My Queen; The Onyx

Chapter 4: Impreesioner Like

Mikayla didn’t see her father in the living room. So, she walked to his bedroom to check on him. Her father was there, lying on the bed front down. He looked as drunk as she had left him earlier. He couldn’t get better.

“Father,” Mikayla tried to call him up. She nudged his hand that fell over the bed onto the floor. “Wake up. Someone’s here for you,” she said.

“What?!” He replied harshly. He swayed his hand all over the place to get rid of her.

“Up. Now,” she said emphatically, getting irritated that her father had become an irresponsible person, let alone being a good father.

“What do you want? I told you to leave me alone,” he said in an agitated tone. His eyes shot open, and he looked at her fiercely. He had become an unrecognized person to her.

“Someone’s outside,” she said with gritted teeth, her patience was wearing thin talking with him. “Hand him the money, or you can just go with him to serve,” she continued. Then, she walked to her room, not minding him or his guests. She needed to take care of herself right now. She was not in good shape herself, let alone attend to some guests.

While Mikayla stayed in her room, Bruno finally got out of his bed and room, into the living room where three guys stood there, one mightily and the other two stood protectively.

“Mr. Saate, you found me,” Bruno held his arms out, welcoming him to his sweet home. He was still drunk, and his mind was clouded. He acted like a fool, just like how drunk people would.

“Right, I found you,” Mr. Saate played along with his foolish self. He grinned in front of Bruno’s face. It was not a foolish grin, it was more sadistic. “Now, where did you hide my money?” He asked, lifting one corner of his lips.

Bruno’s drunken, half-asleep face looked at Mr. Saate funnily.

“Right here.” Bruno grabbed his hand and almost dragged him to some room. They stood in front of a closed door. Mr. Saate raised his eyebrows in question, but of course, Bruno didn’t see it. Mr. Saate felt like being played by a fool like Bruno. Why were they standing in front of a closed door?

Bruno placed his hand on the door handle and jiggled it open, but it didn’t budge because it was locked. Then, he proceeded to pound on the door to ask for the door to be opened from inside. “Open the door,” he said out loud, slurring while banging on the door.

“What do you want?” Mikayla screamed as she opened the door. She knew it would be her father, but she was stunned when she also saw the man standing next to him.

“Here, money.” Bruno presented his daughter while laughing frantically. He laughed like a lunatic in front of his daughter, who was now tired of seeing her own father. She looked at him flatly before turning to the man beside him.

“How much did he owe you?” She asked.

“How much are you worth?” He asked back, challengingly. They had a contract signed before the money was handed, and he didn’t bargain when the time was due.

“More than you can afford,” she replied, still in her relaxed state.

“But I could, I did,” he said, looking her straight in the eyes. He examined her face, and bruises were noticeable, and he wondered where she got them. She didn’t seem to be a troublemaker. Her features were soft but tough. The softness came from her eyes, the way she was looking at him reminded him of the way someone once did. The toughness was her aura. He could understand that one. If he had to live with a father like Bruno, he would do anything to survive. Too bad she was already in a bad place.

“You are his guarantee, didn’t you know? You didn’t, did you?” Mr. Saate looked at her with cynical pity. He didn’t show sympathy, he never could.

After she heard that, her eyes shot back at her father sharply. “You sold me to this loan shark?!” She was furious. The softness had left her eyes and was replaced with fury.

“Yes, baby girl,” he replied with a sheepish smile and clapped his hands. His clouded eyes looked at her like he was done for, and this was his last resort. “Now, can you go with him and get the f**k out of here?”

Hate formed in her eyes and started to grow in her heart as well. As bad as he was being a father, she still couldn’t believe he would sell her to a loan shark.

“Let’s go, shall we? Let’s make it easy for all parties,” Mr. Saate asked nicely. He knew how it felt to be betrayed by strangers or even friends and family. He knew the feeling too well. So, he wanted to spare her the details.

“My mother didn’t deserve a man like you.” She left, leaving a remark that stained his heart. As drunk as he was, those words hurt him so badly.

Mikayla left the house with what she wore and not a single personal thing. Mr. Saate and his bodyguard followed her lead until they were out of the building. She spotted a car but didn’t approach it, instead, she waited for the man. Her life was his now.

There were thoughts where she wanted to fight and be freed from his captivity. But she thought twice. She knew she would lose to his bodyguard. Note, she had just lost a fight earlier that night. So, getting beaten up twice in a day didn’t sound like a plan on how to end her life.

“This way, little girl.” Mr. Saate gestured toward the black Rover.

Without a word, she walked towards the car and got in the back seat. Mr. Saate sat in the front with his bodyguard as the driver.

“Home, Sir?” The bodyguard asked.

“No, the safe house,” he replied.

In the backseat, Mikayla kept quiet while looking out at the road for some time. She had to know where he was taking her, so she could find her way out, if needed. She would need it for sure, she just knew it.

“So, Mikayla--,”

‘So, he knows my name all along,’ she said in her heart without showing an expression.