CHAPTER 55
Even with Justin’s protests and the several calls from Marcelo, Theressa refused to stay back. She rejected Justin’s suggestion to wait and come up with a plan, and she declined Marcelo’s offer of help. Marcelo had done too much harm, and Theressa simply couldn’t trust him anymore.
Theressa knew what she had to do, and she wasn’t about to let anyone dissuade her. The urgency of the situation demanded immediate action. She asked Olivia for a meeting point, and Olivia sounded ever ready to receive her. With a deep breath, she left the safety of her home, ignoring Justin’s worried pleas to reconsider.
As she arrived at the agreed location, her heart pounded with anticipation. The place was desolate, an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town, far from prying eyes. The moon cast an eerie glow over the building, its light filtering through the broken windows, creating shadows that danced on the cracked walls.
“Follow me,” a tall, broad-shouldered man dressed in all black said as soon as she stepped out of her car. His voice was deep and firm, leaving no room for hesitation. He turned his back on her, not waiting for a response. It was clear that her agreement or protests didn’t matter; she was expected to follow.
Theressa walked briskly, her eyes roaming down the familiar large hallway. She couldn’t help but wonder what Olivia personally would want with her family. They had everything-wealth, money-so why? What was her deal with a less-than-average family that was just trying to survive with the little they had?
The grandeur of the place contrasted sharply with the modesty of Theressa’s own home. Every polished surface, every ornate detail reminded her of the disparity between her world and Olivia’s. Yet, here she was, caught in the intrigue and power plays of people who seemed to live in a different reality.
Finally, they reached a door, which was opened by the man who had escorted her. The door swung open, and she was met with the gaze of the man she had begun to detest more and more with every passing second. Marcelo.
“Come on, get in,” Olivia gestured with a wide smile on his face. He was seated behind a wooden desk, its design intricate and imposing, a testament to his power and influence.
Theressa entered the room, her eyes fixed on Olivia, her determination unyielding. In her single-minded focus, she didn’t notice the man who had exited the study just as she walked in.
“Where’s my mother?” Theressa demanded, her voice steady but edged with desperation. She had no time for pleasantries or mind games. Every second counted.
Olivia chuckled, a sound that seemed to echo mockingly off the walls. He clearly found some perverse excitement in Theressa’s misery. “Don’t you think that’s a bit too fast? We do have some chats to catch up with. Go on, have a seat,” Olivia gestured to a chair opposite him.
“Give me my mother!” Theressa yelled, her voice breaking the tense silence. She pulled out a gun from her back pocket, her hands trembling only slightly. She wasn’t foolish enough to confront a mafia member empty-handed.
She pointed the gun fiercely at Olivia, the father of the man she was in love with. The room seemed to shrink around them, the weight of the confrontation pressing down heavily.
Olivia sneered, his demeanor unruffled by the weapon pointed at her. “I really thought you were going to be one interesting girl, but it turns out I can predict you as well. That’s just too boring, dear,” Olivia said with a dismissive wave of his hand. But Theressa didn’t back down. Olivia’s words were empty to her; her eyes were clouded with determination to get her way.
Theressa’s grip tightened on the gun, her knuckles white. She had been through too much to let this moment slip away. Every fiber of her being was focused on one thing: rescuing her mother. The thought of failure was unbearable. She couldn’t let Olivia’s taunts distract her.
“I don’t care what you think of me,” Theressa said, her voice steady. “All I want is my mother. Tell me where she is, or I swear I will shoot.”
Olivia leaned back in his chair, his expression one of amused contempt.
“You really think you can kill the father of your boss? No, that’s not it,” Olivia corrected himself with a sly smile. “Do you think you can kill the father of the man you are madly in love with?”
Theressa’s grip on the gun faltered. The metallic object, once a symbol of her resolve, suddenly felt too heavy to hold. Her heart pounded in her chest, a mixture of fear, anger, and confusion swirling within her. She had come here ready to do whatever it took to save her mother, but Olivia’s words cut deeper than she had anticipated.
“Don’t you want to know what happened to your father?” Olivia asked, his tone deceptively gentle.
Theressa’s eyes narrowed. “You killed him,” she retorted, her voice shaking with barely contained rage. Olivia had ruined her life, and that was all she needed to know.
“Yeah, that’s a fact I can’t deny,” Olivia responded nonchalantly, leaning back in his chair as if they were discussing the weather. The casual cruelty in his voice made Theressa’s brows furrow. How could anyone be this heartless?
“Why?” Theressa questioned, her voice barely above a whisper, her heart pounding with a mix of fear and anger.
“Yeah, how about going down memory lane?” Olivia smirked, her eyes gleaming with a cruel amusement.
“Bring her in,” Olivia ordered, her tone cold and commanding. The door swung open, and Theressa gasped as a wheelchair rolled into the room, carrying her mother.
“Mother!” Theressa called out, shocked to see the state of her once-vibrant parent, now paralyzed and helpless, unable to even swallow her own spit.
Tears welled up in Theressa’s eyes as she rushed to her mother’s side, her hands trembling as she reached out to touch her.
“What did you do to my mother?”