Once upon a time on a crisp November morning, late summer in Rio Hondo, at the Fanny’s mansion, bottles of beer, rum and cigars were seen littered all over the table. And carelessly scattered on the floor were G-string, pants, sleeves and a polka-dotted dress. In the other corner the bed was creaking hugely under the weight of two figures. A sonorous moan blared and hung over them. Like a trumpet, the female voice amplified the most out of the window, while the male voice groaned and grunted at a terribly disturbing way.
Opula was bouncing and having her fragile, slender waist astride the legs of Ken, whose mouth was gaping, and hands infinitely stroking and fondling her fragile small breasts.
“Y – you are not doing badly today,” Ken stuttered under her weight and squeezed her tapering waist.
She shut her eyes and breathed hard. “Yesterday’s sex was horrendous,” she sounded through a moan and clenched her teeth to pound harder. “I am going to give it to you hot!” she managed to say in a breath.
Neither of them spoke again. A hush of silence would have hung over them except for the bed that creaked under their weight and the slap-slap sound of her thighs against his.
Hastily, Ken swung her over the bed and got on top of her. He pinned her soft palms to the bedspread, shot his groovy eyes into hers and slammed a little more into her, before he began to jerk uncontrollably.
“Oh, not yet,” she nagged, and dragged a furrowed brow while she vibrated under him.
Ken gripped her blonde, lush hair, gritted, and frowned at her face while he jerked without end. His body stilled and suddenly relaxed, before his face fell on her neck and started burning her with his warm breath.
She pushed him aside.
“You are a two-second husband. You are horrible in bed,” she cursed, and grabbed the duvet to cover her nakedness. She sighed.
Ken held his breath.
“This is not an orgy. I am having my wife,” he groaned and stroked his ponytail.
He was the husband to Opula, the first daughter of the Fanny’s. Ken was tall, well-built with strong facial features. He was a live-in husband, just like the other husbands, who found no fault in being taken care of by their billionaire father-in-law.
“Same story every day. Opula is not enjoying it anymore,” she glowered, snorted, nagged and added, “You are always impossible.” Her nostrils flared and eyes lined with insatiability.
Ken’s jaw sagged in rage. He didn’t want to tell her he found it awkward. But he was going to say his fury in any way he could.
“Well, I am not as impossible as your mad brother who set my most expensive tuxedo on fire,” he replied without remorse.
Her eyes flinted with anger and her face went crimson, before her nose wrinkled. “How dare you call my brother mad!” she snapped and widened her gaze at him.
He sat up and scoffed, “But he …..” Ken couldn’t complete his grievance.
Pa!
A slap interposed him, and he paused, lowered his gaze, brought his palms on his chin to nurse his pain.
She crawled out of bed, advanced to the door and yanked it open.
“Leave my room this minute!” she ordered and watched as Ken’s hand nursed his itchy cheeks.
“You raised your hands on me?” He sounded calm, and stared at her with his watery green eyes burning with fury.
“And I will do it over and over again if you ever call my brother mad and insult him the way you just did!” she echoed.
“But he is mad, and he ruined my tuxedo,” he barked and slammed his hand on the bed in revenge.
His response infuriated her even the more.
“You dumb ass grouch! Leave my now!” she commanded yet again and pointed at the door impatiently.
“Your room?” he asked with a shrug.
“Yes, my room. This mansion belongs to my father, who feeds you, shelters you and clothes you. Now leave!” She gestured at the door in a final disposition.
Feeling disgruntled, Ken’s lips curled as he squeezed into his pair of pants, grabbed his shirt and left like thunder.
The door slammed!
Meet Opula, the eldest daughter of the richest man in Rio Hondo. She was arrogant, eclectic, with a thin body. Her hair was brunette and her height towering. And not only was she overprotective, but also believed in respect, loyalty and dominance. Her family was her priority. Her prodigy, who called her only brother mad and maltreated him, got bullied and hated for life. Just as she believed in the affluence and wealth of her father, she certainly believed someday she would be made heiress to the multibillion dollar Fanny Group, since their only heir had lost his sanity.
With his hand still on his cheeks, and his expression hardened, Ken walked past a couple of maids, sneered and pushed away the ones that came in his way and barged into his room.
Once he was out of sight, Salsa, the chief maid of the Fanny’s, laughed tauntingly as she tucked to the corner with the rest of the maids.
“What could be the problem now?” she asked a junior maid who peered at her for gossip.
“I overheard a sensual moan from their room …” Another maid interrupted, “I think he got bashed for disappointing Opula in bed again,” she mumbled, gagging her mouth with her hands as she glared around for any onlooker.
Salsa’s finger was on her lips. “Shhh!” She glared around before adding, “Return to your duty post,” she ordered.
They dispersed, and their high-heels knocked innumerably on the floor as they left.
Salsa was about to advance to Opula’s chamber, when Opula’s worried, feline face came through the door.
“Get Brian ready for dinner with my father. Make sure he is bound hands and feet,” her voice beamed.
“Yes, ma’am,” Salsa responded, bowed and left to do her bidding.
At a later time, Salsa ran back to Opula’s room and was howling deep down her lungs.
“What is the problem?” Opula queried, and shot her oval disturbing looks at her. “Chin up and talk to me!” she barked. “What is the problem?”
Salsa was huffing and puffing to say a word.
“What is it? Speak!” Opula snapped yet further.
Salsa flinched.
“I – I went to Brian’s room, and he wasn’t in. I searched the whole mansion and couldn’t find him. I could only find his clothes in the garden. I think he has gone out to the street as usual,” She wailed as she raised the clothes.
“Why did you leave someone kept under your care? Now listen, you dope,” she gripped her ears and squeezed them.
Salsa grinned in pain.
“If anything should happen to my brother, you are as good as dead. Go and find him now!”she beamed.
Indigenes of Rio Hondo often referred to me as the poorest, ragged girl, but I could barely fight anyone over it or prove them wrong in any pragmatic way because, literally, I was poor.My poor father died when I was six. Mother said he died mysteriously, but whenever she mentioned that I often understood her empathy, after she must have elaborated, he died out of the depression of poverty. With nothing to fall back on, we relocated to our grandpa’s house to perch with him. Not that he was richer, but he was poorer. Daily we clung to the jaw of hunger and wants, since the meager vegetable garden he groomed could barely sprout enough produce, let alone make it to the market.Grandpa died and opened the door of intense lack for us as we looked forward to joining him soon. Inheriting a poorly grooved vegetable garden and a fragile, roofless, thatched, cane house, we waited for the hands of death to pay us homage soon.It didn’t stop us from going to the market anyway. While others sold th
I was heartbroken all day. Ruin and disappointment pervaded my countenance, and while on my way home I wailed bitterly. I thought about what would become of us, especially my mother who was slowly dying of a mysterious ailment. I could barely say what mother was suffering from because we could barely feed her well, let alone afford to take her to the hospital.The previous day we struggled to earn a square meal and I can recall promising mother that today would be better. I wondered if mother perceived the falsity of my promise because of our poverty. She had never believed life could get better for us. She only had consolation in her reverie.After promising to buy good food for her with the proceeds from our vegetables, she only responded in tears and kept staring at the ceiling while she lay in her sick bed.And today being the day I promised her at least two square meals, that billionaire’s mad son ate all my raw vegetables and left us to die of hunger.“What nonsense a billionaire
When I advanced to the villa, I noticed my feet couldn’t carry me further. The splendor that hung across the mansion overwhelmed me so much that I deemed myself not worthy of being anywhere around it; not even its flowers and ornamental trees, which looked healthier than me.I quickly distinguished myself from smearing the expensive environment by my poverty countenance.Suddenly, I came to a halt once I caught sight of a uniformed band of security men, all well-suited with strong facial features, who asked me a thousand questions with their hostile faces and hefty chests.My entire body vibrated as I folded my arms in anticipation of what they intended to do. Now they surged close to me.One of them stared at me from head to toe, and must have perceived the wretchedness that encompassed around me; I perceived they were bored with seeing the scraggly faces of the poor hounding the villa all in the name of seeking the billionaire’s help.Noticing one of the security prancing towards my
Fanny shook his head in the affirmative and became all smiles. His eyes sparkled.“You are welcome to my humble family, my adorable sister-in-law,” Kate intoned, with a lop-sided grin.Kate was the second-eldest daughter of Fanny’s. She was chubby, short and with pink cheeks that often smiled. Her hair was auburn. She kept smiling and shaking her head just like every other person except Eva. Her nostrils flared, “Who is she? And who is her family in Rio Hondo?” Eva asked, gritted her teeth, shot her go-to-hell stare at me and walked around me as though I was some laboratory specimen.Among the girls, it was Eva who cherished Brian most. She wanted the best for Brian and wished her family could give Brian a better wife than she saw. Although she rarely showed it, the love Eva had for Brian was rare, and she could sacrifice her life for him if there was need for it.“No, no, Eva”, Opula, the eldest, protested with her hand, gesturing at Eva. She protested yet further, “You don’t have t
Fanny was unhesitant, after sliding out the credit card. His eyes gleamed and his jaw sparkled.A beam of smiles clouded his face before he flashed the credit card at me.Instantly my avarice increased at the sight of the credit card, and I winked nervously, wished he would gift me the card without conditions.“This is a credit card for half a million dollars. It is for you,” he sounded, with an emphatic chuckle that sounded from him.I was abandoned to doubt and argument within me. I gave a half-smile before a lopsided grin. My cheeks couldn’t stop curving. My hands fidgeted. I swallowed hard and winked more than a million times. This must be a dream! I scratched my eyes and confirmed that reality was actually smiling at me. It wasn’t a dream after all. A credit card for half a million dollars all for me! Fortune has fallen down to me. Mom, wherever you are start girding your loins to recover, because not only will I sort out your medical bills, also our family status is about to cha
Finally the billionaire’s order was carried out. Brian refused to wear his cloths.“Ah! Ah! Ah! Aye!”He groaned and wailed at the tops of his voice and I perceived they were whipping him now.But why would a rightful thinking person refuse to wear his cloths? And why would they whip a grown up in his right senses. I was beginning to suspect mental derangement.“Ah! Ah! Ah! Aye!”The wailing ravaged the entire mansion, and Opula was forced to go on her knees and pled on his behalf.“Father, please, I beg of you. Have mercy upon Brian you know his condition. If they continue to whip him with such callousness, they will hurt him and he doesn’t need to appear distraught since today is his day. I suggest we opt for gentler way of bringing him out…”Fanny interrupted her, “Enough of that!” his voice frisked. “That boy has cost me a lot pain and impairment. He has embarrassed me before Rio Hondo. He has dragged the name of my family in the mud and if he is not careful, I will disown him and
I returned to the hospital all tears and sucked into my gloom. My head heaved upon me and I felt withdrawn from this world. What was that? Can somebody remind me what just happened at the Fanny’s mansion?Am I dreaming or what? God forbid that I marry a mad man. How could they be so cruel and heartless? They knew I was in dire need of the money. They perceived the money meant the whole world to me right now and the only way they could rip me off it was to give me the condition of marrying their mad son.Who does that? Can you imagine! I can’t picture myself settling down for a mad man all in the name of marrying a billionaire’s son. I was often niggled by its impossibility whenever I thought of it.Mother’s health was plunging me into all this. I didn’t want my mother to die. Neither did I have money for burial. I was naïve and rudderless at the moment. I would be twenty two in few days and the last factor on my mind was marriage.What would become of me now?“You could still scuttle
“How would you feel if the son of a billionaire whose sanity is not impaired is given to you in marriage because his family sees you are in need of money and marrying their mad son is the only price to pay?” I almost chafed at Nurse Stella.At the time, I had taken my time to know most of the names of staff at the hospital.And it was the same Nurse Stella that took me to the Fanny’s villa some days ago to see if the billionaire could be of help. She was the only one I could complain to. I wanted to seek her opinion.All my life I have grown to be jaunty but this time I was losing it. What was going on in my life at the time was more than being trapped between the devil and the deep blue sea.“I would feel bad and even go crimson. Why would they do that to you?” she intoned, gritted her teeth and let a sullen look on her face.“The billionaire feels I can’t pay back half a million dollars so the only way I could do that was by signing to a contract marriage agreement with his mad son,
“Come on, sounds hilarious, but anytime I will always be there for you, the only thing you must do for me is to ensure no one sees the food.” Eva said.She was still in my chamber at the time.I shook my head in the negative, “Definitely no one will see them. Once again I appreciate for this loyalty and support.” I hugged her and sobbed on her shoulders.“It is okay, Melissa. Wipe your tears. Everything is going to be fine,” she said calmly.“How are Opula and her pregnancy? I hope she is fine now. I just wish nothing happened to her pregnancy,” I said expectantly.It was obvious it didn’t go down well with Eva because those eyes of hers rolled at me nastily.“She should have lost that pregnancy or better still be in the condition of your husband so that she can see the pains of being in a coma.”“Stop this Eva!” I rebuked her, “It is the wish of every pregnant woman to carry their babies. I am pregnant and I can tell you it is not easy to watch a suckling in your womb die miserably.”
After a while the doctor invited the Fannies into his office for some briefing. “Um my lab scientists have conducted some toxicity tests on the foods and there is no trace of poison in it, and you may have to applaud the chef for ever giving you the best of food with good hygiene. The foods are pure,” the doctor said.Salsa who had left earlier was smiling ear to ear as she eavesdropped at the door.No one would be able to trace the food poison she added to abort Opula’s pregnancy. Earlier when she got a phone call from Fanny to bring the samples of food to the hospital, she had brought freshly made food and not the ones they left at the dining.“You are lucky to have survived this Opula,” Salsa said in her mind, “I am not done with you. You must lose that baby. You can’t have that child for Rod. It is either you lose the baby or you die with it,” she threatened yet further in her mind.Inside the office the doctor had just told the Fannies there was urgent need for blood transfusion
“You escaped this ABORTION. You are not going to escape the next one; you can’t have this child for Rod Benson. Rod belongs to me. You had an opportunity to foster a sweet affair with him but you ruined it because he was poor. Now he is rich you want to snatch him away from me. I love Rod and not even you or that thing in your womb can deny me this happiness,” salsa said in her mind as she wept for Opula who was lying in the sick bed at the hospital.Salsa was a slow poison and a moving unpredictable time bomb. She had history of avenging her offenders and Opula might be battling with an unknown closer enemy.The Fanny’s had surrounded Opula and sympathized with her. Opula couldn’t stop shedding tears and she never knew mere sight of her pregnancy was making Salsa seethe and she was plotting yet another attack on her mind, one that would be more disastrous than the former.“Perk up, ma’am,” Salsa said in pretense as she wailed bitterly, and even louder than everyone else. “Most pertin
Fanny had given out an order to Salsa to bring samples of the recipes Opula had consumed at the banquet, so Salsa was on her way to the hospital when a salon car double-crossed her cab.“What is happening?” Salsa gasped, and turned to the cab driver who was as perplexed as she was. Salsa’s eyes darted and gazed upon a young man who was alighting from the salon car. If she hadn’t watched closely she wouldn’t have noticed it was Ken Patrick.“Okay just stay put. I will figure it out,” Salsa said to the driver, who was beginning to sweat nervously on his brow thinking they were in danger. Promptly, Salsa alighted and shot her thunderous frown at Ken, who came to a halt upon seeing her. Except, Ken that forced a smile, Salsa kept to her frown and noticed that Ken had lost some pounds and unshaven.It was obvious poverty was taking its pound of flesh on him since he got divorced by Opula and left the villa.“You know how busy I can be, Ken Patrick. Why have you decided to disrupt my moveme
At dusk the villa was calm and quiet, most especially in the absence of Fanny and Kate who were still at the hospital. Salsa had gone to visit her sick mother at the hospital after she got a bizarre phone call from the doctor.Eva had told me earlier she would be having extensive road walk and would be back at late hour. And more than a handful of security and aides had accompanied Fanny and Kate to the hospital.Later Tony, Eva’s husband had decided to join Fanny and Kate at the hospital. And since Fanny had denied me privileges of a family member, I had learnt to mark my boundaries and to see what fate had for me.These days I rarely got water supply into my chamber and I believed it was part of the strategies to frustrate me. I couldn’t recall the last time I washed myself in the mini pool in my chamber. Indeed, the Fannies were out to fuel frustration into me.Whenever water supply got into my chamber it was like Halloween to me. On such a day I would use water to my satisfaction
I knew Salsa could do the nastiest of things but not the most destructive of things. Who could have believed that Salsa had poisoned Opula with ancestral herbs that could abort the unborn child in Opula’s womb?Upon seeing the doctor walk out of the emergency unit, Fanny and Kate hastened to him, with their eyes filled with anxiety and uncertainty.“Doctor! Doctor!” they called indistinctly and shot longing gaze at him, “How is Opula, doing? How is she doing doctor?”The family doctor gestured at them to cheer up, “Please can we see in my office briefly?” he said and led them into an exquisite office with polished woods and ocean view sight.“Talk to me, doctor,” Fanny said coldly, with so much fear dominating his tone, “What happened to my daughter. I wonder what could have happened to her during an exciting banquet held in honor of her pregnancy.”Kate asked hastily, “Is she okay, doctor? What about her unborn child? I hope the baby is fine.”The doctor snorted and sucked an uneasy
Rod had visited Rio Hondo in his usual manner and phoned Salsa to come over and brief him on how she had convinced me to give him a chance to prove that he was a better lover than Brian.Whenever he visited Rio Hondo for such a cause, he usually invited Salsa to his private jet, waited in his jet until Salsa visited him to brief him on my accepting his proposal.Although Salsa had planned not to mention Opula’s pregnancy to Rod yet she had decided to teach Rod the lesson of his life.Right now Salsa was like an ocean and she wasn’t going to lose her salinity without causing destruction. Since she was going to lose, she wasn’t going to lose alone.Upon arrival, Rod had phoned Salsa to fix him some French fries and steak, which she would bring along when coming to visit him in his private jet.Salsa was done preparing, the French fries and steak and with eyes shut she picked up some portion of her killer poison to spread on the steak so that as soon as Rod ate it, he would throw up and
Salsa was ready to tolerate any disfavor and ills from anybody but snatching the man she had come to love was unforgivable and punishable by Salsa. She had chosen today, the very day of banquet to punish Opula forever snatching rod form her.The fact was that the Fannies saw the unrest on the face of Salsa and no one cared to ask her what she was passing through. As she had said it, she did it.When I complained of hunger she served me porridge and later, sneaked in vegetables sauce for me.Upon staring at this meal, tears escaped my eyes and my guts went dry immediately. Ordinarily porridge wasn’t my thing let alone now I was pregnant. If I could recall porridge was food eant for the mastiff in the cage. I had seen Salsa severally feeding the dogs with porridge.So right now they restricted me to consumption of porridges, I had been reduced to the level of dogs. I only wished I could eat porridge without throwing up.Salsa stole a glance at me while she mixed the vegetables sauce int
Heavy jubilation hung over the villa. Being pregnant, I was often to prone to fall asleep. But this afternoon, during my nap, no other voice hung over the villa than Fanny’s voice. It was so huge that I thought something disastrous had happened.But the moment I came to the window I saw Salsa and a handful of other chefs putting the dining room in order and serving dishes and wines in the most attractive manner with ribbons and flowers.Already Frank and Tony were well seated beside their wives, Kate and Eva. The only people absent were Opula and Fanny who was still busy chanting loudly in his chamber and making noisy phone calls to some of his associate.Soonest Salsa started advancing to my chamber, with the saddest mood decking her face. I couldn’t just wait to ask her reason for the banquet and why Fanny was chanting this villa into depression.“What is happening, Salsa?” I asked the moment she walked into my chamber, obviously to deliver a message to me. And when she hesitated to