chapter 53

Melanie opened her eyes slowly and looked around her, she was in a very dark room. She was tied in both her legs and hands then gagged up.

She felt the cold tiles she sat on entering her body, making her shiver.

She tried to remove the hair that fell over her face, but it was impossible as her hands were tied at her back. She imagined how everyone was doing, by now, she knew they would have known that she had been kidnapped.

She wished her husband was not in that condition she had left him, he would have searched for her.

All she wished for is that Devon and Kyle could find the tiniest hint to get to her.

She felt her throat burning, she was hungry, tired, and thirsty.

She cared not for herself, but the innocent baby in her stomach.

Her baby needs water, her baby was hungry.

She felt bad for being so weak and useless.

If she knew how to drive, she would have fled the scene when Mark was fighting the kidnappers.

How is Mark?

Did he survive?

Melanie hoped that Kyle or Devon or anybody saw him soon and rescued him. She wished that man did not dîe.

Melanie tried to remove the chain that she was tied with but it was very difficult, she wasn't tied with a rope. Those idîots tied her with a chain as if she was a wild animal.

The piece of cloth or whatever they used to gag her up was too tight and she felt it was sulking her blood.

Ugh, she wished a miracle could happen.

After a few seconds, she heard the creaking sound of the door. As soon as the person entered, he pressed the light switch by the wall and brightness filled the room.

Melanie looked up at the man that just entered with a glass cup filled with water, then she looked at her surrounding.

She was in a very big room that had no single object in it.

''Here,'' came the deep voice of the man as he settled the glass of cup in front of her then stood up to leave.

''Hmm! Uhm...'' Melanie groaned, indicating that she could not drink the water with her mouth gagged up.

The man sighed then bent down and removed the green tape that was used to cover Melanie's mouth aggressively which made Melanie whine in pain.

''Why are you doing this to me?'' Melanie asked, her voice breaking.

''Drink that water if you don't want to dîe before dawn."

''Did you poison it?'' Melanie asked and the man stopped walking.

''If we want to kill you, we would have done that,'' he glared at her.

''I... I can't drink the water with my hands tied back,'' Melanie whispered.

''I don't care. You should be grateful I remember you might need to drink water. Drink it however you like. I don't care,'' he said and walked out of the room.

Melanie sighed deeply as she stared at the water in front of her. The more she looked at it, the more thirsty she gets.

God, why were fate and everything else so cruel to her?

She forced herself to kneel and she lowered her head to drink from the glass cup.

This was so cruel.

There was no way she could do that.

She tried her best as she carried the glass of water in her mouth with great effort.

As she tried to drink the water, her mouth could no longer hold the glass cup and the glass cup fell, then broke into pieces.

Melanie watched the water spill over and she began to cry as she struggled to move away from the broken glass and water.

After a while, she tried to think about who might be behind this.

But, no matter how hard she thinks about it, Hazel Giovanna was the only person she could think about as she was the only person that vowed to kîll her.

==

"The cafe along the highway closed already and I tried to call the number there, it wasn't going through,'' Devon said to Kyle breathlessly.

''The flower shop said that their CCTV camera stopped working three months ago," Kyle breath out.

''Guys!'' Elle rushed in.

''I got the dash camera from the car,'' Elle panted heavily.

''Really? I didn't even think of that!'' Kyle cried out.

''Same here. I thought it might be destroyed already since they want to make it a fool-proof plan,'' Devon scratched his head.

~

Elle wiped her tears as she watched the scene where Mark was stabbed.

''These people are so inhuman,'' Kyle muttered.

''Right,'' Devon nodded his head.

''Both cars are not registered," Elle shook her head as she watched the two cars leave the scene.

''Yes, but we got their faces. All of them,'' Devon frowned his face.

''Except the person in the other car. Was that the boss? I can't help but wonder,'' Elle creased her brow.

"I'll have all of our men inside and outside LA track those men down,'' Devon said and Elle looked at him.

"You mean other men are working for brother except for the ones we know?" Kyle asked.

''Erm... So, let's stay...''

"I've heard rumors that he is a mafia. Is that true?" Elle interrupted him.

''Miss Elle, is that important now?'' Devon bowed the walked out.

Elle and Kyle stared at each other knowingly then shook their head.

==

Melanie awoke the next morning with soreness all over her body. She laid there, very tired and hungry. She was very hungry and thirsty that she couldn't move a finger.

Ugh, why wasn't any miracle happening?

As soon as she heard the door opening, she closed her eyes back and lay still.

''Tsk... Didn't know you were this weak,'' Melanie heard the unmistakable voice of Hazel and she opened her eyes.

''You?'' Melanie furrowed her brow as she tried to sit up.

''Yes, me. Gosh, I wanted to make a grand entry. I thought you were still sleeping," Hazel grinned.

"How dare you do this to me?" Melanie whispered.

"Do what to you? Oh, because you're a member of the Harlan Family, you think you are elite? Have you forgotten where you come from? The house you and your mother used to live in can't stand beside your husband's bathroom!'' Hazel half yelled then quickly soothed herself.

She should get angry in front of this woman, right?

The bîtch used to think that she is the only fierce person in the world.

At least, there was no way Melanie could lash her with words again, and even if she does, she was going to teach her who the boss was, right there.

"You are the one who couldn't stand seeing an average girl with the man you dumped,'' Melanie forced a smirk.

She was never going to satisfy this woman by acting weak in front of her.

Never!

''I see you still have the strength to exchange words with me. Are you not scared? I can kîll you right here and now!'' Hazel yelled.

''I know, but why haven't you done that? Oh, maybe you've got a boss. Look, do whatever you want to do, my husband will hunt you down. You know that for sure," Melanie whispered.

Gosh, why did this woman have to come when she barely had any strength in her?

''Yes, that is why I've prepared two options. One, I will make him love me again after I kîll you. You know, he would surely need someone at that moment he wakes up and realised that you are deåd. Very easy, I can always be the woman he wants again. Two, I will leave this country before he wakes up from the coma. What do you think? Perfect, right? You don't need to say it, I know that I am very smart,'' Hazel patted herself, with a smile plastered across her face.

''Yes, you are very smart. Very foolishly smart," Melanie smiled and Hazel frowned her face.

''How dare you?'' Hazel roared with an unreasonable expression.

''Huh?''

''How dare you get pregnant for him!? How dare you carry his baby!'' Hazel screamed and kicked Melanie hard in her stomach.

The kick caught Melanie unaware. She was not expecting it. She never expected it.

How dare Hazel kick her stomach?

Melanie fell to the ground as she bit her lower lips in pain. She wished she could guard her stomach with her hand at the moment.

She wanted to pat her baby and say, 'you will be fine, mama is here.' But, her hands were tied behind her.

''Hazel..." Melanie called out in a whisper.

''Don't you dare call my name! You dare get pregnant for Flynn. How dare you!?'' Hazel yelled.

''It... You left him... W...why are you acting...like he left you?'' Melanie said as tears escaped her eyes.

''I left him because I choose wealth over him! Why didn't you take my advice when I say you should flee with his money?''

''Because I... I am not like you,'' Melanie mumbled.

''I love my husband so much, he is wealth to me...'' Melanie cried.

''Oh, nice! Nice!'' Hazel screamed as she kicked her again in the stomach.

''Nice!'' She kicked her stomach again.

''Don't act like you are any better. We are all bítches!'' Hazel said to Melanie who was wringing in pain then turned to leave

Melanie cried out as soon as she heard the door close which indicated that Hazel had left the room.

This was very unbearable.

''H...hang in there... baby. Mama... Argh...mama will be fine...so you...must be fine. Argh!'' Melanie cried out as she felt a sharp pain in her stomach.

=an hour later...

Tyler had already taken Melinda home even though the woman did not want to. She wanted to be at the hospital till her daughter arrived.

Elle rushed inside the ward then announced, "Beverly is not at home."

"So? Hazel could have taken her out,'' Kyle replied and turned to face Devon.

''Hazel had not been around since yesterday morning. The maids said she arrived this morning and left with Beverly in a hurry," Elle panted.

''What!? That means, Hazel didn't sleep in the mansion,'' Kyle creased his brow.

''Yes. I went to the surveillance room and I checked the CCTV," Elle started as she unlocked her phone and went to the gallery section.

''This car. Hazel came to the mansion with this car and left in it. It was the same car that the dash camera and the hospital CCTV caught,'' Elle said hurriedly.

''That means... Hazel is the one..." Kyle started

''She kidnapped Melanie!'' Elle interrupted.

Devon's phone rang at the moment and he picked it up immediately.

''We've managed to track down one of the men,'' the caller said.

''Perfect! Connect me to it, now,'' Devon ended the call and turned to look at Kyle.

''I think we can find them now,'' Devon said and Kyle hugged Elle immediately.

"Hang in there, sister-in-law,'' Elle whispered after she pulled away from Kyle then glanced at Flynn.

She walked towards him and held his hand slowly.

''Brother, we will bring your wife back, safe and sound. I promise,'' she said and kissed his hand.

==

Melanie laid still, her eyes were opened and she had spaced out.

There was no single strength in her anymore, none.

She just kept staring at the wall opposite her as she ignored the creaking sound of the door.

After a while, she saw a masculine leg but she was too tired to look up to see who it was.

The legs were chubby so there was no way it belonged to Flynn or Kyle or Devon.

"Will you keep ignoring the fact that someone is here?'' She heard the deep voice of the man.

She said nothing, she didn't move, but only blinked her eyes.

She suddenly felt a grip on her hair and she whined in pain.

Whoever it was pulled her up with her hair and made her sit up.

''Long time, no see," she heard and she finally looked up at the man.

She frowned her face as she tried to remember where she had seen this man smiling at her.

Wait, Zach?

Hell, no!

"You stole my money and expensive wristwatch!''

Then she felt a deafening sound in her ear.

This man had just slapped her.

God, why was her pain not reducing?

Was it not a miracle she asked for?

'Someone, please save me,' she cried inwardly.