by Helena Rose
"Things didn’t go like that," shouted Marisol, crying, "But you never wanted to listen! Federico beat me, humiliated me and you demanded that I stay and live in hell so as not to ruin our family’s good name! Lucas was the only one who gave me a hand!"
"Your name is on everyone's lips! You're a disgrace to our family! The only solution that remains for us to save our face is to shut you into a convent for the rest of your days!" Replied Don Miguel furious.
"Never," Shouted Marisol.
" Miguel, try to calm down, for the love of God" Viviana intervened to calm things down.
"Don’t interrupt me! The fault is yours, you shouldn’t have given her shelter, you should have forced her to return to her husband ... But on the other hand, what could have I expected from someone like you?" Hissed Miguel pointing at her with the silver handle of his walking stick.
" What do you mean? Speak clearly!" Viviana challenged him, her face red with anger.
" You know what I mean. If this kind of behavior is normal and acceptable to you, for us it is not! My poor brother should never have married you, you weren’t worthy of him!"
" Don’t you dare talk like that in my house," said Viviana controlling her anger with difficulty.
" I'm not leaving without my daughter," barked Don Miguel, heading towards Marisol.
Marisol escaped to take cover behind the couch while Viviana blocked Don Miguel path.
"I repeat that I won’t allow you to insult me in this manner, especially in my house! You are requested to leave at once!" She exclaimed, trying to keep the coolness needed.
Don Miguel lifted his walking stick threateningly, but Viviana stood her ground, while Marisol scared shouted at him to stop.
Miguel stood motionless for a few seconds then lowered his walking stick. Viviana imperceptibly sighed with relief, regaining her calm.
" You’re both made of the same stuff ... Marisol, from today you cease to be my daughter," growled Don Miguel, looking at Marisol who was still sobbing. He picked up his top hat and left without another word.
Viviana dropped onto the sofa that was behind her while Marisol ran to hug her.
"I'm sorry Aunt," she said through her tears.
"It doesn’t matter, your father believed he was doing the right thing," gasped Viviana.
"Yes, but he shouldn’t have behaved like that! And then the horrible things he said ... "
"Do not worry, it's all over now," said Viviana caressing Marisol’s face.
However, Marisol’s mind began to fill with questions. She wondered what her father had meant by accusing her aunt in that way. Was it possible they were hiding a secret? A secret that also involved Costantino. She did not dare to say anymore, and decided to retire to her room to try to calm down.
Don Cristobal sighed, exhausted. He had just finished drawing up a contract of sale, finding it hard to concentrate. The constant thought of Aurora and the way in which she had thwarted his every effort pained him terribly. Bitter disappointment tormented him relentlessly as he tried to forget Aurora. She chose Lucas ... And I have to give up.
Deep in thought, he left the house and walked to the nearby inn.
The thing that troubled him was the humiliation he had suffered, being abandoned so blatantly in front of everyone, and that he had come within a whisker of victory. He smiled bitterly. I’m not suffering from wounds of the heart, but those to my pride ... In a flash he understood that his attachment to Aurora had been a gamble for him, an attempt to return to life after his wife’s death, a silly game that had served him to have a purpose in his life. I’ve been cruel and ruthless, selling myself short in my duties as a lawyer and making an evil pact with Doña Raquel.
Reflecting, he did not notice a sinister figure, dressed as a beggar, under a large sombrero watching him. It was the bandit, hired by Penelope that had been waiting a few days for the best opportunity to carry out his job and kill Don Cristobal.
The bandit stroked the handle of his dagger, hidden under his dirty poncho and walked towards the entrance of the inn. Without looking at or talking to anyone, he sat down not far from the door, waiting for Cristobal to come out. The sun was setting and in the darkness it would be a breeze to complete his plan without being seen.
At the same moment, Penelope was trying to convince Gonzalo, the brothel owner to accept the dishonorable pact to kidnap Aurora.
" The deal seems very risky Penelope," said Gonzalo with concern.
" You’ll be paid handsomely for your trouble," said Penelope throwing a wad of notes on the table.
Gonzalo grabbed them and weighed them in his hand.
"That is not enough, my dear, tell your mistress that if she wants me to kidnap and rape Lucas Navarra y Reyes’ wife, she’ll have to pay me at least three times this amount..."
“I don’t know who you're referring to," Penelope said stroking the red velvet that covered the sofa. She had carefully avoided disclosing the name of the person that commissioned these misdeeds, but Gonzalo Sanchez was not stupid, far from it.
"Of course I know! Doña Raquel is behind all this," commented Gonzalo with a wry smile. "She’s the only person you know that has so much money ... I’d like to know what Lucas has done to cause so much hatred in her!"
"You're very mistaken," said Penelope curtly. "So do you accept or not?"
" I repeat that I want three times this amount, plus help to escape from the city for a long time ... This nasty prank might cost me my life when Lucas finds out about it."
" All right, you'll have half of what you ask for now and the other half when the job is completed. It seems superfluous to remind you that I expect a job well done!" Penelope said, clinking her glass of champagne against Gonzalo’s to seal the agreement.
Lucas and Aurora had decided this time to take the train and arrived in Tampico station in the late afternoon. As soon as they arrived in Lucas’ small house, Aurora, sighed, tired from the trip.
" You're a little pale," said Lucas worried. "You'd better lie down."
The trip had in fact made her very tired and she was feeling slightly nauseous. But she flatly refused, shaking her head.
"It's better to go straight to the bank. Certainly at this hour it’ll be closed, but I know that Don Guadalupe works late after the employees have gone home."
Lucas continued to insist that Aurora let him go alone, but she would not listen to reason.
"I'm your wife and I want to deal with the difficulties with you," she said stubbornly.
Lucas took with him the folder which contained the mortgage documents, and they immediately went out and soon arrived at the old building.
As expected, they found the doors closed. Lucas repeatedly knocked insistently until the door opened and Don Guadalupe peeped out.
On seeing Lucas, Don Guadalupe gave a slight gasp. "The bank is closed," he said in an unsteady voice.
"I need to talk to you, it is an urgent matter," Lucas replied.
" I was about to go home, please come back tomorrow morning," said Don Guadalupe in a whisper.
" No, what I have to tell you can’t wait until tomorrow!" Exclaimed Lucas, pushing the door hard and entering the building. Aurora followed him.
Don Guadalupe did not have the courage to reply, he sighed, dropping his arms, that he had been using to bar the door. He’s the same penniless arrogant person, he thought and bowing his head slightly, motioned for Lucas to follow him into his small study.
Don Guadalupe listened attentively to their story. He made a tremendous effort to restrain from smiling, already anticipating the recognition he would receive from Doña Raquel when he told her what he was about to do. Sighing, trying to sound sorry and compassionate, he turned to Lucas.
" I'm very sorry, but now the decision no longer depends on me, the bank has decided to enforce the mortgage. Today I am charged with going to the magistrate to freeze the assets of your hacienda."
"Is it possible to postpone the procedure? Can’t you grant us a little
respite?” asked Aurora anxiously. "Only a short time is needed, just to make the mine safe ..."
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I absolutely can’t." Replied Don Guadalupe.
Lucas clenched his fists in anger, Aurora put a hand on his arm fearing that he would react violently at any moment.
" May I know the names of the bank‘s majority shareholders?" Continued Aurora.
"Unfortunately ma’am that is information that I can’t provide. Many of our members are wealthy men of the city who prefer to keep their identities secret," said Don Guadalupe, wiping the beads of sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.
"You're lying!" Lucas shouted, jumping up from his chair. "Behind all this is my stepmother, I know that she owns the majority of this bank’s shares and I know that you are nothing more than her lackey!"
Don Guadalupe clenched the arms of his chair tightly with fright.
" You’re mistaken," he said in a faint voice, "How can you think such a thing?"
" Really!" Lucas said grabbing him by the collar "I'll make you pay and that hag ... "
Aurora pulled Lucas by his arm to make him let go of Don Guadalupe who was trembling in terror.
"Enough, stop it! Let's go please!" Begged Aurora.
Lucas heard Aurora’s voice, he let go of Don Guadalupe and left furious followed by Aurora.
When they were in the street Lucas kicked a small stone that darted away. "Damn! They’ll make me lose everything!"
Aurora put a hand on his shoulder.
"Please, listen to me, go and talk to Cristobal ... Maybe he can help us."
"I’ve already said no, Aurora, don’t insist." Lucas said annoyed.
" For once in your life, put aside your pride. Do you prefer to give up our hacienda and lose the work for all your men rather than try just once to speak with Cristobal? You’re not asking for charity, you’ll employ him as a professional to get advice." Said Aurora, unable to hold back tears.
Lucas stood in silence watching the carriages that went by quickly.
" All right," he finally said. "I’ll make one last attempt. I’ll go at once, but before I go to him I'll take you home."
Aurora flung her arms around his neck and kissed him.
" Thank you, my love," she replied happy. "Don’t you want me to come?"
"No, you go and rest, you look very tired. Don’t worry I’ll stay calm and nothing unpleasant will happen, if that's what you’re afraid of."
The sun was setting as they arrived home. Lucas kissed her lips and waited to see her go in.
"Please, my love, don’t make me worry," entreated Aurora.
Lucas did not answer, but only smiled. Then walked down the street.
Arriving at Cristobal’s house, Lucas knocked vigorously on the door.
A maid came to the door. She was a middle-aged woman who had the habit of staring at the floor never raising her eyes during a conversation.
" If you’re looking for Don Cristobal, I think he went to dine at the inn around the corner," she replied to Lucas’ question. "Do you know it?"
" Yes, yes, thank you."
Lucas turned, quickening his pace.
When he arrived at the inn, he entered the place without further delay. He looked round the room, immersed in a typical smoky atmosphere. He noticed a man sitting near the door, his sombrero pulled down over his eyes, but paid no attention to him. He looked around the different tables of diners until he spotted Cristobal. Cristobal was getting up, Lucas saw him pull out a few coins from his pocket and leave them on the table as he headed for the exit.
Cristobal was surprised to find Lucas in front of him.
" Good evening," said Lucas.
" Good evening," replied Cristobal amazed. "I thought you were in Zacatecas."
"I need to speak with you about an urgent legal matter," Lucas said, obviously ill at ease.
"Of course. I was going home, come with me, please," said Cristobal somewhat intrigued by the request.
The two left the inn and the bandit watched them without being seen. Once again, he had lost the opportunity of carrying out his plan, but he was determined to finish the matter before the night ended.
He got up and followed Lucas and Cristobal at a distance to Cristobal’s house.
Cristobal invited Lucas in and offered him a cognac, having dismissed the maid, giving her permission to go home.
" To what do I owe this visit?" He asked curiously.
Lucas hesitated a moment before speaking.
" As you know, the blast destroyed the mine and since the hacienda is burdened by a mortgage and I couldn’t honor the second installment of the loan requested by the bank, Don Guadalupe has informed me that they are asking for the seizure of the property... "
" So you need a loan?” Intervened Cristobal, mockingly. "I didn’t expect such an honor!"
Lucas jumped up, "Even the question offends me!"
" Come on Lucas! There comes a time in a man's life where pride must be put aside." Commented Cristobal, trying to hide the subtle pleasure he derived seeing Lucas in that situation. He ran his hand through his blond hair with an affected gesture, enjoying every second. It was like taking a little piece of revenge on his old rival.
Lucas swallowed, and with a tremendous effort he tried to control himself. He took a sip of cognac and set the glass down on the desk, then continued.
"I’d like to know from you if there are any legal means to delay the foreclosure. Aurora says that you are a good lawyer and I decided to verify this for myself because to tell you the truth, I doubt it very much. The one case in which I’ve seen you work, you lost, didn’t you?"
Cristobal became red-faced. The reference to case of the marriage annulment and the humiliation he had suffered, angered him intensely.
" Don’t you dare come to my house and insult me! If you’re so full of yourself and arrogant, go and seek help somewhere else!" Cristobal stood up, opened the door and invited Lucas to leave.
"This is your professionalism: you cannot be impartial because Aurora prefers me!" Lucas hissed, as he left.
Cristobal moved as if to throw Lucas a punch as he passed in front of him. Lucas shot him a look that made him desist.
" I, however, help only gentlemen and obviously this is not the case with you!" Continued Cristobal, when Lucas was already in the street.
Lucas made an effort not to turn around to reply and walked away while Cristobal slammed the door shut.
When he was alone again in the study, he realized that Lucas had forgotten his folder, it probably contained documents relating to the mortgage, he thought.
He poured himself another glass of brandy and sat down to calm himself down, although he had a reputation of being a quiet person, smart and able to control himself, Lucas had the ability to make him furious every time. His arrogance was really intolerable and he also couldn’t deny that Lucas had hit the mark when he spoke about the marriage annulment. It made him fume that Lucas had won the battle for the conquest of Aurora although to be honest, he knew that he wasn’t in love with her. His infatuation with Aurora who reminded him of his beloved wife, had served to return him to life. Now maybe it was the right time to move forward and rebuild his live with a woman that truly loved him. Without realizing it an image appeared in his mind, a beautiful face, eyes as blue as the sky and blond hair the color of honey, Marisol.
However with Lucas there was still a matter of wounded pride that was hard to forget. He would never be able to forget the humiliation he had experienced.
Cristobal was deep in thought and did not hear the door slowly open. A sinister figure, wrapped in a cloak, had patiently waited outside, sneaked into the study and immediately saw Cristobal sitting with his back to him. He approached Cristobal silently, drew a knife from its sheath and prepared to strike a mortal blow to Cristobal's throat.
Cristobal took another sip of cognac and as he placed his glass down, he noticed reflected in the display case of the bookcase in front of him, the i
mage of a man brandished a knife directly behind him. Terrified, he turned suddenly and miraculously was able to deflect the blow that would have cut his throat. The sharp blade instead entered his shoulder.
Cristobal screamed in pain, but did not have time to figure out exactly what had happened, when the bandit was on him. They began to struggle violently but due to Cristobal’s painful wound, the bandit was soon able to overcome him.
Blood flowed copiously from Cristobal’s shoulder and the throbbing pain prevented him from keeping his attacker at bay. The bandit grabbed the knife firmly and prepared to deliver the coup de grace to Cristobal’s stomach, but a hand from behind unexpectedly grabbed his arm, spun him around and struck a violent punch on his jaw that knocked him down.
It was Lucas, who upon realizing he had forgotten his documents, had fortuitously returned to get them.
The bandit however was very strong, he got up immediately, sprang on Lucas, and brandishing the blade with anger, managed to inflict a glancing wound to Lucas’ hand. Lucas, with a well-aimed kick, disarmed the bandit and they began to wrestle furiously.
The bandit managed to grab the dagger that had fallen on the ground, but before he could strike, Lucas grabbed him and with an agile move knifed him in the stomach.
Lucas, panting, got up quickly and shaking the bandit's shoulders shouted, "Who sent you? Speak!"
The bandit coughed, spitting blood.
"Speak, wretch," cried Lucas enraged.
"Pe ... Penelope," whispered the bandit as he took his last breath.
Lucas let go of the bandit’s body and turned to check on Cristobal. Cristobal was lying almost unconscious on the ground, while blood had already soaked his jacket’s sleeve.
He put an arm around Cristobal's neck and helped him up. Leaving the house, Lucas asked, "can you walk?"
Cristobal nodded. Lucas then took him to his house to allow Aurora to treat him.
When Aurora opened the door and saw him, she cried in distress.