HOW MUCH

I got hungry again in the middle of the night, I took light steps, I didn't want to wake my irritated family, since Silvio’s standoff with Mateo in front of the villa, papa had been extra irritated, but when he saw Mateo leave he smiled and hugged me tightly.

This was a very unusual thing for my father to do.

“You, my whore of a daughter have given me the solution to catch a stray rat finally” he whispered to me, my body felt cold. 

I knew at that moment chaos was about to happen and my father is its architect.

I quietly tiptoed, opened the door of my room and a new bodyguard stared right in my face, I cleared my throat and straightened myself.

 “And you are?” I didn't see Lorenzo anymore, I figured he was sacked, and I felt instantly guilty.

“Julio” he coldly replied, I'm certain he had heard about me and my escapade with Lorenzo.

“Where is Lorenzo?” I asked adjusting my nightie around my body tightly, 

“Dead” he replied again coldly, I swallowed hard, poor Lorenzo, I can't push it past my father, he didn't leave room for mistakes, 

“I'm hungry, I want to get a late snack,” I said, calm and precise,

 “I have clear instructions to follow you any and everywhere you want to go” he replied, his response was that of a military soldier, too afraid to defy his general in this case my father.

I nodded, and he gestured towards the hallway, which he followed closely behind.

All the while we walked to the kitchen, the silence was deafening, but it gave me time to ponder on how to escape from there.

Fiona, God bless her, had sent me a text with the phone she sneaked into my hand, even though Papa had searched me thoroughly after Silvio brought me home, I found a tricky way to hide it

 the tickets are ready, her part is done, and Mine is to figure out a way to escape.

I got to the huge Erie kitchen, you could hear the dead silence, and I loved it, peace away from my family.

I opened the pantry to see what I could eat, but then I had the sudden urge to eat zucchini and peanut butter, these pregnancy cravings came without warning.

I picked one fresh zucchini from the shelf, I picked up the peanut butter too.

I came out of the pantry and I settled on the kitchen island, eating my weird combo peacefully, Julio’s eyes permanently fixed on me.

A few moments later, I heard footsteps, I wished it was Lulu my stepmother’s dog, but it was much worse.

Her spawns came walking in, Serena with a smile on her face, and Luna with a scowl.

“I knew I'd find you here!” Serena gasped, “I couldn't believe it when I heard it from Lucia this evening!” she continued,lucia was the daughter of one of the men our father did business with, I looked at her with annoyance, dipping the zucchini in peanut butter.

“What are you talking about? I'm not in the mood for one of your fake episodes, Serena” I replied sticking the well-coated zucchini in my mouth.

“We heard a rumour you fucked our brother, so he is your baby’s father!” Luna finally exclaimed, “That’s exactly what she’s trying to say! Prude!” Luna laughed, and my heart sank, I knew it was a matter of time before the information got to Silvio, the only person I told was Papa and Fiona, but Fiona couldn't have done this, this is most definitely Papa.

“What do you mean a rumour?” I asked, putting down the zucchini as I had already lost my appetite.

Serena moved closer to me, “Everyone in Marina Verde and beyond already knows about your lustful ways, I understand that we are not blood, but still papa raised him as our brother” Serena smiled, “I know he is attractive, God knows id give anything to have his meat inside me, tell me how it felt, is he as crazy as the ladies say, you know we have heard some of his sexcapades” she continued reaching out to touch my arm, I quickly pulled away from her venomous grasp.

“I don't have anything to say to you, if you want answers to your questions then you know the way to his villa, I believe you are welcome to ask him for a taste” I replied, covering up the peanut butter.

“You surprise me every day, I never knew you could be so wild, is that how much you want father’s attention?” Luna asked, I didn't respond to her, that seemed to have angered her because I noticed her scowl deepen into ugly wrinkles, instead, I decided to be the bigger woman and move past them, out of the kitchen.

Suddenly Luna pulled my hair, “I'm talking to you prude!” she yelled angrily, I winced in pain as she pulled it, thankfully for me Julio wasn't taking it lightly, he quickly separated my hair from Luna’s grasps.

“I believe Miss Rinaldi is saying good night” he replied, moving behind me as I left the kitchen, the embarrassment of it almost made me tear up.

Silently we travelled back to my room, I bid him good night and he nodded in response.

I bolted my locks and ran to the corner of my bed where I hid my phone, I dialled Fiona and it rang for a while before she picked up, “Fi,” I started, “it has to be tonight, everyone knows I'm pregnant by Mateo, I can't stay in Italy anymore” I finished, hurrying to pack my clothes into a bag.

“Yeah everyone is talking about it, they say Silvio is on his way to Mateo’s as we speak,” she said pausing before continuing “It's about to be bloody, Ariana, what's the plan, Ariana!” Fi exclaimed, and my body started to shake anxiously, “I'm sneaking out tonight! I'll go through my window, I'll meet you at the back of the villa, and we can drive to the train station, come by in an hour, I've turned in for the night no one would expect me to still be up” I said, gathering the bedsheet I had been tying together to form a rope, I opened my window and looked down, fear crept through my body, if I fall I could be dead in minutes.

A fate better than what Silvio would do to me, now that he knows that I'm carrying Mateo’s child.

An hour later I saw a car light flash, and I knew it was Fiona,  quickly I threw the bed sheet I tied to my bedpost out of the window and started to climb down, I had reached halfway when my leg suddenly hit one of the metal decoration on the ledge.

I heard my bodyguard knock, and out of fear I jumped down from the rest of the way, I landed on my feet fortunately for me, I didn't quickly recover from the shock of my leg hitting the floor, but when I saw my bodyguard stick his head out of the window, I bolted across the lawn.

Fiona was a beast behind the wheel, she drove with passionate fury, we were able to shake off our tails and reach the train station.

Fiona handed me my ticket and together we walked to the train heading for Austria,  i looked over my shoulder, and then to my right, I saw Silvio looking in the crowd, five armed men with him.

Every fibre of my being felt instantly electrocuted, “Fi,” I called, she turned in response and I pointed in Silvio’s direction.

“We need to hurry!” I exclaimed we started walking faster, and finally, we could see the train in view.

We soon reached, I gleaned happily as I stepped one foot on the train, almost immediately someone’s arm grabbed me and pulled me gently back.

“Where are you always running off to Bambino,” a voice said behind me, it sent shivers down my spine as memories started to rush by, I suddenly felt weak and I slipped.

But he caught me in his hard chest, and gently guided my feet to the floor.

I turned, and it was Mateo’s handsome face, his expression looked like one of fury but still, I could imagine the clear details of his face that night, the way his face turned in glorious passion as he whispered my name softly, 

“I own this pussy, I own you Ariana” 

Those words…… did something to my body, something unexpected.

“Ma…. Mateo” I stuttered softly, I've been caught off guard why is this man here?

With fury in his eyes, no doubt he has heard the rumour, but then why is he enraged?

“I've been hearing slandering and salacious rumours about the both of us” he started searching my eyes, trying to catch me in a lie.

“They are not rumours, I'm pregnant and it's yours” I retorted, his eyes widened in shock.

I'm confused, what’s going on here? Why is he acting this way?

“I don't believe I heard you right? What?”

He asked again, “Why are you acting dumb, like you do not know how this happened, did you forget the night of the party? How you…… took me…” I slowly stuttered.

He looked at me in disbelief, but before he could utter a word, a bullet went by his ear.

Fiona screamed.

I turned in the direction of the shot, and I saw Silvio a few inches away, his gun pointing directly at Matteo’s head, I froze in my steps, this is where I die.

“ touch her again you bastard and I will kill you where you stand! You chose to fuck my woman out of all the whores you could have!” he said cocking his gun again.

“My woman!” he yelled

suddenly men started to run out from different corners surrounding Silvio and his armed men, their guns straight in their faces.

Mateo stepped forward and lowered Silvio’s gun

“I believe there’s been a misunderstanding somewhere, but not to worry I will get to the root of it, Let's do business, how much will she cost? I want to buy her from you”