“If indeed they divorced you, daughter, then this is the best news of my life,” Mother opened her arms for an embrace.When I glared at her I could see the cloud of fulfilled excitement that possessed her brow; her eyes were inflamed with joy so unspeakable that I wondered if she knew the conditions surrounding the divorce.I withheld myself and fondled with my smallish finger, “But we have a problem. Mother,” I sounded and raised my gaze at her to see the smiles on her face glower into a frown. Her jaw sagged and I wondered if it was safe to let her know the huge debt on us right now and if letting her know of it could lead to high blood pressure, considering her age.She winked nervously and peered at me as though I wasn’t too sure of my words,“What other problem could be greater than marrying that insane man?” she smiled cheek to cheek and intoned yet further, “You don’t know what God just did for you, do you? We don’t need them anymore. We have earned their money. I am hale and he
Mother could stay home now since I was back to our trade. Taking care of the garden had been her priority. She had the talent of chasing away heavily mustached rams that feasted on our green garden and trapping stubborn birds that deposited their beaks upon the leafy vegetables, leaving us with little or nothing to sell.Times on end I often recalled the picture of Brian in my wallet, and I wondered what was stopping me from discarding that picture; since I had nothing to do with Brian anymore it was literally normal for me to discard anything that belonged to him; about the other night I was abandoned to smiling at his photo until I relived the little time I spent with him; his maddening shouting and his song I sang just to quell his violence; how he unburden himself on my shoulders.I could remember snapping out of such memory. “Good bye Brian! Good bye!” I had whispered coldly and sucked a deep breath to seal up my stand.With the huge tray of vegetables on my head, I was out to my
Hours dragged by and I was still in heated argument with my mother; the embarrassment was too much now that I barely could come out for fresh air without being hounded with questions bordering on my failed marriage with Brian.“Mother! I am never going to return to that market again. I am done trading there. You just have to see reasons with me please.” I nagged and caught those tears in my palms.Mother nursed me with her accommodating blue eyes and came to my side to rub me on the shoulders.“My daughter,” she called, caught my face to stare into it, “You seem to be at war with someone. Did anybody rattle your cage at the market? Speak this minute and I promise to go against such a fellow! Otherwise I see no reason you shouldn’t go to the market since you know our means of livelihood lies there.” “Everybody, mother! Everybody!” I wailed and gazed upon my hands which I fondled with, “I have become a laughing stock in my own land. Everyone sees me as a gold digger. I am being hated a
It was early hours in the first fall. Normally, in the falls Fanny Luis usually hosted billionaires at the villa for a get together where they initiate business ideas and mingle with new billionaires that migrated into the country or leveled up financially. Not only was such gathering beneficial to consortiums but also Fanny Luis had found out most of his acquaintances and contracts were achieved through that meeting.Over the fall, Fanny had hosted it in his conference hall at the mansion. It was indeed a great occasion which gathered billionaires from all walks of life.And it could be the first meeting in this fall. During such meetings, Fanny had always ordered the security to evacuate my ex husband, Brian into a cage at the far end of the pineapple orchard. This he did to avert his regular screaming and possible attack on the billionaires. Also Fanny Luis being a man of pride and integrity wouldn’t want the billionaires to have wet ears about his mentally deranged son; he had alw
A party of firefighters dared to put the casualties under control. The billionaires watched with the uttermost disdain as their luxurious cars and private jets went up in flames. Heavy wailing and panic hung over the Fanny villa for the first time. It was a fire bath that had never been witnessed in Rio Hondo.Indeed, there was hope the firefighters would perform a miracle and avert the massive fire outbreak. It was a cloud of fire that caught the attention of onlookers and instilled fear among the billionaires.Opula Kate Eva and their husbands gazed upon the cloud of fire with their hands on their heads. The rest of the maidens and servants were busy assisting some of the firefighters who had mounted defense against the fire that was about to leak to the mansion; if nothing was done about it, Fanny could be on his way to becoming homeless.Fanny wasn’t anywhere among the devastated billionaires who couldn’t stop ranting at the tops of their voices. He was seen pacing up and down, ru
After the firefighters narrowly quenched the fire that gutted the villa, there was still panic among onlookers of Rio Hondo. The entire atmosphere was clouded with smoke and burns. And the billionaires left the villa with threats of suing Fanny over the damages and never to have anything to do with him again.Fanny ordered Brian be bound hands and feet and stripped naked.Gazing upon Brian he groaned through clenched teeth, “I don’t know why I still keep you in this mansion. You are supposed to be kept at the home for the mentally deranged where you will be forgotten!” Fanny had been all tears. Nothing hurt him so more than the trillion dollars oil deal he lost as a result of the fire. And it was going to pose a huge loss to the Fanny Group. The contract was supposed to boost the annual sales and profit. But right now he was already waving bye to all of that.He cast a glare at the rest of his family and servants who were nursing the loss and ruin of the moment. Tranquility hung over
Angry, Fanny ordered the security to bundle up Brian and put him in the Lamborghini, because he was about to be put in the custody of the home for the insane. This was a deliberate attempt to put Brian in the rightful care and to avert impending loss and damage to life and property.Quickly Eva went down on her knees and molded her hand in a remorseful plea. She sniffed repeatedly before feeling the tears that line up in her eyes. Her nose wrinkled at such a development and this was going to leave her more devastated than anyone else because she and Brian had grown up together and did virtually everything together while Opula and Kate stayed away from home; with their grandmother, precisely. Her voice shrilled with peril and hurt, “Please, father! Do not take such a harsh decision on your only son; Brian will only grow worse if you should devote him to home for the insane. Over there I learnt that things are not done aright. Insane inmates are subjected to perpetual slavery and hunge
Eva had narrowly earned herself a slot in Fanny’s limo, and together they drove Brian, who was in Lamborghini to home for the insane. On their way, Brian kept ranting and disturbing the atmosphere. They had bound him hands and feet and one of the security whose job was to whip him whenever he ranted did it with sheer anger that his whole body decked with blisters.Eva had been all tears, quiet and skeptical to a sort. Although she had the company of Fanny, yet she was swallowed in solitude all through the time they stayed in the limo. She fondled into her bag and caught hold of his sizable picture; it was the one they had when they were kids, and it was in the occasion of getting to school for the first time. She was chuckling next to Brian who gave a toothless smile.When Fanny glared at Eva, he knew she had something in her possession which she had been staring all this while. But he didn’t know what it was until he heard her sob and fondled with the piece. It was a sizable picture
Each time I beheld the beautiful pearl Brian gifted me before the coma, I often wondered how I could reciprocate this kind gesture.When I heard of Modest Art, Rio Hondo’s most gifted artist, who happened to be an Indian oldie, I decided to immortalize my husband and to do this I gave his picture of when he was putting on ear pod while singing in the studio, to the artist.After being immortalized, I would place the statue in the middle of the villa where everyone could see it and appreciate my sweetheart. I guess father would love it.Staring at this three-fourth statue of Brian, I was excited to bring this into reality because it was a gift from my heart. I had gifted Brian something special. I wanted to gift him the child in my womb and I guess it would be the best gift ever because he would be the most fulfilled man on earth when he woke from coma and realized I was pregnant for him.Obviously, that would be the greatest gift ever. But for now, I wanted to gift him something ever
I was very busy in my inner chamber humming Brian’s favorite song and keeping the chamber in order when I heard a shuffling walker close by. At first, I threw caution to the wind by taking it for granted, thinking it was one of the servants. Not until I perceived the heady fragrance of a male figure, and I was startled.“Oh my goose!” I exclaimed, “You startled me!” I nagged as I caught sight of Frank at my door.First, he didn’t knock on the door before sneaking in, and second, he was bare-chested in my chamber at an ungodly hour. Besides, I can’t recall the last time I had a rapport with Frank considering the fact that he was Kate’s husband and might have been sent to snitch on me.This visit was unhealthy to me; it was not supposed to be, and I wondered why he was here in the first place.“Why are you here, frank?” my harsh tone queried him as I gave a closer study of his moves. Perhaps he was here for an ulterior motive.He was all smiles, neglecting my question as he advanced to
“You have been moody since we started dinner, and you have barely touched your food,” Fanny said, and gave an investigative look at me, who had been fondling with my meal for some time now.I forced a weird smile and grinned afterward. I had been thinking.Nothing else was on my mind than the evil plot of Opula and Kate which would have been executed if I hadn’t intervened. Right now I kept struggling within myself whether or not to tell Fanny about it.I wouldn’t want to start a fight I couldn’t finish. I only wished Opula and Kate would let peace reign. If only they would know that I had no interest in the Fanny’s empire but in feelings for Brian.“Is there anything you want to share with me?” Fanny asked me and when a thought hit his mind he said, “If it is about the Ferraris which Opula smashed, I have fixed them. Your husband’s Ferrari is ready for use.” I shook my head in disapproval, “Far from it father,” I interrupted him and hesitated to speak yet further, “I…I” I stuttered,
The day after, Opula and Kate drove down to the hospital with the coffin and the expectation of replacing Brian with a doll replica. Since they had everything in place there was no need to waste any more time. They couldn’t wait to do away with Brian and nullify my marriage with their brother.Once Brian wais buried, they will have no war to fight anymore.They were seated in the doctor’s office, waiting for the doctor to come in and tell them his arrangements for the secret burial.“It will be ideal to bury him at night,” Opula said, staring at Kate who gave a nod, “I have made arrangements with the men at Rio Hondo cemetery, and they said late hour will be the best time.”Kate supported it, “You have a point there, dear. We should do this without any form of suspicion. You know how reputable and famous our family is in Rio Hondo. If we are seen at the cemetery right now by anyone it would create suspicion and expose us.”“Yes, of course we could be exposed and you know the consequen
I had a desperate yet nervous breath when I got into the ward where Brian may have to stay till he woke from the coma. I couldn’t take a few more steps forward. How could I behold with my eyes a man I thought was healed of his insanity? How would I shut my eyes to sleep after seeing Brian lose his cuteness overnight just because he was at a spot as lifeless as the leaves.I sniffed heavily as I wiped the tears that surged down my eyes.I never wanted to be entangled in love, but this was fate happening to me; this was destiny and if you should ask me, I would embrace it with my full chest and endure till the end.It seemed as though my toes were stuck to the floor. Once I gazed upon Brian, my heart thudded with fear and I recalled Opula and Kate making plans to declare him dead.Warm tears burnt my cheeks as they trickled down. I surged close wishing I could wave some magic wand and Brian would wake from coma.But reality dawned on me; the man whom I thought I would spend the rest of
When I returned to my chamber I was as shattered as the glass that fell off the rooftop. Things could get messier for me in this villa and I wondered if I should stay back and wait for Brian or if I should run away.I grabbed Brian’s photo, turned on his music on the player and fresh memories of the first love of my life flashed before me. This was a man that once scared the living daylight out of me due to his violent mental derangement, but today I was carrying his baby.“Oh Lord could this be true love or am I overwhelmed by my infatuation? What fate awaits me on this path of love?” I wailed within myself as I gazed upon the photo of Brian.He left as soon as he came into my heart. I never knew it was going to get to this; perhaps I would have hidden my love and walked away without any strings attached.That very night I slept off with Brian’s photo on my chest and his favorite song sounding on the player***These days, the photo of Brian was the last thing I saw and the first thi
Frank and Kate were going through my contract marriage documents while they discussed the way forward for the Fanny Group.I guessed I was the only obstacle stopping the girls from inheriting their father’s wealth and I wondered what they could be up to now my husband was in a coma.All I wanted was the safety and survival of my husband; although I wanted to disappear from the villa for a while, on a second thought, Brian would be disappointed if he should wake from the coma, and I was nowhere to be found.I didn’t want Brian to lose trust in me; we had come a long way and nothing could separate us; not even death.But I knew Brian would wake from the coma!“This is exactly one month Brian has been in a coma,” Frank said, flipping through the document papers, “Fanny Luis is not getting any younger, is he going to wait for Brian to wake before he appoints an heir? It is obvious Brian is not going to wake from the coma.”Kate poured drink for two and handed him a glass.“I was at the ho
Fanny, Tony and I surrounded Eva who was lying in the sick bed, under a drip bag. She was very strong now, and I couldn’t wait to hear what the cause of what happened to her was.Her husband, Tony, stamped an engaging kiss on her brow, “Please honey, get well soon. I don’t want anything to befall you. You are all I have got.” He grabbed her palms and stamped a warm kiss on it.Eva rolled her frail eyes and sucked a deep breath. Her gaze came upon me and I guessed she wanted to utter a word but held it back.Soon the doctor came in and invited everyone except me, “Why don’t you stay back, Melissa and take care of her,” the doctor said, while Fanny and Tony joined her in his office.Shortly after they left, Eva sprang so energetically that it was obvious this was a trick. I raised my knitted brows at her, surprised to see her smiling and lively.“Hey, Melissa, I am fine, nothing happened to me,” she whispered, smiling with mountains of energy in her eyes and chin, “I had to do the needf
Reality was about to dawn on me once I heard my name. I turned to go in and answer the police, but before that I banged the door to stop Opula and Kate from peeping into my chamber.When I got in, Eva and the police were staring at a sizable box which was locked; that was the reason they called me.Instantly, awareness struck in me and I realized it was in the box I kept the credit card a night ago. Nervousness hung in my eyes as I swallowed hard.“Could you please unlock the box so that we can search it?” the police officer said softly, pointing at the box.Eva’s gaze settled on me; she could perceive the reality that had just struck in me; it just hit my memory that in the box was the credit card . I had hidden the card in it for safe keeping so that enemies like Opula wouldn’t find it.“Oh my God,” I exclaimed in my mind, “Misfortune is about to happen to me now. It just dawned on me that the card was in the box and not under the bed. Oh, Lord! I need a turn around,” I said in my m