by Christina OW
Jackie cheered. “I knew it! What did Ruiz say to that, I bet he at least reacted to that!”
Melody chuckled and turned back to look at the ceiling. “He said ‘you invited my mother to stay?’”
“What! That’s it?” She really did yell this time jarring Esme from her nap and making her cry. Jackie stood up and walked around as she rocked her to calm her down. “I can’t believe it.”
“Neither could I. I thought he would be happy, I know I was and all he seemed to be concerned about was getting his mother out of the suite.”
Jackie grumbled under her breath in French before she said aloud, “Well then. If booting his mother out is the only way to get him focused on the real issue, I’ll go put Esme down and help you throw her out.”
Melody sat up. “Jackie we can’t throw her out. That’s—” She reared back when Jackie almost pocked her eye out with her finger.
“So help me if you say rude…”
Melody lifted her hands in surrender. “Fine, but we can’t be that callous. I’ll just explain to her how things are. That we are going through a rough tide and we can’t handle visitors—especially family—at the moment.”
Jackie waved her hand dismissively. “Tell her whatever you want to tell her as long as she knows she needs to leave.”
Melody watched her walk away and disappear into the room thinking that was easily said than done. She wasn’t kicking just any one out and she didn’t understand how she was the only one who saw that. Clarissa might as well be a stranger to Ruiz seeing how they interact and she was a stranger to Jackie, so Jackie didn’t count much. What was she to do, knock on her bedroom door and demand she pack up and leave because her son wants her gone by the time he got back?
Melody groaned falling back onto the chair and covering her face with her hand. This day wasn’t better, it was worse!
“Melody, dear.”
She jumped up and turned to face her mother-in-law. “Clarissa! I didn’t hear you come out of your room.”
She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m light on my feet. One thing my husbands both hated and loved about me.” She sat down and crossed her hands over her lap. Melody quickly followed suit. “So, my son wants me gone?”
Melody could feel her cheeks turn flaming red. “I’m sorry but you arrived at a really bad time. Maybe we can arrange a better visit later on in the year,” she added, hoping that the later invitation would smooth things over.
She chuckled shaking her head. “Not if my son has anything to do with it. My dear, I do have a question for you?”
Oh oh! “I’ll try and answer it the best I can.”
“Why did you agree to marry my son?”
What? “Excuse me, I don’t quite follow.”
“You do know he married you for the same reasons his father married me—for my money and social standing.”
Melody had to keep herself from laughing. Did this woman know her own son? Mixing with her social circle would be a fate worse than death to Ruiz and her money, she learnt how much he didn’t want her money the hard way. In fact, she was still paying for making that assumption.
“No, Ruiz didn’t marry me for my money and social standing. He hates my social circle and he makes his own money.”
She shook her head in that ‘poor foolish and clueless girl’ way. “Yes he did. You’ll soon find out after he’s tired of playing family man. The only reason he got you pregnant was to make sure his plans don’t go array.”
“Clarissa, your son and I married way before Esme came into our lives and also, he’d have to jump a number of hoops one of them being my brother to access my money.”
“He hasn’t tried yet, but he will. What explanation would you give for having not seen him touch or look at his own child even once since I got here?”
She had Melody there. How could she possibly tell her why Ruiz didn’t touch or look at Esme without having the tables turned on her and she being painted the monster. Now she understood why Ruiz wanted his mother out of here, she just complicated things even more.
Melody stood up, signaling the conversation was over. “Clarissa, what your son does is his business, but he has made it my business to make sure you are gone before he gets back. If you have any complaints to make about that I suggest you go see him in the staff hall, he’s made that his temporary office for the hotel restructuring. I’m sorry you couldn’t visit longer, but please do give your current husband our best.” At that moment, Jackie stepped out of the room minus Esme, but with a hidden smile that threatened Melody’s own. “Jackie will show you out, won’t you Jackie?”
“Oui madame,” she answered with a comical bow that did make Melody smile.
With that, Melody flounced into her room and closed the door partially to listen to how Jackie was going to get the Clarissa who was already whining and threatening to report her to Ruiz, out of the suite, with a hand held over her mouth to muffle her laughter.
* * * *
“You surprise me sometimes, Ruiz. That wasn’t the reaction I was expecting.”
“What are you talking about?” Ruiz asked absently as he skimmed through the furnishing invoice. Apparently, while he was buried under the covers avoiding the sun that morning, Melody had been putting together a list of office equipment and furniture to replace those the old staff had stolen or sold off. The set back Antonio had caused firing the reliable staff Ruiz had established over a year ago and replacing them with crooks annoyed him. It was going to put a big dent on the new capital Matthew had sent him to Paris with, especially if they went with the expensive furniture store Melody had listed. Exhausted and still nursing a headache, he put the eye sore invoice down, cupped his forehead in his hand and massaged his temples with his thumb and middle finger. He should have stayed in bed, he was completely useless with this hangover.
“Your wife—just yours and no longer sharing with Antonio—just told you that little girl you lost your mind over is yours and not that toad’s and you respond with ‘get my mother out of the suite’?”
Ruiz could hear the surprise in his voice. He didn’t need to look up to know Jon Luc was staring at him as if a third eye had appeared on his forehead.
“What did you want me to say?”
He spattered. “You’re joking right? Mon Dieu! Are you even awake yet?” He slapped the desk repeatedly and each hit echoed loudly in Ruiz’s head. “Hé, réveille! You have a wife and a daughter!”
Ruiz held up his hand, glaring at his new, but soon to be old friend. “Ya basta ya! My head is splitting just fine without your help.” He groaned, closing his eyes and leaning back on the seat’s headrest. He should have stayed in bed that morning.
“Mon ami, speak to me. What’s holding you back from running to your suite and holding your belle ange in your arms?”
Ruiz opened his eyes and looked at Jon Luc. “I don’t trust her.”
He shook his head sadly at Ruiz, “But do you believe her?”
He snorted. “I don’t believe what I don’t trust.”
“Well, would you believe me if I told you it is your name on her birth certificate?”
That spiked Ruiz’s interest, but he suppressed. No, he wouldn’t run head first in this. There was to much hurt, too much pain in store for him if he wasn’t cautious about it. He just couldn’t.
“So she gave her my last name, put me down as her father when she herself wasn’t sure little Esme was mine? Like I said, I don’t trust her.”
“Ruiz—”
Ruiz sat up straight in his seat and cut Jon Luc off. “Jon Luc, Melody has lived her entire life in a fairytale bubble thanks to her family. Her brother still treats her like she was five pouting for a Cinderella dress and not like a grown woman who needs to make her own way in life. Hell, I’m even surprised he let Melody stay out of his radar this long!”
Jon Luc cantered his head to the side. “This Allan Sinclair is the one and the same person who worked with Dante Vittorio in Italy, oui?” Ruiz
nodded his affirmative. “Then my friend, he always knew where his sister was at every particular moment.”
Ruiz shook his head. He couldn’t believe that. “If he did, Melody would be in America right now and in Allan’s house, probably in a room very close to his.”
“What’s to say he didn’t decide to let his sister be a grown woman? What’s to say for the first time in his life, he wanted Melody to climb on her feet without him pulling her up?”
Ruiz still shook his head even as doubt filled his head. “Allan Sinclair, my brother-in-law cutting off the strings? No way. That’s something my brother— damn the man! Reno must be behind this!” he hissed punching the desk.
“Reno, your big brother? Why do you say that?”
Ruiz stood up and Jon Luc followed. “Only a parent would push his kid out of the nest! For the years I’ve spent being his baby brother, he’s been setting things like this up for me so that I could learn something from it. He’s the one who set this whole thing up, for me and Melody!” He cursed, pacing the room.
Jon Luc shrugged. “He sounds like a very wise man.” Ruiz stopped and glare at him, Jon Luc just laughed. “Quelle? He’s just looking out for your best interest.”
“Aha.” Ruiz pulled out his phone and dialed his brother’s number. It rang three times before he picked up.
“Took you long enough, thought you had more smarts than that,” Reno said laughingly.
Ruiz swallowed the curse on his tongue. For some reason, he could never curse at his brother in anger. He always had this need to impress him, to never let him down. His failed relationship with Melody was a blow in more ways than one.
“You don’t even know what I’m calling about?”
His heavy chuckle came through the receiver with a booming echo. “I’m smarter than you. And besides, you would have emailed like you’ve been doing instead of calling. You email when you want to avoid confrontation.”
It both irked and pleased him how well his big brother knew him. “Stay out of my business Reno.”
“Never going to happen,” he said sternly.
He sighed heavily. “Stop trying to make up for our father.”
There was a prolonged silence on the other end before Reno finally spoke. “Is that what you think I’m doing? I have nothing to make up for on behalf of that man. I’m making up for me, for not having your back like I did Riana. You’re my kid brother and your mother had no right to keep you from me, to keep me from doing my job. You wouldn’t have all those ghosts following you around if I was there for you.”
Ruiz felt his throat burn. Reno had nothing to feel guilty about and yet he did. No one had ever felt guilty for letting Ruiz down, no one. And the one person who did, the only who’d just found out about Ruiz’s existence was carrying one hell of a load that he shouldn’t be in the first place.
“And besides,” Reno started a little more upbeat, “You were moving too slow for my liking. Allan had already lost all his patience with both you and Melody. We left it too long with the hotel hoping Melody would wake up from whatever slumber she was in there. We even thought the baby would motivate her, but she only hid more. And you, you would still be here, mopping around my house, a sitting duck for Allan and his temper if I hadn’t done something.”
Ruiz rubbed his hand down his face and neck and up again. That explained the barely contained aggression Allan had when they were around each other. He should have known something more than just his break up with Melody warranted the dagger eyes, but Ruiz got nothing from Reno—both funny and annoying.
So they knew about the baby, did they know if he was truly the father? “Reno—”
“Nope, I don’t want to know. It’s time you and Melody took charge of your lives and that hotel that died when you broke up. We’ll all be there in a month time for the re-launch gala. A month Ruiz, to get all your shit together or I’m going to let Allan kick your ass!”
Ruiz laughed alongside his brother. “A month. That isn’t much time but I’ll get the hotel up and running by then, but I don’t know anything about planning a gala.”
“Melody does. Get it done, for your daughter’s sake,” he said before the line went dead.
Ruiz stared at his phone for a long while before he put it back in his pants pocket.
“So, he gave you a month to get the hotel on track?”
“And my marriage. See you tomorrow Jon Luc. I’ve got a hankering to hold my daughter,” he said with a smile as he walked to the door.
Jon Luc cheered. “Take the day off tomorrow as well and kiss that belle ange for me.”
As he reached for the door it flew open and he jumped back just in time to miss getting hit. And just like that, his new good mood went to shit.
“Mother, what are you doing here?”
She approached him, face red and breathing like an enraged bull. “That little twit you call a wife kicked me out! Apparently you told her to do so.”
Ruiz nodded. “Yes, I did.”
“Que?” she shrilled sending a ringing in his ear.
“Mother, you are only here for one thing, to cause trouble and I’m already drowning in enough of that. I don’t need your kind of trouble.” He tried to walk around her but she dug her claws into his arm holding him back.
“You owe me!” she hissed.
“No mother, you owe me. You owe me all that you denied me growing up but I’m not interested in collecting. I just want to live my life with my family in peace.” He winced as he pulled her hand, nails and all off his arm.
“I’m your family, your only family!” she yelled.
Ruiz shook his head. “I have a wife and a daughter. And a brother and sister, who’ve both shown me more concern on the day we met than you ever, have in my entire life. I have nephews and a niece and hopefully another niece in five months. I have in-laws and friends that love me for me and not where I came from, what I did and who sired me. They are my family, not you.” Ruiz clenched his teeth as he forced the words that were long overdue out of his mouth. “I love you mother, but I can’t have you in my family. You’re toxic and I’m very sure right before Melody kicked you out, you tried to turn her against me.”
She laughed wickedly. “I said nothing that wasn’t true. And this new wonderful family you have acquired, what do you think they’ll say when they find out the truth about you. The whole truth and not just the colorful one that had you looking like a victim.”
Ruiz blanched and he knew his mother caught his reaction by the way she smiled. She leaned closer and spoke in a fake whisper. “I wonder what they’ll say when they find out you are the monster they hire hundreds of bodyguards to keep away. Oh yes, I’ve done my homework on your new family. I found the story on your sister-in-law’s ordeal with her bodyguard quite entertaining. I wonder what they would do when they know they’ve let a monster worse than Jeb into their inner circle.”
She grabbed his chin and pulled him down and pressed her lips to his cheek in tender kiss that a stranger would mistake as a mother’s loving kiss. It was actually her victory stamp just to say that she had him by the balls.
“We’ll speak soon dear son.” Her cackle echoed in the room long after she was gone.
“Ruiz—”
He looked up to see Jon Luc stare at him with pity. He’d witnessed the entire thing and now he pitied Ruiz.
Ruiz wasn’t sure what burned worse, embarrassment or the pity, but what annoyed him most was that for a moment, he had began to hope again and his mother, the woman who bore him happily crushed it under her Prada heels.
God his life sucked!
* * * *
Melody was up late the second night in a row, waiting for Ruiz to get home, but this time she was ten times more worried. Jon Luc had stopped by and told her what had happened with Clarissa. He didn’t give her any details, just that it was urgent she spoke to Ruiz. Melody wondered what his mother could have said to him that made him want to escape.
The door beeped open and Melody jum
ped to her feet ready to carry him to his room if need be, but Ruiz was steady on his feet—he moved slowly, but he was steady. He closed the door and leaned his head against it.
“Ruiz,” Melody began, cautiously moving to stand a few feet behind him.
He turned to face her and the look in his eyes punched her in the chest. He looked so sad, so defeated. She took another step towards him. “Ruiz…”
“Don’t worry, I’m not drunk.”
“I can see that.” She smiled weakly at him. “Tell me what happened?”
He leaned his head against the door, closing his eyes. “With what?”
She knew he might not react well to this but she still said it. “Jon Luc told me what happened with your mother.”
He vaulted from the door, his eyes blazing with anger and his lips curled in a sneer that she jumped back in fright.
“He did what?” he hissed.
Melody held her hands together to hide their trembling. “He didn’t say much. Just that your mother cut you down with her words. What did she say?”
He stomped away from her. “None of your business!”
She rushed into his room, ducking under his arm before he had time to bang it shut. “You are not going to shut me out anymore! Not if we have a shot in hell to make this work. I’m your wife and you’re my husband—my only husband—and we have a daughter I’m hoping we’ll be able to raise together. For all our sakes, please talk to me.”
He stared at her long and hard before he turned away from her, taking his jacket and shirt off in jerking movements. “There is nothing to talk about.”
She chased after him when he went into the bathroom. “That’s where you are wrong. There is a lot to talk about. Jon Luc said you were happy coming up to see your daughter before Clarissa happened. She said something to you that made you run, that’s keeping you from Esme.”
He forcefully tossed his shirt and jacket into the laundry basket before he spun around making her jump back again at how fast he moved.