The Love Affair(Good Wife Better Mistress)

Kidnapped

Nicole sleeps restlessly in her bed through the dark night. Every time she closes her eyes, she has the same vivid nightmare: Nicole is being crucified on a wooden cross, and venomous snakes slither up and down her body. She wakes suddenly and her movement alerts Brownie. Nicole and the dog strain their ears and hear the door to the room creak open.

Two men furtively close the door and creep into the room on tiptoes. Quickly they approach the bedside. One man yanks the quilt back while the other man throws himself into the bed. They're startled to find that the bed is empty, though the fine linen sheets are wrinkled and warm.

"Where is she?" one man whispers.

A beam of light flickers on behind them. The men turn toward the light and freeze.

"Ghost!" they scream.

The light illuminates a pale woman in a white dress. Glossy black hair. Falls across her face, obscuring her features. Though the room is still, the ghost's dress seems to flutter in some supernatural breeze. The two men stumble backward and prepare to run out of the room, but an icy voice stops them.

"Stop right here and come back!" the voice calls.

The men stop and slowly turn around. The 'ghost' is removing a dark wig from her head, and she scowls fiercely at them.

"How dare you try to kidnap me?" the ghost asks.

The men exchange astonished glances and then look back at the ghost. They quickly realize it's the woman they were meant to kidnap. Emboldened by this realization, they decide to carry out their original task.

"There's no choice," one man says, "We were ordered to take you away, and that's what we're going to do."

"Where are you going to take me?" Nicole asks.

"That's information that you don't need to know," one of the men answers, as he takes a black cloth bag out of his pocket.

The other man uncoils a rope, and approaches her slowly, still slightly frightened by the phantom apparition.

"Why do you think I'll let you take me away?" Nicole asks calmly.

Though the men are much bigger and stronger than her, she seems completely unperturble You think you can fight us off?" the first man asks with obvious amus.e.m.e.nt.

Nicole hits another light switch and bright light floods the entire room. The men freeze and scream again.

"A-a lion!" stammers one.

"Idiot!" shouts the other, "That's a German shepherd!"

Nicole laughs at the two men. Despite their size, they're both quite timid and she wonders who would choose such men for kidnapping. Brownie lies on the ground near Nicole's feet and growls low. With one quiet command from Nicole, the dog stops growling and begins to bark.

The big men slowly back away from Nicole and Brownie, their hands raised defensively in front of their faces. Nicole looks at the men with amus.e.m.e.nt. She's surprised to find that they look alike—even the beards on their chins are identical. They must be twins.

"Don't set that beast on us," one of them pleads, "We were paid to take you away. It has nothing to do with us."

"Brownie, stop barking," Nicole commands.

Brownie reluctantly quiets but continues to bare his teeth at the men.

"Tell me, how much did your employer give you?" Nicole asks.

"Half a million dollars," one of the men answers.

"Oh? My life is worth only half a million dollars?" Nicole asks casually, turning off some of the lights as she speaks, "I'll give you an even million."

The two men looked at each other with shock. By now, most women would have called the police or screamed for help. Instead, there would be a victim offering them a million dollars.

"Do you want us to kidnap our previous employer or something?" one man asks fearfully.

"No, I'll give you a million dollars to take me away," Nicole replies. 

Though the men are confused, they want the money. Even if they were inclined to refuse, the massive, snarling German shepherd helps persuade them to agree to Nicole's terms.

"Okay, then," the men agree, "You have yourself a deal."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Come over and tie me up," Nicole commands impatiently.

The men exchanged questioninglooks with one another, but they do as Nicole asks.

At three o'clock in the morning, the lights in the parlor are still on. Mrs. Candela Romano sits in a rocking chair and rubbed her temples with her fingers. Nicole's behavior has given her a headache and made it impossible to sleep. Gabriela paces back and forth, compounding Candela's irritation.

Suddenly, the phone rings, breaking the anxious silence. A maid runs to answer it and Gabriela listens carefully to the conversation. After the maid hangs up, Gabriela lets out a deep breath.

"Mrs. Romano, everything has been taken care of," Gabriela says with glee, "Nicole won't show up to my birthday party tomorrow."

Mrs. Candela Romano also sighs with relief. Nicole made everything chaotic. If she appeared at the party tomorrow, there's no telling what kind of damage she could to the family's reputation.

"It's real," Gabriela says, unlocking her phone and send some photos to Candela, "Look at the pictures they took."

After sending the photos, Gabriela makes a mental note to dispose of her phone as evidence of her role in the kidnapping.

Mrs. Candela Romano examines the photos. She worriedly looks at Nicole's belly. Though she hates Nicole, Candela Romano l is concerned about the unborn child. She knows how badly her husband wants Alexandro to have an heir, and if there's any chance the baby is Alexandro's she knows she needs to protect it.

"No, they didn't tie her belly," Gabriela said reassuringly, "She's fine."

"That's good," Mrs. Romano says with a sigh of relief.

She continues to rub her temples and think about the birthday party. With Nicole out of the way, everything should go according to plan. However, she feels uneasy and upset anyway.