In the sixth month of my pregnancy, El decided to take me to the place where he does what kind of illegal business he has. I have clues, but I still want him to take me there and see whatever illegal products he has with my own eyes. In my head, what I think of his illegal business is cocaine, or maybe it's morphine, hallucinogens, and what else drug addicts often use. “Why are you like that, Valerie? Are you thinking about how to reveal my deep secret to the public?” he asked me while we were inside the elevator. We are here in the same elevator where we were stranded before. “El, how can you say that? I can't do that.”“Really? Despite everything I've done to do something inhumane against you? You wouldn't do that? You wouldn't try to run away and spread to the whole world that the man everyone admired had a dark secret? That it wasn't my hard work that grew all my business but my dirty little secret?”“El, you are the father of my child. More than that, I love you very much, e
I was gripping on the wall behind my back, asking any fucking guardian to save me from this unwanted and creepy moment, whoever hears me.As he was only five more steps away from me, I removed my right hand, and it moved to my chest, which was very tight. I felt like I couldn't breathe because of El's gaze that almost swallowed me. My eyes were open while my tears kept falling down on my belly. “D-Don't!” I shouted, expecting my death to be served like food ordered in the counter of a restaurant.I suddenly became deaf when everything went silent after he pulled the trigger of his pistol that was aimed at my chest. My lips trembled, and I continued to cry, looking at the finger-size hole at the point of the pistol, thanking it for not spitting its bullet.I only let out air one by one because of what El did. “Come on, Valerie. Everything I told you is the truth. Your parents are demons. Like me, they also wear masks in front of many people.”My butt hit the cold floor because of th
“Woman, I don't care where they use the guns from me. Don't say some shits about it.”“What about the lives that die from the bullets of your guns, El? What if there are old people, children, or maybe even pregnant women who die because of the bullets from those guns?”He sighed heavily. I can't tell if he feels guilty or if he's mad at me again because I say so much.“I thought you were tired. Why are you talking so much?”“El—”“Valerie, if you're tired, can you rest and not say more? I'm tired too, Valerie. And you're making me even more tired!”“I pity the innocents who suffer, El!”“You and my child will be worse off if I don't do this, Valerie. Can you think of my child before you think of others? This is for his future. For the future of my family! And this is for my own sake!” He looked away from the window. “I should not get back from the life I had before. It's traumatic!”I sighed out of relief when he looked in front of him.“El, it's your obsession and not about the peopl
I got up from sitting. I violently wiped the tears from my eyes, and it was like a piece of stone if I threw it on each side of my body.Crying, I went to my cabinet, took the big luggage, and opened its zipper. I took my things from the cabinet drawers and also those that were hanging inside it. “Fuck!” I cussed, realizing that I don't own any of these things. The clothes, jewelry, sandals, and bags are not mine. All of them were bought by my demon husband. And one thing is for sure, there is a big possibility that this is from his illegal business. “Valerie!”I sniffed, looking at the door that was moving back and forth, trying to free itself from its frame. He was behind that door, and I couldn't stand to see him. If we talk about the love in my heart for him, it cannot be compared to the distance from Earth to heaven. I love him that much, but innocent people are dying because of him.“El, let me go, please!” I said out loud. He kicked the door so hard that it broke its lock,
Currently, I was walking down the middle of the room, and I slipped through the door to its veranda. There I saw him holding the lying post. He ordered Amia to call me from my room and come here. I don't have any clue what he is going to say. “El?”Because he was wearing a loose white top and bottom, his body stretched through the fabric when the wind blew. Every curve in his abs and even his V-line is also marked on the fabric he is wearing. His wavy hair fell back but became a mess as the wind blew them. He was with his smooth blue mask, and it doesn't change the fact that he's really hot. “I'm glad that you came. You're about to give birth, Valerie. I hope you're not thinking about anything else. Doctor Moore said you should be more careful now because you're about to give birth to my son.”I bowed, but what I saw was not the floor I was walking on, but my stomach, which was too big compared to the previous months of my pregnancy. I headed to the veranda rail and held on to i
—Eldifonso Suarez—5 Years AfterI'm sitting in my office chair and working steadily. Suddenly my son's picture flashed on my laptop screen, the delayed ring of the messenger caught my attention. A wide smile drew my lips as I answered his call. His blonde and curly hair first appeared in the camera. He was playing with his favorite Dino on his bed and making a strange sound, imitating the dinos in his talking book I bought for him when he was still at one. “Hey! Kiddo, you're playing again. Have you eaten your lunch?!” I asked him. He shook his head, and now his eyes were focused on me. “Stop calling me, kiddo! Will you, mask man?” He rolled his inherited eyes from his mother, the woman I killed using my own hands. Actually, I could have used a gun to kill Valerie, but I thought our maids and butlers would hear a gunshot and would definitely point me as a killer. I drugged her until she died on the veranda of my room. I then pulled her towards the bed and told the assistants th
I was still in the distance, but I heard Foval's happy shout as he went down the stairs. I was nervous when he almost fell when he tripped. “Foval, be careful!” I said worriedly to him. I was holding my chest because of what happened. “Daddy!” he still shouted when we were close to each other. Earlier, he said he doesn't want to talk to me unless I book a flight to Hong Kong. But now it's like he forgot the annoyance he felt towards me. I bent down to pick him up, and when he was in my arms and I was carrying him, I tickled him so much that he laughed like he was going to pee. “You're really annoying, mask man! But thank your good friend because he sent me toys! He said it's better to play around here than fly to Hong Kong and spend some time there!”I sighed.“Your uncle really has to destroy other countries to make you calm and convince you to never go there. Hmmm.”“That makes Uncle Martin a better businessman than you, mask man. You can't make me say yes to what you want. You
I don't know why I went inside a nightclub. I am anxious and losing my sanity because of Signor Suarez's threat. My son should not know the truth behind his estrangement from his mother. I am thankful because I have never heard of my son looking for his mother with me. But if he finds out that his mother died and I killed her, I'm sure he will feel hatred towards me. I felt the mask I was wearing as I walked through the corridor. I laughed and shook my head because I thought, I don't need to wear this mask because no one knows Eldifonso Madrigal's face. Even the Wills surely won't remember me being the janitor who lost his job because of what they did. They put the poor workers out of their jobs even though their sales are high. I am one of those who lost their jobs. I was deeply hurt by what happened and lost hope. When I remember the time I kneeled in front of Mister Wills, it breaks my heart, and it's like my soul is on fire. My mother was sick at that time, so I needed that
A few nights passed when Valentina completely cut our ties. She said that the meeting between the two of us will lead nowhere. If I could wear my mask earlier so that she would know that I am her husband, you would have done it. But I hesitated doing that because if she finds out that I and Eldifonso are one, she might get scared and hide again. Yes, she said that we would never see each other again. But I will do everything to always see her. I know that she is my wife, that I did wrong before, that I was angry because of her parents, that I didn't give even a little love to, and that I didn't take care of her despite her love for me. I reached for the half-full bottle of whiskey and poured a small amount into a small glass. I drank the alcohol and sighed after, looking at the dark sky with just a few stars twinkling for it. “Daddy, I can't sleep,” my son said from behind. I put the glass on the table and turned to him. He came to me carrying his Stitch teddy bear. I bent down
Shaking with nervousness, I let go of the curtain. I headed to the living room. I noticed that there was no water there, and only the whiskey is something to be used to water my throat, that the staff was sure to bring here a few minutes before I came. I opened it and drank its contents as if it were just water. I hated her family, I swore that I would never fall for Wills' daughter. But fuck! I fell for her. I know that she introduced herself as Valentina to me, but she is still her, my wife that I killed with my own hands. After I put down the almost empty bite of whiskey on the table, I felt my cheek that was covered with teardrops.How did my wife survive? Before I threw him to Martin wherever he threw him, I made sure that he was really dead. I must be mistaken. Maybe she and Valerie really do look alike. It is impossible for a dead person to come back to life, but if she were my wife, I would be glad so that I could rewrite my mistakes.Out of curiosity, I stared at the powd
I went straight to my office after I delivered Amia and Foval to the learning center. I sat on the swivel chair and turned it around. I was thinking about what Amia said to me earlier. “Me? Loving Valerie? It's crazy!”I just admit to myself that she is beautiful, sexy, and smart. But I can't love the daughter of the people who ruined my life and caused me to lose the only family I have. No matter how many times I die, they will not be forgiven, and I will never forget that family. What they did to me is the reason why I experienced eating leftover food thrown in the trash and eating food spat on by people who don't know kindness. There's no reason to love the fruit of the sinful roots. I stood up and grabbed a bottle of tequila from the double-door fridge in my office. I opened the bottle and poured an amount of alcohol into the glass. I immediately drank the tequila and gasped for air. It was bitter and bold; it felt like it kicked my stomach. “I was jealous of Martin,” I said
When I got home to the mansion, I immediately went to my son's room. I slowly opened the door and immediately peeked at him. He was lying on his side, hugging his Stitch teddy bear. He was really good-looking, like his mother. I came to his bed. I sat next to him and held his little face, feeling his smooth and soft skin. Signor Suarez's threat was haunting my mind. My son would probably hate me if he found out the truth. While I was staring at him, I didn't realize that I was in tears. “Son, I did that because your mommy already knew about my illegal business. Yes, I told her that I will keep you away from her when she gives birth to you, but it's all my words. If only she wasn't a threat to our safety, to my business, and in your future, you would probably be with her.”He moved his lips, making me smile even though my eyes didn't stop producing tears. I can't handle my son rebelling against me when he finds out what I did to his mother. If he finds out what really happened t
When we were inside the room, I sat on the sofa. I let her walk around the room. She was wondering why someone like me could afford this expensive room. “Who are you really, Eli? I've only seen you now in my whole life. You're rich, but you weren't mentioned in the news and magazines where rich people are usually flexed.”I shook my head and stood up, crossing my arms while my eyes were stuck at her waist. “Is it necessary when you're rich to be in the news and in every corner where the names of rich people are posted?”“Eli, that's the way of America! Especially here in Austin, TX. You know that the people who live here are greedy for fame, right?”I scratched my nose because of what Valentina said. It's like she has many personalities that surprise me. When Signor Suarez was training me to pretend to be his grandson, he also taught me how to avoid questions I didn't know the answer to. He said that I should ask back so that the person I'm talking to won't notice me. “You, are
My brain stopped functioning when I saw her coming to my table with her hair falling down on the back of her tube dress, covering her fair white skin that was revealed to the crowd while she was performing earlier. I giggled when she sat down beside me. She was staring at me, and her eyes were asking why I let out a soft laugh. I sighed, looking at her. My heart was filled with the desire to touch her tonight. I am really excited about what will happen tonight. “Eli, right?” she asked me, to which I just nodded. “Well, Eli, Sabrina told me that you paid a lot to have me. What do you want to happen?” There was a tone in her tone that surprised me. I poured whiskey into the small glass and immediately drank the alcoholic beverage. I let go of the hot air, releasing the little tension I have. “Uhm. Valentina, you know what? I am eager to share a night with you. That's what I want. That's what every man here wants.*“They just stare at me because they can't have me. But you? You are
If only I could have turned her back to me so she wouldn't leave my lap, I would have done that. But I can't because she is working. Shit! The well-known Eldifonso Suarez was having a boner because of the unknown woman he just knew as Valentina. What gives me a headache now is that she caressed the men on her way back to the stage. I hate it! I feel like I want to bring her away from this place where men feast on her body. Her thighs were moving like Rihanna's were doing. She really is a goddess of this place. I can see how men lust after her. They almost swallowed her with their stares, trying to create scenes in their fucking minds. I can't blame them either, because Valentina is truly seductive. Her sexy body and her smell like freshly picked grapes are addictive. “Oh damn!”She was playing with the peacock's feathers, she let them slide on the back of her hands, arms, armpits, legs, and feet. She next played with the strawberry jam, she took an ample amount using her point f
I don't know why I went inside a nightclub. I am anxious and losing my sanity because of Signor Suarez's threat. My son should not know the truth behind his estrangement from his mother. I am thankful because I have never heard of my son looking for his mother with me. But if he finds out that his mother died and I killed her, I'm sure he will feel hatred towards me. I felt the mask I was wearing as I walked through the corridor. I laughed and shook my head because I thought, I don't need to wear this mask because no one knows Eldifonso Madrigal's face. Even the Wills surely won't remember me being the janitor who lost his job because of what they did. They put the poor workers out of their jobs even though their sales are high. I am one of those who lost their jobs. I was deeply hurt by what happened and lost hope. When I remember the time I kneeled in front of Mister Wills, it breaks my heart, and it's like my soul is on fire. My mother was sick at that time, so I needed that
I was still in the distance, but I heard Foval's happy shout as he went down the stairs. I was nervous when he almost fell when he tripped. “Foval, be careful!” I said worriedly to him. I was holding my chest because of what happened. “Daddy!” he still shouted when we were close to each other. Earlier, he said he doesn't want to talk to me unless I book a flight to Hong Kong. But now it's like he forgot the annoyance he felt towards me. I bent down to pick him up, and when he was in my arms and I was carrying him, I tickled him so much that he laughed like he was going to pee. “You're really annoying, mask man! But thank your good friend because he sent me toys! He said it's better to play around here than fly to Hong Kong and spend some time there!”I sighed.“Your uncle really has to destroy other countries to make you calm and convince you to never go there. Hmmm.”“That makes Uncle Martin a better businessman than you, mask man. You can't make me say yes to what you want. You