Unstable Love Affair

Start Talking

*Matai picks up his sobbing daughter and carries her off the dance floor, demanding that his men stay back. He carries her upstairs to his office and sits her on the table, kissing her forehead repeatedly. He then grabs her face and runs his fingers over her scars and bruises before growling and standing up straight*

Matai: That bastard Richie did this, didn't he?

Jessamine: *lightly touches cheek* I-I-I-I.....

Matai: *cocks eyebrow* What's wrong?

Jessamine: *looks at him* W-Wh-Wh-What do y-y-you m-mean?

Matai: That. You're stuttering. Why? You never did that before.

*Jessamine sits in silence and rubs the back of her head, remembering the day she got her stutter, and breaks down crying*

Matai: Hey, *lifts her head up* what's wrong?

Jessamine: *sobbing* W-W-W-Why d-d-d-didn't you c-c-come back for m-m-m-me?

Matai: I tried! *growls slightly* But Tony, he took you out of state. I couldn't trace you.

Jessamine: W-Why didn't y-y-you get m-me when I-I-I was s-st-s-s-still here?

Matai: He wouldn't let me.

Jessamine: W-Wh-Who?

Matai: ......h...have you ever wondered about why me and your mother stayed together?

Jessamine: Y-Y-Y-Yes.

Matai: Seriously, when the hell did you get that stutter?

Jessamine: .......

Matai: *sighs* Anyway, I...worked for her dad. Grandpa?

Jessamine: G-G-Granddaddy Vito?

Matai: *nods* Well, he owned this....business here.

Jessamine: *hugs knees* Sex trafficking.

Matai: *shakes head* No. *crosses arms* Richie and that idiot Donnie run their own little thing here. But they still work for me so I get 15% of their profits.

Jessamine: From sex trafficking.

Matai: No! I....I didn't know they did that until after I took over.

Jessamine: *looks up at him* Took over?

Matai: Yes. Vito made me the co-leader, since he's known me the longest. When I found out about Donnie and Richie little....operation, I made them start taking the girls pictures and send them to me.

Jessamine: Why?

Matai: ....*motions to her* For this exact reason. I started thinking, "What if my little girl is out there and they pick her up?" So I looked at every girl they've had already to see if you were there, then when I didn't find you, I tried to get Vito to cancel it. Even Vito freaked when I told him my reasoning for being concerned, but he said they brought in too much money to just stop them. So, I made them send pictures of all the girls they pick up. I still don't like this because these girls ARE someone's children and they have them selling their bodies like that. *looks at Jessamine* You understand now?

*Jessamine nods and watches her father walks around the desk, sitting in his chair. Jessamine looks at his face a little closer. Scars going from the size of fingernails to knife wounds littered his once perfect face and neck region. Jessamine eyes drop down to his arm and she notices a fade surgical scar on his forearm. She figured that was from getting his arm fixed. She looked up at his face and founded him staring at her abdomen*