Three years later(somewhere in Mexico)
"Ema." Someone called from inside a thatched cottage.
The sun was hot making the fire the woman was tending to burn faster.
"Ema! Come help me." The woman dressed in a white shirt stained with Ash and coal.
Her hair a mess of black and grey. Sweat making them stick to her forehead.
She coughed a little and reached out to her fan which she kept close to keep the embers of wood burning.
"Coming Mom." A voice rang from outside, soft yet loud like a clarinet.
A young girl in her early twenties rushed to the old woman who called for her.
"Mom, I don't want to cook. The farm is much fun."
"Yes. Digging and getting all those nails dirty is fun. It would have been better if you came as a boy." Her mother mocked.
"Help me with the melon seeds. Your Dad will be back from the city soon and you know how hunger he'll be."
"I know Mom." The young lady shrugged, pouting her peach-colored lips to her mom before getting the melon seeds that needed attention.
Night came in quickly, replacing the hot weather with a cool one. One that made a local family dine outside in the open staring at the sky and admiring the work their creator had done.
"Dad, you promised to take me to the city for one of your business trips these days. I need a little adventure in my life." The raven-haired girl whined.
"Eat your food, Ema Contreras!" Her mother chastised.
"Leave the poor girl Esposa. Our village is so boring. Let a girl fantasize."
"Let her fantasize about getting married. Fidel came to see her today. Poor guy. He brought flowers, vanilla. She just treated him like garbage before pushing him out."
"I don't think she's ready yet then." Ema"s father still supported making his wife more agitated.
"Support her all day till she marries that man in her dreams."
Email blushed remembering the rompy daydream she had with that man that kept coming to her dreams to haunt her body. His wheat hair she buried her nails in when he took her right on the bed...in her sleep of course. His muscular body, her eyes ached to savor. His...
"She's thinking about him again. Ema, In case no one has told you, sleeping with someone in your dreams is very very bad and as a Christian, it has its spiritual implications.
"Mom! Sex? Please" Ema groaned.
"Explain the moaning every night? Whatever he does to you in your sleep. It better not be real."
"You should happy that it isn't those horrific nightmares I get."
The dinner got tense. Her mother choking on the food in her throat. Her eyes were bloodshot from coughing out the food.
"Ema? Don't mention that to your mother! You know how tense she can get." Her father warned, his eyes stern.
Ema returned to face her food, keeping quiet and remembering to detail what her nightmare was about.
Falling down a cliff.
***
Men in white attended to a patient.
The man was placed on a drip and kept muttering yet remained unheard.
machines beeped with each heavy breath he took.
"How are his vitals?" Miranda asked.
"Fine." One of the men dressed in white gown answered.
"This all my fault," Miranda swore. "I mentioned that unfortunate incident to him."
"About that," The doctor who was talking to her earlier walked her outside.
"Your son is still very disoriented. I don't think you should be mentioning something like that to him."
The doctor's words enraged her.
"Nathan acts like a child always screaming for Adriana. I want him back!" She yelled.
The doctor remained professional,
"He will remember who he is and get to his senses soon. Just try to make him live as he did before."
"My son—when he was in his right senses didn't have a regular Lifestyle. The only thing he knew was work and he can't do that now. He acts like a freaking three-year-old."
Saying that, Miranda broke sob, cursing herself and those who caused Nathan his condition.
"How is he?" Someone asked from behind her.
"Rodriguez." Miranda breathe a sigh of relief seeing her helper. The only one who came to her rescue.
"He's sleeping now. The doctors say his vitals are normal now but still. I'm worried Rodriguez. What if he never remembers anything?"
"He will," Rodriguez assured, wiping away a tear running g from Miranda's thin face.
"What would I do without you?"
"So what made him go hysterical?" Rodriguez asked.
"He heard me mention Adriana."
"That reminds me. Mrs. Romero left flowers for you."
The mention of that vile name made Miranda's intestine knot.
"Rodriguez, I appreciate what you've been doing for the company and us but never mention that name again." Miranda spat, seething.
"I'm so sorry Miranda. I just want you to extend a hand of friendship to her. She also lost a lot after the incident."
"I don't care Rodriguez. Her family only got what waa deserving of them. That was the only reason she survived and worse they wanted my son dead."
"I don't think we should just anyone. We are no better."
Miranda nodded still occupied in her thoughts.
"I just want to move on. I hope she does too."
"How's the company going?" Miranda asked, changing the conversation to something light.
"Fine. It's going well but not as well. without Nathan on board." Rodriguez answered.
"Thank you, Rodriguez. Nathan made the right choice making you Co-CEO."
"I have to go now. The doctor needs me."
Miranda left turning to another side of the room.
Rodriguez walked into Nathan's ward.
Checking the machines keeping him alive. If the security cameras were absent. He would have strangled him to death.
He didn't even know why the bastard survive. Nathan didn't know his betrayal sure but Rodriguez feared something else. If Nathan was alive, was Adriana alive. He remembered what transpired three years ago at the creek.
Three years ago(The creek)
Adriana stared at Rodriguez in horror when his gun exploded in her father's head.
She could not comprehend what was going on. All she could see was his madness.
"It was you all along." Her father managed to voice falling to the floor almost immediately.
"Yes. It was all me."
All this time, he was the one.
The shooter came to Rodriguez.
"Are they all dead?"
"She's still alive." He said pointing to Adriana whose eyes opened to convey how shocked she was.
"Please Don't kill me." Adriana beefed, her body vibrating.
"There's no time to do that. Hear that? That's the police. I'll just let nature do the job."
It all happened in seconds. Rodriguez grabs her and with every force, he could muster toss her over the cliff.
Her scream followed and a loud bang.
***
Rodriguez sighed, remembering how he had grabbed the opportunity that came by him.
He knew the saying opportunity comes but once too much and he had grabbed the opportunity with it's poking horns.
Who would have thought he would rule an empire, a dynasty.
He had the life every envied now and who would ever want to leave this kind of life.
"Nathan, you'll never get well and i—'ll make sure of that."
"Let make a bet. Shall we?" The psycho that was left to a helpless being said.