Chapters 19

When they landed in Madrid, a car was waiting for them, ready to take them to their destination which turned out to be Edmundo's penthouse. A lavish building that covered a wide expanse of land. The building was quaint with a transparent glass door that seemed to sparkle in the morning sun.

"Welcome to my private place", he said.

Rita halted in her steps. That was the same name she called her private house back in Spain. She didn't believe in coincidences and she wondered if perhaps Edmundo knew about her building. She didn't know what she'd do if he discovered the place. No doubt, he'll look for every avenue to always visit her, disturbing the little peace she had managed to build away from him.

"It's... Nice", she said, walking into the building.

"Thank you, I bought it yesterday", he grinned.

Rita halted in her steps, staring at him. She couldn't believe what she just heard, a building as big as this would take months before the purchase can be made but knowing who he was, Rita had no doubts that he sped up the process.

"Wow... That's good. How much did you get it for?",she asked.

"A little over a million", he said.

Rita sighed, staring at the living room which was tastefully furnished with state of the art facilities and furnitures. She could tell that Edmundo wasted no expense in getting the best and this just proved that money was his strength but also his weakness. A weakness that Rita was going to prey on.

"That's huge but it's worth it. So, where would I be sleeping?",she asked.

"With me, in my room", he said, making his way upstairs to where the rooms were located.

"But I can't Edmundo, it's not proper. We're not married yet, that's a taboo and you know it", she said.

"I don't care. This is the twenty first century, those things don't matter anymore", he said.

He opened a room door with a key card, ushering her in. Rita was in awe at the murals of the room. A large chandelier sat at the center, illuminating light so bright it seemed daytime had visited the room.

"Like what you see?", Edmundo grinned.

"Yes, I do but that doesn't mean I'll be sleeping with you", she said, folding her arms.

A heated look crossed his eyes. Rita took a step back, hating the way she felt weak and useless in his presence.

"Fine, suit yourself. At times, I don't even know why I bother with you", he said.

"So where would I be sleeping?", She asked.

"The room across here, you'll find everything you need in there", he said, dismissing her.

Rita left much to her satisfaction. She didn't want to stay any minute with him talk more of sleeping with him on the same bed. She was a virgin and she wanted to keep it that way until her wedding night to her rightfully wedded husband.

True to his words, Rita found everything she would be needing throughout her stay in his penthouse. Even the dresses that were hung in the wardrobe were all her size something she found creepy. She settled in, unpacking the little clothes she brought along. When she was done, she took a warm bath, reveling in the shampoo that seemed to be her favorite.

"What do you mean by you still can't find anything about him?", Edmundo shouted.

At the sound of his voice, Rita jerked awake. She had already fallen asleep in the bath tub and the harsh sound of his voice drew her awake. She listened in, straining to hear what he was saying even though his voice was loud as ever.

"Do everything you can to find out something about him. Come on, there must be something, anything about him. Do this and get back to me pronto or consider yourself unemployed", he seethed.

Slowly, Rita got out of the bathtub, drying her body. She hurriedly put on a robe, covering her nakedness. She couldn't trust Edmundo not to barge in here when she wasn't dressed.

"What's the matter?", She said upon getting to the living room where she found him pacing about.

"None of your business", he said, harshly.

"Then you should stop shouting, you're going to scream the whole house down", she said.

"Fuck off", Edmundo said, pushing her away.

Rita smiled, congratulating herself on successfully frustrating him. She knew that something bothered him a lot if he was behaving this way. She whistled to herself, making her way to the t.v room to watch some soap operas she missed. She wasn't going to be bothered about him, he could go die for all she cared. After all, he never seemed to bother about her wellbeing and happiness so why should she care.

Just then, her phone gave a little beep, indicating she had a message. Rita swiped the screen and discovered that the message was from her best friend, Theresa. Deciding to call her, Rita dialled her number, waiting for her to pick up. She answered on the fourth ring, squealing when Rita spoke.

"Gosh, how I've missed you", Rita laughed.

"I've missed you more, you wouldn't even believe it. How are you my darling?", Theresa said.

"I'm just there. To be honest, I really don't know how I feel. I'm in Madrid, Edmundo dragged me along", Rita sighed.

"Yeah, so I heard. I stopped by your house this morning and your mum informed me. How is the man?",she asked.

"He's just there. To be honest girlfriend, he keeps getting worse everyday", Rita sighed.

"Patience my dear, soon you'll be out of there. Left for me, I don't want you to get married to him", Theresa said.

Rita heard a little voice giggling and she knew it was Theresa's three year old son, Mateo. Rita felt a pang in her chest, one of loneliness and sadness.

"I know. That's why you're my best friend, you've had my back since way back high school days".

"And I will always do. You're my best buddy and nothing is ever going to change that", she said.

For a moment, Rita was tempted to spill the truth about her relationship with Rodrigo. As long as she could remember, Theresa had never judged her or spoken ill about her. She was her friend and it ate her, having to keep this secret away from her.

"Theresa, can I trust you?", Rita said.

"Sure girl, what's up. Oh wait... Don't tell me you've gotten pregnant for the man", she panicked.

"Oh hell no! That's never going to happen", Rita chuckled.

"Phew, okay then. If it's not that, I can take anything else you want to say", she said.

Rita took a deep breath. What she was about to say was a secret if found in the wrong hands could destroy her and her family.

"I'm kind of having a relationship with my chaffeur, Rodrigo", she said.

For several minutes, Theresa remained quiet. Rita wrung her hands, nervous that she would spill her secrets to the first person she talked to.

"Wow. I didn't expect this", she said.

"Oh God, is it a bad thing", Rita panicked.

"Hell no. In fact, that's the best news I've heard all day. My gosh! I'm really happy for you Rita", Theresa gushed.

"Thank you. To be honest, at times, I feel really stupid for engaging in something like this. I don't know but I can't help it. Rodrigo is the sweetest thing that has ever happened to me in a very long time. He's like a drug, a drug I can't do without", Rita said.

"My friend is in love", Theresa cooed.

"Maybe I am but that's how I feel and I think i just messed it up", she said.

"Oh my gosh! Rita, what did you do", Theresa sighed.

Rita narrated all that had happened prior to her arriving Madrid. Talking about it now, she felt bad for what she did.

"Oh darling, you shouldn't have done that. You claim you love him but what you did proved otherwise", Theresa said.

" I know, I know and now, I feel really bad. What can I do", Rita said, close to tears.

"What you're going to do now is call him. Talk to him and apologize, I believe he'll see reasons why you did that", she said.

"Okay, I'll do that. Thank you Theresa, I'm grateful", Rita smiled.

"It's nothing darling just make sure you call him soon", Theresa said.

"I will as soon as Edmundo retires for the night", Rita giggled.

"Okay darling. Don't forget to tell me how it goes. I have to go now darling, Mateo calls", Theresa said before cutting the call.

Rita smiled, placing her phone on the table. She made her way to the kitchen, bringing out some ingredients to prepare lunch.

"What's got you smiling sugar girl", Edmundo said, startling her.

Rita didn't know that she smiled openly. She coughed, trying to hide her smile as Edmundo walked further into the kitchen.

"Oh nothing, I just got a good news from my dad", she lied, smoothly.

"Care to share?", he said, sipping a glass of water.

"Oh no, it's a private discussion", Rita said.

"Alright, what are you cooking?",he asked.

Rita was tired of all his constant questions and desperately wished he could leave her, just for a minute to revel in her plans to call Rodrigo.

"I don't know, I guess I'll make some spaghetti", she said.

Edmundo snorted before leaving the kitchen. Rita didn't care about what he did or said at that moment. All her whole mind was on the call she would make to Rodrigo. She desperately hoped that he wouldn't be angry at how she treated him before she left. She didn't know what she'll do if he was angry.

When she was done cooking, she served Edmundo, taking her food with her upstairs. She didn't want to be near him for fear of him engaging in a conversation which was pointless and meaningless. He was always in the habit of saying things that didn't make any sense just to show his authority and strength.

When she was done eating, she picked up her phone contemplating on whether to call him at that minute or wait till Edmundo was safely asleep. She knew that Edmundo could walk into the room at anytime he liked which was something she wasn't looking forward to. She decided to wait, biding her time until he slept.

********************

Much later, when she Edmundo had gone to sleep, Rita picked up her phone, dialing his number. She decided to use a private number for fear of him not answering his call. The phone rang for several minutes but Rodrigo failed to pick it up. She was beyond nervous now, her thoughts taking a dark turn.

She didn't know what was happening and could only hope that he wasn't in some kind of trouble considering what she had passed through few days ago. She decided to dial his number again, hoping and praying that this time around, he would pick up. Like an answer to her prayers, he picked up on the second ring.

"Yes", he said briskly.

Rita remained quiet for a while, reveling in his voice she had missed so much. She fought back the tears that threatened to fall as she gripped the phone tighter.

"Rodrigo", she whispered.

"Sugar girl", he teased.

Smiling through her tears, Rita knew that everything would be alright.