Chapter 4 - His wife was dead.

Matilda glanced at the man who just spoke to her and hot tears began to stream down her face once again. As if her tears weren't enough to have fallen that same day.

Her life had been filled with happiness for the past few years, but how did it suddenly result to this? Now, even the people who once bowed at her feet were hitting and threatening her in the cruelest way possible.

She was filled with nothing but regret as she wondered why everything was suddenly turning against her.

If only she hadn't grabbed those hands which lifted her up from sorrows. If only her heart hadn't beaten and yearned for a man whom she had only known for a year. If only her father hadn't died and her mother hadn't abandoned her. If only she wasn't born.....

Her birth was still unknown like she last recalled. Having grown with people who weren't her biological parents, her life was filled with joy to the brim as her adopted parents never mistreated her. Instead, they gave her all the love in the world, that she sometimes wondered if she wasn't truly their daughter. Their love for her was so strong that her adopted father willed all he had to her name. Just like he knew he was going to die during that period.

This was why her world crashed when her family fell into ruins — her father's unjust death and her mother leaving amidst all the tragedy, it made her receive every help she could get at that moment but now, she was wishing she never did.

As she stared at the divorce papers hanging before her eyes, Matilda felt all her strength vanish. She had tried to endure the torture for almost an hour, but this finally drained her.

After loosing consciousness in the hallway, she opened her eyes to find herself tied to a chair as a rope hanged around her neck. Now, there was a gun pointing directly at her head.

“How could you do this to me? Despite all we've shared and done together, you still betrayed me this way.” Those were words Matilda wished to say out loud, but it got stuck in her throat in the next seconds.

None of the people there caused her pains. They were just messengers while the main perpetrators were still roaming freely.

The man pointing the gun towards her lowered it when his phone began to ring, and he backed her to answer the call.

“Has she signed the divorce papers?” Eduardo's voice resounded from the other side of the phone with impatience.

“Not yet, boss.”

“What the hell is taking you so long? How long do I need to fucking wait for her damn signature? Make sure she signs those papers before tonight, else be ready to go down with her.” Eduardo ended the call instantly and the man turned back to face her with a sneer.

“Seems like you want us to go the harder way, ma'am.” He smirked, sarcasm laced in tone.

He cocked the gun in his hand and made to put a bullet through her legs, but the gunshots came from somewhere else, sending him down to his knees immediately.

Matilda, whose eyes had closed, ready for the extreme pains that awaited her, fearfully opened her eyes when she felt none and she gasped.

Standing before her was the same man she had tried to run away from. One hand was fixed in his blue suit pocket and as his hand held the gun firmly, he instinctively gunned down a few men who tried to shoot at him while the remaining ones were held down by his men.

“That's not the right way to treat a woman.” He said to the man whom he shot at first.

Xander shot him twice on the same spot when he attempted to grab his gun and he was left groaning hard and cussing in pains.

Then Xander flashed his gaze back to Matilda, and she was as well gazing intently at him before she passed out. Fortunately, he was quick to grab her before she fell to the ground completely.

~~~~~~~~~~

“What did he say? Hasn't she signed the divorce papers?” Avery asked as soon as her brother put the phone down from his ears but instead of answering her questions, he walked towards the bar.

He served himself a glass of liquor and eventually replied after taking two sips, “No. She is still proving adamant.”

“Aish, we should have just ended her back then when we had the chance.” Avery lamented with an eye roll and sat on one of the couches in the living room.

“What went wrong, by the way? I thought you were going to give her the divorce papers a few days after today?” She crossed her arms against her chest, staring intently at her brother.

“She caught Tiffany and I then threatened to reveal everything to the reporters.” Eduardo answered her with his gaze fixed on the empty liquor glass.

Both Avery and her mother scoffed out at his reply. They never really liked Matilda but pretended all along for the same reason Eduardo fooled her—her inheritance.

“So, what now? If she doesn't sign the divorce papers, what happens?” Avery inquired with furrowed brows.

Unlike the other members of the family, she had always been the inquisitive type. But her questions were for the sake of her family. She wanted to know where to take her stance.

“She would still have to, by force. That is the only way to get rid of her completely.”

“Then........”

“That's enough questions already. Let's just wait until the guard reports back.” Mrs. Ophelia cautioned Avery immediately, her voice as hard and stern as her glare sent a message across to Avery.

Avery knew better, and everywhere became dead silence. Only the clicks of Eduardo's glass cup on the glass table was heard. The feeling of impatience loomed over the atmosphere in the living room and when Eduardo's phone started ringing, they were already on their wit's end.

“It's all done, boss. She has signed the divorce papers, and we've just made her death look like suicide. Just as planned.” Eduardo's guard said over the phone and instantly, his lips curled up in a small smile. More of a smirk.

“Good. Now, come over with the papers and make sure no evidence is left behind.” Eduardo gave his last order. Then the line went dead in the next second.

None of the people in the living room stopped grinning.

“Finally.” Mrs. Ophelia muttered in a low sigh.

The next morning came as a tragic moment for everybody in the New York City. Matilda Smith was dead, and she killed herself after handing over all her inheritance to her husband. It didn't stop spreading over the internet, newspapers, magazines and all other means available.

Eduardo appeared to be the saddest, standing in front of the reporters with a gloomy look, dressed in an all black suit to match the mood.

“Mr. Smith, when did this all happen? Was this why she got missing in her party?” A reporter asked, eagerly waiting for a response alongside the other reporters.

They were all confused and wanted to quench their curiosity and uncertainty.

Eduardo paused, wiping a tear from his eye, and exhaled sharply. Then he began, “My wife was never happy. Ever since she lost her adoptive parents a few years ago, she has been depressed. Every so often, she zoned out and most of the time, she cried in her sleep......” He paused and heaved another sigh.

“I didn't realize she was slowing falling into depression. Even when she offered to help my company from going bankrupt, I should have known something was up and helped her overcome it. I hope she can forgive me wherever she is.” He spoke with a guilt dripping voice as more cameras flashed on him, rushing to take in the sad moment of Eduardo Smith.