Chapter 24: Is He Falling?

Robles Corp...

"We're unable to track the hacker. He gave back control over the system so..."

"So what?! Find her location!" Lauren fumed. Confusion was clear on all their faces.

"She? You know who's behind it?" Newton, the head of the technical department asked. "If that's the case, she's really good, really really good. She has covered her tracks so well. We might be on this all-night long...or even longer."

"WE DON'T HAVE ALL THAT TIME SO WORK FASTER!"

***

"Godfather?"

"Rachel, that woman keeps appearing on my raider. Antonio is suspected to be in a secret relationship..."

"Godfather, it's definitely not true. You yourself said it earlier. Besides, he..."

"Shut up and let me speak!" the Godfather blazed over the phone call in his evidently edited hoarse voice. "I don't care whether it's true or not. Find out who she is and get me that information. She might be useful in the downfall of Antonio Leonardo Robles."

"O-Okay Go..." she was unable to complete her statement when he hung up.

"Why would he even need to know who she is? She's probably just a random girl or a business partner. Antonio isn't going out with anyone. He can't possibly have fallen for another woman and he definitely wouldn't just marry anyone yet, at least, while he's still fighting me. Besides, knowing Lauren, she'll probably do anything in her power to stop anyone from getting anywhere near Antonio when she's around....and she's always around. This is an absolute waste of my precious time. I can't stand this beast anymore. I need to find a way to get rid of his leverage over me so...so I can go back to Antonio and help him instead. But how can I do that if I don't even know who this Godfather is?! Darn it!" She instantly hits the glass of water off the side table, crushing it on the marble floor and spilling the water everywhere.

A young lady immediately comes rushing in. "Ma'am, are you o..."

"You better clean that up before I get injured or else you'll be very sorry," Rachel said through gritted teeth and with a terrifying aura. The girl immediately rushed out to get some cleaning supplies.

'If I do find out that that woman has anything to do with Antonio on a personal level, I'll make it my life's mission to tear them apart. If just keeping them away from one another doesn't work, I'll kill her. I promise I'll kill her,' she thought and picked up the bottle of tequila on the table and started gulping the remaining content down like it was just water, after which she sent it flying, crushing against the wall, almost injuring the house help who was walking in with the supplies.

***

Bronx...

"Darn it!" Jay whisper-yelled, almost pulling his hair out. 'It Robles Corporation! I didn't mean to hack the system. I just intended to...to tap in basically, to log into their system and see what they want with Andrea. I still don't know what they want. Worst of all, they'll surely try to find me after that. It's only a matter of time before they're able to track down my location. I need to leave home right now so I can connect to their system again and lead them to a different location. That way, mum and dad won't be involved in this. It's already late but I need to move now. I can't tell mum and dad or else they'll panic and won't let me go. I'll just say I have an upcoming test I can't afford to miss. That should do,' he thought and looked towards the sofa that had all three adults sitting and watching TV in silence.

***

Antonio's room...

Andrea had just taken a shower and gotten dressed in her pale pink pajama button-up short sleeve top and shorts. Her curly ebony black hair was still dump and her eyes quite puffy. She sat at the dressing mirror in the walk-in closet and picked up the hair dryer. Andrea stared at her image blankly. Tears started to roll down her face.

"You're very beautiful, you know that?" a voice at the door pulled her out of her self-pity trance. It was Wanda. "You should make sure to shut the door properly next time," Wanda said walking in but Andrea said nothing and simply wiped her tears. She picked up the hair dryer and Wanda held her hand gently, offering to do her the pleasure. She combed her soft curly hair with a broad smile on her face. "I always wanted a little girl to pamper and play with, whose hair I could take care of and style in multiple ways. I have a son," she said and the smile on her face slowly vanished, "...but after my divorce with his father, he took him away and I have barely seen him since."

"Why did you let him go?" Andrea finally spoke.

"Because it was what was best for him," she was close to shedding a tear. Andrea gently pat Wanda's hand on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile. "You really are very beautiful Miss."

"Just Andrea. Thank you Wanda."

"You're welcome Andrea and I really mean it. That's why Lauren is so envious of you. You were so angry so I bet you didn't realize it. You should have seen how the rage on her face grew ten times more when Antonio picked you up in bridal style. She has always had a crush on Antonio and even hated his ex greatly. I quite remember when he and his ex broke up, she had the biggest smile on her face everytime he wasn't looking. She never let's any woman near him, not even the other maids, once she's around. I bet it's worse in the office. She's creepy," Wanda said with chuckles, making Andrea laugh her heart out. "Ou one time, she threw a birthday party for Antonio in the office and that was the day he proposed to his ex to be his girlfriend. His girlfriend knew how much Lauren liked Antonio. She said the expression on Lauren's face was absolutely priceless, especially when she had to pretend she was happy for them." They both burst out laughing.

"Wait, so does Antonio know she's in love or obsessed with him?"

"I really can't tell but I don't think he cares. What I do know for sure is that, he doesn't feel the same way for her. Poor thing," Wanda said, both of them sarcastically sympathizing with Lauren.

"Those two would be a match made from the pits of hell. Such monstrous people together would probably have bore serial killers or demon babies..."

"Andrea!" Wanda exclaimed softly with a chuckle.

"What? I'm just saying what we all must have thought," she responded without a shred of remorse.

"Antonio really isn't a bad person. If you're to be honest with yourself, you'll admit that much."

"What are you saying? He bumped into me and didn't apologize. In fact, he threatened me. Then he asked me to work for him and I refused. Because of that, he had me kidnapped and beaten up badly and then pretended he had nothing to do with it. As though that's not bad enough, he has kept be locked up in his house and prevented me from going back home. To add insult to injury, he called me a cheap wh*re to make me feel bad for teaching Lauren a lesson tonight. That's your definition of a good man? Look how he treats you and you speak so highly of him? Wait, is that what happens when someone starts working for him? They are unable to see what a horrible person he is and start to worship him? That would explain why you speak highly of him and how Lauren could be in love with him. No, Lauren is clearly mentally unstable so her case is different....but it could be a result of being so close to him. You on the other hand..."

"Andrea, you're a chronic over-thinker," Wanda cut her runts.

"He said the same thing..." she mumbled.

"Because you really are," she chuckled. "Antonio has been through a lot in his life. That's what has made him so cold to people. He finds it hard to relate cordially with others. That should explain why he was mean to you on the first day. However, if he thought of you with an ill mindset, he won't need you to work for him before he can destroy you. He only employs people he feels he can trust. Judging from your first encounter, that explains a lot."

"What do you mean?"

"You didn't bend to his will because he's handsome and rich. You stood by your principles and taught him a lesson by being arrogant. It's not hard to tell judging by the way you still defy his every word even till date. He clearly feels you're trust worthy, that's why he wanted to employ you. Of course, he would still have gotten back at you for sure. It just wouldn't be as an enemy. You definitely don't want to be his enemy."

"How can you be sure? Did he tell you to tell me this, because it doesn't explain the kidnapping."

"But he said he didn't order your kidnapping. He's not afraid of anyone Andrea. Once you understand this, you'll understand everything going on around you. If he did kidnap you, he'll tell you and reporting him will yield absolutely no results. He's more powerful than you think. Clearly, Lauren was behind it. She was worried about you, that you would really take him away from her. I saw that when she scolded me for letting him take care of you himself. He would never pretend in order to get what he wants...probably unless it's a serious matter. Don't say he thinks this is a serious matter since you hurt his ego because he has more important things doing. Trust me."

"How are you so sure about this?"

"Because I raised him. I'm his nanny."

"Then why does he treat you like that?"

"That's a different story. It wasn't always like this."

"I see. But are you sure he doesn't have any feelings at all for Lauren?" she asked in a soft tone.

"What do you mean? Why would you think that?" Wanda chuckled.

"He insulted me and degraded me awhile ago, making up stories about me and rubbing some hurtful facts in my face...because of my fight with his 'beloved assistant'. Was I really so out of place to be so infuriated to see that woman?"

"Oh sweetie," Wanda comforted, rubbing Andrea's shoulders softly. "Did he really call you a cheap wh*re? Are you sure you didn't miss understand him?"

"I'm sure Wanda. He accused me of sleeping around with Jayden Knight, who's only my friend. He didn't believe me when I said we're only friends. He also rubbed it in my face that I'm all alone, that I have no family and no one I can really depend on, even if I have an adopted family."

Wanda couldn't hide the shock on her face after her words. 'Why would he use those very words on her? That she's all alone even if she has a family. Those were his own words for himself. He once said he felt alone even though he had his grandpa and I. He feels he identifies with her. But why attack her if he thought she was sleeping around with a man? They're probably in a relationship and that common between couples lately. Even if being a relationship with that guy would make her a side chick, why would he care? He never cares about people's private lives so long as it doesn't affect him. Wait, is Antonio falling for Andrea?"