A lady?

Mia's POV

Aria takes my hand and leads me to another part of the plane. There are dressed, pantsuits, skirts, shirts, shoes, and handbags everywhere. I look at Aria as if she is crazy, and I look at the clothing and see everything is in my size. How did they know? 

"Riccardo sent me your size, and he must have seen it on your uniform," Aria says as if she can read my mind.

"I can not pay for this," I say. I can see the clothing is designer fashion. 

"You are not paying, honey. Ricci is paying, and he has enough money," Aria says. 

"I do not want to owe him anything," I say. 

"Think of it as uniforms, and you work for him until you pay your father's debt. I know my brother. He will not let you go until he thinks you do not owe him anything," Aria says with a sigh. I can see she looks frustrated. 

"Well, if you put it like that. I think I will be better armored to face the devil in Prada than in a waitress uniform," I say. Aria laughs. 

"Oh, I hope Ricci falls head over heels in love with you! You are so different than his other women. You are refreshing for a change. I love everything about you," Aria says. 

"I like you, Aria, but I do not want your brother to fall in love with me. All I want is to have my freedom back," I say. I look at the high heels on the bed and pick them up. 

"Do you like those shoes?" Aria asks.

"Yeah, it is beautiful, but I do not think I can walk in them. I will break my neck," I say.

"I designed them and will teach you to walk in them, but first, let down your hair, and let us start working on your hair and face," Aria says. She has a whole team of women with her, and I look at them as if they are vampires about to suck all the blood out of my body. They start washing my hair and cut off the dead ends, leaving my hair long. I cannot see myself in a mirror as they start with my face and nails. I wouldn't say I like it. What part of I am not a lady do they not understand? They even put tips on my nails. I am not used to having long nails as I work in water all day at the diner because I help do the dishes when I am not busy in the front. 

"Do I have to have long nails? I do not like them. I feel clumsy with the nails on," I complain. 

"Honey, you will get used to them," Aria says. I sigh. So I will have to get used to all of these fake things? Why can I not be myself? I know being the mistress of Don Riccardo, the Godfather of the Italian Mafia, is a big deal, but not for me. I wish I were back home and staying in the apartment. I wonder what Rosa will do with my apartment now. My phone rings, and I see it is Rosa. She must be worried sick about me. 

"Rosa! The good news is I am alive. The bad news is I am turning into a lady and am now the mistress of the Godfather," I say as soon as we greet, and she asks me if I am okay. 

"Honey, it is not that bad. Deep down, Ricci is still the good boy he used to be. He will look after you, and I am sure he will fall in love with you," Rosa says. I know she is trying to be positive for me, but damn, why is everyone telling me Riccardo will fall in love with me? I do not want him! 

"I have to go, Rose. They are busy trying to turn me into a bloody model. You know as well as I know it is impossible, and can you believe they gave me long nails? Damn, I hate this, and it is all because of my stupid father, that does not know how to keep his greedy hands off other people's money," I say. 

"I know, honey, but be strong. I will pray for you," Rosa says. I know she is laughing at the thought of me having long nails and wearing high heels and a dress. We greet each other, and I hang up. 

"I can see Rosa loves you. It means you are a good person," Aria says. She smiles at me as they are done with my hair and face. They are getting me an outfit, and I like the pants suit they chose. I am glad it is not a dress. They also give me some boots with small heels, and I feel comfortable in them. At least they are not starting me off with those thin heels that look a mile long. They let me look in the mirror for the first time, and I could not believe what I saw. I look like one of the models in a magazine. My eyes are popping, and I look like I am at least twenty, not sixteen. 

"Wow, I never looked this good before," I say. 

"You are gorgeous. Look at those soulful eyes," Aria says. The other women look at me and smile. 

"Well, I feel like a woman for the first time in my life," I say. 

"Let's go and show Riccardo, and I bet he will lose his heart today," Aria says. 

"Nope, he will not! I am not his type. He only falls in love with blond, blue-eyed models, and I do not think he is over Bria Parisi," I say. I want to know if my suspicions are correct that Bria was his old love. 

"You know about Bria? Did Ricci tell you about her?" Aria asks. 

"No, it was a guess, as Mario only mentioned a Bria to Rose before they wanted to destroy her diner because she did not want to tell them where I was hiding," I say. 

"Do not underestimate yourself. You are much more beautiful than Bria. You have a rare beauty, and no one can deny it. Bria had so much work done on her that I hope she does not swim in the ocean. There is already enough plastic in our oceans," Aria laughs. I laugh as we walk into the plane's main cabin. Riccardo is sipping on a drink and talking business with Mario. They are so deep in conversation that they do not notice us walking in. 

"Holly hell!" Mario says, and he looks like a fish on dry land. His mouth is opening and closing, and he is swallowing hard. Riccardo looks irritated as he looks in our direction, as Mario stares at me. I feel a little uncomfortable under Mario's gaze. He is obviously taken aback by my appearance. I look at Riccardo's face as he stares at me. 

"You are still one of the best in the game, Aria. She looks acceptable," Riccardo says and goes back to working on his laptop, but he keeps looking up at me as if he can not believe I am the same girl as the one in the waitress's outfit. 

"Acceptable! How dare you! Mia is beautiful and much more attractive than that Barbie doll, Bria!" Aria says. 

"Hahaha, Aria, it is okay. As long as I am acceptable, I am happy," I say. I do not care what Riccardo say of me. 

"Mario, close your bloody mouth. It is fly season, and stop staring at my mistress. You can have her when I am done with her," Riccardo says. His words hurt me. He is talking about me as if I am a toy they can take turns playing with. 

"Oh no, Don Marina. I am not going to be thrown around like a toy you and all your friends can play with. Besides, I am not going to sleep with you, and you said you would not force yourself on me," I say. I am tired. This has been an eventful day. I am not in the mood for this anymore. Until now, it was all fun and games, but now my gloves are coming off, and I will not take his bullying anymore. 

"We will see, la mia, Mia. We will see if you can resist me when you are in my room," Riccardo laughs. 

"Yeah, you will first have to get me in your bloody room because I am not playing your games, Riccardo Marino. I am not going to stand for what you want from me. I am also not that easily seduced. So go fuck yourself and leave me alone, or you will regret the day you were born," I say. I am pissed off that he thinks I am his possession he can hand out to his friends. 

"That is what you get when you treat people like you own them, Ricci. You have pissed off Mia, and I can not say I blame her," Aria says. 

"She is my possession because her father stole from me. I do not like thieves and their daughters. She can be glad I felt sorry for her and did not want to kill her with her family. I wouldn't say I like how you talk to me, Mia. It would be best if you showed me some respect," Riccardo says. 

"You demand respect from me? I can not give you respect if you treat women the way you do. I may be the daughter of a thief, but does anyone judge you for being the son of an alcoholic? Do you do the same thing your father does? How can you judge me by what my father did? I am nothing like him or any of my family members. I am ashamed of them as you are of your father. I hope you never get to be in my shoes," I say. I can feel tears building up in my eyes, but I refuse to cry in front of Riccardo. I turn around and look out the window of the plane. 

"I am ashamed to call you my brother! Ricci, what the hell happened to you? You were never like this. Why do you take out all your hatred for women on Mia? She is still young and does not deserve your harsh words. You need to apologize," Aria says. 

"It is not necessary, Aria. I do not expect an apology from and chauvinistic pig like your brother. I am sorry. I know you love him despite all his mistakes, but I can not stand him and will never let him lay a finger on me. I would rather die than get into his bed," I say. I am still hurt about what he said, but I have had enough for one day, and I can feel all the tension of the day getting the better of me. 

"I am sorry. You did not deserve my harsh words. I do not see you as a possession. You are a human being, and I was angry because I was looking at the amount of money your father stole, and I took it out on you. My sister is right. I am not like this. I was mean and will not pass you on to anyone after I am done with you. I will help you run your father's business and show you how to make money. I will teach you and pay for your studies. After you have paid back all the money from your family business, you will still have enough money to live off and redeem the Costa clan. Donna Costa, I like your bravery and your standing up to me. Not many people in this world will be as brave as you are. Don't make me angry, and I am sure we can work out something between us. You look beautiful, and I will be honored to be seen with you in public," Riccardo says. I look at him in surprise. Was he pushing me to stand up for myself? Was he playing mind games with me? Who are you, Don Riccardo? What are your plans for me in the future? I wonder by myself. 

"You are forgiven for now," I say as I sit down. We are about to land in Houston, and I do not know what my future holds, but I am ready to face whatever comes my way. I am now Donna Costa and will make my clan powerful again, but I will not help my family as they are dead to me for putting me in this position.