Chapter22

"Please, you have to go", she said, walking towards the car. "Why? Did I do anything wrong?",he asked, quietly. "No, gosh no you didn't. I just don't want us to see each other for a while, please that's all I ask", she said. Rodrigo shut his eyes, no doubt going over the pain of her refusal. Rita couldn't stop the tears that slid down her eyes at the moment. She hated seeing him this way but if she was to stay strong on her own, this was the best way. "Alright, I'll back off but that doesn't mean I'll stop searching for whoever was behind that shooting". "Thank you", she said, getting into her car. Just before she left, Rodrigo called her, a deep pain in his voice at having to see her leave. There was nothing he could do but watch her. "Don't let him rule your heart", he said before walking away. Rita remained there for several minutes, going over his words. That was a cryptic message, one she knew was referring to Edmundo. She didn't know what to think as she slowly drove away from the building. She got home soon, heading straight for her room whilst ignoring her parents greetings. She wasn't in the mood to converse with them. She got to her room soon, heading to bed without removing her clothes. That night, she slept fitfully, her mind focused on how she would survive the next week. The next morning, a day before she was to travel with Edmundo, she left the house very early, needing to catch up with some leftover work that she ignored the previous day. She got to the office very early, earlier than most of the staffs who worked under her. The only person that seemed to be in the whole building were the security men who manned the entrance point. Rita walked briskly towards her office, ignoring the greetings from the men. This was the first time she would be doing something like this. She felt bad over her attitude. Settling down in her chair, she pulled out the first file she was to work on. She scanned the file, going through over everything her Dad had briefed her on earlier. As she read on, her phone gave a silent beep, indicating that she had a message. Swiping her phone, she discovered that the message was from Edmundo, reminding her about their intended trip the following day. She ignored the message, dropping her phone on the table. She decided she was just going to ignore Edmundo for the duration of their stay together. Maybe then she would be able to bear staying with him. "His stupid ways and his stupid attitude", Rita muttered. For the rest of the day, Rita was in a foul mood, thinking about her trip tomorrow. For one singular moment, she wondered what Rodrigo was doing and if he missed her as much as she missed him. "How lovely to see you darling", Edmundo said, giving her a hug. There were just boarding his private jet, heading towards Madrid. Rita stilled, forcing herself to smile. "It's not like I had a choice. You literally forced me to come", she said, taking the seat farthest away from him. "Glad that you didn't invite your body guard. You know, I might have to transfer him somewhere else, somewhere far away", he said. "Is that a threat Edmundo?", Rita asked, staring at him, dead in the eye. "Call it whatever you like. Anyway, what would you have. Chicken, beef, turkey", he smiled. "I'm not hungry", she said, quietly. "Oh, you must eat". "I'm not hungry I ate before coming here", she said. "Suit yourself", he said, going into the inner compartment of the plane. Rita was relieved at being left alone. She couldn't bare to stand his presence even for one moment. He was a despicable man and what's more, disgusting. She couldn't wait to get this over with and go back home. She relaxed a bit more on the couch, loving how comfortable it was. Even though she hated Edmundo, she couldn't help but marvel at the size of his plane. It was the biggest plane which was modernized to suit his taste and style which was extravagant. The plane's interior consisted of open back chairs that one could adequately rest on, the murals were of top most quality, adoring the side of the plane. Asides this, at every side of the plane, his initials, EB was scrawled in Latin style giving the plane a regal look. As the plane journeyed on, Rita fell into a peaceful sleep despite her heart and her body raging against each other. She woke up with a start later on which was due to the plane jerking her awake. She rubbed her sleep filled eyes, sitting up to see if they had landed. "Rough ride?",a voice said. Looking up, Rita discovered that Edmundo had come to sit very close beside her. She leaned away, her back hitting the side of the plane. "No, not really. Why haven't we landed?", Rita asked. "We had to make a stop over to refuel. Apparently, the stupid pilot didn't know we were low on gas. Not to worry though, I've sacked his sorry ass", he said, feeling proud of himself. Rita stared at him in disgust wondering how someone could be this heartless, he didn't even care if he had a family to feed. "But what if he didn't know. You didn't have to do that", she said. "Oh trust me, he did", he said, sipping his drink that she suspected was whiskey. "I see", she simply said. He rose to his feet, taking his drink with him. Rita watched him leave, her mind devoid of any reasoning. "You should really take something. You're too thin", he said, closing the door to his private compartment. Rita sighed, going over to where the food was kept. Even though she didn't feel like eating, she had to to keep her strength if she was to go through this. As she ate a meal of rice and tomato stew, she heard voices. She stopped for a minute, listening to the conversations.