A light in the darkness

Chapter 26

"Mary!" said the young man. His dark brown eyes that were fixed on Maria were shining brightly. He had a soft smile on his face but he looked nervous. The room was deadly silent and the three other men were looking between the man and Maria shocked.

"Mary, please say something." said the man pleadingly and took a few steps toward a ghostly pale Maria.

"Alfonso." whispered Maria. Her breathing was uneven and she had not blinked. She took a few slow steps forward and stood right in front of Alfonso Torres. "You are alive."

"Yes, I know. It's shocking." chuckled Alfonso nervously and scratched the back of his neck. "But if you let me, I will explain ho... OUCH!" he cried and rubbed his cheek that Maria had just slapped hard. "Okay, that hurt."

"You, bloody moron!" shouted Maria and hit his chest over and over and he only shielded himself from her blows. "We mourned for you. Anna and I cried for weeks thinking that you are dead."

"OUCH! Mary! God damn it. Let me explain." cried Alfonso, still trying to dodge her blows.

"That's enough." said Mason and looked at Ben. "Ben, control your girlfriend."

"Girlfriend!" yelled Alfonso with a deep frown as Ben caged a fuming Maria in his arms restricting her movements. He frowned deeply and glared at Ben. "You are her boyfriend? Why I didn't know?"

"BECAUSE YOU WERE DEAD, YOU SHITHEAD!" shouted Maria and trashed in Ben's arms. But suddenly she stopped and began to sob hard. "I thought you died because of me. I thought Santi found out you helped us and caused that accident. You let me live with the weight of guilt."

Alfonso quickly walked forward and looked at Maria with guilty eyes. "I'm terribly sorry, Mary." he said. "I'm sorry to leave you on your own."

Maria gently pried Ben's arms and cupped Alfonso's cheeks and stared into his eyes while tears poured down her face. "It's really you." she sobbed. "Estás vivo, Alfonso." (You are alive, Alfonso.)

Alfonso quickly kissed her forehead and pulled her into his chest and wrapped his muscular arms tightly around her body. He sighed in contentment and closed his eyes. "Sí. Soy realmente yo, mi amor." (Yes. It's really me, my love.) he said softly and kissed her temple. 

Ben clenched his jaw not liking the situation at all. "Okay! that's enough." he said and pulled Maria forcefully out of Alfonso's arms who immediately glared at him.

"Ben!" squealed Maria and hold onto Ben tightly to keep her balance and looked up into his blazing eyes that had turned darker from anger while he glared at Alfonso with venom.

"What the fuck, Torres." he growled. "Who the hell are you?"

"Enough!" Mason's voice boomed into his office and they all turned to him who had stood. "All of you, sit down right now. And Torres, speak instantly."

"Yeah, speak instantly." barked Maria once again angry as Ben forced her to seat and sat next to her himself. "Tell us how the hell you are alive when you were supposed to be dead."

"Or maybe it's better to say how the hell you know each other." snarled Ben, still glaring daggers at Alfonso while holding Maria in his arms, showing his territory.

"She is my best friend, and I really appreciate it if you keep your distance from her." seethed Alfonso.

"Toress," said Mason and pinched the bridge of his nose tiredly. "You have only ten seconds before I shot you."

"Okay. Let me start from the beginning." sighed Alfonso and sat down. "Maria and I are best friends. We have grown up together. We went to the same kindergarten and schools." he said and looked at Maria with guilt. "But, you never knew who I or my family truly are."