FROM THEN ON

Chapter twenty-one

When I got to the company reception, I realized that I came unarmed. ''What if the person is armed?'' I thought. Just then, I located an umbrella in the umbrella stand near the door and picked it up as I cautiously walked towards the elevator and pressed the button that took me all the way up to where my office was. As soon as I stepped out, I saw Linda and Rita tied up just like they were in the picture and I ran towards them and began to untie them. ''Nice of you to join us Robert,'' a familiar voice said. No it couldn't be could it? I slowly raised my head and my suspicions were right, ''Lucy,'' I whispered. ''I'm baaackkkk,'' she sang. ''How did you get out of there?'' I asked. ''I passed the sanity test,'' she laughed. ''Let them go. Now!'' I instructed. ''Oh I will. On one condition,'' she said coyly. ''And what's that?'' I asked agitated. ''Let's talk,'' she said as she pulled out Rita's office chair and indicated for me to sit down. ''I'm not talking to you until you let them go,'' I said. ''Oh no I'm afraid I can't do that Robert,'' Lucy said. ''You see Robert, they know too much and they've seen my face. I can't let them go and report me to the police,'' She laughed jokingly but in an insane way. ''So here's what's going to happen. It's either we talk now and everyone can go in peace, or I kill them and then we talk,'' she said as she pulled a gun out of nowhere and aimed at them. They began to scream through the cloths that covered their mouths. ''What do you want?'' I asked before she put the gun away. ''There we go,'' she smiled. ''I want a lot of things in this world Robert. I want my life back, my sanity, revenge....'' she listed. ''And the only way I'm going to get that, is through you,'' she added. ''Look Lucy, I'm sorry I broke your heart but I can't help you,'' I stated. ''Wrong. You can help me and you will. If not, not only will I kill your two personal assistants before your very eyes, your beloved Sabrina will be next,'' Lucy threatened. ''Don't you dare lay a finger on her,'' I said angrily. ''Awwwwn, you must really like her,'' she said sympathetically before adding, ''Do you remember when you used to swoon over me like that? When we used to be the most admirable couple in the city? Until....you ruined everything!'' she shouted angrily. ''Calm down Lucy, you're still pretty, still nice, you can get your life back together,'' she said to herself before calming down. ''So what do you want from me Lucy?'' I asked. ''For starters, I need money and lots of it,'' she said. ''Done,'' I said unamused. ''Now can you let them go?'' I asked impatiently. ''Secondly, you are going to be at my beck and call. Whenever I call, you must answer,'' she added. ''What?'' I asked. She brought out the gun again and I swallowed, ''Done.'' ''And lastly, nobody in this room should tell anybody about what happened here today or else........'' she said. ''I'm going to find each and every one of you and hunt you down until you're dead,'' she said in a scary voice. ''But as for you Robert, I'll kill Sabrina first, let you suffer for awhile, before letting you join her,'' she said casually. ''So if you know what's good for you, you will all keep your mouths shut,'' she said before untying them and removing the cloths tied around their mouths. ''I will be waiting for a transfer of fifty million dollars into my accounts before 6pm today,'' she said as she walked towards the elevator. ''You'll receive the details soon,'' she added. Then facing us as she stood in the elevator, she said, ''Until then.......'' before the elevator doors shut. As soon as she left. I quickly logged on to Rita's computer to access the footage from the security cameras but then footage from the past four hours had all been deleted. ''How did she do that?'' I thought. ''Are you guys okay?'' I asked as I walked towards Rita and Linda but they were too terrified to speak. ''Look I'm sorry I put you guys in this position. To make it up to you, I'll give you guys ten million dollars each every month aside your monthly salary to compensate for the trauma she caused and to please keep your mouths shut,'' I said. ''Lucy is a very dangerous person and she is capable of doing everything she said. So in addition to all this, I'm giving you guys a bodyguard and a company car with a driver each in case Lucy tries anything funny. But for now, please you can't tell anybody especially not the police. Your drivers will be here shortly.'' I added before calling Wilson to get two more drivers and two more bodyguards. They arrived a few minutes later and when I was sure that Rita and Lucy had set off safely, I drove back home. On my way back, I was so distracted and confused. ''What do I do now?'' I thought. I wasn't ready to become Lucy's puppet or her financial provider but what else could I do? If I don't, ''your beloved Sabrina will be next" I heard Lucy's voice recurring in my head. And the worst part of this whole thing is, I can't tell anybody. Not Ryan, not the police and not Sabrina. When I got home, I immediately remembered that I needed to send money to Lucy before 6pm. I checked the time and it was 5:30pm. I quickly called the bank and made the transfer online with the account details Lucy had sent me. That night, I was more than restless. I kept tossing and turning and having nightmares about Lucy killing Sabrina. I kept wishing and regretting ever becoming a player or ever dating Lucy and realized how I would never forgive myself if Sabrina was to die because of my mistakes. Just then, my phone rang and it startled me. I picked it up to see that it was Sabrina calling and that's when I remembered that I told her I'd come by her place after I freed Rita and Linda. ''Hello?'' I asked. ''Hey. Are you okay, you sound a little jumpy,'' she asked worriedly. ''I'm fine,'' I lied. ''I know you're not Robert but it's fine. Whenever you're ready to tell me, I'll be ready to listen,'' she said and at that moment, I realized once again how lucky I was to have Sabrina. She knew me so well, she was understanding, caring and I loved her with all my heart and that's when the tears began to flow. I didn't ever want to lose her no matter what and it hurt me so much that because of my mistakes, her life was in danger. ''Robert? You there?'' she asked. I tried to calm down before saying, ''I'll call you back,'' I said and hang up immediately before she could say anything else.