My drive to the McCall's home is quiet with wild sentiments galloping through my mind. I can't help but worry about Jerol. I don't want to see him that way. I don't want a drunkard for a husband. I want to understand him but not to this degree. I want to ease all his pains brought about by this, but how can I if he doesn't want to tell me what he is feeling?
I am even afraid of his reaction when he learns that the baby Ellie is expecting is not his. He will be torn. How will I even tell him?
We Park at the parking lot, and I step out without saying a word to Mark. Jerol's situation is choking me. I have had a very huge bile blocking my throat ever since I left the castle. I have pushed it down countless times but it keeps forming again. I hope this annoying brat does not add more to the anger I am feeling.
The guards open the door for me after greetings that I only nodded to. I amble inside, and I notice four of them walk in with me, two on each of my sides. I shoot a questioning glare at them, asking what they are doing.
"Madam's order. We are not supposed to leave you alone with him." One of the says, throwing a quick glance to the sitting where unbelievably this brat is resting like he is in the afterlife, free from any problems, and cool like a saint as if he has not wrecked havoc on everyone around him. Is this jerk for real?
As I stroll to him, I cruise my blazing eyes to his face which looked like a pool of blood yesterday with all the bruises he had received. It doesn't look so bad for a man. Well, aside from his upper lip and a part of his nose, nothing else seems severe. He even looks cute in these bruises. What is there to make him not step out?
"No one is here!" The brat says, resuming watching the movie without waiting for my response.
"I came to see you." I howl, hoping to get his attention which I succeed, but he gives me a not-so-welcoming glance. Who cares anyway?
"If your husband send you here, go back and tell him that I am still breathing and he better get ready for me!" He spits furiously, summoning more steps towards him while he jerks up to his feet after noticing my movement.
"I see he is so scared that he had to send you with puppets for security." He adds.
Well, what a delusional jerk!
"Please wait at the door!" I say to the guards, and nod my head to assure them when they seem adamant. "I got this!" I add.
They nod their heads, bow slightly, and they walk away, standing by at the door.
"Brave, huh? I love that!" Grego says, taking steps towards me in a gesture that I don't like at all, but I am not here to show any weakness.
I wait until he racks before my nose, giving him the pleasure of exploring my face to his satisfaction.
"If you are done, I would have you know that my husband doesn't even know I am here." I say when he settled in my eyes.
He takes a step back.
"What the fuck are you doing here then? Ahh, wait, forgive my manners. I know he is a deadbeat when it comes to love matters. I am at your service for whatever you may need, baby! You need some..."
Ooh, he is not just a brat, but a disrespectful jerk as well too.
"Fuck!" He curses, holding his nose to soothe the pain of my slap.
Yes! He deserved it! How dare he? He thinks I am like that cheap Ellie? How dare he insult my husband like that in front of me? Shameless moron!
"That is nothing, you disgusting shameless jerk! Try and insult Jerol one more time and I will crash your balls!" I yell, realizing that the guards are now standing behind me again, but a single glare from me sends a clear memo that I don't need them. It sends them back to their spot.
"I can kill you right here and right now, and nobody will even bother to look for your death corpse, so watch what you do!" Grego fumes, and I smirk at his stupid face. "What are you laughing at? Don't tell me that aside from stupid you are also psychotic like your fucking mother!" He adds.
I had to light this house with a smile at that.
"Jerol will kill you without thinking if he even learns you have disrespected me already, Grego! And if you think I am stupid, then you are the world's most dumbest idiot to have been fooled by Gracia! She and I are not related, and in this little game you are playing, you are now all alone in it. Ellie pulled out, thanks to that push you gave her yesterday that put her baby's life in danger, it brought her to her senses! And Gracia, that witch has no way of helping you in any way whatsoever." I spit in his face.
By now, his face resembles crap! His eyes do not hold that dangerous brave demeanor anymore. I can tell he is taken aback by my statements. He can't believe what I just said.
"That can't be true!" He whimpers.
"Really? Do you know why Ellie wants to return to her father's house? It's because she is done with your schemes! Now if you don't stop, you will not only lose the battle, but also your child, which you were using as a weapon to ruin Jerol, your own brother. How could you?" I fire.
"Ellie can not do this to me!" He affirms, shaking his head in disbelief. "She can not!" He adds.
"She can't? Then how do I know the baby she is carrying is yours and not Jerol's?" I shoot, slamming him to the seat with disbelief as he searches his brain.
"Ellie..." He reaches for his phone.
He must be wondering how much she has revealed. He is scared. Scared restless moron!
"Don't worry. That bitch loves you so much to disclose your entire plan." He drops the call at my words, snapping at me and calming down a little.
"What do you want?" He queries.
"To speak some sense into you before you regret this." I say.
"It's already too late. And, you are a nobody to speak anything to me." He says, bowing his head down.
It's too late?
"What do you mean by it is too late?" I ask.
"It's none of your fucking business!" He snaps, springing to his feet. "Get the hell out of here!" He says, showing me the door with a finger.
Why is he so worried all of a sudden? And who is he ordering?
"Me leaving or staying, none of that will fix this mess, Grego! You can still fix this!" I say.
"You know nothing, so just shut the fuck up and get the hell out of my face!" He grumbles, summoning me to my feet as we start to each other..
"I know everything there is to know, Grego!" I fire at him.
"Yeah? What do you know?" He mocks.
"That you have everything, Grego. What more do you need? Why are you so bent on ruining your family and your life for nothing?"
"You know nothing." He howls again, sounding pissed off.
"Maybe not all. But I know that you have a family that loves you so much." I say, calmly.
"Is that the lie they told you?" He queries, smoking anger.
"Nobody told me that. But I have heard stories. Do you know the kind of pain your mother is going through right now after learning what were planning? What kind of a son are you?"
"She, I have no problem with my mother. She from the start made me feel what love is. But my brother and my father never showed any affection to me." He defends.
Ooh, really now?
"You gave them all the reasons not to, Grego. And they don't hate you, because you wouldn't be here in this house right now after your dirty schemes came to light." I say, hoping he listens to my reasons.
"Well, I only have two days to leave this damn house. My father just disowned me. He has also cut all of my allowances. Such is love, right? I am sure if it was Jerol he would have not done this." He says, dropping back to the seat again while scratching his head.
I sat beside him, facing him.
He is another wandering soul, I suppose. He sees this life as a race against Jerol which is not right.
"You know Grego, I think deep inside you are a good guy. Annoying, yes, but there is some goodness in you. Your only problem is trying to outdo Jerol in everything. You want to have everything even that which belongs to him and you don't care how much you hurt him. He is your brother, Grego. If you want to compete then do it fairly! Work more harder than him and build an empire bigger than his. Only that will count as a win. But this, what you are doing, is so wrong and you know it, Grego. Change!" I plead.
"What for? It's all done! I don't stand to gain or lose nothing." He says, defeatedly.
"Jerol still has a place for you as his elder brother, Grego. And your father, he would have kicked you out of his house right away if he didn't care. And you know, it's no longer about you now. You have a child on the way. You will be a father in two months. What have you to offer your child? And Ellie? That woman who is ready to even go to prison in her condition just protects you. What about her? What about you? Can't you do it for yourself? And your mother? She..."
"Stop!" He cuts me off. Looking away. "That's enough. Nothing will be the same anymore no matter what I do." He adds.
"Definitely, but things can change for the best, Grego! And only you can fix all of this. The fate of all of us, this whole family, lies in the decision you will make. Think about it, but remember like you said, there is no time! In two days, Grego, whatever that will become of you, and this entire family, will all be in your conscience! I hope you will do the right thing. This family doesn't deserve to be torn apart or go through any form of shame, Grego." With that, I leave him to ponder whether he still wants to continue being a brat, or man up and take the mantle as the elder son.
I believe he is the only one responsible for his own plight, and the only one who can save himself from this mess. If he finds himself and saves himself, then we are all saved. If he chooses to drown in his own sorrows, then woe unto this family.