ChapteTwo-The man Behind the debt
1270 Words
Ava read the message again.
Then again.
Your father has until midnight. After that, you belong to me.
Her fingers went numb.
She looked around the street.
Nothing.
Just parked cars, a few dim streetlights, and the sound of traffic somewhere beyond the estate.
Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching her.
She quickly locked her phone.
Then unlocked it again.
Maybe she had misunderstood.
Maybe someone was playing a cruel joke.
But the message was still there.
She called her father.
No answer.
She called again.
Nothing.
“Dad, please pick up.”
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
She looked back at Daniel’s house.
The lights upstairs were still on.
For a second, she wondered if she should go back inside and demand answers from Elena.
Then she remembered Daniel’s hand on her wrist.
I love you.
Ava almost laughed.
What a joke.
She turned and walked toward her car.
Her legs felt weak.
Her mind was even worse.
Daniel had betrayed her.
Her sister had betrayed her.
And now her father was telling her that the family business was bankrupt.
Then a stranger was texting her as if he already owned her.
It was too much.
Way too much.
Ava reached her car and opened the door.
Before getting inside, she looked over her shoulder.
A black SUV was parked across the street.
Its windows were dark.
She stared at it.
The engine wasn’t running.
No one got out.
Ava’s heart began to beat faster.
She got into her car and locked the doors.
The moment she started the engine, the SUV’s headlights came on.
Ava froze.
The vehicle remained where it was.
Then, slowly, it drove away.
She watched until it disappeared around the corner.
Only then did she breathe.
“Okay,” she whispered.
She didn’t believe herself.
“Just go home.”
She drove.
For the entire journey, she kept checking her rearview mirror.
Nothing followed her.
But the feeling stayed.
Someone knew where she was.
Someone knew what was happening to her family.
And somehow, that person knew she would read that message tonight.
When Ava arrived home, the front door was open.
She stopped outside.
Her father’s car was in the driveway.
She rushed inside.
“Dad?”
No answer.
“Dad!”
She found him in his study.
Richard Bennett sat behind his desk with his head in his hands.
The proud man Ava had always known looked old tonight.
Tired.
Defeated.
Ava stopped in the doorway.
She had never seen him like this.
“What happened?”
Richard slowly looked up.
His eyes were red.
“You came.”
“Of course I came.”
Ava walked closer.
“You said we’re bankrupt.”
Richard looked away.
“I should have told you sooner.”
“How long has this been happening?”
He didn’t answer.
Ava’s voice became firmer.
“Dad.”
“Six months.”
Her mouth fell open.
“Six months?”
“I thought I could fix it.”
“With what?”
Richard rubbed his forehead.
“I took loans. I sold some assets. I borrowed from private investors.”
“And Damian Blackwood?”
Richard closed his eyes.
“He bought the debt.”
Ava stared at him.
“What does that mean?”
“It means everything we owe has been transferred to him.”
Ava sat down slowly.
“How much?”
Richard told her.
She stared at him in disbelief.
“That much?”
“I know.”
“How did you lose that much money?”
Her father’s silence answered before he did.
Ava’s eyes narrowed.
“Dad.”
“There were bad investments.”
“That’s all?”
“Yes.”
She didn’t believe him.
Not completely.
But she was too overwhelmed to push further.
She pulled out her phone.
“I got a message.”
Richard looked up sharply.
“What message?”
She showed him.
The moment he read it, the color drained from his face.
Ava noticed.
“Dad?”
He didn’t speak.
“Do you know who sent it?”
Richard stood up.
“Give me the phone.”
“Why?”
“Just give it to me.”
Ava pulled it back.
“No.”
Her father stared at her.
“Ava, you don’t understand what you’re dealing with.”
“Then explain it to me.”
Richard walked to the window.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he whispered,
“Damian doesn’t make empty threats.”
Ava’s stomach twisted.
“You’ve met him?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“A few months ago.”
“And you never told me?”
“I was trying to protect you.”
“Protect me from what?”
Richard turned around.
“From him.”
Ava stared at her father.
She wanted to ask another question.
But the sound of a car outside stopped her.
Headlights swept across the study window.
Richard’s face changed.
“Who’s that?”
Ava moved toward the window.
“Don’t.”
Her father’s voice was sharp.
Ava stopped.
“What?”
“Stay away from the window.”
Her heart began pounding.
Someone knocked on the front door.
Three slow knocks.
Richard looked terrified.
Ava had never seen fear on her father’s face before.
Not like this.
“Who is it?” she whispered.
Richard didn’t answer.
The knocking came again.
Three times.
Ava’s phone vibrated.
She looked down.
Another message.
Open the door.
Her blood ran cold.
She looked at her father.
“Dad…”
Richard shook his head.
“Don’t.”
The doorbell rang.
Ava flinched.
Richard walked out of the study.
“Stay here.”
She followed him anyway.
They reached the hallway.
Richard opened the door.
A man stood outside.
Tall.
Black suit.
Expressionless face.
He held a small black envelope.
“Mr. Bennett.”
Richard swallowed.
“Yes?”
The man looked past him.
His eyes landed on Ava.
For one strange second, Ava felt as if he had been expecting her.
“Miss Bennett?”
“Yes?”
He extended the envelope.
“This is for you.”
Ava didn’t move.
“Who sent it?”
The man’s expression didn’t change.
“Mr. Blackwood.”
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
She took the envelope.
It was heavier than she expected.
There was no address.
No return name.
Only her name written across the front.
AVA BENNETT
She opened it with shaking hands.
Inside was a single sheet of paper.
She read the first line.
Then stopped.
Her father suddenly grabbed her arm.
“Don’t read it.”
Ava looked at him.
“Why?”
His eyes were filled with fear.
“Because once you read it, there is no going back.”
Ava looked down at the paper again.
At the bottom was a signature.
Damian Blackwood.
And beneath it were six words that made her heart stop.
I expect to see you tomorrow.
Ava looked toward the man at the door.
He was already walking away.
But before he reached the gate, he stopped.
Without turning around, he said,
“Mr. Blackwood also asked me to remind you of something.”
Ava’s throat tightened.
“What?”
The man finally looked back.
“He doesn’t like being kept waiting.”
Then he left.
Ava stood frozen in the doorway.
Her father slowly closed the door.
And for the first time, Ava understood something terrifying.
Damian Blackwood wasn’t simply collecting a debt.
He had been planning this.
And somehow, she was the debt he wanted to collect.
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