One Night With Mr Braxton

” You’ve got to be kidding me! She isn’t even worth it! Why are we bothered again?” Talia said with her hands akimbo. She felt her mother was making a big deal out of nothing.

She couldn’t see the reason why it was important to do anything in regard to Emma. She wasn’t of any use at the moment and it wasn’t like anyone would miss her.

” Unless you’re ready to forfeit your upcoming collection and everything else that you enjoy as Talia Steele, we have to do something.” Came a clear answer from Mrs Steele. ” Those bastards not only have Emma but serious information that could ruin us. We have to do something.”Nôvel(D)rama.Org's content.

Talia was caught unaware by those words. Knowing who her mother was, it was clear that she wasn’t the littlest bit unserious. Everything was reality.

Talia believed that anything that was powerful enough to put her mother in such a disoriented state had to be something tough. Another dangerous side of it was its effect on her. She wasn’t about to lose everything like her mother said when she was so close to having it all.

Something had to be done.

” Okay, there’s got to be something you can do. Maybe get some money out of the company and settle it?” She suggested, taking a seat by the corner.

” One million Dollars? I can’t take out that much. We are spending enough as it is on your new collections. It can’t be from the company, it’s too risky.”

” Do we have a choice? You said it’s urgent and there’s no way to get one million ready in just one week. It’s literally mission impossible.” Talia pointed out, trying to convey her thoughts.

” I didn’t bring you in here to point out the obvious, Talia. Where’s that brilliant mind of yours when I need it? ” Her mother said in an almost exasperated tone. ” We need people, or someone, anyone! We just have to make sure that money is raised. No questions asked.”

Talia unconsciously recoiled. Her mother was in a pissy mood and her continued manner of approach was starting to make her uncomfortable. It was hard to put her acclaimed and famous brilliant mind to use under such duress.

As she silently racked up her brain for ideas that were going to be beneficial to the matter at hand, she continuously met roadblocks upon remembering the reason she was doing it in the first place. How could she not? She was being bothered because of an infidel.

Emma had somehow, once again, driven her to a point of madness. She was thoroughly tired of her existence which always managed to weary herself and her mother. A reason Talia believed should finalize the idea of getting her tucked away. Be it by home imprisonment, kidnapping, or… marriage.

Marriage! That was the answer!

The gears in Talia’s head turned and soon enough, her face lit up with a smile. She had an idea. One of the most brilliant if she could say so herself.

” I got something! We can raise that money without lifting a finger! We just have to inform the Braxton’s. They were scheduled to marry Emma so if we inform them that their future daughter-in-law has been kidnapped and in need for a two million dollar bail, it’ll be settled and we’d have some change for ourselves too! ” Talia’s narrated with an excited tone.

Whenever she got such a splurge of ideas, especially in situations like these, she was always glowing with excitement. She enjoyed the process of crafting an idea which in turn benefited her and the people around her.

” There it is! Such brilliance! I was actually thinking something along those lines, you know, have our in-law come up with something, but you’ve crossed all t’s and dotted every i.” Mrs Steele was impressed, she knew her daughter was very smart but the level of mental brilliance she possessed and put to use was out of the world.

No doubt, she was raising a wise Donne who would in time take after her and do even greater things.

” Don’t tell me you wanted to involve Colton.” Talia deadpanned, understanding the implications of her mother’s words. ” We just got engaged and you want to make him go back to his ex?” She asked ludicrously.

” Like you said, you’re engaged. A measly Emma doesn’t stand a chance with him. Kidnapped or not.” Her mother said, released a sigh and took a seat. ” You’ve managed to help as always, thank you. I must now get to work. You can head out, it’s only been ten minutes. Maybe you can catch up on that meeting.” She said dismissively, looking at the wall clock behind Talia.

Talia was no fool. She knew it was her mother’s usual way of excusing her when things were about to get dirty. It had been their routine for the longest time now.

She got to come up with a brilliant and wicked idea and her mother took it up from there. She never got into the details of situations. She could only go as far as knowing what went wrong. Sometimes, she didn’t even get to know exactly what the problem was.

When she asked, she got hit with the infamous line, ” all in due time.” Sometimes she was blatantly shunned and admonished to stay in her boundaries.

” You mean ten intense minutes mom. I can barely find the energy to have any meeting or encounter with anyone. I think I’ll pass.”

” As much as I’d love to sit back and watch you talk, I don’t have the time. Do as you please.”

This time around, Mrs Steele didn’t bother to look up, she picked up her phone and immediately got to work, readying herself for the next call she believed was coming. At that time, she was going to be prepared.

She was going to raise that money and at the appointed time, make them pay for even daring her. Like they knew, she was no ordinary person.

Talia, having gotten the message, proceeded out of the office, deciding to head out to cool off. She needed it after the last ten minutes she had.

*****

Emma woke up at the dead of the night. She blinked repeatedly in confusion, trying to understand what was going on. She was laid on the floor and the coldness seeped into her bones.

” Where am I? ” She wondered, trying to sit up only to be notified of the restrictions to her hands. Looking down, she realized she was chained. Her hands and legs were restricted by firm chains which connected to the walls.

She was actually imprisoned.

The realization of the above fact shot her system to attention. In a matter of minutes, memories from the night before started flooding her mind frame and as though her sense organs picked up on the job, the offensive odour of terrible rotten food wafted into her nostrils.

She was smelling. The odour emanated from her! Reiterating the fact that it wasn’t a dream after all. She had lived the life she thought and was still living it.

Emma tried to speak but her throat was parched and all she could manage was a sound that wasn’t louder than a feather hitting the floor.

” Have I lost my voice?! What exactly is happening?! ” She wondered, growing even more fearful by the second. She believed that whatever happened to her was somewhat connected to those men.

They had done something to make her lose her voice and she could only shudder at the thought of what they had in store for her. The cellar she was locked in seemed so old and dysfunctional which only worsened her fear of what she’s gotten into.

Using the little strength within her, she struggled to squeeze out of her chains and after the longest period of perseverance and trial, she ended up with a bruised wrist, exhausted body and increased hopelessness.

She was so tired that her tears felt like a chore. Her sides ached and the floors were making matters worse. She wished her senses could shut off for even the littlest time in order to switch off the morbid smell that was a mixture of her surroundings and herself.

Everything was spiraling out of her control. She couldn’t even find her abductors, nor could she hear anything from the outside of her prison. It felt like she’d been abandoned and sentenced to a life of punishment.

At that moment, Emma grew tired of life and wished to die. Surely dying wasn’t as painful as living under such terrible conditions. Her living wasn’t certain anyway. She might as well do the honours herself.

Spare them the time to carry it out.

After much thought, Emma was able to sit down. Positioning herself in a manner she was comfortable and her chains lax. She suddenly heard a voice.

Voices. From outside her door. It sounded like two men discussing and as she strained her ears to hear, she heard footsteps too. Multiple footsteps!

She wasn’t alone after all. As she sat in semi darkness, the moon turned and she finally noticed an open factory window. Light shone through it upon her face, reviving her spirit and showing her an alternative way out.