Broken Angel

by Janet Adeyeye

"It's all done. $50,000,000 is all yours. Now let me go as you promised."

  "I'm pretty sure I didn't promise you anything. Besides, c'mon Van. In the real sense of it all, you're only just returning the money you stole from my father."

  "Kayla, don't do this. You said..."

  "Of what importance is what I said? Shouldn't you be more concerned about what I will do?" I slowly raised the gun now to his face.

  "Kayla, you don't understand. Things are not as you were told. Please don't."

  "Say your last prayer betrayer." I shot him, not giving him one opportunity to even say amen. He should go rot in hell with his other back stabbers. None of them deserve to live. None, and I am going to make sure of it.

  "Dispose of his body in a befitting manner." I walked out and left. Two down. Eight to go. I was back home before it was dark out. I met Angel there, and then the cops. I acted surprised at first, pretending I didn't know why they were at our place. I already knew they'd trace the cameras to me, well only up to the point I was still at the reception waiting for David. Anything other than that, they'd have no prove and it is totally my job to make them look totally insane and foolish.

  "What's going on?"

  "Umm, baby. Can I talk to you for a second?" Angel asked then grabbed my arm and pulled me away till we were far from the cops.

  "What?"

  "Why didn't you tell me you visited David on the day he died? And within the period he was found dead."

  "What! Where the hell did you get that from?"

  "The camera caught you, Kayla. You went into his office and came back out. Why Kayla? What's going on?"

  "Wait. Are you saying I killed David?"

  "Does what I say matter? You have to prove to the public that you didn't have anything to do with that man's death. So now tell me why you visited him."

  "David is like family to us. He has been ever since my father's time. I went to meet him for something he promised me a while back."

  "Something? You mean the $10,000,000 he sent you before his death?"

  "Angel, I am really disappointed you feel that way about me." I turned to leave.

  "Where are you going?"

  "Going to clear my name. I didn't kill David. And I won't stand here listening to you accuse me of something I didn't do. I mean, why would I want to?" I walked away and back to the living room where the cops were.

  "You have to come with us to the station, ma'am."

  I nodded then started towards the door.

  "Wait," Angel called out. "I'm going with my wife," he added, and then followed behind us.

  The interrogation took almost thirty minutes, but it was worth it. Angel spoke to the DA, and even though I wasn’t completely off the hook, I was free to go. We drove back home in silence for a while.

  "Why did you collect such an amount of money from David? What sort of agreement did you have with him?"

  "I only collected what he stole from my dad."

  He looked at me. "Where did you go?"

  "I ran some errands for my mom. Collected some more money from those that owe us."

  "And did you happen to kill anyone after that?"

  "It's not funny, Angel. I didn't kill that man."

  "I believe you babe. I know you wouldn't do that." He winked at me then put on the radio. They were announcing the murder of another person. Found in a lagoon alone East LA. Name is yet to be identified. Angel and I exchange glances

  "I didn't do it."

  "I didn't say anything, babe."

  Chapter 11

  I sat legs crossed in Clifford's office patiently waiting on him to get back from his meeting with the investor. He was pretty shocked when I strolled in with them the next day and had asked me to wait in his office. I had no doubt that he'd make me partner immediately, then my mom's plan can be put to action. Shortly afterwards, he entered grinning from ear to ear. He called me into his embrace.

  "Thank you so much. You don't know how happy this makes me."

  "I told you."

  "Oh yes, and I must confess I had doubts about that but after today, I don't think I'll ever doubt you."

  "All that's left now is making me partner," I reminded him

  He looked at me for a second, then smiled. "I made a promise, right? I scheduled a meeting with the directors today. I'll mention you."

  "Don't just mention me, Clifford. Make sure they are convinced. Can I count on you for that?"

  "Yes, absolutely." He smiled again. "I think we should celebrate."

  "We shall. When I become a partner." I stood up. "For now, I'll leave. Future partner," I said with a smile. We shook hands, then I left. I didn't exactly go straight home though. I needed to speak with my mom. I needed to know what was next. But, she wasn't alone when I got to her place. She was with a man she introduced as Shipwreck, the one who invested in the shipping company without thinking twice. How strange?

  "Kayla, this is the man I told you about. Remember?"

  "Yes, of course. He was at the office few hours ago." I extended a hand now and he took it gladly. "It's a pleasure meeting you again. My mom never said anything about you to me, but I figured you must be really close to have helped out like that on such short notice."

  He chuckled. "She's smart," he complimented, then looked back at me. "I am glad I helped. And I am even more glad to meet you in person. Your mother here has told me quite a lot about you and your beauty. You take after her of course."

  I looked from my mom to this man confused. How come my mom was so comfortable telling this man about me but she never once mentioned him to me until recently? I was planning on asking her that as soon as he left.

  "Okay, okay. Enough of the greetings. Kayla were you finally made partner?"

  "No, Mom. Not yet." I waited a bit for her to comprehend what it meant "But, he promised to talk in my favor and I am sure very soon we'll get a positive response," I added.

  "We can't wait for that. It's time for Phase Three."

  "What are you talking about?"

  "I see Angel hasn't been telling you stuff about his company."

  "What about it?"

  "The law firm is in serious need of money. They are almost bankrupt."

  "What?!" I was shocked.

  "Yeah, and they need a lot of money to stand back on their feet. Now, that's where we come in."

  "Mom, what do you mean?"

  "We are going to buy that company, Kayla."

  I opened my eyes in surprise like she'd just said the most impossible thing. Buy Angel's company? The one his father left him? Oh, no. No, that's bad.

  "Mom, why? Can't we just invest? With the money we have, we can invest in the company and become the largest shareholder."

  "We can also just buy it from them. Listen, I think you're getting these things confused. We are not trying to help them but destroy them, in every way possible."

  "Angel won't even sell that company for $100 million. I know him."

  "He won't, but when the shipping company goes into bankruptcy as well, he'll have absolutely no choice."

  I knew about the part where I'd become partner then make the company go bankrupt, but I never knew about the law firm. I started pacing around and biting my nails. Angel would be furious. But why didn't he just tell me? Was that why it was so impossible to ditch that new client he got yesterday?

  "The client. Mom did you send any client over to the law firm yesterday?"

  "You mean Shipwreck? Yes, and he offered them quite a lot of money."

  "Mother, why the hell didn't you tell me this? Oh, no. This is bad."

  "Whoa, whoa. Slow down, Kayla. Shouldn't you be excited? I mean I was expecting a hug and some kisses. Not this."

  "Mom, he is my husband."

  "You married him to destroy him," she had raised her voice, then suddenly went mute and stared at me. "Have you fallen for the enemy, Kayla?"

  Our eyes met for a second, then I took mine away almost immediately. "No, absolutely not."

  "Your a
ctions tell me something different."

  "Mom, I am not okay? The question now is how we are going to buy the company without them knowing it is us. I mean, Angel will never sell his company to me."

  "That's no issue," Shipwreck chipped in now. "We create fake companies all the time. And they always look authentic. We can create a fake company in New York and we just transact business in the company's name."

  "Angel isn't stupid. He'll find out."

  "Not when the money is urgently needed. I mean they could care less who they sell it to as long as they get their money," Shipwreck added.

  "What would you do when we get the company?"

  "We sell it off in pieces at an even higher rate than the amount we bought it. That's my job. I provide the money and buy companies in financial dilemma then sell them off in pieces."

  "Okay, but the shipping company survives, right?" I asked.

  "Oh, no. No."

  "Mom, Angel is going to use this money to save the shipping company at all cost. I know him."

  "How is Elizabeth doing?"

  "Bad. She is in a coma. She has been for two days now."

  "If I am not mistaken, they will need to operate on her, and that will cost a fortune."

  I just couldn't believe it. What mess had I gotten myself into?

  "Oh, Kayla. Shipwreck is willing to help us all the way, but a bigger part of this still lies on you. Now more than ever, you need to be ruthless. For your father."

  Is she right? I mean, this whole marriage thing started because of my revenge, right? If she'd said this few weeks ago, I'd have gladly said yes, but now things have changed. I have fallen deeply in love with my husband. And I don't want to break him anymore.

  "Okay. I'll do it," I said

  "Okay. Creating a fake company takes a while, we need all paperwork to be as authentic as ever, so it is going to take days. In the main time, do all you can to make partner with the shipping company," Shipwreck said.

  "Why are you helping us?" I asked.

  “Because he wants to.” My mom answered for him. “Now enough of the questions. Do you understand all that we've discussed?”

  "Mom, I can't do this," I confessed

  My mom looked at me surprised for a second then she buried her face in her palms. "I told you not to fall for that man."

  "Mom, he is my husband. I couldn't help it."

  My mom exchanged looks with Shipwreck, then got up and went to her room.

  I nodded. "I'll be leaving." I didn't wait for a reply before hurrying back outside.

  Chapter 12

  I couldn't look Angel in the eyes after that. But why didn't he just tell me what was going on with the company and his mom. Doesn't he trust me or what? Even though we were in the same bed that night, we didn't feel like doing anything. When he got back from the office earlier, he hadn't said a word to me, which was unlike him. I knew something was wrong. I could feel it. I had all these thoughts going through my mind that night so I couldn't sleep. I just lay on the bed beside him, our backs to each other with my eyes wide open. I couldn't bring myself to sleep after what my mom had told me that day. And then on another hand, there was Elizabeth. Was she really that sick and needed urgent surgery? This must be a really tough time for Angel and the family, but how do they manage to keep a smile on their faces all the time? That explains why Clifford and Matthew were always so keen about going to the office. They needed money. I was going crazy with the thoughts in my head. I slowly got up from the bed beside Angel and went into the bathroom. I stared at myself in the mirror. Was I really capable of destroying this empire that was already in itself destroyed? Obviously, Mom already knows how broken the Morero clan were, yet she insisted on breaking them further into pieces.

  I splashed some water from the sink into my face, wishing I could wash all the thoughts in my head away as well. I suddenly felt cold so I stripped myself of my lingerie and got into the shower then turned on warm water. As it fell on my body, I was suddenly reminded of what a monster I'd become. I looked at my hands and all I could see was blood. I washed it away quickly with the soap, then shut my eyes from staring further into those hands. Then I started crying. I slowly sat on the floor in the shower while the warm water poured on me and I cried. I cried because of my father, because even though I had Angel and my mom, I was alone. I had no one to talk to about my feelings. Then I heard the bathroom door opening and then it closed again.

  "Kayla? Are you okay?"

  "Yeah, yeah. I am." I got up quickly from the floor and turned off the tap. "Could you pass me the towel, please?" I asked stretching out my hands from behind the curtain. Angel gave the towel to me almost immediately, then I got out after covering myself with it.

  "Were you crying?" he asked again cupping my face into his hands

  "No, no." I laughed. "Why would I be?"

  "Your eyes are red, Kayla," he said still not letting go of my face. "Tell me, what's wrong?"

  "It's nothing you should worry about. I'm sorry I woke you." I came out of the bathroom and went to the bed. Angel followed behind me, almost at the same time, still not convinced.

  "Honey, please talk to me."

  "Talk to you? Ah! When was the last time we did that? We don't even talk as a couple. It's not fair." I started crying again. Angel came to me and hugged me, but I got up and shifted away. "Don't touch me. I don't deserve your touch," I blurted out even before I knew it.

  "I don't know what's wrong, Kayla. I don't know what to say."

  "When were you planning on telling me your mom needed surgery? When?"

  Angel got up shocked. "How the hell did you know about that?"

  "See? And you want us to talk." I got up from the bed and went to the wardrobe then started pulling out some clothes.

  "Where are you going?"

  "I'm sleeping downstairs in the living room. Don't try to stop me." I snorted then slipped into my pajamas. I hurried to the bed and took my pillow and some covers.

  "Kayla, please don't do this."

  "You don't trust me, Angel. You don't tell me anything. Do you think I am a fool? That I don't notice things? You get a call from the office and you go rushing over. When were you planning on telling me the company is bankrupt?"

  Angel came closer to me and grabbed the pillow from my hands, then the blanket. "You're not going anywhere, tonight."

  "You can't stop me, Angel. Tell me what's going on. Tell me how you feel. I want to hold you and take care of you when you're sad. I am your wife for crying out loud." I wiped away the tears that were forming under my eyes already. I've never been this emotional about anything in my entire life. Not even when my dad died did I feel this way. But with Angel and finding out he is in pain and not telling me, I felt really bad.

  "How do you think I feel, Kayla?" He whispered like he was afraid someone would hear him. "I don't know what to do. My father's company is going down and I can do absolutely nothing about it. My mom is terribly sick and needs surgery. She is dying, Kayla." He slumped to the bare floor and burst into tears. It surprised me. Maybe I wasn't really prepared for this to happen. I rushed to his side now and ushered him into my embrace.

  "Don't cry. Baby don't cry. I'm sorry I yelled at you. Please don't cry." As I was saying this I was also crying. We merely just sat on the floor, crying like babies.

  "You see why I don't talk about it? Because it hurts. Badly. And I am all they've got. Just me. And no one deserves to see me like this. I am all this family has to stand upon. David shouldn't have died. He was the only one helping us with the shipping company. With him dead, the shipping company is dead as well. If I don't gather up some money before Friday, we'll lose that company. And my brothers will die if they do. My father invested his life into that company."

  "I'm sorry, Angel. I'm so so sorry. Listen..." I cupped his face. "We're in this together okay? You and me. I have money that I can lend you for your mother's surgery. I can work and gather money for the company. We can do this, Angel."

 
"I am not taking anything from you, Kayla. Forget it."

  "Think of it as a loan from the bank. You'll pay it back with interest, see? C'mon, your mom needs this. I can't let her die."

  "Why are you doing this, Kayla? Why are you helping us?"

  "Because I love you. It pains me when you suffer alone. We made a vow in church, remember? For better or for worse. And I meant it. Tomorrow, I'll pay for your mother's surgery. That's what important right now."

  "Thank you, Kay. I don't know if I'll ever be able to repay you after this."

  "Promise me you'll never keep any secrets from me. Then we're even," I replied.

  He nodded weakly then hugged me tightly. That night we couldn't sleep. We had a whole future before us that needed our attention, and yes, I am going to help my husband.

  Chapter 13

  We woke up early the next day and headed straight for the hospital. I rushed to her ward as soon as we got there just to see if she was still there. She was. We weren't too late yet. We went to the doctor's office together now but had to wait a while because he was busy with someone. I couldn't seat down though. I kept on pacing and pacing, cursing whoever was behind that door. Then it suddenly opened up and a lady rushed outside crying. I wasn't able to see her face well, but I followed her with my eyes till she turned and disappeared into another room. Angel pulled me into the doctor's office.

  "Doctor."

  "Angel, have you made your decision yet? Your mom’s illness is getting worse by the day. She is already resisting treatments." The doctor said quickly, then kept quiet almost immediately when his eyes caught me. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you came with someone," he apologized.

  Why was he apologizing?

  "It's okay. This is my wife."

  "Oh." He got up and extended his hand. "Doctor Phil. I'm in charge of your mother's case."

  I took his hand and smiled. "Is there still time to save her?"

  "Well, there are options. But her case is worse now and the surgery is just one of the options we've got. There is a 20% probability on this."

  "How soon can you operate on her doctor?"

  He looked at me now surprised. "If you’ve got the money, we can do so in a few days."