Arthur was caressed by the cool breeze of his region, which greeted him with clouds in the sky. Arriving at his ranch, he got off his horse and Raul led him to the stable. Arthur walked with fists clenched and chest erect, to confront the intruders who had broken into his property.
“You are not our masters, our master is Arthur Connovan!” one of the workers shouted indignantly. They had had enough of the abuses of these thieving intruders.
“Arthur? The dead one? He has already passed on to a better life and, since Arthur has no heirs, these lands pass into our hands,” a young man, with short blond hair, blue eyes, and great height, said cynically.
“Henry Jones!" Arthur called out to him with an indignant face, the blond widened his eyes in surprise. "As you can see, I am alive and I would like to know by what right you are trespassing on my land, abusing my people, and taking over my estate.
Henry confronted him with an outburst, the information he received from his men was different from what his eyes could see.
“We are the owners of this region and the authority, we do whatever it takes to impose order.”
Arthur laughed wryly.
“This is your way of imposing order? Send to kill me, break into my lands, take over my estate, mistreat my workers, rape Anabela? You're going to get beaten for that, Henry, that crime will not go unpunished. I don't care how much time and money I have to invest, I'm going to lock you up for ruining Ana's life.
“I didn't rape her, she offered herself to me and we both enjoyed it. Look at me, do you think I need to force myself on a trashy servant girl? She must feel lucky that I did her the favor.”
And as if overcome by a superior force, Arthur lunged at Henry. The workers gathered around and as Arthur had the upper hand, no one bothered to separate them; rather, they enjoyed the moment, since they had no desire to do the same.
Shots rang through the air and Arthur's gunmen drew their pistols. Some of the Jones' and Delton's men came to the defense of Henry, who was being beaten by Arthur.
Henry ran to his men, who were already positioned in front of Arthur's men. They all pointed their guns at each other and a short gentleman with black hair and a big hat looked at Arthur menacingly.
“Connovan, you just beat up Bruce Jones' son, simply because he was guarding your land in your absence. Is this how you thank us for the gesture? You may be the most powerful man in the region thanks to your father, but his death should be an example to you, even the most powerful fall, Connovan,” the lord said firmly.
“Are you threatening me, Delton? It is clear to me what you are saying, since you paid for my death, you could look into that and believe me, nothing you have done to me will go unpunished. Now I would thank you to leave my grounds, I don't need your help, I am here, alive,” Arthur confronted him with his characteristic authority. Delton smiled mischievously and motioned to his men. Arthur caught his breath as they left and all his workers celebrated with euphoria.
(...)
“Arthur!” he hugged her tightly, and she cried on his chest.
“I'm with you, Ana,” he caressed her cheek tenderly. They both went to the kitchen and sat down in front of the dining room, then Nidia served them tea and sat down next to them. “You can count on me for anything you need and don't worry about that asshole, I'm going to lock him up, I'll find a way to make him pay for what he did to you.”
She nodded hiccupping and he wiped away her tears. Her consolation was comforting. Anabela admired him greatly, for he had always treated her like family, even though he was her boss. Arthur was the hope of everyone in the region, they rested in his generosity and fight for justice.
“He left me, Arthur,” her voice came out shrill from crying. “Ivan is not going to marry me.”
“He doesn't deserve you, he doesn't deserve any of your tears, beauty. Come here," he hugged her. "He's not the man for you. You'll meet the love of your life, a man who truly loves and values you.”
“Who could that man be?” she looked into his eyes.
“One who sees how wonderful you are, Ana. A man who will watch over you and protect you, a man who will be with you no matter the circumstances,” he kissed the crown of her head.
“A man like you?” she asked with a smile that Arthur returned.
“A better one than me,” he kissed her forehead and she hugged him.
(...)
Sam sat on his trunk watching the sky. It was inevitable not to remember Arthur and that intense kiss they gave each other. She had never kissed like that with anyone, well, actually she had never really kissed on the lips. Her eyes filled with tears, how long would she miss him? Why did the absence of a man with whom she only shared for a month hurt her? Could it be that feeling his sincere care, his delicate and respectful treatment, also the desire he transmitted to her with that kiss, moved her because she never received any of that from the person who was supposed to love her?
“Arthur... I think I like you…” she whispered while she caressed her lips with her fingers.
She crept closer as tears streamed down her face. The door was half open and that made her spying easier. Why was she torturing herself? Her hands were shaking and her heart ached, it wasn't fair! She should be there, she should be enjoying that intimacy.Sam woke up with tears in her eyes, dreaming about her memories opened that wound she tried to ignore because she didn't know how to heal it. Loneliness gnawed at her bones, maybe it was what she deserved after all. She was presumptuous to desire love, companionship, passion. Why? She shook her head trying to throw out those harmful thoughts, it was amazing how the evil words of others could hurt so much that, you end up believing them. No, she shouldn't feel guilty for wanting to love and feel loved, she shouldn't think so low of herself and blame herself for wanting to have passion in her life, for wanting to experience pleasure, if it existed.
“Sam…” he stammered in shock. She avoided his gaze and distanced herself, not wanting him to see her so haggard and dirty.“Get away from me,” she uttered almost in a whisper and stood up on her feet intending to leave. This couldn't be happening to her, why did she have to show up at her worst moment? She couldn't stand the embarrassment and awkwardness. Him, so cute and neat; in fine clothes and expensive jewelry, perfumed with that delicious scent. And she, a malnourished, dirty beggar dressed in rags. It was a nightmare that the man she liked -because even though six long months had passed without seeing him, her feelings for him surfaced just by hearing his voice-, would see her in those clothes and with that stench. She had to run away, she couldn't bear to be in his presence a second longer.&ldquo
Three months had passed. Sam had regained her weight and her skin was not pale anymore. Every day she looked more energetic and healthy and she no longer seemed as shy as when she first arrived at the ranch. Raul kept following her around asking her imprudent questions and trying to find out why she was covering her face, but she ignored him and only laughed at his witticisms.“I owe the boss a lot,” the boy sat down on the grass and put a twig in his mouth. “My parents died in a shootout when I was ten and I spent three years living on the streets and stealing in the markets to be able to eat. One day a man selling apples caught me stealing from him and chased me with a rifle. I ran into Mr. Connovan and he assured the man that he would punish me and he did. He demanded I clean the stable and then pulled me by the ears because I wouldn't bathe. When he fed me, bought me clothes, an
Sam lay down on his father's bed and hugged his pillow. She missed him so much! Even though it had been four months since his death, she still wasn't over him. She was alone and with no one to comfort her. Her father was an orphan who got to where he was through hard work and the mercy of a doctor, who trained him in the field of medicine. At that time not so much was demanded of doctors and some people practiced freely, a cause of death for many patients who believed in untrained doctors. Her father not only taught her how the human body worked, but he also taught her about the medicinal power of plants. She became very good at it and even took classes with professionals, she stopped her studies when she got engaged with the promise to resume them after a year of marriage, so she could give quality time to her husband. Her heart ached, for she did not know if their relationship could be called a marriage. Daniel was not the same man she had known yea
“You're useless!” The redhead girl spat with superiority. “Always thinking you're better than everyone else, and look at you, you're nobody, Samay.“What do you want, Barbara?” she simply couldn't stand her and only wished she would leave his room.“For you, Mrs. Barbara. You're just a squatter in my house, I'm tired of you and of you looking lustfully at my husband. Daniel is mine, Samay, don't flatter yourself.”“Stop talking nonsense! Daniel is my husband and this is my house. I'm dad's heiress, the only one who's stuck up here is you.”“Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha..." The redhead girl laughed mockingly. “Your husband? You disgust him, Samay. Just so you know what your place is, Daniel and I have been a couple since before he "pretended" to you. Who do you think he sleeps with all night? Samay, Daniel would never touch you as he does me, he an
Sam sprayed on some perfume and looked at herself in the mirror. She touched her dark blue robe that matched her light blue and pearl-toned wardrobe. She highlighted her hazel eyes with black eyeliner and white shadow. She had put on lipstick, even though no one was going to see her lips, but it was to keep them moisturized. Her hair looked beautiful and silky, although only part of it was showing because the veil covered most of her face including her hair. She had changed a lot since Arthur took her to the estate, she was no longer disheveled and her hair didn't look like a bird's nest.Sometimes it was uncomfortable to wear the veil and she did not know how she would eat with etiquette in front of those people, as it would look strange when the fork went under the cloth. Would she ever get over her trauma? Would she be able to free her face from that veil? Nostalgia overwhelmed her. Before falling into Daniel's clutches she was happy and free. A dreamy young girl without c
Sweats ran down his skin, his chest rose and fell. It hurt.“That's enough!” she cried out in desperation. A thud, blood, and body spilled.She fled. At last, she would be free. She ran and ran regardless of discomfort or pain. Her fate was uncertain and going into the forest a danger for a young girl inexperienced in life, for a woman who never stood up for herself. Tears of bewilderment and fear overflowed from her reddened eyes, she still did not believe she was escaping.The dark forest made it harder for her, however, a light was the sign that told her she was out, but…Sam woke up with a start. She inhaled and exhaled so as not to have another crisis; she got out of bed and went to the kitchen trembling.“Chamomile tea will calm me down," she muttered to herself. With trembling hands, she put the kettle on and walked around the kitchen while she waited. When her tea was ready, she sat down and took a sip. It was diffi
“Hello, Anabela,” she turned and frowned when she saw the big man behind her with a basket of apples. Her brown eyes were averting their gaze with an embarrassed expression, and her lower lip was caught between her teeth. She could notice a slight blush on the caramel-colored skin that caused her much tenderness. But she didn't understand his interest in her and it made her uncomfortable. Like many of the workers at the estate, Samuel was just an acquaintance, a person with whom she could not even imagine a close relationship.“Hello, Samuel," she replied politely, but with a marked coldness. She didn't want to misunderstand him or get his hopes up; it was better to put distance from the beginning.“The guys and I were picking apples. I thought you might want these, they are the reddest and juiciest of them all.”“Thank you, Samuel. You can take them to my grandmother, I'm on my way out," she said. Anabella went on her way, le