~Celine~
“Hmmm!” I groaned as my head felt too heavy for my neck to carry. “Hmm.” Though I opened my eyes, I saw total darkness.
I tried to move, but I realized that I couldn’t move. I couldn’t move my hands and legs. I tried to open my mouth to speak, but there was a barrier in my mouth too.
“Hmmmm!” I moaned loudly again as I remembered what happened before I blacked out. ‘Kendrick!’ I yelled in my head as I began to struggle with my restraints.
“Struggling isn’t going to help you.” I heard a distant voice, and before I knew it, I felt someone pull the blindfold bag off my head.
The barrier in my mouth was also loosened
The bright light in the room stung my eyes, causing me to squint painfully. “Who the hell are you?! Where is my son??!” I yelled with my eyes still closed.
The bright white light was directly set in front of me, so when I tried to open my eyes, I saw nothing behind the lights.
“It’s so nice to see you again, Jessica.” The voice drew closer, and when then, a muscular figure came into view. I could hardly see his face.
“Who are you?”
“Let me help you with that.” He uttered, dimming the bright lights.
I opened my eyes and stared at his face. My eyes widened and my jaw dropped as I recognized who it was.
“Xavier?” I called in uttermost shock.
“Oh! She remembers my name.” He responded with a chuckle.
“What the hell are you doing? What is this? Where is my son?!” I yelled, struggling with the restraints again.
“You’re going to have to go slow. You know I can’t answer all those questions at once.”
“Why are you doing this to me? What have I done?!” I yelled in tears, and he shook his tired in frustration.
“Questions again. Argh! Betty, you didn’t tell me she has become so talkative.” He uttered, and I furrowed my brows. I watched him move the lights backward and to my greatest surprise, another person was tied to a chair, with the blindfold on.
“Betty?”
Xavier moved closer to her and pulled the bag off her head. My eyes widened as I saw it was Betty. A duct tape was placed on her mouth and all she did was groan, struggling with her chair.
“What is she doing here? You don’t even know her!” I yelled in tears and anger.
“I don’t know her or you don’t know anything. Listen, Jessica or will I say, Celine? You want to know why you’re here, tied up like some animal, I’ll tell you about it!” He uttered in a loud voice, pulling a chair closer to him and sitting in front of me.
“After I knew you, things became very wrong for me. And I know you know a little about what I’m talking about. Because of you, my father got killed!” He smacked.
“Kilhan didn’t do it!” I defended almost immediately.
“Oh no, he didn’t. But Alpha Marcus did. A man who was ready to destroy my life because he was looking for you and thought I was hiding you somewhere.”
“As if that wasn’t enough, he went ahead to capture me and maltreated me just because you didn’t end up with him. Because he wanted me to help him get you, but I couldn’t because you refused to come and see me that day.
“He tied me up like this, fed me pig's food just to make me suffer! And when he eventually stopped looking for you, he took the aggression out on me! Made me his slave for months because he believed I was better off as a slave than being a dead man.
“Do you understand now? Why I am doing this?”
Tears rolled down my eyes uncontrollably as I listened to his story. “I’m sorry all these happened to you, but you should take the anger out on them, not me! I never had an idea. It’s not my fault!” I answered.
“Oh, please! Everything is your fault. You knew what you were running from in New Orleans before you came to my father’s coffee shop! What were you expecting, hun? That you’d just start a new life?”
“Yes! And is that so hard to believe? Xavier, I beg you. Don’t do this. This isn’t you.”
“Oh, goddess.” He muttered and broke into laughter. “That is the sickest thing I’ve heard in a long time. This isn’t me? Celine, you don’t even know me! I don’t recognize myself either so I get you.”
“I beg you, Xavier. Do you have my son? Did you take Kendrick too?” I asked while I wept.
“The boy. He’s a cute little boy, I just hate that that animal is his father. Don’t worry about Kendrick. He’s fine.” He answered with a smirk.
“I need to see my son! This doesn’t have anything to do with him! It has nothing to do with Betty either! Please let them go. It’s me you hate and want, and I’m here already.”
“Wait…” he scoffed, turning to look at Betty, who was at this point, trying to speak, but couldn’t. “Did you just say it has nothing to do with Betty? Wow. Let me ask you this question.
“How do you think I was able to get to you and achieve all these, hun??” He asked, and I crossed my brows and looked at Betty, who was vigorously shaking her head.
“What are you talking about?” I asked, looking at him again.
“Oh please! Celine, I thought you were smarter than this! Betty helped me out, okay? We met and we realized we had a common goal, which is seeing you and Kilhan suffer. We became best friends. Or will I say, lovers?”
“Hmmmm! Hmmm!” Betty groaned loudly, still struggling with her chair.
“What?” I felt fresh tears heat the back of my eyes as I turned to look at Betty. I could see tears streaming from her eyes too.
“So you thought she really cared? Really? Betty, care about you? You’re smarter than that, girl. Maybe her apology was so touching, or the fact that she almost died trying to save your life. I must confess, all that would make me blind to the truth.”
My jaw dropped as I listened to him. I looked at Betty again and I saw her shaking her head in tears. I couldn’t believe it. I felt intense pain in my chest as I thought deeply about it.
"How did Xavier know all these except she was truly in contact with her?”
“You’re not making sense, Xavier. If she’s in on this, why is she tied up like me too?” I asked with gritted teeth.
“Let’s just say as much as I want to see you and your family suffer as I did, I want you to know you’re not so smart after all. You dealt with the enemy! It’s so crazy!” He broke into laughter.
I felt weaker hearing him say this. Everything in me wanted to believe that he was lying, but I couldn’t. I knew he was telling the truth.
“And you Betty, I know this wasn’t the plan and you’re surprised as to why you’re here.” He uttered, moving closer to her chair.
“Your involvement was supposed to be a secret but what’s the fun in that? It’s better I open her eyes to see the kind of person you are.”
Betty charged at him even though she couldn’t move. She shook her head and turned to look at me. She kept shaking her head, but I couldn’t just believe her.
My sister betrayed me. “I am highly disappointed in you, Betty. How could you? You put Kendrick in danger!” I yelled as I watched her break into tears.
“Kendrick has nothing to do with this, okay? I want to see my son. I swear if you hurt my son, they are going to come for you…”
“Now you’re threatening me? This is going to be so much fun!” He uttered and broke into a menacing laugh.
“Kilhan and my brother will come for you and I swear, you’ll regret this decision! Both of you!” I uttered, turning my head to look at Betty one more time.
“I love your confidence in them. Your prayer should be that they find us on time before I hurt you.”
He walked to a table and picked up a knife. My eyes widened and my heart began to throb as he walked back to me.
“Hmmm! Hmmm!” Betty moaned, shaking her head.
“Now choose.” He muttered, running the knife over my hand, causing my breath to cease. “Which one should I chop off first? Your ears?” The sharp blade of the knife swirled around my ears, causing me to shut my eyes tight.
“Xavier,” I called, panting hard.
“Shhh! The faster you cooperate, the better. Now choose. Your pretty eyes?” He traced the knife to my closed eyes and I almost lost consciousness.
“Or should I just go for the neck?!” He yelled, pulling my head backward with my hair, exposing my neck to him.
“Now choose.”