If it really is that bad, it must stop.
“It's normal in the movie industry. Always trying to impress themselves, more than what they render to people. And they're also very great in jupadising others, when they go against protocol.” Michal says over the phone.
“F-ck it! She said nothing about this. Myla, Myla, Myla, how stubborn a woman.”
“Calm down, bro. Just talk to her about it. Please, don't get harsher.”
“No, man. You don't understand. This is my wife we're talking about. And, I have to stop her from going there. If I get soft, she won't hid to me.”
“And, how are you going to do that? Lock her up?”
“Nah. That's simple. I'd make her restless.”
Michal chuckles. “Man, that's...not good. You can't take advantage of her trust?”
“Didn't want this, but she gives me no choice.”
“Why don't you talk this over. She may listen to you. I mean, this is a very great impact to your relationship. Don't make her despise you for it.”
“If you insist, then I'll try talking to her. But if she doesn't obey, nothing will stop me.”
“Your just as stubborn as her, you know that,”
“I need you to do one more thing for me.”
“Get it on.”
“I want to know whose suggestion it was. Infiltrate the board. And tell me who sold drugs to the party.”
“Do you have anyone in mind, who could have been behind it? It will ease my work.”
“First of all, I made a very big mistake. I don't know all the owners of that production. We never know who will go this far in hurting my wife.”
“As I said, they will do anything for the fame.”
“Yeah, but—it takes everything for an ordinary man to do this to Myla without any fear. If only I knew those involved.”
“You sure about this?”
“I've never been so sure.”
...
Myla visits Patricia, and her Mother-in-law after her conversation with Ms. Grayson.
Myla hugs her mom, and her eyes scans the room for a second.
“Where's Patricia?”
“In her room. She hasn't been able to step out since the incident.”
She nods. “Hope she doesn't mind a little distraction.”
“I don't know. I've tried talking to her, but it's not working. She feels responsible for what happened to him. You should try meeting her. She may listen to you.”
Myla sighs, and cuts into a corridor, where she finds Patricia's room and knocks.
“Mom-” Patricia pauses when Myla walks in.
She shoves a pile of documents behind her, and Myla narrows her at the gesture.
“Mom, told me you refused getting out. I heard what happened to Benjamin. And, I want you to know you have nothing to be scared of.”
Patricia says nothing, but brings her hands forward with the files she was holding.
“What are those?” Her gaze squinting at the papers.
“Please, let no one know about this.”
Myla nods, strolling to seat close to her.
“My mouth shut.” She says, reciprocating and Patricia smiles.
“Actually, I've been carrying out a private investigation on—Benjamin's dead.”
Myla freezes. “What?—Sorry, I meant why?”
“Myla, I–I feel this will be a lot for you to grasp. It still is for me, and I don't want you to approach Jamal about it.”
“I won't go against your will. This stays between us.”
Patricia nods, looking down, then lifting her head to meet an expectant gaze.
“What if…Jamal has a hand in Benjamin's dead?”
Myla baths her eyelashes a couple of times.
“What are you saying?”
“I'm saying, Jamal must've sent some men to murder him, because of what he did to me.”
Myla says nothing more, and she continues.
“My brother has always been extremely protecting towards me. I know...I can't accuse him of something so intense. But there are proves. Look at these people,”
Myla takes the files from her hand, and studies the images of the men cropped on each of them.
“They worked for Jamal back then, when I was at school for designing courses.”
Her forehead pleats while going through each file, silently.
“Suddenly, they stopped existing. I never heard of them as they were also as close as Amid is to Jamal. Everytime I tried to ask him, he says they betrayed him, so he sacked them. But after these investigations, it was said, they were killed.”
Myla closes her eyes, trying to intake everything she's telling her.
“With whom are you carrying out this case?”
“A friend of Latif. He was very close to her before Jamal warned him to stay away, after they got financed. You must've have seen him before, talking to Latif the day you first met my brother.”
Myla ponders her thoughts for some time.
“He always looked wounded towards this man, who talked with Latif as though they had something secretive?”
“That was him! Jamal hated Kon, for no reason. Or probably because he held his darkest secrets,”
“I found him afterwards, and he told me so much about my brother. He gave me these files, and said he'd help me know if Jamal did the same to Benjamin.”
Myla shakes her head, trying not to understand this conversation.
She sighs, jerking from bed and walking around the room, chaotically.
“Jamal cannot—be responsible for anybody's dead. He's not a murderer. I know he could've been somewhat bad before, but not...this.”
Patricia wakes up, tears welling up in her eyes. “Myla...this is hard for me, too. He is my brother. And all these years, I've always known he runs a clean business. But–there's more to what we know. Jamal has a lot of entangled evidences around him. You must promise me, you won't tell him.”
Myla bits on her bottom lip, almost wounding it as tears threaten to fall.
“Latif came to see me. She spoke about—Gabriella and said somethings concerning...your dad. Well, she told tell me—he was killed.”
“And as soon as I got that, I knew he must've been into something bad. But her words... afterwards kept me—wondering.”
Myla looks at her feet. “She said, Jamal holds the same power. And, has access to father's business. Whatsoever that may be...It should be the reason he had—he had been that way. Still, I don't believe he killed anyone.”
“Though I don't understand, why he hid it from me? Are you sure that man is telling the truth? Maybe he's trying to frame Jamal,”
“I don't think so. Why would he?”
“Because, they are enemies. Enemies don't get along. Why do you think he's helping you? Isn't it obvious?”
Patricia sighs, putting away the files.
Myla walks towards her. “This is a weird dream. Patricia, maybe you're taking this to far. You should talk to Jamal. Let him explain everything to you, himself. We can't trust that man...”
Patricia crumbles her eyebrows. “No, I can't. I need to find enough prove to face him. In case he denies, I will show him what I found, and he'll have no other choice, than tell me about it.”
“You know this already, Myla. He has never loved Benjamin. When I went over to see him, he told me in the restaurant, how evil and dangerous my brother is. And, that Jamal threatened him to stay away from me. I couldn't believe him, then, but after this... I've been having the feeling he was right.”
“You must know something. Jamal told me at the beach, that Benjamin was a bad guy. He refused giving me details on it, but, from all understanding, it seems they knew each other even before...the introduction.”
“Benjamin must've been sent as a spy, following up the questions he asked about your dad at the dining. Who knows? Maybe this is a trap. I mean...why would Jamal keep such secrets from me, or any even? It's so tormenting.”
“Myla, I'm sorry for to telling you all these. You're the only person I can trust. I'm not forcing you to believe this, but I want you to reason with me.”
“Try to get out of the box, and see reality. I was there when those men worked for brother. They couldn't have been killed just like that. Putting that aside, I heard what happened to you at Jessie's secret party.”
“Yeah, about that—” Myla doesn't complete her statement as Patricia cuts in.
“No, you don't need to explain. You were bothered, when Jamal told you not to wonder around as his wife. And, I understand that he was being protective. What if those people he hurt are getting back at him, through every means? What if they did that to you?”
“I thought the same, though. But, I can't really tell if there's someone—stabbing me at the back or someone trying to get back at him. From the questions he has been asking me, I think there's something I'm not understanding. Everyone in the party was a member of my project.”
“Some imposter must've injected the party. Listen, I–I just want my family to be normal. That's why I'm doing all these. If it really is that bad, it must stop. He's my only brother... I don't want to loose him. I won't stand it, Myla.”
Myla walks towards her, and hauls her into her arms.
“And, he's my husband. So be calm. We'd get through this.”
“Forgive me for hurting you, but this has been going on. I needed to let it out.” she says, still in Myla's arms.
Myla says nothing as she robes her back silently, while trying to hold back her tears.
This young one needs her stronger, and crying isn't helping.
Who would've thought she'd find herself here? Being dumbfounded, when she taught she knew who her husband was.
Jessie was right. People change and Jamal must've turned that side of him, or just never showed it to her for a reason.
She must find out why. Because, deep down, she refuses to accept everything her sister-in-law just told her.
She wants to hear him confess it himself, if at all it's true.
To be continued...