Is this destiny?

~ Chicago, undisclosed location ~

Saturday afternoon…

Matthew is sitting in a basement-like room without any windows. A metal table is between him and a man who is tied up to a chair and has a burlap sack over his head.

Five Matthew\'s men are in the room as well. They are standing next to the wall with hands behind their backs while silently observing two men in front of them and waiting for any order from their boss.

Matthew is rapping his fingers on the table while recollecting what got him here.

On Wednesday, Ellie was attacked after her show. Matthew\'s men picked up from the park severely beaten up man (the gang leader who was dumped by Jasper and Aiden). That man didn\'t need a lot of \'persuasion\' to tell Matthew\'s men how he was hired on Sunday to hurt Ellie and what they were planning to do to her. He cried like a baby while wondering, why is he getting beaten up twice during the same night, for the same information?

Matthew tried to understand based on the information he has: who hired those people?

Matthew is aware that Jasper\'s father, Norman, expressed more than once during social functions his approval of Lilian Cavadini as Jasper\'s future wife. Because of this, Matthew can assume that Norman does not approve of Ellie.

Lilian is the woman who hired a private investigator to follow Ellie and collect information on her. The woman is obviously obsessed with Ellie\'s boyfriend, Jasper.

Ethan informed Matthew that Ellie is buying shares of K Industries where Jasper is the CEO, and that she is targeting three specific shareholders.

Matthew analyzed: Ellie made enemies out of those three shareholders, Lilian and Norman.

He sighed while thinking how all this commotion is because of that boyfriend of hers. Ellie was doing great while single. Does she need that rubbish of a boyfriend? Jasper is useless, being suppressed by his own lame father while attracting all kinds of trouble for Ellie!

Matthew promised to stay out of Ellie\'s personal life, so he will only watch… No matter how difficult it is. But he can\'t sit back and watch when someone openly attacks his daughter.

Matthew forced his mind to return to the topic...

Shareholders didn\'t know about Ellie until Monday, and the gang leader said that he was hired for the job on Sunday. So, they are not suspects for hiring this gang.

The ones who had some grudge against Ellie at the time ruffians were hired are Norman Kiani, and Lilian Cavadini.

Matthew\'s information on Lilian is that she is a spoiled second generation rich kid who is not very smart, and resorts to petty schemes. Due to that, Matthew categorized her as a suspect number two, leaving him with Norman Kiani as a suspect number one.

Matthew knows that Ellie is already in Los Angeles. Maybe his daughter is benevolent and is ready to leave things as-is. Maybe she will take her time to think how to deal with the threat... But that is not Matthew. Ellie is his daughter and he can\'t stand the fact that someone hired five ruffians to hurt her! And when he found out the details what those men wanted to do to his baby daughter, his blood boiled.

He came from Northern Ireland to take care of this matter personally! The only thing that can calm his raging emotions is that he personally makes sure for everyone involved to receive instant karma.

All five ruffians are already beaten up severely and hospitalized while suffering from multiple fractures and internal injuries. Matthew made sure that they experience maximum pain, but to stay alive. They don\'t deserve a quick exit for daring to think that they can touch his daughter!

Back to present...

Matthew made a move with his hand, and one of his men removed the burlap sack, revealing Norman Kiani whose mouth is sealed with a duct tape.

Norman blinked few times, adjusting his eyes to the light when his sight fell on the man in front of him. Short brown hair, sharp hazel eyes, scar on left cheek, tattoo on his neck which is disappearing under the collar of his shirt. He would ask him what is the meaning of this, but his mouth is sealed.

After a long silence, Matthew spoke: "So… you are the man who does not approve of Ellie. I wonder, why?"

"Oh…", Matthew chuckled. "I forgot that you can\'t speak."

Matthew made a movement with his hand and one of his men removed duct tape in one swift move.

"What is the meaning of this?!!", Norman roared as soon as his mouth was unobstructed.

Matthew frowned. "Continue in that tone, and I will make sure you don\'t talk. Ever."

Matthew\'s icy voice made Norman shiver.

"Why am I here?", Norman asked in a much lower volume. "You mentioned Ellie. Did she send you?"

"Ellie?" Matthew didn\'t like that this despicable man dares to say Ellie\'s name. "Is there a reason for her to ask me to bring you here?"

"She is a scheming woman who dares to go after my company and after my son!" Norman was consumed with rage. He completely neglected the fact that he is tied up to a chair and facing a man who is frowning every time he talks badly about Ellie.

Matthew\'s eye twitched. Why is this man underestimating his daughter? "If she is after your company, she would own it already. And your son is the one pursuing Ellie."

"He would not pursue her if she didn\'t seduce him first!"

Matthew nodded knowingly. "I see that you hate her."

Norman remembered how Ellie is that promiscuous woman. When he met her the first time, she shamelessly opened the door of Jasper\'s apartment and she was wearing his clothes! Next time they met, she played to be all innocent and sweet during their party and on Monday made him look like a fool during the board meeting. Since then, he didn\'t dare show up at office. He knows that everyone is laughing at him!

"Hmph! Hate is not strong enough word for how I feel about her! She embarrassed me in front of shareholders and directors!"

"Only a man who is full of insecurities is concerned about his image to this extent… but we are not here so that I make a better man out of you." Matthew raised his arm and two of his men pulled Norman\'s chair away from the table.

"What are you doing?", Norman squealed while panic consumed him. All of a sudden, he was aware of his predicament.

"You hired people to hurt my Ellie. I will do to you what they wanted to do to her.", Matthew explained while smile bloomed on his face.

"Hired people? Your Ellie?" Norman\'s eyes bulged out in fear and he raised his voice when he saw two men with bats approach him. "What are you doing?"

Matthew narrowed his eyes at Norman. "Are you going to deny that you hired a gang to attack Ellie? My Ellie."

Matthew\'s smile was the most sinister Norman ever saw.

Small nod from Matthew signaled the beginning of an agonizing night for Norman.

Several hours later...

Mathew is looking at Norman who is sprawled on the ground. His legs are bent at places they should not bend, and his left arm is not looking better either. He is all bloodied and bruised up.

"Blink twice if you can hear me.", Mathew\'s chilling voice filled up the space. "Good."

Mathew gestured toward a bulky man in tight black leather pants and white tank top who looks like a super-muscular Freddie Mercury impersonator. "This is George. If you ever think of doing anything bad to my Ellie, he will visit you."

Norman\'s eyes landed on George and widened in horror when he realized that George is grinning at him while holding two oversized dildoes in his hands.

Two seconds later, Norman passed out.

"Boss, should we wake him up again?", one of Matthew\'s men asked after confirming that Norman is unconscious.

Matthew frowned. "No need. He got the message. Take him away and dump him in a place where he will be found by morning."

He would kill this worthless man if he is not confident that Ellie would despise him for doing that. After all, this might be her future father-in-law. What a joke!

"When do you want us to pick up those two that Norman named as people of interest, Franco and Lilian Cavadini?", another man asked.

Mathew checked time on his wristwatch. "Tonight. I need to be back in Belfast by tomorrow evening. Let\'s have dinner by the time those two arrive."

---

If you are not reading this at \'W e b n o v e l .. c o m\', then the content you\'re reading is stolen! Please support the author by reading this novel from the original source.