Chapter 8:Enigma

I felt a mix of pain and anger consuming me. The speed at which I had driven all night was evidence of that; I felt like I was in a game I couldn't escape, going around in circles, always returning to the same place.

I arrived at the house, pushed the door to my room open forcefully, and searched for the damned scarlet book. I no longer cared if I had another horrible vision; I was fed up with events and words that others seemed to know, but I did not. I found the small book and flipped through it angrily; its strange symbols only irritated me more.

My breathing quickened. I searched page by page; some were missing, but at the back, there was a piece corresponding to the middle page with the horrible phrase: "Blood for riches." The half I found had an even more terrifying phrase: "First female descendant Ford pays the price."

My surroundings darkened. Yes, my grandmother had made a pact, I didn't know with whom, and had given up the blood of her female descendant "of course, my father was a man, so it's me."

That explains the horrible visions. I threw the book forcefully onto the bed and remembered María's words: "Your blood is black and thick, like the blood that runs beneath these lands."

Without thinking, I walked irritably towards María's room. My steps were quick, my breathing ragged, and my face was tense. I pushed the door to her room violently. She, who had been sleeping, jumped up, startled by my interruption. I grabbed her arm tightly.

"What do you know?" my fingers dug into her arm. She remained silent, her eyes showing terror, like a helpless animal stalked by its predator. "Answer!" I yelled euphorically as I squeezed her arm harder. She breathed in fear.

"The evil is under your skin," she said, panting, trying to hide her face from me.

"What evil are you talking about?" my anger grew even more. I pulled her hair, immobilizing her so she would look me in the eyes. "I am not evil, I am not!" I screamed so close to her face that I could feel her terrified breath. The sound of several broken glasses trembled around me, but I couldn't hear them; it was as if I had lost control of my actions. My hands dug deeper and deeper into the girl's hair, tilting her neck back, exposing her marked veins.

"Emma..." Ruth's hands pulled me away from María. Her voice was filled with amazement and fear.

"What are you doing?" she said, staring at me. Then she turned to look at the girl, who was panting in fear. There was so much glass on the floor, scattered. Lamps, ornaments... everything had shattered, as if a great explosion had impacted that room.

"I... I'm sorry..." I murmured, shocked by what I had done. The tremor in my hands was evident, and the crunch of the broken glass beneath my feet brought me back to reality. The room was a mess, as if an explosion had passed through, and I was the cause.

My heart raced uncontrollably, unable to understand how I had lost control in that way. I tried to approach the girls, but the remorse bound me to the ground.

"Go back to your room, Emma, rest. We have to meet Ryan today," Ruth said while hugging María.

Her reaction to my behavior had been so calm and empathetic that it overwhelmed me even more, but I obeyed her and locked myself in my room, lying on the bed, hugging myself tightly.

---

I opened my tired eyes; Ruth's face was in front of me, stroking my hair.

"It's time for you to get up, Ryan is already here," she smiled and brought a cigarette to her mouth.

I got up dazed, hoping that what had happened in the morning had just been a bad nightmare. I dragged my feet to the living room.

Ryan was there, with his athletic figure and his beautiful, mischievous smile. Under his arm, framed with the enormous tattoo, he carried a large folder. I greeted him and sat next to him.

"Are you okay, Emma?" he asked, noticing my state. I nodded my head with a disjointed movement.

"She's going through a lot, but she's strong," Ruth intervened, exhaling smoke from her mouth while stroking her short hair.

"Well, since that's the case, let's get to the point then," Ryan said, scratching his head.

He pulled out a bundle of papers from his folder, put on transparent glasses that highlighted his blue eyes, and raised his gaze, fixing it on me.

"Ruth had already told me about the case, so I took the liberty of reviewing old files of the Ford mansion and its property. Apparently, James is the legitimate owner of your lands, due to a past agreement with the Ford family where it was established that if their family lost their riches, they would be returned to this gentleman," he said without stopping once.

"Yes, the judge told me this, but I don't know why they never spoke to me about this agreement," I said, confused.

"There's something else, Emma," his words made my hands tremble. "There are no records of a family with the last name Audrey; his name has been repeated in every document, just like James Audrey." His words overwhelmed me, and I couldn't understand them.

"And what about that? He had his father's name; maybe he didn't..." I said, trying to find answers to the question that arose in my mind.

"No, Emma, he would be registered as a son, and then James Audrey would have to claim the property as an inherited asset, and that's not the case. He has total legitimate rights as if he himself had signed the agreement," he said, pursing his lips.

I stood up, grabbing my hair.

"This doesn't make sense. Ryan, you're saying that James would be as old as my grandmother or older; that's impossible," I smiled confusedly while pacing back and forth.

"Of course it would be impossible, but it's not just his name; it's also the same signature," he said, handing me two papers with copies of the documents.

One paper had the agreement dated 20/10/1963, and on the other paper was the claim of the current estate dated 2024.

"Yes, it's true... it's the same signature," I said incredulously and held the paper tightly.

"He could be an impostor who has forged the signature, adopting the identity of the real Audrey," Ruth said, trying to find answers to the question.

"This reminds me of the Highland Park legend," Ryan smiled while scratching his head.

"Oh no, Ryan, legend? Seriously? The one about the guy who never died and roams seeking redemption?" Ruth said mockingly. "Oh, please," she grimaced and got up from her seat.

"He could be a maniac, obsessed with your lands or a scammer. In any case, Emma, we will dismantle this scam. Just stay away from him," Ryan said, and his expression changed to concern.

I could only listen in silence. As crazy as it seemed, there was something that didn't fit. If James is an impostor, then I am really crazy.