#THE_BLIND_GIRL
©Sir Zach
EPISODE 57
*°°°°° CHICAGO °°°°°*
*IAN POV*
I shook hands with the two new Business Associates from India.
“It nice doing business with you Mr Ian” One of them said
“Likewise” I replied before accompanying them out of the office. Ria wasn’t in Grace office.
“My assistant will walk you back to your car”
I needed to talk to Grace.
“This way please” Ramsey led them out.
She left without waiting.
No!
I told her not to wait anyways!
“Mr Ian -” Grace called when I was about walking back into my office. She looked concerned.
“Earlier – Miss Ria had cried before leaving -” She stopped
“Actually she wanted to wait but I told her..she shouldn’t wait” I nodded slowly
“Tell Ramsey to see me as soon as he gets back” She stared at me. I frowned at her.
“Okay..yes..I will tell him” she nodded repeatedly. I walked back to my office
She had cried? Why?
Because I didn’t want to see her?
No it couldn’t be!
It hurts me to be apart from Ria but It was best to stay away from her.
I’m not distancing myself because of the recording.. I just want Ria to realize what I am to her. And she should build her trust in me just like how she did to Ethan. She only met Days ago but she told him everything.
The door opened and Ramsey walked in.
“Ramsey that file you received yesterday please try to find out the source and whoever sent it. The location…just find anything and get back to me”
Ramsey is a computer genius. I’m sure he will find something that will lead me to whoever sent that file.
“Okay Sir”
_____
*RIA ROBERT COUTURE*
*RIA POV*
“Did you talk to him?” Ethan asked
“No he was in a meeting” I replied
“Ria -” he covered the inch between us.
I blinked back tears. He was close,his warm hand on my cheek.
“It tears me apart to see you hurting like this”
I looked up at him,his image blurred slightly by the tears.
“What do i do Ethan? It hurts -” my voice trailed
He hugged me.
“Ian will come around” He whispered in my hair.
“Well I hope so” I muttered
Ethan stood back when I calmed. He touched my face and wiped my tears with his fingertips.
“Thank You” i sniffle
He stepped backward and pushed his hands into his pocket.
“I talked to Chad this morning and I told him about the recording. And he Said that it was possible that Frederick sent it to Ian”
I nodded in agreement. I figured that out earlier..if Frederick was aware that I’m alive then he could be the one. But it hard to figure how he found out I was the same Ria he tried to kill and why he sent that recording to Ian.
“Did he find anything?” I asked Ethan . I was referring to Chad. He travelled to Idaho last night.
“Nothing much..He’s still trying to find Detective Derrick”
“Ethan if it was Frederick who sent that recording to Ian then how did he find out I was with Lucas? Because He wasn’t aware I was still alive back then cause Lucas hid me from him”
“I asked Chad the same question and he said that it’s possible that one of the MML gang told him the truth”
If that’s the case then who told Frederick the truth? Who among the MML gang is still alive?
“Chad wants you to be careful and he suggested that you don’t keep late nights and always lock your door and windows before going to bed”
That terrified me! My heartbeat accelerated at the realization that Frederick was after my life again.
“What about the Attorney?”
“I’m still yet to find an Attorney”
“I have an Attorney.. The one who helped me get my kids adoption papers”
“Ria we can’t just take on any Attorney”
“He is good”
He placed his hand on my shoulders
“I want the best Attorney for this case. And I will find the best in the state who will help us”
“Ethan we don’t have much time. Frederick will find me and -” I said fearfully
“No he won’t find you. And even if he finds you I’m not going to let him hurt you again. I promise” He hugged me again and I clung to him. And I suddenly wished it was Ian holding me. I closed my eyes and listened to Ethan’s heartbeat. But I was glad that he was here to comfort me.
*••••• Three Days Later •••••*
*LINT CORP*
*IAN POV*
“Sir you can’t go in -” I heard Grace voice
The door opened and Ethan was there.
“I’m sorry Sir – I tried to stop him from coming in” she rushed out her words.
Ethan sniffed and ran his hands into his hair. Anger surged through me at the sight of him In My office. Why was he here?
Oh! To boast of the fact that he was Ria’s old friend and she trusted him even though she only met him about a week ago.
“It okay Grace.. You can go”
She looked at Ethan before walking out.
“You have the gut to barge into my office -” I gritted
“Who do you think you are? huh?..Fine you own the largest industry In The state.. Number 3 in USA.. So what? Does that give you the right to treat Ria like she isn’t worth anything?!” He yelled
“Get out” I said almost standing up from my chair.
“You sit your butt in that chair! I’m not going out of this place until you listen to everything I wanna say!” He snarled
Like he had compelled me..I sat back in my chair. He meant business but I was ready to face him. He relaxed a bit when I sat in my chair.
“You have no idea how hurts Ria is right now – she hasn’t been feeling good, she couldn’t eat properly, she’s finding it hard to sleep – Why? Because she’s still finding hard to accept that you left her” he pointed at me
“And you left because you found out she was Lucas’s sex machine.. coward! You never gave her the chance to explain why she didn’t tell you Everything. You don’t know what she went through six years ago! And have you ever asked yourself after listening to that false recording, if it was possible for a 16 years old blind girl to go around sleeping with men?! And does Ria look like a w—e to you?! And didn’t she tell you she came to Chicago with her female friend?!… Well I’m sure she told you but even at that you still believed it when that man said she left Idaho with a man!”
He came closer to my desk. I saw anger and pain in his expression.
“He claimed that she was sleeping around as if she could see. And you -” his voice trailed.
I noticed the tear that slid down his left cheek as he wiped it quickly.
“You have no idea what she went through…and you really don’t know what it feels to lose ones parents” he paused
“Ria told you but you never cared to ask how they died. You’re sitting there grieving that Ria didn’t tell you anything whereas you never cared to know.. you were only concerned on how to fulfill her dreams so you could rule her world.. and be the main man!”
“That’s not true!” I yelled
“Then what?! Huh? Tell me?”
I clenched my fist
“I wanted to know about her past but she wasn’t ready to tell me about and I don’t want to pressure her!”
“What about now?..if you wanted to know about her past then you would have given Ria the chance to explain everything the day you listened to that recording!” He paused and continued
“Six years ago Ria lost her patents”
His voice was calm.
“The MML gang killed her parents and the leader Lucas took Ria away”
My heart sank. I listened to Ethan without interruption as he told me Ria’s story.
What have I done?!
Why didn’t I remember that fear I had seen in Ria’s eyes – fear of being touched by a male. Why didn’t I reason that someone who sleeps around with men won’t have such fear!
Ria’s fears came from what Lucas did to her! And I never imagined that fear to come from something terrible like what Lucas did to Ria!
I placed my palm on my face.
How come I believed that recording easily without thinking clearly?!
It was a lie! A blind girl couldn’t have done it! I didn’t think about it!
“She went through all that as a blind girl.. And the most painful aspect of it is finding out that her uncle killed her parents because of a mere inheritance”
I looked up at him trying to makes sense of his words.
“Her uncle ordered MML gang to kill them” Anger crashed over me and i clenched my fist
“Frederick Robert murdered her parents”
“What?!”
What? Frederick Robert? I shot him a confused look.
“Yes the same Frederick.. Drake’s Father” he blurted. I could hardly believe his words.
Drake and Ria are cousins!
She met him at the party but she didn’t say anything!
No, oh my God!
That was why she had cried that night!
Yes..she asked Drake if he was related to Frederick and he said yes..saying yes changed her. Finding out that Drake was the son of the man who murdered her parents!
Fury and anger crashed over me..hot and thick..my teeth ground together – I would crave that bastard in pieces for what he had done to her.
“I can forgive everything but I will never forgive anyone that hurts Ria. Ian if you truly love Ria, then you will go to her and do all you can to put Frederick in Jail” He spun on his heel and left my office.
My world was upside down. My heart went out to Ria. I got out of the chair and grabbed my car keys as I rushed out of the office. My whole focus was on reaching Ria. I felt i had added more to her pain by leaving her. I never meant to hurt her. I’ve made such mistake by believing that d–n tape, by getting mad at her for not opening up to me just because I was jealous she told Ethan and staying away from her.
Will Ria forgive me?
I took an unsteady breathe. I realized that it wasn’t pain I felt now but fear…fear that I’d never be in Ria world again.
“Don’t let it be like that..”
I’d never been the type to pray frequently, but all the way down to RRC I said the prayer over and over again.
WATCHOUT FOR EPISODE 58