CHAPTER 24

CHAPTER 24
       "How is this feasible? There has never been an issue of theft in my house." Liam lamented. He was on the phone with someone. I yawned and turned to the other side. Granny was lying peacefully on the bed. Liam looked very much like his granny. They had the same serious and cute look when they were asleep. "Sure. I think that's the only solution. I'll call the cops."
       "No!" I jumped up.
       "Hannah, what's wrong?" He walked over to my side. "Did you have a bad dream?"
       "Not really. About the cops' thing."
       "Oh, you see, there's been a case of theft in my house. 10 million was stolen from our wardrobe last night. I think the thief must have walked in when we were all paranoid about Granny's accident."
       "Oh, Lord," I whispered. Liam had already found out about the 10 million. I told him about how Paul died but I couldn't bring myself to tell him that I stole his 10 million.
       "What a cruel burglar." He spat. "How could someone be this heartless? If they had asked, I would have given it to them without queries. But no, they chose to pilfer."
       "I'm sorry." I shivered.
       "You don't have to be. It's not your fault. You had no other option."
       "You know already?" I lifted my head.
       "Why wouldn't I know? I'm your husband after all. I just wanted you to accept the truth."
       "Thank goodness." The whole misunderstanding had been cleared. I took a deep breath and smiled.
       "It's only a matter of time and the thief will be caught."
       "But you said,"
       "Hannah, didn't I just tell you to forget the past? We are humans, we are bound to make mistakes. I know you carelessly left our room door open and that's how the thief got in."
       "Kill me." I shook my head.
       "The one who deserves to die is the thief. And even if I want to take your life that bad, it ain't easy. My parents and Diana know I was the last person to be with you."
       "If you find the criminal, what will you do?" I gorged down the saliva in my throat.
       "I won't spare him or her. I'll make sure I removed the person's two eyes so he doesn't loot again and then, I'll hand that person to the cops."
       "What if they return the money?" I could hear my heartbeat.
       "I'll accept the money and let them go. Hannah, you do not need to worry. The crook would be captured."
       "I'm the thief!" I yelled after he had left the room. Why didn't I think of the consequences of my actions? For the first time in my life, I took money without asking, and now I was going to be punished for it.
       "Hannah." I turned shockingly to the familiarity of the voice. It was Granny. How was she able to communicate? The doctor had said she lost her voice. I sat on the bed with my knees and placed her hand in mine.
       "Granny, granny you just called my name."
       "Hannah, my child." She struggled to open her fragile eyes. It was like a bag had been placed on her sights.
       "Yes, granny."
       "You need to survive."
       "I don't understand. Of course, I'm not going to die. Is it because of what Liam said?" I beamed. "He doesn't mean it that way. He won't do anything to me."
       "Take Liam and run away. She will kill you. She won't spare you."
       "Kill me?" I surveyed the room to be sure there was no one there. The last time I heard something like this was when Jacob was abducted by Jasmine. Who was Granny referring to? Was it Lisa? From the recording, it was clear that she was the last person to be with Grandma. But that's just insane. What reason could she possibly have to kill me? It had to be Rosie. Yes, Rosie. "Granny," I tapped her gently. "Who are you talking about?"
       "She." She pointed towards Rosie's house.
       "I was right after all." That girl was bent on wrecking my family but why? But if she was the one that did this, why was Lisa in this house? "Grandma," I called her softly. "I know Rosie's guilty. But what about Lisa? What was she doing here?"
       "No. Lisa is...."
       "Hannah, thank goodness. I was looking everywhere for you." Diana walked in through the back door. She was holding grandma's clothes. I stretched to see if Mrs. Smith was with her.
       "Why do you always do that?"
       "Do what?" She organized the clothes in the closet.
       "That. Walking in on someone's conversation. It's almost like you are in every corner of this house. What were you doing on the balcony anyways?" I raised Grandma's hand and put it under the bed cover.
       "Aunt had told me to bring in grandma's clothes. And," she closed the wardrobe and sat on the bed. "Didn't I just see Grandma speak now?"
       "Yes, you did," I replied excitedly.
       "How's that doable? The doctor had said...."
       "I know. I couldn't believe it too but I saw her speak and I heard her voice and you just corroborating the same thing mean, I wasn't hallucinating. I don't know how, Diana, but Granny can actually speak. In fact," I continued. "She was telling me about Rosie right before you walked in."
       "Rosie?" She resounded the name back as if she didn't believe what I was saying.
       "Yes. Grandma says that Rosie was behind her accident. I can't believe that girl would go too far. Is she doing all this because I found out about her dirty secrets?" I asked.
       "I don't know, Hannah. We have to tell all this to Liam. What if she does something nastier than this?"
       "But if you tell Liam, he would be very infuriated at me."
       "Isn't his wrath better than Rosie's inexplicable animosity? She isn't thinking straight and we ain't even sure if she's the one."
       "But granny said it. She wouldn't lie." I replied sadly.
       "When you make up your mind on what we should do, tell me. I'm going shopping. I haven't gone out in days and it's killing me. I've been wearing old clothes."
       "You just bought those clothes last two weeks." I heckled.
       "Yes. And it's old already."
       "What? Never mind." I sighed. Old Factory. That man said I should go to the old factory if I wanted to know more about Rosie. Maybe Diana and I could go. That way she won't be able to elude. I reasoned. "Hey, Diana.." When I looked up I didn't see her. She had already gone out. "I'll talk to her later." I got out of bed and walked out of the room.
       When I arrived in the sitting room, there was a young man there. He was carrying Tanya in his arms. She was scowling at him with her left thumb in her mouth. I walked over to where he stood and greeted him.
       "You must be, Hannah Smith." He cleared his throat.
       "Yes. My husband is somewhere around. If you want, I could call him."
       "I've already seen him and, I haven't come here for him. I think he's left for the office."
       "So why are you still here?" I didn't know when I blurted that out.
       "I'm here for my daughter. Tanya is my daughter."
       "Oh." I reflected surprisingly. "I heard your wife isn't doing too well. How is she now?"
       "She's back home. We can only hope in God."
       "Tanya's a great child," I replied, not knowing what else to say. "If you want, I could take care of her."
       "I know. Diana has told me a lot about you." He grinned. "But you see," he looked over at the clock. "My wife wants to see our daughter again. She's been away from her for a long time."
       "I can understand. I'm sure she would get better soon."
       "Yeah. Tell Diana I'll call her when I get home."
       "Ok." After he left, I entered the kitchen. I turned on the gas, placed my frying pan on fire, and poured cooking oil into it. Walking over to the sink, I carried out a curve plate, broke my eggs in it then mixed it with the whisk.
       "Having egg this morning? " Nanny Mai asked while gazing at my smoking pan.
       "Morning, Nanny. I'm preparing it for granny."
       "Oh."
       I walked back to the cooker and poured the eggs into the pan. "11:00. 6hrs left." I whispered. Today Rosie's truth would be out. I'll find out what's going on. Nanny Mai quickly turned off the cylinder.
       I didn't realize when what I was frying had started burning. I threw her an apologetic look then brought out the burnt eggs and threw them inside the trash can.
       "He's such a nice man," I whispered. Nanny Mai who seemed to have heard me, threw me a questioning look. I immediately told her that I was referring to Tanya's dad. Compared to Liam, he was a very nice and caring husband.
       After having my cold tea and fried eggs, I kissed Nanny Mai on the cheek, begged her to serve Grandma, and scampered out of the house with my phone in one hand and my purse under my armpit. Taking one empathetic gaze at Paul's usual spot, my heart sank. I didn't realize then how close we had gotten since I moved into Liam's home. Losing him had jeered me to realize how the relationship worked. One didn't need to get too close to someone to miss their absence. I strode around, counting my every step and constantly looking at my wristwatch. For some weird reason, the time didn't seem to be in my favor. "Excuse me," I called out to the security guy munching the last rice on his plate.
       He dropped the plate under his chair and ran up to me. "Yes, ma'am. Is something wrong?"
       "You eat a lot these days." My mouth quirked up. I twirled around then returned my gaze to him. The older man had his eyes down the entire time. "Do you know when Liam would be back from work today?"
       He chuckled as if he envisioned my question. "Missing him already? Love is indeed a crazy thing."
       "Missing who?" I scoffed. It had been gratifying to know he was away and not yelling about his missing 10 million. I twisted my finger as a soft sigh escalated my lips. "I'm just asking. I'll be going somewhere important today and I don't know when I would return." Clearing my throat, I continued, "It's really important. I don't want Liam to get mad that I left his sick Granny alone at home."
       The security guy nodded unconvincingly. His dirty thoughts weren't my responsibility to worry about. He drew his lip between his teeth and grinned maniacally. "Sure. Love is still crazy. Liam doesn't let me know about his schedule. The only time he calls is when he's returning late. I'm sorry. I have no idea." Just as he was about to walk away, he danced back elatedly and added, "Oh well. His mum would know for sure. Or you can ask that ma'am that walks around with him like she's his mistress."
       Did he just talk down on Diana? I have zero interest in this right now. She's accountable for what people perceive of her. I darted around. "Isn't there a way to find out? I don't want to get into trouble again with my family." I paused and looked heavenward. It was the first time I addressed Liam's family as mine. The longer I stayed with them, the more our bond grew. Or maybe it was just me adjusting to them. Neither of them wanted me around. Anna was gone. If only I wasn't so distracted with Lisa and Diana, Anna wouldn't have died so viciously. If there was any kind of love for me in Mrs. Smith's heart, it had died the day her only daughter was buried six feet. "Diana?" My brows snapped. Feigning ignorance was my specialty. "She went shopping. And I don't think she would know about Liam's coming back. I can't believe I have to inquire about my husband from someone else."
       "Right?" Obnoxious wasn't enough to describe the security guy's personality. He had zero idea of how to suppress what he felt. His mouth was faster than his brain. He snapped his finger, not giving two cents about my harsh glare. "It's anomalous. If you want to know about your husband's whereabouts, just call him. I'm sure Boss would appreciate it if you called him. He's going to be pissed off if an ordinary security guard called. I'm older than you and I've seen this world from different angles. And I'm also a man."
       "You ain't married," I said as I walked to his chair and sat down gently. "I doubt you've ever been in love with anyone. It's not possible to know anything about relationships."
      He paused his lips and clenched his fists into tight balls. If only I wasn't Liam's wife, I'm pretty sure I would have been in the hospital or the next person to be buried in that family. My joke didn't seem to sit well with him as he burned and cursed inaudibly. "I have work to do, ma'am." The reticence in the honorific was highly conspicuous. His fluffy cheeks screwed up, eyeballs fixed on nothing specific.
       "I'm,"
       "And, one doesn't need to be in love to know about it. I've read a lot of romance magazines, articles, and even short stories. I'm better than most people who are in a relationship and still don't know the definition of love." Folding his hands like a resisting child, he continued this time more sternly and unpretentiously. "I'm going to fall in love someday. I'm just waiting for the right time and person. The moment I find true love, I'll quit this job."
       "Then I hope you never find true love." Gesturing with my hand to explain what I meant, I continued, "If you do find true love then I don't think Mr. Smith and his family would be able to find a replacement. No one can do your job the way you do it. I admire your passion and commitment, Sir."
       His hand slid sensuously down his pocket and a broad smile spread across his face. Without being told, I could tell from that smile, broadened shoulders, and bright eyes that he felt proud and elated. He fancied his job more than anything and unmistakably loved being acknowledged for his hard work. Often I wondered if he didn't get affected by Mr. Smith's constant yelling and cursing. Nobody knew how to tolerate being insulted better than him. It felt as though he was deaf. At first, I thought he couldn't hear until I discovered he just didn't pay attention to any of the rude remarks and affronts said to him. "I'm glad someone recognizes my hard work." He coughed. "It's really heartbreaking when you're doing so much and no one's seeing your efforts. They keep asking for more without appreciating anything. I've been working here since Liam was a kid. I can't..."
       "That's great news!" I leaped to my feet and embraced him tightly, not minding our status. The moment my eyes took in the sight of paparazzi lurking outside our house, I pulled away and adjusted my hoodie. "Over there."
       His eyes traced mine to the guy peeping through the gate. He grabbed his stick and ran towards him, yelling and pointing. The paparazzi guy took off without a word or protest. He returned and apologized then asked why I got enthusiastic about his years of working with Liam's family.
       I walked around him in circles and almost stopped to tell me. Why stress myself? He might not know anything. And even if he did, he was only a security guard. I couldn't afford to make the innocent guy lose his job. His eyes stared into mine, going around in circles. He wasn't just intelligent and hard-working, he was also humorous and cute. He twirled around in every direction I went, ears highly sensitive to every sound. His undying interest motivated me to speak up. Taking in a deep breath, my mouth parted ways, and began speaking uncontrollably, "About Diana. If you've been here for that long it means you've known Diana for years too. Please I need your honesty here."
       "Yes. I recall the first day Liam brought that sweet innocent girl back home. Do people really change? It's like ever since you guys got married, a new demon possessed her something. At first, I thought she was jealous but she's changed for real." He sat on his chair, pulled out his bottle of water, and gulped down slowly. "I didn't know her that well then," He dropped the empty bottle on the floor. "But I'm pretty sure she's nothing like what she is now. You must be going through a lot. Not everyone is gallant enough to live with their husband's ex-girlfriend. You're a nice lady, Hannah Smith."
       Look at him being too casual. This is why people don't get too close with their workers. Hannah Smith. I spoofed. "It's not that I'm nice or too good. It's just, Liam doesn't love me and our marriage was primarily a contract. I can't get in between the both of them. He loves her and not me. That alone has been established a dozen times." I'm sick of hearing it at this point. Nobody understands my pain better than me.
       "He doesn't love you but her." He stroked his chin continually. He crumpled up his face, feet tapping loudly. "I see. If it's okay by you then I would like to know if he still treats you the same way he did when you two got married."
       Never in a million years would that question have trudged up my preoccupied mind. My brain was too busy thinking about how to expose Rosie and win Liam's love that I didn't pay any attention to his changed behavior. He was still coarse and pathetic as always but his cold and irksome attitude towards me had reduced over the past few days. "He does. But not like when we first met." I stuck my nose in the air. "I seriously don't know how to explain this. He's a jerk but not a big jerk. He's changed a little bit though. But he still spends almost all his time with Diana."
       "That's because you permitted them to spend time together."
       That hit hard; maybe harder than Liam's cold attitude. Was he saying the truth? Did I just let my husband get closer to his ex-girlfriend? No matter how hard I tried to ignore our security guard's words it felt like he was right. A part of me agreed to everything he said without protest.
       "I get the fact that you're trying to prove your husband is innocent." He continued, without waiting for my reply. "But don't get lost trying to do that while another woman is giving your husband the time and attention he needs. This is a vital time when a husband needs his wife's support more than anything and you ain't there. Hannah," His mouth set in a hard line. "I hate to break this to you but I'm a man and I know a thing or two about the heart. Liam's love for Diana isn't like what it used to be before you two got married. But, love is absurd and illogical. If you keep drifting farther and allowing another woman to do your job for you, in no distant time, Liam would see a reason why he should be with her and not you. And if you successfully manage to prove he is undoubtedly innocent, Liam would be very grateful to you. But that's where it ends. He would think the best gift to give you is alleviating you from this limitation called marriage and after that, he would go back to Diana. You'll just end up being a hired detective paid to resolve a case."
       "Sir," I shut my heavy eyes and blinked twice before opening them. He had a point. I never saw it from that perspective not even once. I recalled how Diana stood by Liam after Anna died and she was doing the same for Granny. I had been too immersed in trying to clear his name that nothing else mattered. Love was definitely beyond the countless sex we had. I needed to win him over but how? That answer wasn't something I was going to get from a security guard old enough to be my uncle. Even if he knew a thing about love, it obviously wasn't the 21st-century kind of romance. My helplessness got the better of me as I shamelessly ignored my pride and asked, "How do I make Liam love me? It's not like I don't know, it's just, all my life I had been locked up in my room, reading novels and Bible. I worked in a coffee shop, I didn't know a thing or two about love and then suddenly one day I was asked to get married to a ruthless and undeserving man. I've always seen things from my point of view and maybe played the victim unintentionally and also allowed myself to be a puppet and that's because I'm puerile and fatuous."
       "No, you ain't." he took my hand in his. At that point, it felt as though I was talking to my dad. The comfort in his aged voice melted my miserable heart. I could feel the ease and sincerity as he spoke in a fatherly tone, "Not knowing something doesn't make you stupid. You just don't know it. Do you realize how many people are ignorant of many things and they feel like they are the smartest?" I shook my head and smiled reminiscently. "Yes. I didn't know how to prepare pasta at the age of 30."
       "Sir," I cracked up, almost forgetting my pain. "Are you kidding?"
       He shook his head in response. "Nope. I didn't feel bad even for a day. I went to Mrs. Smith and begged her to teach me. By the way, your mother-in-law isn't a horrendous person, she's just bad at new relationships. You do not have any idea how many years it took me to please this lady."
       I do. She might not be a terrible lady but I'm confident she despises me like hell. After everything that's happened to Anna, she would never forgive me. I hate myself already for that day. I punched my forehead with my palm. "Even if Liam falls for me, I don't think a day would come when that angry bird lady would ever like me. She's been looking for reasons to hate me and I gave her one."
       "You can't make Liam love you without befriending him first. Every successful relationship started with friendship."
       Friendship? My face went blank and my mouth fell open. Didn't he know his boss that well? He already claimed he saw him grow up and he was asking me for the most difficult thing. He didn't let me express my refusal when he dropped a piece of paper in my hand, instructed me to call the number if I needed relationship advice then picked up his empty dish and walked into the security house.
       I took out my phone and checked the time, it was already 10:40 AM. I tossed the car key in the air, feeling like a little kid who had just opened a Christmas present then opened the door and entered the driver's seat. Waving goodbye to the Security guard whose name I was yet to figure out, I drove out speedily, humming my favorite love song. Sooner or later everything was going to be alright. "Stupid car. We need to get a driver as quickly as possible. I can't continue to drive this huge car." I swirled the car around, stopping in front of a restaurant. The signboard outside read, 'Eat and Merry. Life Is Too Short To Save All Those Money.' I cracked up. For some reason everything my eyes saw became funny. Maybe it wasn't those things but what our Security Guy had said. The journey of my love was about to start. I had only realized I wasn't putting in enough effort to win a guy that wasn't mine, to begin with. "Seaweed salad?" Gross. I signaled to the restaurant lady to withdraw the order. I couldn't afford to taste seaweed if I needed my plan to be successful. Just as I was about to turn the steering, Max jumped into the car.
      "Just drive. I have nowhere to go today. I should keep my sister-in-law company, right?"
       Inconceivable. I shouldn't decline. If I return late, I could use him as an excuse. That's great. "Sure." I grinned. "I don't even know you too well. This could be the best time to bond. But you're driving. It's like you were sent from above. I was just wondering who would drive for me, my hands are flimsy."
       "Anything for my in-law." Max jumped down from the backseat, opened the driver's door, and entered while I sat beside him. "Shall we?"
       After giving him the address, he narrowed his eyes and inquired about my decision to visit his dad's old factory. I needed someone to talk to so I immediately narrated everything to him. Unlike his half-brother, he didn't seem amused or hysterical. Rather he drove calmly, keeping his eyes on the road.
     "So, how long are you going to keep enduring my brother?" Max asked.
      I looked up at him and smiled. He had an edgy smile on his face. It was very obvious that he pitied me. I waved my hand at him and coldly replied. "Just keep your eyes on the road and drive. If you start sobbing, it would be impossible to see clearly."
      "But," He made a U-turn and drove into an empty land. "We are here. I'll just look for where to park the car."
       But they said old factory. This isn't a factory but a land. "Max," I scanned the place. "This isn't a factory."
       "Yeah. There used to be a Factory here but it was demolished. Dad wants to build another hotel on this land instead." He turned off the engine and gave a sign to me to step down.
       These people could have just made it clear that it was land. If Max hadn't come with me, I won't have found this place. Wow. They are very successful indeed. I admired the land as I stepped down from the car. This land is so huge.
       I looked around and saw an average man standing like a sculpture far away. I walked up to the old man. He looked like he was around his 40s. He had in his hand a pistol.
       When I got close to him, I noticed the scar on his face. He looked quite familiar but I just couldn't picture where I knew him from.
       "Where is the money?" He had this killer look in his eyes, one that could wake a dead man. I pulled back a little before looking straight back at him.
       "I gave your men the money the last time. Do I look like a money-making machine?" One of the men from earlier whispered into his ear and drew back.
      "1 million," he said with a booming, authoritative tone. "I'll only speak once I see the money."
       "Are you for real?" I jabbed. The deal earlier had changed. These people thought money fell from the tree or was planted somewhere in Mr. Smith's backyard. "I gave you so much money the last time and you didn't even give me any information. Do you realize how much trouble I'm in because of that money I stole, huh?"
       The short ugly man was determined to remain quiet till I brought out the money. I had run out of ideas and words. His heart was crafted from stone. Nothing I said moved him rather he stared harshly at me, remaining obstreperous in his word.
       "Here's my wristwatch." Max walked briskly towards us and threw the wristwatch at the guy. "It's worth over 3.5 Million. Tell her what she needs to know and let's get out of here."
       He bent low and picked up the watch. For a while there I thought his pride wouldn't let him but he proved to be the biggest scam.
       "3.5 Million." The smile on his face knew no end. He couldn't even feign to be sensitive. "3.5 Million dollar wristwatch?" he echoed in disbelief.
       "You can have someone sensible check it for you. We don't have much time. Tell her everything, we need to get out of here."
      "Mr. Smith loved Rosie a lot. She was his secretary and they were having a secret relationship. Rosie needed to be famous. She knew she wouldn't be able to get your father-in-law for herself because he was married or your husband so she set Mr. Smith up. That day she invited him over and spiked his drink. It was quite easy though. Your dad was so crazy over her that he didn't realize that he was being set up."
       "I already know all this!" I moved forward angrily as if I was about to strangulate him. "Tell me more about her and why she's trying to ruin our lives."
       Max didn't utter a word. He must have been shocked by the whole truth or maybe he didn't expect me to know. Regardless, my only concern was knowing about Rosie and her plans.
       "Are you here for Rosie Downs or the girl in your house? Intelligently ask your question. It's difficult knowing what exactly you want." He wore the wristwatch around his wrist and showed off in front of his minions. "Diana, Rosie Downs, or Lisa Brown. Who exactly are you curious about?"
       Diana and Lisa? What connection did Lisa have with my family? And how did this man know her? I reasoned. His question reminded me of the flash drive. Hardly did I ask the question in my head, an exchange of bullets was heard from afar. The men jumped into their car and drove away while Max pulled me towards our car. "Hannah!" I fell on the fall, blood trickling down my arm. All I could hear was Max's voice and the blaring of the Police cars until my eyes closed faintly.