Love Me

Chapter Five

Alyssa

I walked down the stairs, hearing all the yelling coming from the living room. It was Saturday, a few days after the meeting with Mr Graham and I feel fine now. With the few hours I had to myself, I was able to rest and get better.

I peeked through a small crack in the door to see what was happening. I could see that Hailey had her head in her mother's lap, her shoulders shaking as if she was sobbing, he mother consoled her while her father paced the room, his fist clenched in anger.

“Daddy! How could this happen?” Hailey asked tearfully.

Before he could answer, his wife spoke up.“Isn't it obvious? She did something to him. Why else would he refuse our angel?”

“Why did you even adopt her Daddy? I told you we should have just put her in a foster home.”Oh, they're talking about me. What did I do now?

“Shut up, Hailey! I am trying to think!” Christopher yelled and Hailey burst into tears again.

“I suggest you just throw her out now since she has proven to be an ungrateful slut.” Rebecca suggested.

“Just kill her already!” Hailey yelled. “Then Nathan will have to marry me.”

But what does Nathan marrying Hailey have to with me? I wondered internally.

Then the worst thing happened. The door I had started leaning on opened completely and I fell through. In a flash, before I could even get myself up, a hand, no doubt Christopher's, wrapped around my neck, squeezing tightly.

“You little wretch, checking to see if your plan worked, aren't you?” He spat.

I couldn't ask what plan he was talking about, instead I was trying to pry his fingers off. He slapped me then punched me in the stomach.

“I wonder what he sees in you that makes him want to marry you.” My eyes widened at what he said as I took in what he said.

Nathan wants to marry me? Why? He was supposed to marry Hailey, not me.

In my peripheral vision, I could see Hailey coming closer then BAM! I was hit with her high heeled shoe right across my forehead. I was on all fours when Christopher let me go, gasping for air.

I screamed as something struck my back, the pain resonating all over. I was only able to get a glimpse of the brown leather before it came down on me again.

The pain I felt blocked the swear words Christopher and Hailey were throwing at me as they alternated from using the belt, their hands and other things to hit me.

The metallic taste in my mouth told me that there was blood coming out of it and that I was probably having some internal bleeding. I was sure I had a few broken ribs from the way my chest was stomped on and maybe a broken nose from the way it was bleeding.

They left when they were satisfied with the damage they had done. I lay there for God knows how long, thinking happily about how I could finally die and meet me parents before I was lifted by strong hands. I could vaguely hear the sound of voices and what maybe was a siren around me as I was placed on something soft.

I registered the feeling of my shirt being ripped off my body before I finally passed out.

***********

Nathan

Alyssa Camille Jordan. There was so little on the internet about her and I had to ask my private investigator to find out more about her and everything I saw in the file was what I had seen before.

“This isn't what I asked for, Jacob.” I told my PI with a disapproving frown. “I know all this already. I wanted things that you can't find on the internet.”

“Dude, this is all I could find. There is barely any information about her anywhere. No scandals attached to her name, clean records, nothing intriguing, her family kept her away from the press for all we know.” He replied.

I sighed, looking at the lone piece of paper and picture in the folder. “Alright, thank you, Jacob.”

There was barely any new information on her. Her parents died when she was thirteen after which she was adopted by her uncle, Christopher Jordan, who promised to give her the best care and more.

She graduated top of her class from both high school and university and went to work as her uncle's assistant afterwards. That was it. Then there was a picture of her from when she was thirteen after her parents died. She looked so sad as she stood in front of her uncle and aunt who smiled at the camera while her cousin, Hailey, was frowned angrily.

“Strange isn't it?” Jacob, my life long best friend and private investigator, wondered aloud, taking my attention away from the picture.

“What?” I asked.

“If you were to adopt the orphaned daughter of your brother you would want it to be everywhere, right?” He pointed out. “You would want to show the world how kind you are, take her everywhere and give her the best to show the press how nice of a person you are but that isn't the case for this future wife of yours.”

“Maybe she doesn't like the limelight.” I reasoned with a shrug. “Oliver hates the paparazzi as much as I do.”

“Maybe, maybe not.”

“What about the men you sent to follow her? What did you get from that?”

He shrugged. “No luck. It's as if she hasn't been out all week.”

“Weird.” She must be resting, she was sick last time I saw her.

“Really weird. The way she grew up, she was supposed to be living the high life, going out all the time, partying the way her sister does.”

I was about to say something contrary to what he thought because from what I saw that day, except the rushing out to vomit, I could tell she was nothing like Hailey but was cut off by his phone ringing.

“Any news?” He asked the person on the other end of the line. His eyes widened as he listened. “Are you sure it's her?” He paused again. “Okay, thank you, I'll be there soon.”

He hung up after that then looked at me with a frown. “I just got on your girl. She was involved in some kind of domestic accident and had to be taken to a hospital.”