Chapter46

Rita nodded, half-heartedly. She wasn't in the mood to take greetings knowing what she was currently facing. She was bleak, hollow and in need of a miracle from the way her life seemed to spiral downhill. She got to her office soon, clearing all the files on the table as she rested her head on the table. Tears of pain slid down her eyes as thoughts of Rodrigo filled her mind. He should have been here to comfort her but he was gone just like the wind. Her whole mind was in disarray as she thought about the next line of action to take. It seemed as if no matter what she did in order to find Rodrigo proved abortive. She smiled through her pains as she remembered Rodrigo's last words; "I'll always find you" . She didn't know how long she could wait before he found her as marriage with Edmundo was impending. "I'm sorry ma'am, I hate to disturb you but Theresa is here to see you", Yasmin said. "Send her in, thank you", Rita said. She was happy that Theresa had arrived early. She didn't expect this early but was glad she was here, it would give them an early start in finding Edmundo. Theresa walked in, wearing a beige skirt over a red chiffon top. Her long hair was loosely tied in a pony tail as her face was bare of makeup. "I'll be honest with you girl, you look like shit", Theresa sighed. Rita chuckled, dabbing the loose tears that fell from her eyes. She watched as Theresa brought out loads of sweets, her favorite from her bag. "I'm not certain I'll have the appetite to eat these", Rita croaked. "Of course you will, I even brought your favorite. Look girl, you have to woman up and find your man. Rodrigo is not dead, he's just out there somewhere", Theresa smiled. Despite herself, Rita took some of the sweets, unwrapping it as she popped one in her mouth. If she was to find Rodrigo, she had to be bold without feeling anything. Rodrigo wouldn't want to see her this way. "But babe, have you thought about informing the police", Theresa said. "I gave that a thought. The thing is, I don't really want to involve the police on this, I have a feeling that I'll get the answers to all these soon", Rita said. Despite everything, she just had that strong feeling that soon, she would learn the truth over his sudden disappearance. "Okay, I see sense in what you said", Theresa said. "I have a list of addresses that Rodrigo's mother gave me. It's the addresses of Rodrigo's friends whom he was close to. I want to check them out to see if they know his whereabouts", Rita said. "Okay, I'll go with you. But we should probably take one or two of Marco's bodyguards since we don't know who we'll be meeting". "Can they be trusted, i don't want a lot of publicity about this", Rita said. "With my life. I understand what you mean, even u wouldn't want that". "Okay, how does Saturday sound. It's the beginning of the weekday and I don't think we'll be able to see them", Rita said. "I'm game. On my own, I'll search to see if I can find anything", Theresa said. "Thank you". "Have you gone to see Rodrigo's mother ever since then?", Theresa said, popping a candy in her mouth. "No, I haven't. I plan on going tomorrow after work since I wouldn't have much stuffs to do", Rita said. "Okay, I'll see you within the week. Please, calm down okay! Rodrigo would come back, I'm sure of it", she said, rising up to her feet. Rita smiled, hugging her friend. She felt a bit relieved, knowing she had a backing from someone who isn't her fiance or her family. Theresa left soon and Rita was once again left alone. She resumed attending to the files that she earlier threw away. What she read made her smile. Ever since Gabriel was arrested, the company's finances had been doing really well. Investors were coming in and she couldn't quite believe they had gained a lot of promise two times what they had earlier projected. She was glad that they were out of the brink of bankruptcy and she couldn't wait to show her dad the reports. It was then she remembered that she wasn't really in speaking terms with her father ever since the incident. She expected him to apologize over what he did but he remained mute. Rita didn't know why they took that decision but she hoped they knew what they were doing even though she didn't understand it at all. Nevertheless, she decided to give him the reports since he was the founder and he had a right to it. She smiled as she imagined what he'll do if he discovered she had been boarding the reports no doubt, he'll blow off the roof. Rita put the files away, concentrating on other things that needed her attention. Top on the list was a dinner party that Senator Brabra was hosting this weekend. Even though Rita had no intention of going, she had to since she was technically living under their roof and she was Edmundo's fiancee, a title she hated. In recent times, they seemed to be hosting a lot of parties no doubt trying to gather guests that would attend their supposed wedding, one that she knew wouldn't take place. Despite everything that had happened in recent times, Rita had a feeling that she would never get married to Edmundo. He wasn't the right man for her and she'll be damned if she agrees to marry him. Rita put the report away, promising to show her father once she closes from work. There was no telling the joy that would radiate on his face when he reads it. For the rest of the day, Rita was in a foul mood, nothing interested her anymore and the only reason she had the strength to come out was because of her work as the President of the Anderson group. Also, Rodrigo's promise kept ringing in her ears, one that she stood firmly on. Somehow, she knew he wasn't dead, just somewhere unreachable but she knew that he would be back soon and when he arrives, three was no stopping them.