Chapter 3 Three

Alexis cautiously approached the table in the dimly lit room, her eyes fixed on the man drawing aggressively. She mustered up the courage to tap him on his shoulder. As he turned, she was struck with disbelief. Memories flooded back, the boy she mourned was right in front of her. "Sorry," he said, almost playfully. "Do you want to draw with me? Nobody ever talks to me," he asked, extending a crayon. "I painted outside the lines again, mommy is going to be upset with me," he whimpered, retreating to a corner, tears streaming down his face.

Katherine had been watching from the door,Shocked and bewildered, Kathrine called out, "Cody!!!" She entered the room to find both of them on the floor, her brother crying. Her mother rushed in after her. "Mother, what's wrong with him..."

"We should all go outside and talk. Okay, let's go," her mother said, guiding them out of the room. Once outside, emotions ran high as her mother revealed, "Ever since the accident, it's like he's been trapped in the mind of a child, a man with the mind of a child." Katherine's question hung heavy in the air, "So, my brother is a mad man?"

"He's just your brother, he's my husband. My husband is a mad man, and I found out the day I got married." The revelation left them reeling. Her mother's tearful explanation followed, "My son is not mad; he just has a Neurocognitive disorder. It will pass with time if he's looked after properly"

"So where do I fall into all this drama, I just want to go home now," Alexis said, folding her hands, her expression a mix of frustration and exhaustion.

"True, if he had an accident, why wasn't it covered in the news? We're one of the most influential and powerful families," Kathrine asked her voice tinged with a hint of concern and confusion.

"That's where she falls in. Nobody in the outside world knows about his condition, and we plan to keep it that way. During the incident, there were lots of reports, but we bought them off. We can't pay from company accounts there'd be questions. We can't let them know that the CEO is mentally unstable. Your father is at some pilgrimage in Africa and unreachable. Our personal accounts are half empty. There's only one place left his trust fund, and it was only accessible with a marriage certificate that we now have," there mother explained, her tone a mix of urgency and secrecy.

"So what, I'm useless to you guys now? I was just a means to a fat cheque and now I'm screwed," Alexis said with a rather mean and straight face, her eyes reflecting a sense of betrayal and realization.

"Well, you're also a means to a cover story. When he gets better, the cover story is that he left for a quiet honeymoon after a really quiet wedding .. intimate family only," the response came, Straightforwardly in an unemotional manner hinting at the intricate web of deception being woven.

"You're talking like all this is okay. I can't be married to him. Every time I see him, I'll be filled with guilt, he doesn't even know anything about what marriage means," Alexis expressed, her voice laced with inner turmoil.

Diego stood up, forcefully dragging her away. "Diego, let..." Katherine's words were cut short by her mother's intervention, "Let him talk to her."

He tossed her into the room, literally throwing her onto the bed. "You know I've had it with all the males in this family. Are you guys really so disrespectful?!" Face to face, he grabbed her by the back of her neck, tugged her hair slightly. "You talk about respect, as if you pass on the same courtesy to others around you. You call my brother mad as if you saw him in mental asylum. You should be grateful that he can look at you without wanting to tear your heart out, because you really don't deserve it. So from today, you will look after him," he declared firmly, releasing her. With blood-stained nails, he glanced at her without lifting his head. Despite his anger, a pang of regret hit him as he left the room. Alexis stood there, holding her neck, tears streaming silently, as the weight of guilt consumed her, realizing she was the monster all along.

She entered their bedroom, finding him engrossed in playing with toys. Approaching him gently, she introduced herself, "Hi, my name's Alexis , and I believe you're Cody, right?"

"I don't tell strangers my name," he retorted, moving to another corner to play with his toys.

"Um... Who said I'm a stranger?"

"Then who are?" he quizzed, leaving a sense of mystery in the air.

"Well I'm your caretaker, I'm here to watch over you, always by your side like a shadow. So, why can't we be friends?" she said with a warm smile, extending her hand for a handshake. He reciprocated the gesture, and she conversed with him as if he were her younger sister throughout the night, sharing laughter until he drifted off to sleep and she tucked him in.

"Good morning, everyone," Alexis greeted, her gaze shifting to Diego who averted his eyes. "How's Cody?" his mom inquired, scanning the newspaper. "He's doing fine, seems to have a fondness for everyone here..." Alexis responded hesitantly.

"Well, not everyone..." a woman in a sleek black gown and a pearl necklace entered. "Victoria, you're back so soon," her mother acknowledged. "Of course I am, it involves my father's company, so I took the first flight from Mexico city back home. Or am I not welcome anymore?" Victoria retorted, taking a seat at Cody's usual place at the breakfast table.

"Victoria, you know that's Cody's seat. He's practically the head of the family and next in line for the family business. So, why sit there when even mom doesn't sit there?" Katherine questioned with a stern expression. Alexis observed the unfolding family drama.

"So, we keep the seat warm for Cody, the mad man in fancy clothes," Victoria remarked. Diego, taken aback by the statement, abruptly left the table, struggling to find words amidst the tension in the room. The intricate family dynamics and power struggles were laid bare, for Alexis to see.

"I can't take this, I'll be with grandma in the garden. I should have had breakfast with her," Katherine declared as she left the room abruptly.

"Did you really have to say all that?" her mom inquired, folding up her napkin.

"The truth ?..." Victoria responded with a hint of laughter, then her gaze fell on Alexis .

"Who's she? Oh right I almost forgot, Cody's baby mama, or was it the wife?" she remarked sarcastically.

"Let's go, dear. We just lost a perfect breakfast," Mrs. Carrington said, guiding Alexis out of the room, leaving behind a tense atmosphere filled with unspoken tensions and unresolved conflicts within the family.