Chapter Seventy-Nine – The Condition.
And that was the funniest part! It literally had me laughing hard despite the blood running from my arm.
Only problem was, Carlos wasn’t laughing with me. He had a serious face and needed someone to explain things to him.
“Dude, I’m only sixteen. Will be seventeen in three months. I plan to marry by twenty-four. Do you see her far it is from now?” I cackled.
“I hoped to marry at twenty-four too. But that’s not it. The properties need to be shared. The last way of sharing, it's if…” I listened attentively to his next suggestion. We’d most likely take it.
“It's if there’s no descendant from Martinez or Tessa side. Then the remaining descendants will take it all. But you’re alive and I’m alive. So…” Carlos shrugged.
He stared me straight in eyes and I knew that I wasn’t going to take that suggestion. Unless I’m not the one dying, not that I wanna kill anyone.
“So you wanna marry me?” I asked. He stayed quiet.
“You kidnap me to tell me you wanna marry me?” I asked again.
“Actually…” he picked up the penknife and brought out a note. He placed it on the floor besides me. It was another contract.
“If you don’t agree to sign another marriage contract marriage then I may need to make me the only sole descendant” he said that so casually like it didn’t mean I’d get to die.
“Scary” I admitted. As I thought of death, the blood oozing out if my arm seemed to be moving out faster.
Like it wanted to fasten my death process. No, thanks.
His brows wrinkled, “I am not joking, Kiera. I’m serious here”.
“Me too” I shrugged, “Do you think I’d marry someone I just met. I’m not Anna. Not to think you may have your own girlfriend. Didn’t you plan to marry her?”.
My words didn’t make any effect on him. He kept swinging the pen knife.
“And if I sign that contract what makes you think I won’t go back on my words? Or what makes you think I won’t kill you in marriage?”.
“It's not a real marriage. Stop being dramatic. It has a time frame. Two years. If you want, no consummation. Just be my wife in flesh… or there are other ways” he pointed the knife at me.
He stood up and left me try to think. I didn’t really need space to think but weapons to escape from here.
Marriage contract? I’m bloody sixteen. With not even a boyfriend or even a crush on any boy.
“Tsk. Today is funny” I scoffed. What kind of condition was that?
Tessa returned to the room and switched off the light, “I rather you dead than my daughter in-law even for a short while. I could just kill you when you marry him though” she sat in front of me with her legs crossed.
She had an enviable statue. Like a young lady. Perhaps that’s why she had a cheesy attitude.
“You’re giving me an idea, granny. Marry your son, then kill him. It’s rude but the only way out” I snickered.
I shouldn’t have as it warranted a slap on my head.
I stubbornly raised my head up, “Stop treating me like an animal! Release me or the police would get you. I’ve had enough!”.
Tessa smirked and clapped her hands. A huge looking man came into the room. I went backwards.
“Bring the liquid. We need to keep her busy” the man left to carry out her order.
My mind kept on racing. What liquid? Hot water, acid or something worse.
I tried my best to move backwards as the door opened to reveal the man with a black bowl of dirty water.
Dirty water didn’t hurt, did it? I stayed calm though was conscious.
As Tessa wore her gloves to pick the bowl, my fears came back. I caught a smell but it wasn’t distinct.
She poured the water on my legs while avoiding even a drop to touch her. I winced and expected it to hurt. But it was just a cool water.
Until… my legs began to itch, it increased and became harsher and that was when I caught the scent, yam water.
Ones that was used to wash already peeled yams. They itched like hell when contact with raw skin.
This one just came in contact with bloody tired raw skin.
“What did you do!” I tried to untie my hands and scratch it. It was painful, tears began forming in my eyes. I couldn’t touch my legs, I kept on rubbing them together.
“You're horrible!” I screamed.
The witch Tessa howled in pleasure at my suffering. I kicked my legs to let some of the water touch her but she was quick and ran off.
But she stopped laughing, “Don’t you dare infect me” she frowned.
Why all this torture when was left to think of an answer to Carlos question.
“What if I became your granddaughter by law? Was this how you’d treat me?” I looked down at my red legs. I just had to wince and bite my lips, I couldn’t relieve myself from this.
“Daughter-in-law? You’re a useless product of a useless union. It’s my job to show you your useless existence. You'd die here” she bit het nails seducingly. What a bad granny!
“You're a bad example to your future daughter in laws…”.
“Good thing the child I had was a daughter who gave me a son. And my grandson don’t need a woman, women need him” she swept her hair backwards.
I stayed calm and just endured my pain. She seemed less amused and sat down with me.
“Since you’d be dead soon, I’d tell you my secret. Curious to know about your grandfather and I?” she smirked.
I wasn’t curious. Maybe I was. But I knew how it ended so how it the beginning shouldn’t bother me.
She clapped her hands again and my breathing increased. Was she going to pour more water on me for not responding?
The huge man came in with water but this time with clean water.
He poured it on my legs and rubbed something on them. Like a soothing balm making my legs shine. They were still red but they hurt mess.
“Now listen to me” Tessa gestured to herself. So she was a lonely granny that needed someone to chatter to. I nearly pitied her.
“Yes, I killed your grandma” she started. But why wasn’t I surprised? She was the villain here anyway.