Chapter 22
“Sis, Hey, Vanessa”, Trey said in a mild tone as he was taping and waking up his sister. Vanessa was tired and deep in sleep, so she could barely feel a touch. After several tapping, she finally answered and had woken up. She checked her phone and released a deep sigh.
“It was all just a dream”, she murmured.
“What dream?”, Trey asked, becoming confused by the statement.
“It was nothing Trey”, she responded in a mellow tone.
*****
The truth is that it wasn’t nothing. She only just had a dream. The flowers and the chocolate milk was not real. The man also, Asher, was not real. Asher was pretty much dead. He was really gone. She started to cry as they alighted from the uber. Something was real though, it was the missed calls. Miles had been calling her phone all along but she did not answer it. She was not ignoring him but her phone was really deep down her purse and it was set on silent. She really did not feel like talking to anyone. Tears continue to drop from her eyes as she continued to remember him and the sweet sex they had. His friends that thought he was not dead for real, all thought wrong.
*****
“Let them in”, Andre ordered.
His visitors, Vanessa Warner and Trey Warner had already arrived. They were ready to hear what he had to say.
“Hey”, Vanessa said on sighting him. Andre was clearly not in a mood of going out. He was in his night wear already at past six o’clock in the evening. He wore gold and black colored Louis Vuitton pajamas.
“Okay go straight to what you asked me about”, he demanded.
“Fine. What exactly can I do to set my dad free and clear the debt? You clearly don’t want the money back”, she said out loud.
“Hey, hey, do not make loud noises at my face or I’ll have you fed to my dogs”, he smiled and cautioned her.
“I would let your father, Lance , witness this”, he added. With just his hand signal, he had given out an instruction that his prisoner should be brought out to the meeting. His lawyer was invited also.
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Slamming the table, he shouted, “That is enough. Let’s get straight to why we are here holding this meeting”. The family members were engaged in a long hug after the father was released. He looked weak and hungry.
“You did not feed him!”, she yelled again.
“Hey I warned you, do not yell at me”, he answered.
Trey handed his father a cup of coffee he had brought with him and some tacos. Pain relief drugs and the ones he had from the hospital were also here.
*****
“Give them the contract”, he ordered his lawyer. The man did just that immediately and the family members went through it together. The deal stated that, “To clear off the debt and free the father, the daughter would forever remain his prisoner and twenty seven thousand nine hundred and seventy two dollars would be paid by the family in the space of twenty seven years”.
“What!!!”, the three family members yelled simultaneously. It was a weird deal.
“I don’t need you to make a noise here, you either take it or leave it”, he said. Andre knew that girl would take any deal so he made it that way.
*****
“Do not sign it Vanessa, I am begging you”, her father pleaded. She was being stubborn and had her mind made up. She aggressively took the pen from the lawyer and made her signature on the necessary places. Andre was drinking as soon as she signed, he gave a wicked smile behind his glass.
“Congratulations Lance, you’ve got a brave daughter”, the man said out loud trying to make a mockery off him.
“I am picking you up very early tomorrow morning. We would not want to run late”, Andre said as he allowed the family members to go home.
*****
The family remained silent and quiet in the car throughout the journey back home. They all could not believe Vanessa had agreed to remain with a wicked soul for life. Vanessa kept on crying; she was too sad to say a word. Miles’ call came in again. She saw it and then ignored it.
*****
“Why is she avoiding your calls man?”, Chris asked Miles.
” I sincerely do not know”, he answered.
“To come to your wedding with her will be a great thing to me but I’m not sure it will happen”, Miles added.
*****
Chris’ wedding was coming up soon. The wedding was to take place in the city hall in Beverly Hills. Miles was to come back to town to be at his friend’s wedding.
“I know of a way to get her to be present”, Miles said.
“Oh, what is it?”, Chris asked.
“It’s very simple. You just have to ask her yourself”, he said.
“Okay, maybe I will do that. I will make a call, text her and send her one of the invitation cards for the VIPs”, he answered.
*****
It was past ten o’clock in the evening. Vanessa’s family just had their dinner. It was spicy chicken wings, pasta and some fruit juice.
“Why did you sign the contract?”, Lance asked his daughter. He just sat on the couch with her.
She was just moody and could not even say a word.
“I- , I just did the best thing I could think of. I hate to see you there”, she answered with her eyes still filled with tears.
“You shouldn’t have. I am old, weak and dying”, Lance said crying also.
“Let’s just hope for the very best. My head aches”, she answered him.
*****
It was the next morning, Vanessa was already ready for Andre to pick her up. He said they were leaving early. Her brother gave her a tight hug just minutes after her dad did.
“He said something about leaving early. Is he going to take you out of town?”, Trey asked.
“Would we be able to communicate and visit you anytime we want to?”, Lance asked.
“I do not know also, the only way to find out is to ask him when he gets here”, Vanessa concluded.