Chapter 5

The sun bathed the garden of the Wilson residence owned by Becca, the birds fluttered back and forth, fussing over the small seeds that the woman threw on the fresh grass to feed them, her gaze was fixed on nothing, lost in the many thoughts that filled her since first thing in the morning, it was Sunday, day off for her, that night she wouldn't have to go to the bar and frankly she felt comforted by not having to do so, her white cheeks tinged red again as she remembered that all too embarrassing moment between her and Hades Visconti, she could still feel that huge, powerful body against hers and remembered how tiny she was in comparison to him, those words he had said to her, they echoed in her mind like echoes bouncing over and over again, Hades had deliberately forbidden her to dance in public and, in his words, she could only do it in front of him, and that hadn't been the most alarming thing. ... they had kissed, she had kissed Hades Visconti!

Throwing more food to the lively birds, Caterina wished to hide inside a hole and never come out of it again, that kiss had been strong, demanding, completely sensual, very different from the kisses she once shared with her ex-husband, she didn't like to compare them, however, she couldn't help doing it, Henry's kisses were always simple, boring, like only implying that he was there, making her feel like she was receiving miseries of what should be, instead, Hades' kiss, had awakened something that seemed to be asleep inside her, something unknown and much more exciting, that man's lips were fire, a burning fire with which she was afraid of burning.

"You seem very distracted this morning Caterina" said Becca who was going out into the garden to let her friend know she was leaving for the time and the rest of the night.

"I guess so Are you leaving already?" questioned the woman without taking her eyes off the beautiful birds.

"Yes, I'll go out with Charlie to deliver the pay to the dancers, today is your day off, you should take advantage of the moment and go for a walk with Dante, the weather is perfect today" Rebecca said with a smile.

"Yes, that's a good idea, it's been a while since Dante and I went out just to have fun, between the debts his father left us and everything he's been going through, the poor guy hasn't been able to just be a kid...everything has been too hard for him, sometimes, he still asks me about Henry and Agatha, about his grandparents...and I...I just don't know what to tell him" said Caterina with a breathy voice.

Rebecca was deeply moved by Caterina's words, she still remembered the strong and empowered girl she had been, a huge and radiant sunshine who always had a generous and sincere smile for everyone, Henry had insisted a lot on dating her until he finally managed to convince her, however, since she started that relationship no one liked her, Caterina gradually faded away, always stressed by the problems Henry caused by his inability to keep a job, always mortified and dividing her time between college and her son, and then between the problems Henry caused by his inability to keep a job, counting every dollar she earned trying to manage it, all for nothing.

Henry had a bad habit of wasting the woman's money on nonsense, always behaving like an eternal adolescent, and she, like the mother who at all costs tries to lead her son on the right path.... that horrendous one-sided relationship, had consumed her to the point of almost fading her, and there was no doubt in her mind that, the fact that Enrique ended up running off with the no more honorable Agatha, had been the best thing that could have happened to Caterina, although, of course, she didn't know what Caterina was going through, nor did she know she was having such a bad time, that job she had offered her, it wasn't really the best in the world, and no doubt Caterina would never get used to it, but she hoped it would be enough for the time being, at least while she got something better and more suitable for herself.

"Relax, go with Dante to the park, I will ask for a ride and bring them home, neither of you are in that horrible situation anymore, and I promise I will support you, we are best friends, and you can stay as long as you want, I want to see you and your little boy well, Henry can fuck himself along with your bitch of a sister, you are fine now and we will see you even much better, Charlie and I support you and we always will" Becca said hugging her best friend.

Caterina felt very lucky to have Rebecca in her life, although, the two were very different, they were best friends and she hoped they always would be.

"Thank you so much Becca, without you, Dante and I would be wandering the streets alone, you are a great friend" replied Caterina reciprocating the beautiful brunette's hug.

Rebecca had left with her husband, Caterina was getting ready to leave with Dante, looking at herself in the mirror before leaving, she looked at that piece of paper with Zeus Visconti's number, she had not dared to call him again since that too awkward moment in the cafeteria, Zeus had confessed to her, he had told her that he liked her since the years when she was an art student and he, her occasional teacher, had excused himself for having to hurry back for Dante and that way he managed to escape from that place, but not before promising her that they would see each other again.

Hades, Zeus, two brothers too different from each other, Zeus was a respectable man, elegant, a philanthropist too sensitive and handsome, Hades, instead, was wild, daring, a man who exuded fire from every pore of his skin, he was not kind, on the contrary, he used to be unpleasant, even so, he was interesting, his sapphire eyes radiated danger...passion, someone used to do what he wanted and with whom he wanted...and, however, it did not bother him at all.

Walking towards the bureau next to her bed, Caterina took in her hands that painting she had unintentionally made of Hades, that look so penetrating and powerful, it had remained engraved under her skin, it was impossible to forget it, going over those strokes with her fingertips, the memories of the night before came to her mind again, Hades' warm breath hitting the bare skin of her neck, his fingers running along the curves of her body without daring to go further, his eyes of fire that exuded passion, possessiveness, making a shiver still run through her.

Silently denying, she decided to stop thinking about Hades or Zeus, she would not spend her day off thinking about either of them, it was her special moment between her and her son, finally, after many months, she could take him out for ice cream and just be mother and son, without anything else... without anyone else. 

"Mommy, are we going to the park yet?" asked Dante in a sweet childish voice.

Caterina hugged her son and then kissed his rosy cheeks and stared at him, Dante was her spitting image, she had not taken much from Henry, it was like seeing herself in her little boy version, a precious boy with beautiful sea water eyes and almost blond brown hair, he was everything she loved most in the world and for him, she was capable of anything.

"Come on, let's go now, we'll eat some ice cream and play for a while" said Caterina kissing once more her little son and then marching towards the park.

 In his luxurious apartment, Hades was taking a last look at his illicit business, the narcotics he had in reserve at the Temptation bar had been correctly distributed, however, it was more than obvious that he needed to do something about Zeus and his father, who constantly got in his way, his head hurt from so much thinking, that was a complete nuisance with which he did not intend to continue dealing with forever, he felt fed up, really tired of that pair of wretches with whom he had the misfortune of sharing blood.

Taking his jacket, he decided to go for a walk at least for a moment, he felt he needed air and the fresh wind of the afternoon would surely manage to comfort him a little, walking among the beautiful streets of the city center, he enjoyed seeing the beauty of its many buildings, Palermo was actually quite beautiful, his mother's hometown and the territory of her great empire, however, even with all its splendor, sometimes, he felt trapped in it, it was his refuge, his domain, and also.... his cage, the only place where his father's power was less than his own, the only place where he could be himself without the restrictions of the "society" he was born into.

Looking at the people in the streets, he couldn't help but feel very amused at the looks of fear or discomfort his presence provoked, nothing more than bored and pathetic people who thought they were perfect, just as his father and brother were, he had so much power and money to do whatever he wanted with any of those who looked down on him, and yet, that idea was too boring, no one presented him with a real challenge, no one opposed him, he had everything he wanted at the time he wanted it, only Caterina De Santis in her clumsiness and innocence, was fun for him, a challenge he hoped he would enjoy very much.

Remembering his nervousness of the night before, when he glued his hips with hers and the art teacher could feel all that desire, he felt for her in the hardness that caused him to see her dance that way, made him long to see her again, however, that night he would not go to work at the bar, it was his day off, he had taken the trouble to find out her schedule with the other waitresses, and of course, no one denied him what he wanted to know.

He himself, had decided not to go for that night to the Temptation, without Caterina there, suddenly everything had become too boring, he wanted to see her, he wanted her and only her to satiate his boredom, bothering her had become really addictive, he really enjoyed seeing her blushing and embarrassed, telling her anything that had to do with sex, got on her nerves, and that, he loved it, Caterina was an easy person to read, she didn't hide her feelings or thoughts to anyone, even if she didn't say them, it was too easy to know what she felt.

The beautiful face of feminine and delicate features that Caterina had, expressed in countless gestures everything she was experiencing, she wanted more than anything to see the thousand expressions that her innocent face would have when she made love to him with passion.

He wanted to provoke her a thousand orgasms and see the expressions she would put on each one of them, Caterina was his from that first moment when he saw her timidly approach his table, she was not like all the whores who had passed through his bed always looking for something more. Caterina had allowed herself the luxury of confronting him, of rejecting him, she was the first woman who refused him, who did not go to him at the first hint. On the contrary, Caterina seemed to want to avoid him at all costs, and that intrigued him, it made her an extremely interesting woman, and her obvious rejection the night before when she argued that he should leave quickly, had left him wanting more, he wanted more from her, he wanted everything from her, and to find out if he would end up getting bored again, or if something else would happen.

Every thought he was having at that moment, however, had been silenced in a sudden and sepulchral silence.

Without thinking where he was walking to, Hades had made his way to the park, his piercing sapphire eyes, gazing at the sweet figure of Caterina De Santis dressed like an ordinary person; a dress that reached her knees and a light sweater that she wore over it, however, that was not what had paralyzed him just then, with her, swaying in an innocent sway, there was a child, a little boy who could not have been more than 5 years old with hair and eyes identical to hers and a pristine smile of pure innocence.

Looking at that curious pair, she could see how Caterina helped the infant down from that swing and then kissed his cheeks with love, the woman was shining as she did not shine in the bar, without that permanent gesture of discomfort or anguish, smiling truly, with happiness...that child, those words said by her where she revealed that she had been married...that infant so similar to her, could not be anyone else but her son, Caterina De Santis was a mother, a single mother.

Unexpected, that's how that chance encounter in the park felt, Caterina hadn't seen him, she didn't seem to have eyes for anyone but the little boy she kissed with love, Hades, he felt his heart beating wildly at that sight, the reasons the shy art teacher had for being a waitress in a millionaire's bar were finally coming to light, although, taking his phone, he hurriedly called his private investigator. He wanted to know everything right away, he wanted to know the story behind the woman in the bar who had captivated him, he wanted to know the story of the woman he wanted more than anything else in the world.