My father started to ask her about work and as she answered and went on talking about her work, I could see how her face sparkled. She was really dedicated and committed to her work, and it was not surprising.
Very rarely my father entertained his employees at home, but she seemed to be the exception. My father had a strict policy of not mixing personal and professional and yet he chose her for the contract marriage. I could not help but wonder what my father really had in mind. He broke his own rules to help an employee. What was so special about her?
We walked her to the door, and I could see her tensed as she looked at me. I smiled at her and reassured her with a nod that Zeus and Apollo were under control. My father offered her a car to drop her, but she refused and said she would take the bus back to work as it was only fifteen minutes away. She walked off, greeting the security guards, and then left. I was still looking at her as she disappeared when my father drew my attention by calling me.
"Emilio?"
"Yeah Dad"
"Look son, I'm sorry for dropping this all of a sudden on you but this is the only way."
"You could have discussed it with me before she came" I chided.
"Yes, I know, but there was no time. I talked to Meghan about it, and she said that we should take our next step as soon as possible. We have to make sure everything looks plausible because Justin was spotted at Elena's place."
My father's revelation was not that shocking. I did not expect less from her. She was after all the one who destroyed my whole family. I could sense the sadness in dad's voice as he mentioned her name. Elena wrecked dad's world when all her fraud and scams came to light. After all that she did, she still had the audacity to snoop in our family's business.
I still remembered that fatidic day when father came back home 22 years ago shouting her name.
"Elena!! Elena!! Where are you?" I was in the kitchen doing my homework when I heard her coming out her room leisurely.
"What do you want Joseph?" she asked irritatingly.
"You care to explain this to me?" Dad threw some papers on the table.
She simply looked at them and said.
"Oh that, you know Jo, you can't maintain your wealth by being a saint. I did what I had to do."
"Elena, this is millions of dollars' worth fraud!!! How did you expect to hide this?"
Her excuses continued and soon police officers and income tax officers flooded our house. It was revealed how she swindled huge amounts of money from the company's account and how she covered her tracks.
Mostly by sleeping with high officials. I saw how my father crumbled under her frauds and manipulations. It was even harder for me to call her a mother when I never remembered her being compassionate towards me. Even when her lies and frauds were unrevealed, she was forever interested in parties and shopping. She never had time for me. I was always closer to my father as he would always take time for me.
She was still standing shamelessly thinking that Dad would rescue her.
"Officers take her away and make sure she pays for all she did" my father's voice resounded over all the chaos. On that day I had a renewed respect for my father. He stood from his ashes like a phoenix, stronger than ever. My mother cried and pleaded. She even tried to use her motherhood on me, but I knew I had lost her a long time ago.
After that I did not see her again. I knew for a fact that she tried to seduce her way back into our lives, but my father maintained a tight grip on her, and I even doubted that he protected me from her countless times. Now if she was in cahoots with Justin, it did not bode well for any of us.
I felt a sense of foreboding as I tried to think about what the future held for us.