**Revenge for Mum**
“Your daughters with us. Bring £100,000, and shell stay alive. Ill send the meeting point later,” said a heavily distorted male voice.
“Youyou dare make demands of me?” Michael barely held back, but the caller had already hung up.
Michael was known as a practical, cautious, and rather stern man. Only with his beloved wife, Emma, and adored daughter, Sophie, did he show any softnessand even then, not always. If things didnt go his way, hed remind everyone:
“Im the head of this household! I provide for all of you!”
And he wasnt wronghed bought the house in the posh Surrey suburb, Emma only worked to show off her designer dresses, and Sophie drove to uni in a brand-new car, a gift from dear old Dad.
But sometimes, his family forgot that.
Hed had to “remind them” again when he found out Sophie was dating an aspiring violinist named Oliver.
“Hes not good enough for you! Youre not seeing him!” Michael snapped. “What kind of job is that for a manscraping away on a fiddle?”
And the lad was scrawny. Some posh intellectual, that one.
“Im going to marry him! Thats my business!” Sophie had a temper to match his.
“I raised you, so I decide!”
“Im 18, Dad, in case youve forgotten. Im an adult, and”
“Enough! Ive spoken! While I pay your way, I call the shots.”
Sophie stormed off in tears, Emma sulked for days, but Michael didnt carehis word was final.
Besides, he had real problems, unlike his daughters little tantrums.
His childhood friend, Greg, with whom hed built a concrete block business nearly a decade ago, was at it again with some nonsense.
Theyd only just paid off the loans, built a solid team, greased the right palms, and started turning a decent profit. Live and let live, right?
But noGreg kept whinging about expansion, new ideas, refusing to let things stay as they were.
Their arguments were usually short-lived, but this time, Greg dug his heels in and threatened to split the business.
“As if Id let it stagnate!” hed said. Easy for himhe had the ideas, while Michael handled the dirty work.
A few weeks later, things seemed to settle. Greg dropped his schemes, Sophie went to uni and stayed home most eveningsno mention of Oliver.
Then Michael spotted Sophie with some boy, practically draped over him.
“Sophie! What are you doing out at this hour?” he barked, slamming his car to a stop beside them. “And whos this?”
In the dim light, it took him a moment to recognise the boy. When he did, his jaw nearly hit the steering wheel.
“Have you gone mad? Found someone even worse than that violin twerp? Trying to spite me? Get in the carnow!”
Sophie scowled but, after a quick glance at her companionwho shook his head subtlyshe slipped into the passenger seat.
That was better. Who did these kids think they were, lecturing him?
And this boyMichael finally placed himwas one of their warehouse labourers. Cheeky little sod! Well, hed dealt with worse.
Just when he thought hed sorted everythingbusiness, familyhe spotted Sophie again with that same lad, Jake.
They vanished before he could confront them, but at home, a proper row erupted.
To his shock, Emma sided with Sophie. They called him a tyrant, said living with him was unbearable.
“Fine! No ones keeping you here!” he snarled. “The doors that way!”
And off they went, suitcases in hand, faces a mix of grief and defiance. Let them see how long they lasted without him!
Michael was sure theyd come crawling back. So when Emma called a week later, he wasnt surprised.
“Michael, Sophies missing!” Emma gasped. “Two days, no word, her phones off! Sarah and I dont know what to doshould we call the police?”
Ah, so they were staying with her friend.
“No police!” he barked. “Come home. Ill find her myself.”
He had no clue where to start, but certainly not with the authorities.
As he weighed his options, his phone rang again.
“Your daughters with us. Bring £100,000, or she wont see tomorrow. Ill text the location.”
“You little!” Michael exploded, but the line went dead.
A video link followedSophie, dishevelled, tear-streaked, hands bound, but alive. She stared into the camera, unblinking.
Right. Hed bury them all. But he needed help. Greg, despite their feud, agreed to assist with the drop.
“Shouldnt we call the police?” Greg hesitated. “And thats a lot of cash”
“No. Ill handle this. And dont worrywere keeping the money.”
Michael was utterly confidentuntil they arrived at the abandoned factory and out stepped Jake.
“You little rat!” Michael lunged, but Greg yanked him back. “Stop! We dont know where Sophie is.”
Jake smirked from a ledge ten feet away. “Toss the bag there,” he said, nodding at a sewer grate.
Michael glared but obeyed.
“Lovely,” Jake scoffed, turning to leave.
“You think youll get away with this? Wheres Sophie?”
“Shes fine. Shell contact you soonif she wants to.”
“Youre joking, right?” Michael was too baffled to shout. “Ill hunt you down”
“Dont care,” Jake cut in, jaw tight. “I did what I had toavenged my mum.”
“What mum?” Today was full of surprises.
“Claire. Worked as your cleaner for seven years,” Jake said, voice steady but fists clenched. “She caught your wife in bed with another man. Emma sacked her on the spotaccused her of stealing.”
“Of course she did! Just wanted her gone. Mum had no proof. Would you have believed her?”
He didnt wait for an answer.
“She had a bad heartraised me alone, slaved for pennies at your place. Next day, she collapsed in the street. No one helped. The doctors called it a heart attack.”
His voice cracked. “If not for your family shed be alive. I wouldnt have wound up in care.”
“Now youll wind up in prison,” Michael said, almost pitying him. “Howd you even plan this? Sophie wouldnt let herself be bullied.”
Jake laughed bitterly. “She wasnt. Wouldnt have agreed if you hadnt meddled. We planned it together. Shes probably already moved the money. Youll have to arrest your own daughter.”
“What? My Sophie wouldnt!”
“Shouldve stayed out of her life,” Jake said, wiping his face. “She loves Oliver. But you wouldnt know anything about love, would you?”
“Brat! You dare lecture me?” Michael lunged again, but Jake was already on a motorbike hidden nearby.
“Ask your mate Greg about love!” Jake shouted over the engine. “Hes the one Emma cheated with!” And he sped off.
Naturally, Michael punched Greg. For the betrayal, for everything. Greg didnt resist.
He divorced Emma, leaving her only a tiny flat. The business? Hed paid enough for her mistakes. She didnt argue, just begged him not to report Sophie.
But he wasnt a complete monsterno police. Sophie never came back, dropped out of uni. Rumor had it she and Oliver moved abroad. Maybe one day shed return. Who knew?
