Mastermind
1799 Words
*Santino*
"You can't be serious, Dad?" I groaned, exasperated by his persistent questioning of my decisions. "Are you just going to ignore the fact that girl could ruin our lives again?"
"Santino, there's no point in wasting time on her. She doesn't remember anything, and we've been fine all these years. But now that we've found you again, we can't afford to lose you," Dad insisted.
"Let me do my job, Dad. Just because she doesn't remember now doesn't mean she'll never regain her memory," I countered.
"But her case is considered negligible by her doctors," Dad retorted.
"I still don't want to take any chances. We nearly lost everything because of that woman, and I won't risk trouble in my future life," I declared, turning to face out the window.
"We never wanted you to marry Matteo Romano's daughter," Dad whispered in a tone laden with remorse. "Santino, I'm warning you once again. Matteo Romano is not a man to mess with. He is dangerous," Dad cautioned, but he didn't even know me. I was more dangerous.
"Dad, I know what I'm doing," I spat out, turning abruptly to face him and staring him down. "You nearly ruined my plan when you called off my engagement with Bella. I had to work my ass off to win her back, to make her agree again," I muttered bitterly, the memory of the past scraping at the edges of my consciousness.
When my parents canceled our engagement, Bella gave me a hard time. But I desperately needed Matteo Romano's wealth and protection, which came with being a part of his family. So, I worked even harder than the first time she accepted my marriage proposal. However, when she first accepted my marriage proposal, I felt she was compelled to say yes to marry me by some circumstances because the day before, she showed no interest in me, and the next day, she said she was ready to marry me.
Nevertheless, after our engagement was called off, I continued to pursue her for a month, but she refused all my expensive gifts and advances, claiming she was pregnant. She didn't disclose the name of the father of her child, no matter how hard I tried to get the name from her.
My blood boiled at the memory of her rejection, her audacity to defy me.
I had to convince her that I loved her so much, that I was ready to accept her with her child and make her realize that her family and society were not going to accept her and her child, and she couldn't raise a child without a father's name. So, she finally agreed, and I was over the moon because my plan finally succeeded. But then, she found out everything, and bang, I needed to kill her. I still winced at the memory of that unfortunate day when I married that stubborn woman only to kill her the same day. Unfortunately, she survived, and I ended up in a coma.
"At that time, we pinned the blame on Vincenzo, and everyone believed it because he already had so many scandals attached to his name. In that accident, you were also brutally injured, so Matteo Romano didn't suspect anything about our involvement. We're safe. So don't fool yourself and forget about that girl," Dad tried to convince me with his poor persuasive skills.
"Dad, with Bella by our side, Matteo Romano can't touch us," I said confidently. "We're safe, trust me," I quickly reassured him.
Suddenly, my phone started buzzing, and I promptly answered.
"Quickly, tell me what you found," I demanded impatiently.
"Boss, we searched her whole apartment, but there was nothing," my guy informed me.
"Damn it!" I ran my hand through my hair in frustration.
"Alright, get out of there fast, and don't leave any clues. Make it seem like there was a burglary attempt," I instructed firmly.
"Got it, sir," he replied before hanging up.
"What's the update?" Dad asked urgently.
"We didn't find the evidence in her house," I sighed in frustration.
"Never mind that. We're still on track, and I advise you to keep your distance from her. She won't remember anything," he suggested, but I wasn't convinced. The risk was too great if she recalled everything, especially with the evidence still in her possession.
"I've got another plan," I announced.
"What?!" Dad snapped.
"It's time to meet my wife," I said with a smirk.
__________________________________
*Bella*
As we got out of the car and walked towards the airport entrance, I couldn't shake this uneasy feeling. It was like something was off, though I couldn't quite put my finger on it. But something was not right because my heart was restless with uncertainty.
Dad looked really scared. I'd never seen him like this before, which only confirmed my suspicion that something was definitely wrong.
"Dad, what's going on? Why are you in such a rush?" I asked, trying to keep up with his quick pace.
"Sweetheart, your mother will be thrilled to see you. We've all missed you so much," he said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, attempting to dodge my question and change the subject.
"But you're the one who sent me away for some unknown reason, and now you want me back in the city. I don't understand, Dad," I said, frowning.
"Bella, I sent you away because I wanted to keep you safe," he said. "But now I see that even Rome isn't safe for you, and you should be with your family."
I wanted to believe him, but I could tell he was hiding something by the fear in his eyes.
"Let's go, Bella, we need to move quickly," he said, scanning our surroundings. Even with his bodyguards around us, he seemed on edge.
"Bella!" I heard a faint voice, unfamiliar to me. At first, I thought it was my imagination, but then it called again, "Bella!"
Maybe it was someone calling for a different Bella.
My dad signaled to his bodyguards, and they formed a protective circle around us. His personal bodyguard, Jonathan, suddenly left our side, and then I heard the voice again.
"Bella, please stop!" This time, the desperation in the voice made me turn back.
There was a man: tall and well-built. Jonathan was keeping him away from me. When our eyes met, he smiled.
"Bella!" he exclaimed. "Thank goodness I found you."
"Bella, let's go," Dad commanded coldly, glaring at the man before grabbing my arm and pulling me along with him.
"Wait, Dad," I protested, pulling my hand away. "Who is that man?"
"He's nobody," Dad narrowed his eyes like he used to when he didn't want me to argue.
"Bella! You can't leave me again. How could you do this to me? I'm your husband!" he shouted.
What?!
Husband?!
I looked at Dad in shock.
What was happening here?
"Dad! Wait. I don't have a husband, right?" I asked desperately. He sighed heavily, his jaw clenched.
My eyes widened in shock as my head snapped around to see the man.
"I... I don't remember you. I think you've got the wrong person. How can I be your wife if I don't even know your name?" I shook my head. There must be some mistake.
"My name is Dr. Santino De Luca. We fell in love and got married," he said, but before he could finish, Jonathan punched him hard, knocking him to the ground.
"Bella, let's go," my father urged.
"No, Bella, please listen to me," Santino pleaded as he tried to stand up. "I can prove that you are my wife. We are married."
"Don't listen to him, Bella. He's a fraud," Dad warned.
"Mr. Romano, we know who the real fraud is here," Santino glared at my dad with hatred as Jonathan restrained him. "You tried to kill me, and now you want to take away my wife. But no matter what you do, you can't separate us," he declared confidently.
"Shut the f**k up, you bastard!" Dad yelled loudly. I was shocked when he pulled out his gun. We were at the airport, for heaven's sake. Jonathan said something quietly to Dad, and Dad put the gun away.
"Bella, I'm here to take you home with me," Santino said.
"Why should I believe you? Where have you been all this time? Why now? You suddenly show up out of nowhere claiming to be my husband?" I demanded.
"Because I was in a coma after your dad tried to kill me. He even killed our baby," Santino said.
Baby?!
My baby?! I was shocked and speechless. How many things had been kept from me?
"Miraculously, I survived but was in a coma. I woke up only a month ago. Since then, I've been desperately searching for you, and now I've found you. Please trust me, Bella. I love you. Please come back," he pleaded, his eyes glistening as he reached out his hand towards me.
"Santino, get the f**k lost before I make you disappear from the earth permanently," Jonathan threatened, pushing him away from me.
"Wait, Jonathan, you can't do this!" I yelled in frustration. I couldn't believe my family was doing this to me.
Santino wriggled free from Jonathan's grasp, and Jonathan let him go on my dad's signal.
"Dad, is what he's saying true?! Is he my husband?" I demanded, turning towards him.
"Dad, please!" I begged desperately when Dad remained silent.
"Yes, you're married to him," he whispered almost inaudibly as he looked away, but I heard every word.
"Dad? Why did you keep this from me?" I felt hurt by his lies and the truth being hidden from me.
"Because I wanted to protect you, princess. He is not the right guy for you," Dad reasoned, his soft, dark eyes looking at me as though I were still his little girl. But I had grown up, and he needed to understand that.
"Dad, why would I need protection from my husband?" I argued.
"Bella, don't listen to him," my head snapped towards my husband. "He'll try to brainwash you like he erased your memory."
What?!
"Shut the f**k up, you son of a b***h, or I'll kill you," Dad threatened dangerously.
"Why would you threaten him? What's the truth, Dad?" I accused, feeling betrayed.
"Princess, you have to trust me," Dad said, looking at me with pleading eyes.
I shook my head as I uttered words I never imagined saying, "No, Dad. I can't trust you, not after you lied and hid the biggest truth of my life." I pulled my hand free.
"Bella, don't!" Dad warned.
"He's my husband, and I'm going with him," I declared as Santino offered his hand, and I placed mine in his palm.
- Writer
