"I'm home!" a man called out as he walked into his house. "Daddy!" a five-year-old girl screamed excitedly, rushing toward him with a big smile, arms outstretched, ready for a hug. The man's face lit up as he saw her, and he immediately crouched down, opening his arms.
He scooped up the little girl as she ran and jumped into his embrace. Standing up, he carried his daughter into the living room. At the dining table, he saw a beautiful woman placing a plate of delicious-looking food on it. She turned, smiled, and asked, "Daddy's home?"
"Yep, I'm home," he replied, extending his arm.
The woman, beaming, stepped closer. She wrapped her arms around his waist, and he gently hugged her back. Their lips met in a quick, soft kiss. Then they pulled apart, and the woman smiled broadly at the little girl.
"Today we're celebrating Daddy's 32nd birthday, yay!" she exclaimed enthusiastically, making the little girl in his arms cheer even louder.
"Yayyyy! Happy birthday, Daddy!" the little girl shouted, hugging her father's neck.
"Haha, thanks, Mama, Laila," the man said.
They ate together, clearly enjoying each other's company and looking very happy. Later that night, after tucking Laila into her room, the man gently stroked her head and kissed her forehead.
"Good night, sleepyhead," he whispered.
He stood up and walked out of his daughter's room to his own, next door. As he opened the door, he saw his wife waiting, wearing nothing but sexy lingerie. The man smiled as his wife welcomed him, kneeling on the bed with her arms outstretched.
"A gift from Mama for Daddy, hehe," his wife purred.
The man immediately sat on the edge of the bed and turned, embracing his wife, who also wrapped her arms around him. After that, the "battle" began.
"Ahh!"
Moans and groans filled the room, breaking the night's silence. His wife looked incredibly happy and kept gazing at her husband, who also appeared very happy. After their passionate "fight" that used up a few "full balloons," they both lay on their sides in bed, facing each other.
"Honey, I'm sorry, I really didn't want to ruin the mood, but someone delivered this this afternoon," his wife said, pulling an envelope from behind her pillow.
The man took the envelope and opened it. His eyes widened when he saw the contents: a bill for a huge amount of debt from some unknown lending company, he wasn't sure if it was even legit. His brow furrowed as he read it, because the name on the bill was his: Dean Ross, and there were no details about the debt.
"Hold on, I don't remember ever borrowing from this company, and why is the amount so massive?" Dean asked.
"I don't know, Honey. They just suddenly showed up looking for you, and when I told them you were at the office, they asked for your office address, but I didn't give it to them. They just left this letter for you," his wife explained.
Dean saw the fear in his wife's eyes. He folded the letter, put it back in the envelope, and placed it on the bedside table.
"I'll try to look into it tomorrow," Dean said with a smile.
"Okay, just please don't let them come again. They were really scary," his wife pleaded.
"I'm sorry, honey. You're having trouble because of me," Dean said, hugging his wife.
*****
The next morning, bright and early at the office, "Click!" Dean opened his office door. He saw lots of employees already there and working. Suddenly, "Good morning, Mr. Dean," greeted a female employee.
"Yeah, good morning," Dean replied.
Dean walked in, dressed in his suit, tie, and slacks, looking sharp even though his face was pretty ordinary. All the employees he passed greeted him, and Dean greeted them back with a friendly smile. He entered his office and walked to his desk. He looked at his desk; there was a plaque that read "Director."
Dean sat in his chair, reached inside his jacket, and pulled out the letter his wife had given him last night. He reread it, resting his hand on his chin and frowning. Then he pressed the intercom.
"Silvia, can you come to my office now?" Dean asked.
After that, he leaned back in his chair and placed the letter on the desk. "Click!" The office door opened, and a beautiful, sexy woman wearing glasses walked in.
"What can I do for you, sir?" the woman asked.
"Silvia, could you please look into this company? And if it's legitimate, please ask if we can get a breakdown of the debt," Dean replied, handing the letter to Silvia.
"Oh, okay, sir. What is this?" Silvia asked.
"It's a personal matter. Please keep it quiet if you can," Dean said.
"Understood, sir. I'll look into it. And I've already updated your schedule for this afternoon via email, sir," Silvia replied, adjusting her glasses and looking at the envelope.
"Alright, thank you, Silvia," Dean said with a smile.
"You're welcome, sir," Silvia smiled back.
After Silvia left, Dean turned his chair around and opened the blinds in front of him. He looked out the window at the city in the morning, thinking.
"Who borrowed money using my name?" Dean wondered to himself.
*****
Two months later, on a Sunday, "Bang!" Dean turned to see his wife slam her hand on the table, her face absolutely fuming.
"Honey, I told you to deal with that debt and not let them come back! But why are they still coming? They even picked up Laila as if they wanted to take her with them! I'm really scared and look, why has the amount increased instead of decreased?!" his wife demanded, shoving a piece of paper in front of Dean.
Dean was shocked. The debt had nearly doubled in just two months. Dean put the paper on the table and rubbed his head. He turned to his wife.
"Honey, I've looked into the company, and it turns out they're illegal. I'm reporting them to the police, so please be patient," Dean said.
"How can I be patient? Just imagine if you saw our child about to be taken away. Plus, their eyes when they look at me, it's like they're stripping me naked with their gaze. They've been coming almost every day for the past two months, and it's really stressing me out!" his wife yelled.
"I understand. I'm asking you to be patient for now. The police haven't given me an update yet. Just hold on..."
"Bang!" Before Dean could finish speaking, his wife slammed the table again. Her face was bright red and she looked absolutely furious.
"The police... the police... why don't you just pay the money, fix it, and the problem's gone!" his wife screamed.
"Laura, you know the amount is huge. All our savings will be gone if we force ourselves to pay it off. We have to think about Laila's future," Dean argued.
"Ha! You care more about money than your child being taken as ransom? Are you serious? Money can be earned. You're a director! If I have to, I'll work again or start a business to help you. We're in danger, don't you get it?!" Laura shrieked.
Dean remained silent, letting Laura yell at him passionately. But eventually, his head started throbbing from his wife's endless ranting. When his emotions reached their peak, "Bang!" Dean stood up, slamming his hand on the table, his face red, and stared sharply at his wife. He exploded at her.
"I said be patient! It's Sunday! I want to rest! I'm tired!" Dean roared at Laura.
Laura gasped. She froze, and tears started to stream down her face as she saw Dean staring at her with wide, sharp eyes, his hands clenched into fists. Laura took a breath and wiped away her tears.
"Fine, if that's what you want, I'll be patient. But I can't stay here anymore. I've told you everything, and you've ignored me. Today, I'm going back to my parents' house with Laila, and after that, we'll sort out our divorce," Laura said.
"What?! Divorce? Just because of this, you want divorce me?!" Dean yelled, crumpling the paper and shaking it in Laura's face.
"Pay them, solve the problem! You don't understand what Laila and I go through every day! Every single day, Laila and I are terrorized! You don't feel how scared I am, how scared Laila is in this house! I tried to tell you and convince you, but you just told me to be patient and yelled at me! Sorry, I'm leaving right now, goodbye," Laura said, turning away.
"Hey, wait... Laura!" Dean yelled, feeling completely abandoned by his wife, his emotions still at their peak.
But Laura kept walking into the room, and a moment later, she came out dressed neatly and pulling a suitcase. Then she went into Laila's room and carried Laila out. Dean chased after Laura, who was carrying Laila.
"Hey, what are you doing?!" Dean yelled, seeing his child being taken, and grabbing his wife's shoulder.
"Say bye-bye to Daddy," Laura told her daughter Laila, shrugging her shoulder to break free from Dean.
"Bye-bye, Daddy," Laila said, opening her palm and waving it.
"Click!" Without a glance at Dean, Laura walked out with Laila and just left. "Wham!" Dean punched the wall next to him, furious that Laura hadn't listened to him.