I thought my aunt had died or perhaps something bad had happened when I approached our house. From a distance, I could see a fleet of luxury cars with heavily armed men standing at different points; they looked terrifying. I felt my stomach grow cold as I drew closer.
It was very recently that I noticed her pacing around the house, looking out of the window; sometimes she was very absent-minded. She had nearly dipped her hand in a frying pan with heated oil while she was deep in thought; if not for my timely intervention, when I asked her what the problem was, she looked me in the eyes and asked that we run away, that we moved to another city.
“Tessa, we need to run; we need to leave this city,” she had said to me, her grip firm as ever.
I could see fear in her eyes.
“Aunty Norah,” I said softly, sitting next to her. “We moved here barely a year ago; I just got this new job that pays well, and I finally get to have friends; why do we need to go somewhere else?”
“You won’t understand,” she said, looking away.
‘Then make me understand,” I nudged closer. “Why do we keep running?”
“We are not running; I’m just trying to keep you safe.”
“Safe from what? From whom, Is someone bothering you? We need to call the police,” I had said, reaching for my phone.
“The police can’t do anything. Absolutely nothing,” she said.
“What is going on, Aunty? Ever since you told me my Mum died in a fire incident and dad disappeared, never to be heard from again, we have been on the run ever since. I have not made sense of anything all these while because I felt losing your twin sister to a fire outbreak must have traumatised you. I did not want to bother you with questions or anything, but now I’m old enough to know what’s going on,” I had said.
She slipped her hands out of mine and sighed.
“It’s a long story,” she said, her eyes tearing
“Start from somewhere,” I said calmly.
“It all started when your dad got into a dirty business relationship with a man, and it resulted in your dad owing this man a lot of money, unknown to your dad that this monster was obsessed with your mother. He had made several advances at her, and she refused; her only crime was saying No to a billionaire and settling for a humble lettuce farmer. That man made life miserable for your parents. Every time he visited, he always took something precious. No matter how your dad pleaded, he would not listen. One cold night, while your dad was unusually away on the farm, that monster came visiting to demand his debt, Your mother was home and I was in the nursery babysitting you, He insisted that it was either your dad paid off his debt or he would kill him and have his men take turns on your mother, I had heard them arguing in the sitting room when I sneaked out with you from the back door to find your father. It’s a mistake I should never have made, I should never have left my sister behind” She paused, tears pouring from her eyes.
I was too cold to comfort her; I could feel my heart racing and the warmth of my tongue vanish. “So what happened?”
“I did not see your father on the farm. I managed to hide you somewhere safe and came back to the house to find your mother, only to see the building. she paused, choked with emotion.
“In flames,” she screamed.
I could hear her scream for help, but before we could get help, it was too late—she had died,” she said, her voice trailing off.
“And my dad,” I asked softly.
“I never saw or heard from him again till this day,” she said, her voice trembling.
“So who is this man, and why is he after you and me? I mean, he succeeded in killing my parents; what does he want from us?” I asked. I tried to control my emotions at this point because I hated how this was affecting my aunt so badly.
I have learnt that the ways of the world were cold and that I had to live life like I was on a battlefield; these were tenets that I groomed myself to live by, to face every challenge head-on, but this very chilling revelation from my aunt had me wondering if I was ready for what she would say next. I watched my aunt lower her head and tried to wipe her tears with the helm of her skirt when she began to cough.
Our conversations did not continue that night; she coughed until she was gasping for air. I had helped her sit close to the widow with the curtains spread wide open for fresh air to come in; we did not talk about anything else.
I approached the entrance carefully, observing the cold, expressionless faces of these men as I walked past them. I was terrified but maintained a defiant appearance. Once I got past them, I ran into the house to meet my Aunt on her knees, in front of a man who seemed to be in his late forties. She was begging him, but the minute she saw me, she got up and asked me to run away.
"Please, my baby, just leave; I will explain everything later!” she said.
"No, Aunt, I’m not leaving you here! Why are there armed men, and who is this man?” I asked.
“Oh, there she is, finally! I thought you said she travelled, so you lied to me?” The man said with a cold smile.
My aunt turned to face him.
“Just let her be Don Pedro; she is just a child,” her voice begged.
“A child? Last I remember, she just turned twenty-one; don’t you dare call my wife a child.”
I was beginning to get annoyed. His wife? This has got to be some sort of confusion, I said in my mind.
“Can somebody tell me what’s going on? And who are you, Mr. Whatever your name is?” I sparked.
“I am your husband, and I am here to wish you a happy birthday, darling!” He said with a weird smile, handing me a black box. “I got you a gift,” he added.
“I beg your finest pardon." I asked. Looking into his cold eyes.
“Is this how you accept a gift from your husband? No, thank you." He said again.
“You must be kidding! I mean, you are outrightly out of your goddamn mind!” I yelled at him.
I was losing my cool. I did not know who this man was, but I knew he was powerful from the way he talked, but he sure did not know what I was capable of. I looked around for whatever I could weaponise and found the left pair of one of my aunts rickety old cover shoes.
“Oh! She’s feisty! I’m sure you didn’t walk through that door with your eyes closed; one wrong move, and you will not like what happens next." He said with a kind of arrogance that drove me Mad.
"Well, you’re going to see crazy if you don’t get the fuck out of my house,” I held the door.
“Tessa, please calm down; let me handle it." My aunt said from a corner, completely shaking.
“You should listen to your aunt, wifey." He said again. Stretching out the small black box. “Take it”
“I don’t want anything from you, and today is not my birthday,” I spat out with my hands crossed, staring at him cold in the eye.
I did not like him. I did not like his presence, and I did not like how frightened my aunt looked.
“Did I hear her call you Tessa?” He asked, turning to my aunt, “You changed her name to escape me, tell her what her real name is, and be quick; don’t piss me off.”
“Me…Melissa Lorenzo,” My aunt whispered.
“I am Don Pedro Lorenzo." He said, “I am your husband.”
I was caught up with words. I didn’t know what to say next. This man’s audacity was too much for me to take it as I stared at him in disbelief.
“In that box are the keys to your new house with an address, a car to drive you around, and your wedding ring. It’s a blood diamond with a tracker; make sure you have it on at all times, I need to know your every whereabout, I was going to take you home with me today but I figured forcing you won't be deal." He said, stepping a bit closer—so close I could feel his breath on my face as he towered over me, his eyes deeply peering at me. “So be an obedient pretty little thing and do as I say; you have seventy-two hours to be in your new home, otherwise.” He stopped and pulled my aunt by her arm.
I tried to protest, but my aunt told me to be quiet.
“She knows what I am capable of,” he says, gesturing for me to leave the door. “I will see you in three days, wifey; take good care.”.
I watched him leave, his entourage and swamp of bodyguards driving off into the street and out of sight. The idea of being married did not sit right with me, but first, I had to make sure my aunt was okay.
The Devil is a liar! I had exclaimed in my mind.I managed to help my aunt to her bedside and fetched her a glass of water and her medicines. She had many questions to answer because a stranger couldn’t come and declare me his wife like I was a piece of furniture.No way. And Melissa? I hated the name as a word itself.I was boiling with so much anger I did not know when I kicked the bed bunk and yelled in pain.Breath in, Tessa! I said to myself.“Are you okay?” My aunt had asked. “You know we can plan our escape; we don’t have to do anything he says."Escape? Do anything he says? Why would I be compelled to listen to a man I do not know? I was triggered by that question.“Nobody is escaping to anywhere. I want to see how this plays out. If there is anything I need to know about the drama that played out, now is the best time to tell me,” I said before pulling a seat to the window side and sitting down.“How do I explain the situation now?” Aunt Norah started, “If only you had listen
I could still perceive his strong masculine perfume and wondered perhaps I had inhaled too much of him at the office earlier. I could still hear his voice in my head. His raspy deep voice rambling in my head, calling me his wife! I am not your wife, damn it! I unknowingly yelled out my thoughts as I walked into the sitting soon, kicking my shoes to a corner and switching on the light! There he was! My tormentor! “Tada!” He said, but there was nothing pleasant about that! I was still in shock and at a loss for words; I first looked around for my aunt. “Where is my aunt?” I asked, my fist clenched! He noticed. “Easy with the first honey; your aunt is in safe hands.” “What do you mean?” I asked before scampering around, calling out to my aunt. But no response or vision of her in sight. I panicked. I began to wish I had listened to her when she asked us to run away. I prayed this monster had not done anything to her because I wouldn’t know what I would do. “What did you do
Finally, some peace and quiet!The only thing I hated was the strong smell of that man’s perfume in the sitting room and everywhere else. He was driving me nuts, and I could no longer bear it. I looked around for my phone; I had forgotten where I had put it.I barely had time to breathe after that monster had left when the door swung open with such force that it banged against the wall. I jumped, my heart racing. I thought Don Pedro was back again, but it was my boyfriend, Sergio.He stormed in, his face dark with rage. I was taken aback because, I knew, Sergio was a soft and kind man who always had a smile on his face whenever he came visiting.The man who just stormed in was not the Sergio I knew.He was furious. I was scared. I was really scared. “I knew it!” he spat, his eyes charring with accusation.My eyes flashed in confusion. “Sergio? What—”“Don’t even try to deny it, Tessa. I saw him! The man you’ve been sneaking around with just left your house.”I frowned. My boyfriend
Don Pedro’s POV“Life would be so much easier if women reasoned like men,” I mumbled to myself as I adjusted my cufflinks in the rear-view mirror. Why are women so complicated, men are just very easy to come aroundIn my world, business was a chess game—calculated, strategic, ruthless, with no mercy. Dog eat dog; you either eat or be eaten.Men were built for such pursuits, their minds grounded for making decisions that built empires. Women, in my experience, were often led by stupid emotions, stubborn in their own ways, clinging to irrational sentiments. Love? Who believes in love in this day and time, such a joke!The whole infatuation irritates me.I smiled smugly at the thought of Tessa and how she was so determined, so infuriatingly headstrong. I wondered just how long her obstinacy would last under the weight of my plans to make her mine.I had orchestrated many plans in my life, each one executed with precision. Yet, nothing amused me more than watching a stubborn woman try
The so-called 72hrs that monster gave me had elapsed. I stood fixed in front of the mirror. My head replayed in slides, scenes of despair from two nights ago. There is something shame does to a person; it strips you of your worthiness; that small voice whispering in your head and telling you how unworthy you are—that's how I felt as I walked all the way back from Sergio's house. I felt so small and insignificant. I recalled how I had stood outside Sergio’s apartment, banging on the door. “Sergio! Open up!” Only to be met with silence. I had been here three times, loitering around and looking out for a shadow of him; he was the man I loved. I needed to know why he said all those things to me. By my third visit, I had met the caretaker, who informed me that the house had been sold and the occupant had evacuated earlier. It did not make sense to me. It was as if he had vanished. Something was wrong. I just knew. I swallowed the lump in my throat, hot bile heating up in the
Tessa’s POV“Where is that bastard!” I yelled, “Let me through”I screamed at the security guy, pushing through him.“Don Pedro or whatever you call yourself, You can’t keep her from me!” I shouted as I burst through the wrought-iron gates.I slapped the foolish guard when he tried to touch me.“Don’t you dare lay your filthy hands on me”I had come to the Lorenzo estate with one purpose—to see my dear Aunty Nora and get her the fuck out of there. But before I could reach the main entrance, two large men in dark suits stepped forward, blocking my path.“Miss Moretti,” one of them said in a flat tone, “you are not allowed beyond this point.”I was taking aback, trying to keep my voice steady, narrowing my eyes as I looked up at them. “I’m here to see my aunt. Now step aside.”They exchanged a look, one of them spoke into the wireless talkie he was holding, I could barely hear what he said, but he gave his colleague a signal and before I could protest further, one of the men seized my
“I’m sorry I didn’t quite grasp your name” she had said as she led me into the rest room.“Tessa” I said softly. “And yours?”“Regina” she said with a bright smile. “Let me help you with that”She moved to help me take off my clothes.Regina’s voice was soft, almost soothing. There was this calm reassurance in her carriage. In a way, her presence helped me cope with the madness in my mind.“Tessa, I know this isn’t easy,” she said as she carefully help me slip into my dress, adjusting the dress on my shoulders. “But everything will be fine. My brother… he can be difficult, I won’t deny that. But he has his sweet side too.”I forced a small smile, pretending I was okay when I felt like I was drowning. Because I was actually drowning. “Difficult?” I let out a light laugh. “That’s one politeway to put it.”If only she knew the devil she has for a brother.I loved her innocence. It meant, she was different from him.Regina giggled, shaking her head. “Trust me, I know him better than anyon
The reception followed immediately after. Now and then he would pinch of nudge at me signaling me to smile. At that moment, I felt like grabbing a nearby glass and breaking it on his head. His whole demeanour irritated me to my core. The fact that I had to breathe the same air as him had me feeling sick to my stomach. Such a needless extravagant display of wealth and status was not necessary for this sham of a marriage but then, only Don Pedro Lorenzo could pull such moves. My eyes ached at the sight of tables adorned with gold-trimmed dinnerware, I preferred silver. The set-up, as grandiose as the foolish man I married intended it to be, still looked tacky. They should at least use silver. I said unknowingly. But Not loud to hide my obvious disgust “Sorry?” he asked “Did you say something?” “No, I did not “ Thank goodness, Regina stayed close, her presence a small comfort. “You should eat something,” she suggested, offering to make me a plate. I shook my hea
AUTHORS POV Tessa was making her way down the quiet hall way when she nearly collided with Franco. Whatever she was thinking was rudely interrupted as she became aware of her consciousness, and she barely managed to steady herself as she met his eyes. “Franco,” she said, her voice edged with irritation yet curious to know where he was heading to, “where are you hurrying off to?” Franco paused, looking around as if expecting prying eyes. “I’ve got a few errands to run for Don Pedro,” he replied. His eyes held a tinge of emergency, and for a moment Tessa wondered what could be so pressing that he’d nearly bump and crashed into her. “Errands?” Tessa asked, narrowing her eyes. “Then could you at least point me to the kitchen? I need to sort out something” Franco frowned slightly, a hint of surprise passing over his initial features. “The kitchen?” he repeated. “What exactly do you need there?” Tessa hesitated before speaking. “Dame Rossa has asked me to cook dinner,” she said in a
AUTHOR’S POV Dame Rossa had gone downstairs by the time Regina came out of Don Pedro’s room. She was making her way to the staircase when she spotted Franco in the hallway. Without wasting a second, she caught up to him and grabbed his arm. “Franco, we need to talk—now,” she said hurriedly Franco tried to pull away, glancing nervously over his shoulder. “Regina, please, not here. Someone might see us,” he protested, his voice several notes lower and urgent. Before he could finish his sentence, Regina yanked him into a small, empty room off the main corridor, it was the store room. The door closed behind them with a soft lock. T The air in the room was cool and still, although it smelt like old newspapers and decaying books, nobody had been in there for days if not weeks. “Why do you always make me chase you like this?” Regina demanded, her voice mid-high as frustration and something that bordered on desperation trailed it. “How do you mean?” “My call’s you fool, you are not
AUTHORS POVIt was on days like this that she missed Sergio. It was as if the long travelling hours had dried up the blood flowing through different parts of her body.Sergio would have given her a therapeutic body massage to ease the tension coursing through her, but then the thought of him as she sat alone in the bedroom—angered her. He had no place in her thoughts.She would rather think of her job instead, she thought to herself, surrounded by stacks of unattended work files.She missed the life she had before Pedro, before the wedding and more so, before the so‐called cursed honeymoon on the Virgin Atlantic Island. The soft rustle of papers as she schemed through them, and the steady ticking clock filled the quiet atmosphere as she worked through the backlog, trying in vain to regain some sense of normality, but it did not work one bit, there was just so much work to do.Her mind, however, was not on the files. She searched her mind for what could be missing as she remained re
I straightened, trying to maintain my composure. “Medlin, this is not the right environment,” I replied briskly. “You’re about to be married to Rodolfo, and here, at a club meeting, such matters are best left unspoken.” Her eyes were devilishly lusting, undeterred. “Married or not, you always had a way of drawing me in. I insist we talk, moreover, your dick is saying otherwise.” Before I could protest further, the noise of the club’s lively chatter filtered through the corridor. Reluctantly, I stepped aside, gesturing for her to follow me into one of the private rooms. We entered a well furnished office looking room off the corridor, the room was quiet with the blinds covering the large windows. I closed the door, leaning against it as I tried to regain a semblance of control. “Medlin, listen,” I began, my voice was even but firm. “This isn’t the time or place. We have obligations—especially with the tournament coming up and everything else to be sorted for Monterrey.” She
DON PEDRO’S POV Inside the club’s main hall, the president of the Golf club, a dignified gentleman in just a pair t-shirt and shorts, cleared his throat and began the roll call. “Don Pedro?” he called. “Don Rodolfo?” “Sir Princeton?” “Miss Medlin?” “Sir Renato” “Sir Vince” “Don Nathan” and continued to mention others, each name was met with a firm “Present!” from the assembled members. I offered a short nod as my name was pronounced. “Thank you all for coming on time,” the president continued, his was laid back and formal. “I do apologise for my lateness this evening; I assure you it will not become a habit.” He paused to laugh, a few others joined, I did not. “Now, the purpose of today’s meeting is to finalise the arrangements for the upcoming Monterrey Golf Club International Tournament. This event will, I believe, bring about significant development in our region, and we must ensure that all aspects of our proposal are watertight in terms of collaborations, sponsorships and
AUTHOR’S POV Don Pedro led the way and Tessa followed in sheepishly, stepping aside as he slammed the door short. “Which way is the bathroom?” she asked impatiently. “That way” he pointed. Tessa barely had time to admire the braggadociousness of Don Pedro’s master suite before the call of nature hit her with a reverberating kind of urgency. The long flight, the delay at the airport, and the insufferable formalities with his aunt had left her holding it in for way too long and she only just realised her bladder would burst open if she did not ease herself. Now, as they stepped into the room, all she wanted was to relieve herself and catch her breath, she had been still for too long. Pedro was right beside her, loosening his belt as he made a beeline for the bathroom. Tessa’s eyes widened in alarm. “This way” he motioned. “Wait, wait, wait! I need to go first,” she announced, already moving toward the bathroom door. Pedro stopped in his tracks, turned to her, and raised a br
AUTHOR’S POVTessa sat stiffly in the car as it rolled to a smooth stop in front of the Lorenzo mansion. She first muttered ‘Thank You Jesus’ under her breath. Her stomach rumbled, and her bladder was full but despite that, she felt empty, absolutely empty.The jet lag was hitting her so hard, her entire body aching from the long flight, the internal clocks in her body were ticking off an alarm signalling she needed to shut down and rest a bit, but she barely had a moment to process her exhaustion before she caught sight of the people waiting at the grand entrance.What the hell is going on now? She asked.A line of guards, perfectly aligned, stood in silence, their black uniforms dashingly smart and intimidating, they were like giant towers, all with bald heads. Beside them, the house staff—maids in immaculate pink uniforms, their heads slightly bowed—as though they awaited orders.While they were in the car, the chauffeur exited first, walking around to open the passenger door. Don
It was midday by the time they finally stepped out of the arrival gates, the surrounding outside wet, as it had rained earlier. Inside was cold The airport was busy with travellers moving here and there, airport staff and patrols roaming around, and the air smelt of jet fuel. Tessa barely noticed any of this, she just wanted to get home and get some sleep too. She was exhausted. Six hours of delay, followed by a long-haul flight, had drained every ounce of patience from her body. Her back ached, her feet throbbed in her heels, and the bright sun glaring down on the tarmac only made her crankier.She could count how many times she blanked out or assumed her brain had stopped working. It was difficult to keep her eyes open for a few minutes because her eyes were burning so much. Pedro, on the other hand, looked completely unaffected. Not a single wrinkle on his brown shirt, not a trace of exhaustion in his sharp stares or the way he shot glances at any lady he found attractive. He w
This man has got to be insane, dear lord. My head throbbed—the air had gotten thinner and I found myself struggling to take in more air. I really did not recall most of the things I said to him earlier but I know I had made a fool of myself, and now he had every intention of rubbing it in. “Why so tense, querida?” he asked, his voice smooth, teasing. I exhaled sharply. “I wonder why. Perhaps if you back off a little bit, I won’t be.” Pedro smiled a silly kind of smile, his gaze dragging over me like a slow burn. “Nice dress,” he murmured, looking down at my hands. “You have not even seen it on me yet” I muffled. I didn’t acknowledge the comment, I felt it was backhanded. It was the first piece of clothing I had grabbed from the closet—a simple black dress with thin straps—and I wasn’t about to let him turn it into something else or make it seem like I intended to wear it for his satisfaction or to please him. I would have appreciated it if he kept his compliments to himsel