A Hope To Reclaim

A wild grin stretched across Robert's lips, making him look like the devil's replica. He nodded eagerly, agreeing to her condition without wasting a second.

"I will leave you alone and you will never be a part of the Harrison family again," he said. 

"That's exactly what I want."

Anastasia took the papers and signed them. The Harrisons watched as the ink stained the paper with her signature. They finally got what they wanted. 

Unbeknownst to Anastasia, they had a completely different plan for her. 

Anastasia handed the papers over to Robert and he wasted no time in retrieving them as his eyes glued on her signature. 

A few moments ago, Anastasia had been the richest member of the Harrison family. But now, having transferred everything she owned into Robert's name, he was the wealthiest.

"I will have the doctor come treat you properly so that you will recover quickly," said Robert, a huge smile on his lips. 

Anastasia stared at him, her face expressionless. She didn't say anything to either him or the other two that were behind him. 

Michelle was with the divorce papers. It was obvious from her smile how she ogled at Anastasia's signature that she was happy about the divorce. Sadly, Xavier was on a business trip so the divorce had to wait until he came back. 

'What can I expect from them? I shouldn't feel sad about this, I'm finally free from their clutches,' Ana thought to herself. 

The Harrisons excused her and called in the doctor to give her proper treatment.

A few days passed, and it was finally the day Anastasia was going to be discharged from the hospital. She waited for Robert until nighttime, the hours dragging by, before he finally arrived.

It was raining heavily on that day, making the streets slippery and dangerous. 

"Ana," Robert called her. He was sitting beside her in the back seat while his two bodyguards were at the front. "I'm so glad we are going home, everyone missed you," he added, a warm smile on his face which made Anastasia uncomfortable because he'd never spoken to her with warmth before. 

He attempted caressing her cheeks but Anastasia immediately scouted away from him. 

"I'm only going home to take the necessary things I need and I will leave," she corrected him, glaring at the hand he dropped by his side.  

Robert sighed, his smile still evident on his face. 

Anastasia saw the car change directions and she immediately became alert. 

"Where are we going?" She questioned. "This is not the way to the mansion."

"I'm sorry but I can't let you leave, Ana."

Before she could react, Robert hit her head hard with the gun he snuck out of his pocket without her noticing, making her go unconscious. 

They stopped the car for a brief second, carrying Anastasia to the boot of the car discreetly. They got back and continued their ride, heading towards their destination, where they planned to bury her. 

Suddenly, the car hit a patch of mud and skidded uncontrollably. The bodyguard who was driving tried to regain control, but the vehicle was very close to the edge of the road. 

Everyone inside was scared for their lives, except Anastasia who had already passed out in the boot of the car and was unaware of what was happening. 

The other cars on the street made their way quickly so they wouldn't collide together and have an accident occur. 

The car hit the barrier at the edge of the road, causing the trunk to fly open. Anastasia was thrown from the vehicle, rolling off the cliff and tumbling into the thick forest below.

Robert quickly got out of the car when he was sure that the car was stable and found the booth of the car already opened. 

He gritted his teeth in anger. "We are going to search for Ana in the forest," he instructed and had the bodyguards follow him. They went the other way which led to the thick forest since they didn't think they would survive it if they jumped over the barrier. 

The search for Anastasia began. But unfortunately, after an hour of searching for her under the heavy rainfall, they grew tired. 

"Boss, there's a possibility that she has already been eaten by the wild animals," one of the two bodyguards said, his eyes darting from one tree to another in fear that a wild animal would jump on them and use them as their dinner. 

"I agree. Even before she lands in the thick forest, I'm sure the branches have already stabbed her. She won't be able to survive it, boss," the other one immediately agreed, hoping that their boss would just let them leave the creepy forest. 

Robert contemplated for a while before he replied, "I guess you are right. She won't be able to survive it. She's dead." He declared. They turned their backs, deciding to leave. 

**

Deep in the forest, a man clad in a suit with an umbrella above his head by one of his men, keeping him from getting wet ordered, 

"Make sure you leave no evidence behind." It was Xavier, talking to his men. 

The men, also clad in black suits, responded in unison. "Yes, boss!" They covered the body, a human trafficker who they had recently caught but refused to give them intel about his organization with sand, burying him deep in the ground. 

Xavier threw away the cigarette he was smoking in the forest, the rainfall quenching it immediately as he supervised his men. 

When he was sure that they didn't leave any evidence behind, he turned to leave but another one of his men screamed, grabbing his attention and the attention of others as well.  

"What is it?" Xavier questioned, annoyance evident in his tone. Even though the forest was thick and people rarely visited it, they still needed to be careful. 

"Boss, there's something over there," the man said, pointing to one side of the forest which was pitch black. 

A flashlight beam cut through the darkness, illuminating the area and giving them a clear view of the scene.

Xavier walked towards the object with cautious steps but when he got closer, he realized it was a human being and not an object. 

Xavier pushed the body over to see the face. His eyes widened in shock and disbelief as he recognized the person lying before him.

"Anastasia?"