The Race: The Tale of Love and Betrayal

Patricia stood by the window in a spacious office adorned with blue and violet hues, the furniture crafted from rich mahogany wood. It had been two weeks since she was discharged from the hospital. She wore a long blue velvet dress with white velvet pumps and a black beret on her head. As she admired the view of the lush green garden, brimming with a variety of beautiful flowers and featuring a flowing fountain, she heard excited voices outside the room. Moments later, the office door opened, and her siblings, Alisha and Zachariah, entered, their eyes wide with admiration for the grand office.

"Wow...I can't believe this is our new home. This place is big and beautiful. I can't believe Dad hid this beautiful place from us for so long. It's so unfair," said Zach, continuing to admire the office.

"Well, it's not our home, Zach. This place belongs to Patricia, and we're just her guests until we turn 23 and claim our own homes. Isn't that right, Patricia?" said Alisha, standing in front of the large mahogany desk in the center of the office.

Patricia took a deep breath and replied, "This is also your home, Alisha. Even if it's under my name, it's still our home together." She moved from the window and stood beside the chair at the desk, facing Alisha. "Besides, this place is huge, and I don't think I could ever live here by myself."

"Well, aren't you going to get married and have a family? And even if we move into our own homes when we're older, we'll still come and visit you. Isn't that right, Alisha?" said Zach, giving Alisha a patronizing look.

Alisha shrugged and replied, "Yes...whatever," as she moved towards the window to gaze outside.

Patricia sighed and said, "I would love and appreciate it if you did that. I love you guys. I mean it. And I wanted to say something to you. Zach, please close the door and come closer." She took a seat in the chair at the desk. "Alisha, please join us," she gestured for them to take their seats in the chairs facing her.

Patricia took a deep breath and began, "I want to sincerely and deeply apologize to both of you. I know that for the past eight years, our lives have been very difficult since Mom and Dad died." She paused, feeling a heaviness in her heart and the sting of tears in her eyes. Taking a moment to calm down, she continued, "And I know that I didn't make it any better. I pushed you aside, didn't listen to you, and became so engrossed in my own world that I lost sight of what family is all about. I became estranged from you both to the point that the good times and precious moments we had faded away. I don't blame you if you hate or despise me right now because I know I deserve it for being a bad sister. But I would do anything to make amends and become a strong family again. No more fighting, no more cursing, and no more secrets," she said, looking at Alisha who was peering at her after she said her last statement.

Patricia then took a deep breath and said, "I know I've been keeping a secret from you two. But after thinking about it long and hard, I realized that keeping you in the dark will only complicate things for me. And besides, Dad would have never wanted me to keep you in the dark. We're a family, and family needs to stick together. But before I tell you this secret, you both have to promise me that you will do whatever I say without asking too many questions. And also promise me not to get too deeply involved. Understood?"

Alisha and Zachariah exchanged a brief glance and then looked at Patricia, answering in unison, "Understood!"

Patricia nodded, then finally divulged the truth to her siblings by reading the letter their father had left her.

.....

"No way in hell!!! I am not letting that bastard Ricardo Montenegra get away with this!!! I swear I am not going to rest until I put a bullet in the skull of that devil!! Even if I have to die myself!!!" yelled Zach after Patricia finished reading the letter, pacing around the room in rage.

"Zach, please calm down!! This is not the time to act irrationally! So please calm down!" said Patricia, standing up to try and calm Zach down.

"Calm down?! That devil killed our Dad! He's a murderer, and he deserves to be punished!" yelled Zach.

"And he will be punished, Zach! I am going to make sure he pays for what he did to our family. But acting irrationally won't solve the problem, and it definitely won't bring us justice! So please, calm down, okay?" said Patricia.

Zach didn't reply but ruffled his hair in frustration and anger, then sat down with a loud grunt, burying his head in his hands.

"So, what's the plan?" Patricia turned to the voice that asked the question and met Alisha's gaze, her eyes burning with obvious rage.

Patricia sighed and replied, "Well, you heard what Dad said. I have to become a derby racer to get the rest of the hard drives with the evidence against Montenegra. Nicole and I have already seen the evidence in the hard drive I found in the golden box. It seems Montenegra is stealing money from the betting zones by tampering with the results of the races. For example, if the majority of people bet on one racer to win, he would threaten, blackmail, or bribe that racer to lose so that those people would lose their money, which he would then acquire through his betting platform or one of his illegal betting clubs. He is also using the platform to hack into participants' bank accounts and steal 2% of their money. Two percent may sound small, but think about the billions of people across the world using his platform for betting on derby races. He's making trillions of dollars. Dad managed to acquire some software information about these illegal activities and stored them in the hard drives. He also found evidence about some derby racers involved in Montenegra's illegal activities, including drug production and distribution. Since derby racing is the world's most exciting sport with a lot of supporters, it's the perfect cover for illegal activities, as no one suspects foul play. And the authorities know that if they try to interfere, there are powerful supporters who could tear them apart if they try to do anything..." explained Patricia.

"That's why Dad wants you to become a derby racer! So you can become part of the game and get involved in the ruse incognito. The bastards will think you're one of them and involve you in their dealings while you gather evidence against them to bring them down. It's a brilliant plan!" interrupted Alisha, standing up excitedly.

"No! That's a terrible plan!" exclaimed Zach, taking a deep breath and continuing, "What if you get caught? Don't forget that our Dad was once a derby racer and involved with Ricardo Montenegra. Montenegra knows who we are! He will definitely get suspicious if you become a derby racer like Dad. He'll know we're up to something, and boom! Patricia will be gone too, just like Dad! So no! This idea is terrible, and I am not going to support it!"

"Relax, Zach. Yes, Montenegra knows about us, but he doesn't know that we know the truth behind Dad's death. The whole reason he had Dad killed during the derby race was to stage it as an accident so no one would suspect anything, even us," said Patricia.

"But what about what Dad said? That Montenegra discovered he was snooping around. Don't you think he might have discovered that Dad was investigating him and had evidence against him, and that he might have told us about it?" reasoned Zach.

"If that were true, Zach, do you think we'd all be standing here right now, alive?" said Alisha.

"Well, that makes sense..." said Zach, slumping in his seat and sighing. "But it's still a bad idea."

"But it's the only plan we have. Unless you have a better one, which you obviously don't," said Alisha, staring at Zach with a mocking gaze.

Zach glared at Alisha but didn't say anything.

"Okay, you two, that's enough. We promised each other not to fight anymore, so knock it off. (Sigh) Nicole and I have a plan, and it is already in motion. We need you both to cooperate but not get too involved. Understood?" said Patricia.

Both Alisha and Zachariah grunted in agreement at the same time.

"Okay, good. I'll fill you in on what you need to do when the time is right. Right now, I have something I need to take care of, but we'll continue this conversation later. For now, you can go and finish settling into your rooms, and we can talk later," said Patricia. She went and stood between her siblings, adding, "I love you guys, and I'm sorry I didn't say it much. This time, I promise you'll hear it from me every day, okay."

Alisha didn't say anything but enveloped Patricia in a hug, saying, "I'm sorry too, Sis. For being such a pain in the back, but I'm glad you finally decided to tell us the truth. I love you too, Sis, and I'm sorry I never said it enough."

Patricia felt tears flowing down her cheeks and hugged Alisha tighter. Zach also stood and hugged his two sisters, saying, "I love you too, guys. And I'm sorry I never said it enough before, but I promise this time it's going to change."

The siblings hugged each other, feeling their love and support for one another. The precious moment lasted for minutes until it was time for Zach and Alisha to go and finish settling into the house.

But before Alisha could leave, Patricia called out to her and asked her to stay behind. "What's up, Sis? What do you need?" asked Alisha.

"I want to ask you something. I never got to ask how you found out about Jonathan's misdeeds. So tell me about it. How long did you know?" Patricia asked as she took a seat on the sofa in the office's lounging area.

Alisha took a seat on another sofa, facing Patricia, and began, "Well, I discovered the truth that day when you came back from the school field trip to Teak Mountain in Phillips with your students. You took me to Jonathan's house so we could have dinner with him. But he refused to have dinner with us at his house and opted to eat out at a restaurant. Then he suddenly canceled it after he got a call from work, and we ended up not having dinner with him at all. I became a little suspicious. So, to protect you from a cheating liar, I secretly sneaked into his bedroom while he was still talking to you. I inserted my secret camera, you know, the one I bought to catch the thief who was stealing my study books at school. I left before anyone could see me. That's why, two days later, I asked you to let us visit him again. I wanted to retrieve the camera and see what I got..." She stopped talking.

Patricia looked at her and asked, "So...what did you see?"

Alisha didn't reply but took out her phone, tapped it for a few moments, and handed it to Patricia. "See for yourself."

Patricia watched a video of Jonathan being bedded by numerous people, most notably men, and all the dirty, shameful, horrific things he was told to do by them. "Wait!! Is that...Simon Murray?!" exclaimed Patricia, recognizing one of the men with Jonathan.

"Yep. I couldn't believe it myself when I saw it," said Alisha.

"Wow!! I can't believe this! I guess that's why he duped me before he even saw my resume when I went with Jonathan to apply for a job at Dominic Law Firm. That disgusting pig is Jonathan's lover?" Patricia scowled in disgust, but a small smile began to form on her lips. She stopped playing the video and said, "Ali, I have a mission for you."

Alisha leaned in her seat and said, "I'm listening."

"Mmmm...how would you like to be part of a mission I like to call 'Dirtbag-Scum Payback' and make someone regret ever crossing the Miltons?" Patricia's smile widened.

Alisha grinned and said, "This is going to be fun."