Serene
Three days after my conversation with Alex, we flew to Portico. We had to meet with my Selendro Madrid’s lawyer.
I couldn’t believe what he revealed. My mother kept their relationship a secret out of fear that something might happen to him because of our family’s enemies. They only met when necessary and made the most of their time together.
They acted like strangers in public. But when they returned to the hotel they stayed, my mother would sneak away to be with him.
The lawyer also told me that Juancho’s mother was the one who had Selendro killed because she wanted all of my father’s properties to go to her son. But they didn’t know that everything my father owned had already been transferred to my mother’s name.
No one knew about my father’s lawyer to keep him safe, so he always used a different lawyer for public matters. That lawyer, however, was also bribed by Juancho’s mother.
As we flew, I realized how dramatic my life had become. All this chaos was because of the wealth my parents worked hard to earn, and now greedy people wanted to take it away.
We had received some information that didn’t match what the lawyer said, but that was to mislead anyone trying to stop me from taking control of the company. He reassured me that he knew where to find me and would approach me when the time came.
We had landed on our property in Portico. Alex helped me out of the helicopter while Hamilton took our bags. We got into a cart to head to the mansion, and I was shocked to see my grandparents already there when we arrived.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, surprised.
“Boss, I’ll take this to your room and leave afterward,” Hamilton said, but I paid no attention to him. I was waiting for my grandparents’ response.
“Did you think you were the only one who wanted to meet that man?” Grandpa asked, sitting on the couch with Grandma as if they had been waiting for us. I froze next to Alex.
“What man?” my husband asked, looking at me and waiting for an answer.
“Son, let me talk to my granddaughter first,” Grandpa interrupted.
“You told me it was important for you to come here, so I agreed to proceed. But please, let me know why, too,” Alex said.
“You told them?” I asked Alex, wide-eyed.
He nodded. “I was worried about them, so I told them we were coming to Portico. I also said I’d send someone trustworthy if they needed help.”
“So you told them we were leaving?” I asked again, and he nodded. I turned to my grandparents. “And Nadine told you?” They nodded, too, making me roll my eyes.
“There’s no need to hide this from us. Besides, your grandmother and I don’t want you to dirty your hands any further,” Grandpa said.
“Wait, dirty her hands with what?” Alex asked, clearly running out of patience since they still hadn’t answered his previous question.
“Alex, dear,” Grandma said softly, “we know Serene hasn’t told you everything because she doesn’t want you to worry. Believe us, we understand how much you love her, and we feel the same way. That’s why we’re here. Please help us convince her not to go through with whatever she’s planning against that man.”
“What exactly is she planning?” Alex asked, still confused.
“Alex,” I called his name, and he looked at me. “Nadine found the man who killed my mother.”
“And what do you plan to do to him?” he asked, though I sensed he already knew the answer.
“He stole my childhood,” I whispered. “When he killed Mom, he also killed my youth. There were so many things I never experienced. Even though Lorenzo wasn’t my real father, I still felt the pain when he pushed me out and kicked me from our home because of his family.”
Alex stepped closer and held my face. “Honey, I understand how you feel, believe me. But I suggest you let your grandparents deal with that man. Free yourself from the anger and hatred if you truly want to be happy.”
“And then what?” I asked, confused.
“I’m not a saint. If I were in your shoes, I probably would’ve imagined killing him multiple times. But I’d be grateful if I had someone by my side to calm me down and help me think clearly. So let me be that person for you.”
“I love Mom. I miss her so much, Alex,” I couldn’t hold back my tears. I never thought I’d cry like this in front of him, my grandparents, or anyone else.
My husband pulled me into his arms, and I let the tears flow. I knew the people around me loved me, but I still felt like something was missing in my life, especially after losing my mom so early and growing up in such a dangerous world.
It took me a while to calm down. My grandparents couldn’t look me in the eye as Alex and I sat across from them. Maybe they felt guilty for trying to stop me from doing what I wanted.
“Where is he now?” I asked. Since they had arrived first, I was sure they had already captured the man.
“He’s in the storage room,” Grandma answered.
“I want to talk to him.”
“Hamilton already interrogated him.”
“And?”
“We’re turning him over to the authorities this afternoon.” I suddenly stood up, and Alex quickly grabbed my hand, probably to stop me from doing something reckless.
“Calm down,” Grandpa said. “Of course, you can talk to him first. We’re just telling you so you won’t do anything you’ll regret.”
I took a deep breath and nodded, sitting back beside Alex. He wrapped his arm around my waist, and I leaned into him. Maybe he was my salvation, the one who could lighten my heavy heart.
Now, I was ready to face the man. I couldn’t promise I wouldn’t hurt him, but I knew my husband would be there to stop me if I went too far.