Henry and Dester met again at lunchtime.
"So, Dester? Did you get the cooks to come up with a satisfactory menu?"
"Yes... I'm very happy today. Everything's going well... You know... My future wife was a bit wild, and I've been concentrating on taming her for a few months now. And today, after many months, she seemed more resigned to my teachings. I think that now, the trend is only to improve, just a few more adjustments, and she'll be a perfect wife."
"What you've said makes me wonder three things... How do you domesticate a human being? And another question: what is your ideal of the perfect wife? You told me a few years ago that you would never tie yourself to a woman, even if you were married. You refused to have children with your wife because of your ideal. Why did you change your mind?"
"Well, if you domesticate a woman by giving her correctives so that she knows who's boss in the house and respects your rules."
"Corrections?"
"Henry... You don't want to lecture me now, do you? I couldn't marry her until she learned to respect me. She came from a mystical place, and those people only learn to give in to their pride through the use of aggression. And she had the worst upbringing. Very spoiled, and very full of herself and her own opinion. In our environment, that's horrible. I couldn't introduce a woman who confronts me, who doesn't obey me. Everyone would lose respect for me. And you'll agree with me."
"And why didn't you choose a young woman as your first wife, who was brought up the way you liked? It would have saved you a lot of effort."
"Ah, Henry! When you see her, you'll understand. She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, and I've been around her for months, without her ever showing any interest... She didn't even see me, can you believe it? I fell in love. Mysteries of the heart, you know how these things are. And after I admitted I was in love, I understood that I did want a wife, her, and I wanted to start a family with her... My children will be beautiful."
"And what does her family, and she herself, think of this corrective that you apply to her?"
"Her family don't know. They don't even know where she is. Her grandfather was so anxious to have a great-grandchild that he didn't even realize that what I gave him was the address of a post office box. Sometimes I send one of the men to collect the letters. He never asks about her, he just wants to know if we're getting along. The day of the blue moon is coming, and the letters have multiplied. I had to send an address from Alaska so they could come for the ceremony..." Dester said and laughed.
"Blue moon?"
"It's the second full moon in the same month. This moon only appears every eighteen years, with the necessary fog. It's part of her family's culture that the ceremony takes place outdoors, just like the first wedding night, when the child must be conceived."
"And what's different if you get married on any other moon?"
"We believe that the mist that accompanies the blue moon is the source of a gift that everyone in my fiancée's lineage possesses, except her, poor woman."
"What gift is that?"
"Visions of the future, and sometimes of the past. And they say that... A daughter of mine may come even more powerful than all the others... Of her kind. If my fiancée had this gift, she would certainly refuse to come with me. She doesn't like the way I treat her, but how could she get away with it?"
"You're crueler than I thought. What you're doing to this young woman is cowardice."
"I've already warned you not to come and lecture me. I own her and I'll do with her as I please. I could be worse. There's nothing to stop me going over there and forcing her to lie with me, regardless of her wishes. But I respect her. Can you believe she stopped at a bank here in the United States as soon as we arrived and didn't even trust me to leave her bags in the car? She took them with her and it took her two hours. Anyone would lose patience at such disrespect. Believe me, when I beat her up, it's not without reason."
Henry was thoughtful. Dester was a very intelligent man when it came to some things, but he was strictly absent-minded when it came to details. Didn't he realize that the young woman must have gone to open an account and deposited the money she had? Probably kept in a suitcase that she took into the bank? How could he be so foolish? How could he, until now, not have realized that he had bought off all his men who worked at the mansion? He wanted to keep earning everyone's loyalty, but after meeting the young woman, getting her out of there became his priority.
"I think all three questions have been answered." Henry said in a calm tone, and cracked a smile. "I... I'm going to give you a stag gift."
"Don't worry about it..."
"I managed to convince Sarah to stay with you... She'll be here soon... Do you want me to tell her to cancel?"
His friend looked at him in surprise.
"I've been trying to get her into bed for years. I promised her the world and Sarah wouldn't accept. What did you do to make her agree?"
"I touched her weak spot... But tell me something... Didn't you go to bed with your fiancée?"
"I'm not that foolish. I want to see her virginity and make sure that the child she bears is mine and not that of any of the men who surround her with lustful eyes."
Henry felt joy seize his heart. Brianna was a virgin. But not for long, if it were up to him. He was sure she would sell her virginity for her freedom. That way, everyone won and he could get on with his life after she disappeared into the world. It was the best news Dester could have given him, even though he felt his stomach churn with disgust at the arrogance of him, who believed that anyone could be changed."
"When will Sarah get here?" The anxious voice interrupted Henry's thoughts.
Chapter 283:
Meeting Sarah
Henry looked at his wristwatch.
"The time I agreed with her starts in a few minutes. I thought you wouldn't want to miss your own engagement dinner, so I asked her to come now, in the afternoon."
"You really are my best friend. This is the perfect present. Sarah really appeals to me..."
"But not enough for me to be your wife..."
"She has a son. And she loves his father. Only a fool would take her for a wife. She has no scruples, she's a bloodthirsty witch, and she'd cheat on you with the father of her child without a second thought. As it happens, I'm always informed about her life. And I know that she's living with a... man. And how could I trust a woman who lives with a man and goes out with another man?"
"He doesn't seem to care."
"He lives numb to drugs, as does the father of her child. My sources tell me that she sends him money every week."
"You describe her as a disgusting person. Why do you want to stay with her?"
"Because I've heard reports of what she does in bed with a man. I want to feel that, too. I get turned on by the stories told by other... men." Dester thought about telling Henry that he was a werewolf. He was tired of having to watch his words around him, but he didn't have that right yet. Only when he had won the last battle would his authority allow him to determine who could know the werewolves' secret.
One of the men entered the dining room and announced Sarah's arrival at the estate. Dester ordered them to let her wait outside and turned to Henry.
"What do I do now? I can't sully the house where my children and wife will live during the summers."
"Don't worry. My gift is complete. Ask the driver to take you to where she will guide you." Henry said, pleased with his friend's naivety. He could have been walking into a trap, but he didn't even stop to think, with his head up. It was gratifying to see a man dominated by the desires of his own penis. He felt like spending more time with him and learning what not to do and what not to be.
Dester thanked Henry once more and left to meet Sarah.
Henry made sure they left, and returned to the mansion, where he bathed and perfumed himself to go after his sweet maiden.
...
Brianna arrived back home and felt that her face was still hot. The employees noticed that there was something different about her, and questioned her, but she didn't say anything and talked about the squirrels she had seen in the trees near the pond, with such excitement that the employees lost interest. It was already common for them to see these squirrels. Breathing a sigh of relief at having managed to divert their attention in her own way, she went to take a shower before going to lunch. One of the employees told her that Dester wouldn't be joining her for lunch that day. She wasn't surprised. Sometimes he didn't show up for a whole day. She asked the cooks to join her at the table for lunch, and they happily agreed. Everyone there seemed lighter without Dester's presence, which made Brianna wonder if they were really friends. But she couldn't ask, because whatever the truth was, they would lie out of fear. During the months she spent locked up there, she could see that they didn't approve of the way she was treated, and that distanced them from the boss. She no longer saw admiration in their eyes when he arrived. Instead, there was only fear.
As soon as Brianna had finished her lunch, she went to the window to see if the boy was passing by or already waiting for her at the pond, and that's when she saw a woman, a little older than her, wearing short shorts and a shirt with lace on the sleeves. She had never seen her there before, so she hurried out and called to her. She stopped, chewing gum, and stared at Brianna with indifference.
"What do you want? I have an appointment now. My time is worth gold."
"Who are you?" Brianna asked interestedly.
"What do you think?" She said, pointing at her outfit with her hand.
Brianna then understood. She was a prostitute.
"Are you going out with the boss?" Brianna tried to pretend she was one of the employees.
"What happened to Dester? Is he exporting foreigners to work for him now?"
"I was a street girl... No. I'm not going to lie. I'm his fiancée."
A gleam of interest lit Sarah's eyes.
"Then help me get out of this life... When you marry him, ask me to be your trusted maid."
Brianna remembered her mother's words and knew she was facing her enemy. She didn't know what would happen from then on, but she was sure that fate wasn't interested in knowing which option she would choose. Everything seemed to be running away with her.
"I don't know if he'll give me the chance to choose someone he has trouble trusting... But I can promise you, I'll take you with me, and you'll be treated like a sister, wherever I go." Brianna amended quickly, when she saw that she was losing interest.
"And what do you want in return?"
"I want you to come to the mansion, or at least go out with him more often, and find out what he hopes to do with me..."
"That's very easy." Sarah said, looking her up and down with an envious gaze. "I have an idea to keep you informed about everything I find out about him."
"How?"
"I have a friend here. He hired me to distract his fiancé this afternoon, and I can already imagine why..."
"The man with the blue eyes?"
The woman frowned.
"Almost all the men here have blue eyes."
"Henry?"
"Yes. He's beautiful, isn't he?"
"I don't know. I didn't pay attention." Brianna lied.
"Aren't you jealous that your fiancé is going out with me?"
"I don't care about such things." Anna said, looking into her eyes. She wasn't a werewolf, but there was magic in her.
"Good for you. Because, from what I know of him, he's going to have a lot of mistresses. In fact, he already has. He's married, and the only woman who doesn't turn him on is his wife."
"I'm lucky, aren't I?" Brianna said wryly.
"He's probably waiting for me. I'll send you some news tomorrow." She said and walked away.