C4 Chapitre 4

- Hello Gentlemen, greeted the receptionist as Alonzo and Henrik entered the hotel.

Henrik waved his hand at her; as for Alonzo, he was too preoccupied to answer. They took the elevator back to their suite. Alonzo's cell phone rang again. he hastened to answer and his face crumpled when he recognized the captor's voice. This time he called with another number.

- I hope you didn't hurt Anastasia. She carries my child.

- I know that. hurry to give me these forty million dollars if you do not want to have on your conscience the death of your wife and that of your child.

- I will send this money to you as planned, but please don't hurt him.

- That will depend on you.

henrik approached him to whisper something in his ear.

- This man, I don't trust him at all. Ask him to show you some proof that Anastasia is okay with him and alive.

- Listen, before I send you this sum, prove to me that you have my wife and that she is well.

A silence was heard. Henrik and Alonzo looked at each other as if they were thinking the same thing. Could he be fooling him? since he didn't say anything anymore Alonzo was sure he wanted her to believe that he was holding Anastasia just to get money from her. After all he was a very famous man and that was a valid reason for a thief to demand money from him. this man should probably know everything about him. He might have known that Anastasia was missing and wanted to take advantage of the situation accordingly. This man just wanted to play a trick on him and if his guesses turned out to be right, he wasn't going to let it go.

- Alonzo ! Anastasia said.

The concerned closed his eyelids and clenched his fists. This fool was actually holding his wife. He wished that hadn't been the case. Henrik patted his shoulder as he stealthily lowered his head.

- Alonzo, please get me out of here. I know we both had a hard time but don't leave me in this man's clutches. I carry your child after all. At least think of him. Do what he asks of you, send him that money, she cried in tears.

his heart grew heavy when he heard his wife's voice begging her to help him. It was all his fault, he kept repeating to himself. If they hadn't quarreled that night, Anastasia wouldn't have left the hotel and would certainly be with him right now.

- Calm down Anastasia, I'll do anything to get you out of there, he reassured. Did he hurt you?

- No, but if you don't send him what he asks for, I'm afraid he'll carry out his threat.

- Enough now, cursed the kidnapper. now you have proof that she is with me. All you have to do is send me the money if you want to get it back. Do you have something to write down?

Henrik rummaged in one of his drawers and pulled out a pen and something to write down. He then gave it to Alonzo.

- Yes.

he wrote down the account number he was to send the money to.

- Your wife will be waiting for you near the big dump in town. You will come alone.

He hung up as Alonzo rubbed his face. The sooner he sends what he asks for, the sooner this nightmare will be over.

***

calypso picked up the bills that Henrik had left on the table and put the glass and the dish away that he had not touched. Which she found weird. It was such a shame to spoil such a good meal, she thought with a tight expression. if it was up to her, she would eat it, but Teddy would object. Throwing away food was a serious sin. But what had he taken from ordering it if he wasn't hungry at all? when she thinks about it, miserable people outside were starving and struggling to get their fill while rich people wasted money from a dish they barely touched. Nature absolutely had to review its laws.

The restaurant was filling up slowly. she went back to work, going from table to table to take orders. Sometimes she would think back to this icy-looking man who had looked at her coldly without even deigning to answer him every time she asked him what he wanted to order. she was far from imagining that there would still be savage men in a world so evolved.

It was ringing eight in the evening when Calypso entered the key in the lock of his apartment. She put down the plastic bags she was holding in the kitchen. that day had completely exhausted her and even though her new job was exhausting her she was still happy to be able to work. She was fed up with staying home all day doing nothing. now she could pay the rent, water and electricity bills on a regular basis. She could also have enough to eat and Blair could stop reaching out to help her.

she took off her waders and dragged her bare feet on the carpet in the living room as she returned to her bedroom. Phineas came out with a bottle of alcohol in his hand, almost drunk. She was surprised to see him so soon. Usually he always came home late. he leaned against the door and outrageously emptied the alcoholic liquid down his throat, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand after heaving a sigh of satisfaction. She watched him with a disgusted air; she looked at him. when she wanted to pass, he stopped her with a wave of his hand. he then put his hand on the doorframe to bar her way.

- Where do you come from like that? He asked, hiccupping. You've been away from home for the past four days.

"That's none of your business," Calypso spat.

-Of course that concerns me as long as you live under my roof. So I wait.

- Well, since you can't find a job to pay our bills, Calypso, your dear wife had been knocking from door to door for nearly a month begging for work. in case you haven't noticed you good-for-nothing, the fridge is completely empty and one of us had to move his ass to get it filled.

- It's good and I guess you have finally found a job, he said, pushing the young woman out of his way.

he walked towards the kitchen, Calypso following him.

- Provisions ! He exclaimed when he peeked inside the plastic bags.

He pulled out an apple and bit it.

- Will my loving wife be able to cook for me? He inquired, taking on a childish air.

She walked over, her features contorted to the sink, and poured herself a glass of water.

- You even bought food legs!

He had already emptied everything on the counter.

- I would like you to make me Spaghetti, he adds, rubbing his hands.

"You just have to make them yourself," she bellowed, putting the glass down after drinking the contents.

Fleetingly, she left the kitchen. She could feel her husband's murderous gaze on her back. She locked herself in her room, insulting him inside.

the next morning, Calypso woke up to the cries of her husband who kept calling her from the living room.

- What takes him to wake me up at such a time? She growled when she looked at her alarm clock which struck seven o'clock.

she left her room with a nonchalant step to join him. She was horrified when she saw that he was holding one of her books with a lit lighter.

- You cook me breakfast or I swear that your precious books that you cherish so much will go to ashes, he threatened.

- Very good. I'll prepare breakfast for you but before that you put them on the table, she said calmly.

He put out his lighter and threw the book in a corner of the room. She ran to retrieve it and made sure it wasn't damaged. she put the book back in its place and went to the kitchen. Meanwhile Phineas sat down on the sofa, her feet resting on the coffee table. He grabbed the remote and scrolled through the channels until he got tired of it.

calypso smashed the eggs into the bowl, thinking about what her husband had tried to do. What an imbecile ! At first he did nothing to buy something to cook for himself and he allowed himself to force her to cook for him. she cut the onions angrily and almost cut her fingers. She was tired of this situation. If he didn't beat her, he would do anything to anger her. What was holding her back? She might well pick up his things and leave him all alone in his shitty life. after all, she didn't feel anything for him anymore. She had started to hate him from the first day he dared lay hands on her because he hadn't found money in his bag to buy himself a bottle. Really ! What was holding her back? she wondered bitterly as she aggressively planted the knife in the cutting board.

She took the bottle containing chili from the cupboard and a Machiavellian idea suddenly came to her mind. She was smiling dangerously like a person who wanted to take revenge. she drained everything in the liquid and chuckled.

She came before him more angry than ever. She put her dish on the table as he looked at her with a smirk in the corner.

- You see when you want, he said, smiling.

she picked up her books to keep them as far away from him as possible, lest he carry out her threat after he had tasted her dish.

- It smells really good. It's been a long time since I tasted your dishes.

- Normal, since you're not bringing anything into this house. how do you expect me to make meals for you if you don't give me enough to buy groceries.

-I remind you that I was fired from my post, he said indignantly.

- In any case, bon appétit, she said with a smile that did not bode well.

he shrugged and Calypso went to his room. After locking the door, she put her books back in one of her drawers and sat cross-legged in her bed, arms crossed, eyes riveted on the ceiling waiting for him to express his anger.

- Calypso !!!

she sneered until she burst into tears and sank into bed. She laughed louder as her cries rose. The latter knocked against the wood of her door, throwing threats at her.

_ You have deserved it, she whispered. you would never get caught up in my precious books. Never!

- Calypso, I swear you'll pay me. You lose nothing for waiting !