Chapter 1 She fainted

The phone was vibrating silently on the bedside table and Emily Clarke saw the caller and picked it up.

"The fish is out and is heading towards your house, you better be careful. I am trying to send reinforcement as soon as possible." After that, the call was disconnected.

Emily's body shivered but she felt a warm hand encircle around her and she heaved a sigh of relief.

"Is everything all right?" Richard Clarke whispered.

"He knows everything. And has already arrived outside, we are covered from everywhere." Emily whispered.

"Hey, don't worry everything is going to be all right. I am going to cover up outside, till the reinforcement arrives. You go and take care of Callie." He said and he hugged her tightly as if it was their last hug. And both walked in a separate direction.

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"Callie..." she heard her mother whisper her name and she woke up from her sleep. Her mother carried her to her bedroom and made her sit on the bed and whispered.

"Callie , honey come along, we will play the game of hide and seek and you will have to hide behind the secret chamber that I had shown you that day. You are not supposed to come out till mommy comes and gets you, okay." Her mother said excitedly.

she was fully awake now and was excited about the game, as she loved hiding when her mom and she played the hide and seek game, on the weekends and the secret chamber was a secret between her mom and herself but the main reason was, she could see everything from the peephole inside it and no one would be able to see her from outside.

"But mommy, you know I am hiding here so you will find me in no time. It will be so boring" She said unhappily.

Her mother smiled at her lovingly and hugged her, "That's the fun for today as we will both hide and daddy will look for us. So how do you think the game is interesting?'

"la la la la la, ...........that would be great" Callie sang happily. "But where is daddy?" Callie asked her mother.

"He will be with us any moment. Now quickly go and hide and don't come out till you are told." Her mother instructed her and made her go inside and the secret chamber and tied a gold chain around her neck. And kissed her forehead and said. "Just remember this Callie, mommy and daddy love you and Jayden and you should always listen to your brother, okay?"

"Okay mommy, I will always listen to my big brother but when will he come back," Callie said innocently.

"He will be back soon, love. Now quickly hide and don't come out till we call you."

Callie was excited as daddy would be searching for them. It was so much fun. It was late at night and she was surprised that mommy wanted to play a game before they slept.

She sat comfortably and looked out through the peephole on the cabinet door to see if her daddy was looking for her but she couldn't see anything as the room's light was very dim. She was giggling thinking he must be looking around the house for her but was not being able to find her.

The rays of the moon fell from the night sky and entered the secret chamber and it looked bright inside.

She was bored to death and thought of giving a hint to her dad about her hiding place and was about to open the door of the secret chamber when she heard a loud noise.

She quickly peeped from the hole and saw that her mother was lying on the bed and she thought daddy had caught mommy and now he will find her and so she stood there quietly and looked outside eagerly.

Callie saw that her mom was lying on the bed and a man who did not look like her dad was naked and was approaching her mom. She panicked, as she saw him slapping her mom, she opened her mouth to protest but no voice came out. Then she tried to open the door, but it could not be opened. She looked at that man who was forcing himself on her mom, as she struggled fiercely not allowing him to touch her.

Then she saw her dad coming in and grabbing that man and they started fighting, hitting each other. she tried to see the face of the man but failed miserably as it was dark.

Then she saw the strange man pointing something at her dad and he staggered back and fell, she could see her mom struggling and trying to hit that man but all of a sudden even she collapsed back. She was shocked and puzzled as to what was happening and tried to shout but no voice came out of her mouth. She stared at her mom, motionless in her place.

And then she fainted.

When she woke up, she was lying on the bed and her granny and brother were sitting beside her. Jayden hugged her tightly but no sound came out of her mouth.

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Authors POV

Fourteen years later......

Hudson Ford managed a perfunctory grunt, but his gaze stayed riveted on the specs for the Clarke project and his mind was fixed in it. He glanced at his watch, as he had to go to the board room for a meeting with Jayden Clarke the CEO of Clarke group in less than ten minutes and he wanted everything fresh in his mind.

He had worked day and night putting ideas for this project, aware that it would be a great milestone for and Associates' Architecture to get a good go-ahead.

And it would be an even bigger coup for him personally to be asked to head up the team. He had done a lot of work. Using his ideas. Hudson had spent the last two months putting together plans and the public space layout for the Clarke project. High-rise hospital and condo buildings. And last week while he had been to San Francisco working on another major project, he received a call from Jayden telling him to come back as they needed to start the project soon.