"You're mine, just watch and see," Alejandro whispered with an evil grin.
***********
Hazel ran as fast as she could, nearly tripping over her own feet. She stopped when she spotted a car and waved her hand, causing it to screech to a halt. The driver lowered the window, his gaze lingering on the black briefcase she was clutching.
"Lost, huh?" the cab driver muttered coolly.
Hazel rolled her eyes and hurried into the car. "Just drive. I'm being chased by some goons," she said coldly, resting her head against the seat.
The driver nodded and pulled away from the area.
When they reached her destination, Hazel stepped out and paid the cab driver.
"What a nice briefcase you've got there. I'd love to see what's inside," he said, flashing a yellowish grin.
Hazel's expression darkened as she glared at him dangerously. "Guess you don't know when to mind your own business, huh?" she shot back coldly, making the cab driver shiver.
He quickly drove away, disappearing from her sight.
Scoffing, Hazel walked toward their small crooked apartment, but her gaze softened when she thought of Liam. She quickly made her way to Aunt Gracia's house and knocked lightly on the door.
It swung open to reveal Aunt Gracia, whose face soured momentarily before she masked it with forced laughter.
"Oh! You're here to pick up Liam, right? Liam! Your sister is here!" Aunt Gracia called out.
Hazel fixed an intense gaze on Aunt Gracia, causing her to take a step back in fear.
Liam appeared, and Hazel knelt down to touch his cheek gently. "Are you okay?" she asked softly.
He nodded in response.
Standing up, Hazel turned to Aunt Gracia. "Thanks so much for today," she said coldly before heading for the door.
When Aunt Gracia called Hazel back, her tone was laced with condescension.
"Hazel dear, I think it's advisable for you to either marry a rich man or take Liam to an orphanage rather than sl—"
"Rather than doing what, Aunt Gracia?" Hazel cut her off sharply, making her stammer and fall momentarily silent, clearly at a loss for words.
The intensity of Hazel's glare was enough to keep Aunt Gracia's mouth shut and her opinions to herself.
"No... nothing! I wasn't saying anything!" Aunt Gracia stuttered nervously.
Hazel released a cold smile. "I'm glad you have absolutely nothing to say, Aunt Gracia. Perhaps I'll take my leave now." Her tone was calm but icy.
With that, she turned and left with Liam in tow.
•••••••••••
Hazel and Liam settled onto the weak, tattered couch, munching on chips while watching an engaging movie titled "LITTLE." She had purposely locked the door to prevent John from barging in at any moment.
"I'm so happy we're finally together again," Liam said hopefully. "Do you think we can watch another movie like this tomorrow?"
Hazel gazed at him with a mix of affection and sadness before nodding quickly. At fourteen, Liam was still short and thin due to an improper diet. He was her only hope for a better life, which is why she was willing to do anything for him. Anyone could hurt her, but they should never dare to harm Liam; otherwise, hell would break loose.
Deep down, she feared that Alejandro would find her. That's why she was planning to run far away with Liam using the large sum of money she had stolen from him. After all, he hadn't seen her face, so he wouldn't be able to track her down. She wanted to keep Liam safe—even if it meant putting herself in danger.
With those thoughts swirling in her mind, Hazel took Liam's hand in hers and squeezed it gently.
"Don't worry; I won't be going anywhere tomorrow, so you'll have me all to yourself," she promised soothingly. "We'll watch all the movies you want."
Liam smiled brightly, but his expression quickly faltered when he noticed Hazel sniffing.
"Hazel... are you crying again? Are you hurt somewhere?" he asked with concern.
Hazel shook her head slowly. "I'm okay... I was just thinking about something," she mumbled.
"Oh... whatever it is, just know that I'm here for you if you need a shoulder to cry on," Liam said with a reassuring smile.
Hazel nodded and hugged him tightly.
•••••••••••••
THE NEXT DAY ••••••
Hazel dressed Liam up and took him to school; he hadn't attended in quite some time due to unpaid fees. Since she had the money with her today, she decided it was finally time to pay them off.
As they walked down the street, Liam spotted an ice cream vendor and eagerly asked for one. Hazel smiled and handed him some money so he could treat himself while she waited patiently nearby.
Liam bought the ice cream and was running towards her when he accidentally bumped into a lady, causing the ice cream to slip from his hand and spill onto the floor.
"Are you f*cking blind?! Don't you have eyes?! You just spilled your ice cream on my shoe!!" A sharp, angry voice made Liam jerk as he glanced at the lady's shoe; indeed, a stain of ice cream marked it.
"I'm so sorry, miss... I wasn't looking," Liam apologized softly, bending down to clean it up with his palm. His action only made the lady angrier as she grabbed his ear and yanked it.
Liam hissed in pain. Ignoring him, she pulled him up by his ear and was about to slap him when a hand caught hers and pushed her back, making her stagger.
"He already apologized... or are you not satisfied with that?" Hazel retorted coldly.
Liam held his ear and hid behind Hazel. "You disrespectful wench! Do you know who I am?! I can throw both of you in jail with just a phone call!" the lady shrieked angrily.
Hazel gazed intensely at the lady; she looked somewhat familiar with her heavy makeup. Dressed in a short, skimpy red skirt and a black tank top, it was clear she belonged to the high class.
"I think you should get straight to the point rather than beating around the bush," Hazel muttered calmly. The lady smirked evilly.
"That tiny rat behind you should lick it off!" she retorted cockily.
Hazel clenched her fists tightly and chuckled sarcastically. "Hope you won't mind me doing it myself?" she asked innocently, bending down to remove the heels from the lady's feet.
The lady smirked and folded her arms under her breasts. Hazel gazed intensely at the shoe, then stood up and smirked at the lady as she slammed the shoe hard against the car window behind her. A loud smashing sound followed, and the lady gasped.
"No!! My baby!!" she cried out.
"Oops... My bad! Sorry, I thought that was a trash can," Hazel retorted sarcastically.
Seeing that the lady was more focused on her car, Hazel took Liam's hand into hers, and they both took off running.
~AURELIA'S OFFICE~
Aurelia sat in a high leather armchair with her legs crossed elegantly. The office was cool and comforting but had a strong smell of tobacco mixed with weed. A small bulb hung from the ceiling, casting a faint red light.
Her gaze was cold and dark as she smoked from her tobacco pipe, puffing out heavy clouds of smoke from her nostrils.
Suddenly, the door burst open, making her jerk in surprise. "F*cking prick! Don't you know how to—"
Aurelia started but swallowed her words when she saw who it was: the great Alejandro Fernandez. A cold chill ran down her spine.
Alejandro strode into the room slowly and threw himself onto the couch lazily while his men stood behind him. Aurelia quickly stood up and bowed slightly.
"Oh! It's really a pleasure to have the world's most notorious mafia boss in my office!" Aurelia stuttered, letting out a nervous laugh.
Ignoring her, Alejandro scoffed and took out a stick of cigar from his pant pocket, placing it in his lips
Mouth agape, Alejandro took a long puff from his cigar, the smoke curling lazily from his mouth and nostrils. His gaze shifted to Aurelia, assessing her outfit: a short black jean skirt that showcased her fresh, smooth thighs paired with a simple white T-shirt. Her black long jacket lay draped over the armchair.
"Hmph! Like mother, like daughter…" Alejandro thought to himself with a smirk.
"Your girl stole from me," Alejandro muttered dryly, causing a loud bang to echo in Aurelia's head.
"What?!"
"I... I don't... get... Which of my girls?" She stuttered, fear creeping into her voice.
Alejandro's intense gaze bore down on her as he lazily took another drag from his cigar.
"The masked lady… She drugged me and ran off with my briefcase filled with cash," he replied coolly.
"What?! That cunning bitch! She's supposed to f*ck you first before getting paid!" Aurelia shot back angrily, hissing through clenched teeth.
"Please… I'm so sorry for what she did. I promise to find her and punish her—or better yet, I'll bring her to you," Aurelia offered fearfully.
Alejandro smirked evilly, crushing the cigar butt into the couch as he stood up.
"I'm not asking you to punish her or bring her to me. I don't hold grudges," he retorted lazily, his intense gaze making Aurelia take a step back in fear.
With a cold smirk, he walked out of the room, his men trailing behind him.
Aurelia touched her chest, heart racing. In frustration, she swept everything off the table with her palm, sending it crashing to the floor. She ran her fingers through her hair and bit her bottom lip as she breathed heavily with anger.
The door swung open abruptly as an angry Rosita marched in.
"Mom!" Rosita called tearfully.
"Not now, Rosita!" Aurelia hissed irritably.
"A girl just broke the glass window of my car!" Rosita sobbed, glancing at Aurelia with wide eyes.
"A girl?! Who is she?" Aurelia pressed angrily.
"I don't know! But she smashed my car window! By the time I could call the cops, she had already run away!" Rosita replied angrily, sniffling.
"F*ck!" Aurelia cursed, massaging her forehead wearily.
"You're not going to do anything about it?!" Rosita snapped indignantly.
"Don't worry; I'll get to the bottom of this. There must be CCTV cameras around," Aurelia assured her daughter as Rosita smiled gratefully.
"Thanks, Mom… Ugh… Did you see Alejandro around?" Rosita asked excitedly.
Aurelia nodded. "He was here a few minutes ago," she replied dryly.
Rosita squealed in delight as she adjusted her skimpy red skirt higher up her thighs before dashing out of the room in search of Alejandro.
Aurelia's thoughts turned greedily to the substantial amount of money Hazel had stolen from Alejandro. "That thief took such a huge sum and didn't even show it to me?" she muttered enviously. Her gaze darkened as she pulled out a cigar stick from her pocket, lighting it and inhaling deeply while seething with anger.
••••••••••••
**AT NIGHT**
"Whoah! Jordan has gone from proud businesswoman to tiny high school student! Haha!" Liam laughed as Hazel joined him on the couch while they watched the movie titled *LITTLE*.
After Hazel had broken a lady's car window earlier that day, Liam decided it was best to skip school and head home together instead.
"Sis, you were so cool today! I loved your sarcastic remark: 'Oops… My bad! Sorry I thought that was a trash can!'" Liam mimicked before bursting into laughter again.
Hazel scoffed playfully. "She deserved it anyway; she was being too rude and commanding."
Suddenly, there was a slight knock at the door that froze them both in place.
"Hazel… hope it's not Dad? If it is him, then I suggest you don't open the door; he might hit you again," Liam advised nervously.
Hazel looked at Liam and gently touched his cheek. "I need to see who's at the door. Please go to your room and bolt it."
Liam frowned but hugged Hazel tightly. "You don't expect me to leave you here alone like a coward! I want to protect you."
Hazel smiled reassuringly. "I'll be fine alone; we don't know who's at the door yet—just go."
Reluctantly, Liam left for his room and shut the door behind him.
Hazel's expression darkened as she took slow steps toward the door. Holding the doorknob tightly, she called out softly, "Dad… is that you?" Hearing no response outside made her heart race even more.
She slowly unbolted the door and creaked it open slowly. A figure stood there with their head bent low under a hoodie that concealed their face. The figure pulled down the hoodie and raised their head slowly—an evil smirk spreading across their lips.
Hazel gasped when their face came into view…
-