HIS GREATEST BETRAYAL

Chapter 3

I woke up to the loud banging in my room. I must have dozed off.

"Jane ! Jane pliz open up."

I heard Aunt Amira's teary voice calling  at the door. Another loud banging came again. I am sure it was from a male judging by the sound of it. If they keep going on like that , my door was going to break anytime soon.

"Miss Jane ! Open up!," came another voice which l recognised as that of the stranger earlier.

I sat up in bed staring at the door , my mind in a faraway place. My head was still aching as if a whole salvation army had marched through it.

In my numb state l could hear Aunt Amira crying outside the room . Aunt Amira was my nanny when l was young. She has been with my family for as long as l could remember.

There was a loud bang and the door to my room flew open. I am sure the strange man must have kicked it open. Aunt Amira rushed in sobbing.

"Thank God you are okay," she exclaimed giving me a born crushing hug.

She squeezed me in her arms to near death causing me to jerk into reality. I stared at her as if seeing her for the first time.

"Aunt!," l cried throwing my arms around her neck and sobbing all over again.

"They are gone , Aunt. I am now alone!," l cried in her chest.

"You are not alone , mi amor. You have me , Lola and Claudius. You are definitely not alone in this ," she assured me kissing my forehead.

"It hurts , Nana."

"Oh! my child . I am very sorry ," she said in a teary voice.

She hugged me again. Her embrace was warm as always. Smelling of cinnamon and pastry. She spent a great deal of her time in the kitchen as she was the head cook.

I felt more tears escape my eyes but I quickly brushed them away . My parents wouldn't be happy to see me depressed forever.

They were probably in a far better place than here. They were kind people and l was perfectly sure that they were looking down at me from heaven.

Amira held my pale face in her hands and dropped a small lingering kiss on my forehead . She always did that ever since l was a baby and I had grown accustomed to it at the age of twenty three now.

"I am sorry l wasn't there when you needed me the most ."

She held her face in her hands and cried again . She had gone away for a weekend to see her sick mother in the country side. I held her hands in mine and squeezed gently.

"It's OK nana. Though l am not fully okay with all this but l am copying. At least l am assured mama and daddy are in a safer place . l have to be strong for this family, for the company. I can't break down and let all they have struggled to work for all these years crumble . I have to accept the fact that they are gone but their memories will always remain imprinted in my heart ," I murmured fighting back tears.

It was more like talking to myself and convincing myself rather than talking to Amira. She smiled at me through her tears.

"That's the spirit my child . Mr Augusto would be proud of you. You know my dear there are some things that are beyond our control and capability and death is one of them."

I heard the door shut and realised that the stranger had gone out. I had cried in his arms for an hour yet I didn't know his name. I uttered a silent "thank you" for him in my heart . I was feeling a bit better after he told me my mother's last words.

"Jane darling , go into the bathroom and freshen up. You look terrible. Your mascara is smudging your face. Alice would not be happy to see you in this state. Come downstairs for dinner".

I smiled at the older woman with dark eyes and long black hair. She was my nanny ever since I was a tiny little baby. My mum had allowed her to stay at the mansion with her daughter forever.

She was a widow and had only one daughter,Lola. She was the same age as me . My parents had never considered them as servants. We had looked up to them as family. My dad had even sent lola and l to the same kindergarten and high school.

When we were about to proceed to university, Lola had declined my father's offer stating that she wasn't that bright like me, which was indeed true. I was sad when l had to leave for Europe alone.

Lola took up a catering business course. She was crazy about cooking, setting up the table for dinner and stuff. She was always in the kitchen trying out new recipes while I on the other hand didn't even know how to fry an omelette.

She once told me she enjoyed making other people happy and healthy by cooking them good food. She was my best friend and the only one who could read me like a book. To her l was like a little sister . It always infuriated me when she says that. As we grow up l had gotten used to that and took her as the older sister l never had.