23| She eloped.

Toby.

"Sir, we couldn't find her sir." Ant, my favorite and long time bodyguard announced as soon as he stood in front of me.

I nicknamed Chike "Ant," not because he was so small. It's because he was just so freakishly strong. You've seen those ants carrying several times their own body weight? If not, check it out on discovery channel or something, it's awesome!

Anyway, back to Chike. He's as flexible as any olympic gymnast, sometimes I wonder just how strong his body would be if he'd grown a bit more, but I love him just the way he is. He has been a very good friend, bodyguard, secret holder and even the father figure my own father has refused to be. I don't think there's anything Ant doesn't know about me or even the Daniels' family as a whole. The secrets, the lies, the murders, the crimes, to mention but a few.

But then, I was not really in that much of a good mood to be nice to him, burning rage hissed through my body like deathly poison, screeching a demanded release in the form of unwanted violence. It was like a volcano erupting; fury sweeping off me like ferocious waves.

I was mad. Mad as flies in a fruit jar, mad as a hippo with a hernia, mad as a monkey with a migraine, mad as Schrodinger's cat stuck in it's box. And Ruby was the cause of this madness I felt and she'd definitely pay for it, I swear on my life.

"What do you mean by you couldn't find her? Are you trying to tell me that she's smarter than the bunch of you? She's in this country! This same country! How have you not found her after four good days! Four days, Ant! That's preposterous!" I snapped, banging the table, hard.

"What about her phone and her debit card? Have you checked where she withdraws? Have you investigated her bank statements? I mean, she has to be living somehow." I added, trying to be calm.

"We have done all of that sir. Her phone has been switched off as we all know sir. And the last time she used her debit card was here in this vicinity, that same day she fled. The bank statement showed that she withdrew a hundred thousand that day and since then, she haven't used that card again. We've also checked every nook and cranny of this state and even the neighboring ones and we couldn't even sniff her. I have people in every area and even faraway sir, just incase." Ant said.

Ant's voice was very deep, so deep that whenever he spoke, every head in the room would turn. He had that rich, silky tone. He speaks as if he controls the world, his experience seeping through. He would remind you of a stormy day.

"I don't care where you have to look, psychiatric hospitals, mortuaries, underground! I don't care! Just find that bitch and bring her to me! I give you twenty four good hours to do that, else I'd replace you all with people who actually need this job!" I threatened.

"Yes sir." He responded and left.

I sighed as he left my sight. Dad, mom and Ruby's parents filed in as soon as he left.
"Any news?" Doctor Coker questioned as soon as he saw me.

"Oh please! We wouldn't be going through this stress if you had cajoled your daughter in a more sensible way!" My dad snapped at him.

"Oh really?! Would she even think of running away at all if your son hadn't been a rapist and woman beater? Ugh?" Doctor Coker retorted.

"And so what? She's his wife and how he treats her is nobody's damn business! Clara have seen worst and she didn't elope not even once!" Dad challenged yet again.

"The fact that you think every woman would be as docile as your wife beats me! Like father like son! Such a messed up family portraying themselves as family goals for the public, I can't even deal!" It was Mrs. Coker that spoke this time.

"I would watch my speech if I were you, woman!" Dad snapped.

"Oh please! I'm not Clara or Ruby who you can shout at, you shout at me, I shout right back! Ask him!" Mrs. Coker retorted.

"Toby, why... why would you raise your hands on a woman, why? I thought I trained you better." Mom finally spoke, with sadness.

"Mom... mom. That's not it, that Ruby of a girl is a witch. It's just like she derives pleasure from taunting and getting on my nerves. And the beating was just a one time thing." I defended myself.
Doctor Coker glared at me.

"Uhm... maybe two times or three." I added.

"I don't care about all this, Toby! Find your woman and learn to keep her under your control, tame her! This bullshit of eloping must not taint my reputation! Toby! It must not! And until you find her, do not think of yourself as the chairman of Daniels' Conglomerates. You can't even lead in your home so you definitely can't lead a whole conglomerate. Until you learn to do that, you remain jobless!" Dad threatened as usual before storming out.

Doctor Coker and his wife went out afterwards. My mom remained seated.

Sapphire skipped into the room at that moment. She wore a greenish-blue gown made of soft, satiny fabric, short and loose. A semicircular, high collar made of silk-like materials headed the mid-thigh dress. She walked as lightly as an acrobat. A puff of wind swept through her straight blonde hair.
I couldn't help but stare at her perky and bouncy boobs, the nipples staring right at me. She definitely wasn't wearing a bra underneath that dress. Her heels clacked with the marble tiles as she walked in gracefully like she owned the place.

I was angry all over again. There was this sexy girl there and dad insisted on me marrying the ugly sister?

"Good evening ma'am. And you Toby! What is this I hear about my sister missing?" She questioned, giving me looks I couldn't quite decipher.

"She's not missing. She eloped. These are two different things." I retorted, trying so hard to avoid gazing at her chest.

"She eloped? Why would she elope? What happened between you two?" She asked glaring at me.

"I don't know, she's just crazy like that." I shrugged.

"Really! I'll call her and she'd tell me all that happened and where she is. It had better be good else I'll have your head on my hands!" She threatened.

I chuckled -what?- I found her threat cute because we all know that there's absolutely nothing she'd do to me. She eyed me suspiciously, before storming out.

"You're looking delicious by the way!" I called after her.
Sweet Sapphire.