Chapter 74 - When Hope Is Lost

Chapter 74: When hope is lost

Mckenna stared at herself in the mirror. She looked like she had aged in a matter of hours. The phone call she just had with Naya and Chike did nothing to improve her mood.

They had instructed her not to pay the ransom instead to stall for as long as she could.

They asked her to risk her family's lives. Mckenna didn't want to, It was just money. Mckenna knew that if she could find the money then she could convince Kane to let them go.

She opened the tap and splashed water on her face. She was dressed for work. She needed to carry on with her day like nothing was wrong so she doesn't draw suspicion. 

Mckenna wiped her face with the white towel she took from the wardrobe in the bathroom. Even though she just took a cold bath, she felt like she was on fire.

She entered her bedroom. Elena was there waiting for her. Mckenna had texted her to come that morning.

"Do you really have to go to work, Mk? Nobody expects you to.... your husband and child are missing" Elena spoke softly to her.

Mckenna didn't say a word instead she walked inside the closet and five minutes later, she was dressed in a simple cut black dress that didn't need a lot of accessories. She was also holding a pair of silver heels.

Mckenna sat on the bed and started buckling her heels.

Elena moved closer to her.

"Mckenna!" She shook her hand.

"Yes, I can hear you. I need to go to work. It will be too suspicious if I don't go and Jason is absent too. People will notice and when people notice, they talk. It's why I want you to take over Jason's conferences and dealings for the week. The story is that he is out of the state for a week. Can you do that?" Mckenna asked her.

Elena nodded. "If you need anything, please ask"

Mckenna turned to look at her. She had a distant look in her brown eyes like she was seeing into the future.

"Funny, you should say that. I need your inheritance" 

Elena blinked. Her father had left her some money when he died. It was in a trust fund.

"My inheritance? How much do you actually need?" Elena asked her.

"All of it" Mckenna's answer sounded more like a question.

"It's impossible, Mckenna..." Elena told her.

"Make it possible because I can't afford all the money Kane wants. Jason is the rich one not me and I don't have access to his personal accounts and I can't touch the business accounts without his mother knowing. So I need you to give me all your money, Elena" Mckenna explained in one breath.

"I wish I could but to take everything, I need my brothers' signature and two days minimum to process the request. I am sorry-" Elena saw the way McKenna's head lowered like she was in physical pain.

The sweating was becoming unbearable. Mckenna's black dress was almost soaked. She took the remote and cracked up the air conditioning unit.

"If you will excuse me, I need to throw up" Mckenna stood up and walked into the bathroom and she threw up. When she came out, Elena was on the phone.

"That's great, thank you" 

Elena hung up and looked at her best friend.

"I have roughly 10,000 grand in my personal account. I just called the bank and you can have it in two hours"

Mckenna knew it was nowhere close to the amount Kane was asking for but it didn't stop Mckenna from hugging her friend. 

"Thanks, Elena"

"What will you do now?" Elena was curious.

"I am going to take the 1.5 million dollars that is left from the money Jackson Donna paid to keep me quiet years ago....I know that I said I would never touch that money after I took it to start our business but I have to" Mckenna explained to her.

"Nobody is going to blame you for taking his money. He owes you more than that amount. But... between us, we have roughly a half of the money Kane wants. What are we going to do?"

Elena was worried. The way she repeatedly rubbed her forehead made it obvious to Mckenna.

In return, Mckenna flashed her most convincing smile. "Don't worry about it, Elena. I have got this. All you need to do is lie your ass off about Jason's whereabouts to everyone including his mother. Just lie for me, Elena"

Elena nodded. Hearing that there was a plan in place made her feel at peace.

"I should go, Jason has a meeting by..." Elena checked her wristwatch "now! I will call you"

Mckenna nodded and she still had a smile as Elena dashed out of the room.

She stood up and the smile was gone from her face, there was no reason to lie to herself. She had no plans or more money. Her personal account contained less than 6 grand and she could access Kara's fund for the 2 grand there but that was it. Jason's finances were out of her reach.

With his six ATM cards she can get roughly get 1 thousand 400 hundred dollars, she would still be a couple of millions short.

Mckenna picked up her bag and left the bedroom after she collected everything she needed to get the money.

She was halfway to her office when her phone rang and it was a strange number.

Usually, Mckenna doesn't pick up calls from unknown numbers but she reasoned that it could be Kane and so she picked it up.

"Hello" Her voice was steady.

"Good morning. Am I speaking to Mrs Ekoh-Yagazie?" The voice sounded kind and respectful but psychopaths usually are manipulative.

"Yes. Who is this?" Mckenna asked with a firmer voice.

"Hi. I am Daniel. I have been trying to reach your husband's number but it's not connecting and so I decided to call you" 

Mckenna transferred the phone from one ear to another.

"I don't want to sound rude but what do you want, Mr. Daniel? I am in a meeting" Mckenna asked impatiently.

"Mr Ekoh-Yagazie wanted me to give him a heads up when the IRS decides to go after Jackson Donna. Can you tell him that the timeline has been moved up?" 

Mckenna exhaled. She can't deal with another problem.

"When is it, Mr. Daniel?" Mckenna asked instead.

"Today, ma'am. The search happens in two hours. I don't know how but they have found the location of the small book. Mr Donna will be spending a lot of time in jail for fraud, extortion and money laundering. I should let you get back to your meeting"

The line was dead.

Mckenna tried to push the new information to the back of her head, she couldn't save the father that abandoned her while the family that she loved was in deep shit.

Mckenna came down from the car and went up to her office. When she got there, her secretary told her that she had a visitor. 

"Send everyone away and tell Jessica to meet me in the office"

Mckenna entered the office, opened the safe and cleared the cash inside it.

She knew there was only one other person in the country capable of giving her that amount of money in a moment's notice.

The idea made her quiver. But she needed Jackson Donna's help. 

Mckenna picked up her phone and dialed Amazing's number but just like other times it went to voicemail.

Jessica entered just as Mckenna was about to leave again.

"You want to see me" 

"Hey, Jess. Do you mind being in charge of the office for a day or two?"

"Why? Is everything alright?" Jessica asked.

"Everything is perfect" Mckenna's smile was convincing "but if you must know, we are trying to get pregnant. So, Jason and I will be spending a week in Lagos. Can you fill in for me?"

"Of course... congratulations"

"Thank you" 

Mckenna was out the door as soon as she was done with the conversation.

It took her ten minutes to get to the Donna group of company's building and a second to get into the reception.

The receptionist was nice and cordial but it didn't stop Mckenna from remembering the last time she was there, when she was still trying to tell Jackson that she was his biological daughter. It was a painful experience.

"I am here to see your CEO" 

"Good day. May I have your name please?"

"I am Mckenna Yagazie. Just tell him that and it will click" 

The receptionist picked up her landline and placed a call to Jackson Donna, and after a moment of saying yes sir, she turned with a huge smile on her face to Mckenna.

"I am sorry but Mr. Donna is currently in a business meeting. Can I take a message?" The receptionist asked her.

"No," Mckenna shook her head.

She took out her phone and dialed Jackson's number herself and luckily, he picked.

"Hi Daddy" she said sarcastically.