THE MAFIA’S HEIR

BIANCA’S POV

It was already weekend, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the short break from all the work I had done during the week.

“Working with Alexander Russo is more demanding than grooming a child.” I muttered as Mila laughed heartily at the other end of the line.

“But is it really that bad?” She asked, making me release a confused sigh. Maybe it wasn’t so bad. Actually, it wasn’t totally bad.

“To be honest, it’s not so bad. I actually have a perfect job, if we exclude the work load. The pay is very juicy. I have a lot of allowances as well. Transportation allowance, wardrobe allowance, even housing allowance! I get to eat free and delicious meals at work. It’s quite difficult to find well paying jobs like this, especially for people who are fresh out of college. And to top it all, my boss doesn’t seem like a sort of man to sexually harrass me. He has been nothing but strictly professional, and that makes my work space really comfortable for me. The only problem is just the work load.”

“Oh, my love. I promise that you’d been fine. It’s just this way because you’re still new. With time, you will perfectly adjust to it all. I know it’s not easy, but resigning isn’t part of the plan.”

“Ah! Resigning never was.” I managed a smile.

“So when are you heading out to Laura’s?”

“Immediately I end this call.” I replied, feeling unusually interested in going ahead with the plan Mila had hatched, to help find out what was actually going on between Laura and Ricardo.

I wasn’t normally a kind of person who had a lot of friends, so I didn’t usually go the extra miles for people. But somehow, ever since Mila had told me about her plan to help Laura fight whatever demons Ricardo may have been sending her way, I was very willing to put it in motion. I guess I found friendship with Laura.

“By the way, how are things between you and Carter? After the case at court over the custody of Ethan, how did he take the Judge’s verdict?”

“Hmmm!” She sighed. She sounded exhausted about the matter I had brought up. I guess things weren’t really going as she had expected. “He didn’t take it so well. He is now stuck with me in the same house for 3 months. That makes it impossible for him to go on with his wedding plans to Melanie.”

“It must be really difficult for Carter, Mimi. Not only did you jilt him at the altar, you literally disappeared entirely, only to return 4 years later to crash his wedding to another woman. More so, you returned with a son he never knew he had. It’s a whole lot for him to take in at once. Not only does he have to make peace with the fact that he has a son who is already 4 years old, he also has to learn to be a father to him. What’s worse is that, in his attempt to take custody of his child, he only found himself stuck with you for 3 whole months. I have to say, it’s really funny.” I chuckled. My cousin and her ex fiance’s story was really one of a kind. Deep in my heart, I was really rooting for them.

I knew that Mila and Carter both loved each other a lot. They just had to overlook each other’s mistakes and try to make their future better. If not for anything else, then for the sake of their son, Ethan. I also knew Mila was hurting as well. She had to unwillingly jilt the man she loved at the altar, on the day of her wedding. She did that to ensure he and his family were safe from the people who were after her life. She had safely made it to Italy, only to find out she was pregnant with Carter’s child. For 4 years, she lived under the radar with my family, waiting for the day she’d go back to be with the man she loved.

She finally decided to return when she got news about his intended marriage to another woman. It must have been hard for her to see the man she had loved for so long, planning to get married to someone else. But then, I wouldn’t blame him. He was angry. He was pained. He thought she had left him, despite the love that they shared. And she only proved him wrong when he realized she had kept information about his son away from him all these years.

“I know Biancaaaa…” Mila drawled. “I was fully prepared for the worst when I decided to return to Newyork. I know not all of my plans would pull through. Or at least, not immediately. But eventually, Carter would come around. He is just in his period of anger and pain. I just really hope we could sort things out soon enough, because coming back here only made me realize that there wasn’t a minute I stopped loving him. If anything, my love for him multipied through those years of being away from him.”

“Oh, Mimi. I feel so sad about the state of things now. But not to worry, it would all be fine.” I encouraged. “How about Detective Sander’s investigation? Any leads yet?”

“Not really, but he seems to really know what he’s doing. I have decided to give him time, while praying that the investigation is finalized soon. The outcome of this investigation is what decides the fate of I and Carter’s relationship.”

“But Mila, why can’t you just tell him everything, and save yourself the brunt of his hatred? I mean, none of this is even your fault. You’re the victim here.”

“I know.” She released yet another tired sigh. “I know love. But I am just doing as Detective Sanders had instructed. My lips have to be sealed until the investigation is wrapped. Nobody can be trusted.”

“Not even Carter?”

“It’s not about Carter, but those around him. It really hurts to think that any member of his family had a hand alongside Claudia, in my abduction 4 years ago. These people have been nothing short of welcoming of me, ever since I returned. I really do not want to believe that any of them had tried to kill me. But then again, this is the real world. And in the real world, no one can be trusted.”

“That’s scary, but true.” I sadly concurred.

“I think I should go now.” Mila muttered. “Let me know how your visit to Laura’s place went.”

“Yeah, sure. Please tell Ethan how much Auntie Bibi loves him, and keep me updated on how everything goes.”

“Sure hun. I will.” With that, I hung up the call and dropped my phone on my bed. I felt exhausted. No, it wasn’t about work anymore, but about my cousin’s situation. I found myself saying a silent prayer for her, before walking to my wardrobe for some thick clothes. It had rained this morning, and the atmosphere was a bit chilly. I was going to Laura’s place, so I had to avoid getting a cold.

After dressing up, I picked my fancy tote bag and wore my flat sandals, before making my way out of my room. I descended the flight of stairs and got to the living room to find my mama and papa all cuddled up. If there was something much more intense that rolling my eyes, that was what I would have probably done. They both were always so extra.

“Good morning papa, mama.” I greeted, getting my father’s attention. That was when I realized that mama was fast asleep in his arms. Must be nice.

“Where to? I thought you’d take this opportunity to rest a good while. Your week days had you so busy.”

“I know papa.” I gave a small smile. “I have to visit a friend.”

“Sarah?” He asked.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Not Sarah, papa.” I sighed. Was my life really so boring? I literally had no friends apart from Sarah. I wouldn’t count Mila and Amara because they were literally family. And it wasn’t even as if Sarah was my direct friend. She was a friend of Mila’s, who became mine over the years. My life was probably that way because most of my life, when I was younger, I had been bullied. It made it difficult for me to trust people. One minute, they could be laughing with you, and the next minute, they are laughing at you. I stayed away from people because it came with a lot of drama. Unnecessary drama.

“Then who is it? Your mama and I know that you do not have much friends asides your sister, your cousin, and Sarah.”

“Well, I am sorry to burst your bubbles. I made a new friend at work recently.” I chuckled, feeling proud of myself.

“You did?” He asked in disbelief. “Nice. So what’s her name?”

“I would tell you about her in due time. Moreover, we just started getting familiar. Let’s not rush things.”

“Fine then. If you say so.” He grinned. “Off you go then.”

“Bye papa.”

“Be safe.” He muttered as I walked away. The moment I stepped outside our doors, I looked around and everywhere seemed isolated. What better time for people to be resting, if not in a weather as this?

I brought out the paper that Pablo had given me, and went through the address again. I chuckled when I thought of the effort it had taken me to get this information from him. I didn’t want Laura having the slightest idea I was gonna give her a visit. So what was the best way to get her house address, if not through the help of one of the officials who had recruited us? Only Pablo had access to the information of the workers in A. RUSSO. Now, I owed him a great deal. I didn’t know what favour he was gonna ask of me in return, but I was hoping it was something I could afford doing.

I quickly brought out my phone to order a ride. While waiting for my ride to arrive, I took the liberty of playing some mobile games, before thinking of randomly asking Laura if she was home. Just when I sent her a message, asking if she was home, my ride appeared and I put my phone back in my bag. I always liked to be alert whenever I was in a ride, and my phone could be quite the distraction. After driving for a while, we finally drove into a residential area and I wondered if Laura’s family were affluent. She didn’t strike me like someone who was an elite. If she was, then she was indeed humble to the core. Why would she even let anyone bully her when she had such background and privileges? Anyway, one could never really know why anybody acted the way they did. Moreover, that was the reason for my visit to her place. To know why Ricardo was such a bum to her. I gave a shrug in my head and quietly waited until I got to my destination. After some minutes, the car came to a stop in front of a really tall building. I looked at the paper once more, and tried to confirm from the driver.

“Sir, is this really Fernando street, block 12?”

“Yes, it is ma. You can confirm for yourself.” He replied, pointing towards the signboard which was just in front of the tall gate. Written on it were the exact details of the address on my paper

“Alright. Thank you.” I muttered, before bringing out his money from my wallet and giving it to him. I hopped down the car and watched as the driver sped off. With a small sigh, I made my way towards the tall gate, wondering how I was gonna make my presence known. Like I said, I had wanted to suprise Laura, but I was beginning to think that calling to inform her of my presence was the best idea. Either ways, she’d still be suprised. Just then, my phone chimed, informing me that I had gotten a new message. I took out my phone from my bag and looked at it, only to see it was a reply from Laura. She said she was home, and requested to know why I was asking. I smiled at my luck. Just as I was about to ket her know that I was at her house, the large gate suddenly began to slide open. At first, I thought it was a sensory detecting kind of gate. Maybe it sensed my presence and decided to open. But then, I wasn’t so sure it worked that way. What if I was an armed robber or dangerous person? Would I just easily access my way in? I doubted. I was still deep in my thoughts when I heard the blaring horns of a car coming directly towards me. It took me a few seconds to realize that the gates had opened because someone inside was leaving. And there I was, in the middle of the opened gate. I quickly ran to the other side, in order to allow the car drive out without any obstructions.

At that moment, my mind was prepared to see Laura, not the person I had seen through the open window of the car. Were my eyes aching, or did I just see Ricardo in that car?! He had been clearly startled to see me, as his eyes went wide with shock. I watched in disbelief as his car drove away. Within that moment, a lot of things had gone through my mind. Had Pablo mistakenly given me Ricardo’s house address instead of Laura’s? That was when it occurred to me. The name of the street!! It was Fernando street! ‘Ricardo Fernando’! Oh, for fuck’s sake! Pablo had given me the wrong address, and I had probably made a fool of myself by showing up here! I put my palm on my forehead in embarrassment, as I watched the gates sliding close. I would have only been embarrassed, if I hadn’t seen the person I saw next. Seeing her in there, in an attire that looked like that of a maid, as she went on her knees to help an unfamiliar lady buckle her shoes, only made my heart fall to the pit of my stomach. I was shocked. She was inside this house as well. It was indeed her house address. So what was Ricardo doing here? Why was Laura dressed in a maid’s attire? Just as the gates were a few inches away from being completely closed, she stood up from her kneeling position. I watched as the unfamiliar lady flashed her what looked like a warm smile. Atleast, it looked like a warm smile from the place I stood. Laura returned the smile, and casually looked towards the gates. Then, did our eyes meet. I guess there wasn’t enough time to see her reaction, before the gates finally closed off on me. But I was quite sure that my expression had been clear for her to see. I was shocked, and….. and… and so sorry, because in that moment, I finally understood it all.