Chapter 2
1222 Words
"Ivan, are you still in bed? Come get dressed. You're gonna be late for school. I'm sure you don't want your ass whipped for showing up late,”
Anabel woke her son at 6:30 a.m. to prepare him for school. It's his second week in school, and she can't get over the feeling.
Initially, she was mad at herself for having a son because he reminded her so much of Domenico. It's safe to say the 4-year-old Ivan is Domenico’s doppelgänger.
He's got Damian's cutest smile, the same eyes, and face. Above all, he possesses Domenico's traits, which Madeline wasn't happy about. In her son, she could see Domenico.
She was disappointed when she had Ivan because she wanted a girl child. But now, all those regrets seemed to have metamorphosed into blessings.
The arrival of Ivan reshaped her life. She's got herself a decent job at a tech firm, an official car, and a well-furnished apartment. Suffice it to say Madeline is living the life she never dreamt of. Not getting rid of the pregnancy was the best thing that ever happened to Anabel.
Seeing her son every day has kept her hopes alive and completely dried her tears.
"Good morning, Mom,” Ivan yawned as Madeline took him to the bathroom to have him cleaned up.
And in a few minutes, they were out. Breakfast was served as they stepped out, awaiting the school bus.
"I see your son is dressed up for school already.” Catherine, a middle-aged woman staying next door, asked.
"Yeah! Just waiting for his school bus to show up.” Madeline responded like a proud Mom.
After standing outside for seven minutes, a long vehicle bus conveying some uniformed kids stopped right in front of them.
"Mom! The school bus is here,” Ivan screamed in excitement and kissed Madeline's forehead.
“Bye Mom,” he blew Madeline a kiss as the vehicle drove him to school. She fought back tears as she watched her son leave. It was the happiest moment of her life.
She kept waving at Ivan until the bus was out of sight, then she drove to work. She arrived at work on time and stunned her Boss, Marcus Andros.
“You are here already. I never thought you'd show up this early.“
He teased Madeline after she stopped by his office to announce her presence.
“Let's just say I was up so early to get my lovely son ready for school. I won't dare show up late today again after what happened yesterday. I learned the hard way,” she responded and bent her head in fear.
"Why are you scared to look me in the eyes? I can't do anything to hurt you, and you know that” Leaning forward, Marcus attempted to caress Madeline, but she resisted.
“Please stop. We shouldn't be doing this. I told you a thousand times, I can't go on a date with you.
You are twice my father's age.
It's not just right. I am sorry,”
“Shut the f**k up, you b***h. Don't ever speak to me in such a manner. I demand some respect.” Marcus flared up.
“Apologies, sir. But with all due respect, I…”
“Now that's enough! Get the f**k out of my office. I don't wanna see your ugly face. You disgust me.” he dismissed Madeline before the situation got worse.
Frowning in her face, she dashed outside and motioned to her duty post. Deep down, she wanted to shift into her leopard form and deal with Marcus severely, but she forced herself to be calm.
He had been her biggest nightmare ever since she started working there. She feigned a smile to conceal the sorrow loitering on her face, but Camilla, her colleague, quickly discerned.
“What's that look on your face? Let me guess. You got into a fight with him again?” Camilla asked in curiosity.
“Exactly! He wants a relationship with me. Who does that?”
“This Is insane!
And what was your response?”
"You just said it was insane! There's absolutely nothing to talk about.
What would you do if you were in my shoes? Nothing, right? I can never be his girlfriend and that's final!
Can we not talk about this? He might just show up again, and I don't want anymore drama.”
Concentrating on work, Madeline terminated the conversation to focus on the day's work.
Ever since she started working at the financial institution, Marcus had deployed diverse strategies to make her go on a date with him.
Countless times, he sent cash gifts, but her response was still the same.
Her nasty experience with Domenico buried her emotions. If Domenico, whom she loved wholeheartedly, could betray her, then she doesn't think any man Is worthy of her love anymore.
**************
The evening sun is slowly approaching its climax.
It's 4:30 pm and Madeline was already back home after a hectic day at work.
"Ew! It's been hectic today.
Where's my son and why is the house so calm?” She motioned to Ivan's room to go look for him.
To her surprise, she found the door locked.
"Where are you at?” She screamed and searched everywhere, but he wasn't found. This got her worried as she wondered why he wasn't home yet. Hurriedly, she stepped outside and visited her next-door neighbor, Catherine.
“Anybody home? Who's there?”
“Miss Madeline, you look tense. What's the problem?” Concerned about her restlessness, Catherine asked with blurry eyes.
"I apologize for disturbing your sleep. Have you seen my son today? I just got back a couple of minutes ago and I couldn't find him.
Did you see their school bus in the neighborhood?”
“I've been home for a couple of hours and I can bet your son isn't back home. What's the problem?”
"s**t! I have to go. It's very urgent. Talk to you later. I appreciate you for the information,”
Madeline drove straight to Ivan's school searching for him. Immediately she drove in, she encountered his principal, Cory Williams, who was on the verge of leaving the school.
"Hey, Ma'am. What are you doing here? School Is closed for today. You should be home with your kids.”
"I know right? That's why I'm here. Where's my son? I can't seem to find him at home. Did he use the school bus today?”
"Not exactly, I am not certain. I thought you asked some men to come pick him up?” Cory made the shocking revelation that almost made Madeline pee in her panties.
“My son? What the f**k are you talking about? I would never do that. What would I be doing? I didn't send anyone to come pick him up.
Do you know who these men are?” She grabbed his shirt and completely lost her cool.
She couldn't recall asking someone to come pick up her son.
In the heated moment, she got a call from a private number. Her hands trembled like a hen drenched by the rain as she placed the phone on her ears and answered the call.
"If you want your son alive, get us $500k,” the caller threatened and ended the call.
- Writer
