Maria's POV
I ran into the room like I was set on fire, all so I could stop the explosive beeping. And I stood thinking how messed up my plans had become being tied down with the beast. Jordan presumed so sort of humor with my earlier action. That moment was an unsaid history, the first time he smiled. The first time he laughed deeply showcasing his 32 teeths. But despite the awe moment, I felt more stupid as he laughed aloud.
"I never made a mistake calling you a clown", "I never did" he said and laughed some more. But whilst he continued in his humor and demeanor I frowned. The frowned however wasn't because of his present action but because of how my plans would drag on the rocks.
It was like I was in an escape room with dangerous tasks I must overcome. These tasks however were catering for Jordan and trying to find my way out to get my hands on evidence.
That evening, Bianca's two main guards strolled into the room while Jordan was fast asleep. Looking at me with their usual serious faces. One took over my hands and unlocked the explosives from my wrist. I smiled and heaved a sigh of relief. Circling my other palm on my freed wrist. I concluded Bianca had returned back to her senses. "Come with us" the other bouncer said and they both walked out together. Standing in front of the room, they both waited for me.
They led me to Bianca's room where she sat down glaring at me without saying a word. Even after I said hello. So many questions ran through my mind. Amongst which was, 'What new game was she playing?'. Suddenly she stood up, briskly, she walked up to me in a manner like she was about smacking my head off my neck. I became slightly defensive. But her men took hold of my both hands, straining them to my back. They pinned me to the chair I sat, as my head faced the sky. "Hey", "What are you doing?"
I said with a shaky tone. The fear of the unknown engulfed me. Did she find out who I truly am? And has come to take me back into captivity? I kept on questioning her actions in my mind. She didn't carry the familiar look on her face as before. Instead it was the one she gave before downloading bullets into her hit-men's body.
"Bianca.... have I done something wrong?" I asked but she didn't say a word to me. And after brief seconds she said to the men, "Do it". What exactly? I asked myself. Whilst the other man single-handedly held me down, now, with my face pressing hard on the sofa. The other covered my mouth with a handkerchief. Old memories resurfaced.
"This is going to hurt", "But for a little... bit" I heard Bianca say. "Bian…..ca" I tried speaking but the hulk bouncer pressed me down more. Immediately, I felt something digging into my neck from behind. "What is that?", "Please stop" I begged but I kept feeling it digging in.
Until it was dispensed into me. And immediately the bouncers freed me from their grip. My head felt like a rollercoaster. It itches and hurts at the same time. I stood up slowly but staggered and fell back on the sofa. I felt my throat clogged, like I couldn't breath. "What have you done to me?" I asked as my eyes kept spinning.
Bianca appeared to be two or three in my eyes. It was like everything in the room doubled in size and numbers. "Easy" I heard Bianca's voice echoing as I held my head with my hands trying to keep a balance. Until I finally regained myself. I traced my finger to my neck and saw blood on my tips. With what felt like a small metal sitting disgustingly on my neck. "Model 005 cgts" Bianca said. I got utterly confused and pissed. "Huh?" I muttered.
"Experiment 005", "After we of course…..lost our two test experiments 001 and 002", "I don't even want to speak about what happened to test 003 and 004" she cringed. "But you seem to be fine" she said, so cunningly. "It was such a relief this worked...else" she added and began a sarcastic laughter, crossing her thumb on her neck. An expression which meant, I was going to be dead if it went wrong.
I tried as much as possible to quench the anger I felt within. In such a lowly and submissive tone I asked, "What Is this Lady Bianca?". "Don't worry yourself about that", she responded, getting up on her feet. Picking up phones and handling the syringe which she injected into me, I knew she was about to leave.
About to walk away from her dummy toy or her trash bag which just deposited 'God knows what' into. I couldn't let her leave without explaining what in God's name was laying on my neck. So I blocked her way angrily. "What in God's name is on my neck, MA'AM...." I said with my tone sounding ticked off. "I have the right to know Lady Bianca," I added. Although I went out of tone, the anger at that moment was much needed. Since the character 'Mirabelle' must always be a sweet, lowly, submissive girl. But only God knows to what length I could condone being outrageously submissive.
"That on your neck my dear", "It's just some experiment from City hospital's lab", "Nothing to worry about" she replied, still beating around the bush. "What does it do?", "And why me?" I asked with all seriousness. She kept making body gesticulations like she didn't want to speak. Until she sighed and said, "Fine", "Aunt Lucille made me do it" I heaved in shock knowing whatever involved I and that grand witch could be of no good for me. "Relax Mira" Bianca said, seeing the look of fear in my eyes.
"It's nothing major", "Just somebody…... .tracker", I couldn't believe my ears. Somewhat?
"She insists that Jordan be catered for rightly hence the tracker" she added sounding so stupid. It was obvious the old hag had a different motive to the request she made. "Don't get me wrong Mira", "I trust you", "Aunt....however wants to ensure you'd never get Jordan out of your sight", "Nor harm him" she stressed further. In her usual behaviour, she bit a part of her lips to display her uncertainty to what she's said.
"Lady Bianca, make me understand", "I am standing in for my cousin, Jojo. Why then am I being used as a lab rat for some experiment" I said with a sting of anger in my voice. I couldn't hold back the confrontation any longer. She smirked devilishly.
Unleashing her other side. Her mostly hidden side. Bianca was diagnosed of split personality disorder as I was told by mama Emilia. At first they all concluded it was just intense anger issues but it turned out to be creepy when she switches in seconds and acts all nice and innocent. A vicious demoness and a sweet child. Both imbibed in one body. The demoness takes over in a gross situation where rage builds up.
Many have died due to her demoness personality dominance. Dense anger and hard drugs were its stimulants. Since she wallowed herself in drugs when she controlled her family's secret drug cartel, those times the monster's appearance was predominant. Until the cartel was taken over by Jordan to curtail her rage. After, she was sent to a secret rehab center and came back when she was declared capable of locking the demoness up. But we sure saw how locked up the demon was the day she sent almost twenty men to their early graves.
She trailed around me for a few seconds. Erasing the sweet smile on her face she said to me, "You are not standing in for Jojo alone", "You've shared in the cross", "Means…...you now have yours to bear" I couldn't believe my ears. "It's just like biology", "Binary fusion", "Where one divides and makes two" she said as I stood trying to understand what she meant. "What I mean is", "Jojo has her own cross", "My father, Lord Rodriquez", "And you have yours", "My Big brother.....Jordan" she concluded. I wanted to believe she was bluffing but she absolutely wasn't.
"In that sense, I and Jojo.....my cousin are slaving for your family" which was the obvious picture. "Well don't put it that way....", "Jojo, yes is slaving", "But you my dear clown would be working for us, getting paid" she responded holding my chin, twitching like a television channel which has lost its signal, trying to suppress her demon.
"I love poor little obedient girls and I know you'd be wise not to flaunt my orders" she concluded and tapped me gentle on my shoulders but before walking back to her seat. "Jordan would be helped to the bathroom by these two gentlemen where he'd bathe himself of course", "So you wouldn't have to see my handsome…...brother's ... .nakedness" she stated. Not like I even yearned to. I really couldn't care less.
"But there are more rules which you must follow" Bianca stated and began listing. "One, you're not going to by any chance to become chatty with Jordan. He's not your class", "And can never be", "Two do not by any chance go close to my brother", "Do not speak unless you're spoken to", "Don't not mistakenly fall asleep on his bed" she said sounding like a controlling girlfriend. "Do your job to keep your head, I don't joke with Jordan at all", "And I wouldn't mind burning the world down for him", "I'm I understood?" she asked, staring at me keenly as I nodded in response. "You're just to be his nanny, help him get things he can't get and wheel him around to wherever he wishes to go" Bianca added.
"You are to be a toothless bulldog......got it?" And as expected, I nodded naively in response. "Every morning a guard would come with the key to unlock the explosive off your wrist so you'd take a shower in your own room", "After your done", "Cuffs back on"
How brilliantly evil could she be. "I hope you understand…...everything I do is for my brother", "You took care of our father so well", "Am sure you'd do the same with Jordan" she concluded and instructed the two bouncers to walk me back to Jordan's room. Following orders, the explosive was cuffed back on my wrist.
I couldn't believe how despotic the entire family could be. Seizing every opportunity to enslave others for their benefit. What began as a plea surprisingly ended up as a direct command.
Who knows how long the haughty cripple would walk again. But it must be fast, very fast. Because as soon as I get, my hands on some incriminating evidence on the Rodriguez, I was going to make my way out of their shitty hell hole no matter what. But first, I charged myself to find the key to that room at all costs.
The next few days were the worst. Jordan was so overbearing that I'd get very exhausted and drained daily. It was like he was purposefully making me work. The funny part was he was already occupied with a situation that should automatically make him humble but yet he was still high-handed. He was observant and I was calculative. My every move within his room, he monitored creating a suspicious atmosphere. Hence I had to suspend my plans until Jojo returns so I'd indulge her help.
The following week on an early Monday morning, the gates of the Rodriguez mansion opened up to my ally. Jojo, who had seen the ray of vengeance coming upon the Rodriguez household, became so confident and resistant to all their taunts and humiliations. Aunt Lucille, instructed that no form of communication whatsoever should be made during work hours between us. Not eye signals nor body gesticulations.
As a matter of fact, since the old washed off potato's room was downstairs, Jojo was told she had no reason to go upstairs now matter what. She retained her room at the staff quarters whilst I retained mine in the mansion. But the plan whichever way needed to be actualised. So we took a risk.
"Sire.... I want to make a little suggestion", "Something that might make you feel better" I said one fine evening to Jordan who sat on his wheelchair in front of the window. In his usual nature, he didn't respond. His silence in most cases depicted, 'Proceed'. "A stroll" I said with so much enthusiasm. I saw his head tilt slightly. A sign which obviously meant I hit the bulls eye. "Sire you've been in this gorgeous room for so long", "Packed up In here like canned sardine" I saw the aggressive head tilt which meant he felt offended. "I mean…...you've been here for far too long" I rephrased.
"I know Jordan Rodriguez to be a free mighty eagle who's wings despite being bruised must still show the other birds whose in charge" I added, fueling his ego in a bid for him to say yes. I walked closer to him and depressed my height to the chair's level and said to him with so much concern in my voice and make-believe care in my eyes I said, "Master Jordan, this chair doesn't define you" I placed my hands on the wheels. "Despite your legs may be temporarily crippled", "Your mind and heart should never be", "Let's stroll around the mansion and show everyone the boss is back".
What a charge it was. It was one of those moments in which a motivational sound was much needed. Jordan was a hard nut to crack but something about what I said made him for the first time, listen to me. And so, I wheeled him out of the room. But before we would get into the elevator he said to me, "I don't want you chipping like a noisy bird", "I just want peace and quiet", "Got it?". "Definitely Sire, I assure you, the garden would be as quiet as...a graveyard" I responded, getting a furious gaze from Jordan in return due to my conclusion. This was all part of the plan. A trick to make him leave the room.
The moment we got into the elevator, Jojo went through the stairs and went into Jordan's room in search for the key. Jordan who could be diagnosed with partial Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) to arrangement and orderliness of things especially in his room. Always knew precisely where he kept what and how he kept them. She combed and ensured she left whatever she touched back in order else he'd know his room was raided.
According to Jojo, she checked the soles of his shoes and discovered one had a key case. But there was no key in it. Then underneath his land line was also a key case but no key as well in it. Behind the frame was also a key case missing a key in it. I couldn't believe how cunning Jordan was. It was like everything in the room had an empty key case. She grew more frustrated.
Exhaustedly, she slumped hard on the wooden library chair. As her small feet press hard on a supposed button underneath the table. The center of the luxury table opens up ushering out what was a rectangular music box. Strange. She picked it up and a wooden design couple began dancing to the rhythm of the sound which was absolutely melodious. It didn't look like what Jordan could own. I mean the box could pass off to have been owned by a poor kid. With 'C&J' written boldly at the side of the box. Who could be the C? Obviously Jordan would be J. By how he guarded and secured the box, it must have meant a lot to him.
The melody of the song took Jojo's breaths away as she reminisced on the love story Jordan destroyed with her abduction. Jojo who was already betrothed to be married to the son of her father's friend. A man she grew up with and loved since they were kids. The wedding however was set to be held the year before her father's demise and her sudden disappearance. Was called off by the boy's family who believed she had run off. Unfortunately the young man was forced to marry her best friend in order to cover up the shame from the guest. Since the bride was nowhere to be found the morning of her wedding. Having been hijacked the night of her wedding day.
She finally snapped out of the already taken fantasy and went on to putting the box back in place when the box tilted she heard a sound. Curiosity got the better of her as he traced an opening underneath the box and found a golden key lying helplessly in it. Jackpot!.
Not even in a million years would anyone have suggested the key would lay underneath a supposed wooden box. She took it out however and placed the box back in place. "Big bro,"a familiar voice said, approaching the room. That was undoubtedly Bianca's and her usual way of announcement to Jordan's room. Jojo's heart skipped. What was she going to explain to Bianca? She'd have her head. How was she going to get out? Out of impending danger?