THE CEO’S REDEMPTION

NARROW ESCAPE

“What?” I shouted, throwing myself off balance. “Did you say Asteria Williams?”

“Correct. Please put your hands out where I can see them.” The officer continued. My head started banging.

“No! No! You have it all mixed up! Listen, she’s my sister.” I cried, trying to hold them off.

“You are advised not to say anything till you get to court, okay?” The officer continued, tightly cuffing my hands behind my back.

“How is she dead? Please explain it to me. Where is she? She’s my sister; please let me go! Asteria can’t be dead! Please let me go!” I shouted, unable to feel anything anymore. As I wrestled with them, the officer picked me up and placed me in their police van. How the hell is Asteria dead? Who killed her?

The van started moving as millions of irrational thoughts reeled through my mind. Dead? Yes, she got kidn*pped, but dead?

“Let me out of here!” I shouted, still struggling to free myself, just minutes before the van stopped. The police men walked around and opened the door. Are we at the station?

“Get down.” Another officer ordered, helping me down. I stood face-to-face with another reality. How did I wind up at a police station? “Move!”

I walked sluggishly in between two police officers until I got thrown into a cell. All alone, I sat there, thinking hard about where it all went wrong. Thanks a lot, mom. Thank you for dying and leaving me all to myself.

“Lorelei!” A voice called harshly, approaching my cell. I instinctively flinched, already shaking. A female warden stood at the door, signaling for me to get up as she opened the door. I followed behind her till I got to an empty, heavily lit room.

Huge men sat there, all staring at me.

“Is this the Lorelei Williams you asked for?” The prison warden asked one of the men. He nodded, and she left. Who is this now?

“Do you remember me?” He smiled, glaring spitefully at me. I stared back, too tired for emotions.

“Who are you?” I whispered, seconds after finding my voice.

“Peter,” he replied. My eyes widened, and loud voices started screeching in my head. Immediately, I advanced towards him, tugging at his shirt.

“Where is my sister?” I shouted in tears as he held me back.

“At the reception over there, waiting for you. I came here to let the police know that she isn’t dead. In fact, I did you a favor. I have taken a few things from your house, but I returned your car and your sister. Listen carefully, Lorelei Williams; you still owe me one thousand dollars, and you have until next month to pay me back my money. Understand?”

Cold chills ran through my spine as I looked at him. Too composed for this chaos, my eyes locked with the ground as I nodded stiffly.

In a split second, I was released. I ran outside the building where I met Asteria standing there, lost with heavy eyes.

“My baby!!” I shouted, throwing my hands around her neck. Startled, she stood there, unable to react. “How are you?”

“Lorelei, why is this happening to us?” She finally spoke. Did she just call me Lorelei?

“I will fix it. I will make us money; don’t worry.” I sighed, feeling her pain.

“Don’t promise me what you cannot do, Lorey.” She nodded as we walked away. “I’ll be on my way to the hospital to be with dad, so you can come over if you don’t have loan sharks chasing your ass.”

“Asteria…” I called, but she ignored him and simply kept walking.

I returned my focus to the road as I sat in my car, heavy-hearted. Straight ahead, I made my way home, trying to hold back my tears.

Persistently, the loud blaring of a black Jeep’s horn followed me. I parked my car and got off furiously.

“Who the hell are you?” I shouted, walking towards the car. All the huge men seated there got down instantly, staring down at me with contempt. Seconds later, a familiar face appeared, storming aggressively towards me.

“Lorelei?” He scoffed at me after recognizing me. I stared back, helplessly lost.

“You were the one who crashed my car! I remember! Well, guess what? I lost the damn contract that I spent months preparing for, and it’s all your fault, you bloody beggar!” He shouted with a wild scowl on his face.

“And how is that my fault?” I stammered, back-tracking to my car.

“After I got there late, I was already too mentally disorganized, and even worse, I forgot the document in the car when I was rushing to book the cab. What were you even thinking?”

“Someone was chasing me. It wasn’t my fault. I’m sorry.” I responded, conscious of my stance before this man.

“Chasing you? Why?” He frowned, seemingly trying to reason with me.

“I owe him some change, so he was trying to get it back.” I nodded, grazing the ground with my eyes.

“Change? Oh, so not only are you a beggar, you are also a debtor and a runaway thief at that!” He shouted, walking towards me.

“I am not a thief!” I shouted back, already pissed off. Of all the names in the world, a thief?

“You owe me forty thousand dollars for my car, and you have one month to pay me back, Lorelei!” He hissed before turning back to his own car.

"Oh, why not kill me instead, you moron? Aren’t you supposed to be a billionaire?” I yelled at him, watching him stop in his tracks and stare at me.

“I am a billionaire, and I can easily let my car go, but you, Lorelei, cost me a contract worth eight billion dollars, so unless you can get that contract back for me, I suggest you stay out of sight completely because if you don’t get me my forty thousand dollars, just as you’ve said, I will kill you myself!!” With that, he proceeded into his car and carefully closed the door.

Great job, Lorelei; now you owe a billionaire. My drive home nauseated me as I kept an eye out for possible loan sharks again. Getting dark, the evening sky sat pretty shinning with the coldest sunset rays. I need to get home and bring some food for my dad and my sister. Those talking about a second life can have it; I’m done with this nonsense.

Finally walking into my house, I ran to the kitchen, struggling to push my way through the scattered place. Peter could have at least arranged this place after ransacking it. In a split second, I had a basket of food and fruits packaged and already on my way after confirming the cash in my pocket was still intact. Hundreds of deep breaths later, I slowly stepped out of my house and tip-toed to my car.

Halfway to the hospital, I heard the loud blaring of a car following me. Can’t this Winston guy catch a break?

“Lorelei Williams!!” A voice shouted from the car.

Just great! Am I the only Lorelei in this city? I increased my speed but ran into a red stop light. I halted abruptly, impatiently shaking and checking my mirrors. I caught a quick glimpse of the man getting out of his car and walking towards me with a large black gun in his left hand. What the f**k?

Calculating the risky yet narrow distance, I jumped out of my car, sprinting into the wind at top speed as tears rolled down my cheeks. I bent into a deadlock, trying to catch my breath, before I heard the loud thudding of heavy footsteps just behind me. I picked up my pace again, making my way through the city in a zigzag way, but the footsteps continued and got closer. I heard him pull the trigger, and I fell immediately.