Don Begged, Donna Walked Chapter 02
I still remember the morning he first showed up as the boss at the Five Families Summit.
I got up extra early to iron his shirt and picked out a royal blue tie for him.
I’d just finished tying it neatly when Adelaide burst right in.
Her eyes flicked down to my hands for a second. Then she held up the tie she was carrying and grinned.
“Vin, this is a really formal event. You should wear this textured tie. It looks way more dignified.”
Vincenzo didn’t even hesitate. He reached up and undid the knot I’d just tied.
The blue tie slipped right off.
He took the one Adelaide handed him, didn’t even glance at it, and quickly tied it himself in front of the mirror.
He caught my stunned expression in the reflection.
When he turned around, he patted my shoulder.
“Don’t get the wrong idea. Adelaide’s been by my side a lot longer. She knows the dress code for these events better than you do.”
I stared down at the discarded tie in my palm.
I knew perfectly well I wasn’t misunderstanding anything.
Right after the abortion, the second place I went was the sea.
For ten years, I’d begged countless times to have our wedding by the sea.
I lay on the bed of the yacht, throbbing with lingering dull pains.
Then Adelaide called.
She sounded utterly smug.
“Could you pack Vin’s luggage for his flight to Iceland later? I’ll swing by to pick it up.”
She paused, then let out a soft laugh.
“Don’t bother packing his underwear though. I got him new ones. He loves the style and fit.”
A sharp cramp tore through my lower belly.
I bit down hard on my lip, holding back every sound.
Before now, every time Adelaide took shots at me like this, I’d lose my cool.
I’d call Vincenzo and scream at him, or storm straight to the family headquarters and demand they fire Adelaide.
Just like last week, when Adelaide had pretended to be sweet and caring toward me.
“Caterina, everyone knows childbirth ruins a woman’s body. It loosens you up down there. I guess Vin’s always been afraid I’d change like that, so he never let me carry his kids. He just makes you do the dirty work instead.”
I trashed her office on the spot.
The commotion drew crowds of reporters, and the scandal blew up everywhere.
Rumors about Vincenzo and his secretary spread like wildfire.
The family was in the middle of a major expansion. All this bad press broke their rule of staying out of the spotlight, and many members turned against him.
It hit Vincenzo hard.
Everyone in the clan knew he was cold-blooded and never let a slight slide.
He ordered me to clear Ms. Ricci’s name publicly right away.
“If you cause any more trouble, I’ll take the baby the second it’s born. You’ll never lay eyes on it for the rest of your life.”
Deep down, he’d always chosen Adelaide over me.
The yacht rocked back and forth. The painting sitting by my nightstand teetered on the edge.
My mother painted it.
It was a sunflower piece, the only thing I’d brought with me from my old home.
Mom left me dozens of paintings once, but I’d sold all the rest to pay off debts.
On all those lonely sleepless nights, looking at this painting was the only thing that eased my heart.
I reached out to steady it.
I was too late. It crashed to the floor with a loud thud.
Something fell out from behind it.
The pain faded to the back of my mind as I froze.
Inside were old photos of Vincenzo from when he was young.
He was just seventeen when my mom pulled him out of the slums and brought him to the city.
In the photos, the boy wore a faded old t-shirt. He stood tall, eyes innocent yet piercing.
There were no ugly scars across his back back then.
Mom paid for his entire college education.
I was a mafia princess. After graduation, I joined the Vitale family like it was meant to be. I was smart and hardworking, and my future looked bright.
Until my father dropped dead suddenly in his mistress’s bed.