ZIA
I saw the footsteps Casey's men leaving the room. Soon after, new, heavy footsteps arrived.
"Where's the old man?"
A voice I recognized—Noel.
"He's being taken for a walk by my men." Casey spoke sarcastically. "Why, have you started to care about him?"
I could see from the gap in the bed that Casey's shoes were moving closer to Noel.
"Honestly no. I'm just afraid he'll die. That would be troublesome, my wedding and Zia's could be delayed again," he said lightly. "Why are you telling me to come home quickly? I'm almost at the building decoration site."
"Forget about the building location, don't you miss me?" Casey's voice softened, seductive Noel. "Do you really want to marry her?"
"Yes. Didn't we agree on that from the start? I'm marrying Zia just to tie her down. If one day she finds out that I was the one who hit her parents' car, she won't be able to run away. She won't be able to report it."
It took me a few seconds to digest Noel's words.
The world feels like it's spinning in my head. My heart felt like it was breaking. My breath caught in my throat as the memory came flooding back. Two years ago, my parents' car was in an accident. The perpetrator got away. My father lost his eyesight and my mother lost her life. After being left by his wife and losing his sight, my father fell into depression. His company went bankrupt.
It was the most difficult time of my life. Until Noel suddenly appeared in my life, becoming my savior. He offered me a job and often covered my father's company's losses.
But now it turns out that he... is the cause of the destruction of my life.
"Very clever, Noel," Casey chuckled. "So you're done playing with her father's company?" Casey asked.
"Enough is enough, the company is bankrupt. That accident was a stroke of luck for me. From there, I was able to take over Mr. Alfred's investors, steal his money," Noel laughed heartily. "And now, I can only watch their stupidity as they think of me as a guardian angel. When in fact, I am the mastermind behind it all."
My eyes burned. My body stiffened. I was too angry and could hardly believe it.
Casey wrapped her arms around Noel's neck. "Then... let's enjoy our time while they're gone."
Noel bent down and lifted Casey into his arms.
"I want to have dinner out of town, okay?" Casey whined.
"Of course, Honey."
Their footsteps faded away.
My body felt completely weak. I couldn't count how many tears fell.
Bur I turned to the side. Dad was staring at me with pale, shocked eyes, his hands trembling. But suddenly his body convulsed, his breathing became heavy, his face turned white.
"No... Dad!" I screamed in my heart, trying to break free from the restraints. The duct tape on my wrists hurt my skin, but I didn't care. On the fifth try, I succeeded.
"Dad!"
I untied him and removed the duct tape from his mouth. Then I carried him out from under the bed. "Dad, please hang on, how do you feel?"
My father didn't say anything. His body was limp. Instead, his eyes were closed. I cried my heart out. I hoped it was all a dream.
"No, you can't leave!"
I touched his pulse, which was no longer beating. His breathing had stopped. So had my world, which felt completely shattered.
—
After a simple funeral, I walked out of the house, feeling weak. I looked like a living corpse, while my heart felt heavy the whole time.
The evening sky embraced me. It told me that I had lost my beloved parents. My tears flowed again.
Not far from the house, my phone rang. A message came in from Noel:
[Jack said you're not at the hospital anymore. Are you at home? Please bring Casey's scarf from your house to the address I sent you. She'll have trouble sleeping tonight without her favorite thing.]
Another message appeared.
[Hurry, she was kind enough to help prepare for our wedding tomorrow. Everything is ready.]
I blocked that number easily. Marriage? Noel was too confident. What kind of fool would marry a man who had killed two members of her family?
Instead, I called Amanda.
"Now put that resignation letter in Noel's private room."
Second step, I called Finn.
A heavy voice greeted me immediately. "Your sister is safe with me, Zia. Even though it hasn't been a week, I already know what's happening to you now. Need a ride?"
My blood boiled. My nails dug into my skin as I clenched my fists too tightly. "Yes. Now I don't just want to leave, Finn. I want revenge that matches their actions!"
"I've tracked your location. I'll be there in a minute."
