Chapter 21

Blaze was in a happy state and his mood was different as he was having feelings for the most beautiful girl ever though the circumstances under which they has met, was not the best. Crystal had slept off out of fatigue, and Max had taken a rendezvous with the one that he felt had the most exceptional criteria for the job he was assigned out.
Thinking about his niece for a moment in his office, Max holding his head with the support of his elbow placed on his table, he thought of what had happened the previous night in his office and taking up the hand he had slapped his niece with, he looked at it like someone who could not justify the reasons as to why he has committed a particular crime.
Letting out a huge sigh, Max caressed his forehead that was creased with sweat and his thoughts ran to his late brother and wife but he has to do what he thought was the best. According to him, Crystal was too small to run the father's business and he was the right person to do so since he had a mastery of it already.
Georgia was worried as her friend has called her since morning and it was almost evening, but she was no thereto be found neither was her phone connecting. Scaring, she thought of going to her friend's house in order to check on how she is doing but a cold thought held her back as she felt that going there might only worse things for her friend and she would not want that.
Blaze who was still hoping that Crystal will at least reply to his message or even call waited but no message came so so he stopped at the flower shop on his way back home, and parked his car, he walked into it to choose a beautiful red rose.
Entering inside the mart, he could see different types of roses and very beautiful. Reaching the seller's desk, he gave him a description of what he wanted and said it was for a special person.
The salesperson told Blaze to follow her inside so that he could see her collection and probably make a choice out of it. Blaze walked behind her as he admired the other flowers that were on the outer surface of the shop.
Crystal waking up and sitting on her bed wiped off her face with her palms thinking that all that had just happened was a nightmare. Feeling bored and confused, she rose to her feet heading to the bathroom so as to wash her face but to her greatest surprise, she caught a glimpse of her face again and she came to understand that, it was not a dream and that everything was happening.
Turning to the side, she glanced at the food that Gina had left for her to wear down and feeling so much hunger as she had not eaten anything since morning, she carried the platter to her bed, and sitting down she began eating and years flowed down her eyes again.
A car had driven into the compound and Crystal did not bitter herself as to who might have entered as she was certain that it was her devilish uncle that had arrived. Holding up her head into her food, she went on with what she was doing till she had finished eating.
Listening to footsteps coming up to her room, Crystal remained immobile on her bed as she could give attention to the person stopping right in front of her portico. Knocking on her door and opening it after some moments of no reply, Max walked into her room and pulled out the chair that was beside the table, he sat down facing his niece while he loosened his coat.
"How are you feeling now?", be inspired as though h wanted to move her or something but Crystal only shed tears, did not offer a word, and kept her silence as she looked at the uncle in the face like some monster.
Max faking in a deep breath, noticed the throb on Crystal's face, and with a concerned look, he extended his hand to touch her cheek to know whether or not it hurts but Crystal disgusted by her uncle, shifted from him as she climbed on her bed.
Max's hand was suspended and he was getting disgruntled with her behavior so he spoke out as gently as he could making an effort not to lose his cool as he spoke up,
" I want us to talk about something that will benefit you". Crystal who was already happy in her, thinking that maybe he might have gotten back to himself and realized that he made a mistake last night and is pushing to the limit to correct it, let out a smile and waited for her uncle to hand over her properties to her.
Crystal could never have imagined the bomb that her uncle was preparing to drop and when it will finally be out, her reaction is going to be in a state of shock. Max looking at his niece and noticing that she was not in the mood to talk, asked her to please pay attention carefully to home. Crystal still keeping her calm, looked at her uncle while letting out tears.
Max with a heavy heart and so much guilt about the heart he was going to talk about, moved from one corner of the room to another weighing his words and making sure that she will understand him before he spoke.
Removing his tie on his neck as though it was the reason why the words could not for their way out of his mouth? Max murmured,
"I think it is time for you to get married Crystal".
The words from his mouth fell out like thunder, and Crystal slowly taking up her head, raised an awful look at her uncle raising a question as to what he had just said thinking that her ears were failing her.
Max was aware that, it was not going to be easy but since he was blinded by his selfishness and greedy attitude, he had no time to debate anything with her. I have looked for a suitor for you already had he is a good and caring man with so many ambitions.
Crystal holding her head in her hands and shaking her ears with her palms, asked her uncle what he meant by what he just said as she stepped down from her bed. Walking closer to her uncle, Crystal demanded to know whether all these years he had been using her to get to his goals while making her believe that she was going to she was going to get her insurance when it was going to be the right time.
" How could you be this heartless Uncle Max?", Crystal raised a question as she approached him. Max did not care about what she had to say, as his mind had been made up and he could not afford to lose everything to her.
Crystal shed hit tears as she spoke rudely to her uncle interrogating why the change of attitude towards her or whether he has always been like that but he was hiding it. Pointing at getting face she asked her uncle whether he was satisfied with what he had done to her or whether he still had more to do.
Max listened to her and taking out a cigarette from his coat pocket, and placing it on his lips, took out a box of matches from his other pocket and lit it. Dragging the cigarette, he blew the puff out into Crystal's face and she stood up there in front of him, catching her breath in amazement raising a question,
"You smoke Uncle Max?.
Glimpsing at her and letting out a decoy smile, he replied,
" My naive little niece, there is so much you do not know about your uncle Max standing here?.
Holding her heart in scare, she went backward as she was shivering to her bones and sat down on her bed batching her breath. Thinking of all the things Gina had said and her voice that kept on repeating the fact that she did not know who her uncle is and what he could do, Crystal began to look at her uncle differently.
Max noticed the calmness in her and the awful on her face, rose to his feet, trusting her to get ready for their guest and also to put on her most favorite dress as she has to look sexy.
Not still being able to understand what Max was saying, she further asked what guest he was talking about and he replied,
"Your soon-to-be husband, my little niece".
Crystal was more devastated and she went down to her knees, begging her uncle not to do that to get and to think about her future and the way that they have been living happily together but Max's response shocked her, even more, when he said that,
" You should have thought about all these before pressuring me about your properties". Listening to this, Crystal got up from her begging position and interrogated,
"So you mean to tell me that all this is because I am asking for what is mine Max?", she called her uncle by his name for the first time and Max opening his eyes and turning his head to have a glimpse of her asked,
" What did you just call me Crystal?".
Crystal breathing in and out, spoke out her mind for the first time not caring about what her uncle will feel or do to her as it was obvious that his heart was filled with nothing but cheating, lies, and greed.
Maintaining eye contact with her uncle, she asked him if he has a conscience and whether he felt the gravity of what he was doing. Max had given instructions for Crystal not to be left out of the house and also he had asked the guard to seize her phone after the slap he gave her last night, and as if that was not enough, he was planning to give her away to someone she does not even know.
"Did I tell you that I wanted to get married Max?, did we ever discuss it?, am I just an object in your hands that you can use to obtain your selfish desires?", Crystal's voice could be heard right down in the living room and Gina who was scared for her, remained in the kitchen, losing focus on the diner that Max had asked him to prepare for their guest.
Max stunned at the way her niece was talking to him, clapped his hands, and with a push of laughter, he laughed out saying that, he could never imagine that his little niece could grow so many horns ad to talk to him in that manner but Crystal was determined to fight for her rights and her bequest.
Catching a glimpse of how angry her uncle was, she asked him whether he would want to slap her like he had done last night and if that was the case, he could go ahead but it was not going tone stop her from telling him the truth about his awful doings.
Max held himself as much as he could walk towards the door and before leaving, he reminded her of putting on a very beautiful dress and also instructed her to hide the stamp on her face as she looked ugly with it. Crystal yelled from her room with so much rage asking what else he could do to her and whether the house imprisonment was not enough for him to finally have peace.
Blaze had arrived at the restaurant looking all sharp and handsome as always, with the bouquet in his hands and he wore an elegant smile knowing that, he was going to speak up his mind to Crystal tonight.
While waiting for her, he called on the waiter, soliciting him to come as he would love to order the most costly wine that the restaurant has.
Walking closer to Blaze, the waiter left a smile on his face as he approached him,
"Yes, Sir how may I be of to help you?", he let out as he patiently waits for Blaze to speak up. Conserving eye contact with the server, he asked for a bottle of the most expensive wine in that restaurant and the waiter nodded in understanding and went inside to get it.
With so much happiness, Blaze could not wait for his pretty thief to arrive as he kept on looking at his wristwatch.
Thinking back in time, Crystal remembered how she always lived with her family and how happy they were. Crying out bitterly she asked herself several questions on what had happened to her uncle for him to treat her like that. Crystal lost in her thoughts, shook at the opening of her door as she saw Gina walk in with the guard. Noticing that Gina was carrying an outfit in her hands, she squeezed her face in confusion as she wondered what was going on.
Rising from her bed and with a disgusting look on the guard that was in her room, she asked Gina why she had to enter her room like that without knocking and what the gown was for. Gina answered back told Crystal that her spare keys had been given to them so that they can always check on her to see whether she has no escape.
Crystal could not believe her ears and tears ran down her cheeks as she asked,
" I am on a third-floor story building for crying out loud, how can I even escape with guards all over?", she murmured but Gina could not talk it do much as the guard behind her was watching at her every move.
Giving Crystal a moment for herself, she spoke out in difficulty as she announced,
"This is the dress you are to put on for the dinner downstairs Ms. Crystal".
Crystal who did not believe what her uncle had said to her before, burst out laughing as she asked what kind of joke was that. Raising her gaze to look at the guard standing by her, Gina felt sorry for Crustal but there was not much she could do as she feared for her life.
" You have to get up from your bed and get dressed for the dinner downstairs ma'am or else I will have to drag you down by force", the guard spoke out. Crystal taking offense to his manner of speaking to her, stood on her feet and asked him to repeat what he had just said, and before the guard could utter another word, a sound went out like a knockout, and Gina lifting her head, she saw Crystal's hand on the guard's jaw.
Panicking for Crystal, she could see the guard raising his hand to hit her back when she intervene asking him to stop. Crystal who had not yet accepted the reality asked the guard what he was about doing,
"You yearned to knock me back you low life animal", Crystal spoke out and the guard losing his self-control, said things straight to Crystal's face without blinking his eyes. Walking closer to her as he pushed Gina to one side, he asked Crystal what she thinks she is when her uncle has given strict others for her to be treated like a prisoner in her own house.
Not believing what she was listening to, Crystal walked back to her bed and sat on it. The guard continued with his talks and laughed at her, he informed her that Max her uncle was downstairs waiting for a suitor to come to marry her so that she could leave his life.
That was the last straw that made Crystal almost pass out and Gina had to rush to her so as to hold her hot to faint as she was getting weak. The guard was not even concerned about her so he yelled at Gina to hurry up with her outfit and also her make-up as she was been waited downstairs.
While he spoke up, the sound of a car was given attention to as it drove into the compound. Rolling his eyes, the guard laughed out saying,
" I am certain that is prince charming that has come to get his princess Crystal". Gina was so mad at him for being such a blabbermouth and she has never seen any man talk that much.
Walking out of Crystal's room as he gave them 10 minutes for Gina to get her ready, the sentry warned Crystal never to repeat what she had just done or be faced with the consequences. He slammed the door behind him.
Crystal had never been that insulted in her life before and she trembled cuz of over crying. Turning to Gina, she asked her whether she was aware of the fact that her uncle was planning to marry her off and Gina lowered her gaze apologized to Crystal saying that she was not aware till that evening when her uncle came back and asked her to make dinner for three persons. Extending her hands to hold Crystal's, she told her not to worry as they were going to find a way out of there.
"But now when the whole house is covered with guards Gina?", she asked with swollen eyes but Gina, promising that she will help her out because of her kindness and also because she knows that her uncle is not good to her, she was going to bear the risk.
Crystal hugged her and for the first time, she felt someone who is not her friend care for her in a genuine way. Smiling at her, Gina asked her to get up so that they could do her make-up to hide the swollen eyes.