7 Pay Back Time

The next day.

After eating breakfast, Laura was looking down at the window of her bedroom when she saw her father leaving their home in a horse-drawn carriage.

She went to her parents' bedroom. Her mother was not there. She went downstairs and found her mother standing in the middle of the living room, looking at where the furniture used to be.

Rosa looked over her shoulder and saw her daughter staring at her. "What's wrong, child?"

"Mother, I saw Father leaving in a carriage. Where is he going?" Laura asked.

"He's going to the drug store to buy medicine for his stomach digestion problem," Rosa answered.

"Ah okay," Laura said. "Why are you staring in the middle of the empty living room, Mother?" she inquired.

"I'm just imagining what kind of furniture we will buy to replace the ones that had been destroyed by the vampires. What color of sofa you want me to buy, daughter?" Rosa said and solicits her daughter's opinion.

"I like anything with pastel colors, soft to the eyes," Laura responded.

"Okay, let's buy a couch with pastel color. Any color in particular that you have in mind?" Rosa inquired.

"Ah, lilac color, Mother. Let's just go to the antique store and buy new figurines and other decoration," she suggested.

Rosa agreed and nodded her head. "Alright, let's go shopping for new furniture this weekend," she said. She lowered her eyes so that her daughter can't see through her lies.

"I'll go back to my room to take a bath, Mother," Laura said.

"You go ahead..." Rosa nods her head.

Laura climbs the stairs and went to her room and take a bath in the bathroom.

A few hours later. Simon finally arrived from his short trip outside the house.

Rosa waited for her husband to exit the carriage. She can't wait to ask him. "Did you buy something...?"

Simon nodded his head. "Shh...lower your voice..." he said looking around the area fearing that his daughter can hear their conversation.

"Calm down, she's not around. She's in her room," Rosa said. "Let me see it..." she said looking at the small parcel that her husband was holding in his right hand.

"Not here... let's go to our room," Simon said.

The couple went upstairs and entered their bedroom, then locked the door.

Simon handed the parcel to his wife.

Rosa emptied the contents on the table. "What is this?" holding a small bottle. She opened the lid and peered inside, then she smelled the liquid, it's odorless. "Is this it, husband?"

Simon nodded his head. "Yeah, that's it!"

"That liquid can make her sleep for a few hours and after she wakes up she will feel groggy and weak. She won't be able to push the cover of the trunk easily. The journey only lasts 24 hours, she won't be dead yet by the time she arrived in South Pond Town, besides we assigned a servant by her side just in case she needs anything," Simon elaborated.

"Is this safe?" asked Rosa worriedly.

"Yes. It's just a sleeping pill in liquid form but more potent than the ones that were commonly sold in the stores," he explained. "You will add it to Laura's milk later. After directly taking it, the effect will start thirty minutes after ingestion. So, you have to accompany her in her bedroom so that she won't go anywhere, or else she might start feeling dizzy and hit her head accidentally..."

"Okay, I'll remember your instructions," Rosa said and put the bottle in the pocket of her dress.

"Read the exact dosage first before you mix it with the milk," he warned her.

"Yes, I'll check it before mixing it with Laura's drinks," replied Rosa.

Simon sighed.

Rosa looked at him. "What is it, husband? What is bothering you?" she asked.

Simon took a deep breath. His face was showing sadness. "Sometimes, I'm asking myself if we really have to do this?" he said, doubt was creeping in his voice.

Rosa joined his husband in sighing. Her tormented face shows the inner conflict that was raging in her mind. "We just have to think about what's going to happen if our daughter marries a vampire. Can we bear looking at our grandchildren that are going to be vampires as well? In the years to come, the rest of our descendants will become vampires," she said in distressed.

Simon agreed. "Yeah, I got your point. Let's go ahead with our plan." He was convinced again.

The couple looked at each other's eyes for a long time. Then they hugged each other.

Their happy times are over. The change of tide is starting to shake the course of their life.

Simon rose to his feet and entered the bathroom while Rosa went downstairs to instruct the cook on what to prepare for lunch.

In the other room.

Laura was thinking about her sister Sofia. She was praying to God that her sister was treated with care by those vampires. She tried to avoid thinking of the possibility that they were now feeding on her sister's fresh blood as of this moment.

Last month, her father trained her with office works so that she will be the one to take over their milling business in the years to come. His father also has a Buy and Sell Business. They buy rice and corn grains from the farmers in the villages and sell them to the stores in towns, along with the addition of livestock and vegetables.

Aside from those mentioned businesses, her father was also raising horses, poultry products, and currently added pig farming to his portfolio. All her father's businesses were doing well.

And she had to remind herself that all their wealth originated from the vampires' gold nuggets combined with her father's hard work and skill in managing their businesses successfully together with their devoted employees.

Now it's payback time!

She closed her eyes for a few minutes. Despite the bad things, she has to look on the brighter side and see the goodness behind the vampire couple's intention.

Since she's not going anywhere, she might as well ready her mind mentally to face her future husband without wincing in fright!

She has to be emotionally ready so that she won't have a heart attack after seeing her vampire husband for the first time.

Two hours later.

There was a knock on the door.

"Daughter, it's lunchtime!" Rosa's voice rang in the air.

Laura left the bed and joined her mother outside the door. They walked towards the stairs together.

In the dining room.

Simon was already waiting for them. "Daughter, do you want to go to the farm with me?" he asked.

"Sure!" Laura said excitedly. She loves riding horses and feeding the fish in the pond. The farm offers her endless fun. She and her sister Sofia loves to go there every weekend.

"I'll join you guys. I have not visited the farm since last month," Rosa said merrily.

Simon smiled. "Okay. Girls, be ready at 1:00... we will start traveling after lunch today," he said.

The trio starts eating.

They were having a lively discussion about the farm while devouring the delicious dishes in front of them.