Chereads / Hold Me Close (R18) / Chapter 21 - Rewind

Chapter 21 - Rewind

"Alright, time to fess up." Talia demanded as she sat up. "Why did you ditch me and disappear for 3 days?"

Miranda lied down on the other side of the bed, rubbing her temples as she muttered. "I didn't ditch you. I just..."

"You what?" Talia questioned.

"I... don't know what happened." Miranda confessed quietly.

"Huh?" Talia turned to her with a frown. "What do you mean you don't know?"

"Ugh! I don't know..." Miranda groaned in exasperation and continued. "My memories are all foggy right now and this headache is killing me."

She then took a deep breath, closed her eyes and began to rewind her memories. "That day, as I was about to leave the house, I got a call..."

-•-•-

Miranda was sitting on the couch in her silver sequin dress that clung to her curves, getting ready to leave. She slipped her feet into 4 inch heels and admired its elegance and charm while Rose watched her with a blank gaze.

A muted buzz broke the quiet and Miranda turned to glance at the mobile laying beside her, vibrating.

Her brows twisted in displeasure as she read the caller ID flashing on the screen and picked it up.

"What do you want?" she spat in annoyance as she stood up and turned away.

"Its been a while, Mira." A gruff masculine voice snickered, not bothered by her cold greeting. "Something important has been brought to my attention recently. It wouldn't be wise to discuss it over the phone so I suggest you-"

"No, Im busy today." she quickly rejected and spoke with a haughty sneer. "I dont care how important it is, you can just wait until I-"

"Oh, you should care, my sweet Mira." The voice interjected calmly and spoke as if mocking her. "That is if you dont want to end up having to beg a girl half your age for allowance... You should very much care."

Miranda's brows twisted into a frown and she listened without interrupting.

"I shouldn't even be talking to you about this but, I'm taking that risk because of our past... relationship." He spoke in a soft, concerned tone, but she could imagine his sleazy grin. "So, I strongly suggest you push back your plans and come meet me."

Miranda wondered what he was scheming this time as she knew the greedy bastard would never do anything that doesn't benefit him in one way or the other.

"If you want to ignore my advice, I can't stop you." He continued, his tone casual. "But don't come crying to me later when shit hits the fan, because by then, it'll be too late to-"

"Okay stop. I get it. I'll be there as soon as I can." She grumbled through gritted teeth.

"Excellent," he replied enthusiastically. "But I'm not in my office. I'll send you the location, see you soon."

Miranda ended the call and stood there biting her long thumb nail, analyzing everything he just said. She was sure he was up to something as he was too crafty to spout nonsense for fun. And, she couldn't afford the consequences if what he said ended up coming true.

Turning to the side, she saw the cause of her misery, the root of her misfortune, the burden she couldn't get rid off.

The wretched girl was standing there looking at her with a blank face, as if to mock her situation.

"What the fuck are you looking at, you worthless bitch?" Miranda yelled, momentarily losing her composure. "You should've just died along with your slut of a mother. You bring nothing but trouble."

She then tapped on her phone and put it to her ear as she stomped away, dragging her suitcase behind.

"Hey, Talia. Change of plans." she spoke into the phone as she walked out the door and looked around the street for something. "I have to go visit... an acquaintance, so I'll be a little late."

"What? Why?" Talia asked, upset. " Where are you going? Can't it wait till we get back?"

Just then, a cab turned a corner and drove towards her. It soon stopped in front of Miranda as the driver craned his neck to look at her.

"Miranda Watson?" He asked, and she nodded before opening the back door and pushing her suitcase in as she held the phone with her shoulder.

"I have to go, I'll explain later." She ended the call as she got in and closed the door. She then checked her phone as she spoke to the driver. "I need to change the destination."

-•-•-•-

A two hour ride later, the cab stopped in front of a giant metal gate.

Miranda stepped out with a huff and walked up to the gate as she sent a message.

[Im in front of the gate. Where the hell are you???!!!]

She quickly received a reply.

[The code to the gate is 77342190]

Looking around the gate, she found the keypad and entered the code. As the metal gate split open, she got back in the car and rode it towards the small mansion sitting within the shadows of the forest in the distance.

After paying the driver a small fortune for the unexpected drive out of the city, Miranda turned around and walked up the porch.

As she reached the door and was about to ring the bell, the door opened and a hand grabbed her, pulling her inside.

In the next second, Miranda was pinned against the door by a huge man in a bathrobe. He leaned in close and kissed her, fervently sucking on her tongue and lips.

Once the initial shock had passed, Miranda tried to push the towering giant away but the man didn't even budge an inch. In a fit of rage, she bit his lips hard enough for him to pull back.

She wiped her lips as she glared at the man with murderous eyes. "You bastard! Is this why you called me out here instead of your office?"

The man was twice the size of her with thick, hairy arms and a huge potbelly. With bags under his eyes and bald head, he seemed to be in his late forties or early fifties. He looked at Miranda in amusement as he licked the blood off his lips in smug satisfaction.

"You are still just as beautiful, my lovely Mira." He chuckled and casually adjusted his cock poking out of his robe. "Look at Tom junior, he is already rock-hard for you."

"I don't care about Tom junior. I'm not one of your cocksluts." Miranda replied, still glaring daggers at him. "Now, tell me why you called me here or I'm leaving."

"Alright, alright." Tom raised his hands in surrender and looked at her. "Do you know that your daughter turned 18 last month?"