The Mafia’s Forbidden Desire

ANTONIO.

“What more do you want from me? You asked me to keep my mouth sealed, and I did. I even had to say hurtful things that I didn’t mean to my best friend just to keep her away from me. Do you know much that hurt me? Why did you bring me here again? You promised to never bother me again.” Ruby uttered, her eyes flicking with hatred.

“That’s the problem. You shouldn’t keep your distance from her. Now you’ve got her suspecting that something’s wrong with you. I don’t want her to be worried about you. You should act naturally around her.”

“Please just let me go.” She cried.

I shook my head, sighing.

“Why are you still standing there?” I growled. I felt a presence moments ago, and I had expected whoever it was to leave immediately, but they didn’t.

When I didn’t get a response, I flicked my head to the side, ready to lash out at whoever it was, but the second I laid my eyes on her, I froze.

“Rosa.” My voice suddenly went low. Her eyes blazed with rage as she started walking towards us, her teeth clenching so hard.

“Why did you kidnap her? Why are you terrorising her?” Her tone increased slowly as she spoke, until it became a yell. “Why the hell are you doing this to her? What do you want from her? I almost fucking died when you kidnapped her!”

After her last statement, the realisation dawned on me that she had regained her memories.

“When did you get your memory back?” I asked, turning my gaze away from her. The hatred she harboured was palpable in the way she looked at me, and I didn’t want to see that. I’d rather not see it.

“What?” Her voice grew darker. “You thought it would be hidden forever? Too bad, Antonio. The cat’s out of the bag.”

“Rosa.” Ruby called with a low tone, and she turned her attention to her.

“Why didn’t you tell me, Ruby? Why?!” She half-yelled. “What did he threaten you with? For God’s sake, what does he even want from you?”

“If you had told me who Carlo’s father is, this wouldn’t have happened to your dear friend.” I interjected as I jumped up and approached her in long, intimidating strides.

“Oh.” She laughed mysteriously, making me wonder what was funny.

“So that’s what all this is all about? You almost killed me just because you wanted to know who my son’s father Is. Who-”

“I never planned for that accident to happen!” I defended myself strongly.

“Why the hell do you want to know who the father is?” She asked, matching my tone.

Blowing out a sharp breath, I retorted. “Because I promised your father.”

“Cut that crap, Antonio! We all know that’s not true.” She countered, her menacing gaze filled with murderous intent.

“Why don’t you go ahead and tell me why I’m doing this then since you think otherwise?” I challenged her, taking another step towards her.

“Look at you. A typical mafia boss with no remorse or whatever. You-”

“Rosalinda!” I groaned, cutting her off.

“I hate you!” She declared sharply, her words hurting me more than they should.

Without saying another word to me, she walked past me, moving towards her friend. Extending her hands to her, she helped her up and started moving, their hands intertwined.

Rosalinda took a brief pause in front of me, long enough to utter those hurtful words again.Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

“I hate you. And don’t you ever touch Ruby again. Stay out of my life!”

As she walked away with Ruby, I didn’t attempt to stop her. Her poison-laced words weakened me, hurting me to an extent that I never imagined. I had never felt like that for any woman before. She was the first. The first I ever felt so deeply for, and the first to ever speak to me in that way and get away with it.

Damn! That woman was making me lose my mind.

“Now that she knows, what would you do?” Marco’s voice suddenly interrupted my thoughts, and I flicked my gaze to see him standing in the door frame.

“I don’t know.” I replied truthfully, exhaling.

“That girl’s so much trouble. You shouldn’t have offered to help find her son’s father in the first place, and-”

“Would you just shut up?” I cut him off, my tone cold.

“But-”

I interjected again, growling. “You are not one to tell me what to do.”

Blowing out an exasperated breath, I started heading towards my bedroom. Her words stung as they kept ringing in my head over and over again. I didn’t want her to hate me. She shouldn’t.

The following day, I was at Moretti’s mansion, not knowing what to expect. But I risked it either way, because I knew that whatever happened, Roberto wouldn’t be stupid enough to try to kill me unless he wanted to start a feud. The highest he could do after finding out that my actions almost killed his daughter was to terminate the agreement. I doubt he would, though, because he needed the alliance more than I did.

To my dismay, Rosalinda was with her father in his office when I got there.

“Good morning.” Roberto regarded me as I slipped into his office.

“Good morning,” I replied, approaching his desk cautiously.

“Rosa, you can go.” He told her, and she nodded before starting to walk away from him. I didn’t miss the death glare she threw at me as she walked past me.

“Shall we? Let’s conclude on the new date for the wedding.” Roberto muttered, hinting that she didn’t tell him about my little secret, and I wondered why.

Yesterday, the hatred that shone in her eyes was so palpable that I thought she wouldn’t hesitate to tell her father about it. Why did she choose to keep it to herself?

Roberto’s phone suddenly rang, and he asked me to excuse him before answering it.

“Don Diego.” He said into the phone, and my brows shot up.

Don Diego? As in, Diego Romano?

Roberto slightly shook his head. “No, I’m not.”

“Alright, I’ll call you back later then.” He said after a few seconds and ended the call.

For the call to have ended abruptly, I deduced that whatever Diego intended to discuss with Roberto, he wanted him to be alone while he did it.

“Was that Diego Romano?” I asked to confirm, and Roberto nodded.

“He said he had something to discuss with me, and I wonder what it is.” He pressed his lips tightly together, slightly shaking his head before continuing. “Anyway, let’s begin.”

My attention wasn’t on him anymore as I began to think of what Diego could possibly want to discuss with Roberto after proposing that I terminate my agreement with Roberto and form an alliance with him instead.

What dangerous game was Diego Romano trying to play?