Chapter 35
Blaze who was still hoping that Crystal would at least reply to his message or even call waited but no message came 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.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.
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 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 pulling 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 he wanted to move her or something but Crystal only shedding tears, did not offer a word, and kept her silence as she looked at the uncle in the face like some monster.
Max faking 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 hurt 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 was 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 would 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 took out a cigarette from his coat pocket placed 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 was 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 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 too 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 opened his eyes and turned his head to have a glimpse of her asked,
” What did you just call me Crystal?”.
Crystal breathing in and out, spoke her mind for the first time not caring about what her uncle would 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 had 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 to stop her from telling him the truth about his awful doings.
Max holding himself as much as he could walked 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.