Chapter one

Sullivan Douglas came down from the military helicopter and sighed. The memories of the past flood his mind. He remembered everything clearly and rubbed his eyes as if to stop the memories from coming back. He wanted to forget everything except for one. He remembered her face, and he smiled.

 "Good morning, sir." An officer greeted him. 

"Your car is ready, sir." The officer said, Sullivan nodded his head and walked majestically to the car. The chauffeur, who is also a military officer, saluted him and opened the door. He entered the car and said this to his assistant. 

"I thought I told you I wanted to come into the country quietly."

 "Yes sir". His assistant replied. 

"Then why am I seeing the military convoy at my front and back?". He asked him. 

"We are just trying to observe protocols, sir." His assistant answered.

 "Disperse them immediately and come sit with me; you are yet to give me a report on the mission I gave to you." Sullivan ordered his assistant, whose name was John Barker.

 "Yes sir!". John saluted him and went to disperse the convoy, telling them it was the general's orders. He came back to the car and sat down with Sullivan at the back.

 "So, have you been able to locate her?". Sullivan asked. 

"Yes, sir, I have, but there is a bit of a situation." John told Sullivan. 

"And what kind of situation is that?". Sullivan asked, raising his eyebrows. 

John brought out a brown envelope containing some pictures and gave it to his boss. Sullivan opened it and brought out the pictures. One of the pictures was the image of a girl looking beautiful, and the other was the image of a girl looking beaten and battered. 

"I don't understand." Sullivan said, looking at John, confused. 

"This is the girl you asked us to locate, sir. She got into a fight with Jason Jabs, son of one of the great five families in the city." John explained. 

"And he did this to her?" Sullivan asked, sounding shocked. 

"Yes sir. According to what I heard, Jason Jabs tried to molest her, and she slapped him. So he staged an accident for her and got her badly injured as his revenge against her." 

"What!" Sullivan said he was already angry. Just then, John's phone rang, and he looked at his boss and said, 

"My informant, sir." He said this, pointing at the phone. Sullivan nodded his head in permission for John to take the call. 

"Yes.... Really? .... When? .... Where?. Ok....". John ended the call and looked at his boss. 

"Speak!" Sullivan ordered him to sound impatient because he was already angry and thinking of many ways to deal with the guy who had the audacity to touch his life saver, as he likes to call her.

 "My informant just told me that Jason is going to hold a party tonight to choose a husband for her among the homeless and beggars in society at his house today."

 She had saved him some years ago, when he was almost dying on the street of hunger. His entire family had been massacred, and only he managed to escape. 

He began living in the streets, and the day she saw him, he was almost dead of starvation, but she gave him water and bread. He survived and vowed to return someday to repay her kindness because he was eternally indebted to her. 

He was going to make sure he taught the bastard who had the mind to mutilate her in such a manner a lesson of his life. Sullivan folded his palms, trying to control his anger. 

"Prepare; tonight we are going to attend that party." Sullivan said this to his assistant.

 "Yes sir!". John answered. *********************************************** Erica Daniels could not hold back her tears. She cried profusely and felt very embarrassed. The beggars and homeless people in society were all gathered around her, making fun of her all because she dared to slap Jason Jabs, the son of one of the five great families in the city.

 "How are you enjoying being the object of attention?" Jason asked, sneering at her. 

"Jason, please, I beg of you, let me go." Erica begged, weeping.

 "Never! Not after humiliating me in public!" Jason shouted. 

"But you have already done enough; I am badly injured and am sitting on a wheelchair chair because I can't walk due to the accident you caused." 

"Shut up, you filthy brat!" Jason commanded. 

"Do you have any idea who you are dealing with? The great Jason Jabs! Nobody, I mean nobody, can humiliate me and go unpunished!" He was bragging.

 "Please, I am sorry. I will do anything you ask of me." Erica pleaded. Jason was obviously pleased with the idea. 

"You mean anything?" He asked.

 "Yes, anything." 

"Then agree to sleep with me, and your nightmare will be over." He said it with mischief written all over his face. 

"What! Was that not what put me in the situation I'm currently in? I cannot sleep with you, Jason Jabs." Erica was distressed.

 "But you said you were willing to do anything." He reminded her.

 "Yes, I am, but desecrating my body is not part of it!" She said it strongly.

 "Well, since you are not ready to help yourself, then you leave me no choice but to do this." He said it arrogantly. 

"Come everyone, gather around!" Jason said this to the people, and they all gathered around. 

"This young lady here will be the wife of one of you homeless people, and she will serve you!" He announced. 

The announcement made people excited because Erica is a beautiful lady. 

Erica was shocked at what she heard. Was she going to be married to one of the beggars and homeless people? She turned around to look for help, but no one was ready to become Jason's next victim, not even her family, because, though they were also well to do, they were not willing to offend one of the five great families.

 "Someone, please save me!" She cried. 

Immediately, the door burst open, and Sullivan entered the room, looking very angry. 

"LET HER GO AT ONCE!”