Chapter68

"I know and now, you owe me", she chuckled. "Hug Mateo for me. I also owe him tons of gifts too", Rita laughed. She made her way downstairs, clutching the phone to her ear. She could hear the young child making funny noises in the background and she smiled at the innocence he radiated. "He's been looking everywhere for you. I had to tell him you went to prepare the plane before he finally stopped nagging", Theresa laughed. "I really owe him a plane ride, infact the both of you", Rita smiled, climbing into the SUV. "You bet. Okay, let me leave you now. I'll see you soon, stay safe love", Theresa said. "And you too dear", Rita smiled before cutting the call. "Where to ma'am?", Ramirez asked. "To Camille's house", Rita said. Ramirez nodded before driving onto the main road. Rita sighed, looking out of the window. Even though some part of her life were okay, there were still many parts that needed light. "Sorry to cut into your thoughts ma'am but we've been able to trace the strange message you got on your phone", Ramirez said. "Really? That was fast", Rita said. She was quite surprised at this. She expected it to take days if not months before they could get anything. "Yes, we had to treat it as urgent", he said. "I really appreciate all your efforts. So, what did you find?", Rita said. She was itching for information, anything at all that could help her unravel the mystery that seemed to be her life. "The message was sent from a burner phone that we traced from a pick'n'go shop downtown. The person who sold the phone her no idea who the buyer is", he said. "So that means, the identity of this person is still not known?", Rita asked. "I'm afraid yes but we're working on finding out who this person is", he said. "Thank you for all your help, it's really appreciated", Rita said. She didn't know what she'd have done if these guys weren't in her life. They've saved her more times than she could count and the only reason she was alive was because of their dedication to their job. "Just doing my job ma'am", he chuckled. "So... Anything on Rodrigo yet?", she said. "I'm afraid no ma'am, not yet". "I really hope he's found", Rita said, a lone tear sliding down her cheeks. "He'll always find us. That's a promise I know would come true", he said. A week had passed since the attack in Rita's office. She was grateful for being alive, grateful that despite everything she had faced, she could wake up each day and take in the morning air. "Ramirez said it's okay to go back to the office now", Rita said over breakfast one morning. "Are you sure? I don't want a repeat of that attack happening again", Lawrence said. "I'm sure dad, it won't happen again. Besides, the man who did it is behind bars and wouldn't come out for a very long time", Rita said. Ever since she had gone to see Nicholas in his cell, she had been itching to tell her parents what he said. She didn't know what to expect if she told them. Murder was a serious offence and if her father was found guilty, he could spend the rest of his life in jail. She shuddered to think what would become of her and her mother plus, the company would no doubt be affected by this. Over the years, Rita has come to learn that no one wanted to be associated with murderers and with her father's status and influence, a crime of this magnitude was disastrous. "What's bothering you dear", her mother said, quietly. Ever since the incident, Rita had noticed that her mother was unusually quiet and reserved these days. No doubt, the attack in Rita shook her to the core. Rita had never seen her look so scared and frightened before. She was secretly glad for this. At least, it will save her from her constant reminder about her marriage to Edmundo. "When I went to Nicholas's cell... I just heard - you know what, never mind", Rita said through a forced smile. "Go on, I want to hear it all", her father said. Rita took a deep breath before she spoke. No doubt, this would change their lives and the way they handled the news would go a long way in saving the family. "Dad, Nicholas said you caused the death of the other founding members. Is this true?", Rita said. She looked him in the eye, willing him to lie or try to cover the truth but he did none of that. He stared at her, a furious look in his eyes. Her mother had gone completely white like she had seen a ghost. Rita knew that if a ghost was to appear at that very moment, her mother wouldn't be bothered. "Of course not, that's preposterous", her mother shouted. "Mum, I want to hear it from dad, not you", Rita said, quietly. Her mother's lips thinned as she looked everywhere else but her daughter. She took her tea cup with shaky hands, sipping the contents gingerly. "It's not true. Nicholas is a liar and the only reason he's doing this is to destroy the good name we have built over the years", he said, finally. "But I don't get it. Why does he hate our family so much I mean, asides from you taking over the company when he was clearly not capable to rule", Rita said, pushing her food away. She had lost her appetite and the only way she could regain it back was if she gets all the answers to her questions. "Power", her father simply said. "Power?", Rita asked. She didn't expect that response and was quite baffled even he replied. It seems as if every secret she reveals had her getting more confused by the minute. "Yes, power. You see power has the ability to rule you, make you a slave until you succumb to it. Anyone who is power drunk would no doubt make silly mistakes that could cause a lot of things. Nicholas is simply power drunk that's why he's behaving this way which is all the more reason why I took over from him when he was still a young chap", he said, sipping his tea.