Chapter 17 Chapter 0017
•ANEIRA•
I sat in the chair in my room as Sandra brushed my hair.
My mind was wandering elsewhere, wondering what my mother meant when she told me my father’s death was something he should have seen coming.
It sounded oddly suspicious since my father had told me at the hospital that my mother had wanted him dead and wanted to finish the job she had started.
I thought he was bluffing and was confused when he made that statement, especially after my mother had told me he was hallucinating and made no sense in most things he said.
“Rafael won’t take his eyes off you. You’ll be the only thing he’d want for breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” she chuckled. “You’re beautiful and breathtaking. So—” she leaned back as she looked at me through the mirror. “Are you ready for the evening?”
“Yeah, what could go wrong? Maybe today, he might finally free me from this torture and kill me in front of his friends.”
“Miss—”
“Thank you, Sandra.” I interrupted her as I stood up from the chair. “I love what you’ve done with my hair; the dress is eating, girl.”
“It looks lovely on you.” She cleared her throat and tried to smile. “The black purse will be perfect for the dress and shoes.”
“No, I have nothing to put in it. Should we be on our way out? I don’t want to keep Rafael waiting. He shouldn’t think I can’t be on time for nothing.”
“Yeah, of course.” Sandra nodded as she opened the door and helped me with the veil of the dress.
“Wait, I need to make a call. Can you wait outside for a minute?”
“Yeah, sure.” She nodded before she walked out the door.
I took my cell phone from the counter and dialed my mother’s number. She picked up on the second ring, and I was fuming.
“What now?” She groaned.
“You did something to my father, didn’t you? You’re the one who got him in the hospital and almost killed him by causing his organs to fail. He was right, Emma. You caused his death.”
“If I wanted your father dead, don’t you think I would’ve killed him the day he came home with you after you had run away from home? I would’ve killed him for bringing you back home when he could’ve left you out there. My daughter and I almost had the house to ourselves.”
“Mo—”
“I’m no longer your mother, Aneira. You died the day Narra died.”
I fumed as my hands clenched into fists. “If I find out you’re responsible for my father’s death, I’ll make you pay, and it will be with your life,” I sneered before I hung up the call and threw my cell phone on the bed.
I walked out the door, and Sandra escorted me to the car. When we got downstairs, Rafael was waiting at the end of the stairs, and when he saw me, he stopped and looked at me as I came down the stairs.
“Red looks lovely on you.”
I rolled my eyes and walked past him. He smirked when he walked me out and opened the vehicle door for me.
When we got to his business conference, I dreaded the time to go home. As usual, Rafael refused to let me out of his sight.
When I asked to use the bathroom, he instructed Brian to accompany me because he probably thought I would run away.
“You don’t need to watch me. If I wanted to run away, I would tell someone here that you kidnapped me, and they would help me,” I scoffed when I returned from the bathroom.
“You’d run away from me?” He chuckled as he turned and looked at me. “Oh, Narra, try your luck and see if anyone here would want to help you run from me.”
I pouted until the time came for his event to be over, and when the chefs brought food, I was the first one at the table, hoping the food would distract me.
While I dished for myself, someone came over and nudged me on my waist, causing me to flinch.
“Hey there, love.”
“Hi.” I barely looked at him, trying to get everything on my plate before leaving.
“I saw you from a mile away and figured you might need some company. My name is Mike.” He smiled as he extended his hand toward me.
“That’s lovely, but I’m fine.”
“Come on, you need me, love. I can take you to a place where we can chill and get to know each other. This place has become dull for me, and I need a vibe,” he smirked as he took a wing from my plate and ate.
I rolled my eyes and turned to leave when I came face-to-face with Rafael. He was scowling when we made eye contact.
“Why are you leaving Mike behind?”
God. Not again.
“He was just making small talk.”
“Oh, was he?” He gently pushed me aside and leaned toward Mike, and my heart raced. People were already whispering as they looked at us.
“Hey there, Mike.”
“Mr. Ster—” He stuttered. “Mr. Sterling, I didn’t know she came with you.”
“You seem to forget that your father works here in security. Where did you get the nerve to tell my woman you’d take her somewhere fun? Do you want me to fire your old man and get you out of my internship program?”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Sterling, it won’t happen again.” He begged him, and I couldn’t believe he embarrassed the poor guy, though he probably meant no harm.
“Get lost.” Rafael huffed as he turned to me. “You, we are going home.” He took the plate, placed it on the counter, and grabbed my arm, leading me to the front door.
“Let me go, Rafael! I am not one of your sidekicks who sweat at the sound of your voice! Let me go!” I shrieked as he pushed me into his car.
When we got home, I found his friends and other guys there. The house was crowded.
“I have a surprise for you, wife. Come with me,” he smirked as he took my hand and led me to the living room. “Turn on the TV, Killian, and let my wife see her lover.”
My heart raced when Killian turned on the TV, and I saw Chris hanging outside a building in the middle of nowhere.
“Do you see your lover?” He chuckled. “He will be dead tonight.”