Leashed

Chapter 7

He got up and looked at the naked woman beside him. He observed the rise and fall of her large breasts, her subtle breathing and how she is nothing similar to his ex-wife.

Wile Belmonte just met her a week ago. His compadré introduced her to him—more like, recommended. Her name is Donna Cuneta, 26 years old and a flight attendant.

She stirred and later realized that he was already awake. “Good morning,” she said and got out of the sheets to give him a kiss on the lips.

“Good morning,” he replied and tried not to sound bland.

She’s undoubtedly beautiful with the features that many a man would die for. She has the body of a Victoria’s Secret model and a face that could rival that of a Nicole Kidman. However, he concluded that she’s nothing compared to his ex-wife. Unlike her, she gave him solace, and she gave him life. She is more refined, and she is as lovely as the flower which she is named after.

Mela, he thought, you shouldn’t have left.

He didn’t always think about her anymore. To be precise, he prevented himself. He occupied himself with other beneficial matters and several pleasurable encounters. Yet this specific day made him remember her again, not because it’s a cold morning just like when she left him to live with another man, but because today is supposed to be their 23rd wedding anniversary.

The eleventh day of the eleventh month always has a lot to offer for everyone—customers and businessmen alike. The date is a special day, but the aged gentleman really couldn’t care less even when Donna pulled him with her to a shopping mall.

“Donna, babe, I can buy you anything you want. You just have to ask. You don’t have to squeeze in there with those people,” he lazily told her, taking note through the car’s tinted window, of the surge of people going inside.

“No way! I don’t want to miss their huge discounts today,” she enthusiastically replied.

This woman, he discerned, is stubborn, and among the many women he bed, she seems different—different in the sense that she isn’t high maintenance contrary to his first impression of her. Her thriftiness and practicality technically sprang from her raising. She grew up in a struggling family, but she reached her dream to become a flight attendant because of her intellect and hard work.

“Alright, whatever. Why did you have to drag me here? Unlike other men, babe, I’m not that available,” he said as a matter of fact.

She slightly blushed and looked everywhere but his eyes. “I’m sorry for taking much of your time. I—I just want to be with you.”

He was taken aback, but he didn’t want to show it. What she said were the same words he had heard from someone very important to him before. He was suddenly filled with rage that he wanted to strangle her right then. He was abruptly enraged that she reminded him of his ex-wife and the pain she inflicted to him. He suddenly hated her just for that reason.

Wile reached for her hair and yanked her towards him. She, on the other hand, chose to ignore the stinging of her scalp, for he was staring at her eyes like he was peering through them and to her very soul.

“You want to be with me? Are you sure?” He was wearing a smile but his eyes were scary like these wanted to engulf her. Their emerald glint was no more; it was replaced with an ominous darkness that made her whole being weak.

“I—I am,” she managed to say.

“Really? Then you have to be prepared since being with me comes with a lot of compromise. You may even have to give up your sense of self. Are you prepared for that?”

“Yes.”

He pulled her close and smashed his lips against hers. She was startled at the intensity of his kiss. She deemed that he was punishing her for a sin she has yet to know.

Unlike his daughter, one of Wile’s very few virtues is generosity. Despite his manipulating nature, he’s downright generous. He never viewed women who demanded his money as gold diggers or anything of that sort, for he supposed that they couldn’t be helped; they’re materialistic and needy.

It can be counted as a first, however, that a woman didn’t ask for his money. He didn’t want to give much meaning to that for he doesn’t believe that anyone is capable of sincerity especially women. He remembered what Donna said to him earlier, and he can’t get it off his mind. Nevertheless, she, he believes, is trying to gain his favor by acting honest and unassertive. He’s starting to dislike her, yet she can make a good plaything.

Gello was beside Bun, a bodyguard younger than him, who sat on the driver’s seat. The latter is as plump as his name but not as funny though sometimes he tries to be, as he occasionally jokes around good old him who was sleeping when heaven rained sense of humor to humans. The right hand is never really seen talking lengths with anyone except their boss. He isn’t exempted since unless if he gives him an order, he makes him feel invisible.

Gello is quiet again contrary to the loud moans inside the car. These were disturbing Bun’s focus on the road and making him uncomfortable while driving towards a restaurant. He really had no right to be envious, but the rear view mirror reflecting his boss groping the ample bosom of Donna Cuneta was stealing his attention. He supposed it’s an appetizer for their lunch date. He couldn’t blame him since women like her are definitely irresistible particularly his boss’ daughter.

Neoma, for him, is the perfect woman. She’s dazzling, and she’s challenging, but with the gap in their status and age—nine years—he could only swoon over her from afar. Due to his fervid attraction towards her, several of his dreams contained his young miss making love to him. Whom he was actually envious of is her acclaimed dog, Sol. Sometimes, he’d be annoyed at how much attention she was giving him to the point he hoped that he could replace him as her personal driver-bodyguard. Just the previous month, nonetheless, he was assigned to the boss himself.

He remembered how unnerved he was when he first met him, because on the day he was hired, his boss tasked him to shoot a thieving fellow bodyguard on the head. He was told that it was part of the initiation which if he declined, he should find another job. It was difficult for him to do so since no one else and no other company would take interest in hiring someone who didn’t even graduate from high school.

The voice of the pleading man in front of him still lingered in his hears. He remembered how he heaved as he pulled the trigger. He remembered how he howled when he shot his face and that he had to shoot him a couple of times again since he had to make sure he’d die. And he remembered how amused his boss was when he emptied his bullets on the dead man’s skull. In his entire life, that bodyguard was the first man he ever killed.

His boss has to be the oddest man he’s ever met. He reveled in making other people suffer. At that point, he realized how he also made him suffer mentally. He suffered from trauma, and the dead man visited him in his nightmares. Eventually, he overcame it, and his boss commended him for passing his test. He then confirmed that he really does know how to manipulate people.

From what he heard, his employer wasn’t like this before. He used to be a very considerate and kind gentleman who rose to fame and power because of his perseverance and the moral support of his wife. Yet at some point during his first successful years, he changed. He turned into an insatiable monster who’d do anything to increase his profits. He was reformed as a devious tycoon who’d stop at nothing until he crushed his competitors to bits. He became even more extreme when he discovered his wife’s extramarital affair.

Bun hasn't seen a single picture of his boss’ ex-wife, but he was told that she is as lovely as their daughter. He deduced that probably because of her infidelity, his boss turned the way he is right now. Perhaps, if she’ll ever go back to him, his boss would disrobe himself of his sadism. This deduction of his is then put to the test when, as he was pretty occupied with the troubling scene behind him, he heard the screech of another car in front and the collision of its headlight to theirs.

Wile and Donna watched how Bun and Gello immediately went out to settle the incident with the couple whose car they collided with. The man is lanky, and he had a gentle expression amidst what happened.

“I am so sorry, sir. I didn’t see your car,” the lanky man instantly said.

Both parties were trailing an intersection where vehicles seldom used and where a high concrete fence gave them a blind spot.

“We’ll pay for the damage. Don’t worry,” the woman supplemented.

Gello’s squinty eyes widened, and Bun caught that he recognized her. She, too, froze at the presence of his companion.

He stared at the woman’s face. She looks younger than him, but he sensed that she’s older—around his boss’ age. There was something in her demeanor which made him suppose that. Her face also looks uncannily familiar. He felt as though he had seen her face before at the Belmonte household.

“Madame,” Gello greeted her.

This fateful day couldn’t be more astonishing for Wile. Standing a few feet before him is a very familiar woman. From her rose blonde locks and hazel orbs to her delicate porcelain skin, she didn’t change that much. She’s still beautiful, and he still wanted her.

He didn’t expect Gumamela, his ex-wife, to appear before him.

He saw the alarm on her face. He sensed her fear. He’s certain that she doesn’t want to see him. Even after fifteen years, he’s certain that she hasn’t forgotten how he almost killed the man whom she replaced him with. Even after that many years, he also hasn’t forgotten what she told him on the day he found out about their illicit affair.

“Why have you done this to me?” He remembered he asked her calmly yet hostilely.

She was clutching at her other man, imploring him no more of his torture. She was crying for him as she replied, “Don’t you get it, Wile? I don’t love you anymore. I will never be truly happy with you.”

He wanted to shoot her—to kill her along with the man who robbed her from him. He clenched his teeth as he was sure he’d pull the trigger, but she said, “Go on. Kill me. Kill Patrick. Kill us both! Do me a favor by setting me free from your obsessive and manipulating claws!”

“Aaaaah!” He shouted as he randomly released different shots inside her lover’s condominium. He didn’t shed a tear, but his heart was in shreds. With eyes begging, he looked at her and extended his hand. “Come, Mela. Let’s go home. Neoma’s waiting for us.”

She angrily swatted his hand. “I’m never going back to that hell with you.”

“Is he in there?” She asked Gello.

“He’s not. The boss is at work right now.” Of course, he lied.

She already knew that Wile is inside the car. She instantly sensed his presence the moment she identified the scarred bodyguard. This may have probably been brought by how he instilled fear in her for several years. She can feel herself trembling as bitter memories of him came flashing back.

Look at what I did to your stalker, love. I removed his p***s for you.

So these are the maids who gossiped so much about you. Their tongues are long so I had to snip them short.

Do you want to see the fingers of the kid who stole your necklace?

“Hon? Are you OK?”

She looked at the man who pulled her from her bitter recollection. Patrick, now her husband, was also the same man who rescued her when she was about to go insane. He used to be her psychiatrist who found out how she was psychologically tormented day by day. To her, he’s her savior. He showed her the way out of hell.

Her husband noticed her inward turmoil. He cupped her face and gently assured her, “Whatever that is, Gumamela, don’t worry. I’m always here for you.”

Wile definitely didn’t like what he just saw. He was beyond mad as he grinned. He wanted to go meet the couple and blow their brains right there and then.

“Babe?” He was severed from his thoughts when Donna called him. “What’s wrong? You seem angry.”

Oh, darling.

He tucked her hair behind her ear. “I’m not, babe, but I want you to do me a favor.”

Patrick turned to Gello who seems vaguely familiar to him. “Sir, about the car—”

“Gello!” Donna called when she got out of the car. “Let’s go.”

Gumamela, meanwhile, felt her stare on her, but it turned out that she wasn’t just staring. She was examining her from head to toe.

“Oh, ma’am, sir, don’t bother about our car’s damaged headlight. We’re also at fault. If you want, we’ll pay for your car’s damage instead,” she said to them.

She’s not certain, but she felt that the young woman was disgusted of her. Her eyes were not only indifferent, but these were also belittling her. She wondered how she is related to her ex-husband.

So this is Wile’s ex-wife. Donna thought. She’s already old, and she’s not even that beautiful.

Of course, she knew her. She researched about Wile’s life after all.

“Oh, it’s fine, miss. We’ll manage,” Patrick responded.

“Then, Madame, Sir, we’ll go on ahead,” Gello courtly said.

Bun, on the other hand, was oblivious about what was really happening. He just left a smile to the couple and headed to the car with his senior.

Gumamela watched the other car pass them, but through its tinted windows, she could feel his eyes—glaring and threatening her.

Wile glowered at her. Soon you’ll realize that whatever will happen to Neoma is all your fault.

She then suddenly thought of her daughter. “I hope she’s doing well.”

She was in a white dress, and she was running—running away from the man with fangs. She couldn’t bear to look clearly at his face, but he heard him growl. He’s hungry; she’s sure of it. If he ever reached her, he’d ravage her. With those sharp teeth, he’d tear her flesh and grind her bones.

“Help! Somebody!” She yelled, but no one was there to help her. There was only the eerie sound of the wind in that vast field under the starless night sky.

She remembered his name—that name of the only man who swore his loyalty to her. “Sol! Sol! Where are you?! Help me! Kill this man for me!”

But he wasn’t there for her.

The man caught her and shoved her to the ground. She saw his face. It was hideous. He had horns, and his eyes were black and beady. With his large hand, he ripped her dress making her naked and helpless.

“Kaaahhh” came his voice as he drooled.

All she could do was cry in horror as he bit her shoulder. She heard her flesh being torn apart, and she felt the excruciating pain. She was going to die at the hands of an unknown man.

When all hope was lost, two big mutts arrived—one was black and the other was red. Together, they tore the savage man away from her. The black mutt ripped his neck and the red mutt frayed his face. And she only watched as they ate him.

The two mutts then turned to her with their mouths bloodied, but she wasn’t afraid of them. Instead, she was grateful. They both approached her, and she stroked their smooth fur. The black mutt licked her massive wound, and the red mutt licked her tears.

Neoma woke up crying. It was peculiar of her to be so, yet the dream left her quite a sensation. She could feel an ache in her right shoulder like it had been bitten (It’s just fatigue actually). She doesn’t think anything much of it nevertheless. Her watching a horror film last night may have inspired that.

In that dream, whatsoever, she was mad at Sol. Where was he when I needed him? She angrily thought.

Sol wasn’t also there when she had breakfast, and when she headed to the garage, someone else was waiting to drive her to work. She’s sure that Sol couldn’t be shorter and his eyes couldn’t be bigger.

“Good morning, Miss Neoma,” the guy greeted.

She raised a brow. “Who the hell are you? And where’s Sol? I don’t remember firing him.”

“My name’s Waldo, Miss Neoma. I’m part of the security personnel of your household. From what I heard, Sol has been ordered to settle a business deal in Hong Kong.”

“How long will he be staying there?”

“I don’t really know the exact details, Miss Neoma, but Sir Gello said that I’ll be temporarily driving for you for a month.”

Neoma had to convince herself to calm down especially after she dialed Sol’s number, and he was out of coverage. She had a bad feeling about this, but she’s sure that he’s not dead. She knows that sending Sol far away is part of her father’s plot, and he had moved discreetly and cunningly under her nose. In any case, she has to deal with him alone.

She arrived at her office with a panting Chelsea crossing paths with her.

“G—Good morning, Miss Neoma. Thank goodness, you’re here!”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s the board, Miss Neoma. They are having a meeting right now, and you have to be there. It’s urgent.”

“This early?”

“Yes.”

She wondered what could be so urgent about Deliciae right now. The sales have increased. The marketing is flawless. And her performance along with the employees’ is excellent. She also wondered why they were whispering among themselves as she passed by them. Something felt off today.

The conference room had a long oblate table, and the room was too large for ten people including her father seated at the other end across her. The 54 year-old business tycoon may have given way for Neoma to head Deliciae, yet he hasn’t forgotten to keep track of one of the major assets of the Belmonte Conglomerate. He may be the chief executive officer of both Petrobel, an expansive petrochemicals company and Belmonte Homes, a leading real estate company, but during the previous month, he worked his way to be elected as the chairman of the board of directors of Deliciae just as he had wanted.

Almost all of the board of directors are not on good terms with Neoma because of her domineering attitude, but they are not strangers to her work ethic and brilliance. In fact, they were the same people who put her in the position she is in right now two years ago.

“Good morning,” she expressed her courtesy.

“Take your seat, Miss Belmonte.” Her father said, and he smiled at her.

She responded him a frown; she will surely wring the details of Sol’s exact whereabouts later from him. She really hated her father today, but when did she not anyway?

The board is composed mostly of people decades older than her, but most of them are considerate and sensible. One of them is Clara Estrada who for a short time served as a model for her—a mother figure even—but today, she’ll be the one to give her quite a troubling exposé. “CEO Neoma Belmonte, one of your employees and you are suspected of corruption.”

There was a sting in her ears, one that is clamorous. She can’t believe she’s hearing this. “What?”

She scanned the faces of the people with her in that room. They were all looking at her with suspicion, except her father who hid behind an innocent and gentle expression. Ah, she already knew it. She clenched her teeth, and she angrily stood. She glared at his father. He did this to ruin her, and she’s sure of it.

“What is the meaning of this?” She angrily said.