IsabellaPerhaps it was Donatella's face that was the most surprising, but the days following my declaration and official ascension to the throne were followed by endless visits to my family's estate.I had to temporarily move there because I was worried about the constant movement and how my son would take it. However, according to Julio, it also applied pressure to bring Cassandra back to the city.She had disappeared a few days ago, and I believed she went to have her child."I must say, he's a very handsome boy," Nicholas said as he carried my son and began to walk around the new nursery. The baby cooed in his arms and raised his little fists towards his face. I smiled but began to miss the little bundle of warmth that he provided. I had once complained to Damon, and his reply was,"You'll just have to get used to it. Or are you going to take my son away from me?" Damon said with a smile.***To my surprise, Cassandra didn't show up over the next few weeks. I began to genuinely w
Elena "Dev'essere pazzo…” He spatial at me calling the attention of the closest chef beside me. No…I want mad. I kept my head down as the restaurant manager yelled at the top of his voice. The last time I had looked at him, as he spoke, his spittle that went flying out from his mouth ended up washing my face. "Once beaten, twice shy" was something I was quite accustomed to. I knew that my manager would take silence as a sign of submission. Men like him preferred ego play rather than being right. I said nothing, and he continued to fire rapid Italian at me. Of course, I had done nothing wrong, but the man just liked to make a mountain out of a molehill. Couple with my exhaustion from my classes earlier in the day, I was in no mood to argue. “Perché stai intralciando tutti? Sei così disoccupato? Perché devi starsene lì in giro sembrando un pomodoro! Sì, un grande idiota!” I was apparently an idiot and a tomato according to him. The large kitchen bustled behind me, but some of
Elena Evenings were my favorite time. I would finish work or school and happily skip to the dark streets of Rome with one destination in mind. Aside from the tourists, which offered much entertainment, it was a favorite place to be after a tedious day at work. I cut through the crowded streets using alleys and backways, easily navigating the darkness as though I were familiar. And I was familiar with it. I knew the path like the back of my hand and wasn't afraid to tread there even at night. My destination was the arena. The arena served as my escape from reality. Sandwiched between school and work, I was constantly torn apart by responsibilities. Not forgetting Pablo's consistent calls, I was truly stumped and needed some respite. The building was a warehouse. It wasn't dilapidated and old, but it was refurbished. I heard that some rich mafia man found it amusing to watch people fight without the strict rules of MMA. The arena, however, was a cheap dump littered with adrenaline
Elena I could hardly believe my luck. Winning the fight had earned me over €3,000, making me glad that I had taken my large bag to fit my profits in. Edmond and Paul rattled me with questions on how I knew the tattooed man would win. I just smiled knowingly at them and put my hand on my lips, signifying that they should keep silent. "When we leave, I'll tell you," I said. Because the fight was over, the arena had soon become empty. I still stood on the table, however, hoping to catch a glimpse of Damon again. Perhaps if I had known the fighter, I would have been eager to talk to him at the restaurant. I whipped my head from side to side, checking the back and craning my neck to catch the tall man. I saw him behind the iron mesh that covered the circular cage. He was talking to someone and had his head bent in concentration. He suddenly moved slowly and a pale an wrapped itself around his shoulder. Oops. “Let's go too.” I said to the guys who looked just as ready as i was. Feelin
Elena Sending Pablo the money did nothing but cripple me. I woke up the next morning under a cloud of depression that didn't lift even as I made my way to school. It seemed like the heavens were in a similar opinion because the weather was gray and bleak. My shoulders slumped, and my lips turned downward as I sat on the bus, contemplating my life and where I had gone wrong. Was it at the switch from eight years ago? Or was it with my job? The job paid well as a waitress, but if not for Pablo and his never-ending calls for money, I would have been in a different situation by now. But that wasn't the case. This week however proved to be a ray of sunshine. With the extra money I made from betting and sending to Pablo, I would save up the rest and use part of it to buy groceries for the coming week. As soon as I got off the bus, I was hit by fat droplets of rain. "Holy virgin, can't you spare me?" I muttered to myself. I was already tired and exhausted from talking to Pablo and wor
Elena "Get in. I insist," Damon said, his tone firm yet gentle. It wasn't that I was scared; I was mostly apprehensive and unsure of what I would do. I licked my lips nervously as I scanned the deserted street back and forth, as though another car or perhaps a bus would show up and take me home. But I knew it wasn't possible. Taking a deep breath, I exhaled slowly before opening his car door and sliding into the plush leather seats. The car smelled like him—woody and rich, with a hint of expensive whiskey and pine. As I settled in, a memory flashed in my mind: a veiny, large hand adorned with a wedding ring and another with a crest-bearing ring, pouring whiskey into a glass filled with ice. The hand then lightly shook the glass, distributing the chill of the ice, before lifting it up to a bearded chin. "Elena!" Damon's voice snapped me out of my reverie, and I turned to look at him, wondering what had happened. "Are you all right?" he asked me. I felt like he had asked me that too
Elena I bet on more fights. It wasn't like I was completely discounting the advice of the old man. I just needed the money. Pablo had called me twice, asking for small change he could use to buy groceries. Of course, I knew this was a lie, as Pablo had a pension that he used to keep himself going. The only reason why he wasn't comfortable was because he had a gambling problem. I learned that the problem had been with him long since before his wife died. He married again to my mother, and then once she died, the gambling addiction returned. I didn't know whether to feel bad for him or to chalk it up to a complete lack of trying, but I had to do something. I appreciated the man for keeping me safe and making life fairly easy for me, and so no amount of money would make me stop. I was able to bring in some cool cash from the latest battle, but I didn't see Damon again. I wanted to tell him thank you for giving me a ride, but he seemed so elusive, and judging from his demeanor from th
Elena I stepped forward under then again the sound of Isabella still rang in my ears. “Mia Bella.” Damon said again behind me and I let out a breath of relief. “You dropped this.” He said. And his hand was the keys to my apartment. I snatched out of his hand and mumbled a “thank you”, before resuming my trip. The car that was moving slowly had also disappeared thankfully. I got to the arena on time and met up with Paul, Edmond, and Julian once again. This time, my three friends brought out a collective of €100. "We're going to give this to you and again, place bets for us," Julian had told me the night before on a phone call. "Whatever it is you did last time, do it again," he said. Together, we bet upwards of €300. Of course, I had contributed most of it because I still had quite a bit of money from the previous win even though most of it had gone to my stepfather's problem. I didn't really know much about the night fighters, but with a quick glance, I knew who was going to win