June was seated in her office at JL when Lucy barged into the room with a crazed look on her face. “Ma’am! You need to see this!”
With the new office project set to begin, June had a lot on her hands and barely had time to check her phone or find out what was going on. Things were so hectic, she only had time to focus on her work and her little family.
“What is it?” She looked up and watched Lucy flick on the medium-sized television.
Lucy picked up the remote control, and soon, they were watching the morning news. The headline of the news nearly took June’s breath out. She couldn’t believe her eyes.
June shook her head, “No way.” She muttered, attention arrested as she listened to the newscaster’s report of the death of her ex-husband.
“Ethan Lontoc’s body has been found in his prison cell, where he committed suicide using a small kitchen knife. According to the autopsy, multiple self-inflicted stab wounds were seen on his body, some of which affected his lungs and caused him to bleed out into the early hours of the morning.”
“His body was discovered by an officer on patrol in the early hours of the morning. We send our heartfelt condolence to the families involved.”
June sat with a blank look on her face as the screen turned black. Lucy suddenly felt confused and wondered how to comfort June who seemed to be in shock.
“How… why…. something is not right,” June muttered with a furrowed brow.
She knew Ethan. He was her ex-husband. He couldn’t have killed himself. He was too chicken to do it. Ethan was so self-absorbed, she couldn’t believe he killed himself.
The man she once loved and married would rather spend the rest of his days believing he would make some grand breakthrough at some point. He couldn’t have killed himself.
Which only left one option. Someone must have killed him.
June got up from her chair. “Hold things up over here. I have to go.”
“But Ma’am-”
June was already out the door before Lucy could make a concrete statement, leaving her wondering if she made a mistake informing her boss of the news.
Meanwhile, April sat in the Lontoc family house with a black cloth and an ashen face. Her eyes were red from crying and anyone who saw her instantly took pity on her.
A memorial was being held for her husband, Ethan and his mother. Their pictures were situated on a table covered with flowers as the house welcomed guests who came to console her for the great loss she had suffered.
Evelyn stood by her daughter with an ashen face, except hers was for a different reason. Her husband was yet to be found and her daughter had warned her against reporting things to the police.
Saying if she did it, they would only find Anthonio’s dead body.
“Who did I offend?!” April cried as she sat on the floor, “What did I do so wrong to be punished in this manner?!”
People came in to pay their respects to the family, feeling sorry for the young widow who wept her eyes out.
“First it was my beloved father-in-law, then my husband, and now, my mother-in-law!” April cried, eliciting pity. “I want to die! Is this a curse?!” She turned to her mother, “Am I cursed?! Who have I offended? Why would life treat me so cruelly?”
Evelyn held her daughter, feigning comfort. She couldn’t believe how she could put up an act so good, she almost had her convinced. The key word being almost. She couldn’t wait for it all to be over.
In the Lontoc family house, reporters filled the place as they covered the sad event of one of the most prestigious family’s untimely demise, leaving the newly married lady alone in the world.
Some came to spectate the situation, while others thought of ways to enter into the obvious wealth of the young widow who lost her family members.
Some parents were vile enough to introduce their sons to April, using the event to kickstart their relationship which they hoped would grow into a union. Everyone wanted to be a part of the incredible LT Constructions.
The Lontoc family house received guests until June stepped into the house, wearing a dark shade and a black suit. April smirked within her when she saw her sister approach.
This was the perfect opportunity to pin things on her and bring down her reputation once again. June dropped her flowers along with others and made her way to the registry.
Although this family had been terrible to her, she didn’t wish them death.
“Have you come to mock me?!” The voice of April was enough to reduce a brick wall to a pile of stones. “Tell me, sister! Are you happy now?! Are you happy that my life is ruined?!”
Murmurs went around the room as they watched April’s dramatic antics as she slandered her sister. June fought the anger that boiled in her heart.
“Do not make this about you, April,” she said but April pressed further.
“Are you here to finally rub it in sister? You have never been happy about my marriage with brother Ethan! No matter how much I begged, you refused to give your blessings!”
“Now everything is crashed and you show up? You are happy to see me fall, don’t pretend! Did you come here to gloat?”
June folded her arms as she responded maturely. “I am here to pay my last respect to the deceased. The least you can do is to put aside your colourful assumptions and focus on honouring the deceased.”
“Come to think of it, what do I stand to gain by the death of Ethan’s family? I am only an ex-wife, who moved on a long time ago. Meanwhile, within the last three months, you became the CEO of both LT Constructions and Rivera stores.”
“The entire family has been wiped out and here you are, throwing baseless accusations while you should be busy finding out the reason for the deaths of the entire Lontoc Family.”
April’s eyes widened, glassed with unshed tears. “Are you accusing me? Are you trying to say I killed the entire family?”
Gasps were heard at the event, and murmurs increased. June was sick and tired of the dramatics of her sister. Maybe she made a mistake coming here.
“If that is all you got from my statements, then something is wrong with you.” June readied to leave. “Since I have paid my respect to this family, I will be on my way.”
April refused to let her off the hook, “Why are you running? Tell me, do you think I killed my husband and in-laws? Are you accusing me of being behind the deaths of my own family?” She cried. “Haven’t you done enough? Why are you so persistent in your ploys to destroy me?!”
April pinched her mother, forcing her to speak. “Were you not the last one to see Ethan before his death?” Evelyn said, “What did you say to my son-in-law? What did you say that made him take his life.”
All eyes turned to June with suspicion. Of course, she had met Ethan days before his death. He had called her in and begged her to help him get out of prison, sharing some things that she couldn’t say at such a time.
She wasn’t foolish to go alone. Carson and her lawyer had volunteered to go with her on that fateful day. They were yet to come to a conclusion on what to do with the information given to them as they hadn’t trusted him but with the recent development, they had to look more into the case.
June smirked at her mother. “Always playing her script.” She turned to April. “Since you are so desperate to know what Ethan told me that day, I will share it.” Her voice increased. “Ethan Lontoc told me that the child his wife carries was not his own.”
“Your husband was so full of doubt that he resorted to asking me for help in finding out who truly is the father of your unborn child.”
April could hardly believe her ears. The entire place was chaotic, and rumours spread. Everyone looked at her in a different light, and she felt everything was getting out of hand. She needed to do something to save face quickly.
“S-sister-” She said, placing a distressing hand on her head. “How could you…”
“April!” Evelyn rushed to her daughter when she hit the floor. “Someone! Dial nine nine one! Please! Help!”
The Lontoc Security guards rushed to April and took her off the floor. Some maidens rushed to her with a bowl of water and sprinkled on her face with a worried expression.
June stood by the side with an eye roll. “So dramatic..” She tutted, and without a second thought, left the place.