Chapter 127 - Roland's sister - mddos
Simón
I took out my phone, searched for the photos, and handed it to her. Cebolla was looking at me; I wasn't going to tell him everything just yet, just to let him understand that he wanted them to live in that house. The lady was wiping away her tears.
"He made it identical. Did he want to live in that place?"
"I have to admit, it's a pretty nice place, the land is immense, ma'am. Apparently, the only neighbors are on the back side of the property, but there are many acres in between, and there will be two more neighbors on each side. The same contractor who built your house was hired to build those estates. The main house is beautiful, the stables, the industrial area is away from the mansion, but everything has his touch."
"It just needs to be furnished."
"You have the final say."
"Not for now, let me process it." She stifled a sob. "Send me all the photos to my phone." I nodded. "You must know me by now, I accept things, but I take my time. He wanted to live in that place, and I will after my brother's wedding and Hathor's foal is born." She looked at me. "If I go, I can take those horses, right?"
"Of course, we will transfer everything related to the thoroughbred breeding to the farm called 'The Rebirth.' The stables are called 'Beautiful Stables,' and the place where the lab will be is called 'Life.'"
"He named all those places after you, and since the contractor doesn't know about his passing, he did everything exactly as he imagined and sent to him. Marlon was in charge of that project; apparently, he traveled there once a month. You can change the names; the photos show the wooden plaques at the entrance of each place."
"I won't change anything. I'll take care of furnishing it, not in Roland's taste." She smiled.
"Then it's settled, in less than three months, we're moving to Blanco, Texas."
"Blanco, Texas?" She widened her eyes.
"Let's keep it between us. For now, Inés, us, Diana, Mojón, and Rasca culo, Cereza, and Churrusco."
"Could you at least call them by their names in front of me? When we leave, they will be in charge of many businesses, I've read their resumes." We looked at her. "That information was available on the office computer."
"You all will transform from mobsters to cowboys, and you'll need trustworthy people to be your eyes. Arnold studied marketing, advertising, and Gustavo is a financial manager and accountant. Aníbal is a zootechnician and agronomist. Daniel is a logistics manager and international trade administrator. Almost 80% of the staff under the boss's network are professionals, several have double degrees, and everyone knows at least one language other than Spanish. They will take on administrative roles."
"Only if they accept." Miguel intervened.
"They will accept, they are shareholders. Imagine a meeting and you calling them by their nicknames, that wouldn't look good. Do me a favor and call them by their names, Arnold and Gustavo, the same with Daniel, alias Cereza. He would be a good asset in one of the transport companies we have." Cebolla and I exchanged a glance. "Do you think I haven't worked? I'm a veterinarian, but I understand many topics, and the ones I don't, I study. Why do you think I know so many languages?"
"We didn't say anything." We said simultaneously.
"Roland wanted to dismantle the organization. He wasn't going to leave his brothers without jobs; now they will get positions in this corporate world we now have. You just need to agree on the salaries. We will need eyes loyal to us."
"Wow, now I understand why he chose you to be his wife." I said.
She smiled at the compliment. I was just about to take charge of the matter, and she was already ahead.
"Simón, I have read the parameters of each company. I asked the managers for financial information and gave it to Gustavo to analyze. I've never seen his eyes so bright. If the position doesn't exist, we'll create one where he will report to us and give us the profit reports. He is analyzing this month's balances; last month's profitability was off the charts."
"Inés almost had a heart attack." Cebolla intervened.
"I'm going to see her."
It was four in the morning; I had to stop by the house and then make a visit. I looked at Miguel, and he nodded, understanding that we needed to talk.
"I'll talk to the doctor to see if we can leave; the six-hour observation period has passed." I watched her walk away.
"Talk." I sighed. "Roland found his mother and sister. The woman who has left us clues, the one we've been looking for, is none other than the boss's sister. Her name is Luisa Sandoval Manjarrez, she works for a federal agency in the United States, and she is executing the plan Roland devised."
"What the hell are you saying?"
"I traveled with her on the return flight. Even though she was in disguise, it wasn't hard to identify her by her smell. I put a tracker on her. After we leave the clinic, I'll pay her a visit."
I spoke so fast that I didn't give Onion time to process the information. He was speechless. He tried to speak but held back, furrowing his brow.
"That's why they were waiting for the Boss at the clinic. They didn't count on his death."
"That's how it seems. We'll clear up that doubt today."
"Do you want me to come with you?"
"Not necessary. She won't be expecting it. Now more than ever, we need to be careful. It's clear some won't leave the business."
"And your intention is to join the extermination group?"
"What do you think?"
"Rat, our workload will increase. But you know my answer, old man. Together for whatever, even death, you bastard. Let's fulfill his last wish."
"Thanks. Roland's mother is named Consuelo Manjarrez, and she didn't abandon him. She rescued her daughter from the clutches of her husband who was going to rape her, and when she returned for Roland, the son of a bitch had vanished. After some time, she found him, but our friend had already left home. What irony! Life sometimes plays bewildering games."
"I suppose so." He scratched his head.
"What's wrong?"
"I still don't know. For now, I can handle this."
"We can take Inés now. She has four months of incapacity. After that, we'll leave Colombia. I've already thought about it. Simón, start working on the customs process to get the horses out."
"Will El Arenal be left with just the livestock?"
"Yes, Aníbal will take charge." I furrowed my brow. "Churrusco?"
"I noticed he likes the countryside when we were at El Arenal. I saw him milking cows, herding cattle, and taming horses. For the countryside, you just need to love it. I talked to him yesterday, and he agreed. Besides, he's an agronomist. I want to cultivate large parts of the land."
"What else has he been doing, ma'am?"
"Simón, I'm starting to like the sparkle in people's eyes when they want to do what they truly enjoy. They're good with weapons, but they also want something more. I've decided he will be my eyes on the farms: El Arenal, La Múcura, Palmera, El Pastizal, and El Frutal will be under close watch. The rest will just be for decision-making, reviewing financial statements, and balances.
"I'm getting up to speed on what each one handles. What I still don't understand is how Roland managed to be involved in everything and keep it so organized. His level of organization was admirable."
"He was a genius." I said. "I guess Miguel and I will keep an eye on the other businesses."
"Construction is the main one. Leave the farms and animals to me. I didn't know we had so many breeding animals and crops. That's why I want El Arenal to be more than just livestock."
"That was his passion, construction and the world of farms."
"It's a shame I won't see him dressed as a Texan. He'd look good enough to eat." She turned red after making that comment and covered her face with her hands.
"We should learn to speak like the lady. She just said in the best words that she'd do dirty sexual things with the boss..."
The slap Mrs. Verónica gave Onion made me burst into laughter. I didn't know why I felt a sense of happiness in my chest. Maybe it was because his twin was doing him justice.
"I'm glad you all are happy." It was Inés's voice. I went to meet her and hugged her.
"Old lady... Are you okay?"
"It was just my hand and a huge scare. You know how I get with clinics, so they sedated me completely. But oh well, this old lady made a mess with all the vomiting."
I kissed her forehead. Her eyes welled up. Onion came to our side, and she hugged him, then kissed his hand.
"Thank you, son. You saved my life." She then kissed each of his cheeks. "Take me home, and don't forbid me anything."
"Mrs. Inés, I'm sorry, but the doctor said you can't do anything. In fifteen days, you start therapy," Diana said. Inés made a gesture of 'don't bother me.'
"You heard her," I said. "No stubbornness or I'll tie you to the bed, and Mo... Arnold will take care of you."
"If you do that, I'll fill you with knuckle sandwiches. I want to lie in my bed. Today, I'll listen to you. My hand hurts a lot. But under no circumstances put Mo... Arnold as my nurse. He's worse than Roland." We all burst into laughter.