Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Annalisa 

I was kneeling in tears before my father who had his back against me. This man was meant to be enjoying his mid-fifties by resting, but all he always had on his mind was money and power. And my mum? She was standing at a corner in the study room, her presence almost non-existing as her opinions never really mattered when it comes to taking decisions.

“Annalisa,” he finally turned to face me and I saw a look of disgust in his eyes. “You have disgraced this family.” His voice was unusually calm, but I knew one slight mistake would make him lose control.

I opened my mouth to defend myself, but my father cut me off before I could utter a single word. That was it, he snapped. “You foolish decisions has ruined my chance of getting an investment from Giovanni!” Of course, that was all he cared about. “You leave me no choice, Annalisa. We will be holding a press conference to formally disown you.” 

“Lorenzo—” my mother was taken aback the same way I was surprised.

“Hush, woman!” He yelled in return, cutting her off before she could even beg on my behalf.

My breath hitched in my throat as the meaning of his words sank in. Disown me? Is that that really necessary? It was just one mistake of which I was a victim. My heart hammered in my chest and tears spilled out of my eyes uncontrollably as I struggled to understand why my father would do such to me. Disowning me would not only cut my ties with my family, it would affect my reputation greatly as an actress. I know it had already been ruined by the scandals circulating around, but it would shatter completely if any news about disowning me escape.

“Father, please,” I managed to choke out as the tears made me lose my voice. “It wasn't my fault… I didn't know—” 

He slammed his fist down on the table, causing me to flinch. “Enough!” he shouted, his face turning red with fury. “You made mockery of this family. Your scandal is all over the news! Do you think people care whether it's your fault or not?! The damage as already been done and I can't stand a disgrace bearing my last name!” 

The tears continued to flow endlessly as I crawled to his legs and held it. I knew my father was strict, but never in a million years did the thought of him throwing me out ever cross my mind. But now… he would.

“Father…”

“My decision is final. I know you'll want some time with your mother so I give you two days to move your things out.” I knew at this point, there was no use begging anymore. I stood up, wiping the tears off my face but they wouldn't stop falling. My eyes met with my mother who was still standing there, unable to speak. This angered me and all I wanted was just to leave this place. I don't know where to, but I just wanted to leave. 

I stumbled out of the study room, my vision hazy from the tears. It was when I was midway running through the hallway, I felt a hand pull me back. And when I turned, I met the sight of my mother in tears.

“I'm so sorry I couldn't do anything, Annalisa.” she apologized, but I snatched my hands out of her hold.

“Let go of me!” I transferred all my aggression on her. “He's your husband for crying out loud, talk some sense into him!” For the first time in this house, I spoke for myself. She was taken aback by my sudden change in attitude, but I was too hurt to care. I just wanted to leave before I could do even worse.

When I finally exhausted my energy and I couldn't cry anymore, I found myself in a lonely street. I had nowhere to turn to, I didn't even have any friends. My small stature made me the target of bullies, especially in the entertainment industry. As if my mind had been read, my phone buzzed in my pockets and when I brought it out, I saw that my agent was calling.

This wasn't the first time he had tried to reach me today, but I had ignored the calls thinking I should deal with one disaster at a time. Now, with my family disowning me, I feared the worst would be given to me once I answer the call. But I knew I couldn't avoid it forever.

With shaky hands, I swiped to answer the call, holding the phone to my ear as I tried to keep my voice steady. “H-Hello?”

“Annalisa, I've been trying to get a hold of you all morning.” His voice was unusually tense as he skipped the usual professional pleasantries. 

“Sorry, I... I've been—” I swallowed hard as I failed to create an excuse. What could I possibly say? “What's going on?”

There was a long pause on the other end before he finally spoke. “I’ve received calls from all the producers you’ve been working with. They've decided to cut your roles from their projects.”

I blinked severally, not fully understanding what he had just said. “What? Why?”

“The scandal, Annalisa. They don’t want to be associated with it. They think it could affect the movies’ chances at success.”

“No, this can’t be happening... Please, they can't do that.”

His voice lowered as if he was speaking to a fragile child. Well, maybe I was fragile. “I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can do. It’s out of my hands. The studio thinks it’s best to part ways.”

“What do you mean part ways? Are you—are you dropping me too?”

A silence followed, he didn't even need to answer my question since I already got the answer from it.

“Yes,” he finally admitted. “Look, it’s not personal. It’s just... business. With everything going on, the studio sees you as a threat to their success.”

I couldn’t breathe. It felt like the air had been removed from around me. First my family, now my career? Everything I had built, everything I had worked for was slipping away, crumbling before my eyes. “You can’t do this…” I muttered, the tears that took a while to stop already forming again. “Please, you can’t just drop me. I need this.”

“There’s nothing else I can do,” he repeated, more firmly this time. “I’m sorry, Annalisa. I truly am. But you’re not good for business right now.” He apologized and the line went dead.

What had I done to deserve this? How had it all gone wrong? I wanted to cry again, but I knew it wouldn't solve anything. What if I begged Giovanni? Perhaps he would understand if I explained that I was the victim here, and not the one at fault. Perhaps he could stop the press conference, stop my father from disowning me, and convince the world that this was all a misunderstanding. I had to try. Giovanni was the only one that could save me.

I made my way to his house with a taxi, but when I got to his doorstep, I became suddenly afraid. What if he didn’t believe me? What if he turned me away just like my father had? No, I had to at least try. I was about to knock when the door opened on its own, revealing a sight that made my blood run cold. 

Giovanni was standing not far from the doorway, but he wasn't alone. Bianca was there with him. Her legs were wrapped around his waist and her lips… they were pressed against his in a passionate kiss.