"How have you been Camille?", Rita asked.
She had been in her house for a while now and she was glad that she was better and more healthier. Rita knew what made her Ill, it was simply stress and she planned to take that away from her as much as possible.
"I'm just here, hoping and praying that Rodrigo comes back to me soon", she said.
She was dressed in a wool sweater and a long skirt. The weather had dropped which was ushered by more snow. The news forecasted that it might get heavier as the day goes by, hence everyone had to cover up if they didn't want to catch a cold.
"He will Camille, trust me. Rodrigo would always find us", Rita smiled sadly.
She was holding on to his words. Those words had been her anchor ever since his sudden disappearance, it was the last thing he said before he left her house.
"Yes, I know my boy will come home, I just know it", she said.
"Have you had anything to eat?", Rita asked.
"Not really, I just had some tea in the morning before the maid left. I really don't have much appetite", she sighed.
"I think you should eat. Don't worry, I can whip up some spaghetti in no time", Rita smiled.
"You take care of me too much when I'm not even your family. Thank you for everything Rita", she said, a lone tear sliding down her eyes.
"You don't need to thank me. I love you and Rodrigo so much and I wouldn't hesitate to help you in any way I can. My only prayer now is Rodrigo comes back hale and hearty then my joy would be complete", Rita said.
She made her way to the kitchen, gathering the ingredients for the meal. She was glad that she took her cooking classes seriously. Her mum was never good at cooking and Rita took over that aspect of the house. As she cooked, she hummed lightly to a song that Rodrigo had thought her during the early days of their relationship.
It was an old folklore, one that she was happy to learn. Soon, the food was ready. She dished up a healthy portion for Camille since she hadn't really eaten.
She made her way to the living room, balancing the tray of food in one hand.
"This smells so good", Camille smiled.
,"Wait till you have a taste", Rita laughed.
Camille took a bite and hummed in satisfaction. Rita watched as she ate more of the food, happy she was eating. She was getting more leaner and she wanted to put a stop to that.
"I know about your relationship with Edmundo", Camille said, suddenly.
Rita sighed. There was hardly anyone who didn't know about her relationship with Edmundo. The tabloids made sure that the public had a full dose of their relationship. She was disgusted to know that her name was associated with a pig like him.
"And I really know how you feel, trust me I know", she said.
Rita whipped her head up, staring at her. Camille had a far away look in her eyes and Rita could tell that she was thinking about an event that had taken place a long time ago.
"It's choking to be honest. Sometimes, I can't breathe. I don't know what I'll do, I can't marry Edmundo I just can't", she said.
"In due time, everything would work out for your own good. One day, maybe I'll tell you my story but first, let's work on finding Rodrigo", she said.
"Okay", Rita smiled.
A little while later, she left the house promising to come back soon. She drove towards Edmundo's house, listening to an old song playing from the car's radio. Rita barely listened to the song as her whole mind was focused on what she was going through.
She soon got to the house soon, greeted by Louis who had a wide grin on his face. His white house shirt was fitted on his body as he bowed slightly to welcome her.
"Welcome ma'am", he said.
"Hello Louis, how are you?", Rita said.
"I'm fine. Ma'am, Senator Brabra would like to see you", he said.
Rita stared, it had been so long since she saw him. It's true he usually travels round the world due to the nature of the job with the President. His arrival here coincided with the dinner party which would be held this weekend.
"Okay, where is he?, she asked.
"Come with me", he said, walking towards the house.
Rita followed him, looking around the house. She had never been to this part of the building and was quite surprised to see how beautiful it looked.
They soon got to a room with wide double doors. Lous knocked lightly before walking in. Rita followed and she was in awe at the murals that decorated the walls.
"Good evening Sir, Miss Anderson is here", Louis said, bowing slightly.
"Good... Great, you can leave us now. Thank you Louis", Senator Wilson said.
Rita took a seat opposite him. The last time she had seen him was when he stopped by at her office which seemed like a long time ago.
"I'm sorry for calling you here when you just got back", he began.
"It's okay... Is there a problem Senator?", Rita asked.
"It's not a problem per say... I just wanted to know if you've cemented your relationship with my son", he said.
Rita stared at him incredulously. She couldn't believe he was seriously asking her that question knowing fully well that she had just got back from the office bone tired. The only reason she summoned his call was because she thought he had something important to say but not this.
"With all due respect sir, I think you should ask your son that question. I'm not the problem here but your son", Rita seethed.
She was tired of being patronized this way. She was past caring about what they thought, she couldn't believe he really thought this lowly about her.
"My son isn't really the problem... Rita, just be patient with him. I'm sure he'll change, I'm really sure of it", Senator Brabra said.
Rita stood up, snatching her bag from the table. She was tired of this, tired of being talked to this way.
"With all due respect Senator, you're wasting my time. I'm tired and I need to go. Maybe some other time, we can talk about this", Rita said as she made her way out of the office.
"Don't forget you're still living in my house and you must go by my rules" he chuckled.
Rita whipped around, giving him a death glare. At that moment, she hated everything about him. It seemed as if they had made it their life duty to frustrate her but she vowed never to be.
"I won't be any longer. As soon as you're done with your dinner party, I'm going back to my father's house. To be honest, I don't even know why I'm here in the first place but that's by the way. All that matters is that I'm going back and I would never get married to your son", she seethed.
"You're playing with fire girl", Senator Brabra said with a steely look in his eyes.
"If you're fire, then I'm water and I wouldn't hesitate to quench you and watch you reduce to a shadow of yourself, you can trust me on that", Rita said before making her way out of the office.
Chapter 38
Rita got to her room soon, slamming the door before she finally shut it. She couldn't believe what just happened. She took calming breaths as she tried to settle her raging heart threatening to burst out.
"Stupid man and his stupid family", Rita muttered.
She stripped down her clothes as she made her way to the bathroom. She needed a cold shower if she wanted to feel sane again. As the water cascaded down her body, so did the tears. This was the time she really needed Rodrigo but he was out of her reach and there was nothing she could do but wait till he returns.
When she was done, she got out as she wrapped a towel round her body. She made her way to the wardrobe, picking out a light dress gown. She combed her hair, styling it to the side of her face. Just then, she heard a light knock on the door. Rita decided to ignore the knock and simply pretend like she wasn't in the room.
The knock persisted and she was forced to answer. She discovered it was Louis who was here to inform her that dinner was ready. Even though she didn't feel like joining them, knowing that the whole family would be there, Rita decided to go. She needed to eat if she was fi keep her strength.
She got to the dining table and sure enough, they were already gathered. Senator Brabra sat at the head of the table with his wife, Magdalene who sat at the right hand side. She gave Rita a sickly sweet smile and she returned it with the same energy. Edmundo on the other hand had a sour expression on his face and Rita had an inkling of what might have gone wrong.
Rita sat down on a chair that was the farthest away from them. She didn't want to be anywhere near them and she wanted to be done with this as soon as possible.
The dining room was silent, too awkward than normal. Rita was relaxed though as she had no care in the world about what they thought. She served herself with small portions of food, digging in without waiting for their approval.
"So, Rita how are you preparing for the dinner party this weekend", Magdalene said.
"I'm just going to attend, that's all", Rita said, vaguely.
"Of course you will. After all, you're in my house", Edmundo said.
"You fail to realize I'll be leaving soon. In fact, I'll be leaving immediately after the dinner party this weekend", she said, giving him a sickly smile.
The expression on his face was priceless. It seemed as if he had swallowed something so vile that left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Thankfully, he remained quiet as Rita returned to her food. The dining room was silent once more and one could actually hear if a pin dropped.
"I hate to poke nose but your father informed me that your chaffeur is missing", Senator Brabra said.
At the mention of this, Rita stilled. She wasn't prepared for this, she stared at her food not quite knowing how to answer the question. The issue with Rodrigo was a soft spot for her and it seemed that Brabra's knew quite well how to use it against her.
"Yes, he's been misting for a few weeks now", Rita said, finally.
"Such a pity, I hope he's found. But if not.... Well, too bad", Edmundo mocked.
Rita stared at him, her hands itching to throw the plate of food on his face. Sometimes, she wondered if he even had a brain for thinking talk more of reasoning. Everything he spat out of his vile mouth was useless like the piece of shit he was.
"And I really hope you wouldn't be imprisoned for murder one day", Rita fired back.
From the look on his face, Rita knew she had hit him at the place where he didn't expect. He choked on his food, drinking gulps of water in quick succession. His parents eyes widened as they tried to make out what was happening.
When Edmundo had settled down, Rita smiled sweetly. She could see the questions burning in his parent's eyes. Rita had come to learn one thing especially ftom Senator Brabra, if there was one thing he detested, it was murder. The intentional killing of somebody. He hated it with a passion and now his son was about to commit one.
"Rita... What do you mean, murder?",he asked.
He pushed his food away apparently loosing his appetite. Magdalene had a lost look in her eyes as she didn't know what to do.
"Well... Your-"
"Pay no attention to Rita, she says things she doesn't know about", Edmundo said, cutting her off.
"Well, I hope so. We can't have something as scandalous associated with this family", he said.
"Oh, you have no idea on what you're up against. To be honest, I really hope your son doesn't put this family in trouble one day", Rita said.
Magdalene looked as if she had swallowed a big Apple that got stick in her throat. Her eyes darted about, looking for what's not lost. Rita took satisfaction in knowing she had shaken this family and they didn't know the right direction to follow.
"I'm sure my son knows that", Magdalene chuckled nervously.
"I sure hope he does", Rita said, sipping her wine.
Edmundo remained quiet, giving her a death glare. If looks could kill, Rita would have been six feet under. She stared at him bravely, openly challenging him. Gone were the days when she was scared of him, when she was scared of knowing what he'll do if he finds out she had wronged him somehow. Now, she was bold, bolder than before and she knew she could talk to him back anyhow she liked.
He didn't own her and he had no right to lord over her and to hell with whatever he thought about her.
The rest of the food was eaten in silence and Rita was grateful for this. She couldn't stand their insistent chatter.
"We'll have the bakers here tomorrow evening. They've brought some samples we can choose from for the dinner party on Saturday. Rita, would you like to have a look?", Magdalene asked.
She didn't know if it was an honest offer. Magdalene had the gift of false pretense and she never failed to use it on unsuspecting victims.
"Oh, I would love to but I can't. I'm going out very early that morning to see some clients", she said, politely.
There was no use talking rudely to them since she would soon be leaving their house. She was just bidding her time, counting down to the day she would finally leave.
"Where are you going?", Edmundo asked, rudely.
"Are you hard of hearing or something? Didn't you hear what I just said", Rita said.
Thankfully, he remained quiet, giving her a hateful look. It was now confirmed that she hated him with passion and there was no way she would go back on that.
"Well, as long as you'll be attending the dinner party I have no problems with that", Senator Brabra smiled.
"Yes", Magdalene intoned.
Rita didn't understand why they were suddenly being nice to her but she was not a fool. She knew that beneath that niceness was a heart full of wickedness.
After all, this family was one of the most powerful and most feared family. It wouldn't do her good to lower her guard.
They might act nice but Rita sure as hell wouldn't do that.