An offer

Chapter Three

Fabiola’s POV

I scooted to the other end of the chair as if it would reduce the distance between us. He opened his eyes, and I swallowed.

"Aless…Alessandro," I muttered. My hands shook greatly. I used the other one to hold it in place. "Wha…What are you doing in…in town?" I swallowed. My attempt to sound lackadaisical was failing woefully. And since when did I become a stammerer? I tried to crack a smile, but it felt like it would slice my face in half.

A flicker of irritation glossed through his face as he uncrossed his legs, then he turned to me. "3 years, Fabiola," he said softly. "3 whole years since we’ve last seen each other, and that is what you ask me?"

I swallowed again, staring at my hands. Suddenly, I felt like a child caught stealing, hands in a cookie jar. His smooth voice and his calm demeanor unnerved me. The Alessandro I knew would have been raging by now.

All I could look at were my hands. I was tired of the fear all night. My feet hurt, and I badly wanted to go home. I took in a deeper breath and looked up.

The intensity in his eyes broke me. My throat dried. I coughed. "I…let’s…let’s cut to the chase, Aless…Alessandro." His name sounded alien in my ears; I could swear he was a stranger. I swallowed again. For the umpteenth time. "Wha…what do you want?"

I held his gaze a little longer than a second before I looked away. The sound of chickens rang in my ears.

He didn’t speak, which prompted me to look up. Goosebumps covered my skin in its entirety. He had those lazy blue eyes zoned in on me, and my heart raced. It was like he could see through my soul, like he could read the walls of my heart, digging up secrets I had fought to hide.

Finally, he slowly looked away, drumming his fingernails on the space between us. He returned to me. "You are in the wrong, Fabiola. Being a little nice to me might be a good place to start."

I scoffed. "No way."

He shook his head. "The audacity," he said more to himself. And then came the silence. Oh gosh.

With every passing second, it felt like my head was a volcano waiting to erupt. Every minute pushed me closer to losing it. My skin prickled, my thoughts spun, and the silence between us became too loud to survive. I knew I had to do something.

I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but he beat me to it.

"Alright, I’ll cut to the chase, Fabiola," he muttered. His voice was dangerously low, and that made my heart begin to race. "You hurt me years ago, and I want to get even." My stomach dipped. What does he want now? Alessandro looked rich. He had power. These were the things he wanted.

I stood no chance. With one snap of his fingers, I was gone. I had already gone on one knee when he stopped.

"It’s no use begging. You only have two options," he said flatly. I waited to hear my sentence. But he was out to make me suffer. His phone suddenly rang, and he went on to have the longest call I have seen.

By the time he was through, I noticed the car had already stopped.

I whipped my head around. "Where are we, by the way?"

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"Are you out of your mind?"

Yeah, that’s what I said to Alessandro when he dropped the bomb of his wants.

"Be my girlfriend and pawn," he had said.

I felt like shit. Insulted. Spat on. I was correct that Alessandro was now a different person. He was miles apart from the person I used to know. He didn’t even hide that he wanted to use me as bait. What if I die? The mafia was no joke. I could get into a crossfire, and that is how my life would end. Where would that leave Mum and Sienna?

Even though Alessandro dangled the money like a carrot in front of a rabbit in my face, my mind was made up. I was not going to do his bidding.

Or was I?

On getting home, I met my daughter coughing.

"Mom," she stretched her little arms at me, smiling through one more cough. I leaned and carried her. She fussed with my hair as I tickled her.

"Hey, baby," I kept tickling her as she fell over in laughter. Then she began to cough. I worried. What was this again? I thought the doctor said she was okay.

"Fabiola, she's been coughing for an hour," Mom said from the sink. I peered into the kitchen.

"Hello, Mom," I muttered while I went to the sink to get her a glass of water. I watched my daughter drink water like she was dying of thirst. My heart raced. Something was wrong. I just knew it because she’d been stable for two weeks.

"Mum—" Sienna coughed. "I—" she coughed again, and that was when I saw it.

Blood. My pulse shot up, and before I knew it, she collapsed.

"Sienna!" Everywhere became a blur.

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My legs were moving, but I didn’t know how I was walking. Air left my lungs, but I was not breathing. As I made it into the changing room, I was fighting my tears. The doctor’s words rang in my ear.

"I’m sorry, Miss Cruz. The cancer is back."

A tear dropped from my eye, and I quickly wiped it. I zombie out of the changing room and straight to serve drinks. It didn’t take long for it to turn into a bad day. I spilled red wine on a customer’s shirt, and he was mad. While he foamed at the mouth about how expensive it was, I just stood there staring at him. And just like I expected, the boss, Mariano, called me into his office.

"What happened, Fabiola?" I looked at him and then broke down. Mariano walked up to me. He hugged me. I didn’t hug him, but I appreciated it. But when I looked up with tear-stained eyes, I saw Mariano pucker his lips. Everything paused. Was he trying to— I didn’t know what happened, all I remembered was smacking him across the face.

"Fabiola!" he glared at me, holding his cheeks. Just like that, everything dawned on me, and tears streamed down my cheeks. I immediately went to the changing room. Mariano followed me.

"Pick all your stuff and leave, you slut! You are fired!"

It was like the walk of shame. The other girls stared, some in glee, confusion, or pity. As soon as I sat in the bus, I let the tears fall freely, and I didn’t do anything to stop them. What do I do now? In between tears and people staring at me, I remembered something. It was like a light bulb moment.

Alessandro.

Quickly, I combed through my bag and saw his card.

"Fabiola," he picked on the 3rd ring. His deep baritone made me have Goosebumps.

I sniffed. "Alessandro."

"I expected your call earlier." There was a pause. "What do you want?"

I closed my eyes. Does he have to make me say it myself? I took in a deep breath. "I’ve accepted your offer." I felt the silence, and my heart began to beat. Why the silence?

"Alessandro?"

"Yes," he said. "Tell me where you are now. My men will pick you up."

"Now?"

"Yes, now," he replied. "Do you have any appointments?"

"I… I might have," I stammered.

"Like what?"

"Like… like a date or something," I replied, trying to be brave. Who did he think he was anyway?

He paused. I could hear his soft breathing. "Then cancel it, baby.”

“Why?” I asked immediately.

“Because I said so..