SELENA

It was night time and I had watched my mother cry herself to sleep, while I and Brianna tried to comfort her. Eventually Brianna fell asleep and I was forced to go to bed as there was nothing I could do regarding the shop. 

I was already in dreamland when I jerked up from bed at the sound of a loud bang.

It was a gun shot.

I clutched the pillow by my side to my chest as if it would somehow protect me from the danger that lurked in the shadows. My eyes were wide with fear, darting around the room as I listened intently for any sound.

When I got back home and told them how I had slapped Aiden Frazier, my mother wept bitterly and told me they wouldn't let us off for what I had done. At first I took it as a bluff but now I feared that he had truly sent those thugs to come for me.

I had let my anger get the best of me when I rushed to his company and slapped him, but I didn't regret my actions. He deserved it for what he had made his thugs do to my mother, how could they have hit my mum like that.

I slowly heard footsteps approaching and every creak of the floorboards made my heart race, and the faintest whisper of wind through the open window sent shivers down my spine. I was acutely aware of the vulnerability of my position, with no escape route and no weapons to defend myself.

The bitter taste of fear and panic lingering on my mind at the thought of the safety of my sister and mother. I was utterly powerless in the face of the danger that threatened me, I had to think fast before things got out of hand.

I rolled out of bed slowly, tip toeing to the corner of the bed where I had a baseball bat lying on the floor, I picked it up carefully not trying to make a sound, it was the only thing in the room right now that I could think of using to defend myself.

I walked to the door as I raised the bat, posing to strike, I could hear Brianna yelling and it only made me more terrified, I braced myself holding on to the bat tightly to strike as the footsteps got closer but before I could organize my defense mechanism in my head, the door came crashing and a hard slap fell on my face.

The impact of the slap was so hard that I staggered back and the baseball bat in my hand came crashing down, tears trickled down my eyes instantly without control as the man in black who had slapped me motioned me out of the room pointing a gun to my forehead.

"Move bitch."

I stood frozen in fear, my eyes wide with terror. My hands trembled uncontrollably at the side, and my heart pounding furiously against my chest. I felt paralyzed by the sight of the gun, it was the first time in my life that I was seeing a gun.

"Are you deaf? Move or I make you," the man yelled at me as I took a step forward and out of the room, I felt the gun at the back of my head as his other hand pushed my back forward.

"Selena," my mother cried out when I was finally in the living room and she caught sight of the man pointing a gun behind my head. I wanted to run to her and Brianna who were cowering in a corner as two other men in black were pointing guns at them. 

"Don't be stupid," one of them warned when my mother was about standing up to cover the distance between us, her eyes were swollen and red, and it only made me angry but I tried to contain my annoyance. 

As much as I wanted to yell at them for putting my mother in an uncomfortable situation, I had to control myself. 

Were they planning on killing all of us?

My body became tense; every muscle was wound up like a spring ready to release. I could hear my pulse throbbing in my ears, drowning out all other sounds. 

"Please don't," I cried out. "Don't hurt them, please."

"Shut up," a voice yelled from the shadows, I had been engrossed with my mother and sister cowering that I didn't notice another man was also in the room sited in the corner. "On your knees," he ordered.

I fell to my knees, my arms outstretched in a desperate plea for mercy. I begged and pleaded with my captors to spare me, my voice shaking with fear and desperation.

"Please, please don't kill me," I sobbed. "I'll do anything, just please don't kill me. I'm begging you."

"Please she didn't mean to do that to your boss, please I am like a mother to you," my mother cried out rubbing her hands together and begging them, if I regretted anything it was getting my family involved in my foolishness. 

There was utter silence and then they all laughed cruelly, their eyes cold and unfeeling. They cocked their weapons, ready to fire on their boss order. 

Brianna and my mother hugged each other tightly at the sound of the gun and I could have sworn my soul was leaving my body, I could hear my mother still begging in a low voice, but it was obvious they were less concerned with our pleas. 

 I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the inevitable. I knew very well that death was imminent but was this how I was just going to die and in front of my sister and mum, my heart kept pounding in my chest as I waited for the inevitable.

Three seconds gone and nothing was happening instead I heard their leaders voice, it seemed he was on a call, I opened my eyes slowly to see what was going on.

"Bag them," it was the last thing I heard before I blacked out.

AIDEN

My face turned red with fury as I clenched my fists in anger, my body language displayed my rage as I paced back and forth. My breathing became heavy and my voice grew loud as I yelled at the man standing before me in my office. 

"I want you to find that lady and kill her," I ordered.

I couldn't believe that I had been taken off guard by her actions. I had remained sited, frozen in place, my face burning with shame as the woman lashed out after slapping me right in the face with a venomous tirade of insults and accusations.

 I had thought my business deal was going to go smoothly, my business partners were about finalizing on the proposal, but then she had arrived and ruined everything for me, her eyes were cold as ice as she finished her verbal assault, and left the office.

I could feel the weight of my partners' stares on me, a look of disbelief that a man of my calibre could be slapped not once but twice on the face by a woman, I was humiliated. I tried to choke out a few words to calm the atmosphere, but it was clear that my credibility had been irreparably damaged.

As the meeting disbanded, I stumbled out, barely able to hold myself up with the weight of humiliation heavy on my shoulders. I knew that I would never be able to live down the disgrace of being slapped by a woman in front of my business partner's and shareholders, and that the shadow of this moment would follow me for the rest of my career.

There was nothing more that I wanted now but to have that woman killed as soon as possible, she had done something that even my mother couldn't dare do.

"Sir, I understand your anger but it is best we find out first why she did...."

"Max."

"On it Sir," Max replied. He had been opportune to witness the whole incident and he knew I had every right to be mad with rage with what had happened but I knew he was about to stop me from trying to kill the lady but he didn't dare say anything further because he knew how I was in situations like this. It was best to obey my orders than face my wrath.

The office door opened as Natalia walked in majestically with a smile on her face, Max bowed his head to her briefly then walked out of the office closing the door behind him. 

"My love," Natalia smile at me closing the distance between us, she had been at her photoshoot when I  got a call from her that she had heard what happened, I knew she had someone keeping an eye on me in the company but I didn't bother finding out who the person was as long as it was just to check my well being. 

"My goodness," she said placing her hands softly to my cheeks where the aftermath of the slap was still showing but I took her hands and yanked them off my cheeks, it was obvious she had left her photoshoot halfway to come see me.

"I heard what happened, I am sorry baby."

"This is all messed up," I yelled banging the desk in front of me and scaring Natalia. 

We had been dating for three years now and it felt like she was still terrified of me, of what I was, even though she had told me constantly that she wasn't I could still sense the fear whenever I had a temper tantrum. 

"I am sure Max will be able to..."

"I want her dead, she has to be used as a scape goat," I said.

"Baby, you need to calm down," Natalia pleaded. She placed her hand over my neck leaning in as she kissed me lightly on the lips.

"She humiliated me for fuck sake, right now we can only proceed with what we discussed last night," I said angrily staring at Natalia. My mother had suggested that I got married as soon as possible, even if it was for a period of time, it was the only way I could get my shareholders to see me as being responsible.

Right now they were still looking at me as a young boy who wasn't fully able to manage the company, even though I had proved to them over and over again that I was capable and diligent, those old fools felt marriage was the icing on the cake. 

I didn't like the idea one bit when my mother had brought it to my ears but looking at the current situation, it seemed it was the best choice right now. 

"The marriage stuff?" Natalia asked like she wasn't certain of what I was talking about. 

I knew Natalia wasn't keen on us getting married quickly, and because of the company. I also didn't see myself getting married as well but right now it was the only option and Natalia and I had been dating long enough to get married.

She had sounded reluctant last night when I brought the topic up and even now I could see the reluctance in her eyes, I knew it was because of her modelling career but being married to me wasn't going to be an hindrance to her career as a model. 

If that was what she wanted to do, then I planned to support her.

"Yes, I think that is the best option right now for the company, we should get married Natalia, I know it feels rushed but three years is enough time for us," I said trying to make her see reasons I wasn't good with words, I was sure if I told her I loved her she would be willing but I wasn't one to use that word. 

"I don't want to get married," she said to me. "You know I was actually thinking of a plan to sort this whole marriage out and I think this slap incident came right in time."

"What nonsense are you on about Natalia?" I asked letting go of her, was she mocking me?

"Don't get me wrong babe, what I mean is, I am not ready to get married right now because of my career but that shouldn't stop you from getting married. This lady that slapped you, can be of good use for like a contract marriage till we are really ready to settle down."

"You want me to marry another woman?" I asked with a puzzled look not believing something like that could ever come out of her mouth. It was one thing for us to slow down on the marriage procedures but for me to marry another woman, was she out of her mind?

"A contract marriage for your shareholders."

"This is absurd coming from you Natalia."

"It isn't, didn't you say you wanted her dead. It would be a better punishment to take her freedom away from her than just killing her so easily," she suggested.

SELENA

I groggily opened my eyes, blinking a few times until I adjusted to the dim light of the unfamiliar room. Confusion and panic immediately set in as I tried to remember how I ended up in this place, but everything was blank. As I sat up, I took in the surroundings and tried to piece together where I was.

The room was small and sparsely furnished, with a single bed pushed against one wall and a small table beside it. There was an old-fashioned clock ticking loudly on the wall, a lamp on the bedside table and a window with minimal daylight streaming in, casting eerie shadows around the room. The walls were painted a dull shade of gray, which made it feel even more unwelcoming.

A sense of unease began to grip the me as I took in the unfamiliarity of the space. I quickly searched for any clues that could give me a hint to my whereabouts but there were none. No familiar items or personal belongings were in sight.

I felt knots form in the pit of my stomach as I tried to remember how I got here. My tummy twisted as I slowly recalled that I was held at gun point before I blacked out, was I dead?  

My breath quickened as I looked around the unfamiliar room getting out of the bed. I searched for a way out, running my hand over the smooth surfaces of the walls, but I found no hidden panels or seams. The only furniture was a simple wooden chair in the center of the room, which I pushed aside with a grunt of frustration.

Turning to the door, I gave it a firm shove, but it didn't budge. I tried the handle, but it was locked tight. Panic rose in my chest as I realized I was trapped. 

My eyes scanned the room again, looking for any clue or tool that could help me escape. It was then that I noticed a small vent near the ceiling. I stood on the chair, stretching to reach it. It was too small for me to crawl through, but I could see a faint glimmer of light on the other side.

Using the strength in my arms, I managed to remove the vent grate, and I was relieved to find a narrow space between the walls that I could squeeze through. I hesitated for just a moment not sure of what could be out there but I knew this was my only option.

I took a deep breath ready to get in when the door opened slowly, I staggered on the chair out of fear, I was sure I was going to be the death of me once my head touched the ground, shutting my eyes closed I braced myself for impact but instead my fall was stopped mid air.

I opened my eyes to see who was holding on to me so firmly, "You?" I exclaimed as I stared at Aiden Frazier. 

I shoved him off me staggering back as a smirk fell on his face, I couldn't remember how I had gotten here but it was obvious now that they had not killed me but brought me here on his order. 

"Where is my mum and my sister? What have you done to them you crazy lunatic?" I asked angrily. Were they also locked up in a room like I was?

"They are safe for now," he said to me walking to the bed and dropping a file and a phone on the bed that I had not noticed he was holding on to when he had tried to stop me from falling off the chair.

"Let me out right now," I demanded but only got a light chuckle from him, when I had slapped him in the office earlier I had been consumed by anger but now standing before him and seeing him upright I was consumed by fear. 

His glare terrified me and I could only wonder what was going on in his head as he stared at me with a repulsive look.

"Sign the papers and I would let you out," he said. 

"Sign what fucking papers? I want to see my mum and sister right now, I demand to see them this minute."

"Demand?" He glared at me angrily closing the distance between up, I gulped at the sight of him walking up to me, I wanted to move back but my feet remained glued to the ground. 

"I don't do too well with disobedience," he informed me grabbing me by the arm and squeezing tightly as I winced in pain, I opened my mouth to protest but before I could be shoved me right on the bed next to the file and the phone. 

"I didn't mean to hit you," I sobbed as fear consumed me, it seemed being stubborn was going to get me killed, maybe if I begged him he would let me off. 

"Does it look like I care, open the goddamn paper right now," he yelled at me as shivers went down my spine. 

I hurriedly opened the paper reading the content carefully, what was this? A contract for a marriage? Was this some kind of joke? Did he kidnap me to get married to me or was I hallucinating?

"What is this?"

"A marriage contract, you have one minutes to decide or I won't hesitate to slit your mother and sisters throat."

At his words a video started to play on the phone, it was like it was programmed that way, I dropped the file to the side and picked the phone. It was a video of my mum and sister tied to a chair and blindfolded with two men standing behind them and holding a knife over their neck.

I stared at Aiden as panic filled me, "please let them go, it is me you want, I didn't mean to hurt you," I cried going on my knee instantly. Why was he doing this to me? What was he going to gain by getting married to me? 

"You have fifty seconds left," he said checking his wristwatch.

"Please don't do this, I beg you," I cried. 

"Kill them," he ordered like he was talking to someone. 

"No!!" I screamed. "I will marry you, I will agree to the contract, don't do it." I cried.