JADE
“They loved it. Yesterday was a real success” I giggled to my ladies, as the three of them sat around me in the living room.
“I honestly prayed within myself that nothing should go wrong. I know how much you wanted to impress everyone especially Signora Gabriela” Jane said to me.
The others concurred with a nod. “She can be quite hard to deal with at times. I have seen that first hand. But I am just glad she loved my food. Everything went on so smoothly. I never even knew my parents could be so friendly with the Grecos considering the situations surrounding my marraige” I sighed.
Suddenly the door to the living room flew open and Mother walked in briskly with a bevy of ladies behind her.
“Oh mother..” I quickly stood to my feet and so did my maids. Her arrival had halted our discussion.
I wonder what brought her here.
“It is such an honour to have you here. You did not inform me that you would love to see me. I would have taken the liberty to go to your house instead of you coming all the way here” I said politely while she approached me.
“A honour indeed” Mother eyed me like I was covered in dirt. Her words were different from the disgust that coated her face and it left me speechless and confused.
Why was her tone laddened with anger?
Is she upset with me?
“Pardon me mother but you do not sound happy at all. Well to me it seems. Permit me to ask but is anything the matter?”
“You always know how to carefully deliver your words with such tactfullness but reverse is the care with your actions” mother replied evasively.
I faced my maids and I could see the worried expressions on their face.
“Mother please if I did something wrong tell me and stop beating around the bush” I turned to look at her.
“You are really still acting so innocent? Jade what exactly is your problem?”
“My problem?” I placed a hand on my chest.
“You heard me right! What is your problem? Why are you so hell bent on creating divisions and problems in this family?” Mother asked me.
I was shaken to the core, immobile and unable to even breathe properly again. I was not doing any of those things! Why does she still have this deflected and distorted view of me?
Just yesterday we all had dinner and she enjoyed it. She seemed so happy and today she is lashing at me when I have not even done anything!
“Mother I do not understand you. Why are you saying all that to me? I have never wanted to create divisions of any sort in this family. I thought we had settled all that” I spoke up for myself.
“We have but you do not want to let go of this disgusting animosity you have in your heart! Why did you have to ruin dinner with your outrageous cooking?! Is it because I allowed Aurora to attend the dinner? Is that why you chose to cook such terrible food and serve it to all of us without no atom of remorse!?”
Her words hit me like lightening bolt, almost leaving me out of breath.
The food was horrible?
No. It can not be! I tasted the food myself. It was delicious. Nothing was wrong with it.
“The food was not palatable? Mother it can not be. I cooked the food myself. I tasted the food myself and nothing was wrong with it. We all enjoyed it” I was finding it hard to digest what she revealed to me.
“That is because your husband was kind enough to cover up for you. If it were up to me, I would have poured the entire food on you! Not even our lowliest servant can eat that rubbish you cooked. What grudge do you hold against this family?
Is it because you got married against your will? You should be thanking your stars you got married to one of the richest and powerful family in the whole of America and Europe–!”
“I hold no grudge against this family mother!” I cut her short. It is enough. I can not stand and listen to her accuse me like this when I have done nothing wrong.
“Mother please. I am keeping quiet because I respect you but I can not stand and watch you throw accusations on me and blame me for trying to cause a rift between this family.
I am not petty. And I can not stoop so low as to tamper with my own food just because I want to get back at Aurora for attending the dinner gathering yesterday….” I said to her sternly.
Her eyes widened and her features hardened, mirroring the anger she was feeling. Her fists were beginning to curl up into a hardened ball as I spoke but I did not mind.
I hate being accused of anything at all.
“And if you must know, I can swear on my life that I tasted the food I had prepared yesterday and it was lovely”
“Then how did it turn out horrible!?” Mother yelled with so much lividness burning in her tone.
“I–” I sunk in breath. “I don’t know. I can attest to the fact that even my maids tasted the food I cooked and it was fine. After cooking, yes Aurora came in to the kitchen and she informed me that you had wanted her to attend. Yes it came as a surprise to me but I never objected to it. I left after she…” I took a pause in my speech, my mind taking a walk down memory lane. The food was fine up until Aurora came in.
And I left her in the kitchen to go freshen up. It was Aurora!
She was the one who did it.
That unfortunate woman!
“After she what?” Mother scowled.
“Aurora did it mother. She was the one who tampered with the food” I gave an outburst to my own surprise.
“What? Are you insane? You are now literally pushing to blame to Aurora?!”
“No. No. Mother she came in after I was done cooking and I left her in the kitchen. She must have done something”
A deafening slap swept the air at that instant. Mother had slapped me so hard that I almost lost my balance.
Sounds of gasps from my maids flew in the air, mixing with the heated tension that had already created the ambience.
I held on to the cheek in shock, my lips slightly open as I stared back at mother.
“Not another word from you. I actually thought you were a good person Jade. I thought you were the right match for Luciano but now I see that I was so wrong about you. You are just like his mother, both of you never take responsibility for your actions and you both have a heart filled with nothing but hate and resentment!”
“Mother why are you being so partial and biased? Why did you have to slap me? Why will I purposely mess up a dinner gathering when I am aware of the fact that even my own family will be in attendance? Does that make sense?
You always take Aurora’s side on everything and…”
“You should have said that you are just jealous of her rather than all these” mother sharply interrupted me.
“I am not jealous of anyone. You are a mother, you are Luciano’s step mother. Just because you did not birth him does not mean you have to be this biased in anything relating to him which is me inclusive. You support Aurora this much because she is the wife of your biological son” I scowled at her, fighting back the urge to cry.
“You really do not know who you are up against in this family. I did not birth him yes but I raised him and I will not have any stupid woman come from nowhere to try and disrupt everything I have worked to build in this family.
Jade you better respect yourself here”the last sentence was articulated lowly before mother stomped out of the house with her entourage of ladies.
I stood immobile on the spot, my chest heaving repeatedly. Using my hands to swipe away any drop of traitorous tears from my cheeks, I walked towards the stairs and rushed for my room.
* * * * *
I laid on the bed, sobbing into my pillow. I had refused to come outside my room ever since mother and I had that massive fall out.
My maids tried so hard to get me out of my room but I refused stepping outside. I just want to be on my own, far away from everyone.
Why can I not get a moment of peace in this family?
Is my marraige cursed?
If I am not arguing with Luciano then I am doing so with Aurora and if not Aurora then it is with mother.
Am I that bad of a person that everyone in this family literally hates every single thing I do? Aurora hates me for reasons unknown to me and Mother has seemingly joined the clique.
What did I ever do to this family? I did not want to get married to Luciano at first, yes I admit it that, but ever since I did get married, I have been trying to be a good daughter inlaw and a human being to everyone.
Why do they just hate me?
Why force me into this marraige when they all hate me?!
I did not know how long I had been in here but the sound of my door being pushed open reached my ears.
“Jade” the gentle voice of Luciano called out to me.
“What do you want?” I asked, my face still buried in my pillow.
I heard his footsteps approaching the bed.
“I just got back and the maids told me you had been inside your bed chamber since afternoon. What is wrong?” Luciano sat on the bed and used a hand to caress my hairs.
I faced him and sat up, sniffing my nose. “Was my food really horrible?”
“Who told you that?” He asked hyper.
“Mother did. Was it bad? Did you all not enjoy it?” I asked with reddened eyes.
“Be honest with me” I added.
“It was a bit spicy but I know you just made a little mistake” Luciano cleaned my tears away.
“Why did you cover up for me?” I whispered.
“How can I not cover up for you? I am your husband. I owe that to you” his words were so reassuring. They were like drugs to my wounded heart.
“Is that why you are crying?” Luciano pulled me to himself as I nestled in his warm embrace.
“I did not make the food to be horrible Luciano. Aurora must have done something to it”
“Aurora?”
“Yes. She was in the kitchen after I left and I am sure she did something. I never knew she could actually stoop so low to do such to me. And then mother came here and yelled at me. She even slapped me” I bemoaned.
“Fuck…” Luciano groaned, using a hand to massage his temples. “I am so sorry about that amore mio. I am honestly. And as for Aurora, did she really do this?”
I nodded, “I tasted the food before she walked in and everything was ok. I am literally sure she did something to it or she paid someone to do something to do it”
“Do not worry principessa. I shall handle this matter. You are my wife and you will be given the respect you deserve. I assure you” Luciano promised.