The Unveiling Of The Rejected Son-in-law

THE DEN

"I need to go and see Stephanie," Jakes told himself. It had been one week since he set his eyes on his wife. He had tried to go to the Allisons' place a few days ago, but he received a call from a friend who told him that he saw his wife in a grocery store close to their house.

So, Jakes was confident that Stephanie was around, and would return home that day. Now, three days had passed, yet she had not arrived. He later got to know that the person his friend saw at the mall was not his wife; they only had a striking resemblance. Now, he was desperate for his wife's return, so he made up his mind to go and see her.

****

Back at the Allison's place, Stephanie was seen lying on the floor inside a small room. She had been battered and maltreated by one of Mrs Allison's strong men. So she felt very weak and exhausted.

Stephanie's room was always locked, except when she was going to be tortured; when the maid wanted to serve her food; or when her family members needed to talk to her.

It was evening, and Stephanie was very hungry. She had not eaten breakfast. Then, she heard a sound on the door. Someone opened it and walked in.

"Now, Stephanie, have you made up your mind to marry Mr Cameron? Or you choose to continue suffering this way? Mr Cameron is very willing to marry you. All he needs from you is a positive response. We have limited time on our hands to ensure that the company is not sold out. Stephanie, marry him so that you can live a good life, while we pay our debts and preserve the company!" Mrs Allison said.

"No! There's nothing you do that can make me marry that man. I love Jakes, and I've made up my mind to continue the rest of my life with him. I cannot leave my marriage and marry an old man because you need his money. You're so insensitive. As if that isn't enough, you're also very wicked and heartless to continue to keep me here!" Stephanie yelled, in frustration.

She couldn't believe that her mother could go this length, because she wanted her to marry a man.

"Who is Jakes? He has nothing to offer you. He's a nobody!" Mrs Allison said.

"Jakes has a lot to offer. Mind you, he now has..." Stephanie quickly remembered that Jakes told her not to tell her family that he had gotten a job, so she quickly withdrew her statement.

"You know what? If you refuse to marry Mr Cameron, I'll see to it that you die here. You won't even be able to return to 'Jakes.' Read my lips!" Mrs Allison threatened as she walked out of the room.

Mrs Allison walked into the living room to meet with Mr Cameron.

"Mr Cameron, Stephanie is asleep right now, and she's always difficult to wake up when she's asleep. I'm sure she would be awake in some minutes' time." Mrs Allison lied to him.

She didn't want Mr Cameron to suspect that Stephanie was trying to prove stubborn. She had assured him that Stephanie liked him, and he believed her. Mr Cameron was very famous in Fitbuck city and he was always featured on the news, so Mrs Allison had tricked him into believing that Stephanie always admired him on TV, so much that she secretly talked about being in a relationship with him.

Mr Cameron was a multi-billionaire, who owned companies in the city and outside the city. He had two wives, and was now willing to marry Stephanie as a third wife. Everyone knew how he never joked with his time. He was known to always say: "Time is money."

"I was here yesterday and you gave me an excuse for her not showing up, and today again, you tell me that she is asleep. Do you think I came here to while away time? Or do you think I have nothing else to do? I've had enough of this!" Mr Cameron stood up and was walking towards the exit when he heard Mrs Allison's voice.

"Believe me Mr Cameron. Stephanie is madly in love with you, and she always talks about how she cannot wait to see you. I'm sure she would be so excited to see you, but...honestly...I've tried waking her up, but when she responds, in seconds she falls back to sleep like a drunk..."

"Anyway, Mrs Allison. I have to leave now." Mr Cameron interrupted her, as one of his guards opened the door for him as he walked out of the house.

***

Mrs Allison looked very furious as she walked to and fro the big living room restlessly. "This girl must pay severely for this." Mrs Allison muttered under her breath. Then she picked up her phone to dial a number.

"Come over here right away," Mrs Allison ordered, and then she dropped the phone.

In a short while, she had a knock on the door. It was Liam, one of Mrs Allison's strong men. He was involved in Stephanie's kidnap.

"Good day, Boss." Liam greeted.

"Good day. That girl needs to be taught the lesson of her life. That's her room." Mrs Allison said as she pointed to the room where Stephanie was kept. Liam was very violent. He was more violent than the the other strong men, so Mrs Allison used him on rare occasions.

Mrs Allison stayed back in the sitting room, and within a short time, she began to hear Stephanie's voice.

"Please, leave me alone!" Stephanie shouted as she groaned in pain.

Michael rushed out to the living room at the sound of Stephanie's voice.

"Why is Stephanie shouting out so loudly?" He asked.

"She's been given a fair share of what she deserves. I've called for one of my men to teach her a lesson!" Mrs Allison said.

"We need to make sure she reduces her voice, in order not to attract the attention of neighbours," Michael said as he rushed to the room where Stephanie was kept.

In a short while, Stephanie was quiet. "Yeah, that's what she deserves..." Michael said as he returned to the living room. While he was still speaking, they heard a sudden knock on the door.

"Come in, please." Mrs Allison said.

A tall and handsome young man walked into the gigantic living room. It was Jakes. It had been a long time since he visited the Allisons. Since he got married to Stephanie, he never stepped foot in their house, because they didn't want to see him or his wife. Now, he couldn't avoid being in their house this time. His wife had been missing for the past week, and he couldn't afford to stay back at home when he knew where she was. He was desperate to see his wife, and to bring her back home, no matter what sacrifice he had to make.

Michael and Mrs Allison were so surprised to see him. Micheal looked at him with hatred and disgust in his eyes and said: "You! What are you doing here?"

"Wow! This is good," Mrs Allison remarked, as she clapped her hands. "Thank you for making the process of capturing you very easy for us. You didn't wait for us to bring you here, but you have walked into the den yourself."