AUTHOR’S POV
Caleb pushed Sydney away aggressively causing her to hit her forehead on the wooden bed frame.
Ashley stared at her daughter helplessly, she couldn’t raise a muscle without feeling immense pain.
Guilt washed over Amaya’s features. She had called Sydney earlier to inform her that her mother had cancer and needed urgent treatment but Caleb caught her trying to call Sydney. He hit her until she confessed to him. He couldn’t care less about Ashley’s alignment after all; he had been with her far more than he bargained.
His business statistics have been descending ever since Sydney’s supposed scandal and if nothing was done quickly, he’d be back to square one. So, he asked Amaya to call Sydney again, and he used Ashley as a tool to get Sydney to Arizona.
Sydney sulked, blood was oozing from the top of her left eyebrow. She looked at Ashley, ” Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”
” I…was scared Sydney. I’m tired, I want to rest. ” Ashley choked out a response.
Caleb chuckled evilly, ” It would have been much appreciated if you thought of this years back.”
When it came to her mother, Sydney was protective. She could stand up to her father even though she was never victorious.
Sydney looked at Caleb with stony eyes. ” I know you hate her but how can you say such a thing? She’s dying and you are doing nothing about it.”
Caleb’s eyes darkened with rage. How dare this piece of shit talk to him with such disrespect! He walked to her. Ashley tried to reach him in defense, but pain shot into her body instantly.
” Caleb… Please forgive her.” Ashley cried out.
” Don’t beg him, he’s done enough. You can’t continue staying here.” Sydney asserted.
Caleb grabbed Sydney by the neck and pushed her violently to the wall. He said callously, ” You think you can ruin me and I’ll let you and your mother live in peace?”
Sydney struggled for air. ” You ruined yourself from the start…All Mum and I did was try to suit your goddamn impossible standard! Not anymore-”
Slap! And another.
Sydney’s face swung to the side due to the impact. The sound was loud enough to echo through the spacious house and Gabriel didn’t miss it.
He’d seen Caleb charge into the house. He asked Anita if Sydney had arrived yet. Anita said yes. Caleb threw Gabriel a scornful glare and charged up the stairs. Gabriel knew something was wrong, and having heard the sound, he headed for the source.
Sydney was used to Caleb’s beatings, so the slap barely made her flinch. She felt anguish seeing Anita standing by the door with a carefree look on her face. Wasn’t there any sane person in this family?
” You knew about this too, why help her!” Sydney was losing her mind.
Anita scoffed loudly, ” I’m tired of this family Sydney. This woman watched and did nothing while our childhood was being wasted. All she did was sit by the window and cry 24/7 while Father ruined us!”
Caleb let go of Sydney and looked at his deserving daughter in confusion. ” Ruined you? I sculpted you into the beautiful independent woman you are today.”
” No father, you ruined me. I’m done trying to pretend like my life is perfect.” Anita shouted.
Everyone was shocked, even Caleb. Anita had never lost her cool talk more of raising her voice at Caleb.
” No, Anita, you are perfect. You are nothing like your sister.” Anita was his investment. He’s spent twenty-six years of his life turning her into his human-robot, someone who would do anything he said.
Anita glared at him, hate filled her eyes. ” I’m not perfect. Since you don’t know, let me tell you. Mark and I divorced two years after our marriage. None of those kids are mine, I couldn’t carry a child because my womb was damaged from the so-called body fit pills you forced me to take.”
” I’ve quit my job; I’m thinking of going into fashion because, in case you haven’t f**king guessed, I’m a woman! Tomorrow, I’d be living in South Africa with a man I truly love.”
It didn’t take long for Caleb to forget who she was. He cursed loudly, ” You are a disgrace!” He raised his hand to hit her but she caught it and threw it away.
” I’m not like my mother you’ll raise your hands to.” She growled. ” Someone will bring a document here tomorrow. Prepare a lawyer and be ready to lose all you’ve worked for.” She looked at Ashley in disgust.
” That’s the least I can do for you.” She spun on her heels, leaving Caleb dumbfounded, and exited the room, almost running into Gabriel.
Caleb turned viscously to Ashley. Once again he blamed her. She turned Anita’s mind against him.
” I think it would be better if you see your creator a little bit earlier.” He picked up a whip by the chifferobe.
Sydney gasped and stood in front of her mother defensively. ” I’ll tell the whole world what you are doing to her if you dare touch her.”
Gabriel laughed haughtily. He rolled the whip around his hand. ” You wouldn’t have a voice to speak by the time I’m finished with you.
When he raised the whip to hit her, Gabriel’s voice boomed in the room, making Caleb’s hand hang in the air.
” I wouldn’t do that if I were you!”
Caleb groaned loudly in frustration and then turned to the a**hole that dared interrupt him. ” And who the f**k do you think you are to stop me, huh!”
Sydney stared at Gabriel with wide eyes. She was waiting for the impact of Caleb’s weapon of torture till she heard Gabriel’s threatening voice. Gabriel saw the fear in her eyes and anger surged in him.
Sydney saw an uncertain kind of emotion in Gabriel’s eyes. Whatever it was, it scared the shit out of her.
Gabriel focused his attention on the man bull before him. ” My identity isn’t important but I do know who you are.” He walked into the room. The sound of his footsteps brought a strange feeling to Caleb.
” Caleb. Morgan. Riley. I know you graduated from Yale. You used to play hockey as a teenager but were kicked out of the team because of drug addiction. I know you, Caleb Morgan.” A wicked smile grazed Gabriel’s lips.
Caleb sneered at Gabriel. And what did he expect him to do with the information?
” And so does everyone else. You’ve been doing your homework. Anything you know that everyone else doesn’t know of?” Caleb barked rhetorically.
Gabriel stood in front of Sydney and replied, ” I’m glad you asked. Does everyone also know of the affair you are having while still married to your wife?”
Caleb opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. Who was this man, and how the hell did he know about his affairs? Even Sydney was star-struck. How does Gabriel know her father?
Caleb cleared his throat and snapped, ” Do you want to blackmail me? Don’t make fun of yourself, nobody would believe you.”
” Oh, they will. They will when they see your pornographic video.” Gabriel stated causally.
Caleb stumbled backward in shock. What! How’s that possible?
” If you aren’t convinced I have it, I could show you,” Gabriel said with a smirk.
Sydney looked askance at him. She held his hand and made him look at her. ” What’s going on Gabriel? How do you know this about my father?”
Was he one of those paparazzi or information brokers that blackmailed celebrities?
He looked at her hand on his and smiled reassuringly. ” I inquired.” He replied enigmatically and turned back to Caleb who couldn’t defend himself.
” If you don’t want the whole world to see you making love to ‘women’ that aren’t your wife, you’ll do as I say.”
” You are delusional! You won’t do that!” Caleb shouted stubbornly. He eyed Gabriel up and down, and he could guess the man in front of him was a pauper. A cunning smirk appeared on his face.
He offered vehemently, ” Let’s settle this like men. You look like you need a touch of luxury. I’ll give you five million naira and buy yourself a car. Get yourself a lady rather than trying to help these undeserving women.”
Sydney gasped slightly and held Gabriel’s hand tightly. He would collect it and leave them in the hands of this man. Her mother won’t survive another beating. She had to put her pride aside and beg Gabriel. He was their only hope.
Gabriel looked at her with a frown. ” Trust me.” He voiced.
“I’ll increase it to ten million. Just accept the damn money and get out of my house!” Caleb shouted impatiently. He ached to pour his anger on these women.
Amaya ran to Gabriel’s feet and begged. Even Ashley pleaded. Gabriel looked at them in silence.
Finally, he turned to Caleb and said, ” Make it fifteen million.”