25:
1211 Words
The Fuentebella family couldn’t believe who their guest was. It was none other than Allen Fuentebella—the second son.
"Allen! You paid us a visit? I thought you had no plans of seeing your family anymore," their mother remarked with a hint of sarcasm.
Anne raised an eyebrow at her brother. "Oh, why are you here? The last time we talked, I thought you didn't want to be with us?"
Allen looked at his family coldly. "Why? Did I say I’m here to visit or check up on you? You might be forgetting that I’m still part of this family, and I have the right to be here." His tone was firm.
Their mother stood up from the sofa. "What the—! I don’t like your tone towards your sister, Allen! Why are you acting like this? Is it because we don’t like Veronica that you’re turning against your own family?"
Angelo's eyes narrowed upon hearing that. He wasn't stupid. He knew that within their family, his deceased wife had found an ally in his brother, Allen. Even before, Veronica and Allen were close. His brother had always been kind to his wife, and it irritated him. No one should be showing kindness to that good-for-nothing Veronica.
"Mom's right! You're so stupid, Allen. That's why I can't stand seeing your face. We're your family, but you side with that worthless woman!" Anne yelled in anger.
Their father could only sigh. Though he sided with his wife and two children, he didn’t want to say anything bad about Allen. He’s still his son.
Allen’s vision darkened as he looked at Angelo. “Is that it, brother? You’ll just let mom and Anne speak badly about your wife? Aren’t you even going to defend her? A man should be a leader and a protector. Where do you stand in that?”
Once again, Angelo felt anger toward Veronica because of what Allen was saying. “You know they have a point, Allen.”
“Point? Their point is pointless! I don’t understand why they’re so angry at someone who hasn’t done anything wrong to them.”
Maria Fuentebella tried to remain calm. As much as possible, she didn’t want to be angry with her son. No matter what, he was still her child. “Allen… you know your brother made a mistake in choosing Veronica. So please, don’t repeat that mistake. Of all the things we could discuss, does it really have to be about that woman?”
Allen shrugged. “I just got here, mom. I wasn’t the one who brought up Veronica. Weren’t you already talking about her when I arrived? I just asked if you were discussing Veronica. It’s funny—you could talk about anything else, but she’s the one you choose to discuss,” he taunted.
Angelo clenched his fists in a mix of irritation and anger. What was it about that annoying Veronica that made his foolish brother defend her so fiercely?
The two women seemed embarrassed by what Allen had said. Anne’s entire face turned red as she struggled to find the right words. "We weren't talking about Veronica!" she denied.
Allen just chuckled. He knew his evil sister all too well. He could tell when she was lying. "Anne, don’t try to fool me. What do you think of me, someone born yesterday? I heard you talking about her."
Maria swallowed hard, knowing that her son wouldn’t stop until they spoke the truth. “Yes, we were indeed talking about that woman.”
Anne’s eyes widened as she looked at her mother, trying to stop her from saying anything more. But Maria just looked at her, as if to say, “Trust me.”
“I thought you hated her? Why are you even wasting time talking about her?”
The Fuentebella family exchanged glances. They knew they couldn’t hide the truth. Allen would wonder why Veronica was missing in the coming days, weeks, months, and years.
Maria cleared her throat. “Because she’s missing.”
As expected, Allen was utterly shocked, unable to believe it. "W-What? Veronica’s missing?! How, why? What happened?"
It was evident from his tone that Allen was genuinely worried, which only irritated the Fuentebella family further. Angelo looked anxiously at his mother; Allen couldn’t find out that he had killed his wife. Maria understood the task at hand just from the exchange of glances between them.
"That’s what we were discussing before you arrived. Angelo came home, and Veronica was suddenly gone. Who knows? Maybe she finally felt some shame and left on her own! Perhaps she sensed the cold treatment we were giving her!" Maria laughed, faking it in the hopes that her son would believe the story.
"Well, she should have felt ashamed! The nerve of her to marry Angelo," Anne chimed in, pretending to agree.
Allen shot a harsh look at Angelo. "Is that it, Angelo? Are you just going to let her disappear like that? We need to find her! She might be in danger."
"Stop it, Allen! It was Veronica's choice to leave your brother. Why should we look for someone who doesn’t want to be found?" their father finally joined the conversation.
Allen shook his head. "No. Something’s wrong."
The entire family grew nervous. "What do you mean?"
"Veronica wouldn’t just leave Angelo like that. You’ve been mistreating her for years, but she never gave up on their relationship. She loves Angelo deeply, and I don’t believe she would just walk away and leave him. Especially since they’re newly married. This is insane. I will never believe it," Allen’s voice rose in intensity.
"Then don't believe it. Is anyone forcing you to? That woman is gone, and there's nothing you can do about it! She might have gone off with another man. That would be better for us, so our problem is gone. If the Midnight Fall Pack finds out that your brother married a human, he's the one who will be in danger. Just think of it as being for the best!" Maria shouted in anger.
Veronica, run off with another man? He didn’t believe it. She was a decent woman who did nothing but love his heartless brother and seek validation from his family. He wouldn’t let them tarnish her reputation.
"Run off? Or maybe you did something to her? Maybe you scared her away." There was doubt in his voice. "Her family deserves to know what happened to her. I'm sure they’re worried. And I’m certain that even if it’s not today, the truth about what really happened to Veronica will eventually come out."
The Fuentebella family was stunned into silence by his words. He took another step toward the mansion's exit.
"W-Wait! Where are you going? You just got here, and you're leaving already?" their father asked.
Allen didn’t respond, continuing his way out the door. But before his final step outside, he turned back to them. There was a coldness and unreadable emotion on his face. "If I find out that any of you had something to do with her disappearance, you’ll have to face the consequences. I don’t know what I’ll do to you."
The threat in his voice sent a chilling fear through their bones.
- Writer
