Chapter One
1344 Words
The bright evening light seeping through the window highlighted the worry lines on Nathaniel Sanchez’s face as he quietly sipped his tea.
Seating in front of his desk was Kimberly, his granddaughter-in-law. Nathaniel’s worried expression made her heart beat faster than usual.
“Kimberly,” his voice was surprisingly firm, “I’m sure you’ve been trying to reach Matteo for quite a while now.”
Kimberly froze, hesitant to answer.
“He left town yesterday for a business meeting as you know.” He continued, “Our contractors at Detroit reported angrily that Matteo never showed up, but his plane was recorded at the airport to have taken off by six-thirty am. But his plane never landed up till now.” Though composed, Kimberly did not miss the hint of sadness in his tone.
She remained quiet, patiently waiting for him to finish.
“Matteo is missing.” He finally said.
Kimberly’s breath hitched, surprised by the sudden news of her husband’s disappearance.
“Missing…?” She couldn’t contain her surprise.
“Yes,” Nathaniel responded sharply.
“How…?” Kimberly said, her voice was barely audible.
Nathaniel took another sip from his steaming tea, patiently savoring each taste like he gained energy from the heat, before responding.
“I should be asking you, Kimberly.” His expression turned cold.
Kimberly’s worries instantly turned to confusion as her brows pulled together.
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play dumb, dear child. You were the last person Matteo saw before he traveled.” His tone was heavy with accusation.
“That doesn’t prove anything.” She retorted.
A frustrated chuckle escaped Nathaniel’s lips before he spoke. “Oh child, don’t think you can outsmart me. You were the only person in that house, yes?”
“Y-yes, but.…...”
“Exactly,” he cut her off, “Matteo’s travel was between me and you. No one else knew about this.”
Kimberly shook my head frantically. “Matteo said nothing to me. He was gone when I woke up.”
“Lies,” Nathaniel stated, “Matteo would never do such a thing. I know my grandson.”
His words rained down anger on Kimberly. How could he think Matteo was a saint? She thought. She opened her mouth to speak, to tell him about his grandson’s arrogant behavior and how he had treated her with nothing but disdain, but the words folded in her throat when she recalled Matteo’s threats.
‘This should be between me and you or else, I will make your life miserable.’
Kimberly instantly closed her mouth, her hands strangling the arm of her chair as she struggled to spill the truth and cover a lie to prove her innocence.
“Grandfather…...” She trailed off, unable to voice her truth.
“Matteo showed you nothing but kindness,” Nathaniel said, his voice heavy with malice. “How could you repay him like this?”
An odd laughter rippled within Kimberly. How could she blame him for what he just said? At the wedding, Matteo was the dream husband everyone thought him to be; charming, loving, and easygoing. When they got back to his mansion, that warmth instantly turned cold for no reason.
‘Although he said hurtful things to me, why would I ever think of hurting him?’ She thought. It was like Nathaniel had something against her.
Kimberly took a deep breath, then spoke. “Grandfather, I had nothing to do with Matteo’s sudden disappearance. I’m only hearing it just now from you.” She explained calmly, pressing down the storm brewing within her.
Nathaniel didn’t seem convinced by Kimberly’s explanation. Instead, his anger boiled over.
“What do you want with Matteo? Money?”
Kimberly flinched at his words, and a mix of pain and anger surged into her veins as she responded.
“Grandfather Nathaniel, your grandson is not the saint you think he is. He was only pretending to make you and the press happy.” The words tumbled out before she could stop them.
A low chuckle escaped Nathaniel’s lips. “So that’s why you thought this was the best way to repay him right?”
Kimberly shook her head frantically. “No, that’s not the point….”
Nathaniel slammed his hand on the desk, startling Kimberly’s explanation back into her throat. “I don’t give a damn about your explanations, girl.” His teeth gritted together. “You have twenty-four hours to bring Matteo back, or else you will regret crossing paths with this family.”
His icy tone sent shivers down Kimberly’s spine, a déjà vu from her wedding night with his grandson.
Her defense suddenly died a miserable death as tears welled up in her eyes.
“Sir, I swear I had nothing to do with Matteo. I wouldn’t do such a thing.” Her voice cracked. “I’m innocent.”
“I thought so too, Kimberly Peterson. I thought you were the one for my grandson. Your grandfather assured me, but it was all lies.”
His assumptions pierced Kimberly’s heart like a knife.
Before she could open her mouth to speak up, Nathaniel interrupted coldly.
“Get out of my house.”
Kimberly slowly got on her feet, the weight of Nathaniel’s accusation hung heavily on her shoulders like a physical restraint.
She was only married to Matteo Sanchez for less than twenty-four hours and he left, leaving no information about his whereabouts, and now his grandfather pointed accusing fingers at her.
Her head swarmed with thoughts as her trembling steps eventually led her to the front of his house. The sharp flash of light from a camera pulled Kimberly out of her reverie, followed by questions from journalists.
“Mrs. Sanchez, who could be responsible for the sudden disappearance of your husband?”
Before she could say anything, another interjected.
“Mrs. Sanchez, how do you feel about your husband’s disappearance only some hours after your wedding?”
“Mrs. Sanchez? Mrs. Sanchez? Mrs. Sanchez?......”
The questions went on and on, pushing Kimberly into a deep turmoil.
“Hey! Beat it before I call the cops on you guys.” A husky voice spoke from the corner, his voice low yet firm with authority.
Within a blink of an eye, the press quickly shuffled into their van and drove away.
Kimberly turned to see a man almost the same age as Matteo. She recognized him as Matteo’s best man at her wedding.
“Nosy bastards.” He muttered under his breath before turning to Kimberly. His serious expression softened slightly. “I’m Roland Cooper, your husband’s employee and friend.”
“Nice to meet you,” Kimberly responded.
“I wish I could say the same.” He said bluntly, “I need to talk to you about Matteo.”
His blunt tone was sharp enough to cut the thin rope holding Kimberly’s patience.
“I had nothing to do with Matteo’s disappearance.” She snapped, “I only heard about it today, just now.”
Roland’s composure was unfazed. His gaze remained on Kimberly as he listened to her outburst.
“I could listen to you, Kimberly.” He spoke calmly. But Grandfather Sanchez is fully convinced that you had something to do with Matteo. The business trip was between me, you, Sir Nathaniel, and Matteo, hence the accusation. Your proof is just audio; there is no hard evidence.”
“Roland, you have to believe me, he never told me he had a trip. I’m innocent. I had nothing to do with his disappearance.” Her tone mixed with exhaustion and anger.
Roland remained quiet for a moment, searching Kimberly’s face.
“Kimberly Peterson,” his voice was firm and unmistakably heavy with caution, “You do not want to make an enemy out of Sir Nathaniel Sanchez.” He leaned forward and reduced his voice. “You are in his world now.”
Kimberly swallowed hard.
“Do have a lovely evening, Kimberly,” He said, before disappearing into the house.
- Writer
