66- All set

Rebeca

She picks up a small vase and throws it at me. I quickly dodge the vase, which shatters on the door behind me. Instinctively, I grabbed a nearby vase and did the same, she screamed and ducked, the vase smashed through the window and shards of glass flew everywhere.

\- Have you gone mad? - she shouts.

\- No, but you must have been when you attacked me like that. If you do anything like that, I'll pay you back twice as much, and that goes for any move you make. - I warn you.

\- Get out of my room! - he shouts, shaking with rage.

\- Oh, you're telling me to leave already? It's a shame. Don't you want to know what happened to your niece? - I offer.

As if I'd pressed a button, she widened her eyes at the sight of my smug smile. She must think Hannah's dead now.

\- What did you do to her? - she asks.

\- Well, she got what she deserved by trying to meddle in my marriage. - I shrug.

\- It won't stay that way, my brother won't let Hannah's death go. Sebastian's gone mad, he can't even think straight, how can he let you do this, there'll be a war over it, all because of a cheap whore like you. - He spits.

I laugh at his angry words.

\- Your words don't affect me at all, if there's a war, so be it. I'll dance after I've taken down all the enemies, of course, as Hannah's aunt, you're no exception, nor is Dante, you'll both have to die too so that no loose ends are left, but don't worry, I'll take care of you both personally, first my brother-in-law and then you, slowly and painfully. - I smile creepily and she moves away as I approach.

\- Don't come any closer. - she says as she walks away.

\- I wanted to have a good relationship with you in the beginning, I really did, I didn't come into this family of my own free will, but you undermined that desire in less than a minute, all you had to do was open your mouth and everything was immediately lost, now the only thing I want is to take everything you have, until you have nothing left but life, I'm going to laugh and mock while you suffer. - I say close to her face and she spits at me.

That old bitch.

I slapped her quickly and hard, so hard that she fell with the surprise of the blow to her face. I should have punched her, breaking her nose would have been satisfying too.

\- You bitch, how dare you hit me! - scream.

\- Shut up if you don't want to lose your tongue too. Remember that you started your misery and as if that wasn't enough, you got my family involved in it, I already know everything, so pay close attention to what I'm going to say now. Just wait a bit, I'm going to take revenge, for what you've done, for your manipulations, I'm going to give it all back, you can wait, because I don't make empty promises, live your days with the uncertainty of not knowing what my next move will be or when you're going to pay, live in fear, until then, I'll think carefully about how to repay you for what you've done. - I warn her in a cold voice and leave the room.

Little does she know that I already know exactly what I have to do and that I'll soon put everything into action. I deliberately lied to her, I want her to get the impression that she'll be next on the list, now all her movements are monitored, she has no access to any money and can't even leave her room, her son is injured and she thinks her niece is dead, I'm sure she has a lot on her mind right now and I hope these thoughts grow even more, and become a monster, which makes her scared and suspicious enough not to trust anyone in this house and make a rash move. I want to see if she's really going to stay strong in this situation or if she's going to act recklessly to save her skin.

I was about to go out and do business with Vladimir when my cell phone rang, it was my lawyer.

What the hell does he want at this hour?

\- Yes? - I picked up.

\- Miss, I did as you asked. The police think that the fire was an accident, a gas leak and that at the time of the explosion, your family was out and the house was empty. Since the police questioned this fact, I proved that they were out of the country and that they found out about it from other people. - let me know.

\- Great, that's perfect, I don't want the police to get any more involved than that. You've done a good job, if anything comes up, let me know. - I say.

\- I will. - he says and then hangs up.

I meet Vladimir in a quiet restaurant, as always, he's dressed impeccably, always in black from head to toe, it's an interesting choice and it gives him an aura of danger and mystery, although we've never been involved beyond friendship, I was briefly interested in him at the time. He's a very handsome man and from what little I know, he lives a very discreet life, without a wife or children, unless he hides them very well and for some great reason, the rest is public knowledge.

\- Have you got everything ready? - I ask.

\- Yes, don't worry about a thing. - he tells me.

\- Good, once that's done, our contract will be over and you can move on to the next job. - I warn you.

\- Why? I thought it would be for longer. - you say.

\- Well, the events after that will be complicated to manage and I don't want your company's good name to be tarnished if something goes wrong. That's why I'm asking you to follow the upcoming events from afar and not to reveal our connection to anyone, and of course, I'll pay the fine for breaking the contract. - I say sure of my decision.

Although it's not really difficult what's to come, I don't want Vladimir to be involved in this, he's fought hard to win his place, I don't want anyone to take advantage of our connection and harm him for any reason.

\- Fuck the fine, I'm worried it's too much for you. Even though I know you're different from most women, you're still just one person. - you argue.

\- Yes, I'm just a woman at the end of the day, don't worry, I'm not alone, I have my husband and all his power at my disposal and my family is with me too, but if necessary, I'll call you, does that satisfy you? - I ask with a smile full of gratitude.

Vladimir shakes his head and smiles back.

\- That sounds good. - I agree.

\- Good, now let's eat, I'm starving and as you know, it's never good to leave me hungry these days. - I joke.

He laughs because he knows a lot of things that have happened while I was hungry. It's not the first time I've been annoyed by someone when I'm hungry or if they get in the way of my meals. It's a bit embarrassing, but it's always funny and makes me feel nostalgic when I think back. A lot has happened since then, everything has changed, we've changed. Maybe it's good or bad, but it's nice to get together even after years and still feel the familiarity as if we'd been seeing each other forever.

It's nice to have a friend like that. The only person so close to me on that level is Ben, I had a great friend, however, she died too soon due to a tragedy, her life was cut short, it was a great loss and I still remember her with nostalgia, from that day on, I avoided getting so close to people, the fear of a repeat of what happened to her haunted me for a long time, but Vladimir won his place in my heart, although I never told him, I consider him a great friend, someone I care about and who I want to be happy, I hope he can achieve this too, I want her to know what it feels like to love and be loved.