You make me smile :)

CHAPTER-16: Daddy Issues

"You're in denial" said Anna, carefully analysing Sam, who was reading Alex's business column in the newspaper.

"I didn't know that he was as famous as me" said Sam, shrugging her shoulders and pretending not to care.

Anna raised her brows, shocked at what Sam had just said.

"Fine! He's a little bit more famous than me, a very tiny bit!" said Sam as she turned the page of the newspaper.

"You would have known this a long time back if you would have read the newspaper once in a while, at least." joked Anna.

Sam wasn't liking the fact that Anna was not very supportive of her. She was busy figuring out what was wrong with Anna when her pocket began to vibrate. It startled Sam for a minute and then she realised that her cell phone was ringing.

"Hello? Who's this?" said Sam, picking up the phone.

"Sam, we need to talk." said the man on the phone. She recognised that voice in a split second.

"Daddy? Is that you? Oh my God! I was so scared when that stupid blonde money making machine called me up and told me that you were missing..or dead!" cried Sam.

"Sammy dear, I need you to listen to daddy very carefully. You're not going to like what I'm going to tell you, but I'm running out of time. I have left all my assets in your name and I've given Charlotte my will, all you have to do is sign it and all that is mine will be yours." said the man on the phone.

"But why? It's not like you're going anywhere, are you? Daddy? Answer me!" cried Sam, waiting to hear that maybe her dad is going on a world tour or getting married again or doing anything else but leaving her.

"Goodbye Sam." said the man on the phone. And then the line got cut off.

"Hello? Daddy? Dad! Don't leave me again!" cried Sam as she stood there, stunned like a statue.

Anna stood beside Sam, comforting her when her phone rang again. Anna picked it up while Sam just stood where she was.

"Hello? Who's this?" asked Anna, moving to the other corner of the room. She didn't want Sam to take too much stress, and every time the phone would ring, it would only disturb Sam's feeble attempts at living in peace.

"I'm your only hope sweetheart!" said the woman on the phone. It sounded like she was on the road.

"Joanna? Is that you?" asked Anna, even though she knew the answer to her question.

"You're smart Annabell, just not smart enough! You think that you can protect your best friend from the wrath of the titans? Well, guess what? You can't!" said Joanna, enjoying every bit of the conversation.

"Get to the point!" said Anna, bluntly.

"Poor Sam is going to be an orphan very soon! Her daddy dear has gotten himself into some serious trouble! Well, that's none of my concern. I'm just going to do what I'm paid for. I'm texting you the address to the place where you might find her dad, or at least try finding him. Good luck Anna, can't wait to catch up with you later!" said Jo, as she cut the phone.

Anna went back to where Sam was standing like a statue. She whispered into Sam's ears what seemed like "Everything's going to be alright, Sam. We'll find our way out of this mess, ok?"

Sam was unmoved by what Anna had just said to her. She had lost all hope. She sank into the floor, crying.

"My dad's gone, Anna. And this time, it's for real. He told me that he had documented all his assets, including all his property in my name. He was talking about this will he had made and handed over to Charlotte for safekeeping. He sounded scared like hell, as if he was running from someone. I don't want to lose him, Anna. I don't have the strength in me to bear all this anymore." cried Sam as she hid her face with a cushion cover while Anna hugged her.

"Oh Sam, we are going to find him, do you hear me? We are going to help him get out of whatever he has gotten himself into." said Anna, with a conviction in her voice when suddenly she got a text. It was from Jo.

"I might know where he is right now, so we must hurry." said Anna, opening the text message from Jo.

Sam sat up straight, wiped her face with the sleeves of her shirt and said, "Where is he?"

"I don't know, I've never heard of this place before. Jo says that there's a lead to be found in Augsburg. She's given me this address, seems like a safehouse..or something. I don't know what she says, she's a liar anyway." said Anna, baffled by Jo's text and her own poor geographical knowledge.

Sam seemed all worked up, trying to remember something. 

"I remember when I was six-years old, I'd gone with my mom and dad to this huge mansion kind of thing." said Sam, staring at the ceiling.

"Sam, honey you're not helping right now. All that we do is visit people who live in mansions and we live in one ourselves!" said Anna, growing more and more confused.

"It was not any ordinary mansion, Anna. I remember the street that we would drive past to get to it. It had a signboard with "Augsburg" written on it!" said Sam, as her eyes narrowed.

"What else can you remember Sammy?" asked Anna, hoping that whatever Sam knew would lead them to her dad.

"That it's in Germany." said a man, who was leaning against the door.

The girls were scared as hell and got startled at first, until they realised that it was somebody they knew.

"Alex! How did you get in?" asked Sam, angrily.

"Don't you girls ever feel the need to lock your doors? Or is it that your doorbell has gone bad and that you two love the element of surprise!" joked Alex, as he approached the two of them.

"Did you overhear our conversation? Don't you have any manners?" asked Anna, trying to be as angry as she could be.

"Consider me guilty. I couldn't help but eavesdrop on my two dear friends who are going through a rough patch. Why didn't you two tell me about our dad earlier? I have information on him that I could have shared with the two of you, if only you would let me, of course!" said Alex, looking at Sam who was looking elsewhere to avoid that whole eye contact thing that they had going on.

"What do you know Alex?" demanded Sam.

"I know that your dad has been spending a lot of money lately. On what? That I don't know. How do I know this? He has a Vanderbilt bank account. Why? Because he's a shareholder of the Vanderbilt group of industries. That's all I know, for now. But I really think that whatever it is that he is doing with all this money, he is not the one who's making the decisions. And I also feel that he's running out of time, and so are you, Sam. So whatever you have to do, do it as fast as you can." said Alex as he prepared to leave.

"Alex! Wait! Thanks for the info, I'll follow up on that. You seem to know things that can help me find my dad." said Sam, reluctantly.

"Always happy to help! And you're welcome." said Alex as he approached the door to leave.

Sam knew that she needed all the help that she could get and that Alex would do anything for her. So she didn't want this golden opportunity to slip out of her hands. She knew what she had to do.

"Alex! How would you like a trip to Augsburg, Germany....with me?" asked Sam, rolling her eyes and passing a very sweet smile to Alex. She knew what his answer would be anyway.