Beautiful Mask - Episode 1

Fifteen years ago

Simon:

"Dad, you are scaring me. Stop the car for a minute so you can calm

down" I say but he doesn't even acknowledge me. He just continue

mumbling to himself.

"My own brother stole my documents!. I trusted him when he said he was

satisfied with the vice president position our father gave him. If i

get my hands on him, he'll regret betraying me. I will report him for

fraud and theft"

I look nervously to the road and then at my father. I may just be 12

years old but i know anger and driving dosnt end well. With the speed

my dad's going, I am sure it wouldn't end well. Dad just picked me

from school when he got a call and his expression changed instantly. I

think we are heading to uncle's house as I've heard him mention him

several times.

"Where is that my phone?" my father says and he starts searching

frantically around the car with no hands on the steering wheel. Our

car starts moving in a zig-zag motion and my dad doesn't even notice

it. It swerves onto a bridge and that's when I see a petrol tanker

moving towards us.

"Dad! Look!"i yell as our car runs towards the tanker

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/beautiful-mask

. My dad quickly

divert the car from its path but the tanker runs into another car

behind it. My dad stops our car and i watch as petrol splash

everywhere. People gather around the crushed car and they drag all the

occupants out. From where i am inside the car, i can see an

unconscious man being dragged out after his wife and two daughters are

brought out. The woman is conscious and currently wailing and so are

the daughters who are probably twins. They look identical. I move to

get out of the car but my dad hold my arm. I look at him and he shakes

his head.

"We need to help them dad" I say.

"No, I could get in trouble. Do you want the police to apprehend your

father?" he asks me and i shake my head.

"You know i didn't mean for this to happen right?" he asks and i just

look ahead towards the accident scene which is now covered by smoke.

An ambulance is already at the scene. I don't see the victims anymore

except one of the twin. They are probably inside the ambulance.The

second twin is currently looking inside the car and suddenly, the car

explodes.The force of the explosion pulls a door from the car which

hits the girl standing by the car and the force pushes the girl off

the bridge.

"No!" I scream as people rush to the edge of the bridge. They are all

looking down and shaking their head. I see the woman from the car rush

out of the ambulance towards the edge of the bridge screaming while

the paramedics try to hold her back.

"dad, we cant just sit here" I shake my dad who is banging his head on

the steering continuously while mumbling that its not his fault. My

dad looks up at me then at the accident scene. His eyes goes wide at

the sight of the chaos and suddenly, we are zooming off the road.

"dad, stop. They need our help" I cry

"no!. I cant go to prison." he says then turn to me.

"I wasn't at fault. If the police asks, you'll say i was carefully

driving when that car hit the tanker. Do you understand me?"

"the police?"

"Yes, the police. During their investigation, they would probably look

for us. You are the only witness apart from the tanker driver who is

probably dead by now" he says but my twelve years old brain cant seem

to understand this. My dad is not a bad person. He is actually my hero.

Why then is he asking me to lie to the police?.

"But dad, you told me the police are the good guys. Why should i lie

to them when they can help?" i ask

"listen to me son, if you love me, you'll lie for me. Do you want to

tear our family apart?. Your mother and your brother won't be happy if

i am in prison. Do you understand me?" he sobs out and i nod.

"Okay dad. Stop crying now" i say and he gives me a wane smile.

************************

present day

Steven:

"What the hell!" my mom screams. Success jumps off my lap and try to

button up her blouse while my mom throw daggers at her with her eyes.

Believe me, if looks can kill, success would probably be lying on my

office floor dead.

"Mom, chill. We are two consenting adults." I say and my mom's eyes go to me.

"You better shut up" I raise my hands in surrender. She looks back to

success who is currently quivering in her 7-inch shoes.

"You are fired, bitch. Now get out of this office and pack your

stinking belongings. I want you out of this building in five

minutes" my mom sneer at her. Success goes to say something, probably

beg for her job but my mom raise her hand to shut her up. Success look

to me but i just shrug my shoulder. Success huff at me and walk out

disgraced and jobless but i don't care. I stand up and walk to my

mother.

"Mother, you cant just burst in here and fire my secretary" I say

"I can and i would continue to fire them all. Why do you only hire the

sluts?"she asks

"mom, i hire girls that can be of help to me"i say and grin.

"son, they are all gold-diggers. They just want your money.

Read " To Live For Once (Set Me Free II) " by the same author ( Ameh juliet )

. Remember i

had to pay off that slut who lied about being pregnant for you just

two months after you got back from the states."

"That's why i told you i didn't want to come back to this rotten country"

"You were in the states for almost fifteen years son. After that Freak

accident when you dad almost died" she says and i grind my teeth.

"You cant avoid the country forever. You are safe here." she

continues. My mom and younger brother don't really know the details of

that accident. Everyone thinks my dad is the victim and after he bribed

the whole police force, the real victims were labelled the culprits.

The guilt of testifying against them still haunts me. Yes, i was a

child then but i knew it was wrong. Thankfully, my dad took me abroad

a year after and i have avoided the country since then. The only reason

i am back is because my father is dead. Now, i am supposed to take

over. I don't want to be here so since i got here, i have been

provoking my mom by sleeping with all my secretaries.

"I know what to do. I am going to be the one to hire your next

secretary"she say and storm off.