THE BLACK MARRIAGE
©Ralph Angel
EPISODE 31
Mr. Williams paced his sitting room slowly with a wine glass in his hands. His thoughts were in disarray. Thinking back, he was not happy with what he did. When he had planted that camera, he hadn’t expected to find something so pathetic. The couple had portrayed the act of close intimacy when he saw them. The look in his son’s eyes when he stared at his wife was one of longing and desire. It had been so perfect. Little did he know then that it was all a script. That his son could act so perfectly was so unbelievable.
Love. He remembered that Andy had mentioned something about being in love with Jessica. ‘He’d better not’ he thought firmly. He knew that that woman was so stunning and that any man would fall senselessly for her. Even he himself was floored when he saw his daughter-in-law, but he later realized that the little wench was using her exquisite beauty for other means. How perfect it is to make Andy fall for her; it would be easier for her to extort money from him. 20 million was nothing but he could not allow a woman to toy with his son’s heart. The poor boy hadn’t been able to get over the death of his love, it would be terrible if he falls in love with the wrong person this time. Mr. Williams drank from his cup slowly.
He felt a little guilty for turning the tables, making the girl to bear all the consequences by publicly disgracing her but he had no other option. He didn’t want his family name to get soiled, so he decided to coin a believable lie out of the truth. The mere fact that the contract was already known by an outsider like Sonia, made Mr. Williams know that it was only a matter of time before everyone found out. He had to quickly find a solution and…
The door burst open, making Mr. Williams turn instantly.
“Where is she?” Andy growled as he stormed the massive sitting room, moving to his father and covering the space with charged long strides.
“Where is who?”
“Don’t play coy with me dad, I am warning you. Where is Jessica?” Andy barked.
“She is your contract wife, shouldn’t you know her whereabouts?”
Andy’s dad threw back.
Andy fisted his hands and gritted his teeth. “Damn it dad” he hit his fist furiously on the bar stand. “If you have done anything to Jessica, I promise not to spare you. What did she do to you to deserve this? I proposed this contract, not her; why can’t you carry out your frustration on me?” He yelled. “Tell me dad”.
Andy faced the exit and walked towards it. He paused and turned. “If anything happens to Jessica” he breathed and pointed at his dad. “If ‘anything’ should happen to ‘my’ Jessica” he looked like he wanted to say more but just stood, fuming and pointing at his father. He dropped his hand and stalked out.
Lizzy marched into the small building with anger roaring inside her.
She couldn’t recall ever being this angry in her life. Sonia had betrayed their friendship in a very disheartening manner. She had suspected Sonia’s jealousy when she would not stop ranting about how rich Jessica had become but Lizzy had shrugged it off. If she had been told to guess what the quiet Sonia was capable of, not in a thousand years would she assume that Sonia would do something as grievous as this.
Lizzy had taken Jessica and the other girls like sisters but she saw Lizzy as more of a sister to her even though Jessica seemed to like quiet Sonia more than everyone else. But even at that, Lizzy had always wanted the best for Jessica.
When Lizzy got to the door, she paused for some seconds and took three calming breaths before raising her hand to knock the door but the knock was still harder than she had wanted. She swallowed and waited, hearing nothing. She raised her hand again and pounded the door harder because the lights made her know that the house was not empty. She tapped her right foot restlessly as she waited.
“Who is it?” Lizzy heard Sonia’s voice loud and clear, just behind the door and decided to keep quiet.
The door opened slightly and Lizzy pushed the door forcefully and it went ajar, making Sonia to stagger backwards.
“Lizzy” Sonia gasped, frightened.
Lizzy rewarded Sonia with two resounding slaps on each cheek and the sound echoed round the room. A startled cry escaped Sonia’s lips and she forcefully shut her mouth.
“You” Lizzy grounded. “How dare you” she said through clenched teeth. Lizzy grabbed Sonia by the neckline of her dress, shaking her like a ragged doll.
“Let go” Sonia gasped out.
Lizzy laughed and held Sonia’s cloth more firmly in her arms, making Sonia struggle. “And if I don’t, are you going to beat me?” Lizzy laughed the more. “You see bitch, unlike you, I cherish the people I call my friends and I don’t stab them in the back, but when they betray me, like you just did to Jessica, I bounce back. I can squeeze the living daylight out of you” Lizzy shook her head in disgust and pushed Sonia away, leaving her cloth.
Sonia tried to regulate her breathing and Lizzy looked around her for the first time. She saw travelling bags and packed things…..
TO BE CONTINUED…
