Chapter Three

Maria.

A smile graced my lips as I watered the flowers in the garden, this has become one of my favorite part-time. That's if I wasn't at the hospital.

My head snapped up when I heard a low giggle from the other side of the garden, my smile brightened seeing my sister running around while trying to catch a butterfly.

I waved my hand catching her attention before saying, “You know it won’t stay if you keep pursuing it.” She frowned and looked at the butterfly that kept on flying.

“But I want one.” She said, pouting her lips. She looked like a child, a cute one to be precise.

“Then stay still and wait, it will perch on the flower soon,” I told her.

She stared at the flowers skeptically before walking towards me.

She sat on the small bench beside me and rested her head on my shoulder.

“I hope I can catch it soon.”

You will.

I went back to tending to the flowers, and soon I heard a low gasp from her.

“Look at it, Mari,” She happily tapped on my shoulder as I looked at her. She was pointing at a flower and atop the flower was the butterfly she’d been chasing earlier.

I smiled and when she looked at me with that pretty smile her eyes lit up causing my heart to beat with so much happiness.

“I told you.” I dropped my hands beside me as she kept on watching the butterfly.

Emilia has been the only light in my dark world and I look forward to the next day because of her. I am very protective of her even though she’s grown enough to take care of herself.

“When are you going to say something, Mari?” She asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.

Her green eyes connected with mine, those eyes that reminded me of someone most important to me.

“Soon Lia,” I replied.

“I hate when you do this, you know nobody is around to hear you speak right?” She asked, making her voice low so the maids and guards walking around wouldn’t hear her.

I know but I just have to be careful with everything.

“I…..” I stopped when I heard the loud sound of someone walking towards us.

Emilia and I immediately got up when we saw who the person was.

“Maria,” My father called, with a tender look in his eyes.

“Father,” I answered.

“I have something to discuss with you.” He said, clenching and unclenching his hands.

His eyes looked unsettled and that’s the one thing that makes me know my father is nervous.

“Go inside Emilia.” He spoke to my sister.

Emilia stared at me and I nodded agreeing with Father.

Whatever he wants to discuss with me must be pretty serious if he doesn’t want Emilia to know about it.

He waited until she was out of earshot before speaking.

“I will be gone for a short while. I don’t know when I will return but I will be late. Eat your dinner with your sister. Are you done here?” He said with a tight smile.

“Is everything okay?” I asked without answering his question. I already knew the answer, something was bothering him.

My father is usually cool and unbothered and even if he was bothered you wouldn’t see it on his face. But this, he looked troubled.

“I believe you are done here. You will go inside and stay in your room without asking anything, is that clear?” He asked harshly.

I sucked in a deep breath and nodded.

He’s always harsh and mean when something must have gone wrong with his deals and business.

“Good, go inside. Juan will be with you guys tonight.” He said and turned to leave.

My heart sank when he didn’t kiss me on the forehead.

Before he could get far I held his hand and made him look at me.

“Please be safe.” I moved my hands.

He stared at me for a while before his eyes softened, he turned back and placed a kiss on my forehead.

“I will.”

I watched with a sickening feeling in my stomach as he walked into the mansion and barked orders at the guards.

I bent down and quickly picked the item I was using in dressing the flowers before going inside. Whatever was going on, Father did not want me to be involved in it and I got it.

It has always been that way since I was old enough to know the kind of ‘business’ he’s into.

My father is the head of the Mafia and I fear for his life every single time he steps out of our mansion door. I fear it would be the last time he would go out and never come back.

I went inside and caught sight of my father going out with a fleet of guards following closely behind. They are all heavily armed and the air in the place was tinged with panic.

This wasn’t my business— a woman’s place wasn’t supposed to be in the business—but I couldn’t help but be curious.

Women in this world are married off at an early age to secure a treaty or retain peace within each clan. But my sister and I were able to go to school and study until I was done while some other girls were forced to marry and give birth to an heir for the husbands they do not love.

I’m twenty-three and unmarried, working as a volunteer in a children's hospital. It was unheard of for a woman like me to be unmarried and without children.

But my father always made sure my sister and I could make our own decisions without forcing them upon us.

I climbed the stairs after dropping the items in the storage room, I stopped outside of Emilia’s room and knocked gently on it.

I opened the door when I didn’t hear any reply from her, just as I thought she already had her head buried in one of her books.

Emilia is in her last year of high school and is super serious about her studies.

She raised her head when she caught sight of me leaning on her door frame.

“What did father say?” She asked, closing her book and staring fully at me now.

She knows that’s the only way I can speak properly with her.

“Nothing. Only asked us to eat dinner without him.” I told her.

I try as much as possible to keep Emilia far away from his life but I’m sure she already has an idea what father ‘business’ is.

I mean whose businessman would have a lot of guards who are fully armed with guns and weapons big enough to start a war like my father?

“Is he going to come back today?” She asked.

“He'll be back but be late,” I told her.

“Okay, I should be done with my study before dinner. In the meantime, you need to go have your bath.” She said while covering her nose.

I rolled my eyes and waved my hand at her.

I walked to my room and stripped off my clothes, my heart still hadn’t stopped racing.

He will be okay Maria, stop worrying about him.

He will return home safely.