Commander in Chief!
1136 Words
Olivia angrily slammed the door of the car, her eyes fixed on the imposing facade of the Rodriguez mansion. With a deep breath, she plastered a fake smile on her face and briskly made her way to the entrance. Ringing the bell three times, she impatiently waited for a servant to answer.
"Ugh. All this stress because of that woman. Oh, the things I will do to her when I finally crush her pride," Olivia muttered to herself in frustration.
She rang the bell again, and this time, an elderly man opened the door and gestured for her to come in.
Olivia bypassed the living room and headed straight to the sunroom, where she found an old woman and a young lady by the piano. The younger woman was playing for the elder lady, and Olivia greeted them with a smile. Standing at the door for a moment, she approached them after the music stopped.
"Renee, that was absolutely stunning. It's lovely to see you play for your mother once again. I'm sure she's delighted," Olivia complimented.
Renee, the youngest of the Rodriguez family and the favorite of everyone, politely acknowledged Olivia's praise and turned back to her grandmother, who was glaring at Olivia from the moment she entered.
"It's nice to see you again, grandmother," Olivia said as she knelt at the old woman's feet.
"Don't think I can't see through your facade. What do you want this time?" the grandmother snapped.
"Come on, grandma. Don't be so harsh. She's Al's fiancée, and I'm sure your son wouldn't appreciate your attitude," Renee intervened.
"What do you want, Missy? Spit it out. It must be about my grandson if you're kneeling here instead of being a pest to your parents," the grandmother demanded.
Suppressing her anger, Olivia took a deep breath and lowered her voice. "Mother, it's about Alessio. He's been acting strangely. Something doesn't seem right."
"Well, I wouldn't be surprised if he's acting out. Living with you could drive anyone to madness," the grandmother remarked caustically.
"Pfft, come on grandma, let her speak," Renee interjected barely holding in her laughter.
"What exactly is wrong with him?" the grandmother inquired.
Amused by her opportunity to provoke them, Olivia feigned distress and replied, "He... he brought a woman into the house yesterday."
Renee reacted immediately. "That's a lie! My brother would never do such a thing! Marrying you was bad enough, but another woman? I can't believe that. Al isn't capable of such behavior. How dare you accuse him of such?!"
Olivia continued, "But it's true. The woman had a baby, and Alessio claimed they had a past connection."
"Is this baby in question my grandson's baby?" the grandmother asked anxiously.
"I don't think so, grandma. The child looks like Alessio, but I believe she's lying," Olivia replied in fake distress.
"Hold on, let's not jump to conclusions. What did Alessio say about his relationship with this woman?" the grandmother inquired.
"He... He said they used to be married," Olivia disclosed, relishing their shocked reactions.
As silence filled the room, the grandmother exclaimed, "What in the world?"
Olivia smirked inwardly, pleased with the chaos she had caused.
"What's the woman's name?" the grandmother demanded eagerly, her voice trembling with anticipation instead of rage which in turn, surprised Olivia.
"Her name is Camilla," Olivia revealed.
For a split second, there was a stunned silence in the room
"I'll drive, grandma," Renee announced, and they both jumped up in excitement.
***
Bored to death, I glanced around the room, observing Aiden as he napped peacefully.
"Should I just join him and snooze?" I contemplated, dismissing the idea as pointless. Why did Al leave me here if I had nothing to do? I would go crazy soon enough. It had been a while since I had seen Precious and Ona; maybe they were doing okay. Standing up, I stealthily crept out of the room and went straight into the kitchen. I stopped to the fridge but I had barely opened it when a hand snuck around my waist.
"Ona!" I squealed, my voice echoing with joy as she tickled me mercilessly, the sound of our laughter filling the room.
"St---stop! Waaaaaaah, my chest hurts!" I gasped between breaths, trying to contain my laughter.
Ona immediately let go of me and stared at me, worried when I burst into laughter uncontrollably.
"Pfft. Got you! I wonder how you always fall for that every damn time." She chuckled, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
Her features relaxed in obvious relief as she scanned me from head to toe, as if to ascertain that I was truly okay. I smiled as a certain feeling of fondness crept up, grateful for her playful spirit. Ona was one of the few daring people I knew with the guts to pull off what she just did without an ounce of fear. She was truly bold and a ray of sunshine to whoever she liked.
"Stop that nasty little trick of yours. You know I worry way too much about you, especially when you deem it unnecessary," she teased, pretending to scold me.
I made a face at her and took the snacks I had gotten to the table. As I expected, it was nothing healthy but pure junk. Ona shook her head disapprovingly, her expression a blend of amusement and concern. Despite her protests, I couldn't resist indulging in my guilty pleasures.
"Don't let her eat that, Ona. I'll whip up something," a voice interrupted, sending a pang of guilt through me. I paused, holding the burger I found in the fridge, my appetite momentarily subdued. I recognized the voice right away — it was Precious, always the vigilant caregiver and I liked to jokingly called her, "Commander in chief of the kitchen."
"Tsk, tsk. Do you even know if it was poisoned or bad?" I grinned, the familiar banter between us bringing a sense of home and comfort.
"Oh please, I'm enjoying listening to you talk, sweetheart. Why did you even stop? Pfft," I teased, her eyes twinkling with affection.
"Madam!" she mockingly scolded me, enjoying our playful exchange.
"Ok, ok. I know you pride yourself on running a tight ship. There is no way in the seven hells that you would let anything spoiled be in 'your fridge.' I know you, darling. Now, want to give me a welcome hug instead of eyeing me like you want to totally rip me apart?" I chuckled, reaching out for a comforting embrace.
She hesitated at first, but ultimately wrapped herself around me, her embrace warm and reassuring.
"What took you so long?" She whispered, her voice filled with concern and love.
"Doesn’t matter, hunie. I'm back now. That's all that matters," I reassured her, somewhat grateful for her unwavering care. Aiden was going to need it.
- Writer
