The Breath Of The West

Discovering a secret will push a family's life to miserable. Will the odor of a wilting flower can burn the bridges of happiness?

Chapter I: The Breath Of The West

 

Years before Jordan’s company was a national item, it was just an aspiring firm to be the biggest on their country. To make it possible, they killed many people. One of them is Mr. Choi. He knew a family secret owned by the family of Jordan Tan. He knew that Jordan’s wife fell in love with another man and her husband is a notorious man. He had a document a video tape that can prove this. Jordan Tan knew about it and after some time, Mr. Choi was assassinated and the only copy of the video tape was burned. Mr. Choi’s friend, Enrico Palma, is the only person who knew the dark secret of the Tan but it seems the people of Jordan are spying on him.

 

Enrico was running on a rainy night. He was going to his home very fast. When he opened the door, he saw his wife, Charisse, carrying their first born child. “What is happening? Why you didn’t use the umbrella I bought for you?” His wife was really worried about him. He was catching his breath then.

 

The woman gave a towel to her husband and cooked a soup for them. She was stirring the soup when her husband spoke, “You know Mr. Choi, right?” Automatically, his wife answered what she knows, “Of course, he is the news of the town that died in the accident. Why are you asking?” Her husband showed an envelope coming from his chest which he protected from being wet.

 

“He did not die on the accident. That envelope contains the documents that can put the Tan Enterprise into pieces. That is the original copy of the documents. He gave it to me a day before he was assassinated. I want to ask you. What should I do now?” Her husband was looking at her eyes.

 

“Burn those documents! Burn it now. Do you know what will happen if the company knows that those stuff is in your hands? You put your health into danger just only for that nonsense thing? Do you think you will be a hero if you will confess that?” Mrs. Charisse Palma, his wife, replied very angry and was begging to put their future into a safer place.

 

“I never wanted to be a hero but this document is the only thing that can put justice to my friend’s death,” her husband replied and Charisse didn’t like the response of her partner so she grabbed the envelope and tear it off.

 

“What did you do?” Mr. Enrico Palma tried to stop his wife from tearing it but he failed to prevent her from doing it. “From now on, forget this and continue your life as a father to your child. You don’t want her to be an orphan right?”

 

His husband stopped from talking and continued to eat the soup and the baby cried and Charisse said, “Stop crying my Erika.”

 

The next day, Enrico was going to his work when he encountered a countless group of guys surround him. The leader of the group said, “Where did you put the documents?”

 

“What are you talking about?” Enrico Palma replied as if he doesn’t know anything but the men kidnapped him. He was brought to a dark cold place where no one can help him.

 

A man is trying to call his boss to notice him about the successful kidnapping. “Hello, the next step will be done on the next five minutes,” the leader told to his boss on the phone.

 

“I will be there in a few minutes,” his boss said who is in his chair representing the Tan Enterprise led by him, Mr. Jordan Tan. The telephone was hung up as the door of his room was opened by his wife with his five year old child.

 

“What are you doing here? You even brought my child here!” the president of the company asked to his wife angrily.

 

“Is it bad for your wife to go to her husband? Don’t you know that this is my only way to forget my child’s death?” Griselda Tan explained while she wept her tears on her face being suffered from her husband’s intense voice.

 

“Your child’s death? Right! Even it was almost a year since your child died while you are giving birth to that damn, you cannot forget the person you loved,” Jordan replied very angry. Griselda cannot answer because she knows that Jordan will surely tell her again the truth. The child who died is not from his flesh. It is from the flesh of Griselda’s man who just disappeared.

 

“Let us go Nathan. It seems your father doesn’t want to see you for long,” Griselda left together with her son and after a few minutes, Jordan left the office to go to the area he should go.

 

On the dark place where Enrico was placed, “Chant all the prayers you know because you will die before the morning shines again tomorrow!” The leader of the group said and started to punch and kick him. After some few minutes, Jordan Tan arrived and told them to leave them for a while.

 

“Where is the document?” Jordan quickly asked. “Do you know where it is? It is already on the press’ hands!” he said.

 

“Damn you!” Jordan kicked him and he added, “Do you think I will trust you on that? My slaves followed you and found out that you are not still doing that but if you will not tell the truth, your wife and your child will die tomorrow.”

 

“Don’t! I will tell to you the truth. I already torn off the document and burned. Nobody knows it except me.”  Enrico said and begged him to stop his plans against his family.

 

“Then it is a good thing! Your family will be safe but to make sure that you will not tell what you have learned to anybody, we should see each other in hell,” Jordan said and dragged his gun from his belt and shot Enrico.

 

Blood flowed on the floor but the body remained was not given any respect and was brought to a near river. Conversely, Mrs. Charisse Palma was very worried about her husband. A knock from their door thought her that this might end her worries. She opened the door and she was surprised when she heard the news from her sister, Clarisse, saying, “Your husband is dead.”

 

Charisse cannot believe on it and resisting what she has heard. She just went to a corner and cried very much while her baby was crying out loud. On that night, Griselda Tan found out the news and confronted her husband.

 

“The person who died this afternoon is a close friend of the person who was said to die on an accident right? Did you kill that person too?” She said while angry and scared to her husband.

 

“So what will happen if I will tell that to you? Will something change if it is me who killed that person?” Mr. Jordan said and his wife replied, “So it is you? When do you will stop killing people? Why do you have to do these sucking things?”

 

“You do not know why? I killed them because of you! They know your infidelity! If the people will know it, the company will surely fall because of your dirty hands,” Jordan continued.

 

He then suddenly held his wife’s dress and ripped it off. “What are you doing? Stop it Jordan! Let us file divorce! I cannot take your badness! We should stop this! I don’t love you anymore!” Griselda replied and held her dress very tightly.

 

“Then you will go back to your man? By the way, do you know where he is? He is in hell waiting for your arrival but I won’t let you go there very soon! You will be mine, tonight, tomorrow and until death!” Jordan said and he used his force to control Griselda.

 

Griselda cannot resist and accepted her fate that she is the wife of the worst person in the world. She had always wanted to die but because of her two sons, Nathan and Emanuel, she has decided to take the road that will give thorns in her hearts.

 

In the midst of the night, Charisse Palma is mourning and she said to herself, “I promised that the person who did this will pay!” Later that night, the body of her husband was cremated after the proper procedures done by the priest.

 

“Why did you do it? Are you a freak? A day hasn’t passed and yet you will just remove his body in the world? Is he like a trash to you that you will dispose once it malfunctioned?” Clarisse cannot understand what her sister thinks.

 

“If I will give him more time in the funeral, do you know how much money I will spend? His earnings is not even enough for us and yet even though he is with his parents now, he still gives me problem. I already had Erika and I still have another person to grow up. Where should I get the money?” Charisse confessed that she is pregnant to her sister.

 

“Is that true? Then it is good!” Clarisse smiled when she knew about it and her sister reacted what is good about it and she replied, “I will need to work abroad and nobody will take care of my child and my store. You can take care of the store and my child. Of course, I will send money and you can use it. Since we are not just sisters anymore but both widows, we should help each other more.”

 

Charisse didn’t object anymore. The week after, she received the money from the insurance which is a little bit big enough to fund her delivery if she will gave birth. Clarisse also left the country to work abroad.

 

Her daughter, Janice is one year older than Erika. Charisse was at the store when she saw an elegant car stopped at their house’s front. An elegant lady stepped down from it and went closer to her.

 

“Are you the widow of Mr. Enrico Palma?” the lady asked her. Charisse confirmed her identity and asked the lady’s name.

 

“I am Griselda Tan,” she introduced herself but Charisse changed her mood and went outside. “What do you need from me!” She shouted at the front of Griselda.

 

“Here is some money. Please accept it,” she calmly said.

 

 “Do you think I will accept money for my husband’s death? Are you sent by your husband? Please tell this to him. I know that he is the reason for my partner’s death!” Charisse was not able to continue what she is saying because Griselda interrupted her and said, “I am not sent by my husband! If you will keep that attitude, you will be next to them! I just don’t want another blood will flow again in the floor because I know how it smells and it is really awful!”

 

Erika then cries out loud and it was heard by Griselda and she said, “Is that your child? You should better be silent so that your child will not be an orphan.”

 

“Wait!” Charisse yelled and she said, “This check is now mine right? So I can do anything I want?” Charisse tear the paper into pieces in front of Griselda. The rich lady was shocked on what Charisse did and she said, “I know you might not accept it. I will just send you again another check.”

 

“Can’t you understand it? Even you will give a million of checks, I will never ever sell my husband’s life for that because I know someday, you and your husband will pay the arrogance you, two, did on us,” Charisse said while her temper is really how inside.

 

A month later, Griselda is trying to interfere on her husband’s transactions and this made Jordan very angry. As usual, he brought his wife on their room and started to punch her but a sound of begging stopped him, “Stop it! Your child is living on my tummy and if you will continue it, you know what will happen next. You will kill your own blood just like how you killed the innocent people who dared to announce the truth. If you were not my children’s father, I had already dared to confess everything.”

 

Jordan stopped hitting his wife and went out of the room immediately. Griselda, on the other hand, started to cry so hard and said to her baby living in her body, “Why should you be the evil man’s child? I pity you because you will experience all the hatred of a child soon.”