Valentina

Sofia's captivity had become a point of debate in the family. Maria, Agustin and I were at loggerheads with dad, Alejandro and Antonio. Family dinners were marred with mockery and heated exchanges. It reminded me of those times when I sat with dad at his business meetings as a child. 

Yelling and blaming had become a routine in this household too. From the outside, the Moralez seemed to be united. They always portrayed the domestic bliss picture quite beautifully, until now. The crack was visible on their perfect family portrait.

It was the right time for me to act. There was nothing in this family that would keep me loyal to them. After Antonio's setup for me in Spain, I knew they only cared about themselves, their blood. I was and would always be an outsider. An outsider who would take down the empire. The kingdom that destroyed my fairytale childhood.

Sofia's room was in a different corner of the mansion. I went around the place twice before arriving at the right door. The room was ill lit. A balcony which streamed light and air was the only source for it in the room. Devoid of anything good, this place seemed to siphon the happiness out of me. The plain cream paint peeled off the walls whenever the door was opened. Pile of chipped paint on the floor indicated Sofia's struggle to break open it from the inside.

When I walked in, I noticed an empty bed and a chair. I walked over to the balcony which invited me with its fluttering grey dusty curtains. I looked down slowly, scared to discover Sofia's bleeding body beneath who might have jumped off to escape this tyranny. Instead, I saw bushes of roses.

Walking back, my vision fell to the corner of the closet. Knees to her chest, Sofia clutched her wrists hard into a fetal position. She shivered, making eye contact with me before her head flinched back to hide.

I felt a pit in my stomach, seeing her condition. I knelt near her, patting her head. Her body shivered like an autumn leaf, ready to let go any time.

"Hey," I called out. Her head rose up. Only lifted till her eye level, the rest of her face was still buried beneath her knee walls she placed as security. "Are you hungry?"

She let out a soft "No."

Think Val.

As a gesture, I pulled her food tray towards me. Unwrapping the cellophane, I patted her head again. She looked over, slowly unclutching her wrist. "Don't worry. Nobody will hurt you." I whispered.

After a few minutes, Sofia curled up her legs and straightened her back. She still refused to eat when I forwarded the spoon full of porridge. Her bobbled throat muscles confirmed she was hungry, thirsty. Her eyes never left the tray. I scooped up a spoonful of cereal and munched on it, even emitted fake noises. An ache emerged in my chest. It was encouraging a woman with the theatrics used for a child. 

I felt like a bad person trying to cheer up the kidnapped kid. Sofia's lips curled up, emitting a half smile for me. I would take that as a win for the day. Upon pushing the tray towards her, she grabbed the spoon and chomped up on the cereals floating in the milk. Her eyes rolled back into her head and the paleness of her face faded, brightening with bloodrush.

She smiled some more, leaning forward to grab the fruit bowl. Nectar dripped through her chin but she continued her attack on food. Some dead part inside of me stirred at her innocence. I wanted to protect her against the demons in this house. The demon who decided her fate and the one who took her.

"Do you want something else?" I asked. She nodded before scanning me from top to bottom.

"Why are you nice to me?" her question was valid. She was apprehensive about me. After all, I too was a Moralez by name. Her words plunged a knife in my gut.

"I don't know Sophia. All I know is that I am very sorry for your state. I am sorry that because of our families, you had to suffer." I was crying on the inside at my state and hers. In a way, we were both victims. Clearing my throat, I looked back at her brightening face. "So what do you want? More food?"

Sofia nodded tow and fro before looking back at her black dress. With doe eyes, she looked at me. Although I didn't know about Antonio's plans with her, I was sure there was something I could do to help her out of her current state. Even if it was the bare minimum.

I walked out, calling for help to fetch some new linens and covers and whatever it would take to make her remotely comfortable. Gabriel helped with the flatscreen. I decided to move it from the guest room to hers.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked, still holding the tv in his muscular hold and unmounting it from the wall.

"Heard of humanity?" I mocked and walked back to the room.

Upon entry, my sight fell on Sofia's trembling body. Only up close, did I witness Alejandro standing across from her. He stood like a rock, unmoved, unflinching. She held her pillow close to her chest, shivering in fear. Her face glistened with tears that dripped down over her chin.

"What are you doing here?" I yelled at him, barricading myself between them.

As he moved a step closer, Sofia's grip over my clutched arm tightened. She was whispering words. "Help."

When I turned to her, I saw the terror in her eyes. She must have recollected her kidnapper's face. Al may have acted on Antonio's direction to bring her to Mexico, there was no way these men would scare her anymore. I would not let it happen.

Shielding her behind me, I held up my hands to halt Al's approach. "Move away. She is taken care of. You did your job. Now go." I growled with an unwaivered glare. 

His sight took me in whole. With bloodshot eyes, I felt his sudden urge to tear me apart. "Hermana.." he called out, playing with the word and my weakness of it.

"Not today." I kept my arm stretched, steady. "Today I am a woman before being your sister.."

Although Al's steps ceased at my voice, he wasn't willing to back down. When his feet rose up again, I knew I had to fight a Moralez man today.

"Leave them alone," another loud, husky voice floated across to us. Antonio stood at the door with his arms crossed around his chest. He watched Al intently before placing small steps across, moved in. His sight never left his brother.

They both resembled wild cats in nature, rounding up one another for a duel. Al backed down quickly, noticing the presence of another, stronger alpha. He walked out, huffing air and banging the door on his way out.

I still remained nailed to my place, hiding Sofia behind me. Only when Antonio's expression calmed did I move out partially from the way. He walked over to her but stopped a few feet away. "I am not here to hurt you. I promise you, Sofia. Nobody would harm you," he looked over at me before sighing back at her. "It's not you who we want. It's your brother who should be counting his days now."

Sofia tensed up again. She walled herself, partly behind me and partly behind the flimsy pillow.  I held Antonio's arm and pulled him out of the room. I had always heard of the three brothers in action, of their ruthless conduct. Today, I witnessed one. Outside, far from Sofia's line of hearing, I tossed Antonio's hand away.

"Are you mad? Who on earth says that to a sister, that her brother is about to be killed?"

Antonio stared at me like I said something unusual. His eyes matched his reddened face. "That's how we work. You were married into it. Don't teach us how to work on this, okay. I know it better than you."

"You made me a part of this business when you accepted my request. I am now an equal, just like Al and Agustin." I yelled back, unwilling to back down.

"Oh really!" Antonio moved closer, inches separating our distance. "The way I remember it, we both had a deal. I would let you take part in the business, let you have a say and in return.." Antonio's eyes travelled to my abdomen.

Heir. The word floated in my head. A part of me, the ignorant one fell back into darkness when those words reemerged. He still wanted me to give him an heir? With anyone?

I was stupid, ignorant to imagine that things might have changed after our encounter at the party. I was foolish to assume he might have wanted more. When Antonio apologized for his botched up Spain's planning, promising to always protect me, I thought he meant me. 

Nope. He was speaking about my womb. I was his new baby maker and he would do everything in his power to ensure, my womb wasn't non functional on account of death. The protection was for a part of my body, not me.

"What.. cat got your tongue?" he mocked, breaking my thoughts to smithereens. 

I moved back, whispering to myself the sad truth about being a woman. About being a pawn in this syndicate chess. "I will make that happen."

Warm hands held my shoulders and nailed me into the wall. Antonio closed our distance and pasted himself over my body. Warmth spread between us. It permeated from him to me. As much as I wanted to look at him and accept the heartbreaking reality that my husband wanted by body for one thing, I couldn't. I looked away, unable to face the monster that I had become, the one which reflected in his eyes. I saw my reflection there.

We were all bad people. Bad people who ended up suffering worst fates. We were pair of misfits stuck together.

"Don't you get it?" Antonio clenched his teeth, whispering his grunt. "I don't want you to make it happen." His warm breath hit my face. I closed my eyes, reeling out of his words.

Scotoma. Mind would see what it wants to see. It was a concept I studied in college. I was experiencing it today, wanting to believe what Antonio meant as a padding for the wound in my heart. I wanted to be loved, protected like my mother did. Like Maria did for me. I craved that from Antonio. Part of me felt ashamed to even admit it to myself. I was deviating from what I came to do and was drifting away into the rotten currents of wanting to be loved, needed.

I looked back at Antonio. His pupils remained dilated, watching every moment. As his breath hit my lips, my inhibitions started to melt. I was ready to be taken again. I was so desperate that even experiencing a momentary pleasure with him felt good. He was quickly becoming the drug I craved for.

He leaned lower, closer to my lips. "Kiss me.." It wasn't an order. It was his prayer.

Our kiss would break me, destroy me forever. I wouldn't be able to do anything to him after that. He will become invincible while I would become a remnant of a once strong-willed person.

"No," I whispered back as my words bounced off each other's bodies.

Drawing a long breath, Antonio opened his mouth but his words were cut short with my ringtone. I checked the name. Dad.

Slipping away from his hold, I cleared my throat and my mind. As Antonio walked away, I called him out. He didn't respond with an acknowledgment but his words wouldn't let me sleep at night.

"What do you mean by not wanting to make it happen?" I tossed my doubt with a softer intonation. Inside my mind, a sad and desperate Valentina pleaded for him to save her with his words, his answer. The strong willed Val didn't let her cries be heard.

Antonio watched me with a hooded look. It felt like he wanted to answer me but denying me the pleasure, he walked away.

I turned back to my phone as hurt rose in my chest. "Hey dad," I cleared my throat and answered.

He breathed onto the speaker. His strong voice made me feel better. "Val, how is the plan coming?"

I shuddered as those words hit me. The plan to destroy the Moralez, my new family. Words refused to leave my mouth. They choose their allegiance, playing loyal to my festering feelings for Antonio.

"I don't know dad. I wanted to talk about that. These people.." I looked around for anyone eavesdropping before padding the speaker with my hand. "..they seem nice. They are not.."

"It's not how they appear Val. It's what they did," dad's voice toned up. He hated when I didn't comply.

"But dad, can't we be wrong in deciding. I mean there was no proof.." I whispered into the speaker.

"Do you need more proof than your father telling you that your mother was killed by them. By their conduct. They killed her. They took away your childhood."

Words. Such power they possessed.

One moment, I was willing to let Antonio take me in whatever way he wanted and now, I wanted to burn down their world. I wanted to witness their happiness go up in flames as did mine. Moralez would be left with nothing more than charred memories and dead bodies.

*

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