you are so wicked that you left him on his own" Ann continued hitting her while she keeps moving around trying to dodge the broom while protecting her face with her arms

"He was already eating on the dinning when I went into my room. I didn't know that he will go back for more sauce" Precious tried to explain as she sobbed and dodge the beating.

"Mom, it's a lie. she is lying mom" John accused standing by the door. " I asked her to come and dish more sauce for me but she refused. she said that I eat too much, then she poured the sauce on me" He added.

Ann could not control her anger. she took out the pestle from the cupboard. She raised it to smash Precious' head but Precious ducked so the pestle hit the wall giving a deep dent on the wall. Ann lifted the broom once again, coming towards Precious. Sensing the imminent danger, Precious ran out of house towards the gate. Her mom ran after her, determined to hit her

"Come back here, you evil orphan. You want to kill my only child. I kill you today, my husband is not at home to save you" Ann yelled as she run after Precious.

"Make sure to never come back to this house, because if you do, I promise to kill you. Go and search for you foolish mother who abandoned you at the orphanage" she threatened when she failed to catch up with Precious.

Precious slept in an uncompleted building two streets from their house for three days because her father was not in town.

Day and night, she wept bitterly out of hunger and fear. She is usually more scared at night because she is aware of the hoodlums and other more dangerous homeless people that seek shelter in uncompleted buildings.

"Why did my parents abandon me? Who are my biological parents? Every day, I get punished for a crime I never committed. I am even tired of complaining to my father because that would usually make matter worse. I don't blame my dad, he is doing his best even though, I am not his biological daughter.

There is no crime that Precious had not been accused for in that house. Ann had on many occasions, openly accused Precious of trying to snatch her husband from her. At some point, she accused Precious of try to poison John in order to inherit her husband's fortune.

On many occasions, while Mark was still in town, Ann had tried to convince him to withdraw Precious from school but he refused. He argued that he is a very wealthy man and he is capable of training his children in any school of their choice.

Precious knew that Mark loved her like his own daughter but the pressure and manipulation from Ann and her son John was making life unbearable for her.

When Mark got home from his trip, only John and his mom came to welcome him. Ann served his dinner while he went to shower. He assumed that Precious was busy in the kitchen

By the time he finished his dinner, Precious has not yet come to greet him

"Where is my daughter?" he asked his wife who was sitting across his chair on the dinning

"I don't know where she ran to" Ann replied nonchalantly

"What do you mean? for how long" Mark asked in shock getting up from his chair.

He made a shocking discovery during his previous trip but had decided to keep it to himself till he proved it.

He had visited his business partner at the City hospital two months ago. There he made Emeka, his former girlfriend's elder brother. It was during their chat that Emeka revealed to him, that Nneka gave birth to a baby girl whom she labelled Precious and dumped at Children of Mercy motherless baby orphanage.

Mark remembered the story which the matron told him and Ann about baby Precious, during the adoption process.

He also discovered that Nneka died in that same hospital a week before he met Emeka. She died while trying to give birth after ten years of marriage.

Since then, he was more convince that his eleven years old adopted daughter was actually, his biological daughter. Before going on this last trip. He had secretly taken some strands of hair and sample of blood from Precious. He had taken them to two different laboratories. The two labs had confirmed that the two specimens with his are perfect match.

He intended to break the news to Ann and the rest of the family tonight but unfortunately, he is a bit late.

"I said for how long. You wicked woman" he gritted while banging on the dinning table.

" For... four days..."

"Yet you didn't try to look for her nor atleast call me?'

"She must have followed

one of her numerous boyfriends. I told you that the girl is split... "

Shut up! you evil woman. She went with her boyfriend, yet you allowed her? Would you have allowed your eleven years old biological daughter to follow her boyfriend?" he retorted.

" Go and search for her yourself" Ann returned, looking away from him.

Mark was visibly angry. It took all he had in him to restrain himself from beating up his wife. He has always prided himself to be a gentleman who doesn't hit a woman but Ann has crossed all lines. He walked out of the house in search of his daughter.

After searching all over the town for Precious, Mark reported the incident to the police. Private investigators were employed but there was no news about her whereabouts.

In the process of investigation, the police arrested Ann as the prime suspect. She was charged with child abuse and child trafficking. The neighbors have various negative things to say about the way she treats her step daughter.

For the sake of little John, Mark made several efforts to bail Ann but to no avail. Human rights activists had taken up the case. The media were also interested in little Precious story.

Mark was heart broken, his his entire family crumbled before his eyes within a short period. All efforts to find Precious proved abortive because she was no longer in the country.