Page 25 of One Week To Claim It All
“What?” Esmeralda’s voice sounded distant to her own ears, like she was speaking from somewhere far away. “Why didn’t he tell me that, Mami?”
“He was so careful back then, Esmeralda. He had so much to lose.” Ivelisse sighed tiredly. “I still don’t know how he managed, but within twenty-four hours that boy found me this apartment, figured out the down payment and had movers coming to the house to pack me up and take our stuff the two blocks down from our old place.” Her mother clicked her tongue, a sound Esme knew she made only when she was thinking hard. “I swore I would never tell you this, but I think it’s important for you to know what you’re up against there.
“Your father sent me that eviction notice after Carmelina showed him a fake paternity test. One that said you weren’t his.” Her mother’s voice broke as Esmeralda sat there in stunned silence. She knew Carmelina was vicious, but this was monstrous.
“She did what!” she shouted on the phone, hardly able to believe what she was hearing.
“She forged a paternity test,” her mother said numbly. “That was after Patricio agreed to pay for your master’s at NYU. She knew you were getting an education that could put you in a position to take over the company someday, and like the vicious bitch she is, she tried to sabotage you.” Esme sank into one of the armchairs in the office, reeling from what her mother had just told her.
“I don’t even understand. My father just took her word for it?” She was fighting to get the words out at this point.
“I’m not going to make up excuses for Patricio, because he should’ve known better, but apparently she had papers. Rodrigo was the one who discovered she’d faked it all.” And there went her heart, trying to gallop out of her chest again. “I still don’t know how he figured it all out. He dug around and discovered the laboratories that supposedly ran the test didn’t exist. And your father, who hated nothing more than looking foolish, was furious with Carmelina.” Ivelisse laughed bitterly at that. “He was mad at everybody. He did walk back the eviction, though. But by then Rodrigo had helped me get into this building and that was that.” Esmeralda heard another long and heavy sigh, as she tried to process what her mother had just told her.
“Mija, Rodrigo ensured Carmelina could never pull something like that again. That boy stood up to your father, and risked losing his job to make sure your place as Patricio’s daughter was never questioned again. Rodrigo’s not perfect, but I don’t believe the man who did that for us could ever betray you like that. And especially not with that woman.”
Esmeralda felt like she was floating, her mind almost unable to take in everything she’d learned in the past five minutes. The resentment and the hurt she’d held on to for ten years had been based on a lie. Rodrigo had not been on her father’s side, he’d been helping her mother. He’d been looking out for her.
“Why did no one tell me? Why did he break up with me?” she asked, a real sob escaping her lips.
Her mother sighed. “He begged me not to tell you he helped, and about the break-up, I don’t know, honey. He was in such a tough spot. You have to remember he was just starting to get ahead at the studio. He was fresh out of graduate school, had loans. His mother was sick and Patricio was still helping him get out from under all the debt that bum Arturo had racked up. Who knows what all went down between the two of them? Patricio was not a man to take people standing up to him well, and he would’ve seen Rodrigo dating you behind his back and helping me as an affront. Maybe he distanced himself from you to appease your father. I just don’t know.”
“Even if that’s true, why didn’t he tell me? It would’ve hurt to lose him, but at least I would’ve understood!”
Her mother made a comforting sound. “It will be all right, mija. I know you two will figure this out.”
She was openly crying now, her mind like a tornado, thoughts swirling so fast she felt light-headed. “I have to figure out what’s going on then. I have to find Rodrigo.” Esmeralda felt numb, like her emotions had shut down.
“I think that’s a good idea. And remember, sweetheart, you have a right to be there and you have people on your side. Never forget that.”
She felt completely alone in that building, like there wasn’t a single person on her side, but hearing her mother’s words was a small comfort. A call came in right as she was about say goodbye and when she looked at the screen she frowned at the unknown number. “Someone’s calling me, Mami.”
“Call me as soon as you hear something.” After promising she would, she picked up the other line.
“Esmeralda Sambrano-Peña,” she said briskly.
“Talk to Jimena Cuevas.” The voice on the phone sounded female, but they were obviously trying to muffle it to avoid being recognized.
“Who is this?” Esme asked tersely. “Why do I need to talk to Jimena?”
“She’ll tell you what you need to know,” the muffled voice said, but offered nothing else.
“Please, who am I talking to?” she asked urgently, but after a few seconds she realized there was no one on the other end. Without pausing to consider if this was just someone else trying to mess with her, she took the elevator to the legal counsel’s office. Jimena’s executive assistant tried to stop her, but Esmeralda barreled right into the woman’s office.
“Esmeralda.” If Jimena was surprised to see Esme crashing into her office unannounced, she did not show it. “Come in, please.” Her tone was friendly, and she almost seemed glad to see her. Esme would just add it to the growing list of bizarre occurrences of the day.
“Do you know where Rodrigo is right now?”
“Close the door,” Jimena said. This time her tone was more serious.
Once Esme did, she launched right into it. “Rodrigo’s trying to stop Carmelina from selling her and her children’s shares to an outside party.”
“Stopping? But Onyx said—”
Jimena shook her head, her mouth twisting sourly at the mention of Esme’s sibling. “Rodrigo had to make them think he was in on it. They’re meeting with the buyers in less than an hour at the Peninsula. Hopefully Rodrigo will have what he needs to stop her in time.
“Here,” she said, jotting something on a sticky note and handed it to Esme. “They’re meeting in this conference room.”
“I’m going over there.”
