Blind Billionaire Bride

BLIND BILLIONAIRE BRIDE

(They call it madness but he calls it love)

EPISODE HUNDRED AND EIGHT

THEME: Who is guilty?

CHICAGO, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

The drive to the location was silent. Ria sat at the front seat next to Drake with her hands tied to the front now. She was lost in thought of Ian. She knew how worried he would be knowing that she was missing.

Drake didn’t say anything even as he pulled up in a site. It was an abandoned house on an open field. No one would ever think of coming to this place to rescue her! Ria thought.

He came out of the car and opened the door and dragged her out of the car. Ria surveyed the surrounding. The land was more like a dessert.

He took out his phone and dialed his father’s number. ‘Hello dad.’ He said over the phone.

‘Where are you?’

‘We are here dad… at the location.’ Drake responded.

‘Bring her into the building.’ Frederick instructed.

‘No dad, I am not bringing her into the building. I suggest you step out from wherever you are and let us get things done once and for all.’ Drake declined.

Ria could hear Drake’s responses and she couldn’t help but wondered why Drake insisted that he doesn’t want to go into the building.

‘Alright. I’ll be out soon. Make sure she doesn’t get away.’

‘Sure. She is going no where.’

Drake ended the call and she watched him type the time away on his phone before dropping it in his car. They waited for about four minutes in silence before she heard him say, “Dad.”

Ria’s head snapped up immediately and she saw Frederick Robert made his way towards them with a well built up man behind him. He was quite older than the man in the pictures that she has seen. He has stubbles around his jaw that showed that he hasn’t shaved in a while.

Her gaze fell to his hand and her eyes widened, he was holding a gun. Ria breathed out heavily when Frederick finally stood in front of her.

“Wow! Who do we have here? Ria Robert, the surviving child of Nathan and Madison Robert. This is my first time seeing you in person… and I can’t say that it is nice to meet a relative of mine.” Frederick spat as he pointed the gun at her.

“Dad… hold up…” Drake muttered.

“What? Are you trying to stop me now?” Frederick demanded without looking away from Ria.

“I am not trying to stop you. As a matter of fact, I want all of this to be over so I can sail to somewhere far away and never return.” Drake replied.

“What do you mean?” Frederick dropped his gun and looked at his son while Ria heaved a sigh but not of relief but frustration.

“I am leaving the country and…” Drake looked at Ria this time. “I can help you escape too. The airport isn’t the perfect place for you but we can leave the country on a ship and never return until things die down.” He completed.

Ria knew Drake had everything planned out. They would end her life, bury her in a shallow grave or let her body rot under the sunlight for the vultures to feed on and they would leave the country on sea and never return until everybody has forgotten about her case. A tear streamed down her cheeks at the thought of not seeing Ian Bryant and those that she loves again.

“Good plan son! Good plan! You got the smartness from me. But I already have a plan too. And you are right. We should end everything.” With these words the gun was back at Ria.

“Wait dad… you didn’t kill her parents right? And everything on the news is not true. She and Ian framed you up after you threatened him for canceling the deal right?” Drake asked his father.

Frederick must have lied to his son!

“I told your mother via texts that they just want to destroy me for threatening Ian Bryant to reconsider the deal. I did nothing wrong! I was just trying to protect everything we have ever worked for my son!” Frederick replied.

No wonder Drake didn’t believe Ria’s words! “He lied to you.” Ria said. There hasn’t been enough time. As far as she know Drake only just called his father today since he attested that he got the number from his mom. Was he texting his father the whole time they were waiting? She mused. The truth is Frederick lied to his family.

“You stay quiet before I blow your head up! You should save up your energy for the afterlife.” Frederick snarled at her. But Ria wasn’t ready to stay quiet. “Don’t say anything!” He said again without dropping his gun.

“Aren’t you tired of killing people? Innocent people!” Ria yelled back at him.

Frederick was surprised by her outburst. “My parents, those false killers, Speedy-”

“It is none of your business! And don’t you ever talk back at me rudely! I get rid of whoever I want to!” He fired the gun in the air causing Ria to scream out. She was terrified. “I kill whoever gets in my way!” He blurted out.

Frederick didn’t realize his words until he remembered that his son was close by… very close to him.

“What?!” Drake gasped out.

Ria glanced at him. He was shock! Surprised to find out his dad was a serial killer only that he has goons doing the dirty jobs.

“What are you saying dad?!” Drake demanded.Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

“Stay out of this son!”

“No! You have to tell me what’s going on! I didn’t come this far to find out that you did those things you were accused of on the news!” Drake stepped right in front of Ria.

“Step aside son.” Frederick said in a low tone.

Drake didn’t move an inch. “Did you really murder… those people she mentioned? Did… you kill… her parents?” He asked shakily.

“Yes! So what?! Huh? I killed my step brother!” Frederick confessed.

More tears slid down Ria’s cheeks as she recalled the night her parents were murdered. Drake couldn’t believe his ears. He was trying to protect his father since his mom clearly stated that he claimed that he was being frame and he didn’t commit those crime. At first it didn’t make sense to him that his dad would stay in hiding if his claims of being innocent was true. But he had his reason, no one would believe his words. So he wanted to protect his father so badly with the hope that he was truly innocent.

“Why? Why… did… you-” Drake voice trailed and Frederick noticed the tears that rolled down his cheeks. “Why did you do it?” He completed.

The same question Ria has always asked herself. The reason why she didn’t fight Drake but agreed to meet his dad. She wanted to know. Ria stood in front of Drake. “I want to know why you did you.” She said.

Frederick stepped backward with his finger on the trigger again. He was ready to shoot her. Drake stepped right in front of Ria again. What is he doing standing in front of her like this?

“Move away from her!” Frederick yelled.

“No! You have to tell me the reason why you killed her parents? Your brother! I didn’t believe her at first… but I should have… and you did it because of inheritance right? Is that it?!” Drake demanded.

Frederick laughed wickedly but soon he turned serious. “It wasn’t just because of inheritance. I have always wanted to get rid of that fool… Nathan!”

“Why?” Ria whispered behind Drake.

“That bastard never regarded me as his own brother! He and his mother referred to me as the illegitimate one even though he was younger than I was and he still had the guts to call me names.” Frederick gritted.

“That’s not enough reason to kill your own brother.” Drake said in a low tone.

“I have one million reasons to end his life. And I would do it over again if he were alive! Nathan said I wasn’t going to inherit anything from our father and he degraded my being as a mistress child. And I hated him for that and promised myself that I was going to do better than him in life. And I did. The illegitimate one became the greatest one… and I also did my best to ruin Nathan. When I found out that my dad left him a huge amount of money I decided to stop him after I realized that Nathan was surely going to do well with the money… so I killed him. Disregarding me is enough reason to kill him! And everything would have remained a secret if that fool didn’t spare her life!” He was referring to Lucas.

“Is this really you? Dad?” Drake mumbled in a tone that expressed disappointment.

Everything Frederick said is never enough reason to murder her parents. He had allowed his anger and hatred towards his brother to take the best part of him.

“You should turn yourself in to the police.” Drake blurted out.

Ria could hardly believe his words. He was advising his dad to surrender to the police.

Frederick busted into laughter. “Never… I won’t surrender! I want to end her life too! Nathan’s offspring doesn’t deserve to live because I swore at my mother’s grave that I would destroy him.”

“No! I won’t let you do anything to her!” Drake countered.

Ria realized that Drake was on her side! Unbelievable!

“Then why did you bring her to me?” Frederick asked.

“I wanted to know the truth. I know you won’t see me if I don’t bring Ria along and that’s why I abducted her. But to be honest dad… I should have believed her! It is even more shocking that you don’t even feel remorseful after everything you did to her!”

Ria sobbed behind Drake.

“Remorseful?” Frederick snorted.

“I don’t understand you! Dad, I am so disappointed. How could you do such a thing? You want to end her life even after killing her parents?!” Drake was furious to find out that his dad was really a murderer. He thought it was being unfair that his dad was being degraded by the news. But to find out that his dad was exactly the same the news had painted him to be hurt him so badly.

“Yes I want to end her life! Now step aside… I don’t have much time!”

“No!”

“Drake step aside!”

“No dad!”

“Drake don’t make me do what I don’t want to do you!”

Drake pushed Ria behind him so his big frame would hide her. “What will you do?! Kill me like you killed your brother?! Come on fire it!” He coaxed.

“Come on, Biggy, bring her to me!” Frederick ordered the man behind him. He didn’t want to hurt his son.

Drake reached his hand behind his back and brought out a gun. The man stopped on track. Ria eyes widened again because she didn’t know Drake had a gun with him the whole time.

“Take another step and I will bury this in your head!” Drake threatened.

Frederick was surprised. “Bravo! Drake, so you came with a gun!”

Drake shook his head. “Yes… I just felt like I was going to need it to protect her.” He answered.

“Protect me?” Ria thought of the way he said those words. He intended to use the gun to protect her.

“So you were never on my side.” Frederick said.

“I just wanted to know the truth.”

“Son put down the gun. I don’t want to hurt you.” Frederick sounded sincere.

“No.” Drake disagreed.

Then Ria heard it. The distant sirens. Someone called the cops. Drake looked back at her with a smile of relief on his lips. “They made it here.” He murmured.

Drake Robert called the cops! Ria was confused. Drake wasn’t on anyone’s side but he just wanted to know the truth? She doubted it. There are other ways to find out the truth rather than abducting her and bringing her to his father. She remembered that he was typing away on his phone after he called his dad. Was he texting one of the detectives?! She pondered deeply as a glint of hope welled up in her.

“You called the cops on me?” Frederick was disappointed that his son had betrayed him.

“Yes dad… it is too late now. So please surrender. Let us stop it now… and admit to your crimes. You can’t escape your punishment anymore.” Drake pleaded with his father.

“You betrayed me!” Frederick seethe his teeth in anger.

And Ria heard the gunshot. She thought Frederick fired it into the air again but she was wrong!

Drake groaned in pain but he still didn’t hit the ground. He stood firmly to block his father from shooting at Ria.

“Drake.” She mumbled.

Drake couldn’t pull the trigger because he doesn’t know how to shoot a gun plus there was no bullet in it. “Run.”

Ria heard him say. She tried to untie her hands but it seems impossible. Frederick lowered his hand when he saw that he had shot his son.

“Drake…” Frederick called out to him as the gun dropped from his hand.

“Boss, we should get out of here! We can still leave!” Biggy pestered.

Drake pointed his gun to his father but he couldn’t shoot at him. The sound of sirens grew louder.

Ria doesn’t know if she should be happy the cops are here.

“Drop your guns and your hands behind your head!” A voice barked out. It was a familiar voice. Detective Chad!

The huge man with Frederick uttered a profanity. Immediately Drake heard the voice he hit the ground while Ria crouched down next to him. He was bleeding from his stomach.

Biggy tried to run but a cop fired a shot at his leg and he stood immobile but soon fell on his kneels.

“Ria, are you okay?”

She heard detective Chad’s voice next to her. Ria nodded as more tears flowed down her cheeks.

The cops came around to apprehend Frederick and Biggy.

Detective Chad untied her hands. “Drake.” She held him.

“I… am.. fine.” Tears slid down his cheeks as he forced a small smile on his face.

He had taken a bullet in her place. And she could hardly believe that Frederick shot his son… his own blood.

“Please don’t die…” She whispered.

“Son…”

Ria looked up and saw Frederick. His face was wet. Drake didn’t even pay attention to him as Detective Derrick took him away.

“We should get him to the hospital before it is too late.” Ria rushed out her words as her eyes pleaded with the detective.

Detective Chad helped Drake into his car. “I’ll meet you at the station.” Chad said to Derrick before he drove off.

Drake groaned in pains and Ria couldn’t stop crying. Detective Chad told her what to do to stop the bleeding. She was putting enough pressure on the wound. Drake’s head was on her laps and she pleaded with him to stay alive.

“I… am… sorry.” He mumbled.

“No… no… please… don’t say anything.”

“Try to have a conversation with him so he can stay conscious. We can let him slip into unconsciousness.” Detective Chad said.

“Drake.” She sniffed.

“Ria.” Drake reached out to hold her one of her hands while she was trying to put pressure on his wound.

“Ria, I must admit that you… do have a good heart. You didn’t yell at me for being the son of the one who killed your parents… the first time we met. You knew who I was right?”

Ria nodded. “And even the second time when I came to your… store… you didn’t try to…. get back at me for what my dad did to you. How did you manage to stay calm… after… everything he did to you?”

Left to Ria she didn’t want him to say anything but save up his energy to stay alive.

“And even when I said… we had sex… I know it hurt you so bad knowing that we are related… but the truth is we didn’t do anything.”

“What?”

“Yes… I didn’t touch you. After I read all the news I figured that we were cousins… but I wanted to be sure if everything was true that was why I abducted you. I clearly know that you wouldn’t want to see me… so that was my only option. I had to find out the truth. And I figured that you would pour out your mind to me if I said we had sex… lame right?”

“Drake are you… sure we didn’t-”

He interrupted. “I swear it… I didn’t touch you. It was the nurse one of the men hired that changed you when she wanted to treat your wound. Even though I was tempted to touch you but I resisted it because it wasn’t right… and I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“Drake.” She sobbed.

“That’s not all. I… I prepared for it. I planned… everything. I sent an anonymous text to the cops… even though I didn’t believe your words. I… didn’t want to believe that my dad could do… such a thing to his family. There was never… an escape plan… because why would he be in hiding if he was innocent? Because no one would believe him? That’s… bullshit. I was confused… I didn’t know… what to do… but I wanted to end… it all. So the location dad sent to me… I forwarded it to the cops just in case I find out everything is true.”

Ria cried. “Drake… I thought you were working for your dad.”

“No… I haven’t seen him since the news broke out. I just wanted to know the truth. And I was determined to turn him in myself if he was the killer. It was… all pretense… my attitude is enough to convince you that I was on his side… but no… even if I am a bad guy-” He chuckled. “I still know the right thing to do. My mom is aware of my plans…. and she is in support of me to turn my dad in. My mom has been in contact with him trying to find out his location but… he was so tight lipped. She didn’t believe him when he called and said that you and Ian framed him because he threatened Ian. She sensed it that there was more than that…” He winced in pains.

“That’s enough.” Ria said.

“I never would have imagined that my dad is a killer. But please… I hope you find it… in your heart to forgive my dad.”

“Drake…”

“Promise me that you will someday forgive him.” More tears streamed down his cheeks. He was feeling the excruciating pain.

Ria inhaled and exhaled. Her chest was so tight as if she was slowly losing her breathe. “I will forgive him. I will forgive him.”

She doesn’t care about what Frederick did to her anymore since he is going to pay for him crime. Right now, she was concerned about Drake. Frederick has been apprehended and would be charged to court.

“Ria.”

“All I want is justice… I just want him to pay for his crimes then I will forgive him.”

Drake held her tightly with a small smile forming on his face. “He will… you have enough evidence right?”

Ria nodded. “I have one too.” He let go of Ria’s hands and slowly reached into back of his jean pocket. “Take this…” He gave her a black recording device. “You can use this against him in court. It has the recording of everything he said to us.”

Ria accepted the device and gave it to detective Chad who was driving at a high speed. “Thank you for deciding to forgive… my dad.” He whispered.

Ria sensed Drake losing consciousness. “No… no… hang on… Drake… please don’t die! Step on it Chad!”

“Mount pressure on his wound so he can stay conscious!” Detective Chad yelled back.

Ria was confused. “Please Drake…” On an impulse, she gave him a hard blow on his shoulder, then a hard push on his abdomen and his eyes opened slightly.

“Please don’t die on me.” She pleaded.

“I… I will… be fine…” Ria leaned down and held his head to her chest. And she prayed silently.

She prayed over and over again.