VINCENT'S OBSESSION

CHAPTER ONE-BAD DAY

Chapter One – Bad day

“WHERE IS MY MONEY, DANIEL?!” Two men dressed in Black suits kicked the middle-aged man in his butt which made him slam into the ground with his head hitting the hard ground

“Please, I will give you your money. I just need more time, please

“You said that the last time Daniel it's either you pay now or Big Boss might just have to pay you a visit”

“No, not big boss I would pay you please just give me more time

“You see, Daniel time is exactly what I don't have. Where's my money” A tall man dressed in a White suit with a matching white hat appeared from the shadows, bending down to meet the man who was bleeding profusely from his head.

“Please big boss I promise I will get your money just hold on. You know our contract just expired” Daniel pleaded holding the tall man's legs

“Oh really that's the reason you don't want to pay me my money I see” he turned to look at one of his armed bodyguards and made a hand gesture to them pointing towards the garage door. The hefty man rushed out and came in with a dark-complexioned girl who was blindfolded with her hands tied backward

“Who's there? What's happening? Please where am I” the girl said with a shaky voice, trying to guess where she was. All she could remember was being abducted in the front yard while packing the deliveries for the day and she woke up to being pulled by an unknown person blindfolded

“No, please leave my daughter please don't do this.” her father interrupted her thoughts. She had never heard her dad's voice sound so scared

My dad is here? She thought to herself. What could be happening to my dad?!

“Dad? What’s happening …who are you talking to?” She said using her hands to search for her dad

“Mel don't come here stay there.” her dad shouted in fear

“Aw, isn't this beautiful to see? Now I miss my dad you want to see your dad right okay fine.” Big Boss dragged her by her hands and threw her to her dad who was flat on the ground pleading

“Dad, are you there? What’s happening to you,” she said as she used her hand to feel the blood dripping from her dad's head. The bodyguard loosened the rope around her hands, giving her the access to remove the cloth that was used to keep her blindfolded

“You have pretty eyes, baby girl,” Big Boss said while walking slowly towards her

“Daniel I think your daughter would make a good exchange for what you owe me.” the man said while holding her hair with a tight grip

“No please listen to me don't touch my daughter I would do anything you want me to do!

“Anything?” He asked with his eyebrows arched

“Yes, anything.”

The man sat on the ground wondering what he could do for this dangerous man

“ANSWER ME, OLD MAN, I HAVE NO TIME TO WASTE!”

“Okay, let me work for you till I'm able to pay what I owe please spare my life,” he said with his hands folded pleading

“7 am you hear me old man?” He said and walked out with his two bodyguards.

“Dad, can you tell me what happened? I don't understand what's going on here. What do you owe that man? What's happening?!” Melissa asked with a worried look on her face

“Mel calm down, listen to me, I can explain. Where do I start from …” her dad looked down on his hands, bowed his head in shame.

Mr. Daniel Peterson was confused about how he should tell his daughter the truth. The truth he had been covering up for a while to protect his family and business, and now it has to be revealed. He has to tell his daughter the truth now, he can't lie anymore to his family

“Melissa, my fishery business… suffered a huge loss... And… I got a loan.” Daniel stuttered looking for the right words to confess the truth

“Dad, I don't understand how this happened. How am I just knowing this?” she said trying to understand her dad's words. She has never seen her dad so scared and fragile

“Melissa, listen to me. Two years back, there was an oil leakage into my Farm which killed my fish and ruined everything Melissa, things got tougher. I had nothing to recover my business and pay for your last semester's tuition I had to take a loan from Big Boss.” he said with a teary voice almost sobbing

Melissa held her dad's hands tightly assuring him to find the words. She couldn't believe how her dad had turned into a shadow of himself, she couldn't find the glow in his eyes anymore. He had his head bowed down disappointingly. She felt guilty about how she didn't notice her dad had been suffering alone all along and how he had been suffering and smiling with her on their usual phone calls.

“Who is that man you call Big Boss Dad?” Melissa remembered how these men had maltreated her dad in front of her eyes and she never felt so helpless in her life.

This brought pain to her heart. She remembered how she saw her dad suffering in front of her, and she couldn't do anything to save him from them.

“His name is Vincent Hastings, the richest billionaire in our city and a very famous business executive. I heard he gives people loans anytime they need one. He was the only option I had. I got a loan of 2 million from Vincent and invested the money in my fishery business.

Melissa, I swear I thought I was going to pay back the loan in less than a year but I came back home to all my fishes dead. I don't know what to do now.” Daniel sighed in a defeated manner

Melissa was shocked by the whole truth and confused about what the next step would be. She wondered how everything changed in a moment. She has just graduated from Business Management College and was very excited to take over her dad's farm management. She had held on to her dad's promise of giving her full ownership of the farm when she graduated from college with the best result, and now she's here wondering how they would pay the Two Million loan to this man they call Big Boss.

She feared for her life and her dad's life, if they decided to run away these men could find them. They looked very dangerous and not the kind of men one could play games with. What would they do now?

“ Mel don't worry I will go work for him as his staff till when he won't need me more he said assuring her by staring directly into her eyes and felt he was also trying to convince himself

“No Dad you won't go there, what if he gets rid of you? These men were ready to kill you in front of me. No, I won't take that risk.”

“He won't do that, don't worry, he only cares about his money, and I'm paying him by being his servant. This would keep him from harming us, especially you my dear daughter. I hate to be indebted to him dear, but I have to do this if we want to live.

“Dad ...”

“Mel, listen to me! You have to listen to me from today henceforth. I will leave the house at 5 am tomorrow. I have to be there before 7 am at Big Boss house. I can't make him more furious than this. You can't come to visit me or call me. There's a rule to cut off all connections from the outside world from the day you become a Big Boss servant. The day I get my freedom, I will come see you, my love, and find a way to reach you from time to time. Just take care of the farm while I'm gone and do the day-to-day Milk can deliveries to our neighbors.

“Dad I….”

“Come here, my love.” Daniel hugged his daughter tightly and cried in each other's arms like it was the last time they would see each other ever again.

It was almost midnight and all Melissa could think about was their present predicament they were in and wondered how everything changed from good to worse in a moment.

How?!

Her phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. She looked at the caller's ID, smiled faintly, and thought to herself how she had been expecting this call since the moment she graduated from college.

“Hey love I have been trying to reach you uncountable times why haven't you gotten back to me?

“John, I checked my phone countless times. I didn't see your call. Are you sure you called?

“What are you trying to say, Melissa?”

“Nothing actually,' just saying … I didn't see you at my graduation party and, I thought I was going to like, you know,get a congratulatory text from you?”

“Yeah Mel, I was so busy with my photography portfolio. You know I have to win this contest, so I have to put in all the work. So how was your graduation ceremony? She thought to herself. Maybe John could help her in some way out of this situation, or maybe she just wanted to vent her rage and tears to someone, and what could be better than the man she had been in love with since her first year in college?

“It was good, so John ... there’s something… I want to tell you. “

“Melissa, I have to go now. I have to edit these pictures tonight.

“But John, can you listen to me,” she said, ignoring the disappointing feelings that were arising in her heart. She had been ignoring this emotion since the moment John missed her birthday, their anniversary, and now their graduation ceremony. She couldn't ignore the fact this made her feel a type of way she didn't understand yet, but she didn't want to let this feeling linger on because she thought this was unfair to John, he was busy trying to be the best Photographer in the world, and she can't let silly things ruin her love for John. He's the best boyfriend, and she can't ruin that.

“Melissa, I have to go now. Talk to you tomorrow.” His hasty tone interrupted her thoughts.

“Um….” she was about to say something, then she realized he wasn't on the call anymore.

Oh! He left

..

Melissa tossed in bed all night, wondering how she could get her dad out of this mess. She wondered if she planned to run away with her dad if they would be able to catch up with them, but she didn't want to take that risk. She saw how those men pulled out their guns aiming at her dad's head in front of her eyes. It was a memory that brought shivers to her every time it crossed her mind.

She couldn't let anything happen to her parents , her mum and dad had been her best friends since the moment she learned how to talk

Mom!

Her mum will be back soon from the pilgrimage trip at the end of this week. What would she tell her mum when her dad is nowhere to be found? How would she explain all this to her mum? She can't risk her mum's health with the present predicament. How would she tell her mum she wouldn't be able to see her husband for a long time?

This is too much, but there is only one solution.

She had to do something.