The Deal

"When it comes to love and loss, acceptance is never easy. We can't make someone see all we have to give, make them love us, or make them change. All we can do is move on and stop wasting time."-April Mae Monterrosa.

Gisella's POV

"Oh, Gisella dear, what happened?" immediately I arrived home, my parents were walking to and fro restlessly. I had called my mamma before I came. I gratefully look at her as she stands in front of me.

"What is it? What happened?" she questions me, her brown eyes filled with pain and concern.

"It is Pietro and Viola, Mamma. They cheated and set me up, and the arranged marriage was meant for Viola because she loves Pietro. They suggested me to the Caruso's." I started crying.

"It was all my fault, Mia Cara," she pouts, giving me a warm hug in the sitting room, and so was my papà.

"No, mamma, You've told me a lot that you don't like Viola because I've always gotten in trouble because of her and Pietro." I reminded her instantly,

The thought of it made me weak, recalling the day I saw Viola with a man outside the airport, thinking it was the Mystery man she told me about. Still, I was so blind and wrong and too foolish to notice that it was Pietro because that same day Viola traveled, Pietro also traveled, saying her grandma wanted her in Rome. I even rejected three suitors for the so-called Pietro Santoro because he promised to get married to me, and where is he now?  I sighed and walked towards Davenport.

"Oh Mia Cara." my papà sat beside me, and so did my mamma. She held my hand. "I'm sure Nicolo is better than Pietro. I am sure that you two will make a perfect team, trust me." with a smile, my mom spouted.

I furrow my confused eyebrow at her. "Why say so, mamma?" How on earth can we make a great team when he's blind and no connection between us."

"I'm very sure about it, Gisella. A mother's instinct is never wrong. Do you remember the family I once labored for years ago?" she questions.

"For Signora Alessia?" I questionably replied to her.

"Well, that woman that I worked for, years ago that died through a fire breakout, is no other person than Alessia Caruso, Nicolo biological mother, the woman you heard Signora Caterina Moretti calls Ludovia is his stepmom and also the mother of Diego and Lorenzo." she gives in a weak smile. I was staring at her in terror.

"Are you serious, mamma? it was the Caruso's you worked for then?" I mumbled.

"Yes, my dear, and did you know how Nicolo got blind?"

"How?"

"He was inside the mansion during the fire breakout. He was reviewing a contracted document that was sent from the office. No one knows how the fire started because it was just Me, Nicolo, Maid Nina that was at home that day. The rest workers were given an unaware day off letter. We don't know who gave out the letters," she added.

"Mrs. Alessia could not let Nicolo die because he took her twenty extra years in marriage to get Nicolo. Finally, he was her only son, even though Mr. Giuseppe told her just to let him be. Still, she refused and ran inside the burning mansion; she managed to rescue Nicolo with a blindfold around his eye, she pushed him out from the already burning door, instantly, she was about running out, a flamed wood fell on her." She sighed. As the pain of the incident was evident in her tone.

" That was how she died. If you get closer to Nicolo, he has a massive scar on his back at the side of his shoulder. I took care of that boy for Sixteen years. He was supposed to be the heir running the family business, but it was Lorenzo that was in charge, he was a friendly and caring child before the accident during sixteen, but this accident made him cold and grumpy." She continued.

"He doesn't remember, not with the chance of my surname because then I was using my family name, Giada De Luca, now is Giada Molinero, and do you know who started the fire?"

Immediately, I felt nervousness spread through my body. I felt my papà signaled my mamma with his foot.

"Who started the fire?" I tensed.

"You don't have to think about this now, Mia Cara, and your wedding gown are lying straight on your bed. Go and check it out." My papà distracted, and I know that they're both hiding something from me.

"Just think about it tonight, Mia Cara, the wedding arrangement has been prepared, the Caruso's are working on it, and also it's a small arrangement, you should check your gown out, it is superb." my mamma said with a reassigned smile.

Signore Nicolo must be blind, but he is a fine man, but my heart is still with Pietro Santoro.

"Ok, mamma, I'll get married to him no need to think, I'll do this for us because I don't like him and he's not my kind of man, the marriage is just a deal to save your business and my life, right?"

"Yes, my dear, Oh my God... thank you very much, Gisella." she hugged me again. My papà was smiling, feeling exciting as amusement dance in sparkles in his eyes.

***

Nicolo Caruso's POV

I snorted, laughing at the idea of me getting married tomorrow. "What made you pick her as my bride papà? I might be blind, but I am not thinking about getting married now, and if I want a bride, I would have selected her myself."

"You're already thirty-two, Figlio." my papà pointed out flatly. "I married your late mother at an early age. I should say it's high time for you to settle down."

"I'm not interested now in getting married, papà, and you know that." Now I am stuck here with my father in his bedroom babbling things that I am not interested in, and I should have moved straight to my Villa. He was the one who called me over anyway.

"Common Figlio, Just fulfill your Madre last wish." he smiled heartily.

"papà, I am not interested in marriage," I repeated to him arrogantly. "Why her? papà, Why the young Signorina? I know that you threatened her family because her mother can't just give her daughter out to a blind uomo who she didn't even know properly, and getting married tomorrow? that is too much.

" I knew that we would get to the conclusion of stopping the marriage tonight before tomorrow, so I had to act more arrogantly with him to surrender and save Signorina Molinero from marrying who she didn't love but not less alone for her to get married to a truffare."

"Amico, I chose her for you for a reason I know you don't know how she looks like, and I know that you don't like her, left alone love her, she's a simple middle-class girl, and I am glad that Vincenzo Santoro reprimanded her for you instead of that unfaithful Viola Moretti, Gisella is from a nice home and do you know the most amazing thing? I knew her mother from before. That's while I threatened her to give her daughter to you as your bride." I can feel him smile.

"Vincenzo Santoro? is he not the father of Pietro Santoro?" with a frown, I ask.

"Sì, Ragazzo Mio," he replies, then I gave in a quick nod. Now I understand everything, what they did, Viola and Pietro.

"Then what will be my profit if I get married to the Molinero's only child? What is in for me? You know it has to be a deal, and I know there is something in for you, papa. I know you very well, I might be blind, but I am not Diego or Lorenzo. So you should tell me about the plan."

I felt him held a private smile that made me frowned as he placed his hand on my shoulders.

"You are my Figlio, the true son to Général Giuseppe Caruso, well the deal is that I want you to get married to Giada's daughter and use her as an esca to make her parents confess something which only matters to me, you see, that is the only way to make her confess to me because she is a strong woman and will do anything for her daughter, you can't fall for her, then after that, I'll fly you abroad for eye surgery and also then, you'll come back into the spotlight, the companies need you, Lorenzo can't seem to handle it alone, I need you to make it happen because I can't wait to fulfill your mamma last wish." he exhales.

"What last wish? And what does her mamma knows? Why use the daughter as an esca? how are you related to her in the past, papa?" I seem to have a lot of unanswered questions, why must I ruin and betray her like that? For the little time that I've been with Gisella, she seems to be a nice girl who is passing through a lot already. But what else can I do? It's a great offer, and I want my eyesight back. I will love to see how she looks like."

"You don't have to know that Figlio, the part of your deal is just to get married to her, immediately I get hold of what I want, it's not going to be a real marriage to you, but to others it is, but to you and I, it's just a deal. Don't you want to see the world again? I guess you do, stick to the plan and get ready for the marriage tomorrow,"

I sighed. "Deal?" he questions.

"Affair!" I reply.

WORD TRANSLATION

<

>affare

<

> Deal!

<

>Sì, Ragazzo Mio

<

>YES, MY BOY.

<

>truffare

<

> Cheat

<

> Signorina

<

> Miss

<

> Signore

<

>Sir

<

>Figlio

<

> Son

<

>esca

<

> Bait

<

>Mia Cara

<

> my dear