7. A Threat

Siena zipped her suitcase closed. Everything she needed was already in the suitcase. Now it was time to prepare her sling bag. All she needed were her purse, passport, private stuffs, and the photograph of Adalfo and her mother which she always brought anywhere with her. In two more hours, Adalfo’s private jet would fly her and Damien to Dubai.

Suddenly she heard the sound of footsteps approaching, as if someone was running to her bedroom.

Knock! Knock!

Siena opened the door. “Lucio? What is it?”

The loyal butler was standing in front of her. His face somehow looked pale and sweaty. “Miss Siena…,” he stuttered.

She creased her brows. “What happen, Lucio?”

“Mister Alfonso Garcia is waiting for you in the living room.”

*****

Alfonso sat leisurely on the classic sofa in the living room. His hands rested on the armchairs, his right leg was crossed over his left leg. It looked as if he was a big boss.

Siena was fed up with his face. Why did he come to this house again? Maybe she should consider hiring a personal bodyguard, especially to send Alfonso away whenever he dared to come.

“Hi, Siena….”

“What brings you here?” Siena snapped rudely. She stood several steps away, keeping her distance from Alfonso.

A smirk painted into his face. “Is this how you welcome the grandson of your adopted grandfather? Aren’t we supposed to be adopted brother and sister?”

Siena clenched her teeth. “Stop the nonsense! Now you admit yourself as Mister Adalfo’s grandson. Where were you when Grandpa was living alone in this house?”

Alfonso laughed out loud. “You really care about my grandfather, don’t you? You even call him Grandpa. Hmm, fine…. Let’s just get to my point now.”

Alfonso took a deep breath before continuing, “I’m here to make a deal with you, Siena, a deal to return my grandfather’s inheritance to me, his true heir. After that, I promise I’ll let you live in peace.”

“What?” was a spontaneous reaction from Siena. “Are you drunk? Are you out of your mind? Don’t you wish I’ll ever return Grandpa’s inheritance to you! I’ve promised him, I would take a good care of all his possessions. Grandpa himself once said you wouldn’t be able to do that!” she retorted in a high tone.

A sudden pain filled Alfonso’s heart. Was it true that Adalfo considered him incapable of taking care of anything? It really hurt his prestige!

“I don’t come here for a debate, Siena….” Alfonso was clearly trying to control himself. “But I’m offering a deal, a mutual deal for both of us.”

“How can it be a mutual deal? All I know is you just want Grandpa’s wealth. I won’t be deceived by your cunning plan.”

“Oh, I’m not deceiving you. In fact, I’m offering you a chance to protect your reputation, Siena…,” Alfonso interrupted. He smiled a devilish smile. “You were once a columnist, weren’t you? For a writer, every work of us is valuable. I know it exactly, because I’m a writer myself. I bet you don’t want anyone to find out how you have deceived the people who read your writing.”

“What are you talking about? I’ve never deceived anyone!” Siena denied. However, she unconsciously stepped her right foot backward, a movement showing her doubt.

Alfonso’s sharp eyes cleverly caught the impression. A wide grin showed on his face. His right hand reached into the left pocket of his coat, taking out two sheets of paper which looked like printed articles. Fixing his gaze on Siena, he showed the first sheet of paper.

“This was an article written by you on your last year of college, published on an online media, an article about the Mayan’s palace found in Mexico. You wrote this article as a portfolio to get your job in Angels Daily, am I correct? What if they found out, that your article was a plagiarism of other writer’s work? The other writer wrote in local language and his article was published earlier on a Mexican local newspaper. You didn’t even mention his name or his article in your reference,” Alfonso declared, showing the second sheet of paper containing article written in Mexican local language.

Oh, no! Siena’s heart drummed vigorously against her ribcage. She felt lightheaded, as if all the blood in her head had been drained away. How on earth could Alfonso find that article? A stupid mistake she had done three years ago!

Observing Siena’s pale face, the grin on Alfonso’s face became wider. He was taking control now. Just a little bit more, and her fate would be in his hands.

“I forget to tell you that I know some Mexican local language. It’s not that hard to learn, especially when you’ve known Spanish, mi señorita…,” Alfonso hissed, tossing the two articles onto the table with his arrogant style, as if he was throwing something useless.

Siena was still glued at the same spot, her heart pounded so hard. Just in a second, the world had turned upside down for her. Everything was because of her fault in the past. Just because she wanted to get her article published on the online media so badly, she took the wrong path. Now she was trapped in a dead end!

“What exactly do you want?” Siena asked flatly, trying to hide her shaking voice.

She understood Alfonso had a great influence in journalistic. The man was a famous media critic who had brought down so many journalists and media. Even though she was no longer working in media, she could not just let her reputation stained.

Alfonso rose from his seat, stalking toward Siena casually, until he stood right in front of her. “As I’ve said, all you need to do is write a new testament, stating that you return all the inheritances from my grandfather to me, including this house. If you do that, I promise I’ll hide your little secret. Then you can be a writer again.”

“And by the way, I’m not that cruel. If you want, you may choose one from many of my grandfather’s companies. I’ll give it to you for free. So you can still enjoy a luxurious life without having to work anymore. How’s that? Am I not generous enough?” Alfonso added, stretching his arms widely with a triumphant smile on his face.

‘Oh, Grandpa…. What should I do?’ Siena silently complained in her thoughts. ‘Forgive me, Grandpa. I’m such an idiot. Because of my fault, I’m helpless against Alfonso, letting him threaten me at his pleasure.’

Her mind ran wildly. In this situation, she could not give up. No matter what, she still had to grant one last wish from Adalfo.

“Grandpa gave me a duty to manage all his overseas assets. In two hours, I am leaving with Damien to Dubai. Soon after I grant Grandpa’s last wish, I promise I’ll take care of our deal,” Siena told the truth, wishing that she could buy some time. She needed time to think clearly.

Alfonso’s blue eyes glimmered with a dangerous light, shooting a stare at Siena. “Do you think you can fool me? If the assets belong to my grandfather, then they’re also mine. You’re going to Dubai with me.”