The defendants were sentenced to thirty years in prison for sexual assault and an additional five years for property damage, with the sentences to be served consecutively; meaning they will serve them one after the other, not simultaneously. In the weeks that followed, Yenedith stayed with Gem to support her, but whenever they weren't together, she also mourned Charles' death.
<><><> FEBRUARY <><><>
Elena makes sure everyone is gathered in the dining room, then goes to the kitchen and asks Lucile to bring a plate of food up to her room. After a few minutes, she leaves the table early to take the food to the room where Gustaph is staying, but she receives a call just before she unlocks the door.
— We agreed not to talk anymore.
— Sorry, ma'am. It's just that there's bad news about the stable — D'mitri says on the other end of the line. He walks around the place, his gaze fixed on the ground amid the blood and bullet casings — Apparently, there was a problem.
— Stop rambling.
— They never left; they're all here.
— And the horse?
— Nowhere to be found. The stall is empty.
— Can't you do a single thing right?! — Elena grumbles — At least find it, and I don't want to hear from you until you give me a positive answer!
Gustaph, who overhears part of the conversation, decides to step away from the door. — Is this the day you're going to kill me?
— Enough with the drama, Gustaph. I just came to bring you your food.
— How long are you going to keep me locked up? I have important business to attend to at work. I'm close with some of my colleagues and I have important meetings to attend. Soon someone will report me missing.
— Enjoy your meal.
— I'm a public figure; it'll be on the news.
The next morning, Yenedith finds herself walking through the mansion's hallways in search of the piano room her father had mentioned during dinner. Perhaps some music will bring her a little peace. She plays a few notes to warm up her ear and practices for a few seconds until she settles on a melody.
— What? — She stops, but the voice doesn't speak. The next time, it's a repeated knock, as if someone were knocking on the door of one of the rooms. The noise seems to be coming from the next room — Lucille?
— Yenedith, is that you?
— Gustaph, what's going on? — she asks, trying to open the door.
— Get away from the door! — Gustaph kicks the door once more until he manages to break it down — Thank goodness, you're okay!
— How are you? — Yenedith asks, pulling away from the embrace to get a good look. — I thought you'd been hurt too.
— No, I managed to stop your brother before he did something he might later regret.
— Did you let them take him away?
Gustaph realizes that Elena has done nothing but lie to everyone around her to cover up her actions. For Yenedith, the fact that her brother caused all this fits with the fact that the weapon requires such close proximity. No one who isn't trusted could get that close to her father — No. Why would Tadeus do that? — she says, thinking of that escape plan.
— I think your father ordered him to do something your brother never recovered from — Says Gustaph.
— Why do you say it like that?
— Elena ordered her men to take care of your brother.
— No, she wouldn't…
— I've been locked up in that room for weeks, and I've asked her the same question every day, but she never has anything to say.
— It was Strauss, wasn't it? He's the one who kidnapped him.
— Yenedith, the best thing we can do right now is leave. I know your brother would want me to get you out of here.
— You keep talking as if he were dead.
— Ask your father where Tadeus is. I'm sure Elena has told him something different, says Gustaph, and heads down the other side of the hallway. He runs into Lucille, who helps him get out of the mansion.
<><><><><>
— Bring the pan.
— Here it is — the boy replies.
— Then we put the rolls in, pour the sauce over them, and then add the Parmesan cheese — the woman says, pointing to the bowl. The boy does as he's told — Tell your father dinner is ready.
— Yes, Mom — he watches her put the baking pan in the oven. He goes up to the attic of the house, where he finds his father reading at his desk.
— Come here, son. I'd like to know your opinion on this — the man says. The young man approaches to look at several photos of a couple of men talking in what appears to be a restaurant — Tell me what you see.
— They're talking, but…
— What?
— They're exchanging something under the table.
— Did you hear that? — says the man, glancing toward one corner of the room — My son thinks you must have struck some kind of deal with that man. Whatever you got in return must have been worth the risk of being exposed.
— Sylvester, my love. Dinner is served — says Hyacint from the doorway. She notices her son's strange expression and prepares to enter the office.
— Wait for me downstairs, woman — Sylvester grips his son's shoulder tightly to stop him from taking another step.
— All right. Don't let the food get cold.
Once he can no longer hear footsteps going down the stairs, Sylvester takes the key hanging from his neck to open one of the drawers in his desk. He takes out the golden revolver, makes sure it's loaded, and hands it to his son — You know what you have to do. Do it quickly; your mother is waiting for us for dinner.
When he pulls the trigger, he wakes up with a start in the darkness — Did you have a nightmare? — Tadeus asks.
— Something like that.
— Go get some water; that'll help you sleep.
Just looking at the portrait of his parents, he remembers the heated argument between them after dinner. He continues on to the kitchen, takes a glass from the shelf to pour himself some water, but he craves a glass of white wine — I was waiting for you upstairs — says Tadeus from the doorway. Alexander reaches out, takes another glass, and begins to pour — Was it that bad? — he sits on his lap.
— Everything that happened to you was my fault. I got too complacent.
— No, I should have gone to the police to stop them from carrying out their threats. First there were the phone calls, then the box, and they almost killed me.
— Did they ever tell you what they wanted?
— No, maybe I've drawn too much media attention to certain unsolved cases. I suspect it might be because of the murders abroad.
Alejandro caresses Tadeus' face and kisses his lips — We'd better go upstairs to sleep; you need to rest.
Once in bed, Tadeus begins kissing his neck, working his way down to his navel — Are you sure about this?
— I want to feel you closer —
Alexander can't help but laugh as much as he resists the warm kisses touching his skin, the hands moving up his chest to his shoulders. Caresses that travel down his back with his lover's torso brushing against his nipples.
— We should have stayed here — Tadeus sighs, his chin resting on Alexander's shoulder, who pushes him gently to look at his face — Ahh… heavens! — Tadeus presses his forehead against Alexander's and kisses him again — We should have… ahh… stayed here.
— We'll stay as long as you want — he whispers in his ear before resting his head on the pillow. He grabs Tadeus' hips and thrusts his pelvis upward with force.
— Oh, damn… ahh, Ahh… Ahh…! — Tadeus leans forward, rests his right hand on the bed, and covers his mouth with the other. Alexander takes hold of his lover's wrists and positions himself on top of him, increasing his ability to stimulate him. The semen splattering on Alexander's chest slides with sweat across his abdomen, but this is not the end of the pleasure for Tadeus, who has lost his breath. "I love you," Alexander whispers in his ear, and from there, he devours his face until his skin no longer tastes of salt. The thought that perhaps someone else might have touched his skin enough to leave marks causes a sharp pain in his chest, which he drowns out with the pleasure he feels right now, being with him.
If his love says he never lied to him and has only been with him, he decides to believe him. And the fact is, remembering the looks, the laughter, and the tears, which have allowed him to see that sensitive side of him, convinces him of a love that is reciprocated.