Raging Love Ch. 08

He glanced at his watch and realized that it was almost 8.pm. Bruce started going towards the door but stopped mid-way when he saw a beautiful white tray on the bed with about three beautiful roses and a small paper.

Bruce rushed to the bed, took the paper and almost immediately felt his heart miss a beat. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. His breaths became harsh and his body vibrated in ecstasy.

'To the love of my life, Bruce. I know that you haven't had anything to eat since morning and you must be hungry by now. I can't let you starve for my sake and that's why I fixed you something special. I know you're fasting for me but I can't just watch you starve. I don't believe in that anyway. After all, love is expressed through actions and I can see your love already. I am sorry for my short comings, baby. I will it up to you tonight. Love you, your husband.'

Bruce had a smile on his face that was just priceless. Tears of mirth formed in his eyes and he felt like he was running out air. He held the note close to his chest, acting like he had just won a trophy. It was too good to be true. He hadn't even done anything and Antonio was already his. It was just too much.

Bruce looked at the white tray and saw a glass full of juice and a plate which he quickly opened. There were two beautiful muffins and he couldn't wait to have them in his mouth. His husband was being romantic to him for the first since their marriage and he was happy, really happy.

He tried to touch the muffin but quickly withdrew, losing the smile on his face.

'What am I doing?' He thought. 'I am fasting for my husband's love and long life. I shouldn't eat anything until 9.pm. And there was like 90 minutes remaining for this fast to end. I can wait and then eat later.'

He covered the food and started going but...

'...I know you're fasting for me but I can't just let you starve. Love is expressed through actions and I can see your love already.'

He quickly turned and looked at the tray. If Antonio found out what he had done, he was gonna be mad, he thought as he got closer. What was the harm in eating food when he had already fasted the whole day? It was only gonna be between him and his husband.

He rushed to the food, opened the tray and started eating while imagining the love he was gonna make with Antonio that night.

***

The whole garden was beautifully decorated, sparkling jealously and looking absolutely amazing. The fountains there were also decorated and since it was near the pool, everything looked amazing. The garden was filled with people that Emma had invited to come and share that night with them and of course, to show people that she was the queen of throwing parties.

There were also Antonio's friends, Bruce's friends and Emma's friends too. There was a lot of food on a huge table with drinks of different varieties. Everyone was dressed in beautiful traditional attires but not as beautiful as the ones being worn by the Gonzalez. They sure owned the night.

"Wow, Emma..." One of the women gasped, looking all around. "...you've really outdone yourself this year. Just look at these arrangements. I am really impressed and I can assure that this will be the most talked about marital fast in the city."

"You're absolutely right!" Another agreed. "And look at your outfit, it's absolutely wonderful. And your family indeed has a marvelous sense of fashion. It makes us look like amateurs."

Emma laughed, feeling her heart racing in excitement. "You can say that again. You know me of course, I like to go a little higher than expected." And rub it in their faces. She really enjoyed doing that. "I just hope you'll love it here."

"Love it!" The blonde woman laughed. "If there was another word, I'd sure use it. So where's your son in law? You know that we always love having him around. He's really funny and he knows how to make this party interesting."

"I am sure he'll be here soon." Emma chuckled. "It is almost time for prayers. You know he loves his husband so much and can't miss these prayers for the world."

The women all laughed and before they could even finish, they saw Bruce entering the garden slowly, looking everywhere.

"Speak of the devil!" One of the women chuckled softly. "Let me go and get him before the prayers start. We need to interact with him. It's been so long."

The woman was so excited and she rushed to Bruce, acting like she was gonna be winning a trophy. She reached him, gripped his arm quickly and started taking him to where Emma was with the other women.

"You've got no idea how happy we're that you..."

But the woman didn't even finish her sentence when she got the shock of her life. As she was walking, Bruce furiously released his hand from her and pushed her so hard that she almost fell if not for a tree where she balanced. She quickly turned and stared at him like she had just seen a ghost.

"Don't ever touch me!" He warned, his voice sounding weird. "Don't you ever touch me, you old witch. I... I am not your class and you stink."

The woman was beyond shocked. She just stood there, staring at him without moving an inch.

Emma on the other hand got shocked when she heard Bruce. She rushed to him just as people began gathering, wondering what was going on.

"Bruce..." She got closer. "...are you drunk? What's wrong with you?"

"Will you move?" Bruce said harshly, laughing in the process. "Get out of my way."

Emma's eyes gaped as she opened her mouth to speak but got shocked when Bruce pushed her out of the way. He started staggering to where Emma's friend stood, looking really shocked.

"You hosted such a lavishing party at home and..." He looked around. "...you didn't even invite me. But... you invited these dirty, old bitches." He pointed at the women that was in front of him.

"What?" One of the women snapped, shaking her head angrily. "What is this, Emma? Did you invite us here so that your son in law can insult us? Do you realize that we're far much older than he is?"

Emma was beyond shocked. Her heart was racing and everything seemed like a dream. She wanted to answer her friend but she couldn't find her voice. She just stood there with her hands rubbing on her arms.

"What audacity!" Another woman said. "This is supposed to be an occasion where we pray for our husbands' health and prosperity but what is your son in law doing? He is busy insulting us and we're old enough to be his mothers."

"Who cares if you're older?" Bruce frowned, shaking his head like a drunk man. Everyone could see that he had had enough to drink. "I am richer... More famous and more beautiful than all of you hungry bitches."

"What?"

Andrea came rushing to where Bruce was and she got shocked with the state that she found him. She quickly cupped his cheeks and he laughed like a kid, holding her hands sweetly.

"Andrea... Andrea, baby... these bitches are insulting me." He said, pointing at them weakly. "Just look at them. They are..."

"Stop it!" Andrea snapped, feeling like slapping the hell out of him. "What do you think you're doing? And how dare you drink on such an occasion!"

"I am... not drunk!" Bruce said, pushing Andrea away from her.

He started staggering towards the women again and almost fell but Emma reached there quickly and held him. "Stop this!" She muttered. "Let's go inside."

But Bruce just laughed and got up, raising his finger. "I must say you're a witch!"

Emma's eyes widened. "Will you stop that nonsense and..."

"Don't yell at me, you old witch." He said angrily, getting away from her. "You want me to go away so that you can enjoy this party alone. You're truly a witch and no wonder... you want me to leave. I need a drink."

At that moment, Antonio and the rest of the family arrived and they were really shocked to find all the commotion going on. Celine and Emilia had their hands covering their mouth, their eyes almost popping out of their sockets. Ethan, Eduardo and Antonio just stood in shock, trying to see what was going on.

"Will you stop that nonsense?" Emma snapped, raising her finger at him. "How dare you say that? You know very well that this is not a party but a fast for our husbands."

As soon as she said that, Bruce started laughing hysterically, taking a few steps behind while pointing at Emma. "You're fasting for your husband... which husband? Because I haven't seen your husband."

Emma felt those words hit her right in the chest. She felt her heart being torn to pieces and she got weak in the knees. Tears formed in her eyes and no matter how much she tried to fight them, they came rolling down her cheeks. She rubbed them quickly but everyone saw them.

Antonio wanted to do something but he was probably too shocked to even act. He just stood there, looking like he was in the wrong room.

"Wow, Emma!" The blonde lady clapped, getting closer. "I have never been so insulted my entire life. This is our culture and you know very well how important this day is to us and for our husbands. Yet you brought your drunk son in law to come and insult us. What kind of nonsense is this?"

Bruce giggled. "The old bitch is still talking. Don't you have your own house that you had to come here? You've got no shame that you took your fellow old bitches to come here?"

"Bruce!" Antonio snapped, furiously rushing to him. HE stood right in front of him and got really upset. "What the hell is wrong with you? Why would you get drunk on such an occasion?"

"Baby?" Bruce chuckled like mad man, cupping Antonio's cheeks. "Oh my baby... Are you here to kiss me? Let's make love right now. I need you so bad."

Antonio was more than shocked. "Stop this nonsense."

"But you're my baby." Bruce chuckled hysterically. "You're so handsome, baby."

He moved from Antonio and staggered to the woman nearby, putting his arms around her neck. "You see my husband... he's only mine, you bitch. You shouldn't even look at him. He's very handsome and your husband is an ugly monster."

The woman's eyes widened. "What the... how dare you insult my husband!"

"I am just telling the truth. If you can't take the truth then you can get... the fuck out of here. The exit is just over there." Bruce laughed, walking slowly towards the table where there was food. "And why... why is there lots of food. Look at all this food. Why would you waste all of this food on all these ungrateful bitches?"

He started rushing to the table but staggered uncontrollably and found himself heading to the ground. Bruce gripped the table cloth, pulled on it really hard and the food started falling to the ground together with him. By the time he was reaching the ground, half of the food was already on the dirty ground. Everyone had their mouths covered.

"Look... what you did." Bruce groaned, getting up.

But he was too stable and as soon as he got up, he fell on the table and broke it, taking the rest of the food with him. And that was how he also passed out over there.

Seeing what had happened, Antonio and his family rushed there. Antonio was so mad and he'd never been so embarrassed his entire life. He was a celebrity for fuck's sake and that could ruin his family's image. He was really mad.

"Oh my God, what had happened to him?" Andrea gasped, looking at her brother pitifully. "Let's get him inside."

Antonio slowly took his husband carefully in his arms and started leading him out of there but...

"Just a minute, Antonio!"

Antonio stopped and saw an older woman coming to him with a stern face and her arms folded. "I have never been here for an occasion like this before and this is an important event. When I heard that you were married again five years ago, I thought that all of you were lucky. We all thought you got a talented, beautiful supermodel as a husband. But with behavior I have seen today, I must tell you that you're at a loss."

Antonio couldn't even look the woman straight in the eyes. He was so embarrassed.

"When I heard that you were married again barely a year after your first marriage ended, I must tell you that I wasn't really happy." The woman continued. "I wanted to talk to your grandmother but she was sick. But then I understood you and your pain. But right now, with this insult that I have seen, you've married not only a characterless boy but an uncultured one for that matter.

He doesn't have respect for his elders or his husband or even this family or your mother. I can't believe you could tolerate all this."

Antonio just wished the ground could open up and just swallow him.

"And Emma..." Another woman said and man she was angry. "...we've been friends for a long time and I must say that you've really changed. He was insulting you and you just stood there like a statue, watching everything. Old Emma wouldn't have tolerated this. Granted, your first son in law had cheated this family but he was far much better than this one that you've brought home.

He knew very well how important this event is for his husband but he still got drunk and ruined everything. And not only did he ruin it for himself, but he ruined it for us too. Our fast was disturbed and now we don't even know what to do."

Emma raised her teary face, looking at her friend. She couldn't believe the pain that she felt at that time and the humiliation. Everyone was staring at her like she was an outcast, probably judging her. Some people even had their phones out.

"I am sorry..."

"Sorry won't fix this mess." The blonde woman, Emma's friend snapped. "Really, I was so wrong about that so called son in law of yours. He's a witch and a vicious one for that matter. Not only have you insulted us, but you've also insulted our husbands and personally, I won't take it. You boast about class and elegance. You also boast about how your son in law loves this family and how cultured and well-mannered he is. But with what I have seen today, I am really disappointed and ashamed to call you my friend."

Emma cried softly and Andrea rubbed her shoulders. Andrea too was really upset. Bruce had ruined everything, every plan that she had made for that night had gone to waste and she wasn't gonna spare him. That was a promise.

"I didn't even know that..."

"You didn't know." Another woman chuckled bitterly, getting closer. "I thought you run this house and your son in law is under control. There's more to taking care of a home than makeups and designer clothes. When Emilia used to run the house, everything was under control but what can we expect from a woman who only knows how to impress people with parties?"

Emilia got emotional when she heard what the woman had said. Emma was hurt but there was a lot of truth in what the woman had just said to her. On the other hand, Rodrigo was standing at a distance with a grin on his face, enjoying the whole drama.

"We've been insulted enough together with our husbands and its all thanks to you." The woman yelled. "He also snatched away our right to fast for our husbands. He's ruining your family and our families too. But you're gonna bear the consequences alone because I am done here and I'll never step my foot in your house ever again. You can boast to your heart's content."

With those words, the woman furiously turned, took her husband's hand and they stormed out of there.

"What did you say?" Another woman said, looking at Emma angrily. "That this fast is gonna be grand. But this has never happened before and if anything happens to my husband, I'll hold you responsible." Then she looked at Antonio whose eyes were now red. "I am so sorry, Antonio, but what you have is a loss and I feel pity for you. You don't deserve this. It's better being single than having that boy as a husband."

At those words, the woman left and everyone else started leaving too. They all left angrily, leaving Antonio and his family standing there like statues. Antonio too stormed out of there and took Bruce inside the house.

Emma broke down and started crying uncontrollably. It was like a nightmare.

***

The taxi stopped in front of a building and Rodrigo got out, waving at the driver. As the car went away, he stood there, glancing at his watch. The man he was supposed to meet was a bit late. And he had thought he was gonna find him there.

Suddenly, he felt someone tapping on his shoulder and he quickly turned, clenching his fist. But when he saw the person that was there, he just smiled brightly.

"Sorry for that." The man apologized, giving a brilliant smile. "How did it go?"

"Perfect!" He purred. "I didn't actually think it was gonna work but it worked wonders. You should have been there."

The man laughed. "You don't have to use that Spanish accent on me..." He paused and got closer. "...Travis!"

Travis raised an eyebrow. "Well, I am kinda used to the character now. Being Rodrigo was actually more fun than I had anticipated. No one suspected a thing."

"How could they?" Santiago laughed, taking ahold of his hands. "Even I can't recognize you right now. But I was really scared you weren't gonna pull it off. And now... now I am really happy that you really pulled it off. Did you manage to..."

"Every moment of it!" Travis raised his phone, smiling like an evil genius. "You should have been there to witness everything. Bruce gave them such an epic entertainment and later..." He folded his arms. "...everything was ruined. I am sure that everyone is dying in shame right now. And Antonio..." He chuckled bitterly. "...the poor guy must be feeling terrible. All the little love he probably had for Bruce has vanished."

Travis was really happy with everything. He had captured every bit of the embarrassing moment Bruce had done and he was gonna put it to good use.

Travis had come up with a plan to finally cripple Bruce and though he had been hesitant at first, he had asked Santiago for help and the guy though he'd been scared had agreed. Travis had wanted to put Bruce in a really tough position, a position which was gonna make him very miserable and finally break down.

He'd gone to the Gonzalez mansion disguised as a caterer and it had worked. No one had recognized. He'd taken that tray to Bruce and Antonio's room, faked a note and though he wasn't sure, it had worked in his favor. The juice he'd left Bruce had been laced with a very special drug. The drug had intoxicated Bruce and he'd ruined his own fast.

"You're really evil, you know that?" Santiago said with a raised eyebrow. Then he burst into laughter. "I loved your plan."

"I only learnt from the best." His face got stern. "That was only a dose. Did you find out anything?"

Santiago sighed, nodding. "There's actually a lot." He handed Travis a file which he started checking out. "From what I remembered from six years ago, you and Antonio never got legally divorced. But..." He didn't know how to break the news to him. "...well, according to my findings, you and Antonio are legally divorced."

Travis raised his head quickly, a frown appearing on his cute face. "What? How's that possible? I never signed any divorce papers."

"You never did." Santiago's face was stern. "But your signature was forged."

"By Antonio?"

Santiago shook his head. "No! According to what I found out, you sent signed divorce papers to Antonio a week after you left!"

Travis was beyond shocked. "What?"

"Yes!" Santiago nodded softly. "And not only that, but you also sent it together with a letter that you insulted Antonio, admitting that you and I were..." Santiago trailed off. He couldn't say the word that he wanted to use because it was a bit painful.

"I can't believe this." Travis was really shocked and felt a bit weak. "People can really stoop so low and..."

"There's also one more thing." Santiago chimed in.

Travis slowly raised his face, feeling his heart begin to race.

Santiago got closer and squeezed Travis' shoulder. "Andrea has been trying to steal all the Gonzalez wealth. All of the companies, including Antonio's music company and Eduardo's multi-billion hospital have one mother company. If she manages to get her hands on the mother company, she'll be able to control them all. But for the last six years, she has been failing."