----------------------Medellin, Colombia.
-----------------------------Present day, 11:15am, Martinez's Villa.
All I want to do right now is to take a shower, get myself comfy in my pyjamas and cuddle myself in my queen sized bed and hopefully fall asleep.
We successfully got the Korean lady on the train to Cartagena. I made sure I lectured her on not trying to contact anyone and she understood. Things were easy. I explained why I did everything I did to Tyler.
I just hoped he wasn't going do something stupid to ruin my plans.
I really couldn't wait for all this to be over. I missed my camera and the beautiful nature, to think I got a new photography job and here I was, shooting people.
What a waste!
The hot water trickled down my body from the shower as I scrubbed the sweat out of my body. I didn't want to get out of it but I just had to.
Getting dressed after drying my hair and gelling my skin, I throw myself on the queen sized bed and let the sheets swallow me.
" arrgh" way to ruin the trip to my beauty sleep. I jumped up from my bed and went to see who gently knocked on my door. " Perdón por molestarla, señora, pero Don Alejo quiere que coma con él ahora en el comedor. (Sorry for disturbing you madam but Don Alejo wants you to dine with him now in the dining room)" The maid reported after I opened the door so I could see her.
" Ah, vale. Puede decirle que no tengo hambre y que cuando tenga hambre bajaré y comeré algo? (Oh okay. Can you please tell him that I am not hungry and that when I'm hungry I'll come down and get something to eat?)"
" Si señora (Yes madam)" she wasn't even smiling at me. Her face was expressionless. She was like a talking robot but without the robot voice. It looked like she had high cheek bones, she was pretty and young. "Gracias(Thank you)" I closed the door and made sure I locked it then threw myself on the bed for it to swallow me and it did.
-------------------1:00pm.
After making my Zuhr salah, I left my room to go get some food to eat in the massive kitchen of the villa. The maids were all around and all they did was watch me prepare some quesadillas. Trying to offer me some help but nah. They weren't the maids I grew up with.
Serving myself some guacamole with my quesadilla, I walked back with my room with the plate in my hand, a bag of potatoe chips and a bottle of water.
My phone and gadgets weren't with me, for safety reasons I left them in LA but I hid a cell phone in my things so I could use it to contact Sir Khalid when I needed their help.
I heard a soft knock on my door again, I was done with my food. I opened it up and it revealed the expressionless maid. " como puedo ayudarte ahora? (how can I help you now?)"
" Don Alejo quiere verte ahora en el jardín de abajo (Don Alejo wants to see you in the garden downstairs now) " Another mission perhaps. "Bien(Alright)" I answered and closed my door.
I wore my flats and fixed my scarf as I took in my look in the full length mirror, black jeans and a baggy long white shirt that stopped right above my knees.
Walking down the wooden stairs, memories from when I was still a little girl came flashing back into my head.
Pa Alejo never allowed I and Tyler to play inside the main house. So we either played together in their quarters because Ty's father was rarely around because he was handling some businesses for Pa Alejo because he was his right hand man and his mother was late, she died when giving birth to him.
He was a pretty lonely child until I came into his life. Sad.
We went to school together and did almost everything together.
He was my best friend but now, he has probably turned into something else that I can't describe.
" Alex" Pa Alejo called with a big irritating smile and spread his arms wide open as he got up from where he sat beside some other person. He was crazy to think I was going to run into his arms like I used to.
His guards surrounded the whole rose garden and there was another feminine figure with a mask over her face seated on one of the chairs in the garden with crossed legs and open thighs and she was sipping her coffee with a straw. " ¿Entonces eres demasiado grande para abrazar a papá con un gran oso de peluche? Eso es muy triste, lo extraño sinceramente (So you're too big to give papa a big teddy bear hug now?. That's so sad, I miss that honestly)" He had a cunning smile on his face as he moved closer to me and tried to kiss my forehead but I swiftly moved away.
" Te has vuelto más terco de lo habitual, pero está bien. Lo arreglaremos pronto (You've grown more stubborn than usual but fine whatever. We'll fix that soon)" He returned back to his seat beside the lady and rose his cup of coffee to his lips.
" Alex, esta es Ji Hae Soo, es un pariente nuestro. Te acuerdas de Carlos y su madre? (Alex this is Ji Hae Soo, she's a relative of ours. You remember Carlos and his mother right?)" I nodded and he continued talking.
" Esta es la mujer que cuidó de tu primo. Ella está teniendo algunos problemas, así que se quedará aquí con nosotros por ahora. (This is the woman who took care of your cousin. She's having some trouble so she's going to stay here with us for now)" He added as he looked at me intently.
" Why're you wearing a mask?" I was curious honestly. The black mask that was on her face only covered the left half of her face. From her eyes down to her small chin. Covered.
" Ella tuvo un accidente (She had an accident)" Pa Alejo answered and got up from where he sat. The woman followed him up and stood beside him in a clingy manner.
She was weak.
This was the right opportunity to take her down, both of them.
" Ven con nosotros Alex, hay un lugar que quiero que veamos. Me gustaría saber lo que piensas al respecto (Come with us Alex, there's a place I want us to check out. I'll like to hear what you think about it)" Pa Alejo said as he and miss Hae Soo walked towards the main house again. I followed behind them as they chatted between themselves.
" Te acuerdas de tu guitarra Alex?(Do you remember your guitar Alex?)" Pa Alejo brought up as we walked down the stairs to the vast basement of the house. I was honestly getting suspicious. There was nothing in the basement as far as I am aware.
Only the usual old junk that's meant to be in a basement.
" Si (Yeah)" I answered in a plain manner as I slowed my pace behind them. " Todavía está aquí, les pediré que lo limpien para que puedas jugar para nosotros nuevamente (It's still here, I'll ask them to clean it up for you so you can play for us again)" I used to play the guitar and write songs.
That's in the past now.
He turned on the lights in the basement and of course I was right.
It was still the same old junk.
I stopped right below the stairs and watched them walk further towards a wooden chair that was right in the middle of the room. The clicking of miss Hae Soo's heels and Alejo's footsteps were the only things that could be heard down here.
" Why did you stop following us?, come here, we just want to show you something" I heard the Korean lady say as she stopped in her heels and turned to look at me. " She understands what's going on, don't act like she doesn't" Tyler.
Shit.
" Don't even think about it" I heard Tyler say and crack his gun from the top of the basement stairs as I was about to run. He definitely ratted me out.
He was my best friend and I knew he had a good side but his obsession to take over Pa Alejo's position when he dies is always going to overtake the good in him.
I shouldn't have let that escape my mind.
" Alex no haga esto difícil para todos nosotros aquí. Solo danos la dirección a la que la enviaste y todo estará bien(Alex don't make this hard for all of us here. Just give us the address you sent her to and all will be fine)" Pa Alejo gritted his teeth and walked back to me. Tyler was coming down the basement stairs as he pointed his gun at me. " No se de que estas hablando (I don't know what you're talking about)"
I was surrounded. "Don't panic Zarah, you can still find a way out" I said to myself as I stood still in my stance as Tyler got down from the stairs and pointed his gun to the back of my head.
" walk further" He instructed and I obeyed his instruction with his gun still at the back of my head. They weren't going to kill me until I told them where she was. The only thing they know is that she's in Cartagena. I wasn't going to say anything.
" Sabes que te di la oportunidad de ganar mi confianza nuevamente, pero sinceramente esperaba esto (You know I gave you a chance to earn my trust again but I honestly expected this)" Pa Alejo said as Tyler made me sit on the wooden chair that was at the centre of the basement.
" Tuviste una oportunidad para finalmente probarte de nuevo y convertirte en la reina de mi imperio. Te entrené día y noche para que pudieras reemplazarme. Te llevé desde las calles y te traté como a mi propia hija (You had one chance to finally prove yourself again and become the queen of my empire. I trained you day and night so you could take over from me. I took you in from the streets and treated you like my own daughter)" He added as Miss Hae Soo tied me up with naked wires to the chair.
" sabes cuanto te amo? (do you know how much I love you?)" He yelled at me and all I could do was stare into his eyes intently. " Nunca pedí tu amor (I never asked for your love)" I answered in a low tone.
" Nunca pedí nada de esto y dejé de llamarme tu hija. No me posees y nunca me poseerás. No soy tu hija Alejandro Martínez, nunca fui tu hija y nunca seré tu hija (I never asked for any of this and stop calling me your daughter. You don't own me and you will never own me. I am not your daughter Alejandro Martinez, I was never your daughter and I will never be your daughter)" I snapped with my voice raised as Miss Hae Soo tightened the wires around my wrists. " Eso es lo que piensas eh? (That's what you think huh?)"
" Ese es el hecho. Nunca consideraré a un hombre que solo piensa en sí mismo, en la fama, el dinero y el poder como mi padre. Eres asqueroso Alejandro Martinez. Sabes cuántas vidas has arruinado? Cuantas familias? Cuántos niños inocentes? Duermes con la conciencia tranquil y eso es para Mostar lo malady que eres. Nunca te he Amado Alejandro y nunca te amaré (That's the fact. I will never consider a man who only thinks of himself, fame, money and power as my father. You are disgusting Alejandro Martinez. Do you know how many lives you've ruined?. How many families?. How many innocent children?.
You sleep with a clear conscience and that's to show how evil you are. I have never loved you Alejandro and I will never love you)" I raged and all I heard next were loud gunshots aimed at the junk that was around us. I was letting all my feelings out and I didn't care if he ran crazy or not.
" I was young and you made me hurt people. You made me hurt families. You took advantage of me and used me. I was scared of you and what you could do to me if I went to the police after I left this crack house but not anymore. I am not afraid anymore. You can kill me if you want to, I don't care anymore" I cared.
A lot.
I still had my life to live and I had Najmah to save. But if Allah wants me to return to him now, who am I to oblige?.
" After everything I have done for you.." He was crying.
I knew he loved me but he didn't deserve to be loved by anybody.
Not a single living soul. " You did nothing good for me Alejandro" I spat out and watched him dry his eyes.
" Al menos vas a morir por mis manos. Es por eso que inicialmente quería que volvieras aquí. Eres un riesgo de seguridad (At least you're going to die by my hands. That's why I initially wanted you back here. You're a security risk)" He said with a shaky voice as he took out a remote control from his pocket.
" Así es como dices que me amas. Haciéndome sufrir y matándome con tus propias manos? Es eso lo que llamas amor? Torturarme y usarme no es amor, es abuso. Abuso a plena luz del día (So that's how you claim to love me. By making me suffer and killing me with your own hands?. Is that what you call love?. Torturing me and using me isn't love, it's abuse. Abuse in broad daylight)" I spat out again and I instantly felt high electric currents overtake my whole body. My whole body was ablaze.
I was burning up inside. My muscles were contracting.
It hurt so much.
I tried to catch my breath as I felt the blaze stop and there it was again. My entire system was aflame again.
I couldn't move or try to save myself. Everything kept on dimming in and the darkness was absorbing me.
And I let it.
Nothing could save me now.
Tyler
The guilt I was feeling was choking me slowly. I couldn't watch him torture her any longer. To think this was all my fault.
Why did I have to speak up?
Why did I have to pledge my allegiance to that bastard.
Now my best friend was dying in there and there was nothing I could do about it.
I rushed out of the basement to take in some fresh air outside and rethink my actions. Alex's words kept on ringing in my head over and over and over again.
All I wanted was to make my father proud so he could take a good look at me and finally call me his son. I have never heard him call me "son" right from the day I came into this world and lost my mother. I couldn't get to see her smile gorgeously at me. I never got to feel a mother's attention and love and I promised myself to make my father proud so he could finally look me in the eye and tell me how much he loved me, I wanted to take over the Martinez Cartel so my father would be proud to call me his son,but deep down I knew I was only dreaming. He hated me with all his guts.
I knew killing and hurting people was wrong but I felt if I continued like that, it was going to make my father notice me someday. He has never even for once looked me in the eye to ask about my well being and all my life, I have been trying to please him, and all he did in return was to make me feel guilty for my mother's death. That's why he's never around.
Is it so wrong to seek attention from one's parent?.
Alex is the only person that has shown me genuine love in my entire life and here I was, stabbing her in the back and throwing it all away.
She doesn't deserve that at all.
I have never for once tried to do anything that was going to make me happy and pleased with myself, I only followed orders and I let myself be abused. I was a victim just like Alex was.
That was going to change now.