A middle aged man could be seen on a large white towel watching the news in another part of the world, a time zone different from Chicago. He sat in an eloquent and beautifully decorated room while he waited on the hotel attendant to finish serving him his herbal tea. The cup of tea was handed over to him, in which he took a small sip to ascertain the level of hotness. When he found the tea to be to his taste, he beckoned the waitress to leave the room and balanced himself to enjoy the moment. The news on the tv seemed to bore him, so he flipped through the channels until he came across a 1980’s tv show. “Perfect” he exclaimed in satisfaction. The middle aged man was none other than Mr Palma who had gone for a business meeting but saw it as an opportunity to take an unplanned vacation. For the past week, he had been procrastinating his return due to how soothing the place was and the fact that he had capable hands to take care of the company in his stead. He was about to take th
“Woah honey, you sound a little extreme right now. At this extent you could bring harm to her” Mr Palma brought to his wife notice, letting out a nervous laugh. He loved his wife so dearly, but at some point he got scared at some of the behaviors displayed by his wife. “Extreme is an understatement honey. I will go the extra mile to make sure she pays dearly for all this ruckus if I find out she's behind it. My mind is made up, so don't try to talk me out of it” Mrs Lilian demanded of her husband. Mr Palma was naturally a forgiving and understanding man, and sometimes he overlooked things which were a big deal. With this knowledge in her, Mrs Lilian wanted to make sure she made it clear to her husband not to involve himself in her revenge plan.“Just don't kill anyone sweetheart. I can't have you sentenced to life imprisonment” Mr Palma whimpered from his cavity. With that, he brought an end to their conversation and decided to call his son to know the true story.After dialing Wil
“I feel so sorry for her, especially in her state. Who knows what her husband did to warrant an arrest” said the first lady. This got the attention of Lucia, who was silently munching on her burger the whole while. “I sometimes wonder what is wrong with men of our generation. How can a man who knows he's expecting a child soon enough commit an offense. I just hope it isn't a serious offense” the second woman said in a worrisome tone. It was too much for Lucia to be kept in suspense, so she intruded in her conversation.“I'm so so sorry to interrupt, but who are you talking about?” Lucia asked both women. They didn't seem offended by Lucia's pokenosing, instead they were happy that they were part of those spreading the news. “We're talking about the pregnant lady who came in the company of some people a few minutes ago. It turns out she's the wife of the man who was arrested by the police. The most painful part is that she's due to give birth in a week, and it's their first child”
“What!” The lady exclaimed in total shock as she violently jerked up from where she sat. She was not expecting to hear that. Lucia on her own stead stayed calm, looking at the woman before her. She was tired of constantly having to relieve such painful memories in her mind, and at that point, all she wanted to do was just to go home. “I…I had no idea…I'm so sorry…Henry how could you” she muttered audibly, her voice failing her as she tried to make reasonable sentences. “Yeah, I understand. You don't need to think about it much, it's alright. No one can turn back the hands of time after all” Lucia reminded Mrs Katie whose facial expression was that of sadness. “Please dear, I know my husband didn't do it on purpose. Henry wouldn't even hurt a fly on purpose. I beg that you have mercy on him, at least for the sake of our unborn child” Mrs Katie pleaded as tears welled up her eyes. “I understand ma'am, but at this point I can't do much. I'm not in the right state of mind to pledge a
“Ugh” Wilson winced in pain as the effect of the alcohol came hitting like a sharp blow to the head. Reality began to set before him as he remembered the events which he was encompassed around. His previous night was spent alone, in a bar which wasn't too crowded, and in the company of bottles of beer which he drowned. “How did I get here?” He questioned his blurred out memory. The more he made an effort in thinking, the more it became clearer to him. Just then, a picture of a lady dressed in a sexy and short gown flashed into his memory. He could clearly remember the lady hitting on him even in his drunk condition, and although he was still wearing his clothes, he didn't seem convincing enough. When Wilson turned to the other side of the bed, he almost let out a terrified shout. He saw another figure fully covered in the duvet, lying down near the edge of the bed. “What is the possibility of me sleeping with her?” Wilson voiced within himself. If he found out it really happened
After Wilson's visit to the toilet, he sat down feeling and looking like a sick person. His assistant had gone to get his suit and breakfast from home, so he was left alone to reminisce about his life and how he messed up big time. At the end of his thinking, he decided that it was not his fault and concluded that everything was because of Lucia. Just then, he got a call from his mom. He reacted to the call by rolling his eyes and letting out a loud groan because he had an expectation of what to hear from her. It would be nothing but a series of faking a cry to make him feel guilty. “Son? Oh thank goodness you're alive. I thought you took your life. How could you do this to your own mother? Switching off your phone was a form of telling your mom to die of a heart attack. It was too much for me to bear” Mrs Lilian whined as she made audible sobs in between. Wilson had been silent all the while with hands placed on his temples as he listened to his mom rant. “Good morning Mom” Wils
The next morning, Lucia woke up to a rising sun which shone beautifully and penetrated through the small glass window, reflecting on the surface of her dark skin. She had slept on the floor of the sitting room while her visitors slept in her room. Her mom also slept on the only couch available. Jada couldn't see herself sleeping in the same bed as where her late husband slept before. It would take time getting used to that. Lucia didn't want to wake her mom or visitors up, so she made sure to be as quiet as possible as she tiptoed to the kitchen to get herself some water to wash her face. By the time she got back to the sitting room, Mr Thomas and his wife were already seated near Jada with sleepy eyes. After exchanging their morning greeting, Lucia was specifically instructed on what to do to prepare her for the little journey ahead. “You don't really need to necessarily pack everything. Just pick the essential things like clothes, shoes and maybe some things you can't go withou
The ride to the hospital was smooth as Mr Thomas didn't encounter any traffic on the way, coupled with the fresh and warm weather. Ever since the death of Montess, everything about the beautiful city of Chicago was ugly in the sight of Lucia. However that morning, the city seemed to have something new and comfortable, but Lucia couldn't really place her hand on it. Something felt good about the morning. “Is it because of the mini vacation?” Lucia asked herself as she began to see herself as pathetic. “What's in your mind Lucia? You seem to be lost” Mrs Benita voiced out. She had been watching Lucia for quite some time through the rearview mirror. “Oh, I do? I must have been mesmerized by the beauty of the city. I didn't seem to notice how the city was until now” Lucia confessed. “Child, you really are funny. We'll, I'm happy you're happy. You and your mom deserve all the happiness you both could get” Mrs Benita said as she focused her gaze on Jada who was by then sound asleep. M
The ‘feast’ mood in Lucia and Mr. Thomas seemed to have vanished into thin air after the unsettling encounter with Wilson. While Lucia wrestled with thoughts about what she had done to deserve such an experience, Mr. Thomas, on the other hand, couldn’t stop thinking about the court case. Although the legal matter didn’t really concern him, he had grown attached to Lucia, considering her like a third daughter, even though they had only known each other for a short time.They were both so absorbed in their thoughts that they didn’t realize when they had arrived at their destination. It wasn’t until the taxi driver’s persistent voice brought them back to reality.“Hello? Can you hear me?” the driver called out, slightly annoyed. “Huh?” they both muttered in unison, snapping out of their trance as they turned to face the driver who had been waiting for them to acknowledge him.“We’re here. Isn’t this where you wanted to go?” the driver asked, gesturing to the building in front of them.
As Wilson and Jimmy drove through the streets and back to the Palma mansion, the weight of their mission loomed over them. Wilson, with his mind racing through the next steps, broke the silence after it was observed for some minutes. “Tomorrow is a workday, but I'll have my dad and Sandra handle everything while I’m away. You and I will be visiting Miss Lucia. I need you to find her workplace and get back to me as soon as possible. It’s crucial that you gather all the information you can, and if necessary, use any means to get it. I expect a report before midnight.” Wilson uttered, calculating the magnitude of his every word before saying it out.Jimmy, though used to Wilson’s demanding nature, was surprised by the urgency. He glanced at the clock on the dashboard to be sure of the time, and sure enough, it was late. “Tonight? But it’s already late, Sir. People might not be willing to talk at this hour as they may be packing up their shops or finding their way home” Jimmy explained
Lucia's fury surged as she picked up the empty bag, her hands trembling with anger."What is the meaning of this?" she demanded, her voice cutting through the noise of the market like a sharp blade. She had reached her breaking point."Get out of my sight, asshole! Just leave me alone. My life was going just fine until you interfered," Lucia spat, her words filled with venom as she swung the empty bag at Wilson. The bag, light and harmless, did little to physically hurt him, but it was the gesture that carried the weight of her frustration and pain.Wilson, caught off guard by the sudden attack, instinctively raised his arms to protect his face, which was his number one priority.Jimmy, who had been standing nearby, sprang into action. "Woah, woah, woah, take it easy, ma'am. You're hurting my boss," he shouted as he rushed over to Wilson's side, quickly grabbing the bag from Lucia's grasp. His loyalty to Wilson was unwavering, but even he could see the intensity in Lucia's eyes.Mr.
Lucia had successfully poured out her heart to the citizens who were available to hear her. The open speech she made had captured the attention of many, spreading like wildfire across social media. Afterward, she went on with Mr. Thomas to pick up whatever they had planned to get at the market. Her emotions were still tingling from the confrontation, but she politely requested to be shown the full video of the press conference that had triggered her anger in the first place.As she watched the video, her fury reignited. "I can't believe this guy," Lucia muttered under her breath, her voice shaking with emotion. "He has all the money and fame, and he uses it to manipulate people, to turn them to his side. Meanwhile, people like me are left to suffer alone. He tried to bribe me with that money, but he sure has his way of sweet-talking out of trouble." Lucia’s voice cracked as she spoke, her anger mingling with the sadness she carried within her. The injustice of it all seemed unbearab
Wilson and his dad, Mr. Palma, were already halfway home when Wilson’s phone rang. The name “Sandra” flashed on the screen, and Wilson’s brow furrowed in confusion. Sandra rarely called outside of work hours unless something was truly urgent. They had already wrapped up the day’s work, so this unexpected call felt unsettling.He hesitated for a moment, his thumb hovering over the answer button before he finally picked up. He then remained silent, waiting for Sandra to speak first, a habit he had developed in dealing with unexpected situations.“Sir, I’m so sorry to disturb whatever you’re doing, but you need to see the news. Miss Lucia is at her worst, causing a lot of issues. Live videos of her are currently circulating online, and she’s talking about you,” Sandra’s voice was tinged with concern.Wilson felt a cold shiver run down his spine. Lucia, again? The memory of their last encounter still lingered in his mind, and now she was publicly speaking about him. His pulse quickened, b
Lucia and Mr. Thomas had decided to stop by one of the busiest and most popular sub-streets in Chicago, a place well-known to the city’s middle class and poorer citizens. They needed to pick up a few things for the family.Earlier on the train, they had excitedly planned a mini feast to celebrate a successful deal with Mr. Benson. The feast was only possible if they visited the market, so they had made a quick detour before heading home.Mr. Thomas, who was such a sweet gentleman, respected the “ladies first” rule and allowed Lucia to lead the way. She walked ahead, her thoughts clouded by the discussion with Mr Ben, while Mr. Thomas followed closely behind. As they entered the crowded market, the usual bustle and noise surrounded them. The scent of spices mixed with the smell of fresh produce was everywhere, while vendors called out to potential customers, their voices competing for attention. Lucia had always found this part of the city oddly charming, despite its chaos. But today
“What can I get you Sirs?” The young and pretty waitress asked with a warm smile as she approached the table where Mr. Palma and Wilson had settled in the elegant restaurant. The place was all polished wood, ambient lighting, and the kind of atmosphere that invited deep conversations.“Well, I'll be having the macaroni and brie with the crab. Top that with a sweet and tangy sauce which you think would be best to go with the meal. I'll also have the cauliflower steak with hazelnut and browned butter. I'll have two portions of that,” said Mr. Palma, taking the lead with his eyes scanning the menu one last time before handing it back to the waitress. His voice was calm and measured, as if he had all the time in the world.The waitress nodded, jotting down his order with swift, practiced movements. She then turned to Wilson with the same polite smile. “And for you, sir?” the waitress asked, in expectancy of a reply. Wilson glanced at the menu briefly before responding, “I'll go with th
“Wow, son! You did a better job handling that question than I had imagined. I thought that lady had you trapped in a tight spot, but you proved me wrong,” Mr. Palma said to his son when they both returned to Wilson's office. His eyes twinkled with pride, the kind of pride that only a father feels when his son rises above expectations. The echoes of the press conference still rang in their ears, but Mr. Palma was more focused on the fact that Wilson had displayed his critical thinking skills perfectly and at just the right moment.“Well, thank you, Mr. Palma,” Wilson responded, his voice carrying a mix of relief and pride. “That reporter had my weakness pegged and made sure everyone knew it. It really took a lot of brainwork to wriggle out of that one, but what can I say? I’m your true blood,” Wilson added, with a touch of humor.As they settled into the office, Wilson’s thoughts began to wander. It wasn’t long before he noticed something—or rather, someone—missing. His mother’s abse
“Really? But why? I’m sure Mr. Wilson would like to stay in his lane to protect his esteem, at least after what I did to him,” Lucia said confidently. She knew to an extent that Wilson wouldn't change his proud and arrogant ways, especially not for her. Calling her would be hurting his pride. Mr. Benson’s response surprised her. He chuckled softly, shaking his head in understanding. “You mean the little act of flinging cash in his face? You don’t understand what someone like Mr. Wilson might do to protect his reputation. People in his position can be incredibly ruthless. They might go as far as kidnapping you if things don’t go their way. The rich aren’t like they are portrayed on TV. They’re often a mix of crazy lunatics and ruthless individuals who use their wealth to maintain their facade. You only see their dark side when you become an enemy or a significant annoyance. I strongly advise you to stay cautious. Avoid going out at night and stick to well crowded places for your own