Twenty- four. 24.I opened my eyes weakly, trying to adjust them to the fluorescent lights. I looked up to see Massimo standing with a pail of water in his hands. "Welcome back, " he greeted, giving a lop-sided grin. "Massimo, " I called but was replied with a slap. "It's master to you whore, " he hit me again and this time, I bled uncontrollably from the nose. "Who do you think you are, Laurie? " he questioned. "Is it because I fucked your oversized pussy, you think you've gotten rights? Or because I made you feel special, you think you're wanted? Listen to me Laurie, you are just a plaything and nothing more. I can kill you no, Laurie, and not bat an eyelash. I stared at him unbelievably as he said those words to me. They hurt, they hit differently. I stared at the man my heart was beginning to beat for, the man I was slowly falling in love with. I watched him call me names. Just when I thought he was beginning to consider me and that I was starting t
Twenty- five. 25.I boiled in anger, cursing every fucking minute. Laurie's a bitch, I have always known. She went too far, she went past the limit this time. She pushed too far. She snooping on my private issues, and I won't tolerate it. She got what she deserved and I would not take it easy on her. I have given her more than enough time and chances for her to understand who I am but as dumb as she is, she still couldn't catch up. What I did to her earlier is just an intro to what I have prepared for her. When I found out she rummaged through my things, I began to doubt her identity. My greatest fear began to resurface. "What if she's truly Lily?" I pondered. It was because of the striking resemblance between Laurie and Lily that made me go after Laurie. At times, I realized that Laurie was not Lily or so she made me believe. The act she displayed made me wonder if Laurie was a disguise. It could be that Laurie is Lily. What if she's lying? What if her
Twenty- six. 26.Jorge. I knew relaying the past to Massimo would break him. I know his greatest fear is failing Grandpa. Hm! I will make sure he breaks and fails. Massimo thinks he is wise. He thinks I am foolish to let him lead, he thinks I will let go of the horrible things he has done to me but No. Now is the best time to take back revenge. To take back all that I have ever wanted. I will pay back Massimo for every pain he has caused me. I walked down to the dungeon where Laurie was kept. She looked sullen, tearful, and forsaken. "Ahh! Jorge, it's good that you are here. Jorge, please help me out, " she pleaded immediately when she saw me. I smirked. This is what it feels like to have someone at your mercy. This is what it feels like to be superior. "I am not here to help you, Laurie. I am here to let you know that Massimo has always despised you long before now, " I said. I expected some angry reactions from her but she showed nothing. She only plead
Twenty- seven. 27. He stepped in with the aura of audaciousness surrounding him. The stench of audacity and power seeped in as he entered. His guards entered with him. I stood up slowly from my forever seated position to meet his devilish gaze that pierced through me, through my bone marrow, piercing through to my heart. For the first time, his stares made me uncomfortable. I swallowed nothing. I lowered my haze to the floor. Now I know he is my superior. He made a signal to the guards and before I knew it, they hired me to a chair, binding my hands from behind. I shivered and shrieked, whimpering softly like a child. Massimo came to sit in front of me like we were going to have an interrogation. "We are going to have a little tete-a-tete, without wasting too much time, " he said and I gulped. "Who are you? " he asked. "I'm Laurie. Laurie Norman. You know me, Massimo, " I answered and a stinging slap landed on my right cheek, making the receptiv
One.1. "Here is your order ma'am. Enjoy!" I said in my nicest tone to a lady who barely answered me. Being a waitress is not an achievement at all. Moving all around this big restaurant, taking orders from customers, dropping menus on tables, serving dishes, and receiving offensive words as compliments from plushy, rich rude annoying customers is enough to spoil one's day. I am LAURIE NORMAN, 22 years old. I alone cater for my mom and younger brother ever since mom lost her legs and dad left us. Although I have an elder brother, I would rather not talk about him. The bookstore and the restaurant are where I got money from to feed my family. Though, the pay is meager. A few steps into the night and I'm already tired because I had to take two shifts because I couldn't meet up yesterday. A kind colleague covered it for me but I still had to grease her palm which doesn't make her kind after all. Smiles. As I moved past the next booth, I noticed an old man, not too old
Two.2. Staying at home wasn't funny. I mean it, it isn't funny. Only two days after my dismissal from the resto, the building where the bookstore was was demolished. Now I'm jobless. Hitting the street every morning for the past two weeks job hunting yields nothing. Although mom isn't aware that I was fired from the restaurant, she knows about the demolition of the bookstore building. It's evening time, at least the time I do get to resume duty at the resto. Lying down on my small prisoner bed, I couldn't help but think about our crumbled life, Mom's failing health, and Bryan's tuition fees. All of these are just too much for me that I felt like crying. But I wouldn't cry because only weak people cry and I have to be strong for my family. I came down and met Mom knitting by the little hallway to the kitchen. "Laurie, you haven't been going to the restaurant for some time now. Why's that?" She asked as she noticed my presence. She's been asking me this question for
Three.3. My door burst open with Bryan running in with a paper in his hand, squealing and making an unpleasant noise to my ears. "Hey, can't you knock? And don't you mind lowering your voice?" I asked. "I'm sorry. I'm just excited sis. I just came back from school." He said smiling. "It's very obvious since you're still in uniform. How's school?" I asked. "Fine." He squealed and I rolled my eyes. "I got an A in the math test today." "Wow! That's my boy. Come gimme some sugar baby." I spread my arms open to receive his hug but instead, he hugged Kira. Yeah! She just had a shift this morning and she came to give me a gist about all the happenings in the restaurant. I stylishly and shamefully hugged myself. The rejection was too much to handle. I was jealous. "Ok! Enough. You go over to your room." I asked him out. "Hey, sis you didn't go to work today?" Bryan asked. He doesn't know about my dismissal from work. "Bryan, go to your room, take off y
Four.4. Every normal family would not have only bread crumbs for dinner but my family has them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Excellent! There's no money to get decent food. The little money kept for dinner was carted away by Jeremy. The bread crumbs were only gotten by the food stamps that were shared in the public school Bryan attended. We could barely afford something nice with those food stamps. Bryan entered the little corner that serves as a dining area for us. He whispered in his babyish tone when he saw our overly- nice meal for dinner. "Oh no! Are we gonna have these for dinner again?" He said soberly. "Yes, dear," I answered as I busied, arranging the dishes on the table. "But we had them this morning and also at lunch. We should have something else for …." "Bryan?" I cut him short. "We have nothing left to eat. What is here, is what we are having tonight. So get your arse on the chair and eat." I commanded. He didn't say anything else. He was
Twenty- seven. 27. He stepped in with the aura of audaciousness surrounding him. The stench of audacity and power seeped in as he entered. His guards entered with him. I stood up slowly from my forever seated position to meet his devilish gaze that pierced through me, through my bone marrow, piercing through to my heart. For the first time, his stares made me uncomfortable. I swallowed nothing. I lowered my haze to the floor. Now I know he is my superior. He made a signal to the guards and before I knew it, they hired me to a chair, binding my hands from behind. I shivered and shrieked, whimpering softly like a child. Massimo came to sit in front of me like we were going to have an interrogation. "We are going to have a little tete-a-tete, without wasting too much time, " he said and I gulped. "Who are you? " he asked. "I'm Laurie. Laurie Norman. You know me, Massimo, " I answered and a stinging slap landed on my right cheek, making the receptiv
Twenty- six. 26.Jorge. I knew relaying the past to Massimo would break him. I know his greatest fear is failing Grandpa. Hm! I will make sure he breaks and fails. Massimo thinks he is wise. He thinks I am foolish to let him lead, he thinks I will let go of the horrible things he has done to me but No. Now is the best time to take back revenge. To take back all that I have ever wanted. I will pay back Massimo for every pain he has caused me. I walked down to the dungeon where Laurie was kept. She looked sullen, tearful, and forsaken. "Ahh! Jorge, it's good that you are here. Jorge, please help me out, " she pleaded immediately when she saw me. I smirked. This is what it feels like to have someone at your mercy. This is what it feels like to be superior. "I am not here to help you, Laurie. I am here to let you know that Massimo has always despised you long before now, " I said. I expected some angry reactions from her but she showed nothing. She only plead
Twenty- five. 25.I boiled in anger, cursing every fucking minute. Laurie's a bitch, I have always known. She went too far, she went past the limit this time. She pushed too far. She snooping on my private issues, and I won't tolerate it. She got what she deserved and I would not take it easy on her. I have given her more than enough time and chances for her to understand who I am but as dumb as she is, she still couldn't catch up. What I did to her earlier is just an intro to what I have prepared for her. When I found out she rummaged through my things, I began to doubt her identity. My greatest fear began to resurface. "What if she's truly Lily?" I pondered. It was because of the striking resemblance between Laurie and Lily that made me go after Laurie. At times, I realized that Laurie was not Lily or so she made me believe. The act she displayed made me wonder if Laurie was a disguise. It could be that Laurie is Lily. What if she's lying? What if her
Twenty- four. 24.I opened my eyes weakly, trying to adjust them to the fluorescent lights. I looked up to see Massimo standing with a pail of water in his hands. "Welcome back, " he greeted, giving a lop-sided grin. "Massimo, " I called but was replied with a slap. "It's master to you whore, " he hit me again and this time, I bled uncontrollably from the nose. "Who do you think you are, Laurie? " he questioned. "Is it because I fucked your oversized pussy, you think you've gotten rights? Or because I made you feel special, you think you're wanted? Listen to me Laurie, you are just a plaything and nothing more. I can kill you no, Laurie, and not bat an eyelash. I stared at him unbelievably as he said those words to me. They hurt, they hit differently. I stared at the man my heart was beginning to beat for, the man I was slowly falling in love with. I watched him call me names. Just when I thought he was beginning to consider me and that I was starting t
Twenty- three. I didn't sleep over in Jorge's room. I returned to mine because I wanted Massimo to find me. I know he will find me. I was up and ready for him, a lot of questions to ask and he also needed to let me go. I racked my brain, trying to comprehend the mystery behind Massimo's nature. Who he truly is. He can be many more dangerous things than just being a mafia. The sparse revelation about him still terrifies me. I was restless apprehensive and alert. I moved to and fro through the four corners of the room. I want him to come. Now, I was concerned and confused. I wasn't sure if I wanted him to come because I needed answers or if I wanted him to come because I wanted to touch him, I wanted to feel him. A gut feeling rose in my stomach. I waited for over an hour but he didn't show up. I brought out Lily's picture, staring at it as tears filled my eyes. I wept. I cried for being used. I felt used and wasted. All my stay and feelings for Massimo were lies and waste.
Twenty- Two. 22."He has always been in love with her right from time. She was the first and only woman he ever had. She was all he ever thought of. Her name is Lily." He narrated and I could tell how deep their love was and somehow I felt jealous. The way he described her made me think she was just and the only perfect girl for him. "I'll tell you about her and why she left." He said. "He loved her with everything that he owned. She betrayed him. She stole some important documents from him to his rivals. She works for them as an undercover spy, she runs away afterward. He was heartbroken and devastated and since then became the heartless man that he is now. Once he saw her but couldn't get to her because she escaped. Those documents were very important and crucial. He vowed to find her because he was pained, he vowed to make her pay, make her suffer for what she caused him. " He paused and stared at me with a raised brow, "Have you asked yourself why he came after you? "Becau
Twenty- One. 21.Still in Massimo's room, lying on the floor weakly as different thoughts flooded through my mind. Dangerous thoughts to even consider. I glanced through the room and I noticed a closed door painted in white. Curiosity was driving me insane. I was curious to know what was behind the closed doors and locked drawers. Something meaningful, something that can help me to know Massimo better might just be in there. Despite me being in pain, I stood up and moved towards the white door. I tried to unlock the door and expectedly, it was locked. He always leaves reasons for doubt. I opened the drawers of his wardrobe gradually, the first was filled with his jewelry, mostly gold and diamonds. The second drawer was filled with pictures of a particular girl. She's pretty with round eyes. Why does he have her pictures this much in his drawer? Maybe she is his sister. But she looks nothing or less like him. No other pictures, just hers. I stared at the picture closely and notic
Twenty. 20.The few times I've seen Jorge and Laurie together, drove me insane. It made me mad. How dare he? I admired Laurie's courage but she went past the limit by disrespecting me. I wouldn't lie, I knew I'd hurt Laurie and broke her. It seems like she was trying to sell me her trust but I was too blind to notice. But all the same, I wasn't going to loose my respect because of some stupid fucking love I was still trying to understand, not for some fucking woman. I was going insane, seeing Jorge with Laurie in his arms everyday, I couldn't bear it and so I poured out the fury on my guards. The hunger and urge to pounce on Jorge pumped through my veins like sedative. I would have done that, I would have disintegrated his head from his body but I respect Grandpa Cantor enough and wouldn't stir up chaos. That's what I am made of. Chaos! Jorge took the incident to his advantage. I know for sure that Jorge wants revenge and he wouldn't stop until he gets it but I am Massimo and
Nineteen.19.These few days with Jorge went smoothly, not as hectic and disastrous as it used to be with Massimo. I barely saw him as I was always hooked up with Jorge in his room, enjoying his time. Though the few times I've seen him, he looks mad and livid with anger but he doesn't come close or talk to me. Jorge is fun and interesting. He's cool and receptive and warm as well but then I prefer the monstrous Massimo. His chaotic personality, violent nature, his confusing smirks and smiles. I love the chaos and violence he possesses. Maybe gentle guys like Jorge aren't my pick. The cold afternoon found me in Jorge's arms embracing his warmth. We sat watching the still blue waters of the pool when Massimo's presence disrupted the view. We both turned to face him, questioning his presence with our eyes. I felt a gut feeling rising inside of me at the sight of him. A sensation of anger and excitement flooded through my veins. I was happy seeing him for the first time in ten