Chapter 5

KATHERINE

I looked down at my food. I had lost appetite for the whole thing, I couldn’t still comprehend that any of these was real. Giorgio was asking me to be his wife in the terms of contract so he can secure his inheritance. It seemed so surreal, and so weird. The worst was that it wasn’t a matter I could easily walk out from because I needed money.

I licked my lips slightly, and looked up at him. He was looking at me with cool indifference, but I had a feeling that he was shaking inside waiting for my answer. After all, he was the one that needed help, and not me, technically.

“So, you’re telling me that you would give me ten thousand dollars if I agree to marry you?” I asked for clarity.

He leaned back into the chair, and smirked. “Of course, Kitty. Plus, the money is going to be for a start to sort out whatever needs sorting in your life. You can go to as many Rihanna concerts as you want with that money and it would never go down,” he said easily.

I scoffed. “Can you be serious for a minute?” 

Giorgio rose his hands dramatically. “Oops! I’m just trying to lighten up the atmosphere, Kitty. Stop looking like it’s some sort of death sentence to be my wife. I’m quite sure I’m not that bad,” he said in his annoying confident tone.

I rolled my eyes, and picked at my food. My mom had called me few weeks ago about my dad’s surgery, which means that my kid brother wouldn’t be going to school anymore. And, that was totally unfair. 

Damn!

I needed that money, truth be told. But, I needed to think about it better, and not make rash decisions. This had to do with marrying Giorgio, and I know how mean he could be. I had zero interests for him. I never thought I would be one of those girls who married for money, but here I was, contemplating the whole thing. At least, he wasn’t an old man with a walking stick. Ei!

“Kitty, what is your conclusion?” Giorgio asked, pulling me away from my thoughts, and towards his face.

I sighed. “I would have to think about this, and since you waited to this moment to talk to me, at least give me some time too. I also need to think about my terms and conditions and tell you everything about them,” I said firmly.

He shook his head, and then took a sip of his pineapple smoothie. “That’s fine by me,” he said as he rose to his feet. “You have all the time you need, but I don’t think I can wait forever. You would make a beautiful bride when you are dressed in the best designers. I’m sure that every woman craves that at some point in their life.”

I slid down from the chair, and grabbed my purse. “Don’t say nonsense, Giorgio or I might actually reject you right now.”

He made a sign with his fingers that said his lips were sealed. I gave him a thumb’s up, and together we left the bus. My mind was barely thinking in the lines of enjoyment, but more in the lines of money.

***

Giorgio dropped me at the hostel in his expensive Ford car which was apparently his too. He had too much money already. It was no wonder that he didn’t want to loose them all. It would be a heavy blow for him. The thing is when you’ve tasted money, it becomes very difficult to go back to a life of poverty. Most people took their life as a result of that.

I sighed as I walked to my room, and used my key to let myself in. The first thing I saw was Phoebe bent over some books as she read relentlessly. She looked up at me the moment I slammed the door, and smiled. I didn’t return it.

She was the one who had ratted out my financial situation to Giorgio. I had no idea why she would do that. It was something I had told her in confidence, and Giorgio couldn’t count as our friend, and even if he was, it wasn’t just right.

“Katherine, what’s the matter? Did the outing not go well?” She asked in her calm voice.

I gritted my teeth as I tossed my purse in my bunk bed, and then, swirled around to face her. She looked so clueless, and if I didn’t know better I would actually think that she was innocent in all of these, and that annoyed me so much.

“Katherine?” She said quietly.

I glared at her. “Can you quit acting all innocent? I can’t stand it,” I snapped.

She swirled her chair around to face me squarely, a frown on her lips. “What are you talking about?” 

I scoffed, and released the pins I had in my hair. “You know what I’m talking about,” I accused.

She sighed. “No, I don’t. If I did, I wouldn’t be asking you right now, would I?”

I slammed my hand on the bed in rage. “Don’t even give me that attitude! What right did you have to tell Giorgio Mahone about my financial situation and all the difficulties I was facing. I wanted the situation to be between us, and you told him! Why? Who is he to us that you feel the right to confide in him, despite his awful attitude and how bad he treats us on a normal basis! I don’t just get the level of craziness that gets in your head when you do all these!”

She was quiet now, and she was avoiding my gaze. I itched my forehead in anger. This girl was just crazy. I wondered how many more people she had told about my business. Phoebe was literally not the girl I thought she was.

“Katherine,” she started. “You have every right to be angry at me. I would be angry at you too if we were to swap rules. I just know that wherever I did, I wanted you to be happy. Giorgio noticed…”

“Noticed what?” I snapped. She flinched against the harshness of my tone. “So, you’re telling me when someone notices a thing or two, you spill the secret of you best friend?”

She sighed, and looked at me then. “I felt he can help you, Kat. I really don’t like how you are these days. You’re sad, morose and definitely not the girl that I know. I had to do something about it because I just couldn’t handle seeing you in such a light.”

My eyes misted over, and I sniffed back tears in response. This was just too much. She was right, I had barely being putting it all together, worrying about everything. It hurt so much that this was happening to me.

“I’m sorry, Kat.”

“He told me to marry him,” I blurted out.