Betrothed To The Ruthless Mafia

“Hey, um… Good morning” Rosana’s little voice broke in and Sergio turned around to find her already dressed for work. “I am leaving for work.”

“Without breakfast?” It was still very early in the morning.

“Yeah, I… I am not hungry. I think I lost appetite” Before Sergio could utter any other word, she brushed past him as quickly as possible and headed towards the awaiting vehicle.

Sergio watched her leave but couldn’t stop her. Even when his hands itched to hold her back and his legs burned to go after her, he fisted his hands and remained rooted to the spot. She needed space and he was letting her have it in the meantime. Once her time was up, he was going to break down every barrier that was piling up whether she liked it or not.

Ville who had been waiting all along bowed and got her bag from her. He opened the door and placed the bag inside before helping her to get in. Rosana muttered something under her breath and Sergio figured she was thanking him. Ville gave a stiff nod and closed the door then he turned around and bowed to Sergio the second time.

When the car finally rolled out of sight, Sergio returned to his phone and started searching for another number to call. After she slept off the previous night, he had gone over to his Study and called both the Manager and her Assistant to find out what happened to her. The two women were frightened and started crying over the phone, swearing they had no idea.

Ville was the one who managed to talk and all he said was that nothing happened to Rosana. She was alright at the club and was perfectly fine when he dropped her off at home. Then what happened to her? Sergio wondered the whole night. What changed? Why would she beg him to let her be?

“Ciao fratello” [Hello brother!] Enzo’s deep voice broke in and Sergio could tell he was smiling as always. “I see you missed me and couldn’t wait to hear my voice”

“Give the goddamn phone to Lucretia”

Enzo paused for a bit. “Attendere, Lucretia? What the f*ck? Why would I be with my sister-in-law’s best friend?” [Wait, Lucretia?]

“Give her the goddamn phone” Enzo groaned but didn’t say more. He knew he could fool around with everyone else but not his brother. After a little pause, Lucretia’s timid voice broke in. “Do you know what the hell happened to my wife?”

“N… No, I don’t” She stuttered and gulped hard. “I… We have not spoken in days but we did before I… I left and she was alright.”

Sergio already knew that Lucretia had traveled out with Enzo a few days back and they were currently in America. “Thank you for your time”

Before he could end the call, Enzo’s voice broke in again. “Fratello, cosa succede a me? I thought you were calling so early because you missed me!” [Brother, what about me?]

“Get back to whatever you were doing, Enzo, I do not have any business with you”

“Oh, now you get to have a business with Cari? o and not me? Why do you keep breaking my heart, Grande Fratello? It hurts” He paused and sniffled. “I know my dearest sister-in-law misses me so much. But tell her not to worry, I will be back. And if anyone is causing her trouble, they better be ready for me!”

“Piss off, Enzo” With that, he ended the call and tucked the phone inside his trouser pocket. He returned inside the mansion and went straight to his Study to get some work done.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

After some minutes, Carmencita walked in with his coffee. She bowed and poured him a cup before turning to walk out. Sergio noticed the slight change in her walking steps and how she tried to conceal it.

“Are your legs giving you trouble?” He asked and sipped his coffee. “I already told you to quit, Carmencita”

She turned immediately and chuckled dryly. “Oh, no, it is nothing. I will be alright in a couple of days”

Sergio remained quiet and focused on his computer. After some time, he spoke up. “I still think you should reconsider. You are not getting any younger”

She smiled and nodded. “I will be fine”

“And your daughter?”

The question came as a shock and she couldn’t believe it. Her daughter? It was sad especially when the person being mentioned hated her and wanted nothing to do with her.

“She… She is alright” Sergio looked up at her and nodded. He wouldn’t have asked but he had to because of Carmencita. He knew they didn’t have a good relationship with each other. “Thank you for everything”

“I want to know what has been going on with my wife”

Once she heard that, she froze. Her heart collided with her rib cage, and her breathing stopped. The only noise she could hear in the room was her blood pounding against her temples. His wife, Rosana… What happened to her?

“Your wife has been alright” She replied hastily and smiled, covering up her earlier reaction.

“She does not seem well to me”

Carmencita gulped nervously, her heart racing. She knew the Mistress had confronted her and they had exchanged words with each other. She also knew that Rosana was now fully aware of the pregnancy.

“Your wife is alright. There are no problems”

Sergio watched her silently and nodded. If that was coming from Carmencita, then it was true because she never lied to him. When she saw his reaction, she heaved in relief and bowed one more time. She was glad he believed her and didn’t try to dig out the truth.

“If I find out there are any problems, I do not have to tell you what would happen to those involved in it”

Her heart slammed against her ribcage, knocking the air out of her lungs. She couldn’t even respond as she turned around and walked out of the study.

??? AT THE CLUBHOUSE???

“Stop asking if I am f*cking okay. I am not a child”

For the past week, Rosana had not been herself and everyone soon realized that. At work, she did less work and slept more. At home, she locked herself inside her studio just to escape Sergio who had started breathing down her neck.

Most nights, she spent her time drawing and painting and the other night, she cried herself to sleep. She was always alone and didn’t need company. The only person she could’ve confided in was Lucretia but sadly, she was out of reach. Rosana didn’t even know if she was going to return or not.

“I am sorry, my Lady” Angelika muttered with a bow and Rosana felt sorry for speaking rudely to her. She had been doing that all week when all the young lady was trying to do was show concern. “If you need anything…”

“Look, I am sorry…”

“No, my lady, I should not have…”

“Just shut up and listen” She paused and sighed. “I am sorry. I should never have treated you or anyone that way.”

Angelika couldn’t believe it. Donna was really apologizing. “It is alright My Lady.”

“Alright, you can leave. I am fine” After she left, Rosana sank into her seat and squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn’t even recognize herself anymore.

*****

Rosana alighted from the car and walked into the mansion. After forcing herself to finish up all the work, she was tired and needed enough rest. All she had to do was rush over to the bathroom and have her shower.

After that, she’d have her dinner and retire to her safe house which was the studio. She knew Sergio was not back because it was still very early. There was still enough time for her to do all of those before he returned.

“Amore mio!”

At the sound of his deep voice, she froze at the spot and looked around. Once her eyes found him, her heartbeat skipped. What was he doing in the house by that time? He always returned late so why was he even around?

“Welcome back!” He added and tucked both hands inside his trouser pocket. “Let’s have dinner”