Chapter-4

Time stopped abruptly. The aura of the place suddenly turned thick and cold even in the heat of people. No one dared to blink, the horrific scene chilled them to the cores. No one could believe what they saw.

A little girl slapped Aaron Salavatore Knight. The man whose mere presence was enough to terrify people got slapped by a mere waitress! No one ever dared to raise their voice in front of him let alone hit him but she slapped him and that too on his face. In front of hundreds of guests.

Even Flavio Salavtore was stunned seeing the scene in front of him. But when the shock passed, his heart turned ecstatic seeing Aaron humiliate in this way.

Aaron squeezed his eyes, his face turned to the right side with the impact of her slap. Ever so slowly, He tilted his head in her direction and looked at her with his bloodshot eyes. His penetrating gaze was cold and dark. He looked like a monster who wanted to destroy everything around him. The look in his eyes could set anyone aflame and at this moment his fierce gaze was settled on the girl who dared to slap him.

Bella felt apprehensive suddenly as she realised she had slapped a richie rich. But She acted on her impulse, she was feeding her mind that she did good because He did something dirty to her. Her hands got sweaty holding the empty tray. The man was glaring at her in a manner which scared her to her soul.

“Oh girl!” Someone said slowly from behind her and that's when Aaron marched towards her like a wounded monster who wanted to taste blood.

Her blood!

Bella couldn't even shriek, it all happened in less than a nanosecond.

A strong brutal hand clamped her throat and blocked the air supply to her lungs.

Aaron clutched her neck tightly in his steel like grip. Her eyes popped out of her socket. The tray fell from her hand and she clasped his hand to get rid of his tight grip. He was choking her, badly.

Tears started leaking down her eyes, she trembled like a leaf in his hand. He was killing her. Aaron had gone out of control, his grey stormy eyes were simmering in a red fury. She fucking slapped him.

This bitch!!

The whispers sounded in the hall, soon a few people gathered there, everyone was watching the scene with widened eyes. Aaron Salvatore was choking a girl, a waitress to be precise. The waitress who just slapped him!

Aaron lifted Bella in the air by clutching her neck tightly. Bella felt like she was going to die tonight. She closed her eyes because she was not equal to his strength. Her face got pale instantly and tears were unlimited. The memories of her little family flashed in her mind. She prayed for their happiness. Her sister's and grandmother's voices rang in her eyes and she wanted nothing more than to see their faces one last time before dying. But she was not going to get her wish fulfilled. She didn't have the energy to fight anymore. Her body has started to give up on life.

“Brother, you are killing her.” Asher shouted from behind when He approached Aaron, He gripped the arm of his brother pulling him out of his uncontrolled beast mode.

“Leave her, everyone is watching, Eldy. They are watching you, Aaron Salvatore Knight.” Asher’s words snapped Aaron out of his fury. He understood what his little brother was trying to say. They were watching the show of their future boss being irresponsible and attacking a woman like a hungry beast. It could endanger his position as the future Capo.

Control over emotions was the first and foremost thing The Mafia life demanded from the boss and today, Aaron let his control slip and in doing so He gave Flavio the opening He needed on the golden platter! This made him even more furious and wanted nothing then to end the waitress' pathetic life.

Flavio was too satisfied with the scene. He got his wedding gift with a bonus. He didn't have to do anything to defame Aaron in any way, The Velenoso was doing the honour himself.

Flavio was waiting for the death of the girl, so He could take advantage of this situation.

But his bubbles burst when Aaron jerked the girl back by releasing his hold from her delicate neck. Surely it would leave the marks on her smooth silky skin for months. She fell with a thud and greedily inhaled oxygen in long breaths. Her mind and body went numb with the experience. She didn't know what was happening around her and she was busy taking needed breaths, gratefully.

Meanwhile the Underbosses of important cities approached them. When Ethan witnessed the scene, he fisted his hands. Now He has to listen to every bastard's taunt. How can a future Capo be this reckless?

He would be questioned everywhere. But Aaron cared less. He stepped back still glaring at Bella with hostility. He was suppressing his urge to punish her badly.

“What happened here?” Olivia questioned no one in particular. She was in the washroom for only ten minutes but when she came out fixing her make up the atmosphere of the place changed into something violent.

Flavio rolled his eyes. His eyes glinted with happiness and he didn't leave the chance to add fuel to the fire.

“This girl slapped my dear Cousin Aaron.” Flavio said a little loudly to grab the attention. A loud gasp filled the place.

“What the f…” Asher hardly controlled himself. The girl slapped his elder brother. He flickered his seething eyes at Bella who was crying silently on the floor with her head bowed.

Even, Ethan was furious, He understood Aaron’s behaviour now. His son didn't react out of line, obviously, anyone could have done that when you are in the Mafia And get hit by a mere woman. Their enemies disguised as their family smirked listening to this. Flavio exchanged happy glances with his mother.

“But what happened?” only Olivia tried to converse rationally. She needed to know the whole truth. Who dared to slap his son like this in a public place.

Was she out of her mind? Did she have a death wish?

Everyone was speculating, Some of them felt pity for Bella. Her friend Scarlett stood far with a scared face. She was afraid for Bella. Bella had never felt humiliated like this. She understood one thing that they are wealthy and famous people and she can't ever speak her mouth in front of them. The consequences would be worse. Why did she have to slap him? She could just tolerate that disrespect and get over it.

Her righteousness self questioned her consciousness. It would have saved her from this insult.

“Why not ask her, Olivia? Perhaps Aaron has done something wrong to her!” Lucia, Flavio's mother displayed her disarming suggestion with a neutral look. They were not leaving any chance to dig into this matter only to get on the Knights family’s nerves.

Olivia walked to Bella sitting form and asked, “Can you explain this, Girl?”

That's when Bella inhaled deeply in shock. Bella stilled, hearing the authoritative voice. She didn't dare to raise her eyes to see to whom the voice belonged. Her heart skipped its few beats when she recognized it was none other than Olivia Salvatore Knight.

She reckoned that the pervert man was related to Olivia in some way. But she knew Oilivia knight was a righteous lady who always stood for the right one. Maybe she could tell her the reason for slapping that man.

At least among these wealthy people, she could hope for this lady to be on her side. So she raised her messed-up face, making Olivia blink. But soon she gasped a little, recognising the face of the girl. She was Bella Ferrari. The girl whose face she sees five days in a week from nine to five in the company.

“Bella, You!” Olivia was stunned seeing her personal assistant there.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She snapped, eyeing her waitress attire. Bella bit her lips in tension. She gulped hard because Her throat was hurting like hell.

Bella stood up slowly and pulled her skirt down in fear.

“I…. Mam…”

“Do you know her, Olivia?” Finally, Giovanni asked his daughter. He was witnessing the scene silently.

Olivia nodded. “She is my Personal Assistant, Papa.” She answered, still waiting for Bella to speak. Aaron’s fingers twitched hearing this revelation. He never saw her in their office before. Even Ethan knight couldn't identify her though He might have seen her around his wife in the office.

“Oh, so can we reckon that they knew each other beforehand?” Flavio's mother intervened, making the scene more complex.

Ethan clenched his jaws getting what they were trying to do.

“Bella, can you explain?” Olivia asked, harshly this time, not wanting to let people assume anything irrelevant.

“I…. They were misbehaving with me and He….He touched me inappropriately.”

“What the fuck did you say?” Asher couldn't control his fury and pounced on her making her flinch back but Ethan pulled his son back before he could do anything rash. If someone was burning from inside there other than Aaron then it was Asher. He was matching his brother’s wrath.

How could this peasant slap his brother? And have the audacity to blame him for nasty stuff. Aaron Salvatore Knight can never touch a girl like this and that too this pathetic waitress.

Seeing him, Bella didn't dare to speak further. She was still crying with her hot red face. She didn't even dare to look at Aaron’s direction. That man terrified her to the core, waking her trauma from the past. He put immense fear in her heart in their first meeting. She was panicking and trembling but didn't feel it. She didn't want to feel the same fear.

“Wow! This woman was gawking at Aaron before serving us the drinks and now blaming him for inappropriate behaviour? Do you know Who He is?” Rosalina stepped ahead with a hostile gaze at Bella.

“He is Aaron Salvatore Knight. I guess if you would have known about this you couldn't even dare to do this. Were you planning something?” She interrogated Bella who was beyond shock now.

She slapped her Boss’s son.

But what to do now. Nobody believed her. She was speaking the truth.

Everyone was playing their card there in the reception and Bella was being the victim badly.

“She needs to be punished.” Someone said from the crowd but Aaron raised his hand in the air. He never left his stare on Bella the whole time. His mind was running with different possibilities.

“Nobody will touch her.” He boomed, stressing the words with his authoritative tone, looking into her eyes. His stormy Grey orbs were mysteriously firing at her soul. He had a challenge in his stern gaze. Bella gulped before lowering her gaze because she couldn't handle his powerful stare. Aaron turned on his heels before walking out of the palace.

“We will talk about this in the morning, Bella.” Olivia said, making Bella’s heart stammer at her throat. Giovanni asked people to clear the spot and carry on with the party. He couldn't let this stunt affect and ruin the moods of others.

Scarlet ran to where Bella kept standing when all of them disappeared from there. She pulled Bella with her to the kitchen.

“Bellaaaaaa! What did you do?” she exclaimed, pulling her hair out and walking forth and back. She feared what would become of her friend now.

“You are one fucking girl who always create problems, Bella Ferrari. You endangered my job and now I need to fire you. Get lost from here.” Her captain, Peter, came there and snapped at her.

Bella couldn't even cry more as she lost the amount of tears in her eyes. She dug her own grave, she had lost one job and was waiting for another to lose. She had to face Olivia Knight in the morning. How would she survive now, how would she feed her family?

On the other hand, Aaron strode towards the parking space for his car. He was burning like lava from inside. He stood there in front of his car. The sound of slap was echoing in his ears. The girl slapped him, The Velenoso!

Nobody has the audacity to touch him without his permission, not even his family. And today two women touched him, Rosalina De Luca and that pathetic waitress. The former only irritated him but the Latter she enraged him. She dared to Slap The Velenoso. Aaron was furious but tried to control his raging fury.

He stood with fake calmness and twisted his neck, closing his eyes. When He opened them, his hand automatically whacked the glass window, shattering it into tiny pieces. Blood gushed out of his injured hand. He looked at it tilting his head and smirked viciously. His deep and harsh voice gave the bitter taste to his tongue of that name.

“Bella Ferrari!”