Chapter 4

“Your outfit for the auction” my mother said dumping a blue dress wrapped in a transparent nylon on my bed.

It has just been two hours since Mr Arnold left the house and my mum was already thinking about gracing an event “I thought we were supposed to be keeping a low profile” I said slowly, I felt my voice trembling a bit.

“Yes” she said dismissively “but this is not like the other auctions we have been attending, I got an exclusive invite and I’ve been told that there is someone there that might have a solution to the issues we are having now” she said as the last words rolled out of her lips calmly.

“Will Liv be coming with us?” I asked, my throat felt a little bit tight.

“No,” she replied quickly “she can stay by herself, we won’t even be spending much time at the auction.”

“Urm..” I felt my throat tight again, I did not like the idea of Liv staying my herself but then my mother knew better and I could not oppose her decision.

I stared at my reflection at the mirror, trying to nurse the red bruise that was on my cheeks “a little bit of powder will have that covered” my mum said again

“Yes” I nodded, my voice sounded barely above a whisper.

“We will be out in twenty” she said already walking out of the room.

I stared at the blue dress on the bed, a part of me wanted to scream but I just held on to the dress squeezing the fabric as my thoughts ran freely. The dress seemed expensive and even though I wanted to ask her when and how she got it, I know better than to open my mouth to question her actions.

I applied a little bit of powder on my face like my mother had suggested and then I slipped the dress on.

“We are running out of time” I hear my mother’s voice again, accompanied by clicking of heels.

“I am almost done” I replied, staring at myself in the mirror.

I have never gone to an auction before, my father never took I or Liv to any of those but we did attend other societal functions like the tea parties. I would have asked my mum why she wanted me to come along but then again the only thing my brain could pick from the whole thing was that she did not want to be there alone.

When I got out of my room, I saw my mum standing at the other end of the hallways with a blank stare on her face “we are running late” she hissed.

I walked closely behind her as she led the way out of the house. When we finally got outside, I was met with a sleek black car “how?” I asked a little bit confused, staring at the ride while my mum pushed passed me causing my body to collide with the body of the car.

“I told you, we don’t have much time on our hands” she said ignoring the question and sounding a little bit irritated.

We didn’t speak much during the ride, my mind raced with questions as to how my mother got this car. It could be rented but then again renting cars like this was a bit expensive so why would she spend so much in renting a car when we had so much on our plate already. She was actually no different from my dad who always felt the need to keep up with the appearance even when the business was crumbling.

The car soon came to a halt, bringing me back to reality. I watched my mum pass her I.V to one of the security guards and then they gave her permission to drive into the compound.

The building looked different from what I had imagined but then again, I have never been to a thing like this so I wouldn’t know how it looked like. “Stay behind me” my mother ordered “make sure you stay close” she said again.

Angelo’s POV

I watched the lady and her daughter walk into the building, her family owes me a huge sum of money and from my findings there is no possible way the debt could be paid and so a compromise was made but only if all party agrees and from what I can see right now, neither of them has an objection to the agreement.

“Don’t you think people are going to talk about you getting married so suddenly?” Enzo asked, his voice low.

“ I don’t care” I replied staring at the door

I really did not care what anyone thought but I needed to create a distraction for the people that are after my life, I needed time to investigate and getting married now would have them think that I wasn’t watching but the truth is I had my eyes everywhere.

“Why not make a public appearance before the marriage?” He suggested

“It is just to distract them” I replied, my tongue ticking inside my mouth as I took another glass of whiskey.

All I needed was some sort of distraction, I would have gone with any girl from the other mafia families but I am not yet sure of the persons or person who had made an attempt on my life.

Mrs Scardoni walked through the doors, followed closely by her daughter who looked extremely nervous. She had beautiful long hair and the blue dress she had on made her look regal.

“Sorry for keeping you waiting, Mr Rossi” Mrs Scardoni spoke up dragging her daughter behind her, she looked confused as though she expected something else.

I offered them a seat while I gave Enzo signal to leave so I could have a proper discussion with Mrs Scardoni.

“This is my daughter, Milene” she said smiling widely, I watched Milene whose gaze was fixed to the floor as if there was a subject of interest on it.

“Is she ready to come with me now?” I asked not willing to prolong the meeting any further.