||Valeria||
…cont’d!
EIGHT MONTHS AGO!
“WHAT?” I yell into the phone.
“Your parents are laundering money Valeria.” Chantel sighs on the other end of the phone. My too good for their shoes parents are laundering money on top of all the shit I just heard from my aunt. How could they?
“Please tell me you’re joking?” I ask hopefully.
“Unfortunately I can’t sweetheart.” She says. She keeps quiet for a while before she speaks again. “Thought you should know.” And with that she ends the call without even saying goodbye.
What the hell is going on? Why did she just do that? But I don’t put a lot of thinking on that because the two people I want to speak to just arrived home. I immediately shoot up from my sit and leave my room, running downstairs.
“Oh, just the people I want to see.” I say with fake enthusiasm. My father groans and throw his coat over the couch. I can see he’s tense and stressed. Mom as well. They both look as if they’ve been defeated by the grim ogre himself considering the dour expressions together with the overly strained bodies they’re carrying. I know something is wrong. They’re not their usual selves, but even knowing that, fueled by the hatred I’ve for them, I disregard everything and being a bitch spoilt bratty daughter I always am.
“Not now Valeria.” My father says in stern heavy voice I never heard him speak in. It sends chills down my body, making me swagger in my boots. I brush off the skip of my heart and match his stark glaze.
“No. You won’t—“
“Valeria.” It’s my mother who spoke this time around. Her whole demeanor comes off crudely austere.
My father stands up, moving his legs in the direction of his study, running his hand through his hair insistently. My mother follows her husband. Like she always does. They’re a team these two. Not only in marriage but in business and life general. He’s the CEO and she’s the CFO of Jaarson Enterprises.
“Hello, and where do you think you two are following each other like lost puppy dogs? Aren’t you even ashame after—“
“VALERIA!” My father’s voice booms through the living area. “I’m sick and tired of you treating us like we’re your play things. I’m sick and tired of—“
“No. No. You don’t get to tell me shit.” I cut in. “Not after everything I just heard. Are you not even ashame of yourselves? Feeding yourselves from others people’s misery. I can’t believe you could be so heartless. Do you only think about yourselves? Is it?”
“What the hell are you talking about?” My mother’s voice comes out cold.
“I’m talking about the shit you two do.” I look at them in disappointment. “God, you two are evil. No wonder I never loved you. No wonder I’ve only felt nothing but pure hatred whenever I see you. I regret being your daughter. I wish I was born in a much better family with less diabolical parents.”
I realize my father stopped walking. He’s standing with his back faced to me. My mom is looking at me with gleaming tears in her eyes.
“You don’t mean that?” She whispers in a broken voice.
“Oh, darling I do and I would spell it out for you if you want me to.” I snort. My father presses his eyes shut at this.
“What did we do this time Valeria?” His voice breaks out. “Hmm? What is it? Did we do something to your precious pet or didn’t we give you enough money for your weekly shopping’s? What the fuck do you want from us? What do we have to do to prove to you that you’re important to us? How much longer do we have to carry on with this? Can’t you see that no matter how shitty you treat us that we still humble ourselves at your god damn feet’s? What kind of an ungrateful kid are you that doesn’t… You know what? From now on, you’re on your own. I hope you find the better parents you so desperately need. Come on Daisy, let’s go.” My father takes my mom’s hand firmly in his and stalk toward the door. He pulls it open when he reaches it.
He looks back before he leaves the house with finality. My mom’s standing next to him wordlessly, only with tears streaming down her face in a frantic. “I hope you fulfil all your hearts desires sweetheart. No matter what, I’ll always love you. We will always love. But… I think we’ve had it enough with your hatred for us. Whatever we do is not good enough for you. In your eyes we’re always bad, evil and diabolical. What other people tell you is more true to what we’ve to say. We’re just liars and manipulators. In your eyes we kill, we do monstrous things to do what we do, but if you just knew how gravely mistaken you’re. We’re not all things you think we’re. We never were from the start. The house is yours. You’ll not see our faces ever again.” And with that they close the door behind them, leaving me shivering as newfound tears I don’t know form where wreck my body.
Oh, God. What have I done?
My phone immediately vibrates in my pockets. I pull it out and answer it.
It’s Chantel.
“Oh, my Valeria.” Chantel’s voice comes out panicky. “What’ve you done?” What?
“What are you talking about?” I ask her, sniffling.
“Are you crying? Why are you crying Valeria?” She questions.
“No. I’m fine. What—”
“Please. Don’t do it Valeria. I beg of you.” She pleads.
“Do what?” I asks with an emotionally strained voice, ignoring the pain that’s plunging my heart in half. My parents. Oh, my god my parents.
“I know how much you hate your parents but killing them—“
“Killing?” My voice cracks. “What the hell are you talking about? Who told you these? How do you even know that that person is telling the truth? How—“
“Because I know you.” She cuts me of yet again. “I know what you’re capable of when you put your heart to something. They’re your parents Valeria for god sakes.” Her voice breaks at the other end.
My heart is breaking, thumping it its ravenous state. What the hell is happening? Why does it seem like my world is falling apart in my face? Why does it feel like I’m losing my balance slowly, succumbing to eternal instability? Why do I feel like I’m losing a part of me? Why do I feel like I’m losing sense of everything around me? Because right now nothing’s making sense to me. Why would I want my parents dead? No matter how much I hate them, they’re still my parents. Why would anyone think I would want something like that? Chantel of them all? She should believe me and not that… whoever it is.
“Who told you?” I ask her slowly.
“That doesn’t matter. What matters—“
“Who told you?” I repeat the question hissing it out slower than before. She takes a sharp gulp before she answers.
“You aunt.” She replies. My aunt?
The words she said when she called flash through my mind.
“Your parents are not good people Valeria.” My Aunt Sarita cries. “They’ll not end at nothing. They’ll keep killing and do whatever it is to get what they want. I don’t have anywhere to go. Those people that they’re mercilessly trying to vacate don’t have anywhere to go. Imagine Valeria, they threatened to kill us and our love ones if we don’t move. And the worse of it all they’ll use the land to build something that’ll leave people homeless and jobless. At some stake even their lives. I’m just afraid. I’m…” Her voice gets lost in her cries.
“It’s okay Aunt Sarita.” I tell her. “I’ll deal with it.” I end the call.
Then my father’s words replay again.
“Whatever we do is not good enough for you. In your eyes we’re always bad, evil and diabolical. What other people tell you is more true to what we’ve to say. We’re just liars and manipulators. In your eyes we kill, we do monstrous things to do what we do, but if you just knew how gravely mistaken you’re. We’re not all things you think we’re. We never were from the start.”
A fractured sob escapes my being, breaking me down. What have I done? My parents were never anything I believe they were. My father was telling the truth. Just because I hated them for god knows what, I always assumed the worse. I always put my hatred before all else. The only thing I wanted was to let them know just how deep my hatred went. I never really considered how I was affecting them. And now… now…
“Oh my god...” I muffle the cry that breaks free as the realization sets in.
My aunt is planning on killing my parents and pinning their deaths on me. And I just played effortlessly into her ploy. She knew I hate my parents and she used that weakness against me.
“OH MY GOD MY PARENTS.” I scream loudly letting the pain and the tears busting my soul in abysmal charring darkness take hold.
✴️✴️✴️
A/N: New update. Two chapters and I know they're short but didn't want to go into too much detail with what occurred that day to maintain the mystery. I hope it answered some of the questions.
NB: For those ones that think the flashback is unnecessary, think twice because everything that happens from now on will be fueled by what happened on that day eight months ago.
Please don't forget to VOTE, comment and share. Would mean the world to me.
Until next time.
-Stephen