CHAPTER SIX

“.….. After several months of digging through what’s left of the Diaz mansion, the search for the President of DSK inc has finally been called off, the reason for this, according to the police, is for the family to be given a chance to mourn her. Months back, the Diaz mansion went up in flames when a dinner party was held, while many believed to have survived, Mrs. Salome Diaz was unable to escape. A service of songs is scheduled to be held in her honour tonight, while we mourn her, we sincerely commiserate with the family who has been affected by this……”

I opened my eyes, my sight blurry, my throat parched from lack of water and my head pounded repeatedly, “Water….” I manage to say, weakly. I still couldn’t see nor tell where I was. I found my feet as I tried to get myself out of the bed, immediately taking off the medical things attached on my body.

I suffered from sea legs as I struggled to walk towards the door, falling to the ground a couple of time but still able to pick myself up each time. The room I was in was quite strange, the blinds were closed, there was just a single light in the room and an A/C for ventilation.

Finally reaching for the door, the door suddenly opens as I fell to the ground again, “You’ve finally woken up. You shouldn’t be walking, lets take you back to bed” A voice said, the dark room made it hard to see his face, the only thing is, I could recognize the voice.

“Why am I here and not at the dinner party? Did you kidnap me?” I accused, though afraid as I tried to see the face of my captor, “Dr. Alejandro….” I said faintly, closing my eyes and falling into another slumber.

The second time I woke up, the blinds were open and I could get a clear view of where I was. It was a place with so many trees, a remote yet serene area, it was obviously away from the city. My memories flushed through me rapidly, I remembered it all, the dinner party, I could remember being in the same room with Laura, she said she was going to get help, “Did she save me?”

Doctor Alejandro came to the room again, holding a surgical tray with had a syringe, cotton wool and a couple of things I couldn’t recognize from afar, there was also food prepared and set on a table that I didn’t see, I am really starving now.

“Why am I here? What about Laura? How is she?” I asked swiftly as I raised my body from the surprisingly comfortable bed.

Doctor replied, explaining that he doesn’t know who Laura was, “My child, they all want you dead.” he said straight-faced, which brought nothing but fright to me, I can’t think of anyone who would want that, I know I was nice to every person I have met, all my life I made sure not to make enemies, I was clear on that.

Still, it didn’t stop me from asking, “Who are they?”

“I don’t know. All I know is, you clung unto my shirt and begged me to save, you were barely conscious when you said that.” He said, bringing out my hand from under the sheets to nurse my burns, I didn’t even notice as it didn’t hurt. “Even if you want to return, you can’t” he added, staring directly at my face.

“Why? I am very much alive now, and I have some scores to settle with a few people, I can’t just play dead now.” I made him understand, there was nothing that would change my mind.

Doctor Alejandro sighed, he switched on the TV as recordings of my house was shown---- the before and after, underneath it was written, “Husband of Salome Diaz calls for the closure the case after months of unsuccessful findings of the remains of his wife, becomes new president of DSK inc”

I can believe it, to the world am dead. Still, I can return right? If I don’t Carlos will win, he will have it all, I can’t let that happen.

“I can still return, If I don’t all that I have will be transferred to my husband and I can’t let that happen cause I know what he plans to do with it” I said, being told you no longer have a life outside of this room and all that you try so hard to protect was no more.

I was yet to confront Carlos and Laura…. that’s right, Laura, I remember now…… “Greet the dead for me” she said that to me before leaving me to die.

Those were here exact words, I could recall everything now.

Doctor Alejandro heaved an heavy sigh, as he told me that an investigation was held at the company and they found out I have been siphoning billions of dollars, if I was to return, I would be arrested.

I had to admit here that I had grown suspicious of the doctor, he is bent on convincing me not to return, siphoning money? That’s ridiculous, I will never do that despite it being my business. He finally gave up explaining to me how my life had become outside, the property I tried so hard to protect was no longer mine as I never signed the Will and as law says, Carlos will have to take it all, there was also my supposed stealing of funds that I didn’t do.

When I checked the web, it turned out to be true, Doctor Alejandro wasn’t lying at all. The papers termed me as a vile woman who destroyed lives, and there were so many testimonies beneath it every article, I knew someone had framed me but I didn’t think the person will go as far as tarnishing my image.

Now I wished that I had confronted Carlos sooner and not pretend to be aware of his affair, he was the one who did all of this to me, Laura must have told him that I already knew and by so doing, Carlos felt this was the perfect time to put a total end to me.

I can’t let them get away with this, I shall not be know as vile woman or a person who trampled on everybody that she saw, I am not anything like that and never has been.

“If I can’t go back like this, what else should I do?” I asked and only one thing came to mind, “Plastic surgery?” I suggested.

“There is no need for that” he said, Doctor Alejandro left the room for a while to get a passport and plane ticket, “You’ve already lost so much weight, you could pass off as Vanessa”   

Why would he want me to take up Vanessa identity when she is still alive, that identity theft and to think I already committed embezzlement.

Unless….

“Is Vanessa dead? You told me she was out of the country and won’t be returning” I said, a little furious, if Vanessa is truly dead, I will totally freak out.

And she is, as Dr. Alejandro gave a nod. He explained that she died five years ago, he didn’t exactly know how it happened as he returned to the hotel they were staying at and found out she drugged herself to death, he suddenly stopped talking as his voice became strained, “I am yet to register her death because I am still hunting down her killer as he believed Vanessa was a happy child and would never consider suicide, he would know that because he is her father. Go somewhere far and never come back here” He said before getting up to leave, I know he was going out to cry because he couldn’t do it at m front, I too cried because of how good of a friend Vanessa was.

I too didn’t believe Vanessa will kill herself, something must have occurred. I chose to strike a deal with Dr. Alejandro, as I am making use of Vanessa identity, I vow to find whoever had caused her death and bring them to justice, he agreed.

Five Years Later,

Airport, New York

Its been five years and am back again to this horrible place, a place where my whole life was turned upside down. My new father was in support of me returning back though he didn’t want to agree, I had to convince him that there was an unfinished business that needed finishing.

So we made a plan to buy shares from my company three years ago and now it finally paid off, the shareholders were to vote tomorrow on the deposition of the incumbent President which was still Carlos, turns out they weren’t in support of him as president anymore due to fall in stock prices, I being the highest shareholder needed to be there.

“Yes, I already got to the airport” I said on the phone, was speaking to my father. When I finally hung up I rolled my luggage towards the exit, suddenly, out of freaking no where, this particular idiot bumped my shoulder and just walked off without apologizing. “Excuse me” I said trying to stop him.

He kept on walking like he didn’t hear me, I was totally furious as I returned the favour, maybe too much.

I bumped into him, but due to my shortness, my shoulder had an impact on his hand, which lost its balance, letting the phone on his hand which he had a call from and as such couldn’t hear me call after him because of the air pod had fallen face flat on the ground.

This I didn’t realize until later, “Excuse me, lady” he called after me but I didn’t respond, same thing he too did to me. I approached the exit and waited for my Uber to arrive.

He caught up to me as he said angrily, “Hey, how can you bump into someone without stopping to apologize? That’s so wrong”

That’s what I thought too, angry bird.

“Son is there an issue….” a voice I know I would easily recognize out of anywhere said from the phone angry bird held, it was Laura’s voice. I immediately drop the thought off my head because there was no logical explanation for how a thirty years old woman would birth someone that looked around twenty two to twenty five, Angry bird looks really young and handsome…..

“Mum I will speak to you later” He hung up as he faced me. “Like I said, you don’t just do a thing like that and walk off” He reprimanded me like I was a child, I was shocked by this cause he was the one who started this whole entire thing.

I folded my arms below my breast as I stirred him up with both my eyebrows raised, “So what should I do? Apologize?”

“Yes!” he said firmly.

“No!” I gave an immediate response. He was short of words as he looked utterly confused, must be thinking that I was plain rude and stubborn, which is true, since I became Vanessa I became this whole new person.

I rolled my eyes at him, completely frustrated that the uber driver was missing his cue to come save me from this freak show. Thankfully it finally came as I rushed to grab unto the handle. What pissed me the most was that Angry bird also grab unto it at the same time that I did.

For real what is his problem, while am trying to forget about this whole nonsense, he is being petty about it.

We both went back to staring at each other and then back at our hands.