Valentina

My exit might have been unnoticed but my arrival wasn't. Gabriel came to escort me back and against my better judgment, I came with him.

When I entered, Maria was fuming. She didn't even make eye contact. If it was left to her, she might not even hesitate to spank me. The tantrum kid that I was, I didn't inform her personally of my decision to leave. She didn't like the note I placed, stating my will to stay at my dad's place for a few days.

There remained no doubt that I screwed up with her.

She sat on a couch, dedicating her vision towards a magazine and trying her best to avoid me. After spending a few days at home, I felt a respite from looking over my shoulder. Nobody said it would be easy but nobody informed me of the mental agony I would suffer, hurting the good people of this family.

When I walked nearer to Maria, her body shifted seemingly to avoid even my shadow.

"Are you mad at me?" I asked. Her gaze moved up from the magazine. Deciding against any talk, she slipped back into reading. Kneeling in front of her, I wrapped held her hands with mine. "Please talk to me...I didn't do anything."

Technically true. I did leave a note. I couldn't fathom what she wanted.

Maria scanned my face. After tossing her shielding magazine on the coffee table, she muttered. "Porque te fuiste sin decir nada." (You left without saying)

"I left a note," I said. I know it wasn't enough but it was my only defense. "Okay fine...Please forgive me. I'll make sure next time I'll call and inform you."

Her eyes shot up and so did her hand which landed on me softly. She didn't hit me. Well, even if she would have, I wouldn't have minded. Her palm landed on the back of my head, a soft tap for my words. A soft smile grew on her face and I remembered it was how she always smiled. Warmly. She stood up and twirled me as if evaluating my condition.

"There are no scratches..." I giggled and she repeated her earlier act, twirling me counterclockwise. It made her smile some more.

"You already lost weight. Was your father not feeding you?" She scanned me completely and my eyes followed her. She must be a worrier to assume someone could lose weight in a span of a few days.

I placed my hands over her shoulder, rattling her out of evaluation. "You can feed me now. Okay?"

Her vigorous nod confirmed it was what she wanted all along.

Darker thoughts overtook the bleak ray of happiness as I walked back to my room. Maria cared for me. Like a mother hen unaware of the eagle eying her chicks, she went on with her life. Maria wasn't feeding me, she was feeding a snake who would ultimately bite her hand, take away what she cherished the most.

My bedroom door was ajar. Inside, Gabriel sat in the same corner as the first time, reading his book. His eyes bore into the papers, unaware of my presence. I watched his hooded eyes draw up to check the intruder.

"How did you convince her? Maria..." he asked. He carefully slid the placeholder in the book, neatly stacking it over the pile that sat across the table from him.

Falling on the bed, I sniffed the fresh sheet. Limey detergent smell filled my senses, watered my eyes. The room felt different, strange. As if going away from it gave me a new perspective. I sat up, leaning over the pillow I placed on my lap. "I have my ways, you know..."

Gabriel sighed, pulling up from the creaky couch and walking over the creaking wooden flooring. My mind played scenarios like a movie scene. Gabriel was a strong man, built to be a bodyguard. He was muscular but not bulky. He was one of those few who didn't inject steroids to gain mass. If ever we went down the same path like a few nights back, he could easily take me with one hand.

I was attracted to Gabriel like a woman who desired men for their built as well as qualities. A loyal and strong man made me feel weak at my knees. Yet, another part of my mind, the cautious and calculated one, observed his moves to revert. What if he chocks you when you take down the family?

"I need to know how..." his voice made me look up at his towering height.

I was in my bed, suddenly frightened at the implication that Gabriel was not calculated in my plan to end Antonio. He could be the one who might spoil all my labor. Yet, knowing that for now, all he wanted was to understand how I tamed Maria, I answered. "What will I get if I tell you?"

His smirk, his hidden thoughts were on full display. He had already given it to me - his treason. The lie that he was sleeping with me, making sure the Moralez had a reason for celebration. An heir. An unwanted being. A collateral.

"Okay fine," I said, rolling my eyes. "All you need to know is how to play well with her."

Gabriel sat. The mattress dipped under his weight. His expressions remained calm, yet a part of me thought he was agitated. Was he worried about Maria getting hurt in all this? Did he treat her as his mother?

I wanted to ensure Gabriel was on my side. My plan needed his cooperation. If he ratted me out to Antonio, it would all be over. Praying on the inside, I moved my hand slowly towards his, snaking it in my hold. His eyes shoot up. Guilt danced across his face. The loyal man must have questioned his actions.

"Hey," I called him. He looked away. "You know this will all be over soon...Right."

Gabriel nodded once but I knew he wasn't convinced. "How do you know this would be over soon, Val?"

My head rattled with thoughts. I had to ensure the loyal dog didn't go barking out my plan. "Because I'll talk to Antonio about our arrangement. I know you don't want this. I don't either..."

Turning to me completely, Gabriel held my shoulders and looked square into my eyes, my soul. His troubled eyes sought confirmation and somewhere those hurting gaze pricked me of the thought of those collaterals.

"I'll tell him, Gabriel. If Antonio wants a baby, he needs to churn up his fluids to get one," I said.

Gabriel pushed off the bed and pulled me into an embrace. His large frame held me inside, secure. Warm breath hit the back of my neck as he whispered his chant. "You don't know what you've given me, Val."

Pulling back, he scanned me completely. I felt exposed from his glare as if his stare was peeling off my clothes and my skin and all that was left were flesh and bones taped up, pumping lies for my survival.

"I didn't know you wanted to get rid of me so badly..." chuckling, I walked out of his hold and at a safer distance where he wouldn't make me feel guilty about my thoughts. Gabriel was quick to wave his hands to and fro, reducing our distance.

"I respect you, Val. More than you think you deserve." His words pierced through my heart.

I didn't deserve any respect. Not with those thoughts that sprouted in my mind. Yet, there was a part of me that wanted to listen to him. He took my fallen hands, running circles with his thumb on my knuckles. "But there's a part of me which knows that you are Antonio's and I cannot ever be with you..."

I was not Antonio's. I would never be his.

I was the one who was bought here to wreak havoc into the house. But it felt like the house was fighting back with every last ounce of courage and determination. It somehow knew my intentions and was sending people, angels dressed as humans to vitiate me from my path.

~

Antonio's study barely had any light. He liked it that way. He sat opposite to me, reading every word from the sheet that was placed in front of him.

I looked around in the darkness. The last time I was here, we struck a deal. This time, I was playing the part of a crew member.

Antonio had summoned me. From the time I walked in, we haven't spoken a word. He continued scanning the long, green pages which looked like court documents. I knew better not to question his meditated reading.

"Do you have any suggestions for the Salazars?" His words turned my gaze from the dusty shelf.

Antonio's study was restricted entry for the help so there were cobwebs on all corners and dust preserved for generations. I nodded sidewise, unable to act quickly on my toes. Placing the stacks of papers on the side, he bent over the table, creaking it.

"You are part of this Valentina and here," he tapped at the papers and turned the finger to my side. "We take everyone's suggestions."

Saying that he paced towards his bar. Adorned with crystal crockery, the place reminded me of Alladin books and the description of the cave of wonders - everything sparkling, everything shiny. The silence was filled with liquid poured into glasses, of metal can rattling, being fished for ice.

Antonio pulled a coaster with his slender finger, sliding the drink towards me. I looked around the table for condensation circles - there were none. He tipped his head towards the glass and I grabbed and gulped, watching him. There was no burn. I was always a whiskey person.

Placing his glass towards me, he stopped my hand which travelled up to grab it. "Easy..." he whispered. I nodded, pulling back. "Drink to enjoy, not as a punishment..." I nodded again, acting like a schoolgirl receiving instructions. "Now where were we?"

Warmth swirl inside my stomach. The liquid courage on an empty stomach did wonders for me. I felt as if my mind churned ideas like a vending machine. "We can take Santos by surprise," I suggested.

Antonio sat at the corner of his desk. The neat stacks of papers fell when he moved back but that didn't bother him. He continued to watch me as I spoke and drank like the man he wanted me to be.

Yes, man. Women didn't pretend like this.

If I had a normal happy marriage, Antonio would have been beneath me by now. There was something about less talk more action façade that spoke directly to me, to the veins carrying my blood. He had the power to course its speed with his arrogant act or numb them with his stare, his hooded glances.

But it wasn't a normal happy marriage now, was it? It was a ruse, enticing him of what he wanted the most.

Power.

"We can visit Santos. Show our allegiance or strike a deal as if we're unaware of his plans," I said, dipping the edge of my lip into the amber liquid and drawing a sip.

Antonio's hooked eyebrows remained glued in his hairline. Except for an additional smirk on his face, nothing changed. Before I could utter anything else, he spoke.

"You have thought this through. Didn't you?"

I shrugged. It wasn't a big deal, plotting another coup while I was already planning one. It was like a discounted deal. Plan a coup, get another free. But for Antonio, this was something new. He took the glass from my hand and gulped the remaining content. In all its time his gaze bore into my skin.

I moved back into my seat, leaning away from his and his blood coursing stare. Antonio had never looked at me like this before. Adoration, admiration or affection wasn't clear till he spoke. "You'll train before going to Spain."

My eyebrows crinkled. "Why would I be trained? I already know how to handle blades and knives."

He sighed, walking back to his chair but didn't sit. Holding the backrest of his chair, he stood, a regal display of a man. One, I strongly detested and admired. Though Antonio had a scary effect on many people, I was the exception. But maybe I should have been scared. Maybe, I should be worried about the way my body reacted to his stares, to his voice.

"You know things for survival, Valentina. Now you'll learn things for killing," he said, dropping into his seat and falling back into his previous position of scanning his documents.

There was a thing people said about wishes and hopes. If you really wanted one, the entire universe would conspire to bring it to you. I never believed in it till now. I wished with all my heart for the destruction of this family. Now, I was given the opportunity for it.

If everything went well, Antonio would trust me like his own, like Gabriel. And that was the moment I'd been seeking to strike.

One perfect strike for the Los Zetas head to be lulled to sleep forever.

~

Wanderers...

Hope you liked this chapter..

What do you think will happen next? Will Val's trials go smooth or will she and Antonio be at loggerheads again?

Comment and let me know your thoughts. I love to read what you thought of this chapter and what you think of the plot, the narration or the characters. 

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Love

S