Chapter 30: Lovers!

Jimena screams desperately, running towards her son, throwing herself on her knees and holding him in her arms, crying as blood dripped onto his hands.

“Benjamin, open your eyes. Please! Jimena exclaimed, hugging her son's body and at that moment Johnny and the others who had left returned to the meeting room.

"My God! Jimena, did you kill Benjamin?"Johnny and the others who had left return to the meeting room.

“My God! Jimena, did you kill Benjamin?” Johnny approaches the two and the woman, with eyes full of rage, looks at her son-in-law:

“I didn’t kill him, he was my son. I can’t believe you’re accusing me.”

“Do you really think you didn’t kill your son? When you openly voted for his departure and said he was insecure, weak and would never be like his father, Anthony Hahn. Did you think he would be okay with that? As you yourself just emphasized, you are his mother and as a “mother” you should support him and not throw him into the fire.” Johnny tries to give her a moral lesson.

“You really are a son of a bitch, Johnny. I only voted for Benjamin to leave because it was clear that you would kill him, just like you killed Anthony in that restaurant in New York.” Jimena tries to defend herself by throwing the bomb back at her son-in-law.

Everyone looks at Johnny and he smiles: “Jimena Hahn, you were the one who hated your husband and wanted to see him behind. Who can guarantee that you weren’t the one who conspired the death of our great leader?”

Jimena got up from the floor with her bloody dress, grabbing Benjamin’s gun and pointing it at Johnny.

“This shit ends here.” She shoots, but the bullet get it right of light Johnny’s arm, who plays the victim.

“Why are you taking your anger out on me? You were the one who caused Benjamin’s death and it’s no secret that you no longer loved your husband and that you felt oppressed by him.”

Jimena points the gun at her son-in-law again, her eyes full of tears and her body shaking with rage. When she was about to shoot, two subordinates stop her.

“Stay calm, Mrs. Hahn. We’ll let your daughter know, but in the meantime, just sit here.” One of the two men forces her to sit down, standing next to Jimena while Johnny calls the current leader of the Hahn family, who already has bags packed and the son ready to go to the airport.

“What’s wrong?”

“Bella, you need to go back to the meeting room.”

“I can’t right now, Johnny. I’m busy.” She was about to hang up the phone when she hears her husband say:

“Your brother shot himself in the head and your mother tried to kill me and is in the custody of two subordinates. You better come soon…Bella?!” Johnny blurts out the news without any care, stopping to listen to his wife’s panting breath.

“You’re just being cruel, right?” Bella tries to contain herself because she was in the presence of her son.

“No! And like I said, you better come soon before you lose your mother too,” the tall, blond, blue-eyed man concludes his call with a smile on his lips.

Bella then collapsed on the floor crying and Theo came to his mother worried:

“Mommy, what happened?”

“Son, our family is falling apart. And no matter what happens, I will protect you. I want you to grow, become stronger and take over the leadership of the Hahn family. Do you understand, Theo?”

“What’s going on, Mom? Why are you telling me all this?” Theo asked without understanding, but Bella changed the subject by wiping her tears and getting up to call Susan to know where she was. Soon her private secretary entered the bedroom:

“I’m here, Ma’am. My condolences! Can I help you with anything?” Susan looks at her female boss’s tearful face.

“Please take my son to New York and take care of him. As soon as everything calms down here, I will join you.”

“I’ll take care of Theo with my life.” Susan says.

“Mom, I don’t want to go to New York. I want to stay here with you, the Grandma, and Uncle Benjamin" Theo askis for in his childish innocence, not understanding his mother’s tears.

“Son, do you trust me?” Bella looks into Theo’s eyes.

“Yes, I do.”

“Then go with Susan and wait for me. I’ll be with you soon.”

Theo sighs loudly, agreeing with his mother and following Susan. Bella, after saying goodbye to her son and seeing the car he was in drive away, goes to meet James, the subordinate who was available to secure the house. She comes up behind him, who was distracted by his cell phone trying to call Jimena, who obviously doesn't answer.

"I need to know if I can trust you." Bella's voice echoes in James' ears, who turns to her and answers:

"Of course yes. And why are you asking me this?"

"My brother is dead, James."

"What? How could ..."

"Johnny and the "Capis" conspired against Benjamin to remove him from leadership, even my mother participated in it. My brother must have killed himself because of the disappointment, sadness, and heartbreak he felt." Bella is thoughtful as her tears continue to wet her face.

"Your mother must have had a greater reason for doing what she did.” James looks into the face of his boss who looks at him full of anger

" You're defending my mother? Your leader is dead and the cause of his death is the cursed words and the look of contempt he heard and saw from his own mother and you are defending her instead of mourning Benjamin's death?" Suddenly something comes to Bella's mind:

"James, what kind of relationship do you have with my mother?"

"I didn't understand your question."

"You understood very well. But I'll let it go for now, because I need you to gather some subordinates who aren't traitors and accompany me to the hotel where we usually hold our meetings."

"I'll do it right now."

It was early evening when Bella arrived in the meeting room and found her mother with two subordinates watching her. Her face was inert and her eyes empty as if she were staring into space, which worried James, but at that moment he couldn't do anything because he didn't want to raise suspicions. When Bella he looked at the floor, a pool of blood still remained to remind him of what had happened there. Lying in the corner was his brother's body covered by a sheet. She slowly approached, removing some of the sheet only up to his chest.

"Benjamin, why did you do this? And now, what will become of me? You're a selfish son of a bitch." Bella cried uncontrollably for a few minutes on top of her older brother. Everyone stopped to look at the scene. However, Johnny approached, placing his hand on his wife's shoulders, who stood up and faced her cunning husband.

"Call someone to clean everything up around here."

" And What about removing the body and other things?"

“James will do it, he will do whatever he needs to do without making a fuss.”

When Jimena hears James’ name, without thinking much, she runs to hug him and everyone looks at the situation strangely.

“What are you doing, mom?”

That’s how Jimena realized she had acted motivated by a childish impulse.

“I was just happy to see someone who wouldn’t take me hostage.”

“What a lame excuse, Mrs. Hahn.”

“Be quiet, Johnny. You have no right to say anything.” Bella scolds her husband

“Thank you, daughter!” Jimena sighs

“You shut up too. Have you looked at your dead son? Are you happy now that the Hahn family is falling apart? What were you thinking when you said all that to Benjamin? Should I kill you now for high treason?”

“That’s enough! Can’t you see your mother’s situation?” James draws attention and Bella stares at the two

“I'll ask again... What's your relationship?”

“Lovers!”