Sometime later, Rodney’s eyes fluttered open after he regained consciousness. He immediately sat up and observed his surroundings. He was in an exquisite bedroom with grey walls. The expensive bed had a grey headboard and a soft mattress covered by a beautiful duvet. Next to it was a black bedside drawer with Rodney’s old phone and wallet on top. A few metres away from it was a dark brown couch with a pillow.
Clearly this man was stinking rich. Rodney wished his mother had told him about the man earlier. Mother. Rodney shot out of bed when he thought of her. Putting on the sandals near the bed, he ran out of the room and walked into the hallway until he found a grand staircase.
“Mother,” he shouted, not caring who would hear him.
“Roddy,” his mother voice repeated from somewhere.
Rodney’s heart relaxed when he heard her voice. It was like music to his ears. He saw his mother down and descended the stairs to meet her. They hugged each other.
“Come with me to the living room,” she said. “We need to talk about this situation.”
Rodney took a look around. The place looked like a palace and he had never been to such a luxurious house. Hell he didn’t even have friends that were not poor. He was still staring while walking when he bumped into someone.
“Watch where you’re going idiot,” the voice said. It was feminine and strong at the same time. He looked up to see a beautiful young woman with blonde hair staring at him. She was wearing a green dress with a black belt and blazer. Her heels made her taller than him by a few inches.
The woman turned and the two glanced at each other, a look of realisation showing on her face. “Let me guess, you’re the street rat willing to sell your kidney to a man who doesn’t deserve it. Wish you well.” she laughed before waltzing away, her heels clicking on the marble floor.
“She’s right,” his mother said as they walked to the living room. “He doesn’t deserve it and we need to run away from here. There is security everywhere outside this house which is why we need to think of a plan.”
Rodney was tempted to stay. He didn’t want to give up his kidney, but the amenities in the house were busy calling out to him. He imagined living there with servants at his beck and call, having plenty of food and never having to sleep hungry, wearing designer clothes, attending a-list parties. Rodney would have been ecstatic if the price wasn’t his own kidney.
But then again, life had always been unfair to him. Every time something good happened to him, something bad came alone with it. The previous month he had finally got a job at the nature centre and then this woman accused him of sexual harassment because he refused to give in to her advances. Now he was a jobless boy running away from druggies who wanted him to work for them by force. He couldn’t really win.
“We really need to go. I can’t stay in this house any longer.” His mother was pacing up and about the living room.
A golden chandelier hung over a glass table in the middle of the living room. There were two long couches on two sides of the table with lots of pillows on them. On the other side were cute love seats. The ceiling was white with gold skirting on the sides. Light grey curtains had been pulled to the side, letting spray into the room.
“We will, but not now.” Rodney remembered Louis and his companions. He didn’t want to go home just yet. He knew they would pounce on him the moment he got him.
“I think it’s safer here,” he told his mother.
“What the hell is wrong with you? You know nothing about this man. Do you think I did not have a good reason to hide you from him all these years?”
“I don’t know because you haven’t told me, but I don’t think it was best for me. It was best for you because you didn’t want to deal with him. Maybe my life would have been so much better if I’d known. You can go back but I’ll stay here for now.”
His mother gasped. “Let’s go home and I’ll tell you everything.”
“Like you said, there are guards everywhere. Maybe you should tell that story now. We are safer with the security here.”
“He’s right.” A loud booming voice said. Rodney’s father strolled in, his hands in his pockets. For a man of his age, he was in great shape. Rodney figured he worked out all the time.
“I have many enemies,” he said. “If they know that I have a son, they will go after him. They will kill you because you may be the only thing that can save me. Didn’t you see your sister Maria? She had to leave her apartment because she was attacked yesterday and almost died, although she is not a matching donor.”
“I knew that you would one day drag us to your mess, you slimy bastard. Now you have my son on every assassin’s radar.”
“And you too. So for now its best you stay here. You will have everything you need.”
“You’re not going to buy us out. I will die before you take my son’s kidney.”
“So dramatic,” the man said. “Take care of your mother, son. I have things to take care of.”
His mother followed the man out to beg him while Rodney leaned against the plush couch with was the softest one he’d ever sat on. As he waited for his mother to return, a plan began forming in his head.
He was going to leave, but wasn’t going to leave as empty handed as he had come. He looked around the living room and saw so many things that he could still and none of the family members would know. Most likely only the servants would know they were missing.
A man strode into the room. He was of Rodney’s height and looked to be of the same, age but had stronger muscles. Since he looked so much like father, Rodney thought he was his brother. He kept quiet and waited for the man to speak first.
“So you’re Rodney?” he said, proffering his hand. “I’m Octavio, your cousin.”
Rodney shook his hand. He was the first friendly person he had met in the house so far.
“So I hear you’re the newest one in line to be tested. Uncle is trying to trace all the women he ever met so as to see if any of the illegitimate children he fathered is a match. Selfish bastard, don’t you think. I wonder how many the kids might be because he probably has slept with millions of women. You better hope you’re not a match because it would be a waste donating to a douchebag like him.”
Rodney was starting to feel bad for his father. Everybody seemed to hate him even those living under his roof and benefiting from him. He wondered if he was mean because of the ungrateful people around him.
“If he’s such a douchebag why are you in his house?”
The man chuckled. “You’re really his son, I can see. Ready to defend him even when you have no idea who he is. The Roco blood in you must be strong.”
“You’ve not answered my question.”
“I was once like you, naïve, a loyal dog to my uncle but he betrayed me, just like he betrays everyone. Your time will come and you will wish you had listened to me and run away while you still could.”
“Look here, if you are recruiting haters of my father, I’d rather you don’t involve me. Let me get to know the man, and then I will decide for myself. I have spent eighteen years wondering who the hell brought me to this world, now that I met him, I won’t run at the slightest provocation.”
The man laughed and stood up. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. My work here is done.”
Rodney watched him leave. A few hours ago, his life had been a boring existence he wished to end, now it was so dramatic he didn’t know which was worse.
The smell of delicious food reached Rodney and his stomach growled immediately. He had not eaten proper food since lunch the day before. Since he had been unemployed, he had been doing odd jobs here and there which helped him earn money which was barely enough to provide for his and his mother’s needs.Even her work as a maid did not bring in much so sometTheimes he would sacrifice for his mother’s sake. He would lie to her that he’d eaten before coming home. His stomach was used to it. The smell was enticing and Rodney wanted to go to the source but he remembered the manners his mother had told him. Although the owner of the house was his father, he was still very much a guest.A rap song started playing on his vibrating phone. Removing it from his pocket, Rodney saw that it was his best friend Harvey. He looked around the room and although he could not see cameras and microphones, he didn’t want to take a risk. Rodney stood up and took quick strides out of the room and into the foye
That day ended with no further incident. After dinner, Rodney retired to his bedroom as his mother argued with one of the women in the house. That was the only thing he hated about his mother. She was always getting involved in arguments and fights. Rodney had witnessed way too many to count. She had fought at least once with every woman in the neighbourhood mostly because of her ability to stir and spread gossip. It was why she had lost so many clients and barely got any money in.Rodney had never been in a bathtub full of warm water. Being in one felt like heaven, the warm water surrounding his whole body. At his neighbourhood, the showers barely worked. If you needed hot water, you had to boil water and put in a bucket. He enjoyed using hot water but it would never be around his body all at once like in the bathtub. He could fall asleep in that thing. When he finally came out, he dried his body and wrapped it around the body.There was knock on his door. He went and opened. There w
Rodney was led into a black luxurious car and told to sit in the back with one of the men who kidnapped him. At the front was the driver and another man.“Don’t try anything stupid, son.” His father warned before retreating to the house.Since there was no point in saying anything, Rodney stayed silent and looked outside as the car sped through the streets of the high profile neighbourhood. He could not fathom how a wanted drug lord lived right under the noses of rich people but could not be captured. As he stared at the beautiful mansions, he wondered if a number of the owners were criminals as well. Were they all part of the mob, and that's they couldn’t report each other?From what he knew, most criminals did not stay in one place for a long time. Maybe that was what his father did as well. His father had not even slept at the house which made Rodney wonder if he just popped up once in a while. His house was also the most secluded in the neighbourhood with the highest wall fence. Y
When Sara finally stopped crying, she and Rodney walked into the house. Rodney could hear loud, masculine voices coming from the living room as they made their way to the stairs.“Brother,” a man said when they were on the middle of the steps. They stopped walking and Rodney turned to see a man who looked like a younger clone of his father. He was exceptionally handsome, tall and muscular as well.“Hey,” Rodney said.“Come on, let’s bond. Spend some time with me and my friends. We are brothers, after all. We might as well get to know each other since we will be leaving in the same house.”Rodney did not like the idea very much. He was hoping for negative results so he could leave as soon as possible. What was the point in getting to know each other when they would soon part ways?“I don’t think that’s necessary.”“Okay, I’m quite disappointed in you, Rodney. Are you going to cry like your mother as well? I doubt there’s anything interesting in your bedroom.”Rodney was content with ju
Rodney was so sad that he did not go down for lunch that day. He did not want to see anyone. Thankfully, his mother brought him some food. She asked him what was wrong but he refused to answer which made his mother think it was something to do with Rodrigo. Sara swore she would teach him a lesson despite Rodney’s pleas for her not to do anything. Rodney was already considered weak. If his mother got involved, they would make fun of him for running to mommy. “Mum, promise that you won’t say or do anything. I really don’t want any drama.” “I’m not going to let this people treat you like dirt, Rodney. Alberto is your father, and you have as much right as his other children to be here. Just because they lived here all their lives doesn’t mean they’re better than you. I want you to know that.” “Mum, I’m tired of you interfering in my affairs. I’m 18 now, okay? Just let me sort out my issues for once. You should stop treating me like a child so I can grow up.” His mother’s lips parted an
When they got back to the house, Rodney and his mother were taken to their respective rooms, given food and locked up. All the key copies were taken away.Rodney could barely eat because of anxiety. He was not claustrophobic but he was afraid of being locked up in any place, big or small. He tended to be quite paranoid sometimes, worrying about every possible thing that could go wrong. For instance, a fire could start and everyone would look for the nearest exit to save themselves, forgetting about Rodney and his mother.The more he thought about this scenarios, the more anxious he became. His heart was filled with dread and his nervous system felt like a train wreck. When it became too much, Rodney grabbed the plate of food, stormed to the window and opened it before throwing it to the ground below.The plate shattered into several small pieces and food splashed around. One of the guards saw the incident and shook his head at Rodney who closed the window and returned to the centre of
CHAPTER NINE Rodney hated his father more than he had ever hated anyone. As he got into the car, he thought of turning around and grabbing a gun from one of the guards and using it to hit his arrogant father’s head. The man got into a black Rolls Royce maintaining a smug look on his face. Rodney grimaced as he was forced into another car. He glared at the two guards who got into the car with him. As the car drove away from the neighbourhood, Rodney’s anger grew. His hate for Alberto was growing each passing minute was growing and he did not know if he could trust himself around his father anymore. He tried to calm himself down, telling himself that trying to kill Alberto was the most stupid thing he could think of. Alberto would kill him. Soon, they reached a shady looking uncompleted house in a secluded area. Rodney’s eyebrows furrowed when the two cars drove right into the garage. “Where is this place?” he asked, panic gripping him. The men in the car with him stayed silent as
Rodney watched Rodrigo come to a stop a few metres away from him. At any other time, he would have felt intimidated but that time he was too angry to care.“I’m sorry about the vase but I had no idea it belonged to your grandmother. I just want to know where my mother is. I need to see her.”Rodrigo slapped him across the face. Rodney lifted his hand to retaliate but Rodrigo grabbed it and tried to twist it. Summoning all the energy he had, Rodney pulled his hand from his half-brother’s tight grip. “So what? Little Roddy wants to see his mommy, and now everyone had to look for poor Roddy’s mommy,” Rodrigo spoke in a fake girly accent. Listen here little boy, just because you can’t find your mother does not mean you should throw tantrums like a two year old.”“I’m sorry I was wrong. Can someone tell me where she is?”Rodrigo shook his head. “First you are going to pick up all the little pieces of that vase and put them back together.”Rodney glanced at the scattered fragments. Some of