Chapter Six: Rinaldi Household

Days passed in the Rinaldi household, and slowly, life regained a sense of normalcy.

Sierra unwillingly adjusted to her new life as a mafia queen and settled into a routine. Aside from the three meals which were mandated to be eaten in the company of her husband and his family, she had the freedom to use her time as she pleased.

However, there were few restrictions imposed on her. She wasn't allowed to leave the mansion without Dominic’s permission, and certain portions of the Mansion were restricted to her.

Martha, the maid he assigned to her, gave Sierra a map that outlined the parts of the mansion accessible to her. The rule was simple; if it isn't on the map, it isn’t accessible to you. Sierra knew the rules could have been a lot worse, so she didn’t dare complain or let her curiosity get the best of her.

On this particular morning, Sierra had woken up a bit late and hastily got ready to attend her first meal of the day.

‘Shit, Shit, Shit,’ She cursed inwardly, glancing at the clock while struggling to shimmy into her pants.

She rushed out of her room and managed to reach the dining room in record time. Her heart was pounding, and she was nearly out of breath. However, a wave of relief washed over her when she realized that she had arrived on time, even before her sister-in-law, who strolled by shortly after.

Breakfast was an uneventful affair, as the three siblings seemed preoccupied with one thing or the other. It was one of few peaceful meals she had experienced since arriving in the Rinaldi household, and Sierra was overjoyed as she realized that she wouldn’t need to take any digestive pills afterwards.

After leaving the siblings behind, Sierra made her way to her room. However, she stopped in her tracks when she pushed open the door and found Martha at the foot of her bed, about to pull off her bedsheets.

Martha looked up and addressed Mrs. Rinaldi with a smile,“You’re back early, how did breakfast go?” she inquired.

“Surprisingly, it went well.” She answered in a somewhat robotic manner, causing Martha’s expression to morph into one of concern. Before the maid could ask, Sierra spoke up again.

“No, it went better than well. It was the first enjoyable meal I've had since moving here. There were no death glare from Dominic or snide remarks from Luca. They were all too preoccupied with other things to bother with me. I don't know what had their attention, but I'm grateful for it as it allowed me to enjoy a meal in peace for the first time ever.” Sierra explained with a grin, forcing herself to act normally, a huge contrast to the tightening knot in her stomach and the fear that her personal maid could make one move and her secret would be revealed.

Martha’s smile widened. “That good, huh?”

Sierra nodded. “Yup. I don’t even need to take digestive pills today.”

Sierra had been approaching her bed slowly all the while and she had finally gotten close enough to step in front of Martha and put some distance between Martha and her bed. With a quick maneuver, Martha was forced to take a step back from the bed, causing her to release the fistful of bedsheets she held.

“Um… Martha, I’m so sorry to have to say this, but I had a light night and rushed back here after breakfast, hoping to take a long nap,” Sierra said, feigning a yawn as she smoothed out the corner of the bedsheet.

“Oh, it's not a problem, Mrs. Rinaldi, but let me quickly-”

“Leave the sheets Martha. There is no point in making the bed when I am just gonna end up messing it up, I’ll let you know when I’m up and ready to leave the room so you can come back and finish cleaning. And also, there is something I want to do today, and I would really love your help.” Sierra interrupted, as she sat on the bed.

“Of course, what do you need me to do?” Martha responded enthusiastically. She always got excited whenever Sierra suggested they indulge in an activity together because as her personal maid, it was the only time she was permitted any fun. Martha was a fun loving person but was burdened with a multitude of chores and rarely found time for fun.

“How do you feel about an archery session? It’s a huge mansion, and while I’m skeptical that they would have the equipment, I have no idea how to set it up.” Sierra said with a smile. She had discovered Martha’s love for archery as well as a bunch of other things from her snooping around. This information had helped her maintain her hidden identity, and it was going to help once again.

Sierra was far from a master in archery but she had spent a lot of time learning about it on YouTube yesterday and didn't mind spending a few hours shooting arrows at targets.

At the suggestion, Martha let out a soft chuckle. “That will be very possible, Mrs. Rinaldi. There happens to be an open archery range at the back of the mansion. I spend a lot of my free time there, and I could easily set things up for you.”

Sierra grinned widely and instructed Martha to return when she called for her. Martha bowed respectfully and exited the room. As soon as she was gone, Sierra heaved a sigh of relief.

She grabbed the notebook full of information she had gathered from under her bed and hastily shoved it into the small, unnoticeable compartment she had created under her bed.

The information she had gathered wasn’t much, but it was enough to blow her cover if Martha had found it and tattled to Dominic. But what was worse was the secret phone she had hidden under her pillow. She had inadvertently left both the notebook and the phone under her pillow while rushing out for breakfast. Perhaps God was on her side and made her return back in time.

‘What if I had arrived a little bit later?’ Sierra shuddered at the thought. However, she didn’t get to dwell on it as the phone in her hands began to ring. Ryder Morgan’s caller ID flashed on the screen and a wave of dread washed through her.

“Good morning, Miss Coxton, or should I say Mrs. Rinaldi?” Ryder said in a mocking tone, and Sierra could hear the sound of laughter in the background.

“So… how is married life treating you Sister?” Ryder continued, causing his henchmen to laugh even harder. “Does your crook of a husband meet the expectations of an average Italian man?” He asked in a slightly hushed tone.

Confused by his words, Sierra replied, “What?”

“Ugh… must you always act so clueless? I am asking you if he is any good in bed?” Ryder clarified.

At that, Sierra turned red with embarrassment wanting the ground to swallow her up as she heard the men howling with laughter around. She hardly talked to Dominic let alone get intimate with him.

“Well, either way, I couldn't care less if you two are intimate or not. The bastard is going to be dead before you can start popping out any of his babies. And if you don't wish to accompany him to the gates of hell, you’d better have something for me.” Ryder’s tone switched back to its usual coldness, sending chills down Sierra’s spine.