C14 Chapter Fourteen

"Listen to me and listen carefully, you're not going to wire any money to me, you're going to the bank to get cash and put it in a bag and then I'll tell you where to drop it off." The voice of Michael came over the phone as he spoke to Melissa, trying so hard to make speak with a deep voice and sound like Alberto. He knew the game he was playing was risky, if Melissa reports to the police and they track that call, it could lead straight to him, and who would want to hear him say he didn't really initiate the process? No one would consider the fact that the initial blackmail started from Alberto.

"But I honestly can't leave my house please, can I just wire the money to you? It'll be a lot easier."

"Wire the money to me and make it easy to trace me? Nice try girl. You're in no position to propose anything. You either follow my instructions or I send your videos all over the Internet!" He threatened her and noticed the change in her voice, she was so scared and it rather made Michael feel good.

"Listen to me, eight O'clock! That's the time, get the cash ready by 8:00 PM. Then I'll tell you where to meet me. Be alone, and if you get the cops involved you'll lose this game. " He ended the call immediately after saying that. Michael believed Melissa wouldn't tell the police about this because that would rather expose her to them as the real Mellisa Gabriel.

"Yeah you deserve to go through a difficult time after all you put my friend through." He said to himself then fell on the bed with his arms spreading so wide apart.

*****

Melissa walked around her room back and forth with no real intention. Her mind was a pool of thoughts and she didn't know what was really going on in her life. Cheating on her husband led to a failed marriage, and from there to being infected, to being accused of murder and now to being blackmailed. "What does life want from me?" She screamed out of frustration and kicked an imaginary object in the room then lost her balance on the hard floor.

"Ouch." She was in pain because she hit the floor so hard and wasn't really expecting to fall in such an awkward position. She didn't stand up, she sat there with a worried and sad face, then decided to talk to the only man in her life that she was currently close to.

"I need to tell you something very important." That was the first thing she said after Anderson answered the phone.

"You can talk to me, what is it? Cara"

"Someone's blackmailing me."

"What? Who the hell is that dumb fool? Mention the name and I'll get hold of that bastard! Amma take him down!" Anderson said then noticed he might have gone too far. He had been trying to set a good impression of himself in the past months and so far, he managed to make Melissa believe he was calm and loving. He had never shown her the crazy and angry part of himself that could speak in such a way about any matter at all.

"I mean, I feel bad about this and it's a very terrible thing to be doing, trying to blackmail someone." He said hoping to make up for his earlier response which sounded more gangster and so illegal.

"He wants me to meet him tonight."

"How much does he want from you?"

"$15,000 and he wants it in cash!" Mellisa lied hoping something good could come from it. She knew she already had the money but what if Anderson decided to help her with some cash to support her? Or what if he decided to help her pay all of the money? Jackpot! She'll be able to keep the initial $10,000 for herself and then an extra $5,000 from the $15, 000 that might be sent from Anderson.

"Did he give you time?" Anderson asked calmly. He was trying to keep his manner of speaking in check.

"Yes, 8:00 PM today. And he insists I should be alone and shouldn't involve the police."

"Yeah, it's always a bad idea to involve the cops in such issues. Do you have the money?"

"Not yet, I don't have anything Anderson and I don't know what to do, I'm just confused right now." She lied again about not having the money and she was so real with the tears and perfect acting. She really made him believe she had nothing, and Anderson at this point, was blinded by love for a lady whose face he had never seen. He wanted to help.

"Send me your details, I'll wire the money to you right now."

"Oh my God Anderson I'm so so grateful you're doing this for me. I can't thank you enough." She was genuinely shocked because apart from her mother and father, no one has ever been willing to help her in such an amazing way aside from Mc who was her husband. But she ruined everything between them with her behaviour and ungratefulness.

"I am honestly happy Anderson. But my bank’s got an issue so I'll send you my friend's details instead." She didn't want to use her own bank because Anderson could see her real name.

"I care about you Cara, and I'll always be willing to help." The deep voice came over the phone and then he went on to add "And I just want you to know that we are only going to give him that money to buy time so he wouldn't leak the videos yet."

"I don't understand, what do you mean by buying time?" She was truly confused.

"They never stop! Blackmailers never stop. You pay them, they take the money and leave you for a while. Once they spend it all and they go broke, they call you again asking for more."

"Oh my... I'm just so confused about all of this. What will I do to end this permanently?"

"There's only one way to end it, I'm going to find out who this person is, and I'm going to do what's necessary. But for now, let's buy time by giving him the money he's asking for."

Anderson had his plans, he was going to help Melissa pay the blackmailer, but he was going to find out whoever that was and do what he'd done to many other people, "I will end that bastard!" He said to himself immediately after ending his call with Melissa who he believed to be Cara.

Michael didn't know where all this was going, he just thought he should play along to frustrate Melissa a little and maybe get the money from her. But he didn't know his life was at stake now that Anderson knew about the blackmail, if Michael wasn't going to play his cards right, he would be wasted by the same guy who wasted Jeremy.