chapter twenty seven

"Here, you should eat something," Xavier said, as he tried to fed me. I turned my head the other way and kept my mouth clamped shut although I was so tempted to take a bite.

"Aren't you hungry," Xavier asked, but it was more of a statement as he ran his hand through his disheveled hair, which was already in a mess.

"Why are you so slow? If she doesn't want any food, then she doesn't get any!" A voice boomed from outside the room I was locked in, startling me. Xavier sighed and placed the food on the floor. "Sorry, just try to eat some," Xavier said sounding apologetic as he started to go. "How am I supposed to eat when I'm all tied up like this?" I took a chance, hoping that Xavier would untie the ropes around my sore arms.

Xavier frowned for a moment before walking over to untie my hands. Yes! This is my chance to escape.

"If you're thinking of escaping, its best not to," Xavier advised, catching on to what I was intending to do. With that, he left and locked the door behind him. I quickly untied the ropes at my legs and tiptoed to the door and tried to turn on the knob and surprise surprise, it was locked. I groaned in frustration and looked around the room. Despite being untied, there's no way I could escape.

"Let me out!" I pounded on the door and heard the voice of Xavier's father on the other side of the door. "Why the f**k did you untie that brat?" He shouted at the top of his lungs. I looked through the small peep hole to see Xavier being slapped tightly on his cheek.

I winced as I saw how merciless his father was to him. "What a weakling," his father said in a despising tone and gave him a cold look which made me shudder. Is that his son we are talking about? How could he do this to his own son?

I frowned as I saw Xavier looking at me through the peep hole with a pained look and felt guilty although he was the one who kidnapped me.

"Go and tie her up, don't make me knock her out again," his father warned mercilessly and walked off with a bottle of beer in his hand.

I felt conflicted and sank down on the floor as Xavier unlocked the door and walked in, locking it behind him.

I looked up at his expressionless face and saw a bruise forming on the cheek where his father had hit him. "I'm sorry," I muttered out as he helped me up and led me to the chair.

"I'm the one who is sorry, I know that this is all wrong, but I couldn't help but obey my father," he said in a low voice as he tied me up again.

Xavier picked up the food that he left on the floor and walked over to me, bending down to my height. "If you don't eat, you'll starve to death before you even get the chance to get out of here," he convinced and I looked up expectantly. "I'll be able to get out of here?" I asked, seeing a glimmer of hope. Xavier nodded, "the person my father wants to deal with is Ethan, not you. I'll try to get you out."

"But what about Ethan?" I frowned and Xavier kept quiet. "I don't know," he answered honestly. "You know this is wrong but you're still siding with your father? Although he treated you like that?" I asked, in disbelief. "He has been through a lot. He wasn't like that in the past," Xavier sighed, reminiscing the past. "What happened?" I asked and Xavier shrugged, "you'll know when Ethan comes. For now, will you at least have a bite?"

Seeing how insistent Xavier was, I took a bite of the rice that he fed me when I suddenly heard a familiar voice shouting my name. Ethan?

I looked up, surprised just to see a frown etched in Xavier's forehead. "I'll be back," he said curtly and left the packet of rice on the floor before leaving the room.

"Xael!" I heard Ethan's voice call again and I shouted back by calling his name. "Are you okay?" I heard his voice and before I could reply, I heard an 'oomph' followed by the sound of someone collapsing. "Ethan?!" I shouted again but was met by silence. My heart started beating faster and I felt a discomfort in my chest. Ethan...they didn't do anything to him, right...?

That was what I wanted to think, but another part of me was telling me otherwise. How would I explain the sound of the body collapsing?

A few minutes later, Xavier's father came in and taped a duct tape over my mouth as Xavier carried an unconscious Ethan into the room. "Ethan!" I wanted to shout, but only muffled voices came out.

After throwing a dirty look at me, Xavier's father left the room as Xavier tied up Ethan's hands and legs onto a chair nearby.

"Ethan!" I kept shouting his name, but Ethan remained unconscious. "Shut up!" Xavier's father came into the room and stared at me. The look that he gave me was cold enough to freeze the whole place over and I shivered. He stared at Ethan with so much hatred that I could feel myself squirming. "If you continue making noise, don't blame me for what I'm going to do to Ethan," he smirked at me and I widened my eyes. His threat was enough to make me shut my mouth for the next few hours, that is, until Ethan woke up.

"Ethan!" I shouted when I saw his eyelids flutter open. "Xael!" He tried to call out, but his lips were taped, just like mine.

"Well well, look who regained his consciousness," Xavier's father walked into the room with a sickening sweet smile on his lips. Xavier came in behind him and removed the duct tape over both our lips. "Xael! Are you okay?" Ethan asked once he could speak clearly. I nodded, before asking if he was okay. "Yea," he replied before he turned his attention to Xavier.

"Xavier? Why did you kidnap us?" He asked, sounding furious before directing his attention to Xavier's father. "And who are you?" Xavier's father smirked and answered slowly, "you can call me Steven. As for why my son kidnapped you, I'll answer that on his behalf. That is because you and I, we have an unsettled grudge."

Ethan frowned and looked clueless. "What are you talking about? I don't even know you." "Think harder, weren't you kidnapped once in the past?" Steven asked, cocking his head to the side with an evil grin.

That...the kidnapping incident that Ethan told me at he beach...!

"You mean..." Ethan widened his eyes. "Bingo, you got that right," Steven replied. "Looks like your parents didn't tell you the real reason you were kidnapped," Steven reckoned. Ethan frowned when he heard that, "what?"

"I guess it makes sense, why would a parent tell his child that he ruined someone's life as well as his family's?" Steven muttered, loud enough for us to hear.

Ethan furrowed his brows. It seemed like this was the first time he's ever heard of this.

"Aren't you curious what happened? Should we call your parents?" Steven asked and Ethan shook his head, "You can tell me without having to trouble my parents." "What would be the fun in that?" Steven answered with a sinister laugh and dialed a number on his phone before putting it on loud speaker.

"Hello?" A masculine voice sounded at the other end of the line. Mr Ford?

"Do you remember me?" Steven asked with a hard look on his face.

"Sorry, you are?" Mr Ford asked.

"Its saddening that you don't remember me, Mr Ford," Steven answered in a sarcastic tone.

"Steven?" Mr Ford asked, surprise etched in his voice.

"That's right. How have you been? After throwing me in jail for the last ten years?" Steven replied.

"You...you're out already?" Mr Ford asked and Steven replied with a short "yes I am" before asking Mr Ford if he wanted to know the reason he called.

"Yes, is something the matter?" Mr Ford asked and Steven held the phone out to Ethan. "I've got your precious son and daughter in law with me at the moment," he told Mr Ford.

"What?" Mr Ford's voice boomed over the speaker. "Don't you dare do anything to them!" He warned. "Or what?" Steven taunted. "I'll have you arrested again!" Mr Ford told him. "You can try," Steven snarled as he punched Ethan in the face. "Ethan!" I shouted worriedly as I saw blood on his lips.

"Why don't you let your son pay back for what you've done to me and my family?" Steven barked before hanging up.

"You're curious what your father did aren't you? I'll tell you," Steven began as he walked to the back of the room to fetch a rod.

My heart started pounding harder in my chest and I could hear my pulse in my ears. What is he going to do to Ethan? I could feel tears in my eyes as I imagined what was going to happen next.