The Forbidden Promise (38 page)

When he opened his eyes the next morning, Lucas saw Aurora’s beautiful face
still asleep beside him. Smiling, he brushed aside her long bronze hair and
kissed her slender neck. She opened her eyes and smiled as well, her sweet
hazel eyes filled with love.
"I thought I was dreaming and instead you're here beside me," she
said tenderly.
" You're mine, remember this!" He whispered, continuing to kiss her
neck.
" I don’t deserve so much love. After all the pain I've caused due to my
stubbornness," she said sadly.
" Don’t fret, my love, the important thing is that we’re together now and
that you finally believed me."
Aurora nodded her head as tears clouded her eyes.
" If it hadn’t been for Alma’s confession, I don’t know what I would have
done at the hearing," she said forlornly.
Lucas looked at her quizzically and Aurora briefly told him about the meeting
with Alma in the convent’s infirmary and her recount of the facts of that
unfortunate evening in Zacatecas.
She kept silent, however, on the fact that she now knew where Penelope was
hiding, she did not want Lucas’ instinct for revenge to put him in trouble with
the law again.
Lucas glanced at her sweetly, while stroking her shiny hair.
" What you saw couldn’t be forgotten simply by my words, I realize very
well," he said, "I'm not a fool, I don’t blame you."
Aurora kissed him passionately.
" I love you to death, Lucas Navarra, you can’t even imagine how much! How
I struggled with myself, against this feeling, trying to convince myself that I
would be better off without you ... "
Lucas smiled.
" Now let’s not talk about it anymore. We’re together now and that's all
that matters."
Aurora sighed happily.
" Now, unfortunately, I have to go to the clinic," she said, trying
to get up.
"Take a day off, today I need your care!" Lucas joked, holding her
close to him.
Aurora smiled, moved closer to his lips and gave him a passionate kiss.
She then struggled from his embrace like a cat and stood up pulling on her
dressing gown.
"This taster must suffice until tonight!" Aurora winked at him and
went to get ready to go out.
During breakfast, Lucas expressed his concerns about the fate of their
hacienda
.
"The incident has brought us to our knees, if I can’t find a way to repay
the bank loan, the
hacienda
will be seized and I’ll lose the concession
on the mine."
"There is no possibility of restarting production?" asked Aurora,
cutting a slice of melon.
"That’s just what I'm going to check. I'll leave tomorrow."
"We'll leave tomorrow," she corrected him.
" I thought you wanted to stay a few more days at the clinic."
"I’ll ask the doctor in Ciudad Madero to lend Dr. Peron a hand from time
to time, he’s always been very helpful, I don’t think he’ll deny me his help.
And also, returning to the
hacienda
, I could reopen my clinic for the
peones
."
" We'll leave tomorrow at dawn. Do you want me to send someone to collect
your things from your mother? "
"No, I prefer to go there in person, so I can say goodbye," said
Aurora, sipping her cup of hot chocolate.
After breakfast, Lucas accompanied Aurora to her mother's house. He, however,
preferred not to enter and headed towards the harbor. Aurora rang the bell and
Carmen came immediately to open the door.
Viviana was glad to hear from Aurora that everything was finally settled with
Lucas.
"You know Aurora, I was really wrong about your husband," she said
smiling at her. "I thought he wasn’t any different from the other Navarras
and instead, I misjudged him..."
Viviana was staring at her cup of tea.
" What do you mean by different from the other Navarras? Don Eduardo was a
gentleman and as far as I know also Don Hector."
Viviana tried to conceal her sudden embarrassment.
" I was referring to Federico, look at how he behaved to Marisol."
Aurora looked at her suspiciously.
"I thought your ostracism towards Lucas dated from the day of our
engagement announcement, when you still didn’t known of Federico’s misdeeds...
"
Viviana did not answer but became particularly edgy.
"It's just that every mother wants the best for her daughter and at the
time, you’ll admit that your husband didn’t really seem the ideal groom ...
"
Aurora nodded, though she was not entirely convinced with Viviana’s explanation.
She seemed strange, but maybe it was all the excitement of the recent days.
"Well, I’d better go," said Aurora rising. "Say goodbye to
Marisol from me as she’s still sleeping."
" I'll call Carmen to accompany you with the suitcase," said Viviana
embracing Aurora tightly. "Give my regards to Lucas and ask him to forgive
me, if he can."
The next morning, Aurora and Lucas, along with Pablo, got into the train
carriage that would take them back to Zacatecas.
"Are you ready to go back to our house?" Lucas asked smiling at
Aurora.
Aurora nodded, smiling back.
" Yes, let's go home."
When they entered the house, they found Yolanda waiting for them on the
doorstep.
"I'm glad you're back, both of you," she said before hugging Aurora
and then Lucas.
Lucas and Aurora wanted to freshen up after the long trip, after which they
went down to the dining room for dinner, served impeccably by Yolanda. Santos
came to welcome them, still supported by two wooden crutches.
After dinner Pablo joined them in the living room while they were having
coffee.
"Would you like a cigar?" Lucas asked, pointing to the wooden inlaid
box on the table.
"No thank you" said Pablo while Lucas lit one. Pablo looked excited;
his eyes gleaming with excitement, his face had taken on a crimson tinge.
"Are you alright?" Lucas asked curiously.
Pablo nodded without speaking. Lucas, perplexed, turned to Santos.
" How is the situation at the mine," he asked, slowly exhaling a puff
of smoke.
"Not good. The damage is severe, we can’t fix it quickly. In addition, we
are short of labor. I convinced some
peones
to continue to work on the
reconstruction of the mine and to attempt to restart the silver extraction
soon. Most of them however have gone, led by that damn team leader."
Lucas was silent for a few minutes twirling his cigar between his fingers.
"Tomorrow I’ll go and see the mine, if the situation is as serious as you
say, I won’t risk other men’s lives, even if this means losing everything I've
got."
At that moment, Yolanda poked her head out of the kitchen door.
She coughed lightly, embarrassed.
"Have you told them yet?" she asked, turning to Pablo.
Pablo shook his head, apparently still too excited to speak. Everybody present
turned to look at one then the other, intrigued.
" What
’s
happened now?" Lucas demanded.
Yolanda crossed the room and walked over to Pablo.
" This may not be the right time, but we must tell you something, we’ve
decided to get married!"
" So suddenly?" Asked Lucas, amazed.
For the first time, Pablo intervened.
"All the time spent apart, me in Tampico and Yolanda here in Zacatecas
made us realize how much we missed each other and so ... "
"You’ve just returned and got down to business quickly!" Santos
exclaimed, annoyed. "Without consulting me first! Remember I’m Yolanda’s
older brother, you should have ask my permission!"
" Finally some good news!" Said Aurora, lightening the atmosphere.
She got up and ran to embrace Yolanda to congratulate her.
"Congratulations Pablo," said Lucas, giving him a brotherly pat on
the back looking happy and trying to hide his concern for the economic
situation.
The rest of the evening passed joyfully, celebrating Aurora and Lucas’
reconciliation, and Yolanda and Pablo’s future marriage.
But Lucas continued to have a veil of sadness and worry in his eyes.
Aurora saw it and walked over to him, stroking his silky black hair. Lucas
responded, albeit in a distracted way, trying to smile.
When they finally retired to their room, Aurora urged him to speak and express
his fears.
"It’s the mine. With the condition it is in, I can’t allow the silver
extraction to start up again. It’s too risky. "
Aurora, now in her dressing gown, came up to him and kissed him on the lips.
"I'm sure that the decision that you take will be the right one," she
whispered.
Lucas sighed.
" My decision may condemn us to poverty," he said sadly.
"When I’m with you I'm not afraid of anything, not even poverty. The
important thing is that we're together."
Lucas hugged and kissed her passionately. Aurora felt a quiver of excitement in
her chest, while Lucas’ hot lips ran down her throat. Aurora hurried to get rid
of her dressing gown to hug naked Lucas’ strong manly body. Lucas took off his
shirt and kicked off his pants while his lips continued to touch Aurora’s silky
skin. They lay down on the bed and made love oblivious to the outside world and
its problems.
The next morning, they had breakfast together, then returned to their usual
daily lives.
Lucas confirmed his decision not to authorize the resumption of work which
meant that the second loan installment could not be honored. But his
resignation was accompanied by the fear that at any moment the bank would send
the bailiffs to execute the foreclosure.
In the evening, he shut himself in
his study, trying to
find a temporary solution to the financial problems.
He was sitting at his desk, so immersed with his worries that he did not to
hear Aurora enter. Aurora went up to him and kissed him on the head, making him
jump.
"I didn’t mean to scare you," she said softly.
"I was lost in thought," he replied, taking her hands in his.
"You're thinking of the loan? Why don’t you go to a lawyer to find a way
out?"
" To who?"
" To Cristobal, for example, he’s a very good lawyer."
He immediately let her hands go and jumped up.
"I’d prefer to let them seize every penny rather than turn to him!"
Aurora snorted, putting herself in front of his desk.
"It’s time to put aside this stupid rivalry!" She rebuked him
sternly.
Lucas did not answer her.
"Tomorrow I’ll go to Tampico to see if I can get a further respite from the
bank."
Aurora insisted.
"What time do we leave?" She asked.
" No, Aurora, you stay here, you’ve only just got here!"
"No, I’ll come with you, I don’t want to risk them separating us again,
moreover we can try to solve this problem together, we're married."
"A great husband fate has given you, I thought that I could offer you a
good, stable and prosperous future, instead look!" He said, spreading his
arms out sadly.
" Wealth is not everything, I feel like the richest woman in the world by
the mere fact of having you next to me!" She exclaimed passionately.
He smiled and pulled her into a hug.
"I'm the luckiest man in the world," he said tenderly kissing her,
his head resting on her breast.

    
In Tampico the day started beautifully sunny, while a gentle breeze blowing
from the calm sea cooled the air.
Don José Pereira, impeccable as always in his uniform, went to visit
Doña
Viviana Vargas de Coronado.
"I’m very happy to see you. It’s a long time since you’ve been to see
me," said Viviana, inviting Don José into the living room.
"I’ve been involved with the investigation of your late husband’s case...
but I’ve still not been able to come up with anything. I’ve heard that Aurora
is living with Lucas again, congratulations!"
"Yes, they finally resolved their misunderstandings and I hope they manage
to leave everything behind and move forward with their lives."
They sat on the sofa, while Viviana ordered Carmen to serve two fresh
lemonades.
" You know Don José, I realized that I was very unfair to Lucas ... He was
just a poor victim of Raquel Navarra y Reyes, just like all of us," said
Viviana, while her voice trembling with irritation.
" What do you mean?" asked Don José, resting his hands on his knees
and leaning towards her.
Viviana sighed, in the grip of anxiety.
"I can talk honestly to you because you are a friend ... before a police
officer," She said placing her delicate hand on his.
"It’s no secret that I yearn to be something more than just a friend to
you ... your beauty has bewitched me from the first day I saw you!" Don
José whispered, taking her hand to his lips and kissing it tenderly.
Viviana blushed, but she could not tear her eyes from his blue ones.
Just then Marisol came down the stairs, dressed in a canary yellow dress. On
hearing her footsteps, Viviana immediately withdrew her hand while Don José
stood up to greet Marisol.
"Good morning, Don José," said Marisol taking a seat in the chair
next to Viviana.
" Don José and I were talking about the investigation into Costantino’s
murder.” Intervened Viviana without showing any embarrassment.
" And is there any news?" Asked Marisol.
" No, unfortunately we are at a dead end," replied Don José annoyed.
"Who ever committed this terrible crime has completely vanished, without
leaving any trace."
Viviana coughed, tucking a bronze curl behind her ear.
"I believe, as I was saying Don José, that behind it all there is Raquel
Navarra y Reyes’ hand ... But I fear that we’ll never find the evidence."
" Certainly, my mother-in-law is a snake and is undoubtedly very
smart!" Commented Marisol arranging the folds of her wide skirt.
" But why would she want to get rid of your husband or her
brother-in-law?" Asked José. "The problem is this, we can’t find a
valid motive for the murder! The only plausible one, and I regret to say this,
was that provided by
Doña
Raquel herself that incriminated Lucas."
" Lucas is innocent, Don José!" Exclaimed Marisol heatedly.
"I believe that Raquel's hiding something ... Lucas’ exclusion from his
father’s legacy is a strange and unusual element... Maybe Hector was aware of
something compromising and it was more convenient to silence him forever!"
Suggested Viviana.
" Unfortunately these are only speculations," responded Don José
dejected. "Until we find useful evidence, we can’t accuse anyone."
Don José sighed.
" Well, it's time that for me to go," he said, standing up.
" But you have been here such a short time!” Complained Marisol.
"I have to go back to work," said Don José addressing Marisol.
Viviana immediately stood up to accompany Don José to the door.
As he left, Don José said goodbye to Viviana, staring at her admiringly.
"Next time I’ll stay longer, if the hostess will allow me!" He said
as he bowed to kiss Viviana’s hand, holding it perhaps longer than he should
have.
"It will be a pleasure to have you here with us again soon Don José,"
replied Viviana.
As soon as he had gone, Marisol gave Viviana a mischievous smile.
"I think he likes you aunt!" she exclaimed laughing.
" Do not be silly Marisol!" Viviana said curtly, embarrassed.
" What would be so strange? You’re a very beautiful widow and he is
undoubtedly a very attractive man ... And don’t tell me you haven’t noticed
this yourself!"
"Marisol, you're being insolent!" Scolded Viviana pretending to
arrange some flowers in a vase on the nearby shelf to avoid being seen smiling
by Marisol. "Can’t you see I'm still wearing mourning? I’ve some other
things to think about!"
The light atmosphere, however, was soon interrupted.
The doorbell rang and the maid went to open it. She entered the living room
after a few seconds, followed by Don Miguel Vargas Rivera de Coronado.
" Father," cried Marisol, frightened, jumping to her feet.
"I came to speak to you," said Don Miguel surly, turning to Viviana,
without even looking at Marisol.
A flash of anger crossed Don Miguel’s stern gaze.
"Marisol would you leave us alone, please?" ordered Viviana.
" No, stay," said Don Miguel trying to keep impassive. "We need
to talk about you and your intolerable behavior. You’ve disgraced our family’s
good name. You abandoned your husband, you went to live with an adventurer, and
when he left you to return to his wife, you came to take refuge here!"
"Things didn’t go like that," shouted Marisol, crying, "But you
never wanted to listen! Federico beat me, humiliated me and you demanded that I
stay and live in hell so as not to ruin our family’s good name! Lucas was the
only one who gave me a hand!"
"Your name is on everyone's lips! You're a disgrace to our family! The
only solution that remains for us to save our face is to shut you into a
convent for the rest of your days!" Replied Don Miguel furious.
"Never," Shouted Marisol.
" Miguel, try to calm down, for the love of God" Viviana intervened
to calm things down.
"Don’t interrupt me! The fault is yours, you shouldn’t have given her
shelter, you should have forced her to return to her husband ... But on the
other hand, what could have I expected from someone like you?" Hissed
Miguel pointing at her with the silver handle of his walking stick.
" What do you mean? Speak clearly!" Viviana challenged him, her face
red with anger.
" You know what I mean. If this kind of behavior is normal and acceptable
to you, for us it is not! My poor brother should never have married you, you
weren’t worthy of him!"
" Don’t you dare talk like that in my house," said Viviana
controlling her anger with difficulty.
" I'm not leaving without my daughter," barked Don Miguel, heading
towards Marisol.
Marisol escaped to take cover behind the couch while Viviana blocked Don Miguel
path.
"I repeat that I won’t allow you to insult me in this manner, especially
in my house! You are requested to leave at once!" She exclaimed, trying to
keep the coolness needed.
Don Miguel lifted his walking stick threateningly, but Viviana stood her ground,
while Marisol scared shouted at him to stop.
Miguel stood motionless for a few seconds then lowered his walking stick.
Viviana imperceptibly sighed with relief, regaining her calm.
" You’re both made of the same stuff ... Marisol, from today you cease to
be my daughter," growled Don Miguel, looking at Marisol who was still
sobbing. He picked up his top hat and left without another word.
Viviana dropped onto the sofa that was behind her while Marisol ran to hug her.
"I'm sorry Aunt," she said through her tears.
"It doesn’t matter, your father believed he was doing the right
thing," gasped Viviana.
"Yes, but he shouldn’t have behaved like that! And then the horrible
things he said ... "
"Do not worry, it's all over now," said Viviana caressing Marisol’s
face.
However, Marisol’s mind began to fill with questions. She wondered what her
father had meant by accusing her aunt in that way. Was it possible they were
hiding a secret? A secret that also involved Costantino. She did not dare to
say anymore, and decided to retire to her room to try to calm down.

Don Cristobal sighed,
exhausted. He had just finished drawing up a contract of sale, finding it hard
to concentrate. The constant thought of Aurora and the way in which she had
thwarted his every effort pained him terribly. Bitter disappointment tormented
him relentlessly as he tried to forget Aurora.
She chose Lucas ... And I
have to give up.
Deep in thought, he left the house and walked to the nearby inn.
The thing that troubled him was the humiliation he had suffered, being
abandoned so blatantly in front of everyone, and that he had come within a
whisker of victory. He smiled bitterly.
I’m not suffering from wounds of the
heart, but those to my pride
... In a flash he understood that his
attachment to Aurora had been a gamble for him, an attempt to return to life
after his wife’s death, a silly game that had served him to have a purpose in
his life.
I’ve been cruel and ruthless, selling myself short in my duties as
a lawyer and making an evil pact with Doña Raquel.
Reflecting, he did not notice a sinister figure, dressed as a beggar, under a
large sombrero watching him. It was the bandit, hired by Penelope that had been
waiting a few days for the best opportunity to carry out his job and kill Don
Cristobal.
The bandit stroked the handle of his dagger, hidden under his dirty poncho and
walked towards the entrance of the inn. Without looking at or talking to
anyone, he sat down not far from the door, waiting for Cristobal to come out.
The sun was setting and in the darkness it would be a breeze to complete his
plan without being seen.
At the same moment, Penelope was trying to convince Gonzalo, the brothel owner
to accept the dishonorable pact to kidnap Aurora.
" The deal seems very risky Penelope," said Gonzalo with concern.
" You’ll be paid handsomely for your trouble," said Penelope throwing
a wad of notes on the table.
Gonzalo grabbed them and weighed them in his hand.
"That is not enough, my dear, tell your mistress that if she wants me to
kidnap and rape Lucas Navarra y Reyes’ wife, she’ll have to pay me at least
three times this amount..."
“I don’t know who you're referring to," Penelope said stroking the red
velvet that covered the sofa. She had carefully avoided disclosing the name of
the person that commissioned these misdeeds, but Gonzalo Sanchez was not
stupid, far from it.
"Of course I know!
Doña
Raquel is behind all this," commented
Gonzalo with a wry smile. "She’s the only person you know that has so much
money ... I’d like to know what Lucas has done to cause so much hatred in
her!"
"You're very mistaken," said Penelope curtly. "So do you accept
or not?"
" I repeat that I want three times this amount, plus help to escape from
the city for a long time ... This nasty prank might cost me my life when Lucas finds
out about it."
" All right, you'll have half of what you ask for now and the other half
when the job is completed. It seems superfluous to remind you that I expect a
job well done!" Penelope said, clinking her glass of champagne against
Gonzalo’s to seal the agreement.
Lucas and Aurora had decided this time to take the train and arrived in Tampico
station in the late afternoon. As soon as they arrived in Lucas’ small house,
Aurora, sighed, tired from the trip.
" You're a little pale," said Lucas worried. "You'd better lie
down."
The trip had in fact made her very tired and she was feeling slightly nauseous.
But she flatly refused, shaking her head.
"It's better to go straight to the bank. Certainly at this hour it’ll be
closed, but I know that Don
Guadalupe
works
late after the employees have gone home."
Lucas continued to insist that Aurora let him go alone, but she would not
listen to reason.
"I'm your wife and I want to deal with the difficulties with you,"
she said stubbornly.
Lucas took with him the folder which contained the mortgage documents, and they
immediately went out and soon arrived at the old building.
As expected, they found the doors closed. Lucas repeatedly knocked insistently
until the door opened and Don
Guadalupe
peeped
out.
On seeing Lucas, Don
Guadalupe
gave a
slight gasp. "The bank is closed," he said in an unsteady voice.
"I need to talk to you, it is an urgent matter," Lucas replied.
" I was about to go home, please come back tomorrow morning," said
Don
Guadalupe
in a whisper.
" No, what I have to tell you can’t wait until tomorrow!" Exclaimed
Lucas, pushing the door hard and entering the building. Aurora followed him.
Don
Guadalupe
did not have the courage to
reply, he sighed, dropping his arms, that he had been using to bar the door.
He’s
the same penniless arrogant person,
he thought and bowing his head
slightly, motioned for Lucas to follow him into his small study.
Don Guadalupe listened attentively to their story. He made a tremendous effort
to restrain from smiling, already anticipating the recognition he would receive
from
Doña
Raquel when he told her what he was about to do. Sighing,
trying to sound sorry and compassionate, he turned to Lucas.
" I'm very sorry, but now the decision no longer depends on me, the bank
has decided to enforce the mortgage. Today I am charged with going to the
magistrate to freeze the assets of your
hacienda
."
"Is it possible to postpone the procedure? Can’t you grant us a little
respite?” asked Aurora anxiously. "Only a short time is needed, just to
make the mine safe ..."
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I absolutely can’t." Replied Don Guadalupe.
Lucas clenched his fists in anger, Aurora put a hand on his arm fearing that he
would react violently at any moment.
" May I know the names of the bank‘s majority shareholders?"
Continued Aurora.
"Unfortunately ma’am that is information that I can’t provide. Many of our
members are wealthy men of the city who prefer to keep their identities
secret," said Don Guadalupe, wiping the beads of sweat from his forehead with
a handkerchief.
"You're lying!" Lucas shouted, jumping up from his chair.
"Behind all this is my stepmother, I know that she owns the majority of
this bank’s shares and I know that you are nothing more than her lackey!"
Don Guadalupe clenched the arms of his chair tightly with fright.
" You’re mistaken," he said in a faint voice, "How can you think
such a thing?"
" Really!" Lucas said grabbing him by the collar "I'll make you
pay and that hag ... "
Aurora pulled Lucas by his arm to make him let go of Don Guadalupe who was
trembling in terror.
"Enough, stop it! Let's go please!" Begged Aurora.
Lucas heard Aurora’s voice, he let go of Don Guadalupe and left furious
followed by Aurora.
When they were in the street Lucas kicked a small stone that darted away.
"Damn! They’ll make me lose everything!"
Aurora put a hand on his shoulder.
"Please, listen to me, go and talk to Cristobal ... Maybe he can help
us."
"I’ve already said no, Aurora, don’t insist." Lucas said annoyed.
" For once in your life, put aside your pride. Do you prefer to give up
our
hacienda
and lose the work for all your men rather than try just
once to speak with Cristobal? You’re not asking for charity, you’ll employ him
as a professional to get advice." Said Aurora, unable to hold back tears.
Lucas stood in silence watching the carriages that went by quickly.
" All right," he finally said. "I’ll make one last attempt. I’ll
go at once, but before I go to him I'll take you home."
Aurora flung her arms around his neck and kissed him.
" Thank you, my love," she replied happy. "Don’t you want me to
come?"
"No, you go and rest, you look very tired. Don’t worry I’ll stay calm and
nothing unpleasant will happen, if that's what you’re afraid of."
The sun was setting as they arrived home. Lucas kissed her lips and waited to
see her go in.
"Please, my love, don’t make me worry," entreated Aurora.
Lucas did not answer, but only smiled. Then walked down the street.
Arriving at Cristobal’s house, Lucas knocked vigorously on the door.
A maid came to the door. She was a middle-aged woman who had the habit of
staring at the floor never raising her eyes during a conversation.
" If you’re looking for Don Cristobal, I think he went to dine at the inn
around the corner," she replied to Lucas’ question. "Do you know it?"
" Yes, yes, thank you."
Lucas turned, quickening his pace.
When he arrived at the inn, he entered the place without further delay. He
looked round the room, immersed in a typical smoky atmosphere. He noticed a man
sitting near the door, his sombrero pulled down over his eyes, but paid no
attention to him. He looked around the different tables of diners until he
spotted Cristobal. Cristobal was getting up, Lucas saw him pull out a few coins
from his pocket and leave them on the table as he headed for the exit.
Cristobal was surprised to find Lucas in front of him.
" Good evening," said Lucas.
" Good evening," replied Cristobal amazed. "I thought you were
in Zacatecas."
"I need to speak with you about an urgent legal matter," Lucas said,
obviously ill at ease.
"Of course. I was going home, come with me, please," said Cristobal
somewhat intrigued by the request.
The two left the inn and the bandit watched them without being seen. Once
again, he had lost the opportunity of carrying out his plan, but he was determined
to finish the matter before the night ended.
He got up and followed Lucas and Cristobal at a distance to Cristobal’s house.
Cristobal invited Lucas in and offered him a cognac, having dismissed the maid,
giving her permission to go home.
" To what do I owe this visit?" He asked curiously.
Lucas hesitated a moment before speaking.
" As you know, the blast destroyed the mine and since the
hacienda
is burdened by a mortgage and I couldn’t honor the second installment of the
loan requested by the bank, Don Guadalupe has informed me that they are asking
for the seizure of the property... "
" So you need a loan?” Intervened Cristobal, mockingly. "I didn’t
expect such an honor!"
Lucas jumped up, "Even the question offends me!"
" Come on Lucas! There comes a time in a man's life where pride must be
put aside." Commented Cristobal, trying to hide the subtle pleasure he
derived seeing Lucas in that situation. He ran his hand through his blond hair
with an affected gesture, enjoying every second. It was like taking a little
piece of revenge on his old rival.
Lucas swallowed, and with a tremendous effort he tried to control himself. He
took a sip of cognac and set the glass down on the desk, then continued.
"I’d like to know from you if there are any legal means to delay the
foreclosure. Aurora says that you are a good lawyer and I decided to verify
this for myself because to tell you the truth, I doubt it very much. The one
case in which I’ve seen you work, you lost, didn’t you?"
Cristobal became red-faced. The reference to case of the marriage annulment and
the humiliation he had suffered, angered him intensely.
" Don’t you dare come to my house and insult me! If you’re so full of
yourself and arrogant, go and seek help somewhere else!" Cristobal stood
up, opened the door and invited Lucas to leave.
"This is your professionalism:  you cannot be impartial because Aurora
prefers me!" Lucas hissed, as he left.
Cristobal moved as if to throw Lucas a punch as he passed in front of him.
Lucas shot him a look that made him desist.
" I, however, help only gentlemen and obviously this is not the case with
you!" Continued Cristobal, when Lucas was already in the street.
Lucas made an effort not to turn around to reply and walked away while
Cristobal slammed the door shut.
When he was alone again in the study, he realized that Lucas had forgotten his
folder, it probably contained documents relating to the mortgage, he thought.
He poured himself another glass of brandy and sat down to calm himself down,
although he had a reputation of being a quiet person, smart and able to control
himself, Lucas had the ability to make him furious every time. His arrogance
was really intolerable and he also couldn’t deny that Lucas had hit the mark
when he spoke about the marriage annulment. It made him fume that Lucas had won
the battle for the conquest of Aurora although to be honest, he knew that he
wasn’t in love with her. His infatuation with Aurora who reminded him of his
beloved wife, had served to return him to life. Now maybe it was the right time
to move forward and rebuild his live with a woman that truly loved him. Without
realizing it an image appeared in his mind, a beautiful face, eyes as blue as
the sky and blond hair the color of honey, Marisol.
However with Lucas there was still a matter of wounded pride that was hard to
forget. He would never be able to forget the humiliation he had experienced.
Cristobal was deep in thought and did not hear the door slowly open. A sinister
figure, wrapped in a cloak, had patiently waited outside, sneaked into the
study and immediately saw Cristobal sitting with his back to him. He approached
Cristobal silently, drew a knife from its sheath and prepared to strike a
mortal blow to Cristobal's throat.
Cristobal took another sip of cognac and as he placed his glass down, he
noticed reflected in the display case of the bookcase in front of him, the
image of a man brandished a knife directly behind him. Terrified, he turned
suddenly and miraculously was able to deflect the blow that would have cut his
throat. The sharp blade instead entered his shoulder.
Cristobal screamed in pain, but did not have time to figure out exactly what
had happened, when the bandit was on him. They began to struggle violently but
due to Cristobal’s painful wound, the bandit was soon able to overcome him.
Blood flowed copiously from Cristobal’s shoulder and the throbbing pain
prevented him from keeping his attacker at bay. The bandit grabbed the knife
firmly and prepared to deliver the coup de grace to Cristobal’s stomach, but a
hand from behind unexpectedly grabbed his arm, spun him around and struck a
violent punch on his jaw that knocked him down.
It was Lucas, who upon realizing he had forgotten his documents, had
fortuitously returned to get them.
The bandit however was very strong, he got up immediately, sprang on Lucas, and
brandishing the blade with anger, managed to inflict a glancing wound to Lucas’
hand. Lucas, with a well-aimed kick, disarmed the bandit and they began to
wrestle furiously.
The bandit managed to grab the dagger that had fallen on the ground, but before
he could strike, Lucas grabbed him and with an agile move knifed him in the
stomach.
Lucas, panting, got up quickly and shaking the bandit's shoulders shouted,
"Who sent you? Speak!"
The bandit coughed, spitting blood.
"Speak, wretch," cried Lucas enraged.
"Pe ... Penelope," whispered the bandit as he took his last breath.
Lucas let go of the bandit’s body and turned to check on Cristobal. Cristobal
was lying almost unconscious on the ground, while blood had already soaked his
jacket’s sleeve.
He put an arm around Cristobal's neck and helped him up. Leaving the house,
Lucas asked, "can you walk?"
Cristobal nodded. Lucas then took him to his house to allow Aurora to treat
him.
When Aurora opened the door and saw him, she cried in distress.
" What happened?" She asked turning to Lucas.
"He was attacked," said Lucas, panting.
"Lie him down on the couch, I’ll go and get the medication I need to treat
him with. Begin removing his jacket and shirt," said Aurora. After her
initial distress, the typical cold bloodedness that came from her profession
engulfed her, while her mind quickly began to plan her next actions.
She soon returned with her bag and clean cloths.
"Bring me some fresh water," she said to Lucas. Lucas ran to the
kitchen and returned soon after with a basin full of water. Cristobal had
fainted and lay motionless on the sofa, his face pale.
Aurora wiped the blood from the wound and studied it carefully.
"It's quite deep ... Let's hope it doesn’t get infected," she
commented. She disinfected the cut and prepared the suture thread. Then she
began to stitch the wound up, trying to bring the flaps of the cut skin
together as much as possible. When she had finished stitching, she bandaged the
shoulder with care.
Cristobal soon recovered his senses and looked around.
" Where am I?" He asked seeing Aurora’s face.
"Don’t worry you’ve been injured and Lucas brought you to our house to get
treated."
" Lucas?" Cristobal said, turning his head in search of him.
"I'm here," Lucas replied, leaning against the doorjamb and watching
the scene.
" What became of the bandit?" Asked Cristobal in a small voice.
"He's dead. When you’re feeling better we must go to the police to file a 
report."
" You saved my life..." Cristobal said, struggling to speak.
"Now, don’t get agitated." interrupted Aurora, forcing him to lay his
head on a cushion. "Sleep a little and think about the rest
tomorrow."
Cristobal did not have the strength to protest and fell into a deep sleep.
"He’d better stay here tonight, the stitches could come apart if you take
him upstairs to the guest room," she said.
"Now tell me exactly what happened?" She asked Lucas worried.
Lucas told Aurora what had happened while she bandaged his hand, although he
assured her it did not need it.
"Penelope did this? But why kill Cristobal? What reason could she
have?" she asked surprised. "I can’t believe that there are such evil
souls!"
Lucas grimaced.
"I don’t think Penelope acted on her own..." He whispered,
thoughtfully.
Night had fallen, and he thought it best to wait for Cristobal to wake up
before deciding what should be done. Together, they went up the stairs to their
room.
" Every now and then we must make sure that he doesn’t need
anything," said Aurora.
Lucas sighed.
"So you mean that we'll go down together... " And kissed her on the
lips.
The next morning Cristobal felt better and insisted on accompanying Lucas to
see Don José to inform him of the attack and file a complaint against Penelope.
Cristobal seemed embarrassed, as he waited to go to the barracks.
" I don’t know how to thank you, both of you," he said.
"Especially you Lucas ... You saved my life at the risk of your own. I’ll
never forget the debt I owe to you."
Lucas made a gesture with his hand.
" Don’t worry." He said abruptly, “there’s no need to say anything
else."
Together they went to see Don José.
Don José listened attentively to the two men’s testimony and remained silent
for a moment collecting his thoughts.
" If both of you heard the bandit accuse Penelope Robles of having hired
him, we can issue an arrest warrant against her. Don’t worry, very soon we’ll
have her in our hands."