Moments later, the sudden clearing of a throat got their attention, made them separate and turn towards the direction. The housekeeper was standing in the door way. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but you have a visitor, Sarah." She stated politely, more in a motherly way.
Sarah excused herself from her father and followed the housekeeper out, trying to remember if she had fixed an appointment with anybody; after a while, she mentally shook her head; she was sure that she wasn't expecting anyone.
She slowed down as she approached the foyer when she saw who it was- Fred. Kindly dismissing the housekeeper, she walked towards Fred and cleared her throat to get his attention since his back was turned to her and he was busy admiring the statue of a semi-nude roman god set near the door.
"Fred." She said without the slightest bit of emotion attached to it, trying to act tough and unaffected by what had transpired the previous day.
He turned then smiled, nervously rubbing his palms against his pants. He always had sweaty palms whenever he was nervous. "Sarah." He called softly.
"What are you doing here?" She asked tersely, folding her arms under her chest.
"I've been trying to reach you but my calls keep going to voicemail. I went over to your place but when I couldn't find you...well, I figured that you'd be here…so...here I'm" He finished a bit awkwardly, flashing her one of his breathtaking smiles but her face remained hard and unsmiling. When he noticed that she wasn't the least impressed and was still obviously mad at him, he began to sweat and fret. "...huh... Sarah... I..." He stuttered. "I…really want to apologize about yesterday. I am sorry about what you saw but I know that we can still fix things and make it work… I give you my word that I am going to cut Helen off and I am more than willing to-"
Sarah cut him short from continuing by raising her palm. "Don't!" She simply said. "If you came here to kiss and make up, Fred, I've already informed my father that I've cancelled the wedding." He visibly turned pale now and glanced towards the stairs as if afraid her father would make an entrance at that moment but Sarah continued nonetheless. "...and if you also came here thinking that I told on you and Helen, well, I got good news for both of you...." She added. "I did not, so be rest assured that I've not severed all the luxuries or favors your ties to my family gives you both."
He was suddenly washed with relief and it seemed this information suddenly fueled his courage now. "Baby, honey... I'm very sorry, I just didn't-" He drew closer to her, trying to pacify her.
Sarah interrupted again before he could finish. "Please, don't act like you care or feel any remorse for what you did. You only came here to save your neck, and like I said you are still in my father's good graces, and if this is all, Fred, I bid you farewell, I'm sure you can show yourself out. And so you know, this is the last time we are ever going to see each other. I am going to the convent. It took me this long to actually realize that you and Helen deserve each other." Without giving him any chance to speak, she turned and stalked towards the direction of the large garden, leaving him dumbfounded.
***
"What do we do?" Fred asked as he paced the living room, one hand on his hip and the other on his head. He was greatly distressed unlike Helen who comfortably sat in the couch, watching him go back and forth.
"Do you think she is really serious about becoming a nun?" She asked with a cringe. "That girl is full of surprises, isn't she?"
"That is not the case now, Helen." Fred paused to say to her. "She might have forgiven us now by keeping her mouth shut but what if she comes back and changes her mind, I am fucked! There is just so much at stake." He resumed pacing again, nervously chewing on his nails this time.
Helen thought for a moment, the stated. "Then we have to make sure that she never comes back."
Fred paused again to look at her. "If she is going to the convent in the country where I think she is going, then we can make things work in our favor. I met some guy online a couple of months back. I think he's a pimp or something. I could make a deal with him and he could have Sarah kidnapped. That way, we are certain of her never returning, and if she turns up dead, her father would have no choice than to make you his heir and will his property to you and I know that I will surely benefit from this. I am more like a daughter to him now." She finished with a smile then pulled herself to sit on the edge of the chair, staring into Fred's eyes who was now very focused on her with a look of seriousness. "This is our only shot, Fred. We just have to make sure that this guy picks her from the airport and keeps her in captivity. I am sure that she would be drugged numerous times and if she eventually gets out years later, she will be nothing but a junkie who is useless to herself and the society. Either way, it is a win for us as long as she never gets to find out that we are involved in the kidnap."
Fred slowly nodded his head in agreement then broke into a smile. "You are genius!" He pulled her up to her feet, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her passionately. When he finally broke the kiss, he stared into her eyes and said, "If this works out as planned, I am going to buy you the best things money can afford. I am going to treat you like the queen you are, Helen."
She smiled. "You had better… you owe me one, Fred."
He kissed her again. "Call the guy. We will pay him to do this job. As long as he can make her disappear forever, I am willing to pay whatever he asks for."
"Fine…" She turned to take her phone from her purse and began to dial the number. "Now that Sarah is out of the way, we are gonna get married, right?" She asked.
He hesitated then pursed his lips briefly. "We still have to keep our relationship a secret to keep any suspicions off us."
She was about to say something when a male voice finally answered through the phone. She shot him a look, turned and started walking away to privately have the call. She decided she would continue the discussion with Fred later.