I was sitted on the bed, watching the window and contemplating my current situation, I couldn't help but wonder how being kidnapped could be both comfortable and damn annoying at the same time. It was a strange mix of emotions that I couldn't quite wrap my head around and it's boiling me up, I felt like crying and smiling at the same time.Thoughts raced through my raging mind. Would anyone even notice that I was missing? Luciano was in God knows where, I don't know if he's dead or alive and my parents? Would they notice my absence? Would they come looking for me, or would they simply ignore my absence and think perhaps I went off gallivanting, or they could be consumed by their own lives and oblivious to my situation? Damn! The uncertainty of it all weighed heavily on my heart making me feel so weak.The thought of it all made me think about the past and I couldn't help but remember what Gladys had told me about boys and how we would laugh and joke about it. A soft laugh escaped my
I wasn't sure how much more of this I would be able to endure. My head was spinning 360 and my eyes felt entirely shut out from the rest of my body. The bright light up in the ceiling did absolutely nothing to help my condition, I felt like I was running in endless circles. I grabbed my stomach and groaned as a wave of pain rippled through me for the hundredth time since I can remember. The floor had become my comfort for a day now. To think I thought Gladys was joking about not feeding me. A day had passed and not even a drop of water had touched my tongue or the baby's if it had one already and I was worried I was either going to pass out soon, have a miscarriage or even die. At least then I would be with Luciano. Me, him and the baby; we would all be together.Occasionally, I took a glance at the camera, I knew Gladys was watching my every move. I was so sure she would be happy I was suffering and was probably seated glued to the camera waiting for me to utter a "I'm sorry" or "p
The knock out must have lasted a decade, my head was banging really hard, I felt like the whole head was off my neck. The headache increased as I woke up to the sound of muffled voices and the feeling of tight restraints around my wrists and ankles. I was chained!Panic surged through me as I tried to make sense of my surroundings. The room was dimly lit, and I could hear the faint echo of footsteps on the cold concrete floor. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I realized I was not alone. Damn the devil for she has come.Gladys's voice pierced through the air, filled with anger and frustration. She was cussing and yelling at her men. Two of them followed her in and she kept on cussing them, her words blending together in a chaotic symphony. Straining to listen, I soon realized they were discussing someone named Luciano, and, it was my brother!"You bastard! You can't be right that's it's him, I thought he's dead, what are you now saying?" She demanded.One of the man, rusty face and
MASSIMO'S POV"CORONATION," written in big fat seria killer letters.The banner above me spelt largely in very bold letters. The hall was packed full of both well-wishers and people who just came to get a glimpse of what I looked like. It felt weird standing on the stage with people's eyes hovering over me and mouths whispering of pleasure and displeasure. I looked around and all I saw was a bunch of mostly happy faces belonging to happy people of which I was quite the opposite. All I could do was stare at my mom. Her face was bland, drained of all emotions. She stood amongst the crowd looking very much disinterested in whatever was going on, I was almost sure she was here just because of me and probably because father mandated here to attend. Once or twice when someone went over in her direction, she managed to squeeze out a smile. Her face was full of wrinkles and she looked scared of something that wasn't in the crowd or the large hall, like she was expectant of something.I wi
MASSIMO'S POVI stood rigid when I heard that, it was like I was glued to the floor, I listened intently to Gladys and looked around, content the men who came to me were far away, I stumbled back, going into the shadows. I didn't look back until I got to the men's toilet then I took a deep breathe and continued the phone call. Surprise was evident in my eyes. My mind went to what Zino told me, he wasn't the type that joked with words. Everything he told me, he meant it as hell. It wasn't every day that someone like him made a sudden appearance and say something so sinister, yet, calmly said. My heart was palpitating, my fear palpable in the air. But I knew I had to be strong and help navigate this dangerous situation.But I couldn't help but replay his harsh words in my head, his words echoed in my mind, urging caution and submission. I could sense the panic rising in me as the gravity of the situation sank in. It dawned on him that Zino wouldn't simply talk, but would go to any leng
MASSIMOWe sat over breakfast. By me, I was referring to the three of us; I, father and mother. I struggled hard to eat some food, I didn't want him noticing that I wasn't myself, but he kept on making matters worse.I sat at the head of the table, directly opposite him while Mum sat at his right side. He claimed I had earned a spot at the head of the table. Staring down at my breakfast of eggs, sausages, bread, pancakes and maple syrup, tea and some french toast, I kept on trying to drown father's voice. "You made me proud yesterday Massimo, it's good you finally decided to be useful." On a normal day, those words would be as precious as dear life, I had been longing to hear him say that since forever and now that he did, I didn't really care about it. "I bagged two deals at the coronation yesterday, the people were impressed by my choice which is you, I really -" he continued, talking with his mouth full of all kinds of food. Father hardly talked at the table, but today it was li
I stopped dead in my tracks. How did he know? How did he find out? Gladys and I were the only ones expected to know. Although I wasn't so happy he was proud of me, I didn't need his disappointment either, at least not at this point.I clenched my fists and played with my fingers, struggling with myself for words to defend myself with. Something to let him know that I knew exactly what I was doing even though I didn't. "You don't have an answer?" Father asked, his voice clearly laced with anger.I searched for answers in my head. "It's not true, I heard the rumours but it's just a speculation because his body wasn't found," I lied, hoping I sounded as serious as I should. "Right, it's just a speculation. I'm sure you killed him." His tone didn't sound like he was convinced, it sounded more like sarcasm but I couldn't care less as long as I was off the hook. "Do you remember the Dante's family she talked about?" He asked. It was at this point I turned around to face him. "What?" I a
MASSIMO "Someone get me a fucking stretcher," I got down from the car and started to scream for help as soon as we reached the hospital. Mom was still inside with blood all over the seat of the car. "Help please," I screamed with my hands on my head, not caring about the blood. "I'll take her in," the driver offered as I tried to lift her but couldn't as my hands were shaking vigorously. "She can't die, she can't die," I kept on screaming as I followed him into the hospital where we were net with nurses and a gurney. A nurse’s rubber gloved hand removed my hand from the iron stand as we approached the inner rooms that no one except trained personnel was allowed to enter. I imagined the tall nurse giving me a smile over the facemask she had on her face as she said “We’ll take it from here."I reluctantly removed my grip from the stretcher and cast one last glance at mother “Please take care of her.”The nurse said nothing more and herself and the rest of her team pushed through th