Chapter Four

Rica sat on a wooden bench beside the window staring outside the neighborhood at the group of students in uniforms rushing to their various places of learning.

The sight reminded her of a time where she had run all the way to the bus stop to hand Risa her lunch which she had forgotten to take with her in a hurry not to miss the box.

She could still picture the happy and relieved look on Risa’s face when she arrived there with the lunch box.

Despite the snickers from her schoolmate at her old worn out lunch box, she happily gave Rica a kiss on the cheeks and happily took the lunch before getting into the waiting box while waving at Rica.

The thought of the happy memory didn’t succeed in bringing a smile on Rica’s lips, nor did it succeed in bring tears to her eyes either. The thought of Risa’s happy face, made her want to smile but she couldn’t. It was as if she had forgotten how to smile and how to cry; all she felt was nothingness.

The door to the house click open but Rica did not move and instead kept staring out the window; she knew it was probably Manuel because she never saw Aaron for weeks after he left her hospital and she hadn’t tried committing suicide again because she needed to stay alive; she needed to avenge Risa’s death and ruin their lives.

“What the **** do you think you are doing?” Manuel asked angrily grabbing a fistful of her hair and pulling her out the window.

Rica’s scalp burn in pain but she never made a sound “what the **** are you doing sitting down there at that window instead of locking your miserable self in your room so I won’t have to see your face every damn time” she pulled Rica’s hair back more painfully but Rica never cried like she used to. For some reason, she loved it; she loved the pain.

“Say something you murderer!” Manuel yelled irritated by her silence. Ever since Risa’s death, she never said a word except the words she said to Aaron at the hospital.

“You fucking killed my daughter; you fucking killed my little girl. She choose you over me, her mother and yet you killed her” she pushed Rica away from her and Rica slam to the dining table breaking the vase on it. It broke into a million pieces on the floor.

Rica didn’t know what was happening to her, she liked the pain; heck she loved it. She almost wanted to tell Manuel to inflict more pain on her and as if sensing her thought, Manuel grabbed her by the hair “come here you little slut” She gritted her teeth Enjoying the pain even though it burns like hell.

Manuel pushed her to the floor on the broken vase and she fell on it with many pieces digging into her skin but she didn’t scream instead, she gave a low sigh as if satisfied.

Manuel made to go at her again when the door bust open and many men in business suit walked in halting her steps. Manuel stared at them while Rica was on the floor trying to see what was going on although she wanted to remain in that bliss of pain forever.

To at least feel something and know that she is still living

“Who the **** are you people?” Manuel asked with a pang of fear. She didn’t want to admit it but some of the men look familiar.

The sound of boots penetrated Rica’s ears but she remained still, not wanting to get up. She wished she would just die at that moment and be freed from her life on earth. She didn’t know if she wanted to continue living when she could feel nothing; nothing at all.

“Manuela” a deep masculine voice broke the thick silence that took over after Manuel’s question. Rica didn’t know who it was because the voice sounded unfamiliar to her.

“You” her mother called out with a shaky voice full of fear and Rica wished she could be able to get up and have a glimpse of her mother terrified look and the person she was terrified of.

“You monster how dare you show your face to me” although her mother’s voice was still shaky, it had lost some of its shock.

“Help the girl up” the deep voice ordered probably to his men paying no attention to Manuel’s words.

Two huge men lifted her to her fit, although only one of them was fit for the job because she wasn’t at all heavy.

She stood neither wincing from the broken pieces of glass in her skin nor crying out in pain; she just stared around her with cold emotionless eyes.

Suddenly, her eyes landed on a pair of cold deep gray eyes; their eyes met and something about his eyes seems familiar. It felt like she was staring at a reflection of her own cold eyes.

For a long time they held their stares and the tension build. The huge man was staring at her so scarily probably thinking that she might give up and back down but that was what the old Rica would have done; the new Rica was afraid of nothing and fears no one.

Finally he gave up and deep his hands into the pockets of his trouser suit “I’m taking my daughter Manuel” he spoke finally as if ordering her to agree without complaint.

Rica was a little stunned although it never displayed on her face. So the supposed scary man was her father.

“You can have her for all I care” Manuel said “she already caused me too much pain and she is a monster and a murderer like you. So go and get her out of my life, I don’t need her anyway”

The man looked at his men as if ordering them to take the girl but as they attempted to touch her, she gave them a hard glare and they back off immediately. It reminded them too much of their boss scary eyes when he was angry.

The man chuckled at that, taking everyone by surprise. He hardly ever smiled “don’t worry princess, we won’t hurt you” he assured her like a baby as if she wasn’t sixteen years old.

“I’ll go with you” she agreed in her cold voice, it was so cold that it probably cut through the skin of everyone in the room “but as long as you don’t call me that” she negotiated; referring to the nick name he just called her. This was a bad time to be reminded of Aaron.

He frowns a little but nodded in agreement “fine then. Deal” he smiled a sweet smile that amazed his guards so much. Who was this warm man that had suddenly replaced their boss?

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