No matter what Barbra did, she couldn't get her mind off losing Adele. Every time she lay down at night, the first thought across her mind was Adele and the way she died in that horrible house fire. On the other hand, Charles, and their other children, all but Jacob, couldn't be happier. They were enjoying spending the money they received from her death while Barb tried her hardest to help her baby boy and herself move on. She should have ran when she had the chance, but Barbra was too scared of her husband and what he could have done to Adele.
Sadly, he never wanted her, but Barbra couldn't see herself aborting something that was a part of her. Charles treated her wrong from day one, but it progressed as she got older. That's when he pushed her older brother to abuse her while threatening to kill his own child if she tried to help. "Barb, you have to eat. It's been over a year and walking around like a zombie isn't helping anything."
"I was thinking, Ma. Thinking about what I could have done better or differently. I allowed him to mistreat our daughter... allowed him to do—"
"Talking about it won't change a thing, girl. I told you not to marry that... that man. I knew something was off about him. He was married twice before you, and both his wives magically disappeared." Her mother fussed while Barbra looked down, nodding sadly. She was right; her parents warned her about Charles, and Barb didn't listen. Then, within six months of their marriage, her dad mysteriously died while her mom suffered a stroke.
"I know... I know. I allowed him to manipulate me—"
"You allowed him to plot your daughter's death! And for what, Barbra? Money? Money you should have had to last you a lifetime, plus your children and grandchildren. There was no way you should be fucking broke. I hate to say this, but you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth. You never hurt for anything in your life. What did he have before meeting you? Nothing! You paid his way through law school only to be trapped with four children that don't belong to you. Then to have the nerve to treat them better than your flesh and fucking blood. Child, I could slap you to hell and back. Tell me, how much money do you have left?"
Barbra couldn't answer her question simply because she didn't what Charles to think her mom had something to do with her hiding her money. Charles was money hungry which Barbra realized quickly and she refused to let him drain her dry; therefore, she acted fast and after Adele was born, she made her the sole beneficiary of all her money and if that fail, she had another plan. Sadly, she knew this was the reason he wanted her daughter dead. "I... I can't answer that. Look Ma, you should go; Charles will be home any moment—"
"It's a Sunday. Did he not sleep at home?" She questioned, making Barbra look down at her cup of coffee with a heavy sigh. "You're the dumbest little child and I know we didn't raise you to be like this. Can't you see he's still cheating, spending your money on other women... and it's probably with that little hoe Jacob was messing with—"
"MOM!"
"Fine, I'm leaving but know everything will be much better once you leave his sorry ass." She spoke, getting up to go, and as always, she kissed Barba goodbye, leaving her to her thoughts once more. Barb still had some time before Charles arrived; therefore, she decided to read the Sunday paper until her phone rang.
Not many people called her unless it was one of her patients or the hospital, which made Barb hesitate to look. Today wasn't a good day, nor did she want to go to work, but when she turned over the phone, she noticed it was an unknown number. "Scammers, I have no time for you today." She said to herself, letting the phone ring only for it to stop and start over again. It had to be something important... maybe it was Charles.
Maybe he was dead; that would brighten up her day while she let a smile creep upon her face as she answered the phone, hoping it was the police informing her of Charles's death. 'Hello?'
'Mrs. Sallow, my name is Victor, and I'm calling about your daughter Adele.'
His accent threw off Barbra. Still, she wanted to know why anyone would call about Adele. Everyone who knew Dee knew she was dead. This had to be someone's cruel idea of a joke, and Barbra didn't have the patience for it today. 'Why would you be calling about my daughter? Adele... Adele died in a house fire over a year ago. I don't know what kind of game you are playing, but please don't call my number again—'
'Mrs. Sallow, she's alive....' Barbra couldn't believe her ears. It had to be a scam. Adele would never do something as drastic as that— or did she know? She had to know Charles was planning to kill her. Dee was always too smart for her own good, but this time, it paid off.
"Barbra, it's a Sunday; who the fuck are you talking to on the phone?" Hearing his voice made her blood run cold as she thought about what to say. She could lie, but Charles had his ways of finding out the truth, and she believed he had her phones tapped.
"It's a man claiming Adele is still alive—." Quickly, Charles snatched her phone out of her hand, blocking the man's number as his other hand went across her face. This made Barbra stand swiftly and block her face readying herself for another blow. Instead, Charles roughly gripped her chin as he forced her to look at him. "That little bitch is dead! GET IT THROUGH YOUR HEAD BARBRA! ADELE IS DEAD AND SHE'S NOT COMING BACK!"
"But what if—"
"There is no what ifs, Barb. Shit, I swear I should have had your ass killed instead. Adele was a whiny little bitch but not as whiny as you. I told you to abort those fucking babies... no, you had to have them. Insisting it would be the right thing to do but look where it got us. All she did was cry, and no matter how badly I beat her. The only thing that child has done was caused us trouble... look at what she did to Wesley—"
"DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE! YOU KNEW WHAT THAT MAN WAS DOING, AND YOU DID NOTHING. BUT YOU MADE SURE TO BLACKMAIL HIM! EVERYTHING IS ABOUT MONEY WITH YOU!" Barbra yelled as Charles towered over her, but it didn't stop her from talking.
"Why wouldn't you let me leave? I allowed you to put my daughter in harm's way to pay off your debts. Your debts, Charles! You promised me if she did what you told her, you would let her go. Adele finished college. She was the only one to finish. She earned her trust fund and would have given it to you if you would have asked."
After all this time, Barbra was finally seeing the truth. Charles was a money-hungry devil and loved no one but himself and his bastard children. He cared nothing about her, Adele, or Jacob. The only thing he saw was Dee's money and life insurance plan. The fact she was a millionaire didn't help. Ultimately, Charles ended up with over fifteen million dollars, which he claimed they needed. Sadly, Adele was collateral damage, and she probably died thinking she didn't love her.
"I hope we are finished with this conversation. I don't want to hear Adele's name mentioned anymore this morning. It's ruining my vibe. Where is my fucking breakfast?" He spoke, making Barbra run to the stove to fix his food while Charles made his coffee. Things were quiet for a long period, that was until his phone rang. The first thing that crossed Barb's mind was it had to be one of his little whores.
'Charles Sallow speaking.'
'Mr. Sallow, I'm Victor Schneider, and I was speaking with your wife about your daughter, Adele. I may have evidence that she's still alive.'
'I'm sorry, Mr. Schneider, but I think you must be confused. You see, I never had a daughter named Adele, and I can assure you both of my girls are alive and well. You picked the wrong family to scam. If you call my wife or me again, I'll sue you for everything you own— also, make sure you tell the little bitch to stay dead if she knows what's good for her...'
'Sir—'
'Have a nice day, Mr. Schneider, and don't call my number again.'
As Charles hung up the phone, his eyes found Barbra's. At this point, Barbra didn't know whether to run or stay for his blows. However, Adele's been gone for over a year, which left the question. Why now? Or was this true? If so, Adele was safer wherever she was, than here.
"It was that German man, wasn't it? Charles, please tell me you don't owe someone else money. I heard—"
"I know... I know. The money we borrowed was stolen from the German Mafia. I don't think they would use Adele's bitch ass against us. Something about him feels off." Charles spoke, scratching his head while Barb slowly ate her food.
"Do you think—"
"I don't fucking care. If the little slut is alive, she better stay where the fuck she's at. They always say the second time is a charm. I'll make sure I'll kill her myself, and if you stand in my way, I'll kill you as well."
Barbra nodded, but she couldn't help but to think what if. How did Adele escape, and could she do the same to free herself from her hellhole? Surely there was a way, and she was going to find it. "Maybe we—"
"No, leave it be, Barb. The bitch is dead... I know you loved her, but I wanted nothing to do with her. Plus, you said it yourself: Adele isn't that stupid." Barbra nodded once more, then left the situation alone as she continued her morning routine. Like always, Charles left for a shower, and out of nowhere, Jacob popped up.
"You allowed him to plot Adele's death."
"Lower your voice, J. I didn't let him do shit. You know how your Dad is. If he gets something in his mind, he does it. He claim we was about broke, and he had borrowed money from that boy. I knew it was shady from the start—"
"I don't care about that, Ma. I heard your conversation..." He spoke as he looked around the room and lowered his voice. 'Dee could be alive. Was it possible for her to find out about the hit?'
'I don't know Jacob. I know you're going to go looking for answers. Just be careful, alright. I can't lose both my babies but tell me if you find anything. And please... Please promise me you'll stay safe.' Jacob sighed but hugged Barbra with a gentle kiss on her forehead, causing her to smile.
'I promise, and if I find something, you and I are getting outta here for good.'
After everything that had gone down, Khalil needed a way out of South Carolina. With her boyfriend gone, she had no steady money flow, and Starbucks wasn't cutting it. She was a high-maintenance girl who needed special care. There was no way Khalil could keep up with her lifestyle without a rich man, and that man lived in Germany. The way Ali saw it, the German Mafia owed her since she had helped Luca... the Don. Now, she had to convince him to make her his bride, and Khalil knew she would be set for life.