Chapter 5 Sobbing

• ==Matteo==
• I got off the phone with my secretary, just in time for a knock to come.
• “Come in.” I said.
• The door opened to reveal my butler. “Sire, I have the documents with me.”
• I ushered him in, and he passed me the documents.
• The first page read: Olive Samantha Haynes. The second page displayed her personal information. From the look of things, she recently turned 21, measured 5”5 in height and worked as a waitress at a local café. I flipped to the next page and saw her pictures.
• My eyes circled around her form. I immediately shut the portfolio, not wanting to see more.
• “You may go.”
• He nodded, just as he was about leaving, I said, “Get the car ready. I'm going to town.”
• ***
• We finally arrived to our destination after the maddening city’s traffic threatened to stomp us down. I couldn’t believe that at this time of the day, the traffic was much. One reason I cherished the peace and quiet Malchian Grove gave.
• My driver alighted the car and strode into the building. Some time later, he returned. His expression plain, just like I’d indoctrinated.
• “Sir, she didn’t show up today.”
• I said nothing, but kept looking out of the window. “Drive to her residence.”
• He started the car and drove out of the premises. We soon made it into the residence. A place called Hunnigton street. Suffice it to say that this was a disgusting place. A rat house. Everywhere was littered. The air smelled polluted and I could get the acrid taste of smoke in the air.
• My driver, once again, left the car and got into the building. I regarded the house. It was an old apartment complex that wrecked of decay. I kept staring till the scent came. So strong was it that I couldn’t ignore. It smelled of frangipani. My undoing.
• However, I knew better than to leave the car. This place reeked of criminality. Soon, my driver arrived.
• He got in. “Sir, he—”
• I raised my hand slightly, stopping him. “I’ll be right back.”
• I left the car and followed the scent to the backyard. There were scrabs of metal and some other junks here and there. I searched around, wondering where the scent was coming from. I followed my gaze to the direction of the scent. It was coming from above. I lifted my gaze and it rested on a certain apartment. The left window at the fourth floor.
• That was when I heard it.
• Her weeps. They were soft, and felt like someone in pain. I paused a while before turning around.
• Chapter 5.
• I couldn’t believe the person that I was staring in the mirror was me. She was a totally different person. Her eyes were puffy and at the corners was soiled mascara. Her hair was unruly and had lost its nice warm texture. Its blondness was fading.
• I also couldn’t believe the man that I called Dad had betrayed me. He was a stranger. He wasn’t that man I knew that bought me popsicles or rode a merry-go- round with me. He wasn’t the man that looked out for me, and made sure I didn’t get into trouble with guys. No, he wasn’t that man that shared his secret pancake recipe with me. He was lost. He was different.
• I took my eyes at the paper that was on the table:
• My conscience has severally dealt with me. I can’t forgive myself for what I did. I understand if you don’t forgive me.
• I didn’t know what to make out of the letter. Because I got up from my bed and found it lying there. There was no sign of him around. I didn’t bother to call.
• I closed my eyes, remembering what had happened. How my whole world turned around in a split second. When Dad had broken the news to me I stared in disbelief. I was too shocked to speak. Didn’t know what to say. Couldn’t bring myself to talk. I was broken. I was shattered.
• When he had told me ‘they’, I’d thought he meant a company or something. Not two completely different individuals that he had offered me to.
• I remembered screaming:
• “How could you Dad!”
• “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking straight,” he'd replied.
• I shut my eyes tighter, wanting to dispel those thoughts. How was I going to escape this predicament? How? There was nowhere I could run to. No one to call…
• I sat upright as a thought came to my head. Wait, a minute. Leah. Yes, Leah.
• I dashed to my bed and took my phone. Immediately dialing up her number.
• “Hey, ba—”
• My sobbing cut her off. “I need you, Leah. It's urgent.”
• “Oh my God. What’s the problem?”
• “I don’t have much time. I’ll tell you everything when you get here.”
• “Be right there.”
• I spent time waiting for Leah by pacing the room. In no time, a knock came through. I rushed to open the door. As soon as I saw her, I wrapped my arms around her. Weeping.
• She patted me, running her fingers across my hair. “It’s okay, honey. I’m here now.”
• After crying, I pulled from her. Suddenly realising that I hadn’t showered and I must be a smelly mess. Either way, she didn’t show it. That look of concern was on her face as she led me to the bedroom.
• We sat on the bed.
• “What’s going on?” she said.
• I sniffed. “A lot. I don’t know where to begin.”
• “Breathe. Breathe,” Leah said, demonstrating with her hands.
• How do I tell her I couldn’t breathe. That all I wanted was to run away from here. Never to be seen
• With tears in my eyes, I said, “My…” I couldn’t even call him Dad anymore. I couldn’t bring myself to call him that. “Joe sold me off.”
• Leah frowned. “Who’s Joe?”
• “Joe Haynes. What does that tell you?”
• She widened her eyes. Then a smile played on her lips. She gave a small life. “What’s going on here? Since when did you call your dad by his name?”
• “Point of correction. He isn’t my Dad.”
• “Are you alright? “
• “Don’t I look fine?”
• “Well, clearly you don’t. First, your hair is all over the place, your PJ should have seen better days and then, here you are referring to your Dad—”
• “Stepdad.” I pointed my finger at her.
• “Since when did that matter?”
• “Since he...” I choked once again in my words. “Since he sold me.”
• She looked confused, her hands raised. “Hold up hold up. Sold you? What do you mean?”
• I walked to the window and looked outside. It was cloudy, fitting my mood perfectly. I really needed the rain to fall.
• “I'm waiting.” Leah's words interrupted me.
• I got startled a bit. I didn’t remember she was here. Swallowing up the remaining saliva in my mouth, I told her. Every single bit of it.
• “What?” She rose from the bed. “How could he do that?”
• She walked up to me and turned me to face here. “Look at me, Olivia.”
• I did. My teary eyes on the one person I counted as friend. Her dark eyes had gone deeper now. Her face scrunched in concentration.
• “Listen. Nothing’s gonna happen. They dare not lay their god awful hands on you.”
• I sniffed, nodding. But deep down in me, I didn’t see any hope.
• “That's slavery, and I need not tell you it's against the law,” she said. “Come here.”
• I gave her a hug again, the tears still flowing.