Vincenzo Moreno
I flexed my fingers and sat upright, placing myself in a better position for ease of typing. Okay, here we go....
The blank monitor stared at me, or rather, it sneered at me. Nothing seemed to be forthcoming. Nothing! Should be about an hour now since I grabbed my laptop. An hour had passed since I took my seat, ready to begin my term paper, but there had been zero progress. Niente!
Shutting my eyes, I cracked my neck—summoning up my mojo. No need to give up. I knew I got this. And so, I reopened my eyes and looked straight at the keyboard. Uno, due, via!
The words flowed for some time, before they eluded me. Frustrated, I tapped on backspace and tried again:
The local news agency is such that accounts for the globalisation...
Just like that, I lost it. The words faded into thin air. Burning with annoyance, I shut the laptop and buried My face in my palm. Fuck!
The reason for my inefficiency wasn't lost to me. The reason was quite stupid that I banged my palm on the desk. Fuck! The bitch... That fucking lowlife.
The events of yesterday were still vivid in my mind. It'd kept me tossing throughout the night, my face smeared with humiliation. Madre... She'd let me down. I mean, yes, she always did. I wasn't ever good enough, but yesterday, her attitude was plain bullshit. She'd berated her son in front of some commoner. In front of that fat, dirty, fucking pig.
My gaze happened outside and I spotted some maids trimming the hedges. Madre had really pushed me to the wall. She was so mean. And that fucking bitch...
I gritted my teeth, groaning. Oh, fucking lord, I'd so deal with her. I'd deal with her and that puppet of a woman she had as a mother. Who the hell did she think she is, eh?
"Mate," my wolf, Russo came.
I squeezed my eyes tightly, rage streaming through my veins. "Now, you shut up. Shit that fucking pit you call a mouth." Mate my dick.
I stared back at my laptop. Making an attempt to type would be useless. I couldn't do so in this kind of environment. Staying here was just irritating, I had to get out. Yes, the school library should work just fine, even though the silence there was triggering.
Having made up my mind, I threw on a plain black polo and hid my errant waves under a baseball cap. With my backpack strapped on my shoulder, I left the room.
I hurried down the stairs and got to the hallway that opened up to the living room. As soon as I stepped into that hallway, a strong smell hit me. Its familiarity left my muscles tensed up. Vanilla. Fuck, no.
I shut my eyes, such that sanity would be restored, but try as I might, the smell persisted. It got stronger as I approached the living room.
"She's near!" Russo said. It took me a whole lot of willpower to remain put and not shut him up. But then, it wasn't as if he would heed to my caution if I did. Russo had a fucking mind of his own and I was done letting him push my buttons.
I abruptly halted my steps right at the threshold, and the sudden movement drew the bitch's attention. She looked up from the couch she was dusting. On sighting me, she sucked in air into her lungs—her once dallying heartbeat, now erratic. She genuflected with her head bowed.
"Buo...buono ginoro, piccolo maestro."
Little Master? Was that her title for me? The bitch. It won't take me long to make little of her value. If she was worth anything at all. Just take a fucking look.
Just take a fucking look at how she trembled like an epileptic. Her lips quivering and her round eyes fixed to the floor. Bloody chicken. Her blood rushed through her veins, and I only wondered how she hadn't suffered a stroke yet.
She was a nerve wreck and it was because of me. Perfectta.
I stepped into the room and she took a step back. The movement further fuelling my irritation. She was a fucking weakling and I hated weaklings, which only made me wonder why I was getting this pull towards her. Why did I feel like I wanted to claim her and bring her into my arms? Hell, no fucking way.
She turned back to the couch she had been cleaning and resumed her chore. However, I knew better. She was trying to hide her fright. Too bad I could sense everything. Her emotions were perceivable.
My eyes glided over her large form—starting from her huge black curls that bobbed with each movement she made to her enormous backside. Disgusting. What a fucking heap of flesh. Girls like her were a fucking waste. They weren't good at anything. Nothing at all. I couldn't help but ask myself why Madre hired her. Why did she have to live in the mansion?
"Mate."
The urge came again, attempting to pull me towards her, but I stood my ground. I knew I shouldn't keep staring at her. I was aware that doing so would only worsen the urges. However, I kept at it.
It kinda intrigued me the sort of guts this mulatto had. Well, as I said, she had stepped on my toes. And nobody, I mean, nobody stepped on my toes and went unpunished. The battle line had been drawn.
Tightening my grip on my bag, I forced my eyes off her fleshy bum and strode towards the door.
***.
10:30 pm flashed on the dashboard.
Great. Madre would definitely blow up. A part of me....just a tiny silver, trembled. It accused me, saying, "you like getting into trouble, Vincenzo."
Oh please. Mamma thought I still was that 8 year old she had ordered around. The moment she realized I was a grown man now and that I wasn't ever going to bend to her rules, the better for her.
My head was a bit light. I didn't easily get drunk, but man! There had been bottles and bottles of booze to guzzle down at the Beta Sigma frat house. Lots of booze and women.
With determination, I kept driving—willing myself to make it home without dozing off. Luckily enough, I reached home not long afterwards. The relief that washed over me couldn't be measured.
I meandered through the compound and got to the garage. Killing the engine, I staggered out of the Jeep. Fucking alcohol.
I looked around in search of Madre's car and sure enough, it was lying about five feet away from where I was. Shit. As it stood, I had no choice but to wrestle it out with her. Or wait—
I paused as an idea lit up. I could simply go through the backyard. That way, I wouldn't have to pass Madre's room before getting to mine.
Relieved by the good turn out of fate, I started off, while being alert should it be Madre was outdoors instead.
So far so good. She was nowhere in sight.
Cutting through the building, I arrived at the pitch-black backyard. This part of the building hadn't been my favorite, for obvious reasons, but today, it had earned a spot in my heart.
I descended the stairs leading to the backdoor and groped around for the door handle. Finding it, I pulled the door open and shock momentarily shrouded me. The she-devil. Again. She was centimeters apart from me. And the drumming of her heart grazed my eardrums.
"You," I growled.
"Buono—"
"Keep your pathetic greeting to yourself." Instantly, she shut up. Her gaze, as usual, was directed downwards. Everything about this girl annoyed me. She was a fuck ass coward!
"Get your smelly self out of my way." She trembled, doing as I'd said. With my glare still flashed in her, I stepped in. The stupid girl kept cowering, pulling backwards like there was a shell she could shove herself into.
"Hey, moron."
A little frown settled in her face, and I smirked. Interesting. So, she could react, eh. "Look at me while I'm talking."
She did so shakily, her gaze flattering. That's right. She was scared of me. Terrified of me.
"Fix your goddamn eyes on me, dummy."
She jerked, and tried her best to maintain eye contact. With disgust spiraling in me, I looked her over. The girl was fucking curvy. Look how large her chest was. I sure as hell knew her tummy was flabby too. To top it all, she was short. There was no way this filth was my mate. The mood goddess forbid. I didn't believe in the concept of mating as that was absolute garbage, but this thing looking at me... Haha, not a chance. How could I believe this wasteland standing before me was my mate. It just showed how ridiculous the idea of mating was.
"What's your name?"
She licked her lips. "Ri...Rina."
Rina. More like weaker. "So, Rina. Can you tell me what gave you the audacity," I began moving towards her, and she on her part began to retreat, "to rat me out to my mom? "
"I...I..."
"Would you stop stuttering, you piece of shit? Stop it, it grates my brain."
Still trembling, she continued retreating till she hit the wall. Slowly, she glanced at her barrier and shook her head faintly in denial.
A smile spread across my face, delight embracing me. Gradually, I crossed the distance between us and stared down at her terrified face. Her eyes were shut.
From nowhere, her vanilla scent slapped my nostrils. My wolf growled. Shaking off the distraction, I focused on her neck, watching that region bob from the forceful rush of blood.
Her skin was brown, glistening from what I could tell was cream. And then, the throbbing sound of her heartbeat entered my ears. On reflex, I gazed at her chest. I couldn't help it. Those ample breasts met my eyes, her gown tight around them. They were large, like large, large and I found myself imagining what color her nipples were and what it would be like having them stuffed in my mouth. Disgusting, I presumed. Not my type at all.
Fatsos like her were just that. Disgusting. My gaze left her boobs and returned to her face. Her eyes remained shut, same as her lips.
I leaned closer to her, such that our foreheads were separated by a little as an inch or two.
"Look at me."
She did, flashing those round brown eyes at me.
I grabbed her jaw, stopping the urge to run a finger down her pouty lips. My forceful grab earned a wince from her. "Shush. Shush it this minute."
When I had gotten her to stay quiet, I said, "Listen, and listen good. The moment you stepped into my business, you sold your pathetic life to me. And hell, you're gonna have it hot." I clenched her jaw tighter. "What did you think you were going to gain by ratting me out to my mother?"
"I didn't. I swear,—"
"Shut up." She jammed her eyes shut as my grip on my jaw hardened. I stared silently at her for a while. "You haven't heard the last of me, bitch. As long as you live and breathe here, I'll make your life miserable. That's a promise."
Violently, I let go off her jaw and she jerked backward, covering her mouth with her hands. "You won't tell a soul anything that was said here. Do it, and..." I pretended to charge towards her, and as I suspected, she cowered away.
I shot her one more glare and left.
I left even with the burning urge to jam my lips on hers. True, women were nothing but instruments of fucking. However, this particular girl, Rina or whatever her name was, was so worthless. She wasn't even fit to be fucked.
A/N: Who else doesn't like Vincenzo lmao?!
RINAI pulled the kitchen door open and stepped inside. Down came the bucket on the floor; I plunged the mop inside. Pulling it out, I splatted it on the floor and began moping, my countenance, sullen.The only thing playing in my mind was how I would tell Mammà I wanted out. Yes, I no longer cared we had a comfortable place to stay, didn't care we could afford to get three square meals. I just wanted to go home. Back to Baiadicenere. Back to my peaceful neighbourhood. At least, there won't be any macho guy staring daggers at me and threatening heaven and earth. Granted, bullying was a usual phenomenon to me, but never ever had I been this insulted, and for what exactly? Simply because I'd said the truth?I scoffed. Unbelievable. Rich people were nasty. They were…I stopped myself. No, this wasn't me. As much as Luna's son had pushed me to the wall, I couldn't speak ill of the entire family. After all, the Alpha and Luna hadn't done me bad. It was just their obnoxious son. Why does h
Rina ZanteHe... I pinched myself hard on my elbow. A very tight squeeze that'd stifle my irrational fear and timidity. It had to stop! My only job was to clean the toilet. That was all. I didn't know how it happened, but my gaze flashed at him. It freaking did. And that was how I met his wet body. Yet again, this was my first time seeing his naked body, albeit without him being fully naked and as much as I loathed to admit it, my bully was drop-dead gorgeous. Raven dark hair, spiky due to moisture, flattened against his head, drops of water trailing down his bronze skin. His blue gaze held mine, a piercing intensity to them, as he raked a hand through his hair, the dragon tattoo on his biceps flexing with the movement. He was sexy and he knew it.I shut my eyes as my airway constricted. I couldn't get that picture off my mind. Especially his rock hard chest that sprouted a few strands of dark hair,, his abs accentuated to a full display. Still with my eyes shut, I sensed him leave
Rina ZanteI placed our lunch on the tray and left the kitchen for our room. Mammà laid asleep on the bed, a light snores filling the room. A little sad smile sat on my lips. Watching her this way broke my heart. She was exhausted, having worked her butt off today. I tapped her. "Mammà."The snoring came to a stop as she stirred. "Hmm?" Slowly, her eyes let open. "The food is here.""Grazie a dio." I set the tray on the floor as she rose. Her loud yawn erupted and I glanced up to see her stretching. That was right: she was tired. Mammà had done quite a chore today by stoking up the kitchen with supplies. The market was particularly congested today. The rush had really stressed her out. I helped Mammà sit on the floor before securing my spot opposite her. It was true we had a table in the room. However, it was as good as useless since only one chair existed here. Besides, Mammà and I were fond of eating together on a single plate. We ate in silence and from the look on her face
Rina Zante"Che la dea della luna ti protegga.""Così sia." I opened my eyes, my amusement not hidden. "I'm relocating upstairs, Mammà, not leaving the county. ""You always need prayers. Always. I tell you this all the time." Although her tone was stern, she bore a smile.I pulled her to a hug, and planted a kiss on her chubby cheek. "Ti voglio bene.""I love you too." We pulled apart. "Remember what I told you. Be nice—I trust you on that anyway. And don't ever hesitate to let me know should you find anything disturbing, okay?"I nodded. I had told Mammà that Piccolo Maestro hadn't offended me in any way. Instead it was Mia I was concerned about. In my words, "she gives me bad vibes." Now, I knew it was wrong of me to put the blame on Mia. She hadn't really been nice, but then, she hadn't been that much of a problem to me. However, desperate situations called for drastic actions. I had to do what I had to do.Mamma had told me not to worry. She too had noticed that from her. All I n
VINCENZO “You’ll be driving Rina to school,’ Mother spoke up, tone firm. I cannot, to save my damn life, believe that this was what was happening right here, right now. Madre literally stood her ground, her thin lips further flattened by her deadpan expression. For the billionth time, I'd got to say: this was a joke. Madre had got to be pulling my legs. Maybe it was part of her "antics". One time, she'd found my gaming console lying carelessly on the floor and hid it as a way of teaching me a lesson. Now, that'd happened a long time ago. However, I couldn't help but think in that direction. Madre had been quite pissed, given that I hadn't consulted her before making Rina my maid. "Excuse me?" I wanted to be sure I'd misheard Madre. "I don't understand." "What don't you understand? Driving Rina to school and helping her locate her hall?" "Yes, that part." My voice was unbelievably calm despite the raging inferno in me. I still wanted to get the situation straight. Madre simp
Buckets of tears ran down my face. They came in such force I hadn't felt before. Hurt, shame, anger and disgust tumbled within me. Whatever had I done to deserve this? I'd taken a while to reflect. Was there a time I'd gone astray? Had I maybe done something terrible without knowing? My reflection turned up zero answers. That meant that I was either blameless(which was impossible) or I'd unknowingly erred. The latter looked to be a better explanation. I sniffed. We strayed ever-so-often. We did things that angered the moon goddess and gave her a reason to unleash her wrath. However, according to Mammà, she was a considerate being. All she needed from us was a repentant heart. Once, we turned away from our wrongdoings and sought her forgiveness, she would have mercy. Yes, one could call me crazy for all these mental ramblings. But could I be blamed? I wanted to get something straight. I wanted to know why my luck was this bad, this ugly. Yes, for heaven's sake, I had done bad. I ha
RINAThe young man gave me a crystal clear description, even a blind person would find his way around. I thanked him profusely, almost crossing the threshold of craziness. That was how grateful I was. As I raced down, I played the directions in my head. I couldn't afford to lose it. To my relief, I came across this open space with a stone work quadrangle. Next to it was the cafeteria. The amount of relief that washed over me couldn't be quantified. It brought tears to my eyes, it left my heart light. Yet, I knew it was too early to celebrate. The actual jubilation came when I recovered my bag. The cafeteria was almost empty now. Just some heads here and there. I flashed my gaze at the booth I'd stayed in. Instantly, my heart plummeted. It wasn’t there. The bag wasn't there! Still fixed in the same spot, I combed the cafeteria—the part within my line of sight. Nothing. No freaking thing. There was an elderly woman behind the counter. I dashed towards her. "Mi scusi, signora. Per
RINAI missed two of my afternoon classes. Half of the time was spent roaming about in search of my bag and the reclaim section the guy had talked about. The other half was me in the bathroom, spilling the entire contents of my tear duct. It was official. My bag had disappeared. Stolen, perhaps. The walk to the reclaim section hadn't been a success. As it stood, I'd be walking nothing less than a mile—in every sense of it. Two, I'd go through the rigors of getting my documents again—that was, if I decided to go on with schooling here. The probability of that was quite low. I was hanging around in one of the empty theater balconies, waiting for the clock to strike three. That was when the last class was held.Some minutes later, I left. I was able to locate my classroom thanks to the help of yet another janitor. Not surprisingly, stares were thrown my way. I tried my best to ignore them since it was likely that I wasn't ever going to step my feet here again. I sat in the last ro
EPILOGUE Vincezo Moreno They were removing her off life support today. Jaw clenched, straight went my gaze. At infinity. Thunder droned at a distance. Clouds, gray, were laden with rain. It'd fallen all night. I'd taken an early morning flight, fortunately, and so, had been able to make it here. I didn't know if I should be comforted that nature empathized with me. Mourning along with me. Or I should break more, knowing that Rina had been to be next Luna, the reason why the skies mourned her imminent exit. I gave out heavy, fervent sobs, fishing out some tissue from the armrest. I wept into it. No. Grief hadn't left. It never would. As long as I lived, this was what I'd be: a grieving man. Wiping my nose, I set out to the pearl white walls of Andrea Filemone International Hospital. My fingers curved around the tiny velvety box. I held back the tears till I got to ICU: Room 4 and shut the door behind. The heart monitor beeped. My Rina still laid like a corpse on the bed, not d
Vincenzo MorenoDay 3: post operation. White stark walls moved behind as I was wheeled into ICU: room 4. My system was asleep, with just my ears acknowledging the clomp of feet on the floor, muddled chatters and the squeal the wheelchair had as it rolled on along the tiled floor.The nurse pushed in the door. My heart throbbed the instant I spotted her. It wasn't good for my recovery, as the doctor had said; I didn't care. I couldn't, not when she was involved. Something washed over me. Hurt that clawed at my core. The nurse placed me next to her and left. I lifted a hand, then placed it on Rina's. My cloudy eyes moved to her face.It was unbelievable, so much, because I'd thought I'd lost her. Almost pushed to tears, I kissed her hand—my eyes shut tight as I communicated using my mind. We'd converse this way until she recovered.I cannot believe it: I'm holding you. You are here with me, life and direct. There's so much that's to be said. So much I should let out that I have th
Vincenzo Moreno When I'd gotten a text from Alessio, I hadn't done the expected. Rather than steam with rage, I shut my eyes in relief, for it was all over. I would get Rina at long last and eliminate that son of a bitch.I'd gone straight to Padre and stood my ground. I'd venture into the jungle of Valle del Teschio. It'd been clear Padre was too interested in the whereabouts of the moon statue to see the emergency at hand. He'd been too distracted to think clearly. And not only that. This was my fight. My mess. And only I could clean it up. Nearly twenty-four hours down the line, I was marching into the unwelcoming forest, accompanied by an army of soldiers. The only thing I saw good about my pack was the level of organization it showed. The soldiers who were armed to the teeth were proof. They made up the emergency tactical unit. Always on their feet at the snap of the finger. The undergrowth impeded our movement; our determination was the driving force that kept us going. The
Rina ZanteFire crackled in the background. It was one marker that showed the girl on the floor, whose legs laid sprawled and eyes closed, was alive. That, together with the occasional forcing of air into her nostrils. I hadn't seen my period in months; so the growing pain around my belly felt strange. It'd started yesterday with just a dull throbbing. Now, it came more frequently, resembling my period with its undulating intensity. A low and a high. At the onset, I'd worried something was wrong with the babies. And even as I'd figured what could be amiss, dread sank deep into my bones—chilling my blood. It wasn't supposed to happen now. I pressed my teeth into my upper lip as the painful wave waltzed across. It wasn't supposed to happen now. A tear of heartbreak escaped. I couldn't have the babies here. Not now. My heart wept out of disappointment. I'd had faith the moon goddess would come through for me. I'd been in Central Temple, in my dream, happy like never before as I ca
Leonardo (Alessio)Everywhere was soaked in green. Even the air. It oozed of the scent of herbs. I got out of the car, which was something I'd looked forward to since the journey began. Not just because my bones ached, but also the car had been suffocating in the figurative sense of it, and till now, I couldn't explain how or why I was subject to guilt. Leaves rustled and twigs snapped from the weight of my feet as I trudged ahead, stopping in front of a beastly truck. This was our new home for the meantime. Until we got to the endgame. The hood bore dust and leaves laid strewn over its surface extending to the bottom rim of the windshield, bringing to my notice a poster of Mario Domenico—a well-known survivalist. A wooden wall was mounted at the tail region of the car. The wall formed a convex hood above the windshield. I went to the side of the truck for further inspection. There was a door, a pigeonhole notched close to the back tyre, a large window towards the back. And a ch
Vincenzo MorenoI forced open the door, cutting Dr. Yolanda short. "See it now? They've fucking succeeded."Initially taken aback, Dr. Yolanda sent her gaze to the receptionist standing beside me, eliciting an explanation for why I had barged in from the dumb girl. Dr. Yolanda didn't show she was mad. Rather, she waved the receptionist away, turning to me. "I'm currently having a session, Vincenzo.""This is a matter of life and death. Definitely it's worth looking into with immediate effect." She paused, eyes fixed at me, and pressed back against her swivel chair. "What is it?"I frowned. "Yes. What is it?""You don't expect me to talk…now." I looked at the client seated across from her. "So, it's private. Surely, it isn't something too pressing you can't spare some minutes." I glared at her, the intensity almost lethal. Yet, she held my gaze, not at all intimidated. "Go on, Vincenzo. The longer you stand there, the less your chances of meeting with me." After several seco
UnknownA four lettered bitch. Something cruel and unfair. A tyrant who everyone feared. None questioned it. None could challenge it to a fight. That was what life was. Life wanted me to be like everyone. Accepting the shit it threw my way with open arms. It was an absolute impossibility for me to succumb because none of it made sense. How was it that one was favored, and the other person disposed of like garbage? Alessio Salvatore wasn't better than me. He hadn't been taller nor with more powers. In actual fact, we both—like other babies—had been born with zero abilities. He hadn't been more facially endowed, nor blessed with an angelic cry. We'd both had the potential to keep our parents up at night with our wails. Yet, he'd been chosen over me simply because he'd been the first to arrive. I had been seen as the lazy one. Belief had it that I still was attached to the other world, and so would have a negative impact on the true born and everyone around me.They hadn't blinked be
Rina ZanteBit by bit, the wardrobe came into view. I fixed my eyes at it for a while before finally heaving up. My arms bore the under of my belly. A huge yawn left my mouth. I was tired, even though the sleep had been long and peaceful. Then again, I didn't see myself fancying the idea of taking another nap. My gaze moved to the curtains. It was well lit. A clock hanging next to it stated the morning had long started. Some minutes to nine. Off to the bathroom, I couldn't say what would become of today. One thing was sure, however, I'd be out of town in a short while. As I brushed, a thought materialized. It was one that widened the soft spot that'd been attached to my heart ever since my belly became visible. The bathroom sink had inspired the thought. It looked just as cozy as the tub in my dream. Clean in its pale blue color and adorned with cloud patterns around. The dream had been lucid; I could remember details of it. The babies had been having their bath. Just me with the
Vincenzo MorenoHer room was a brown monochrome. Fairly furnished and with large panel windows. I couldn't stop myself from wondering if every therapist's office was this way. Depressing. Dr. Yolanda edged close and handed me a cup of coffee. "I'm going to be honest with you," she said while lowering to her seat. "I'm glad you called."Her gaze spoke volumes. She expected me to lay my worries bare—my greatest pet peeve. However I had no choice. I wanted none of these anymore: torn away from Rina, waking up miserable, and being in exile. "Do you want to talk about it?" I stroked my thumb over the handle of the cup, then sent the hot beverage sliding down my throat. "How much time do I have?" I asked. "Forty five minutes, but I'm willing to make it an hour."Why? Because I'd make an interesting study?My focus laid on the coffee as I mentally prepped myself to talk."I want all this to end. I just want to wake up and see this as part of the past." A short pause followed. "I don'