THE UNSETTLING CALL

I check the phone. Nanny Aisha calling.


I cold chill runs through my bones.

"It has been ringing for a while. I didn't answer it because I didn't know what to say," Damian explains, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

I nod in understanding, albeit still in bewilderment and disbelief. My mind is already racing with questions. Nanny Aisha hasn't called since the day I left home, so why the sudden urgency? And why would she be calling non-stop at this ungodly time of the night?


As the phone continues to ring incessantly, a wave of fear washes over me, threatening to engulf me in its grip. A thousand questions swirl in my mind like heavy clouds, each one adding to the mounting sense of unease that gnaws at my insides.

With each new ring, my heart pounds louder in my chest, the tremors of fear increasing with every passing moment. Something doesn't add up, and I can't shake the feeling that trouble looms on the horizon.


Could Nanny Aisha be following the orders of her boss, Mr. Riccaford? The thought sends a shiver down my spine. The old man has always been ruthless in his pursuit of power and control, and I wouldn't put it past him to resort to such drastic measures.

But what could he want from me now? And just what could he have done or promised to nanny Aisha for contacting me in the dead of night? The questions swirl around me like a whirlwind, leaving me feeling helpless and vulnerable in their wake.

You know, this is what this old man wants. To wreak havoc on my peace and my life like this. For me to be shaken like this. I shouldn't give him that satisfaction.

I slapped the ringing phone on the table and let it just ring. When she is tired, she will stop. I cannot imagine if nanny Aisha has fallen victim to this. I thought she was the most sensible one, but I guess I was wrong. Or maybe there really is no one in this world who can defy my father's orders. Except me. That is why all of them have become his pawns.

I slump to the chair across from Damian and dig into my chicken curry. My! The guy leaves no room for flaws in depicting his perfection. I can't wait to taste this delish because, men, I am drooling over it. The aroma, the color, my!

I can sense his eyes riding with me as I lift my spoonful of stew to my mouth, but we are once again disrupted by my phone. We both snap at it.

Call it quits, old man! Quit disturbing my peace! Quit trying to rip me off of the happy world I have created for myself! Nkt!

I cut the damn call. They should all leave the fuck out of me! Can they do that? Or maybe I really need to go face my father and howl to his face that he should leave me alone. Maybe then he will understand.

"Aren't you going to pick up? It could be urgent."

"What could be urgent, Damian? You and I know what this is all about, and I don't want to ruin this night or my happiness just because of some old man who can't let me live my life the way I damn please," I fume.

I mean, why wouldn't I be fuming like this, huh? He has tried all means and tricks and he doesn't even care about stooping this low? Oh, wow! I think I underestimated his degree. A nanny? What would a nanny have against me to drag me back? Come on!

"It won't hurt to just listen, you know. Maybe you are wrong about all this for the first time."

Okay, he is also slowly crawling to my bad side too and I don't like it. Am I wrong about all this? Since when? "I don't think so. Nanny Aisha was the only person I have been closest to in my life among the squadron of nannies that surrounded me my entire life. I am sure my father will use all the affection she has for me to lure me back to his clutches," I fury, and the annoying phone picks up the tempo of the…

How annoying!

"You think your father can go to that extent?"

To what extent can't he stoop? I mean, wasn't this guy keeping count of all the strings my father pulled to lure me back to him? Has he forgotten that just eight days ago he almost killed Leo, who was also under my father's orders? If this old man has the guts to make a pact with my ex, who cheated on me with my stepsister, then who else can't he use? "Sadly, yes. It hurts, but he has shown me just enough of how far he is willing to go just for that absurd arranged nonsense of a marriage just so he can benefit," I state.

He stares, and the phone continues ringing. And it rings, and it rings, and it deafeningly rings and rings and rings.

Nanny Aisha was never a bothersome person. She never forced anything. If she found me in a gross mood, the only word I would get would be her reasons why she came to me aside from greetings. She was that understanding and sweet. She became my second confidant when my mother died, and she continued being so until I left.

A thousandth ring!

What could she want? Is Papa forcing her to do this? What could he have promised her or had against her to have her call like this? Maybe he is threatening to fire her or stop paying for her son's college fees overseas?

Yeah, you heard that right. That is how generous and sweet Mr. Riccaford is to society, but he is also an absurdly mean father to his only daughter. The irony!

"Should I?" I ask Damian, my whole body shaking.