Ruin The Billionaire

“Amy has been kidnapped,” my sister said.

I chuckled. “Is that your latest trick to get me come so you can beat me up?” I asked, switching the phone to another ear then stirring the soup I was preparing. It was smelling so good I couldn’t wait to finally sit down and eat.

“I can’t joke about something like this,” she said. I paused. Maybe she was serious.

“What happened?”

“We’d just left the mall, and I was putting stuff in the trunk of the car. When I turned she was gone. We even saw the CCTV footage, and it showed a young woman placing her hand on Amy’s mouth and carrying her to a black car. I have never seen her before. I hope you’re not the one who has her.”

“Come on. That’s ridiculous and you know it.”

“I never thought you could ever rob me but you did. I wouldn’t be surprised if you were trying to get revenge on me for making you go through all that. What more money do you want?”

I sighed. “I’m coming over.”

“Whatever,” she said and hang up.

Quickly serving my food to the plate, I sat down to eat but could barely eat anything. I was still hungry but my appetite was completely gone after the news sinking in.

I was now convinced that someone had really taken Amy. My sister was evil and all but she had a very demanding job. She didn’t have time to sit at home and create drama because I stole her jewellery to pay off money I used to save her ass.

Who could have taken Amy? Could it be Jake Rylland? Would he have gone that low, to involving innocent people? I didn’t want to believe it but there was a high possibility. I knew a lot of people didn’t like Hailey but no one had kidnapped her daughter to date. Why would they suddenly do it? It had to be Jake.

I knew posting that recent article was a mistake, but I desperately wanted relevance and Jake Rylland was the only thing keeping my blog relevant. If I didn’t write about him, no one would visit.

Hubert Maslow was a handsome middle aged man. He was of average height and had a great sculptured body. He seemed like a good person, and I had a feeling he was. Hailey always got the good ones, but sadly didn’t treat them as well as they deserved.

She was seated on his lap on the couch, checking her phone every now and then, hoping someone would make a ransom call. Hailey’s was a mess, physically and emotionally, tangled hair and a make-up stained face. She couldn’t stop crying and sobbing, talking about Amy.

I stared at her boyfriend, trying to decipher if I could consider him a suspect or not. I had known and read about people who seemed really nice, but turned out to be mean freaks on the inside. Could he have kidnapped Amy to somehow manipulate my sister? Could my sister have messed up, finally landing on someone as bad as she was?

I didn’t know what to think as we sat there, staring at the TV humming in the background. I focused my eyes on the TV, hoping something could happen before we all went crazy. I was more worried about Hailey than anyone else for that matter.

Suddenly, my phone started ringing. I frowned when I saw the new number. Looking around, I saw that the couple was not paying attention to me. After a short deliberation, I swiped to answer the call and listened for the caller to speak first

“Am I speaking to Lilith Hellman?” The person on the other end of the line asked.

The voice was feminine and refined. I immediately suspected it was someone who read my blog and contacted my company for partnership. How else would they have got my number?

“Yes, this is she. Who am I speaking to, please?”

“You’ll soon find out,” she said. “If you want to save someone you love, make sure no one hears of this. I’m going to give you an address you can come to. Involve the police at your own risk.”

I stood up and walked out of the living room. What I feared most seemed to have happened. In the bathroom, I closed the door and spoke. “Who is this? Do you have my niece?”

“I’m going to send you the address, and if I don’t see you alone within thirty minutes, something terrible will happen.”

My heart sank, and I went to sit on top of the toilet seat, and tried to regulate my breathing which had suddenly gone up.

When she hang up, a message arrived immediately. Putting my phone in my jacket pocket, I went back to the living room, acting like I wasn’t completely shaken up. “I have to go now, Hailey but I’ll be back.”

“You go. You don’t care anyway. My own sister is leaving me alone when I need her most. It’s okay. I’m used to being the black sheep.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t want to leave you but it’s really urgent. Will return as soon as I’m done.”

Hailey said nothing. I could see she was really tired and worn out. Sighing, I walked out of the apartment, closing the door softly.

My heart was heavy as the realisation that I had put my innocent niece in danger sunk in. The decisions we make in life always have consequences, not only on ourselves but also other people. I had made a reckless decision and now a little child was suffering.

Pulling out my phone, I logged in to my blog and deleted it without second thought. I couldn’t risk it anymore. Jake’s latest action showed me it was time for me to leave him alone and focus on other things. I didn’t care about the money anymore. All I wanted was my life before that article went viral. I may have been a ‘nobody’, but I was a happy nobody which was so much better than living like this, always in fear.

Within a few minutes, I was at the address the woman had given me. It was outside the city, at an abandoned church house. Looking around, I decided to walk towards it. The wind slightly blew strands of my hair over my face as I walked. The smell of rotting wood wafted into my nostrills as I got closer to the building.

Seeing the door open, I paused before walking in. suddenly, I was hit by something and fell on the floor.

When I came to, I was somewhere else. It was familiar, and I realised it was the same place Jake’s men had taken me to before. I had soft sounds and looked back where they came from.

Amy was seated on the floor, her hands tied up. She was crying uncontrollably. I wanted to speak to her but there was duct tape over my mouth. I just stared helplessly at my poor niece.

I someone clapping their hands in front of me. I turned and my eyes met with a beautiful older lady. She was wearing makeup and bright red lipstick. The woman wore a blood red pantsuit and black suit. She seemed vaguely familiar but I could tell where I had seen her.

“Lilith Hellman, it’s nice to finally meet you.”© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

She stepped forward and ripped off the duct tape from my lips in one move.

“Who are you?” I asked, ignoring the sharp pain on my mouth and cheeks.

“Your worst nightmare,” she said.

I rolled my eyes. Cliché.