Chapter 6

I smiled joyfully as I left the hospital. On one hand, I felt relieved that Beethoven was going to try the treatment, and on the other, I felt restless. I was so eager to see Mr. Montenegro, but it was true that I didn’t know him. What if he was just another rich man taking advantage of the weak? I smiled like a child, remembering him. When I looked up, I stood still, seeing Mr. Montenegro’s car in the distance, and then I saw him approaching me.

“You look happy… I hope it’s because of me.”

“M-Mr. Montenegro… what are you doing here so early?”

“I came for you, to take you directly to the mansion. Did you bring your luggage?” I looked at the trash bag beside me and quickly picked it up with embarrassment.

“Yep…” He took a few steps towards me and said,

“You combed your hair and washed your face… now I can see you better than yesterday.” Embarrassed, I lowered my gaze to the ground, my cheeks flushing red with shame.

“I also changed. These clothes are old, but this way, I won’t embarrass you so much…” I smiled shyly. He looked at me again as if I were an illusion; his expression of longing didn’t seem to be for me… it seemed lost in my face. Was it really me he was seeing?

“You’re perfect for my plan.”

The journey to the Montenegro mansion was through open fields and fresh air. It was my first-time leaving Brooklyn, filled with car exhaust and unpleasant smells. And who better than me to know the filth of the streets? There was so much nature that I could feel the fresh breeze. My biggest dream had always been to have my own farm with a huge garden. Dreaming didn’t cost me anything, even though I knew it would never come true.

“You seem excited.”

“Yes! How did you notice?” I said with a huge smile.

“I don’t know, call me crazy… but I think it shows a little on your face.”

“Heh! You’re right, I’ve never seen anything like this in my life…”

“Well, I’m glad to know something good will come out of this,” he said again with that pensive expression. I wasn’t so naive; I knew I wasn’t here by chance. I wasn’t born lucky.

“Mr. Montenegro, why did you really bring me here?” He snapped out of his reverie, looking at me in surprise.

“It seems you’re intuitive. How about you call me by my name, Keylef…” Nervous, I looked at him doubtfully and then said,

“Mr. Keylef…” He let out a hearty laugh and said,

“No younger woman has ever called me ‘mister’ before.”

“It’s out of respect and admiration…” I said, biting my lip from the tension.

“You shouldn’t admire me, not if I want you for such a vile act.” My cheeks foolishly blushed at hearing “I want you” in that sentence, and I felt my heart warm up instantly.

“If it’s for you, and for you… it must be justified. Besides, I owe you my life from now on. What do you need?”

“I want you to torment a man for his vile and selfish acts.” His expression changed to one of anger and pain.

“But… how will I do that?” I said, worried about disappointing him.

“Just your presence will do it. You’ll torment his peaceful days, you’ll see…” I asked worriedly, seeing his smile.

“Could you tell me what he has done, so I don’t feel like I’m hurting someone for no reason?”

“Are you doubting my word?” he asked, offended.

“No! I would never think that of you, but I don’t want to harm anyone who hasn’t harmed me… that’s why I need to know what I’m about to do and to whom,” I said shyly.

“He has hurt many people, in different ways… when you meet him, you’ll understand what I mean…”

“Okay… but I want you to promise me it will only be to teach him a lesson, not to harm him.” He remained silent, and I waited patiently for his response, which was the most important thing to me.

“I will never ask you to harm him to the point of ruining your life. I just want to return the favor… after all, the person we’re talking about is my dear brother.” I stood still, unable to deduce it… of course, he had to have more family. But then I remembered the incident in the private room, and nervously asked,

“Mr. Keylef… do you remember what happened in the private room…? I wanted to ask if you were still angry about that. You left so quickly and angrily that I couldn’t apologize.”

“The private room?”

“Yes, it was all my fault, and I…”

“Oh, yes… of course, don’t worry about it, forget it. You don’t have to blame yourself for everything,” he said, touching my nose affectionately, making me smile foolishly. The car stopped, and because of the intensity of our conversation, I hadn’t noticed the immense mansion set in a beautiful field of cedar trees. It looked like it was straight out of an illustrated book. We got out of the car, and I murmured,

“It’s beautiful…”

“As beautiful as it is empty… just like him.” He said bitterly, about to ask, he indicated, “Now please follow the good man. He will show you your new job.” He said to the tall, scruffy man with a serious look who approached the car.

“Wait, won’t you show me the house?” I said, slightly disappointed.

“I’d love to, but I can’t right now… I have a meeting in a few hours. In fact, I don’t live here. The owner of this mansion is Caesar Montenegro, my older brother. You’ll work for him as I recommended,” he said, winking at me conspiratorially. The butler took my trash bag with a look of confusion and disapproval.

“Follow me, I’ll show you where you’ll work.” The man didn’t give me much attention, turning his back to walk towards the immense house. I turned scared for a second towards Mr. Keylef’s car and quickly ran back to him.

“Will you come visit me?” He smiled again, bringing my soul back to my body.

“Of course, I will. How could I leave you to your fate when you’re so important to me now?” Was I really important to him? I murmured in my mind, brightening my thoughts, which were sad knowing I wouldn’t see him every day as I had imagined.

“Have a good day, Mr. Keylef, I’ll be waiting for you….” He gave me another smile, caressing my cheek, got in the car, and drove off, leaving a trail of dust. Insecure, I looked towards the mansion, and it seemed immense and inhospitable. I felt small and defenseless, but I had to be strong, for my grandfather and for Mr. Keylef, who had placed his trust in me. I quickly walked to keep up with the butler, who didn’t seem to wait for me, but as I noticed the environment… everyone was staring at me, not with curiosity but with surprise and even fear. As if the horsemen of hell had appeared before them, opening the earth. Why were they looking at me like that?