~Not All That Glitters is Gold~
"Damn it, Andrès!" Emilia yelled at her husband in a fury.
"What is this, Emilia? What are you getting so worked up about?" Andrès inquired, his voice tinged with confusion.
"Are you actually slow? Or are you just pretending to be slow? She spat, with no remorse.
"I am neither, but I need you to explain what this is about." Andrès requested.
"Oh, Sweet Lord..." Emilia became frustrated and rubbed her tempo.
"My friends always go shopping for nice things and take vacations with their husbands." Here I am, being mocked at every chance they get for being so broke and sticking to your sorry ass." She nagged.
Andrès understood why she was fighting after hearing what she said, but he still did not get her point. She seemed to be trying to insinuate something, but she had not quite nailed it.
Her nagging eventually became an echo in the room, but he still needed her to relax and understand him.
He needed her to understand that not everything that glitters is gold, but how could he possibly explain this to someone who is obsessed with new bags and shoes?
He tried his best in making sure she didn't lack, but it felt like no matter what he does, it was never enough for her. Her eyes would always be fixed on big things.
He took a deep breath in and gently pulled her closer to himself, "I am sorry baby, but everything will be fine soon." He tried to reassure her, but his words went unheard.
"The boss adores you; in fact, you are the employee he values the most. Use this to your advantage and become wealthy. Dummy!" Andrès was perplexed by what she spat out this time.
"Please, my love, stop fighting me." Andrès urged, clutching her tender hands into his.
She snatched her hands away from him and gave him a death stare: "If you truly value this marriage and want it to last, the best advice I can give you is to stay the hell away from me." She warned him and dashed out of the house, picking up her phone.
Andrès remained in the same position, allowing the silence to envelop him.
The slam of the door echoed in his ear, leaving him with the hope that she would be calm when she returned.
Seconds turned into minutes, minutes into hours, and she was yet to return home, which became cause for concern.
The ticking of the clock on the wall filled the air, making his wait increasingly uncomfortable.
He kept pacing back and forth in the living room, checking his phone for messages from her. He buried his face in his hands, overcome with fear of losing her.
In the stillness of the night and the quiet solitude of the house, Andrès was startled by a sudden sound at the door.
"I apologize; the door was open and I let myself in." His best friend, Gael, said to him.
"It is absolutely fine, man. I assumed it was Emilia." Andrès responded coldly.
"What is wrong with you?" "You look like shit!"
"I would be surprised if I don't." Andrès responded, his mood remaining sullen.
Geal took a seat beside Andrès and placed his left hand on his shoulder, "Tell me what is going on." He persuaded him.
Andrès explained everything to Gael, and until he finished, Gael did not interrupt him. "She is simply being a woman. I believe she is acting out because she wants to have flashy things like her friends do. There is nothing wrong with wanting those nice things. Gael encouraged Andrès, who was wearing a blank expression.
"Do not look at me that way; you know I am correct. I will speak with her, okay? She will eventually come around."
"Please do; I do not want to lose her. Please..." Andrès pleaded with Gael.
"You will not, okay. I need to get home now; I just stopped by because I was in the neighborhood. Gael said to him.
"Thank you," Andrès said, as he watched Gael exit the door and his footsteps fade away.
He quickly fell asleep on the couch while waiting for Emilia's return.
Andrès is awakened by raindrops on the window after only a few hours of sleep.
He rubbed his eyes to remove any remnants of sleep, and then recalled sleeping on the couch while waiting for his wife to return home.
He got up from the couch and walked to the bedroom, hoping to see her there, but was disappointed to find the bed exactly as he left it and the room empty too.
He rubbed his forehead in frustration before returning to the living room to retrieve his phone and call her.
He was concerned about her whereabouts and safety.
She did not respond to any of the calls he had placed for her after several rings.
He decided to call Gael because he had promised to help him talk to Emilia about returning home, and there had been no word from him either.
He tried calling Geal's phone several times but received no response. He kept on trying to reach the both of them for a few minutes, but he received no response.
He gave up and went into the bedroom to sleep, hoping that they were safe and that he would wake up to find his wife in the morning.
As he lay on the bed, he could not help but have negative thoughts about the worst-case scenario.
He ignored them because he could not imagine his life without her in it.
He laid still on the bed, his back against the surface of the bed and his eyes fixed on the ceiling. He kept looking at it as he tried to imagine Emilia laying right next to him with her usual happy smiling face.
But his face was instantly etched in a frown when he realized she wasn't there. She was somewhere else and he had no idea if she was safe. He feared that something bad might have happened to her.
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~The Offer~The air was crisp and birds chirped around, their melodies wearing through the morning.Andrès stirred awake as his alarm rang, breaking the dawn of day. He got up from the bed and had a quick shower in preparation for the start of a new day.In a few minutes, he was done with his bath and hastily dressed up for work. His favorite part of the day was dressing up and going to work. After getting dressed, he wasted no time in leaving the house. As soon as he got out of his apartment, he hailed a taxi and told him the location of his office. The drive to work was a very smooth one and in about thirty minutes, he got to work.The second he arrived at work, he headed into the office in anticipation of seeing Emilia inside the office.He pushed the elevator button to the top floor, in less than a minute, the elevator dinged and he made his way out. He looked around to see if Emilia was around but he felt disappointed when the only person he saw was Gael.He made his way to G
The Return of the Mafia Boss Chapter 3
~Fury~Don Simon fixed his gaze on him and a tired smile played on his lips, "sit" Andrès walked back into the office and sat down on the chair opposite Don Simon."I am not getting any younger Andrès, and I have had an unhealthy eating habit in my younger years. I will be going for a heart surgery and the chances of me coming back is very slim. My survival rate is 50/50. As you are well aware, I have no family at all. I love you like a son which is why i will transfer the ownership of the company to you and put it in your name. I will also_"Andrès instantly felt a lump in his throat, "No, you can't do that. I am not worth it." Andrès interrupted Don Simon."That is your low self esteem speaking, you deserve everything good in life. Better than this in fact. Not to debate on this, just see it as you keeping it for me. Take care of it, nurture it. Then you can give it back when I return." Don Simon suggested.Andrès still felt uncomfortable with that. He loves his boss so much and in
The Return of the Mafia Boss Chapter 4
~The Tea~Andrès did not take offense to it because he was well aware of her temper and she only just returned, he didn't want her to leave again. With a click of his tongue, he turned to her. "I wanted to talk to you first. I'll accept the offer tomorrow." He said to her, only to cool off the tension in the air.He just wanted a peaceful night and that was the only way to get it. She smiled and hugged him tightly, happy that he changed his mind.The rest of the night went on well and they had a good time before going to bed.Both of them overslept, for some reason they didn't hear the alarm ring.“Shit!” Andrès exclaimed when he saw the time.He hurried out of bed and woke Emilia up too. They both hurriedly prepared for work and headed out without delay.Married to his wife, Emilia, he was quite confident that everything in the world was well and good, because his wife was a catch, he had a steady job and income and everything was perfect in those moments. Something that Andrès see
The Return of the Mafia Boss Chapter 5
~Tragedy~They were all arguing, each of the employees—Andrès co-workers. Andrès thought that he was going to lose his mind. In the midst of the entire commotion, it had not even occurred to him to search for his wife. He was so intent on getting his boss to the hospital. He could not even say for sure what had happened to the man.“How do we know that we can trust you and whatever it is that you’re saying?” A man shouted at the top of his voice. They had all left the boss who was now slumped on the floor, unmoving. “How do we know that you didn’t try to kill the boss yourself?”“Why would I try to have the boss killed?” Andrès yelled.“I don’t know. You tell me!”Andrès was tired of how foolish this entire thing was beginning to sound and he tried to reason with his fellow employees again.“Look, the important right now is that we get to the hospital. The man is dying over there, in case you all have not noticed.”As if a switched had been flicked on in their brains, the employees s
The Return of the Mafia Boss Chapter 6
~Alone~The days blurred by quickly.Andrès was having a hard time. His wife had strangely disappeared at the office that day and he had not seen her since then. He had spent a few days in the cell without bail or anyone who believed in him. As a matter of fact, he spent days with neither news nor help. No one came for him and no one would tell him why he was really there.He had not killed the boss. No matter what they said he had done, he was not the one that killed the boss. He had absolutely nothing to gain from it.Andrès was lying on the bed in the cell one day when they informed him that he had a visitor. His face visibly brightened as he heard the news and he jumped out of bed determined to meet whoever it was that had finally come to see him.An officer accompanied him to the visitation area.There, a small strange woman whom he had never seen in his life greeted him. Andrès craned his neck, trying to look around to see if his wife or somebody familiar had come along. There
The Return of the Mafia Boss Chapter 7
~Shattered~It’s funny how quickly time flies. In between the time that Joyce Meyers, Andrès’s attorney had come to see him with her ridiculous proposition, and now, he had not expected that a day would go by so quickly.It was the day of the court hearing. Andrès kept cursing inwardly, because he was so out of his depth here and he knew it. The officers had him bathe and put on new clothes as they wheeled a vehicle around that would take him to the court house. He sat there in the vehicle, chained and with his hands chained too. The chain connected to his feet.Andrès was totally lost as to what he was going to do. It felt like his life suddenly took a different turn. The door slid open and he was allowed out of the vehicle. His hands were still cuffed and being exposed to the harsh sunlight seemed to do something to his eyes, especially because he had been locked inside the cell all the while.He took a minute or so getting his eyes adjusted to the light before the guards pulled hi
The Return of the Mafia Boss Chapter 8
~Prison Saga~Andrès went to jail. For a crime he had not committed, and every single day, he was reminded of this grave injustice that was done to him.He felt like ripping the heads of the so-called high and mighty people in power who had wanted him down so bad they were willing to go as far as implicating him and then having him dumped in jail. But fifty years?!That was too much for a crime that he had not committed.Andrès felt like he was slowly losing his mind in the prison every day. And it did not help that the inmates all seemed to enjoy behaving like psychopaths.He had been assigned to toilet duties one morning, and he was going about his work faithfully when he heard the sounds of coarse laughter and grunting.He was not new to these things. The prison was a dangerous seedy place where people were constantly being beaten and bullied and abused in one way or the other. And according to the stories of his cellmate, some people had even died a certain year due to the inmate
The Return of the Mafia Boss Chapter 9
L~Mystery Man~The air was tense as each inmate rushed to the location where they had heard an inmate had been stabbed to death. Andrès followed everyone, and he was shocked to discover that the dead inmate who was said to have been stabbed to death was the same guy he had previously saved. The reason he was beaten and taken to the infirmary. Andrès stood frozen for a moment, his gaze fixed on the young man. He turned to the side, shifting his gaze from the deceased to the inmate standing beside him, "What?" The inmate spat. Andrès' expression made him uncomfortable. "What is his name?" Andrès inquired. "Who? Him?" The inmate inquired, pointing at the deceased man. "Yeah, him." Andrès replied. "Lucas." The inmate answered.Andrès muttered the name to himself, not wanting to forget the man's name. Fear gripped him as he stood there watching, terrified that he would suffer the same fate. Whoever killed Lucas might come after him as well; after all, he once helped him. He might hav
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~Strange Man~Andrès kept his eye on the man and was ready to take a shot as soon as he sensed a threat. “Don't move, or I'll shoot.” Andrès warned the man. The strange man paused his steps immediately, and with his hands in the air, he had his gaze fixed on Andrès. “I am not here to harm you, if i was, I would have already.” The man stated.“Why are you here?” Andrès asked the man.“I want us to talk,” the man replied.“Then talk!” Andrès snapped.“Not here, somewhere just you and I will be.” Andrès' brows furrowed, he wasn't sure what the man's motive was but whatever it was, the man was not scared. He knew the kind of house he was stepping into and not being afraid to be shot was one thing Andrès wouldn't take lightly. “Fine, you'll have your talk but you gotta leave. Now's not a good time.” Andrès insisted.“Alright. In the park, by the lake. For your own safety, come alone. 4pm, don't be late.” The man warned and jumped out the window. Andrès rushed to the window to see how p
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~Betrayal~Three months later…It's been a few months since Elijah wiped Andrès' record clean and gave him a new life. At first, Andrès was surprised to Know Elijah is a cartel leader but he eventually saw it as an advantage. He had been seeing exclusive clients with Elijah and he became Elijah's right hand man in the space of three months.Elijah taught Andrès everything he needed to know about running a cartel. Andrès had seen Gael and Emilia together on several occasions and he also found out they got married after his sentence. He also got to know that they were the ones behind Don Simon death and he was just a pawn in their game. He became strong willed so that he could pay them back in double fold.Other employees of Elijah were jealous but they could not question Elijah's ways. Andrès learnt everything and even more than Elijah knew he learnt. No one knew Andrès really well, he was a man of few words and an unsolved puzzle. To Elijah, he was that way because of the hurdles of
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L~Mystery Man~The air was tense as each inmate rushed to the location where they had heard an inmate had been stabbed to death. Andrès followed everyone, and he was shocked to discover that the dead inmate who was said to have been stabbed to death was the same guy he had previously saved. The reason he was beaten and taken to the infirmary. Andrès stood frozen for a moment, his gaze fixed on the young man. He turned to the side, shifting his gaze from the deceased to the inmate standing beside him, "What?" The inmate spat. Andrès' expression made him uncomfortable. "What is his name?" Andrès inquired. "Who? Him?" The inmate inquired, pointing at the deceased man. "Yeah, him." Andrès replied. "Lucas." The inmate answered.Andrès muttered the name to himself, not wanting to forget the man's name. Fear gripped him as he stood there watching, terrified that he would suffer the same fate. Whoever killed Lucas might come after him as well; after all, he once helped him. He might hav
Chapter 8
~Prison Saga~Andrès went to jail. For a crime he had not committed, and every single day, he was reminded of this grave injustice that was done to him.He felt like ripping the heads of the so-called high and mighty people in power who had wanted him down so bad they were willing to go as far as implicating him and then having him dumped in jail. But fifty years?!That was too much for a crime that he had not committed.Andrès felt like he was slowly losing his mind in the prison every day. And it did not help that the inmates all seemed to enjoy behaving like psychopaths.He had been assigned to toilet duties one morning, and he was going about his work faithfully when he heard the sounds of coarse laughter and grunting.He was not new to these things. The prison was a dangerous seedy place where people were constantly being beaten and bullied and abused in one way or the other. And according to the stories of his cellmate, some people had even died a certain year due to the inmate
Chapter 7
~Shattered~It’s funny how quickly time flies. In between the time that Joyce Meyers, Andrès’s attorney had come to see him with her ridiculous proposition, and now, he had not expected that a day would go by so quickly.It was the day of the court hearing. Andrès kept cursing inwardly, because he was so out of his depth here and he knew it. The officers had him bathe and put on new clothes as they wheeled a vehicle around that would take him to the court house. He sat there in the vehicle, chained and with his hands chained too. The chain connected to his feet.Andrès was totally lost as to what he was going to do. It felt like his life suddenly took a different turn. The door slid open and he was allowed out of the vehicle. His hands were still cuffed and being exposed to the harsh sunlight seemed to do something to his eyes, especially because he had been locked inside the cell all the while.He took a minute or so getting his eyes adjusted to the light before the guards pulled hi
Chapter 6
~Alone~The days blurred by quickly.Andrès was having a hard time. His wife had strangely disappeared at the office that day and he had not seen her since then. He had spent a few days in the cell without bail or anyone who believed in him. As a matter of fact, he spent days with neither news nor help. No one came for him and no one would tell him why he was really there.He had not killed the boss. No matter what they said he had done, he was not the one that killed the boss. He had absolutely nothing to gain from it.Andrès was lying on the bed in the cell one day when they informed him that he had a visitor. His face visibly brightened as he heard the news and he jumped out of bed determined to meet whoever it was that had finally come to see him.An officer accompanied him to the visitation area.There, a small strange woman whom he had never seen in his life greeted him. Andrès craned his neck, trying to look around to see if his wife or somebody familiar had come along. There
Chapter 5
~Tragedy~They were all arguing, each of the employees—Andrès co-workers. Andrès thought that he was going to lose his mind. In the midst of the entire commotion, it had not even occurred to him to search for his wife. He was so intent on getting his boss to the hospital. He could not even say for sure what had happened to the man.“How do we know that we can trust you and whatever it is that you’re saying?” A man shouted at the top of his voice. They had all left the boss who was now slumped on the floor, unmoving. “How do we know that you didn’t try to kill the boss yourself?”“Why would I try to have the boss killed?” Andrès yelled.“I don’t know. You tell me!”Andrès was tired of how foolish this entire thing was beginning to sound and he tried to reason with his fellow employees again.“Look, the important right now is that we get to the hospital. The man is dying over there, in case you all have not noticed.”As if a switched had been flicked on in their brains, the employees s
Chapter 4
~The Tea~Andrès did not take offense to it because he was well aware of her temper and she only just returned, he didn't want her to leave again. With a click of his tongue, he turned to her. "I wanted to talk to you first. I'll accept the offer tomorrow." He said to her, only to cool off the tension in the air.He just wanted a peaceful night and that was the only way to get it. She smiled and hugged him tightly, happy that he changed his mind.The rest of the night went on well and they had a good time before going to bed.Both of them overslept, for some reason they didn't hear the alarm ring.“Shit!” Andrès exclaimed when he saw the time.He hurried out of bed and woke Emilia up too. They both hurriedly prepared for work and headed out without delay.Married to his wife, Emilia, he was quite confident that everything in the world was well and good, because his wife was a catch, he had a steady job and income and everything was perfect in those moments. Something that Andrès see
Chapter 3
~Fury~Don Simon fixed his gaze on him and a tired smile played on his lips, "sit" Andrès walked back into the office and sat down on the chair opposite Don Simon."I am not getting any younger Andrès, and I have had an unhealthy eating habit in my younger years. I will be going for a heart surgery and the chances of me coming back is very slim. My survival rate is 50/50. As you are well aware, I have no family at all. I love you like a son which is why i will transfer the ownership of the company to you and put it in your name. I will also_"Andrès instantly felt a lump in his throat, "No, you can't do that. I am not worth it." Andrès interrupted Don Simon."That is your low self esteem speaking, you deserve everything good in life. Better than this in fact. Not to debate on this, just see it as you keeping it for me. Take care of it, nurture it. Then you can give it back when I return." Don Simon suggested.Andrès still felt uncomfortable with that. He loves his boss so much and in