Soon To Be Mrs. Corleone

Katniss

“Uncle!” Giselle shouted. A faint smile flickered on his face as he turned towards her, but it vanished the moment his eyes met mine. His body stiffened, eyes widening as he silently mouthed my name. “Katniss.” That’s James ... my ex-husband.

“Aww, Mommy, it hurts.” I snapped out of my thoughts and released Giselle's hand. I knelt to check her hand, realizing I had held it too tightly.

“Sweetie, I’m sorry." I dared not turn my head as I heard footsteps approaching, his silhouette coming into view.

“Uncle!” Giselle called out again, joy in her voice, unaware this man was one of the reasons for our suffering.

“Katniss,” he called again, reaching out his hand to help me stand. I stared coldly at his outstretched hand before standing on my own. We locked eyes in silence.

“Thank you,” I said coldly. “Giselle said you brought her back.”

James hesitated, glancing between Giselle and me. His gaze held deep sorrow and regret, but I dismissed it. There’s no way this heartless man could feel regret.

“She is—”

“My daughter,” I quickly interrupted. His Adam’s apple bobbed, struggling to speak. Giselle looked exactly like him, a miniature female version. I knew then the accusations from back then were unfounded.

“Uncle, this is my mommy I told you about! Isn’t she beautiful?!” Giselle exclaimed, cutting off whatever James was about to say.

James’s lips twitched into a faint smile, nodding. He gently stroked Giselle’s head.

“Then, will Uncle marry my mommy?!”

Thump!

Both of us froze, eyes locking in surprise. He chuckled softly, running his fingers through Giselle’s hair.

“Sweet girl, Uncle is already married. I can’t marry your mom.”

My fists clenched as his gaze shifted to meet mine.

“But I can be your mom’s friend if you want.”

“No,” I snapped. “I don’t need a friend,” I continued, letting him see the fire in my eyes. Even Giselle sensed my anger. His mouth tightened, hesitant to speak. I grabbed Giselle's arm firmly and led her away. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Giselle looking puzzled but staying silent.

______________

Now, Giselle and I were finally home. Something strange had happened—every overdue bill from Giselle’s treatment had been paid in full. I had no idea who this kind of person was; the nurse said they wanted to remain anonymous. I was deeply grateful.

My baby slept soundly. I stared at her, remembering the exact look in James's eyes when he saw her. A bitter sigh escaped me, and I shook my head. If he knew Giselle was truly his daughter, what would he do? His presence only stirred my deepest fears.

No! I couldn't bear losing my daughter, my little princess. She was my reason to endure the pain, the one keeping me alive. My love for Giselle was all-consuming, and I would fight with every breath to protect her, even against James's wrath.

It felt like the universe was constantly conspiring against me, piling up disaster after disaster to break my spirit.

“You’re fired!” my boss barked.

“But, boss? How could you? Please, don't fire me. I have a child to support. If I lose this job, I—”

The man let out a shout, roughly as follows: “No excuses! I don’t care about your situation! Get out now! You are dismissed!” He waved his hand as if to politely dismiss a fly.

“And tidy up these things! I don’t want shareholders to come in and see this,” he said, glancing challengingly at me.

“Sir, let me try, I really need this job,” was the last thing I said in a pleading tone before he sighed and gave in.

“I told you no and that is final!” he said with a tone that would not allow one to dare enquire more or argue. Having no choice, I closed my eyes and started putting all my belongings into the box. My designs and my efforts were reduced to just a pile of crushed cardboard.

I stood gawking at the phone in front of me with my mouth wide open. A text message from Giselle’s school just popped up on the screen. “Could this day get any worse?!”

Clutching my box of belongings tightly to my chest. As I was going out I bumped into somebody, and all my things which I was carrying fell on the ground.

“Ahh!” My neatly packed items burst on the floor. Wincing in pain, I looked up into striking hazel eyes.

“You,” he murmured, his eyes widening in surprise. I didn't understand the look on his face. I didn't know him.

"Are you okay?" he asked then, extending a hand to help me up. I accepted the offer. "Thank you.”

“Why the hell, weren’t you watching?!” my former boss yelled from behind, and there was a clear hatred in his tone.

“Mr. Corleone, are you all right?” my boss asked him. I don’t care about this, I needed to hurry. My daughter was being bullied again.

“She’s always been incompetent. It’s good I fired her,” my former boss sneered.

The man completely ignored my boss and assisted me in picking up my things. “I’m sorry, sir I was in a hurry”, I said struggling to regain my calmness.

He looked deep into my eyes. “I have to go,” I said trying to stand up but he stopped me.

“What are those?” he asked, pointing at the sketches, “are those your design?”

I nodded. “Yes, sir.”

He then gave me a faint smile and handed me a card. “I have a special invitation for you. Come to my office,” he said in a stern tone. I blinked, reading the card.

“What?! Her? In your company? Sir?!,” yelled my boss redding up with anger.

“Be quiet. You're too noisy,” the man snapped. My former boss looked so shocked when he heard that. The man glanced back at me softly before the elevator doors closed.

Corleone Company. Ethan Corleone. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but from where? My head whirled trying to think. My pulse raced as I held the card firmly, I had hope, but fear at the same time. I don’t know why I feel this way.

**

Yesterday, I was invisible, slaving away at a company that didn’t value me. Today, I stand tall, and respected in ways I never thought I'd earn.

A month has passed since I joined Corleone Company, and I'm still in awe of the turn my life has taken. My new boss saw a spark in me that I didn’t realize was there.

“Outline my schedule for today, Katniss,” my boss commanded, eyes barely lifting from the reports in front of him.

“This evening, you have a meeting at Gourmet Haven at 7 p.m.,” I informed him. He nodded, a sign of approval that filled me with a sense of accomplishment.

“Good. You may go.”

“Yes, sir.”

Each day here feels like I am in a dream. The staff show me the same respect as they extend to the CEO. Even Ethan Corleone himself, who provided me with this opportunity, is polite to me. The fashions that I am designing are famous and I am frequently seeing my name in headlines. Inside all the suffering before, I have found my happiness.

I fidgeted nervously beside my boss. “Relax. It’s just a regular meeting,” he said, noticing my restlessness. We are in the car no.

I forced a smile. Then we got to the restaurant, and my steps came to a standstill the moment my eyes met him.

‘What? H-he…?’

He was sitting at the table I had reserved for the night. We locked eyes for a second, he looked just as stunned as I felt, and then he turned to my boss, and extended his hand for a handshake.

“Mr. Corleone, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” he said warmly.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Kent,” my boss replied, turning to me. “Katniss, come here. Why are you just standing there?”

I cleared my throat and walked over. "Nice to meet you. I'm Katniss, personal assistant to Mr. Ethan Corleone and head of fashion design."

He hesitated before shaking my hand. The touch made my skin crawl.

Before he could respond, my boss’s words nearly made my heart stop. “Why didn’t you introduce yourself as the soon-to-be Mrs. Corleone? We talk about this before, aren’t we? Are you forget, honey?”

I was momentarily blank, not fully aware of his words until... "Huh? Wait, what?! WHAT DID HE JUST SAY?!'

"Soon to be Mrs. Corleone?" he repeated, disbelief etched on his face.

To be continued…