Antonio

Valentina left for home after I asked her to. Although she took me by surprise with her nonchalant attitude even after witnessing me fuck another woman, I assumed it to be a façade she tried maintaining.

Her laidback attitude, one which I had witnessed even when we were kids was only bought forth when she was hiding something. Having turned from childhood acquaintances to strangers, Valentina must have forgotten that I still could read her better than most. There remained no shadow of doubt in my mind that she was onto something.

Even with the Ramirez business takeover, I wasn't willing to trust another cartel member so soon, even if she came wrapped with the title called wife.

Although Alejandro was asked to look into her, all we received as of now was a clean slate. A part of me knew that nobody could have such a clean record, especially a cartel member. I knew she was putting up a veil to hide her true self. Forced or not, no woman would be comfortable with her husband being with another woman, even if it was simply an arrangement they had.

I knew something rotten was brewing behind her smiling and caring words.

Valentina was like bad weather, sneaking in on the sunshine that blessed us, Moralez. Though she was now a member of our large household and a larger family, it didn't vitiate the fact that she still needed to earn her trust like everyone else.

Of which, I was sure she would fail.

~

The drive to the mansion was soothing but once I entered the long driveway, the realization hit me. I was entering into a trap called marriage.

The Moralez were always a tight-knit family. We were never one to think of a nuclear structure. This house we all grew up in was passed down to us generation after another. Although the dilapidated walls were renovated, the soul of the house remained intact with the family love that tied its members together.

As far as I could remember the tale, my great-grandfathers, their sons and then dad with his brothers and sisters all stayed in here together. Nobody left this mansion because of a new addition.

Though my aunts' moved out after their marriages, my father and uncles stayed together. Together till one tried the betrayal route. Dad's second brother was the rotten fish that threatened to spoil an entire sea of Moralez work. Execution was the only way to get rid of the bad blood that crept into our family.

However, this mansion had become the epitome of family unity and under it, I had to pretend to be a loving, caring husband to a woman whose father's business was the only reason for me agreeing to our marriage.

If only I listened to Elena when she wanted to move out when she was pregnant. Had I done that, it would have been easier to ignore Valentina. Around my family, it was impossible.

The entrance of the mansion was lit with an array of lighting, twinkling like a starry night. It reminded me of Maria's birthday when the entire mansion would shimmer like a well-cut diamond. Those were the celebratory times.

Now, a day after marriage, I felt as if being invited to attend a funeral service.

Tiptoeing, I walked into my room. The silence was golden and in my case, less invasive. I didn't want to be bombarded with questions about the new bride making lone entry.

I was surprised to see my bedroom doors ajar. The help was given strict instructions about entering my room only when I ordered. Pushing open the creaking door panels, I scanned the sunlit place. The room looked untouched except for a new flower vase, long-stemmed roses peering at me.

Making an exception for the new member's arrival, I make a mental note to convey the restrictions in entering my room, let alone decorate it.

Turning towards my closet, my peripheral vision noticed something new. Something missing.

Rage geared up, boiled blood spewed out of my eyes and mouth. "Where is her portrait?" My voice echoed through the halls, replaying back to me.

Someone's heels strode quicker, arriving towards my room. My heart thundered inside my chest, my vision felt hot as if I was burning with fever. My teeth gritted with every passing second.

The help was quick to get in, followed by the new woman. Valentina stood behind them while the other two women took a long step ahead, marching closer to me. Their head hung low. Through their hooded eyes, I could hear the whisper of fear, the lament of unspoken apology. One woman trembled more than the other.

The scared helper stuttered, "Señor...me dijeron..." *Sir, I was told...*

Before she could state anything else, I threw the vase I somehow managed to hold in my hand towards the wall. With a loud crash, the broken pieces of glass and withered rose petals embraced the marble floor.

The culprit wept, falling on her knees. "Señor, por favor." She forgot another rule. Nobody and I meant nobody touched Elena's belongings.

The sound of their suppressed sobs, of their bones clattering beneath their skin as I walked towards my closet, confirmed their fears. Those two knew what punishment was about to fall upon them, being witness to quite a few.

One whip for every broken rule, to be caned for each disobedience.

The moment I returned from my closet, a leather-bound rope coiled around my palm, I heard the women howl for mercy but not from me. I saw their trembling hands holding Valentina's firm grip.

Without a thought more, Valentina moved ahead. "I did it."

She stared into my eyes and didn't blink. She stood fearless. I turned around to check her credibility, scanning the help's reddened, tear-laden faces. She was taking the fall for the maids who were the real culprits.

Valentina was about to learn her first lesson about me.

I didn't show mercy on anyone.

"It was my wife's photo. Nobody touches that." Staring back at her, I answered. My teeth grounded themselves, the rage like fire consumed me from the inside. Although my desire to punish her for lying to me was higher, there was a more pressing issue.

I needed to get the portrait back. Knowing that it would be locked inside the attic, my feet quickened. Before the first of my steps rose towards the threshold, Valentina's voice boomed back.

"It's not there."

I turned around to see her carrying a smug look. She wasn't scared. She was mocking me. I saw red when she moved ahead, lessening our distance. My palms rolled into a fist, nostrils flared, releasing the hot breath.

"THEN WHERE IS IT?" I controlled my anger to ensure I found the painting first.

Valentina had calculated this. She knew I would check the attic. Elena's portrait was kept somewhere where I couldn't find it, yet I was worried about its safety. My eyes travelled down Valentina's face and body. She didn't flinch at my gaze but powered through.

"I burnt it," boastfully, she answered.

For long, my ears and mind didn't process her intonated words. The pride in her voice pricked me. It rattled me to punish her. Her arms curled around her chest as if it was some sort of an accomplishment, she achieved.

Something inside of me snapped as I grabbed her wrist. Her face remained stoic at the hold but her flared nostrils and her pursed lips told another side of the story. I was hurting her. Yet, she wasn't willing to back down.

Her head hoisted high, her eyes peered back with vengeance. It took everything in me, not to snap her tiny little neck off her vile body - the same way a venomous reptile is hunted and killed.

Her voice travelled in a lower tone than before, rumbling off her lower lip. "Don't do it in front of the help."

I clenched her wrist harder, feeling the soft taps of her pulse on the inside of my palm. My heartbeats echoed in my ears, breaths flared to the point of exhaustion but the woman in front of me wasn't ready to back down.

Valentina would be taught an important lesson today. A lesson of obeying her husband. A lesson of being a slave and not what she assumed herself to be - a queen.

Snapping her head towards the women who watched our power play, Valentina instructed in an intonated voice. "Leave... now."

The two women scrambled into the hallway, escaping my vision.

My hand started to cramp up at the hold on Valentina's wrist. Quite a remarkable tolerance she had. I had never seen any woman who didn't break down under such humiliation. Yet, Valentina stared back, taunting me for more. Resilience was her armor that seemed to withstand pain.

Knowing that a little to nothing hold wouldn't harm her, I released her wrist. The second it was dropped, her good hand came to rescue the bruised one. Her olive-toned wrist appeared darker, redder around the area I held. Her arm shivered under the aftermath. The right hand helped the injured left, cradling it like a baby.

Her eyes shot up, then her ragged voice. Both danced with determination. "Never... ever... touch... me... without... my... consent."

Every word, sharp yet slow, was spoken carefully to make a point. I didn't intend on touching her with a ten-foot pole but when she decided to intervene in my affair, she unwillingly asked for her punishment.

Subsided anger flared up inside me, seeing her smirk-donned face. Her un-waivered determination reminded me of the loss I suffered. She destroyed Elena's portrait - the last one where I knew she carried my child, the heir to my kingdom.

This vile piece of a woman destroyed everything in my life including my Elena's painting.

Before I could realize it, my hand travelled towards her neck and grabbed it. Her eyes moved back into her head. Drawing long breaths, she clawed at my wrist, twisting her neck to be set free. Wheezed air dragged into her lungs as she tried breathing through her mouth.

There was no stopping me. Valentina didn't deserve forgiveness.

Thud.

A sharp pain radiated from between my legs. I knelt before the excruciating pain made me fall on the floor. The madwoman kneaded me with her knee. Holding onto my groin, I punctured my lips between my teeth. The pain made me see black and red. I tossed my head up once. Valentina was massaging her neck bruises.

Kneeling closer, she anchored her fingers into my hair, tipping my fallen face. Her face and neck carried a dark shade of red. Her voice was hoarse.

"Didn't I tell you, not to touch me without my permission?" She said, patting my cheek. I shoved my face away from her. As the pain subsided, I heard her voice. "Never ever assume that Valentina Ramirez is your toy to break or take."

With that, she stood up. Her right hand still cradled her left as she continued walking. Before she moved out of my sight, I heard her mocking tone flare.

"Help him..." The sound of her heels accompanied her floating words. Someone trotted upstairs. "Your señor seems to have injured himself."

~

Babies...

Hope you liked this chapter.

Let me know in the comments, your thoughts. I would love to hear from you.

Do you think Val and Antonio's rivalry would simmer anytime soon? Or will it be flamed even more?