Richard buys a bus ticket for a desperate mother of three, and the next day he discovers dozens of boxes on his doorstep. He has no idea her present will get him into trouble until his daughter opens one of the boxes.
It was a bright and sunny morning. Richard was engrossed in the song on his headphones as he scrubbed the bus station floors. For the past ten years, the bus terminal has been his universe.
Suddenly, a voice interrupted him. “Excuse me,” it said.
Richard turned around to find a woman about 35 years old. She appeared weak, and from her red, swollen eyes and tear-stained cheeks, Richard could tell she had been sobbing recently. She held a baby in her arms, and two older children stood next to her.
“Can I help you with something?” Richard worriedly inquired as he removed his headphones.
“I need to get to New York. Could you please help me purchase a ticket?” She asked, trembling.
“Is everything okay?” “You seem tense,” he said.
The woman paused. “I-I want to leave my husband. I should not tell you this, but he is not a good man. I have been unable to contact him for several days, and his actions and words have scared me. I just want to go to my sister in New York. I lost my wallet. Please help us.”
Richard couldn’t resist her, despite the fact that he’d have to give up his last money. He proceeded to the counter and purchased the ticket.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” she sniffled as he handed her the ticket.
“Please take care of your children,” he said.
“Can you give me your address?” she asked.
“Why would you need that?”
“I want to repay you. Please,” she said.
Richard relented, and soon, the bus the woman and her children boarded disappeared down the road.
Richard ended his shift and returned home to his daughter Amanda. After his wife abandoned them, she was his only source of support. Richard was upset by his wife’s decision, but he pulled himself together for the sake of his daughter.
Amanda had assumed far-reaching responsibilities by the age of ten. After school, she would clip her hair in a ponytail and get started on household tasks, including assisting Richard in the kitchen.
They danced in their small kitchen and experimented with different recipes. Then, in the evening, they sat on the couch and told stories about their days. That evening was no different. But the following morning was.
Richard was startled awake by Amanda’s voice. “Dad! “Wake up,” she exclaimed, gently shaking his shoulders.
He sat up groggily and rubbed his eyes. “What is it, sweetie?”
“There’s something unusual outside! “Come with me,” she pleaded, yanking him out of bed.
Richard strolled out onto the yard and saw a dozen boxes. He figured it was a misplaced cargo, until he noticed the envelope on one of the crates. It held a letter. He ignored the fact that Amanda had already begun opening the boxes as he started reading.
“Hi! It’s me, the woman you helped yesterday. I wanted to express my gratitude for your kindness. These boxes hold the possessions I wanted to bring to New York, but I decided to leave them to you so you could sell them and make some good money. All the best.”
Richard was still processing the letter when he was distracted by the sound of porcelain cracking. He turned back to discover Amanda had dropped a vase to the ground. For a time, he was annoyed by her carelessness. She’d broken the woman’s vase!
But then he saw the sparkling thing among the china pieces. He took it up. Richard had heard somewhere that diamond does not fog when you breathe on it. He was astounded to discover that the gleaming stone was a genuine diamond.
“Oh, God! “We’re rich!” he cried gleefully, his gaze fixated on the sparkling gem.
“We need to return it, Dad!” Amanda skimmed the shipping documents and found the sender’s address. “It’s not ours!”
“Think about the bright future, Amanda! We could send you to a good school!”
“No, Dad! What if we are taking away someone’s last hopes?”
Richard insisted on retaining the diamond, but Amanda convinced him to return it. Richard said he would, but he had something else in mind. On the guise of returning the diamond, he went to an antique shop.
“How can I help you, sir?” Mr. Lambert, the proprietor, inquired as Richard approached the counter.
“I wanted to get something appraised,” he explained, placing the diamond on the counter.
Mr. Lambert adjusted the focus of his loupe. “This is a magnificent piece,” he said, examining the stone. “The clarity, the cut…it’s an exception. I’d estimate its value to be at least $100,000. If I may ask, where did you get it?”
Richard’s eyes widened at the estimate, but he quickly composed himself. “Uh, it was… an inheritance,” he said. “So…can you buy it?”
“I think I’ll need to consult a colleague. Can you wait a moment?” Mr. Lambert asked. Richard nodded, and Mr. Lambert stepped away for a call.
“Good news!” he cried upon his return. “We can proceed with the purchase! “Can I take a look?” He extended his hand so Richard could hand him the diamond. However, there was a moment of carelessness, and the diamond landed on the floor. Mr. Lambert instantly bent down to take it up.
“Do not worry. It’s one of the most powerful compounds on Earth. He looked at the diamond and declared, “It’s definitely not harmed!” before returning it to Richard. “I can offer you $10,000!” he exclaimed.
“Wait, but you just told me it’s worth ten times that!” Richard argued.
Mr. Lambert indicated that he could only offer Richard a fraction of the market value because Richard lacked any documentation establishing the diamond’s origin. Richard asked Mr. Lambert if there was any way they could work it out, but he insisted on offering no more than $10,000.
Richard decided he did not want the money and drove home with the diamond. But he had a plan. Richard intended to relocate to another town, forge documentation proving the diamond’s origin, and sell it for its full market worth. He would need to persuade Amanda, but he would succeed.
As he arrived home, Richard sensed an eerie silence. “Amanda?” he called out, but there was no response. Usually, Amanda would come running at one call.
Richard sensed something was off. He searched the whole house, but there was no sign of Amanda. He began panicking, wondering where his daughter was, when he noticed a note on the kitchen countertop.
“You have my gem! If you want your daughter to be alive, bring it to the address mentioned below. If you call the cops, you won’t see your daughter again!”
Richard’s heart fell as his hands shook. Then his thoughts turned to the woman he had met at the bus stop. “My husband isn’t a good man…” Her words continued to echo in his ears. He dashed to the kitchen drawer and took out the shipping documentation. The address provided by the kidnapper matched the shipment address.
Richard felt a cold run down his spine. He had no time to waste or wonder if the wife was a collaborator in her husband’s evil plans. He drove to the address and found himself in front of an old two-story building.
Richard’s heart pounded in his chest as he reached the entryway. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door, which swung open. A man in a dark cloak emerged in the doorway and pointed his gun at Richard’s temple. He was approximately forty and had a scar on his left cheek.
“You…Richard?” he questioned in a harsh tone.
“Yes, I am.” “Where is my daughter?”
“Did you bring what I asked for?” the man inquired.
“Yes, I did.” Where is Amanda? “I need to see her!”
“All in good time!” the man smiled as he leaned closer to Richard, still leveling the rifle at him. “First, the diamond.”
Richard took it out of his pocket and raised it in the air. The kidnapper urged him to put it on the table. Richard entered the house with the rifle aimed at his back and followed instructions.
While keeping the rifle pointed at him, the man picked up the diamond and examined it. It wasn’t long until his face distorted with rage. “It’s glass! “Where is the real diamond?”
Richard was astonished. Then he remembered the moment when Mr. Lambert dropped the diamond. Could he have exchanged the gems?
“You either bring me $10,000 in a few days, or you’ll never hear your daughter’s voice again!” The kidnapper warned him.
Richard had no time to waste and headed straight to the antique shop.
“Oh, Mr. Richard! Back so soon?” Mr. Lambert smiled.
“I’m ready to sell the diamond for $10,000. I changed my mind!” he said, but Mr. Lambert refused.
“How about $7,000?” Richard further proposed.
“I’m sorry, but the diamond no longer interests me!” said Mr. Lambert.
Richard realized Mr. Lambert had indeed switched the diamonds. A strange fury gripped him. He landed a strong punch on the expert’s head, causing him to stumble. Then he grabbed a cord from a nearby table and tied the man.
“WHERE IS THE DIAMOND?” he asked angrily. “My daughter’s life is on the line, and you’re playing games? Trust me, I will kill you if you don’t answer!” He raised his fist, and finally, the expert spilled the truth.
The expert confessed that he and the kidnapper were in it together. They planned to extort $100,000 from Richard in exchange for Amanda’s release. Richard realized that the “colleague” the expert had contacted was actually the kidnapper.
“He removed the diamond from a billionaire’s residence! “Every cop has been looking for it.”
Richard smacked the expert in the head, knocking him out, and took a snapshot of him. He wasted no time in calling the cops and leaving a letter near the bound expert. Richard then drove back to his kidnapper.
As the entrance to the old house swung open, he approached the kidnapper. “I visited the antique shop, but guess what? Your buddy spilled quite a few beans! I know you planned the kidnapping together.
“Well, it turns out you’ve been played just as much as I have. He keeps the genuine diamond in a safe inside the shop. I tried to acquire the combination from him, but things became hot, and he’s gone.”
Richard then showed him the expert’s photo to make sure the man believed his story.
The kidnapper lost his composure. “That prick!” he shouted.
In a passion, the kidnapper stormed out of the house and drove to the antique shop. Richard took advantage of the circumstance, discovered his daughter, and set her free.
“Dad… I overheard the confrontation. “Did you really kill someone?” She inquired, the tape covering her mouth gone.
“No, Honey. It was a ruse and a bluff. “I had to make him believe it so he’d act recklessly,” Richard added, trying to console her with a smile. “But knowing him, I’d say he’s about to walk right into a trap. When I called the police earlier, I informed them about the expert’s involvement, and they went to the antique shop.”
Amanda’s eyes widened in awareness. “So, he’s going to be arrested?”
“Yes, and you are safe,” Richard said, recalling the message he had left for the detectives.
“In an hour, the man who stole the diamond you’re looking for will be here,” the sign said.
And Richard’s strategy worked. The kidnapper and expert were arrested. But he had a strange anxiety in his heart because he knew he’d get in trouble with the law if he didn’t call the cops right away after finding the diamond. But at least he saved his daughter.
