Chapter 31 Figure it out yourself
Karen woke up the next morning, exhausted from a series of messages from a strange number. ‘Mavis, it’s Wade from last night. Are you alright? Who’s that guy? A sugar daddy?’
Karen had a headache and before she could think of a response, another message dropped. ‘Can we meet up? I really want to see you.’
‘Sure, but not today. I’m too busy,’ she replied drowsily, making a mental note to ask Van later for permission.
‘Send your location. I’ll come visit,’ another message dropped, but Karen was being polite out of gratitude. He had saved her and was nice to her.
‘I barely know you. Perhaps another time.’
“Chatting with him?” Van’s voice rang, jolting her, and the phone dropped. This was the first time he entered her bedroom without knocking, and he looked upset.
“He saved me,” she retorted in defense, and for some reason, Van didn’t want to dig deeper.
He already got everything he needed about Wade, and it was better to keep him as far away from Karen as possible.
“It’s time for your next stage of training. I’m doing it myself.”
Karen shuddered. She should be excited due to how long she expected this, but his hard expression made her uneasy. “You look angry.”
“You gave your number to a stranger, and should that make me happy?” His voice was dangerously low, and fear spiraled through her. The warmth she used to enjoy was no longer there, replaced by something she could not quite put a finger on.
“I’m sorry, but I didn’t want to be rude. I’ll block him.”
Van froze. He didn’t mean to scare her, but Karen was still fragile. She hadn’t reached the stage he wanted, and he feared something bad happening to her.
However, another trail of thought enveloped his mind concerning Wade. “No. That would only make him suspicious of who you are,” only if Karen knew he was her father-in-law.
“So, what do I do?” she asked eagerly, not wanting to offend him, but Van sighed. Figure it out yourself. You created the mess, so you clean it up yourself. Now change into this."
He tossed the bag in his hand at her, and when she saw the contents, she shook her head. "I can’t wear that?"
"How else are you going to swim?" He glared at her. Time was running out, and he could barely spare any to be here. With Roger being so distant from the family, he didn’t know how long he could hide Karen.
As soon as Roger’s identity was revealed, he might not be able to hide her any longer.
Her face drained of color. "I don’t know how to swim."
"And I’m going to teach you." He left her room after that, allowing her to change into the bikini his wife had given him to give her.
When Karen stepped out of the room after changing into the bikini, she was uneasy, but Van walked away in fast, long strides, and she jogged to catch up to him.
The moment they reached the pool, she expected him to say something, give her a heads-up, or a tutorial, but instead, he shoved her into the water. "Take a deep breath and hold it," was all she heard him say.
Karen could feel the water all around her as Van’s voice continuously rang in her ears. "Take a deep breath and hold it." She had now reached the part of holding her breath, and it wasn’t as easy as she thought.
When she tried to stay afloat, she found herself struggling. Van was unmoved. "Try to pull the water towards you and move in the direction you want to go," he coached. Karen tried to follow the guidance but was already breathless.
No one had taught Van how to swim, so he never knew how to teach others. However, this was how he trained all his children, starting with a two-year-old Roger.
Having known Van so far, Karen was sure he wasn’t going to jump into the water to save her until she was perhaps unconscious, or he might task her with paying for his time if he eventually did.
Imagining the water flooding her lungs, she didn’t want to take that risk.
"Make sure to move your legs like a fish," she heard faintly, following the instruction. She was left alone to figure the rest out, and so she did, getting herself to the edge of the pool, exhausted and panting for breath.
Van had never felt so proud, and for some reason, Karen was becoming his favorite student. "Good job," the warmth returned to his voice, making her heart flutter with excitement.
Another month passed, and he made her the ultimate proposal, though he knew she was keeping something from him.
The best way to divert her focus from Wade was to keep her busy, so she wouldn't feel controlled.
"You can start investing in the stock market under a different name to increase your income."
Karen had already made over two hundred thousand dollars in two months and was excited to explore another avenue of making more money.
With this, she could save more to start her own company. It wasn't something she had planned, but as soon as her family rejected her, her dreams and aspirations changed with it.
"If you are able to double your income in a week, I will loan you a hundred million for capital," Van added, using his unique way of motivating her, and it worked.
Karen was on cloud nine. This deal was mesmerizing, and she realized that every day, things were getting better, except her physical training, which grew more intense under Van's guidance.
"I'll take the bait."
"And if you fail, you lose all your savings," he added, causing her to stiffen. Van never offered anything without unusual conditions, but they always turned out for her good.
Back home, Van never saw it coming when Roger decided to blow his cover without a woman by his side, and yet, he couldn't refuse.
Tomorrow would be the day to begin the handing-over procedures, but Karen needed more time.
He didn't expect her to meet up the timeline, but she did it in two days called to inform him. Van promised to come see her but was too occupied with Roger's presence and the handing-over meetings to make time.
Karen had waited and when he didn’t come as scheduled and having exhausted her resources in the stock market, she sent him a text message.
‘I hate to sound desperate, but my finances are tight.’
After sending the message, she realized she had used the wrong number and quickly started typing, ‘Please ignore the...’ when an alert popped up on her phone.
‘Five billion dollars transferred to you by Roger Dawson.’
Roger? The first name sent a chill down her spine, but the last name left her puzzled. "Roger? Could it be Tonia's bodyguard?" That was his number, but when did his name change?
Her phone rang immediately, and the name she had feared for months echoed in her ears, his voice filled with emotion yet calm like a winter breeze. "Karen, stay put, I'm on my way to you."
No, she couldn’t let him find her. Her heart wasn’t ready to handle it. Quickly, she sent a message to Van, hoping the urgency would prompt a response.
‘This is urgent. I mistakenly sent a message to Roger. It was meant for you, and he transferred me five billion.’