The Manchineel by Jessica Carrasquillo

Author:Jessica Carrasquillo [Carrasquillo, Jessica]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: BookBaby
Published: 2024-01-16T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Two

With a flick of his wrist, Ben checks his watch as Ana presses her face against him, wetting his black dress shirt with her tears. At the head of the room, Chuck lies with a powdered nose in a glossy mahogany coffin, surrounded by massive sprays of red and white roses.

The church is stunning and vast with high ceilings and a kaleidoscope of stained glass. It features a grand façade with a soaring bell tower. They’re ushered outside, and Colette weeps behind a black lace veil.

Ana wouldn’t weep for Ben like this. She might even smile as they push the button on the incinerator and watch him roll on a conveyer belt into hellfire. She’d probably be the one to put him in that wooden box.

Photographers line up across the street. Each time she wipes a tear, the clicks are so fast and furious he can hear the clattering from the church steps. It’s a performance. He plays the role of a loving husband, and she pretends to be comforted by him.

They’d been arguing all morning after Ben mentioned there would likely be photographers at the funeral.

“Is this just a photo op for you?”

“I just thought you should know what to expect.” He slid a comb through his hair in front of a full-length closet mirror. Medium-hold pomade held it perfectly in place at $160 an ounce. He extended his arms to settle into his Tom Ford suit jacket. A black Audemars Piguet timepiece peeked out. It had an open-heart face that put its delicate inner workings on display.

“You’re one of them now. This is just a job to you.”

He scoffed. “I’m exactly who you wanted me to be, Ana. Let’s not do this today.”

“Of course, because you know I’m right.”

He’d lost his temper. “No, I don’t want to do this because you’re a fucking hypocrite. You pushed me to do all the bullshit that these guys do—all the club memberships and the golf and bullshit parties you threw—and now you want to resent me for it? Fuck you. You begged your father to elevate me for years. I was finally asked to be partner now that he’s not around to hold me back.”

He knew it was cruel the moment he said it but he couldn’t help himself. The days of biting his tongue were over.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “If he held you back, it’s because you weren’t good enough. You’re not even a fraction of the man my father was. You can complain about him all you want but you never had a problem spending his money.”

“You ever wonder, Ana, why the infallible Chuck died in a Beverly Hills hotel room when he had an office, a home and every other luxury in this city? It wasn’t for the room service. How many actresses do you think auditioned on their backs for your father in that room? That’s his legacy.”

Her palm cracked against his face and he was certain he deserved it. He took a deep breath and left the room.

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