ROLLING DOWN THE AISLE

Ariana’s pov~

“This is going to hurt” Mateo assured me as he waved the Swiss knife in front of my face.

I was drenched from head to toe, pregnant and cold.

A few minutes ago I thought I was going to die, the reality of the chip buried in my neck set a series of questions running through my mind.

Who did this? When did this happen?

“Mateo” I called clenching his wet suit tightly, “I don't want to”

“I know baby doll, but I need to throw that chip in the river, so they think we perished here,” he responded.

Tears streamed down my wet face, how did I get here? 

Two months ago I was happy in Malta, now I'm stuck with a madman everyone is trying to kill.

He ripped his jacket and folded it, then he put it in my mouth, “bite down on this” he said, from his jacket pocket he pulled out a pocket whisky, poured it all over the knife and shook it off, “Sorry I can't give you some” he said, I looked at him with utmost displeasure, I yanked the can from his hand and downed a small content, “this child has handled worse, a little whisky for mom is nothing” I replied and he laughed heartily.

As he did I felt a knot tighten in my chest, why did Mateo’s laugh do that to me?

“Ready?” he asked, I nodded and turned my ear to him, I clenched his jacket tightly as the knife pierced through my skin and in a matter of seconds the blood-stained chip popped out. “Fuck!” I cried as he poured the whisky over the bleeding skin, he held his wet handkerchief over it “Hold it down with this” he instructed.

I watched as Julius emerged from the water, with a box, he dropped it at the river bank and dived in again.

“Why is that important?” I asked Mateo, he smiled at me “You will soon find out” he said helping me get up.

“Well then, we can't be late, we already wasted an hour,” he said pulling me gently as we moved to the higher edge of the river bank, luckily someone passing by had seen the accident and help was readily on its way.

Cars had started to stop, and people had started to gather, Mateo didn't like it, in a few minutes we heard sirens and we knew it was time to go.

“We need another car” he informed Julius, Julius nodded in response and disappeared into the crowd, soon we saw him alert us with a flashing light, he had hijacked a blue Subaru, quickly he pulled me again and I followed him toe to toe through the gathering crowd.

By the time the owner of the blue Subaru had learned of his predicament, we were long gone.

It was a long drive, but not long enough, soon we reached a lone road, no other car seemed to have followed us there.

 “It's a private estate” Mateo mentioned, it seemed that he must have read my mind, “Whose private estate?’ I asked, he laughed heartily 

“you will get to find out in a moment,” he said.

Julius drove to the mouth of the road that led to the gate, he whispered something into the guard’s ear and opened the gate.

 we drove in, we drove through bushes and forests, I looked in awe as we eventually got to a clearing, it revealed a beautiful french landscape.

 it looked like an old castle, but it had been renovated to give a modern touch, Mateo got out of the car and gestured for me to hold on.

 he turned to the other side and helped me out, as soon as my cold body collided with the air, I shivered.

He took off his ripped wet jacket and put it around me, “that should feel better” he mentioned, but it didn't it only felt colder and heavier to carry, I said nothing as he led me through the doors that automatically opened up through the hall until we got to one big door, I heard the high pitched voices of men chattering inside.

“Are you ready baby doll?” he asked, I nodded and held his hand tightly, he smiled and pushed the door open, as we walked in there was a resounding silence, everyone’s gaze fixed on us, some couldn't believe their eyes.

I looked around, it was a room full of men, all suited up with some puffed cigars, and some held glasses of cognac or whiskey,  the sight of Mateo seemed to put off some of the men, as we walked towards the main podium I saw Silvio standing beside his father, to his right my father stood with a bitter scowl on his face as he saw me emerging with my husband. 

“Surely I didn't get the wrong invite, Don Argento, this auction was supposed to take place in Sydney” Mateo started, gently sitting me down where my father and Silvio could see me, 

There was a silence in the room, and soon people started to murmur, 

“Still, why is it holding in my father’s castle?, all the way in France, surely you know that I still own this land, and you are all trespassing”  he finished.

This magnificent place belonged to Mateo!  My father wouldn't stop glaring at me and I wondered why.

“I see you are well Ariana” he started, i managed a smile, “yes papa” I replied, touching my swollen and painful neck, i watched as his face changed then he quickly averted his gaze.

Could my father have planted the chip in my neck?  Silvio would not stop glaring at me either, the fullness of my breast calling his eye to the outline of my wet beige gown.

 “You can stop with the gawking,  you have my one billion sitting pretty in your account” I heard him say to Silvio, as he finished his statement Silvio’s eyes turned to him, they looked blood red and murderous but Mateo grinned at him.

“Apologies Don Mateo” Don Argento started, “we never heard back from your second in command, if you would still be in attendance, we heard there was an accident in Croatia,” he said glancing at Don Rinaldi and back to Mateo.

“Im sure” Mateo replied, “I'm glad you are doing okay son” Don Rinaldi mentioned, “but you are too late, the auction already came to an end, the territory belongs to Nelson Arturi, an anonymous buyer” he noted 

Mateo laughed, “of course,” he said, “he is my representative, you see I knew something like this would happen so I put extra measures In place” I heard Mateo say, shock swept through every man in the room

Outsmarted by a Man-child!

My father was too stunned to speak, but I heard him clear his throat, “ it seems I taught you well, too well” he Said to Mateo.

“Of course” He replied sarcastically again.

“But before I go” he started before he whispered and Julius appeared holding the two boxes.

He carefully placed it at their feet and stepped back.

“A heartfelt gift from me to you,” he said as he kicked both boxes and the almost shrunken heads of the nurse and igor rolled down the middle of the room.

.