MASSILO P.O.V
The endless ringing of my phone brought my eyes to open from my deep-sleep,rolling slowly towards the bed edge and cradling a pillow on my chest,a yawn escaped my mouth before I got hold of the phone which was over my bedside table and I realised the caller was Mrs Agnes.
"Hello! What's your deal calling me so early this sunshine? Anything you have to discuss,make it wait till midday" i said on the phone,about to hang up on her,but she uttered urgently, "Your mom's corpse went missing"
"What?" I jumped out of bed, changing into a white suit which had stripes over the pocket. "Where are you this instant?"
"I'm right in front of the house"
"Don't leave yet,I'm on my way"
"Alright" she ended the call,leaving me an hurry of catching up with her.I grabbed a suitcase along,heading for the stairs,scurried down to the living room, all maids bowed so low by my presence and I saw the new cook also bowing by the kitchen entrance,she looked different as if there was something added to her beauty. But i just walked out of the house,looking around in case i find Agnes anywhere and I saw her waiting impatiently for my arrival.Going over to where she stood,I asked cautiously, "How did it happen?"
" I got the news from Michelle just now.She was really sad about the situation"
"We have to leave immediately"
The car arrived and as soon as we hurried in,the driver zoomed off.This world is so cruel,how dare they steal mom's corpse even after what they've done to her,she has paid for her mistakes,so what else do the person want from mom's corpse.By the sudden touch of Mrs Agnes hand,I was reminded so much of Sua and I knew right away, it would be Sua doing all this.
"Don't feel downcas,i'm right by your side to comfort you" She said,caressing my arms just to get down to my pants,but I chucked her hands off
"I'm not getting married to you because of this.You're crossing the line"
She scoffed wryly and turned away instantly.The rest of the journey was filled with silence,reaching our destination within half an hour.I alighted from the car,going into the main building while Mrs Agnes tried to get close to me,but I maintained distance as we went into the elevator at the far end of the walkway which led to the sixteenth floor.
"The cops are investigating the issue at the moment which might delay our wedding"
"I hope they find Sua before the news get aired all over Canada.I would like to meet her one more time"
Down to the third room ahead,the door was slightly opened and I saw a glimpse of Michelle weeping over an empty coffin with two doctors by her side
"Michelle" Mrs Agnes called,rushing to huddle her for consolation as I trotted towards them just to ask, "When has the body been missing?"
"It all happened last night.I don't know why...." Michelle paused to let go of the sobs that had been lingering in her voice, there was grief all over the room until my phone rang and I realised it was Xavier.
" Look into the dash camera that Mrs Mason was kept"
"Massilo! Long time no see" I heard a different voice which turned out to be the one I've forgotten long ago.
"Dad!!" My shock grabbed Michelle's attention,impatient to find out the reason for the call and I said to him, "Why are you back? I thought you abandoned us.Why did you still want us"
"I never abandoned y'all and what about your mom?"
"You're a bad person. If you had not left us back then, mom wouldn't have been a victim.You pushed mom into destruction"
"What happened to your mom?" His voice rose out of anger,already at the brink of tears, "I was meant to pay for my wrongs, but I was a coward and that led to...."
AT NIGHT
I entered the house,handing over my suitcase to a maid closeby while dawdling to get to the stairs and I sighted the new cook serving dinner so well which reminded me so much of Sua,I couldn't look away from her wasp-waisted hips and slender face as few strands of hair kept getting in her way,watching how she stucked them behind her ears.I could stare for hours, turning every sounds into background voices, but I was interrupted by Michelle and Agnes rumbled gossip, they both left for the kitchen, leaving me behind and I and the cook's eyes met, so awkward that it almost created a different misunderstanding, she bowed her head as soon as she trundled the clean plates trolley out of the kitchen and waited patiently for me to exit down to the upper floor, but I decided to go into the dinning and i went over to sit somewhere far from the entrance.
"Hey!" I called in a haste, pulled off my tie just to feel comfortable before she approached me. "Bring me a bottle of wine,make it snappy"
"Yes sir" The look on her face triggered every tempting part I wished to own and my perverted thoughts faded away when Mrs Angeles came in.
"I'm letting her serve me tonight, your attention is not needed at the moment"
"Mr Mason needs to have a word with you" Mrs Angeles said and I realised my problem had just began, "Should I call him down here for dinner?"
"Do so!" I responded, giving out a sigh and she went away as quick as possible.
"He should have just stayed with his slut at Poland and never come back" Michelle spoke just when the cook later came back with the perfect drink that could calm my worried mind.She leaned in to pour me a cup and suddenly, she was right by my side,her chest just inches from my face as the soft curve of her breasts rose and fell with every breath, framed by the plunging neckline of her dress.I caught the faint scent of vanilla and something darker, something I couldn't caress but already wanted more of.
My throat tightened.I couldn't decide if I should look away or just let my gaze fall because she had to know.She had to feel how close she was.
Her face was calm,but her body was a whisper away from touching mine.And in that moment,with the heat of her skin and the weight of her presence,I wasn't sure if I wanted to pull back...or close the gap completely and her breath was warm against my skin while the soft press of her body was quite accidental which drew my complete attention with magnetic pull.The neckline of her dress dipped low and for a second,all i could see were smooth lines and the steady rise and fall of her breath, close enough for me to feel the warmth radiating from her skin.She smelled of roses and danger and everything about her felt like a secret I wanted to know just as the soft fabric of her dress clung to her skin, and the steady rhythm of her breath felt louder than it should have.I didn't dare move. It was a warning as much as it was a temptation.And then a lock of her hair slid over my cheek as she leaned a bit closer again,her body was so low,almost got her breast in my gaze,her presence intoxicating while every inch of her said come closer and every inch of me nearly did.
"Call me another maid to serve me dinner.Get out!" I had to yell at her in order to escape from the temptation of grabbing her.
"Yes!? Alright" She said,about to drop the bottle,but her hand trembled,just slightly enough.The bottle slipped, clinking against the edge of the table before smashing violently onto its surface.The sound wasn't clean,it was jagged,ugly.Glass fractured beneath the impact,and in an instant,the dark red wine erupted,bursting from the wounded bottle like something alive.It sprayed outward in a chaotic bloom, soaking into the linen,dripping off the corners and running between cracks in the bottle.
The wine moved fast, uncontrollable, staining everything it touched like a memory that can't undo.She stood frozen,watching helplessly as the last remnants of the precious vintage bled from the shattered bottle,mingling with shards of green glass.The rich scent rose in waves.Earthy,sweet,bitter like a mockery of what it was meant to be.A dinner turned elegy.
I didn't shout.I didn't even move,but the cold in my stare could cut through steel.My eyes were narrowed,dark with disappointment and contempt and my jaw set in perfect stillness,unnerving in its precision.My lips curled ever so slightly,not in a snarl, but in a quiet,dangerous smile that held no humor.My entire face was carved from restraint,but behind my gaze, something sharp and merciless waited, patient and poisonous.Casting a shadow over my glare.Spittle flew as I raged,fists clenched at my sides,shoulders tight, like my whole body was trying not to tear itself apart.There was nothing subtle.I was fury,raw and unfiltered.I could see my hand dripping with thick blood and it turned out to be an injury around my wrist,so deep and painful. Out of anger,I got up from where I was seated and then, my eyes locked onto hers with a cold,unwavering stare before she took few steps back with quiet grace,her eyes lowered in humility. With hands neatly placed at her sides, she bowed deeply at the waist,a gesture full of sincerity and respect.Her posture was steady,her movement deliberate with an unspoken expression of remorse and accountability.As she held the bow for a moment,the atmosphere grew still,charged with the quiet weight of her apology.
When she straightened up,her gaze remained calm,her face composed yet earnest,conveying a deep willingness to make amends.But that didn't calm me.Instead I left.How will I be able to handle a lady as clumsy as her,most times I try to brigde connections with her,I always get hurt.Dad showed up by the entrance while I ignored him,about to leave when he stared and digressed. "Son! We need to talk"
"There's nothing to talk about"
"I would like to make Michelle the CEO of Damel investments.During my stay in Poland,I realised there was so much that needed to be done right" His sudden digress brought me to a stop,giving him a surprised look and he took few steps close to me. "The company is on the verge of bankruptcy and the firm has only 1.3 billion asset,I would like to announce Michelle as the new director because I realised you ain't ready to get married for Damel's better future and in no time, the company will have no other choice than to close down"
"Do you know how much I have contributed to the company and you just want me to give up everything to Michelle?" I croaked threateningly.
"Michelle shall get married to the owner of fasco company and that's the only way Damel company can gain its stand again"
"You can't tell me what to do.Just give me a week.I shall prove to you how much I can build the company sales rate"
"There's no need to try because Michelle will still become the new director" He let out a smirk and walked away,going into the dinning room while I went over to the upper floor.
With a loud slam of the door,my mind was eased from anger and I decided to change into a suitable nightwear which was a white armless shirt with a blue short pants,frowning at the thoughts of what dad said earlier,a sudden knock on the door brought back my hot tempered glare and I said,almost yelling, "What is it again!??" And as soon as Mrs Agnes walked in.I felt a dull, persistent ache radiating through the cut at my wrist,starting from the shoulders and spreading down to my fingertips.The pain came in waves,sometimes a heavy throb,other times a sharp,stabbing sensation, especially when I tried to lift or stretch.My wrist felt tight and fatigued, as if I had carried something far too heavy for far too long.Even resting didn't bring much relief,a lingering soreness made simple movements uncomfortable and numbness crept into my hands,making my fingers feel clumsy and cold as my wrist throbbed with a searing, unbearable pain that gripped me like a vice,every pulse was a brutal reminder of something deeply,terribly wrong.It wasn't just physical,but it carried the weight of tragedy as if the pain were echoing from some deeper wound within.The agony twisted my face,my eyes clenched shut with my breath catching in my throat.
Each movement sent lightning bolts of torment through my nerves and yet I held it,cradled it, as though letting go would mean losing something more than flesh and bone. It was the kind of pain that silenced all thought, that blurred the world around me,collapsing everything into the sharp, raw edge of grief and loss.
IN THE MORNING
I stood in the middle of an highway, everything around me was muted and washed in gray, as if the world itself had stopped breathing.And then I saw her.The one I had lost,standing just beyond the fog,as vivid as she had been in life.Her eyes met mine,full of warmth,sorrow and something unspoken.She smiled,soft and aching, and held out her hand.I rushed to her,heart breaking open,every step weighed down by the desperate hope that this wasn't just a dream.I reached out,my fingertips brushing hers,but she was already fading.
"No, Sua please…" I whispered with my voice trembling. "Just a little longer…"
But the light around her grew thin, like she was being pulled away by some invisible tide.Her lips moved, mouthing something I couldn't hear, a farewell too gentle for such cruelty. I tried to hold on,to anchor her to the dream,to this last chance,but she slipped through my grasp like smoke.
I woke with tears streaming down my face,my arms was outstretched to empty air.The silence of the room crushed me.She was gone again, and this time,it felt like losing her all over.