Chapter 49: The Queen
Finale II
(This chapter will be dealing with rape, murder and other violent and traumatizing subjects. Please proceed with caution.)
"Nice to see you again, Renza."
Renza was shocked for a few seconds before a sinister smile spread on her lips. "Christina. It's been so long! How has it been being in the bottom?" She asked sarcastically.
My mother frowned sarcastically. "Dunno, it's tiring. Maybe I ought to rise again."
Renza laughed. "That's absurd, when you're down there, you stay there." She said as her expression slowly morphed into a scowl. "Now, I suggest that you leave now before I kill your son and your niece."
"Like what you did with Tristan." My mother said angrily but from all the years of knowing her, I know she's hiding some kind of painful memory and I needed to find out who this Tristan was.
"Who's Tristan?" I asked, looking back and forth at them.
My mother looked at me, tears glistening her eyes then back at Renza. "This bitch killed your infant brother."
I wasn't able to process it properly but I apparently had an infant brother and I'm only knowing this now.
"WHAT? An infant brother?!" I shouted incredulously, still trying to make sense of the information and then it dawned on me.
My mother must've have felt miserable with this infant brother of mine. Sleepless nights of turning and tossing and a bubble of rage and sorrow popped in me.
I felt a hand squeeze my shoulder, Hunter had touched me and I rubbed his hands in a way of showing gratitude.
"Yes, hun. This monster killed your brother!" My mother said, wiping roughly at her eye before putting on a brave face.
"So what if I'd burned down the hospital you were keeping your baby in? Do you have any proof of it? Huh? I am a Sterling, I get everything I want and I can shut down every case you file against me!" She said like she was proud of it.
"You're sick." I said with a hard voice but Renza could only laugh.
She lowered the gun and shoved Mal towards us which she came stumbling into my friends but all I could focus on was Renza.
"Since you're here too, Theodore. I have an announcement!" She said, clapping her hands in the air. "I tried so many times to kill that dumb old lady that you seem to call your grandmother but she was so persistent on living and so I settled on you, Christina. I had to work hard to climb the ranks of the greatest companies in America and when I succeeded. I announced to the whole world that this woman was a criminal along with her family. No one employed her or anyone in her family, they tricked them into doing labor and not getting paid and whenever they tried to file a case, I step in and shut it down. I even sent men to rape her! You were so poor and sad when that crazy Francisco lad waltzed in into Christina's life and so I made their life a living hell!"
It was so sick, I wanted to puke. My mother never told me any of this and it's so sad to think a person could do this to anyone, to anything! She deserved to rot in prison, no, rot in hell.
My mother stood her ground, not even moving nor flinching nor crying.
Renza tilted her head to the side. "And then I heard she was pregnant. I tried to send her many gifts and treats."
"That you poisoned." My mother corrected.
"Perceptive! I didn't succeed and so I had to do something. I burned that hospital down while Christina was occupied with my party, she was so happy and having fun and then she met that Nelson guy who fell in love with her quickly but the Francisco guy was still in love with her too! What a whore, that her son seemed to have inherited."
"What the hell did--"
"Oh, but no matter! Francisco also died in that hospital since he attempted to save Tristan's life but they were both weak." She said before laughing maniacally.
I wanted to burst with rage, I wanted to beat the hell out of Renza for everything she'd done to my family, to my mother. The fact that she was proud of it enrages me, I wanted her to suffer.
My mother was on the verge of crying now but she didn't give in, she stood strong and gripped the gun in her hands tightly.
"Ma..." I called out, she looked at me for a split second but then looked away.
Then all of a sudden, she wiped her eyes and smiled and then raised her other hand that she have been keeping hidden to reveal a phone.
"You are going to rot in prison, you pathetic monster." My mother hissed out.
The look on Renza's face was priceless. "NO! NO, NO, NO." She clutched her gun only for it fall out of her hands.
Before she could pick it up, I shoved her away and picked up the gun myself just when Rhea arrived.
"How dare you push my mother that--" She stopped when I pointed the gun at her.
"Shut the fuck up you criminal. You're a pathetic, traitorous piece of garbage. Actually, you're no better than garbage, it actually has uses unlike you two." I said with suppressed anger.
The two of them were stunned into silence, neither of them planning to speak just as the sound of sirens filled the air.
"Rot in prison." My mother said, a determined glare on her face as she finally lowered her gun.
Police filled the garden as they surrounded Renza and Rhea who both has not moved an inch.
I stepped away and leaned on a wall, breathing heavily. You can't expect me to be a summer breeze right after every shit that just went down.
My friends ran to me, looking sickly worried and tired. I didn't bother to even look at them, I just kept my head low and prevented my tears from falling.
"Theo..." I heard Hunter call out.
I gave in and looked at them, their faces covered with concern and pity. "I'm so sorry, you guys." I said.
"This must be so hard for you." Cielo said.
I shook my head as my lips wobbled. "Understatement."
"C'mere." Hunter gestured for me to come closer and I just collapsed helplessly against him as I started to sob uncontrollably. "Shh, I'm here. You're safe now." Hunter whispered against my hair.
I pulled away and looked at them, smiling as best as I can manage. "I... I can't believe those things just happened. I..."
I felt a strong throbbing in my head and I rubbed my temples to ease it but to no avail. And then, another pain erupted throughout my body. All of it was just too much, and so darkness enveloped me.
...
I woke up in a bright room. The nauseating smell of hospital and medicine filling my nose as I looked around the empty room.
There were fruits, a lot of fruits and also a lot of gummies and a bouquet of violets and blues on the table.
I smiled to myself and let my head sink back into the soft pillow. Just as I did that, the door opened up where my friends entered. They haven't noticed that I was awake and so I closed my eyes, faking sleep.
"...but hopefully he likes it." I heard Hunter finish a sentence and I wanted to know what he was talking about!
"Why are you so nervous about this anyway? He will love it, I promise." I heard Mal say and then a cough. Creaks of chairs filled the room and I barely managed to control the fluttering of my lids and my breathing.
A sigh sounded from beside me. "How is he not awake yet?" Hunter said and then a hand gripped mine, they were warm and big compared to mine and I squeezed it. "T-Theo?"
I opened my eyes and smiled at him and only did I realize that he was about to cry. "Hi..." I greeted.
"Oh my god, Theo." He said before engulfing me with a big hug. When he pulled back, he showered me with kisses. "You worried us!"
I slowly sat up and stretched my arms up and my friends stared at me in amazement.
I gave them a look. "What?"
Cielo pointed at my stomach and I lifted the fabric to see it bandaged vertically, like, a really long bandaged area.
"Whoa. What is that and what happened?" I asked as I stared at it in horror.
"You didn't forget about the night of the election, right?" Masha asked.
I shook my head with a look. "How could I, that night was rough."
"Yeah, you've been unconscious... for two days." Cielo informed.
My mouth formed an 'o'. "What happened?"
"Theo, you had, like, six deep wounds and one of them was on your side. You were also hit with some kind of wooden bat multiple times, you also hit your head on a wall when you fainted." Athena narrated and all I could do was stare.
Should I be worried that I might have permanent damage, relieved that it was all over or impressed that I went through all of that without dying?
"I'm so sorry, Theo. I couldn't do anything to protect you, I keep disappointing you." Hunter said and to my surprise, he knelt on the ground. "God. You went through all of that and all of us barely had a bruise."
I shook my head and took his hand, raising it to my lips. "This was all my fault anyway and you were all just dragged into it."
"No, no. Theo. We chose to be with you and we apologized we couldn't have done everything." Masha said as she rubbed my shoulder.
My smile was soon replaced by a thunderous glare. "The only thing I want to see is Rhea and Renza Sterling in prison."
"Don't worry. They're pretty cozy there." Cielo said which made us laugh.
We fell into silence as I rested back on the pillow when Hunter noticeably took something out of his pocket. He helped me stand up and when I managed to stay up on my feet, he suddenly knelt on the floor.
I almost screamed in fright when he started to speak. "Theo. Let me say these words to you. When I first saw you in 8th grade, I immediately couldn't get you out of my mind and I don't think I'd love any other person as much as I love you."
He then took out a velvet blue box and I gasped. He opened it and inside sat a ring with a huge sapphire and smaller diamonds around it and around the band.
"I swear to the fucking-- Hunter Fierro. Are you doing what I think you're doing?!"
He chuckled before taking my hand and pressing a gentle kiss to it. "Will you go to prom with me?" He asked.
A grin formed on my lips, I wanted to jump up and down but, ya know, I have a million cuts. "Hell yes!"
Our friends cheered as he stood up and pressed an urgent and longing kiss to my lips. He wrapped his strong arms around my waist and lifted me off the ground, spinning me around.
He immediately put me down when he realized I had a million wounds and bruises. "Don't worry, the real proposal will be next." He said with a cheeky grin.
I pinched his cheeks playfully then pulled him in for a deep kiss, his hands snaking around my waist as he pulled me closer to him. My hands buried itself in his soft hair as I pulled back for air. He then pulled me in for another long, passionate kiss which lasted longer than the last. He smiled against my lips and gently squeezed my love handle.
Someone cleared their throat behind us and we turned.
"We're still here if you're forgetting. Now, we have a family dinner to go to, Theo. You need to rest. We cannot miss it." Mal reminded.
I felt my cheeks heat up but Hunter just smiled confidently. I laid back down on the bed, that whole afternoon, we just talked and bonded.