The Forbidden Promise

by Helena Rose

  There was absolute silence in the courtroom.

  The judge put on his glasses and began to read.

  " ...The writing is compatible and no doubt written by the same person."

  The audience cheered and the judge struggled to restore order.

  "In the light of this evidence, this Court recognizes as valid the will produced by Don Lucas Navarra y Reyes, and declares him Don Eduardo Navarra y Reyes’ sole heir." The public’s joy became overwhelming. Lucas hugged Cristobal, while the judge left the courtroom. Many people came up to congratulate Lucas as the new most powerful man in town if not in all Mexico.

  Raquel, stunned, was unable to move, she gave no sign of listening to her lawyer who was trying to console her.

  "We’ll appeal, don’t worry ..." he said in a smarmy way, although even he did not believe he would have any hope of victory against the confirmation of the handwriting expert.

  "Leave you time-waster!" She shouted, unable to contain her anger any longer.

  Federico who was struggling to grasp the defeat immediately stood up and attacked Lucas.

  A violent scuffle began between the two of them, quashed only by the intervention of some of the people present who were able to separate them.

  Federico with a bloody lip shouted in anger, "Don’t believe it ends here! You are and you'll always be a bastard! I won’t let you touch a penny of my fortune!"

  "It seems that it’s not so! I’ll take everything that is mine and will cast you out onto the street!" Retorted Lucas. "As you did to me!"

  Federico tried to free himself from the hold that immobilized his arms, but he could not.

  "You'll pay for this... it’s not over yet ... if I fall I'll take you all with me!"

  Federico gave a furious look in Aurora’s direction.

  Instinctively Lucas used his body to shield Aurora.

  "Throw him out of here, before I decide to smash his face in," he ordered.

  Doña Raquel, who had witnessed the painful scene, left as soon as Federico was thrown out of the courtroom.

  Dejected the two returned in their carriage to the Navarra hacienda that now no longer belonged to them. As soon as they got home, Federico closed himself in the study with a bottle of Cognac, while Raquel tried in vain to reason with him.

  Locked in a stubborn silence Federico did not answer her, and even at the end, in the throes of a nervous breakdown, Raquel found herself beating violently on the door, until her energy spent she slumped to the ground crying. But no words of comfort reached her from inside the study, Federico was too busy trying to find comfort in alcohol.

  The next morning Aurora got ready early to go to the clinic.

  She was combing her long, flowing hair in front of the mirror when Lucas came up to her kissing her graceful neck.

  " You're up early," he said smiling.

  "I want to get to the clinic before the new delivery of drugs arrives," she replied.

  Lucas became serious and looked at her intently. He knew he was on the verge of unleashing a storm.

  "I don’t want you to go to the clinic, not without me."

  "What?" Aurora exclaimed incredulously, turning to Lucas.

  "Yes, you understand, I don’t want you to go anywhere without me, I'm afraid that Federico will hurt you."

  " If it’s because of the threat yesterday, I'm sure..."

  " I said no!" He interrupted her firmly.

  " I don’t care, I'll go where I want without worrying about the threat of a drunkard!"

  " You’ll do what I say, and I don’t want to hear any more about it, I'll put two men on guard outside the house in case you get the idea to escape."

  "You can’t imprison me in this house ... I won’t forgive you Lucas, the agreement wasn’t this..."

  But Lucas did not stay to listen and was already leaving for the bank.

  He did not like arguing with Aurora, but after all the hardships they had suffered, not least the attempt of violence by Gonzalo, Lucas feared for Aurora’s safety. Federico was a mortally wounded animal, and as such could prove to be extremely dangerous.

  He arrived at the bank’s elegant building and entered without hesitation.

  The bank manager, Don Guadalupe, was giving instructions to a clerk at the counter. As soon as he saw Lucas, he immediately ran to welcome him, the news of his new fortune, had already reached his ears.

  He didn’t seem so helpful the last time I came here, Lucas thought, looking disgusted at Don Guadalupe.

  "What can I do for you Don Lucas?" Stammered Don Guadalupe, wiping sweat from his brow, "Please take a seat in my office! Do you want a coffee or something cool?"

  "No thank you, I came to check the balance of my father’s account. I want you to show me the list of all the Navarra’s investments and properties!"

  " Yes, sure, it will take a little time but please, have a seat!"

  Lucas took a seat in one of the armchairs while Don Guadalupe wiped the drops of sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.

  "I'll be back in a minute! Please make yourself at home," he said in sickly sweet tone.

  He went breathlessly to open files and drawers, and after about a quarter of an hour, he returned with a stack of documents that he placed on the desk, and then took a seat in his chair.

  He showed them one by one to Lucas. It took more than an hour, the Navarra y Reyes’ property and assets were more extensive than Lucas had imagined.

  "First," he said when Don Guadalupe had finished. "I want the loan to be paid off immediately and the mortgage canceled on my hacienda in Zacatecas. Second, I want all the assets registered in my name only. Federico and Raquel must be denied : access, use, and availability to any of my assets, including of course any withdrawal of money from my account. This is the court’s judgment that recognizes me as the sole heir to the Navarra y Reyes property." Lucas handed a document to Don Gonzalo who read it avidly and put it among the documents in front of him.

  " Good, Don Lucas, I think this will be a blow to Doña Raquel," he said considerately. Lucas ignored the comment. Until yesterday, you used to eat from her hand like a faithful little dog and now you're here licking my feet, wagging your tail and spitting venom at her ... he thought in disgust.

  " Adhere religiously to my orders, and if I find out that you’re plotting something with Doña Raquel, I’ll throw you out of the bank immediately. I was right in thinking that the majority shareholder couldn’t be anyone else other than the Navarra y Reyes family! You were too busy to ruin my hacienda so it could only have been her pulling the strings. From now on it is I who command so keep that in mind!"

  " Yes Sir, certainly," said Don Gonzalo, wiping the sweat from his forehead again.

  " Ah, one last thing," Lucas said as he was leaving through door, "I want you to give a twenty per cent pay increase to this lad!" He pointed to the young employee at the counter.

  "Of course Don Lucas!" Confirmed Don Gonzalo.

  " Thank you, Sir," said the boy smiling.

  Doña Clara de Coronado and Don Miguel Vargas Rivera, hearing about the scandal, became convinced that it had been a good thing that Marisol had left Federico before falling into disgrace with him. Doña Clara convinced Don Miguel that the best thing to do at this point, would be to make peace with Marisol as soon as possible and take action to annul the marriage. Surely this Don Cristobal, that popular rumor indicated had been courting Marisol for some time could certainly help. He had done a great job of returning the legacy to Lucas that had been taken away from him several years earlier.

  They decided to go straight to Viviana’s house to make peace with her and to take Marisol back home.

  Viviana was not at all surprised to see them, she knew them well and recognized that they would do everything to keep their prestigious name out of any scandal. She received them kindly, even though the last words they had exchanged had not been friendly.

  Marisol was happy to see them and embraced them both.

  "Vivian
a, I hope you will forgive the abrupt way in which I behaved to you, for the love of a daughter sometimes one acts without thinking," said Don Miguel sadly. Viviana knew how much effort it had cost him to apologize, as he was always so arrogant.

  "I know, I've already forgotten everything," she said, smiling.

  Don Miguel shook Viviana’s hand, while Doña Clara embraced Marisol tenderly.

  "Come home with us, my dear, we’ll help you to annul your marriage to Federico. Surely your lawyer friend ... Don Cristobal, can help us."

  "Of course, Mother," said Marisol that could not help blushing hearing her say Cristobal’s name.

  "I’ve a condition to ask you... "

  Her parents looked at her puzzled. Marisol left the room and returned with a small baby in her arms.

  Doña Clara went straight to cuddle him, she liked children and this baby was as beautiful as he was sweet.

  "What does this mean?" Miguel asked abruptly.

  Marisol hesitated, biting her lip.

  "This is Federico’s bastard son... The mother was a poor woman who was deceived by him in the most abject way. She’s now dead and Federico didn’t even want to see him! I’ve been given temporarily custody of him and I want to keep him with me."

  Don Miguel did not seem to agree.

  "It doesn’t seem convenient ... He’s still Federico’s son!"

  Doña Clara immediately intervened looking at Marisol with an expression of an accomplice.

  "It would be a huge act of Christian kindness and generosity," she said, taking Don Miguel’s hand. "All Tampico will praise Marisol’s charitable spirit and she will be remembered as a benefactor forever."

  "That wretch, failed even to recognize the child," exclaimed Don Miguel, now convinced. "Fine, the child can stay with us temporarily."

  Doña Clara, hearing Don Miguel’s response, immediately wanted to cuddle the baby in her arms, while Marisol sighed with relief.

  " Thank you aunt for everything you’ve done for me," she said, kissing Viviana.

  Viviana smiled, stroking her blonde hair.

  When Lucas returned home, he found Aurora still sulky with him.

  "You can’t keep me prisoner all my life," she said grumpy.

  "I do it to protect you, don’t you understand?" Lucas asked, trying to calm her down. "I’m afraid that something bad may happen to you."

  " I don’t need to be protected, I need to get back to work or I'll go crazy locked up in this house."

  " Not until things are resolved with Federico." Lucas said as he removed his shirt to freshen up with the water in the basin.

  "What are you going to do with them, kick them out of the house?"

  "For now no, I don’t want to live in the hacienda, I’ve too many bad memories of that place. I’ll let them stay there, but in the meantime I’ve blocked their access to all the Navarra’s money and assets."

  "They’ll be furious when they find out," said Aurora, watching Lucas as he dried his broad, tanned shoulders.

  “It’s for this reason that I don’t want you to go out, I don’t want them to take revenge on you, those two are capable of anything."

  "Yes, but I can’t accept this situation for long," said Aurora, standing up abruptly. "Send me to Zacatecas if you feel more secure."

  " No, I feel more comfortable having you here with me," he exclaimed, going over and trying to hug her.

  Aurora pulled away and felt faint.

  " What happened? Do you feel all right?" Lucas asked worried, supporting her.

  " Yes, but I'd feel better if I could get out of this house," she said staring into his eyes. "I feel trapped!"

  "You'll have to wait a little longer!” Lucas said and left the room without another word.

  When he wants to be he is just unbearable thought Aurora, but he loves me and that's what counts...

  Soon the lack of money produced its first effects on the Navarra y Reyes estate.

  The servants that could no longer be paid, left the house and day by day the glorious house that was the envy of the town had an increasingly look of decay.

  Federico spent his days locked in his room drinking, while Doña Raquel had not had the courage to leave the house.

  She had even begun to sell some of her jewelry to pay for food and Federico’s alcohol. However, she was not yet resigned, she had to find a way to recover her property. The absurd hope of being able to destroy Lucas still did not allow her to let go and fall into the abyss in which Federico seemed to have been lost in.

  When Federico received the summons that requested him to appear at the hearing for the annulment of his marriage with Marisol, alcohol and the pressure that had built up in the last few days made him explode. He grabbed his coat and went out.

  Doña Raquel did not have time to stop him as he was already mounted on his horse and disappearing from her view.

  He arrived at the Vargas de Coronado Rivera’s house. He knew from when he went to the tavern at night to drink that, following the judgment on the inheritance, Don Miguel had welcomed Marisol back into the family, praising her for her foresight in having recognized immediately what kind of husband she had married.

  Without waiting to be announced, he opened the door and walked to Marisol’s bedroom in a fury.

  He entered without knocking and found Marisol still in her dressing gown sitting in front of the mirror.

  He seized her arm making her stand up.

  "You, ugly slut, you'll never get an annulment of our marriage! I won’t be ridiculed in front of everyone again!" Grabbing her by the shoulders, he shook her violently.

  Just then Don Miguel entered, attracted by the shouting, when he saw the scene he fell upon Federico trying to separate him from Marisol.

  Federico, spun around, punched him in the face and left him unconscious on the floor. Then he turned back to Marisol, slapped her and threw her to the ground.

  " What do you want from me?" Cried Marisol terrified.

  Federico gave her a sick smile and took a pistol from his belt, pointing it at her.

  "You’ve finished mocking me by having a good time with all the men you meet! First Lucas, then Cristobal ... And who knows how many others, whore! Now I'll show you how a real man takes revenge ..."

  At that moment, Cristobal, who was bringing a copy of the summons to Marisol, fortunately arrived.

  Hearing the screams he rushed to Marisol’s bedroom and, seeing what was happening, promptly grabbed Federico by the shoulders. Federico turned and pulled the trigger, but the bullet went into the wall opposite.

  Cristobal and Federico began to wrestle violently, Cristobal tried to disarm Federico who held on to the pistol tightly. Marisol watched the fight, her eyes wide open with terror while Don Miguel tried to get up to help Cristobal.

  Suddenly they heard deafening gunshot that startled both Marisol and Don Miguel.

  Cristobal's eyes widened, he took a step backwards, staggering, on the verge of collapsing to the ground.

  "No! Cristobal "cried Marisol terrified.

  A moment of silence followed in which it seemed as if time stopped.

  Then there was the sound of Federico sighing loudly. It was his last breath, as he had been mortally wounded. Without a cry, he fell to the ground where he remained motionless, his glassy, aloof blue eyes fixed in the stillness of death.

  Marisol threw herself into Cristobal’s arms, while Miguel, verifying that Federico was dead, closed his eyelids to hide his disturbing eyes.

  Doña Raquel waited for Federico until late afternoon. She thought that he had either drunk so much that he was unable to return home or was in some brothel as was his custom. She was certainly not ready to receive the news that Don José brought.

  Don José approached her cautiously, speaking softly.

  "I'm sorry to disturb you, Doña Raquel," he said, looking into her eyes, "but a terrible misfortune has occurred..."

  Doña Raquel listened impassively to the sad account of the tragedy her eyes
fixed on the flame of a nearby candle while silent tears streaming down her pale cheeks.

  "I'm very sorry Doña Raquel, let me know if you need anything," said Don José. Doña Raquel did not answer, her eyes were fixed and vacant, as she sat on a couch like a queen of a kingdom in ruins.

  Don José left quickly while launching a look at the now dirty and shabby house.

  He immediately decided to go and inform Lucas as Federico and Doña Raquel’s only close relative.

  The news deeply unsettled Lucas and Aurora.

  "He certainly wasn’t a saint but he didn’t deserve a death like that," said Aurora.

  Lucas nodded upset.

  " I don’t think that Doña Raquel has the means to pay for a proper funeral, the Navarra estate is going to ruin, it’s not being maintained and there are no maids," said José.

  " I'll pay for the funeral," Lucas said. "Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to see Raquel."

  Aurora and Don José reacted with dismay to his statement.

  " Why are you going to her?" Aurora asked worriedly. "I don’t think she’ll be very pleased to see you ..."

  " Don Lucas, if you want my advice, beware,” intervened Don José. "Doña Raquel seemed rather strange and worn out ... I think she is ill. Her nerves are failing."

  But Lucas had decided.

  "I have to do it. It’s my responsibility. Federico was my cousin, if not my brother and now that I’ve regained my position, I’ve to take care of the matter."

  "Be careful, then," said Aurora, anxious. She did not trust Raquel’s reactions at all.

  Lucas nodded and left, giving Aurora a kiss. Don José and Aurora exchanged worried glances but said nothing.

  Shortly after Lucas arrived at the house. He knocked repeatedly on the door of the big Navarra house, but no one came to answer, so he opened it and stepped cautiously in.

  The house was in a state of disrepair, cobwebs and dirt everywhere, in a few weeks, the luxurious house had been transformed into an unrecognizable place.