Twisted

THE FIRST THREAD

CHAPTER FIVE: THE FIRST THREAD

Elaine

I was awake but I was too scared to open my eyes.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

My eyes flew open, but everything around me was a blur. My cheek throbbed where my mother's hand had landed the previous day, and every muscle in my body ached from spending the night on the cold floor.

Another knock came, louder this time.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

My heart lurched.

Mum.

Had she come to make good on her threat? But she said three days and the day hasn't even begun.

I pushed myself up slowly, my legs trembling beneath me. My mouth felt dry from hunger, and a wave of dizziness washed over me as I staggered toward the door.

The banging continued impatiently.

Taking a shaky breath, I reached for the doorknob and slowly pulled the door open.

The person standing outside wasn't my mother.

Helen.

She stood there in a designer outfit, her long hair perfectly styled, with an amused smile playing on her lips as though she had arrived to watch a show.

"Well," she said, folding her arms across her chest. "You look terrible."

I stared at her in silence.

She pushed past me without waiting for an invitation, wrinkling her nose as she looked around my small room.

"I've been looking everywhere for you," she said casually. "Mother wants you alive... at least until you find her mystery man."

She turned to face me, her eyes glinting with mischief.

"So..." she drawled. "Tell me about the man who has Mother losing her mind.”. She said with a sarcastic smile dancing on her gorgeous face.

“ I don't remember but I'll find him.” I replied, staring at the floor. I was in no mood for an argument this morning.

“ Well, you better. Whoever gave you that cheque must be insanely rich so when you do find him, I'm coming with you”. She circled me like a predator stalking its prey.

“ Don't disappoint mother. I hate to see what she'd do to you next.” She said and walked out.

I tried not to think about Helen. She always causes mischief wherever she goes. My primary goal today is to find that gray-eyed handsome stranger.

************************************************

Adrian

Brrnngg brrnngg……….

Why would someone be calling so early in the morning?

I checked the caller ID and found out it was my secretary.

“Mr Hayes, I'm sorry to disturb you so early in the morning but your Mother called and insisted on seeing you today. She already booked your flight by 10am.”

“Didn't she see me last month? Cancel the flight and tell her I can't come”

“That would not be possible sir. She threatened to disown you if she doesn't see you in person today” Arrrrrgghhhh Typical Nigerian mothers.

“ I'm on my way.” I said and ended the call. I called my private investigator

“ I'll be out of the country for a few days, probably a week. In the meantime find out more on Jeff Parker and Evelyn Morgan. I remember Richard had a daughter, find out where she is”

“ Ok sir”

“And…..the girl from the club that night…… find her.”

************************************************

Elaine

The door clicked shut behind Helen, and silence settled over the room once more.

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding and leaned against the wall. My knees still felt weak, whether from hunger or fear, I couldn't tell.

Three days.

That was all my mother had given me.

Three days to find a man whose name I didn't know.

Three days to convince a complete stranger to authorize a cheque I no longer possessed.

Three days before she made good on her threat.

I closed my eyes, forcing myself to think.

Don't panic, Elaine.

Think.

Where had I last seen him?

The hotel.

My eyes snapped open.

Of course.

It wasn't much, but it was a start.

I hurried to the small wardrobe and changed into a plain black gown Looking into the cracked mirror above my dresser, I barely recognized the girl staring back at me.

The bruise on my cheek had already begun to darken.

I sighed.

"So much for looking presentable."

Just as I reached for the door, my stomach growled loudly.

I hadn't eaten since yesterday.

For a brief moment, I considered sneaking into the kitchen.

Then I remembered my mother's words.

"You will eat nothing in this house."

A bitter smile touched my lips.

"Starving me won't stop me," I whispered.

"If anything... it'll make me stronger.”

I slipped out of my room and carefully made my way downstairs.

The house was unusually quiet.

Jeff had already left for work.

Helen was nowhere in sight.

Mother...

Mother was probably plotting my next punishment.

Good.

The less I saw of her, the better.

Keeping close to the wall, I reached the front door without making a sound.

My hand had just touched the handle when—

"Going somewhere?"

My entire body froze.

I turned around slowly and came face to face with my mother… How convenient.

“I was just about to begin the search. You gave me three days.” I whispered

“Well that wouldn't be necessary unless you're a shameless whore.” I was stunned. Doesn't she need the cheque anymore?

“I don't understand ma.”

“ I got a call from the bank that the cheque has been authorized. I don't know why but who cares.Five hundred million dollars..." she muttered with a satisfied smile. "Your useless life has finally become profitable. Now clean the toilets and make lunch for my husband and I.”

I stood rooted to the spot long after Mother had disappeared into her study.

Authorized.

The word echoed relentlessly in my mind.

None of it made any sense.

He didn't know me.

He didn't owe me anything.

Yet he had approved the cheque without hesitation.

Five hundred million dollars.

Why?

Who was he?

A businessman?

A philanthropist?

Or simply someone who had seen a broken girl and decided to help?

"Elaine!"

Mother's sharp voice ripped through my thoughts.

"What are you standing there for? The toilets won't clean themselves!"

I flinched.

"Yes, ma."

I picked up the bucket, the bottle of bleach and the toilet brush before dragging my tired body upstairs.

Every step felt heavier than the last.

Not because of the bucket.

Because of the emptiness in my stomach.

I hadn't eaten since yesterday.

The smell of the breakfast I had prepared for Mother and Jeff still lingered in the house, making my stomach tighten painfully.

I cooked it.

Served it.

I watched them eat every last bite.

Then I cleaned the dishes.

All on an empty stomach.

By the time I reached the first bathroom, my hands were trembling.

I poured the bleach into the toilet bowl, the sharp smell immediately filling the small room.

I moved the brush back and forth in slow, mechanical strokes.

Scrub.

Scrub.

Scrub.

My body was here.

My mind wasn't.

It kept wandering back to the gray-eyed stranger.

His calm voice

The way he had looked at me...

Not with lust.

Not with pity.

But with kindness.

A complete stranger had treated me with more respect in one night than my own family had shown me in years.

The thought tightened something deep inside my chest.

A sudden wave of dizziness swept over me.

I grabbed the edge of the sink before my knees gave way.

The room spun for several seconds.

I squeezed my eyes shut and took slow, shaky breaths until the feeling passed.

"Don't faint," I whispered to myself.

"Not now."

Just then, raised voices drifted up from downstairs.

Mother.

And Jeff.

Arguing.

Again.

I frowned.

Their arguments had become almost routine, but something about the urgency in their voices made me curious.

Quietly, I set the brush aside and stepped into the hallway.

Keeping close to the wall, I inched toward the staircase.

"...I told you to ask the manager!" Jeff snapped.

"I did!" Mother fired back. "That i***t refused to tell me anything except that the man is one of their VIP clients."

My heartbeat quickened.

VIP client?

"He also said whoever issued that cheque has banked with them for years," mother continued. "Someone with that kind of influence won't be easy to find."

Jeff scoffed.

"I don't care how powerful he is. If he can throw around five hundred million dollars like pocket change, then I want to know exactly who he is.”

He stopped and took a deep breath and then continued calmly

“Whoever he is, we need him on our side. One partnership with a man like that could save this company.That way we wouldn't have to sell your daughter out for investments.”

“Well, we wouldn't need to if you become a grown ass man and manage these funds properly. Also, I think it's time you quit gambling and focus on the company else I'll have to neutralize you too” My mother said and walked out. I ran quickly back to the bathroom trying to process what I just heard.

The gray-eyed stranger is a VIP at the bank. It might be small, but that's another clue to finding him asides the club.

Wait, did mother just say she'd neutralize Jeff too?

Too?

The word echoed in my mind.

Too.

Mother hadn't said neutralize him.

She had said neutralize him too.

My heart skipped a beat.

Who else had she neutralized?