Chapter 1: THE CALL

"Good morning ma'am", Jenet placed some designed mannequins in front of the store as she opened the door for me to step in. It's a busy day in Los_Angeles, sometimes I wish I went with my Dad to New Jersey, but when I look back at my sick mum, I always have second thoughts.

        The thought of her staying in a charity home care gets me troubled every time I think about it, and to even think that she no longer recognizes me kills me every time. "Good morning Jen where's Evan?". I walked into the store to help her set things up.

       "I think he's on his way here." Jenet is a simple and beautiful lady with brown long curly hair that suits her hazel eyes perfectly. And her beautiful smile every morning makes my day. "Okay." Walking back into my office I noticed a box on the counter "Jenet what's this?" I pointed at the milk-colored box designed beautifully.

        It's a little weird for me to receive a gift like this cause I hardly have any secret admirers, and I made sure to turn every guy down as I'm barely interested in getting into a relationship. "Ma'am the package was sent in yesterday after you left and Evan forgot to put it in your office!" Jenet walked up to me as she talked.

      "Did you see the sender?". I was confused and at the same time scared of what was in the box. "No ma'am," Jenet said, "okay you can go back to work" I picked up the box and got into my office on closing the door my phone rang.

      "Did you receive my little package?" A male voice spoke.

        "Who is this?" I was a little startled by the caller. I walked to my table and sat at the edge.

      "I can't believe you'd forget me so easily Hazel"

      "Who are you and how'd you know my name?" Knowing my name is not an issue but the fact he called me by the name only my parent knew about 'Hazel" made me wonder what else this person knew about me. I panicked immediately.

      "It seems like my princess has forgotten about me," he said in a very calm tone that sent shivers down my spine.

      Reality finally hits me as my entire body became numb. No, it couldn't be, not after all these years. "D...Dad??" I called his name in a barely audible voice but enough for him to hear it.

         "So you finally recognized me, how are you dear?" I was speechless unable to say anything, it was still like a dream to me. I could not believe my dad still remembered who I was after all these years. Sitting at the table I drifted back to the past and what I could remember.

                                        ★★★

      "Xavier you can't do this to me " Vanessa ran down the stairs, ignoring the bruises on her body as she ran towards the man who held a black big bag in his hands, leaving the house. "I've had enough of you and your madness Nessa I can't take it anymore, you can keep the child if that's what you want but just know you'd never see me again". Little Hazel looked at her parent's fight in front of her.

       "Is this how you want to leave us, you don't even care about your daughter?". "Daddy please don't go!" Little Zel walked to Xavier with tears in her eyes. "Baby don't cry". Xavier spoke with lots of affection in his eyes as he used his hands to clean the tears from her full cheeks.

     "Don't touch my child with those filthy hands"! Nessa dragged the little girl away from her father and placed her behind her as if he wanted to hurt her. Xavier could no longer take her attitude, so he left. "Daddy... Daddy...!" Hazel cried as she ran towards him, but before she got to him he had already left.

      She fell to her knees crying, her ice-blue eyes shining under the full moonlight. "Come on baby don't cry let's go inside everything will be alright" Nessa carried Hazel back into the house.