Chapter 14

XANDRA'S POV

"I barely recognized the cold weather until I felt the warmth of the summer day

Summer breeze welcomed me while the air brushes my hair

The cold made me shiver and cover my body with thick togs

While summer let me explore and discover new things

I was able to wear clothes that warmth could touch my skin

The feeling of being free with the world is what I'm giving in.

I admit, I love the cold, but I wouldn't have known if I haven't compared.

Summer comes and passes, I have to wait for months so I can feel it, again.

Enduring the cold and waiting I know, I can feel you once again.

I just have to wait a little longer so that I could go through it, over and over." Mom read it out loud.

"So this is what you're doing instead of training?" She shouted. Her angry face makes me shiver.

"I was just-" I stopped. She slaps me on the face.

"You're truly an embarrassment to this family!" She said, I looked into her eyes. I saw how cold it is there, I have never seen the warmth I have been needing since.

I just wish my dad would have been here to save me from this kind of situation again.

"You know what?! I wished you have died when you were a baby or should have not been born, but here I am, talking to you, you useless brat!" This time I looked into her mouth, that's where bad words coming out, words that are killing me from the inside.

"Brooke is better than you. She should have been my daughter, and I will be proud to have her as my own. I really despise having you in my life." She said and torn the paper into pieces.

That left me dumbfounded. She left my room. Emotions started to consume me. Tears started to fall down my cheeks. I felt like I am going to explode. I wanna get out of her.

In my 18 years of living, I have never felt her warmth, all that I could see is her anger towards me. She treated me differently.

I left our house and drove my car. I don't know where to go but I have to be somewhere away from here.

An alert showed up on my screen, they wanted me to go back, it's too dangerous outside and our lives are in danger but I needed to release my pain.

Then, I remembered the place my dad used to bring me to, you can see the city lights and building from there. He said it can make him relax and I'm the only person he brought there. For him, I am special, I could make his life best than better. My dad is incomparable.

All I could say now is that I was loved.

I have arrived at my dad's havens place. Where life meets peace.

I sat down on the grass. Tears falling down, if my mom does not want me, why was I even born?

Thoughts running on my mind, why didn't he bring me with him? Why did he leave me here to suffer?

I heard my phone rung, I went to my car to get it. I left it open earlier. My mom is calling...

I was about to answer it when I felt someone hit me on the neck that made me lose my consciousness.

_

I woke up feeling heavy. I was in a room, the sun serves as light. The room was empty and I was the only one in here. I was tied on a bed. I hear people outside.

Where am I?

I'm hesitating to call for someone, I don't even know who brought me here.

I look around to find something that would help me to untie myself but a woman came in holding a tray.

"Here's your food." She said sweetly.

"Where am I?" I asked.

"In Henge's territory." She said, my eyes went bigger because of shock.

They are the ones who are after us.

"Kris, you're giving too much information." A man entered.

"I'm not." The woman said and rolled her eyes.

"What Am I doing here?" I asked, I wiggle my hands. I'm getting anxious.

"Your family has to give their power for us to rank the highest," Kris said and caressed my face.

"What?! Can't your clan do that by yourselves?" I confusingly asked.

"It hurt to admit but yes, your clan has been roaring for success for years and we have been trying to match with them but we couldn't." The man responded.

"Why did you capture me? I don't care about our clan's business." I honestly said.

Maybe this is why my mom hates me.

"But you're the daughter of the leader and that made you our target." He laughingly said.

How did that happen? I wasn't shown to any event or pictures before. No one actually knows about me except those people inside our house.

This is very confusing.

"How did you know about me?" I asked.

"That's for you to find out," Kris said and winked.

"I will call your mom and if they won't give us the power than we demand, we'll make your life miserable but for now, we'll take care of you." The man spoke.

_

Hours have passed and the same man came furiously came in.

"So, you're really worthless!" He shouted.

"What?" I confusingly asked.

He took out his phone and press it.

A record play.

"This is Henge's clan. We would like to inform you that we have your daughter." I heard him said on the record.

"Henge?" I heard my mom.

"Yes, madam." He responds.

"You're saying that you've got my daughter, huh?" She said.

"Exactly." He proudly said.

"But I don't have a daughter." She replied.

I felt my heart flinch. Those words hurt me.

"Yes you have, don't even lie to me, or else I will kill her." He said.

"I am disowning that brat. Kill her if you want to, I don't care." then she ended the call and the record stopped.

"I told you about that earlier!" I shouted, tears falling down from my face. She didn't even care.

"Yes, you did! But I never thought that you're that worthless!" He angrily said and throw his phone at my face. I felt hot liquid on my face and saw blood falling down my lap.

"What are you doing?!" Kris entered astounded. "Why did you do that?!" She walks close to me holding a towel. "She's bleeding." Kris tried to stop my blood to flow out.

"That girl is worthless!" He said.

"She already told us that she didn't care about their business, maybe that was what she is trying to say earlier. You don't need to hurt a child Nicholo!" She said and still wiping out the blood.

"Give her to Rene, we won't gain anything from her." He said.

She left me and went to Nicholo.

"You can stop now. I know we wanted this so bad but we don't need to brag her into this. I can already see that that child is already broken-" Nicholo raises her hand to stop her.

"I know we have lost our daughter years ago Kris but this is not the right time to show kindness. We have been aiming to be on the top." He said and put his hands on her shoulder.

Kris shrugged him off.

"This is why I'm being distant with you, all you think about is be at the top. Leave this room so I can clean her up." She said without looking at him, Nicholo did what she said.

Kris went to me and smiled sweetly.

"We will have a deal, okay? I will untie you for you to move freely and I can clean you up, but please don't do something stupid." She said and I nodded.

She started to untie me and when my hand was freed from the cord, I saw red lines.

"Oh, sorry sweetie, I think I have tightened the cord too much." She apologized and caressed my hand.

"There's a bathtub in the bathroom, let's go?" She said and pulled me to come to her.

She undresses and that made me stiff. She just smiled and I thought to myself, this makes her happy.

She gave me a robe and arrange the tub. She went out and come in bringing things for the tub.

Lighting candles and scented candles put a bath bomb and made me soak in the tub.

I was startled when she washes my hair and put shampoo and started to massage it.

"I'm so happy you let me do this to you... my daughter should have been the same age as you. Unfortunately, she died when she was 10, I wished I could have done this to her." I heard her voice cracked.

"My mom never does this to me, I'm happy too that you made me feel this," I said, I turn my head and showed her my smile, she smiled back.

"I'll clean your wound later, okay?" she said and I nodded.

She made me feel that I found a mom for myself.

After the bath, she put many things on the bed - for my wounds and for my body.

"Please let me take care of you." She said and I nodded.

I let her do the things she wants.

"I'm not capable of having a child again, Nicholo won't even allow it because it would cost me my life. When I got pregnant with Claire, my body started to give up, but I didn't let that happen, that's why when I give birth to her successfully, I promised myself that I will take care of her... but no matter how hard you try, the most precious things are the things you can lose." Her tears are falling from her beautiful face.

Kris does really loved her daughter. She's soft and warm.

I hugged her. "And sometimes, what you can't have, can be found." I just wished she's my mom.

Night came and she left my room for me to rest but I couldn't bring myself to sleep.

I was troubled when Nicholo entered the room.

"Where's Kris?" He asked.

"She's already sleeping," I answered.

"Good - boys, get her." I was shocked. Men came inside, I wasn't able to scream for help for I got scared.

They gag me and tied my hands, pushing me to walk outside. I wish I could ask them where they are taking me.

Nicholo took out his phone and call someone.

"Rene, I'm on my way to your club. Prepare my money." He said.

I am walking with them wearing a thin white dress that Kris made me wear to sleep.

I was brought to a club - girls are dancing naked and men shouting for their lustful desires.

An old man showed up, I think he is Rene.

"This is the girl you're talking about?" Rene asked and look at me.

"Yes, get her now before my wife finds out," Nicholo said.

"Like old times. How many girls have you brought her that your wife adopted? You made her think that nobody wanted her as a mother, poor Kris." Rene laugh.

Kris adopted girls and this is what Nicholo is doing?

"No one can replace my Claire in our lives," Nicholo responded.

"I just don't want these brats taking advantage of my Kris." He continued and push me to Rene.

"This girl will cost good money - the body and the face. I would like you to be on my bed so bad but I would love to sleep with money." He said to me.

"Nice doing business with you again, Nicholo," Rene said and shake hands with him, he also handed him an attache case.

"Go back to Kris, you will be needing to comfort her again," Rene said and Nicholo started to walk away from us. I was hoping that he would come back for me - hoping that for once she'll let her wife become happy, but who Am I kidding?