Imprisoned by secrets

Chapter 16

Twenty-nine years ago...

"Adjust your tie." Mrs. Rivera scolded her son.

Hector resisted the urge to sigh. Mrs. Rivera didn't take her beady eyes off him until he'd fixed his tie.

"Wipe off that frown off your face. You have to look your best at today's party. This is a great opportunity for you to make your debut. You're already in your late twenties. You need to secure a partner as soon as possible." Mrs. Rivera said.

"Yes, mother." Hector sighed.

Mrs. Rivera motioned for her son to lean forward like she wanted to help him adjust his collar.

"Make sure you interact with all the rich heiresses at the party." She muttered in his ear.  Her breath smelt like vodka. She gave him a pointed look. She wanted him to stop hanging out with that foolish Bella Herrera girl.

"Yes, mother," Hector said. He barely heard what she said. He was too busy thinking about how much he hated his tie. His mother knew he didn't like green yet she forced him to wear the hideous thing.

His father was wearing an identical blue tie. Unlike Hector, he seemed to like his tremendously. This was probably because it was large so it helped cover part of his beer belly. He also tried to pretend the bald patches on his head didn't exist. Luckily, his wife was an eye catcher so she'd make people think he looked great.

His sister, Natasha Rivera was admiring her face in the mirror. She had spent a lot of money fixing her nose till it was just right. It had been worth it. She finally looked like the porcelain doll she wanted to be.

"I can't believe we're finally going to see the infamous Leila Herrera. You'd better hold on to father. I hear she's made many men lose their senses." Natasha said to her mother.

Natasha looked striking and confident in her red dress. Deep down, Hector knew she was insecure. The thought of being around a woman whose beauty was the source of her fame intimidated her especially since the said woman was also known to be remarkably intelligent.

He could sense the subtle sarcasm in her tone. It was obvious she was going to hate Leila if indeed she was as beautiful as the stories went. There was room for only one beautiful woman.

Mrs. Rivera tossed her head.
"We'll see about that." She said.

She apparently shared her daughter's opinion. She didn't want any other woman stealing the thunder. Natasha had to be the belle of the ball.

His father was too busy smoking cigars to pay attention to them.

"I wish you won't smoke so much, dearest. We'll all smell like a furnace by the time we get there. It's not good for our reputation." Mrs. Rivera nagged her husband.

She was still upset with him because he'd tried to wiggle out of coming for the event. She couldn't believe he'd want to embarrass her by not showing up.

Mr. Rivera sighed and put off his cigar. He didn't look too happy but he would have done anything to get the damned woman to shut up.

"Doesn't Natasha look dashing today?" Hector tried to change the subject. He could already see the sour look on his mother's face. It was a sign of a storm brewing.

He was flattering his sister because he knew she would take the bait. As expected, Natasha smiled proudly.

"Her nose doesn't look swollen at least." Mr. Rivera grumbled. He was still miffed by how much money he'd shelled out for her new nose. He could have used it to buy more cigars.

Mrs. Rivera narrowed her eyes at her husband. Men could be so stupid sometimes! They'd want the most beautiful woman on their arm yet they'd fuss over how much it cost to look that pretty.