"Thank you, Granny," As soon as the door gets closed, Hazel got up and hugged her granny wholeheartedly.

The old woman shrugged under her tight squeezing hug and then slapped her shoulder to vent her anger, "Hazel, this time you have got too far, You shouldn't have done that." She said and Hazel's joyful face immediately fell.

"Granny, I was left with no choice." She pouted her lips in protest.

"Enough... We will discuss it later, now go and send back those officers." The old woman said dismissively and obeying her command Hazel stood up from her bed and casually walked down to the main gate.

While she was walking towards the main gate, she noticed that the backyard which was filled with a bunch of people was now empty and a wide triumphant smile appeared on her face.

She looked at her father's back, he was talking with two policemen. She then noticed the old witch that is her stepmother Betty who was standing at the side and trembling with slight fear.

With mischievous thinking, she walked toward her father and then coughed intentionally.

AHEM ... AHEM ...

"Here is my daughter, Hazel." Her father, Michael turned and introduced her in a plain voice.

Hazel's grinning face turned into a sad face as she looked at two police officers with her innocent hazel eyes, "Yes?" She asked looking at them blankly and then at her father.

"We have received a call from you, a threat call, you said your life was in danger." One of the policemen stepped and told Hazel.

He looked straight into Hazel's hazel eyes and could see the innocence and fear in them.

He shrugged and then suspiciously turned to her father, "If you think anyone could harm you in this house, just tell us." 

Hazel's father flinched under his suspicious gaze while Hazel looked at her father with a hidden smirk and at this moment he wanted nothing but to strangle Hazel and choke her to death.

Before Hazel could open her mouth, the old clever witch jumped in out of a sudden.

"We have never treated her in a bad way, Officers. This was just a misunderstanding." Betty said cleverly and then looked at Hazel to identify it but Hazel didn't respond at all.

Instead, her eyes started to fill with crocodile tears and she started to shed tears. Hazel was wearing a long-sleeved pajama set and with her long sleeves, she sniffed her nose making it red looking pitiful.

Both policemen's hearts seemed to melt by looking at her miserable state, "Tell us, dear. We will save you." The officer demanded politely and Hazel did a joyful dance inside her mind.

She looked at her stepmother with teary eyes and then at her father. They both looked at her with narrowed eyes but didn't dare to intimidate her in front of the officers.

ACHOO

Hazel sneezed and then said in a hoarse voice, "I am just a little sick, that call must be a prank call made by someone else from my phone." She gave her statement and the policemen had no choice but to leave reluctantly but still before leaving they didn't forget to warn her parents strictly.

After the police left, Michael turned to Hazel with hatred in his eyes, "You are good for nothing. Is this the way to cancel your marriage?" He questioned.

"I had asked you politely to not force me into this marriage but you just won't listen," Hazel said calmly which boils Michael's blood.

"20 years old... You have turned 20, this is the perfect age for your marriage." Her father scolded her repeatedly.

"I don't want to get married," Hazel stated and then turned to walk back to her room but her father's words halted her steps midway.

"I won't let you do what you want, Hazel. No marriage means no more bikes." He said in a threatening tone and all the hairs in Hazel's body stood up. Riding bikes is her passion, she is the best rider in the town and even won several bike races although it was illegal. Hazel had never done anything under legal terms that would make her father proud.

She wanted to become tough as a rock and for that, she started riding the bike and soon it became her passion. The reason why she didn't want to get married is that she knew no man would ever accept a wife who participated in life-threatening races in the dark.

All men wanted a child, a wife, and a family but Hazel could never provide that lifestyle because her passion and ambition are bigger than everything. She can't sacrifice her dreams because of a child or to give a stranger a family.

She never had a family and she never wanted to make one for herself.

"Huh, we'll see about that, Dad." Hazel scoffed shamefully and then walked straight to her room just to meet her step-sister in the way.

"Hazel..." Hazel ignored Sandy as usual and tried to walk past her when she called her name and forced her to look at her.

"Sister... You were calling me sister a while ago, no?" Hazel reminded her in taunting and Sandy shrugged in embarrassment.

"Sister, you wish, a pathetic and ill fortune woman could never get any relation in her life," Sandy said bitterly with a hint of disgust in her tone.

"Watch your filthy mouth..." Hazel warned her angrily.

"Hahaha... Look who's talking." Sandy mocked her and ignoring her again Hazel started to walk away.

"Stop..." Sandy shouted and annoyingly Hazel looked at her, "What's your problem, huh?"

"The man..." Sandy began, her voice getting serious and low, "The man who had saved you today is my fiance, so you better keep a fair distance from him, and if you dare to insult him, Hazel." She said with a clenched jaw and then pointed her finger at Hazel.

"So what, huh?" Hazel asked, pressing her chest into her finger provocatively.

"I will send you to your mother, then," Sandy said evilly and Hazel smirked at her remarks.

"Hahaha... My mother..." Hazel looked at her with loathing in her eyes and then looked at the stairs at which her stepmother, Betty was climbing.

"At this moment, I should be the one sending you to your mother," Hazel said with an evil smirk and before Sandy could understand the hidden meaning of her words, Hazel pushed her down the stairs and she bumped straight into her mother and then stumbling they both fell from the stairs together.

"Ahhh..."

Their painful cries echoed in the house while Hazel comfortably climbed the stairs and went straight to her room.

She paused at the door, the mention of her mother gave her a bitter flashback from her past, she gulped down that heavy lump before entering back into her room.

"Granny." She entered with a radiant smile and her granny asked curiously, "What were those voices?"

"Nothing serious, Granny... Tell me how are you feeling now? You were crying pretty badly down there." Hazel asked as she sat on her lap and scanned her face carefully.

"You scared me a lot, but I knew you were up to something so I just gave you a good exposure... No?" The granny asked, raising her brow and Hazel looked at her, amused.

"Wow, Granny... Your acting skills are also improving very much..." She complimented her playfully and then kissed her cheek lovingly as she informed her happily.

"The wedding has been canceled."

She then stood up from her lap and walked to her wardrobe taking out her usual clothes, Jeans, a Tee, and a Jacket.

"Where are you planning to leave?" The granny questioned although she already knew in her heart where she was planning to go at night.

"Where do you think?" Hazel gave her a knowing smile and the old woman felt the goosebumps from the terror.

"No..." She refused immediately.

"No?" Hazel raised her brow in disbelief.

"Not today, Hazel. Michael is very angry... You know you have crossed the line by calling the police here, today." The old woman reminded her and Hazel rolled her eyes, when she made her mind to do something no one could stop her, neither a helpless granny nor an angry father.

"Granny, today's the betting night... We can get double or maybe triple..." Hazel told her while wiggling her brows mischievously.

The old woman stopped her wise instructions and then got lost in her thoughts for a moment.

"I have 400," She told her after thinking for a while.

"Great, we could make it 1200 Granny." She told her delightedly.

"Fine, but this time we are going to buy you a helmet ok," Granny suggested and Hazel nodded her head in agreement.

"Done... So where's the money?" She then asked.

"In my room," Granny told her and a low groan of dissatisfaction released her mouth as she needed to go out and looked at the duo of evil mother and daughter again.