Visibly shaken by the savage dream about her mother, Sia propped up on her bed, feeling the grip of her panic attack. This time, it blurred her vision that she couldn’t clearly rake for her drugs.
The dream keeps coming back and haunting her sleep as always but something seems odd this time. Her mother’s words in the dreams sounded more like a warning. An admonition but Sia was too preoccupied to read meaning into the words.
It was but a dream.
“Be careful Sia.”
Her mother’s strange words keep thundering in her ears. Barreling into the washroom, she fished her newly packaged drugs and send it into her mouth with a glass of water.
It’s already morning and taking the drugs without a bite of food doesn’t seem healthy, so she raced down the stairs to grab a bite of food.
Too weak to speak, Sia inwardly thanked heavens Michelle isn’t in the kitchen. So she grabbed a jam from the fridge and a bread loaf with a glass of milk before hopping back to her room.
While munching on the bread and jam, her mind began reeling back to the hoarse words of her mother.
It has always been like that. She always warns her to be careful, to not trust people but Sia can’t make heads or tails why her mother keeps spilling words like that to her. It worsened after Nicole’s death and now even in her dreams, she keeps warning her. To be careful but from whom or what?
Sia’s mind is nothing but scattered pieces of puzzle, looking to be fixed. As she mulled over her mother’s words, Silas’s words some time ago fly back to her mind.
There’s another villain in her story she just yet to find out. Another villain lurking in the shadows waiting to tear her apart at the slightest.
Sia assures herself to be a lot more cautious. If these omens are real then she needs to be mindful of her steps.
Drowning her fears and thoughts about her dreams in the recesses of her mind, Sia pulled up her laptop which she returned home with yesterday, and began navigating the emails and feeds from the media.
As she read through the emails, she saw one sent by the Woods enterprises requesting a meeting with the Monson group which is to be held today.
Sia already made up her mind to accept the Woods enterprises proposal, so she sent Hera a response, agreeing to meet up with her.
She finished her breakfast and morning routine roughly around nine a. m. and then descended the stairs for the meeting.
Sia decided against going with her flashy cars, so she boarded a cab and headed to the Woods enterprises.
By the time she reached the company, Hera hasn’t arrived, so the secretary made Sia wait in the lobby.
Thirty minutes later, Hera gracefully plod into the lobby and invited Sia to her office.
Hera was more collected this time around. She isn’t shaken as she was the first time Sia came here. Not like Sia noticed the convulsive tremors that rippled through Hera the last time they met but she was cognizant of her eagerness to kick start their conversation and keep it flowing, effortlessly.
“I suppose you read the articles I sent?” She asked Sia, as she placed a cup of coffee in front of her.
“Thanks,” Sia muttered and circled her fingers around the cup, pulling it to her lips, she took a long sip. “I did and I’m more convinced now than before.” She said with a grin.
Hera pealed a contemptuous laughter at Sia’s comment. “I mean what I say. You see in business…” She leaned forward on the table, clasping her fingers together. “I have foresight. I know what has potential and what doesn’t. So you don’t need to fear losing thousands if not millions when you partake in the project.”
“And I always work to the very end if I want something,” Hera adds, her gaze stalled on Sia.
“I like your idea. And we the Monson group have agreed to work with you. And the decision we made is to come up with two million dollars for a start. The progress of the project will spur us to fund it more.” Sia said sending her pearl white teeth smile at Hera.
Hera dislikes that smile with every breath in her lungs. She hates it not only does it irate her but it scares her what Sia has become.
“I’m glad your company has accepted it,” Hera said. “Who is the new leader of your company now?” She asked, watching Sia’s reaction.
“Oh, uh…we haven’t seen one yet. Still waiting on the Monson family to decide.” She stammered and took two gulps from her cup.
Standing on her feet, Sia said. “I should be on my way. Since we’ve drawn an obvious conclusion about the project. Please let us know when it’ll kick-start.”
“Of course. I definitely will.” Hera spewed. The smile on her face turned to a lethargic growl as Sia stepped out of her office.
“That girl!” She whispered under her breath.
Sia made it to the ground floor and hobbled out to the busy street. The sidewalk was crammed, she could barely etch through the crowd to cross to the other side of the road.
In the fit of her struggles to single out of the crowd, she felt a sharp nudge on her right arm and hurtled toward the busy road where a biker in a black leather jacket and pants and a mirror visor raced towards her.
Sia’s blood already curdled and her legs buckled she couldn’t move as the biker sped on the red light, aiming toward her.
At the point of hitting her, Sia felt someone bear her down to the other side of the road, her body convulsing rapidly and black dots veiled her vision.
However, Sia managed to register the face of the person that pushed her aside, and then she spotted Jake, rolling on his back and spilling a bunch of obscene words from his lips.
It seems that in his attempt to save her, he got hit by the biker. She took in another man with familiar features racing after the biker. And the man happened to be Lucas. After that, Sia all but fainted.
**
Agonizing grunts danced off Sia’s lips as she cracked her eyes open, taking in her strange surroundings. She felt the fierce banging of her head and she clutched the sides of her head with her hands.
Propping up from where she lay, Sia figured she’s on a couch but is heedless of where she is.
“Take an aspirin. It’ll ease the headache.” She heard someone mutter from behind her. Whipping her head around, she spotted Jake dabbing a washcloth on his arm, probably wiping off blood ’cause Sia spotted the wounds on his face and lips.
“What the fuck happened? And where am I?” She asked with a dry voice.
She wet her lips and downed her spittle to moisten her scorching throat.
Staring pointedly at Jake, she asked. “Can I get a glass of water?”
Jake bobbed his head and slithered to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. He offered it to her and she took three long sips before dragging her focus back to Jake.
“Where am I?” She probed again.
“My house.” He shrugged. “Thank goodness I was there, pretty chick. That biker almost had you killed.” Jake rattled, dropping the washcloth on the counter and pacing toward Sia.
Taking a sit beside her, he framed her face with his hands and asked. “Why are you keeping your identity hidden?”
Thrown off guard by the question, Sia pulled her brows together, quizzically. “I don’t understand.”
“Quit the drama, pretty chick. I know who you’re.” He said. A smile plucked at his lips.
“What do you mean? And who do you think I am?” She questioned.
“The widow!” Jake sputtered, making Sia gape.