Alice was ruthless. Not only did she fire everyone, but she also used her connections to prevent the maid and bodyguards from finding new work.
The maid had no choice but to take on odd jobs to survive.
Two years ago, she saw my daughter thrown out of the house and left to wander the streets. She took her in and they moved from place to place before finally settling in a metal container.
My daughter had been expelled from school, by Alice’s doing. She stripped her of the right to an education.
To survive, my daughter took odd jobs as well, but Alice and Carlos never stopped tormenting her.
They took her food, making it impossible for her to eat properly. They harassed her constantly, forcing her to do things she shouldn’t have had to do.
My daughter became nothing more than their plaything.
Only now did I truly grasp how low Alice could sink; it was utterly despicable.
“Dad! Daddy!”
“Don’t hurt my dad. I’ll do anything you want.”
“I’ll give up anything; I just want my dad!”
She must’ve been having a terrible nightmare. Her words grew frantic, finally breaking into desperate sobs.
This foolish girl was bearing it all out of fear for me. She didn’t understand that few could actually hurt me.
Seeing my anger, the maid quickly stepped in to calm me. “Mr. Stewart, please don’t do anything rash. Those people are dangerous; you could get hurt. Now that you’re back, I can finally hand Tatiana over to you. That’s the only way I can honor the promise I made to you back then.”
I thanked her sincerely and assured her not to worry about the rest. I would handle everything from here on out.
There was no way for those people to get away with what they had done.
As I left the hospital room, I made arrangements for someone to guard the door. From now on, no one would lay a finger on my daughter again.
Then, I called to track down Alice.
Just as I suspected, she was vacationing with Stephen. Five days and four nights. Today marked day three.
She had already booked her return ticket, cutting the trip short.
Carlos must’ve told her I was back.
They weren’t far. It would only take them just over an hour to return.
Right after I received the update on Alice’s itinerary, her call came through.
Her voice, usually cold and distant, was suddenly sweet and syrupy. This shift wasn’t lost on me, guilt. She knew she had wronged me and was now overcompensating.
“Honey, why didn’t you tell me you were coming home?”
I didn’t waste time with small talk. I asked, “Do you know what happened to our daughter?”
Alice continued to play dumb.
“What do you mean? Isn’t she doing just fine?”
I had already made up my mind. If she confessed, admitted her wrongs, maybe I’d show some mercy.
But since she insisted on this act, mercy was no longer an option.
