POV: Victoria
“Stop whining and let me think, Victoria. Your sister is going to be fine. If he wanted her dead, she would be dead already. I know Dominic like I know the back of my palm, I’m going to make sure nothing happens to her, just trust me!” He told me sternly.
“Well, it didn’t look that way when he was kicking your ass out there in the street. He hates your guts and you just made him more pissed off at Ciara. Even if he wasn’t planning to hurt her before, now he’s going to fucking kill her because of you. Why didn’t you tell me he hates you so much, what the hell did you do to make him hate you so much!” I asked him angrily.
He’s been quiet since we got back and it’s making me so angry because I don’t know what I’m going to tell Mom when she gets back home. She would be so devastated to find out that Claire has been abducted by the mafia Lord. She would be more furious to know that Dominic just made Claire’s situation worse by getting involved. At first, I didn’t want to come home because I couldn’t face her right now. But after spending hours out there searching for her to no avail, I decided to come back home and just face her.
“What the hell am I going to do?” I asked myself, pulling my hand through my hair in frustration. It’s a good thing Mom was not here when we got in. It would have been so much worse and I would probably have snapped at him and blamed him for everything. But she isn’t here to equation me and push me beyond my limit. At least I have a few hours to come up with an explanation that she would believe. I paced the room, my brain going in different directions, searching for answers.
“You look mischievous, Vee. You look as if you are about to do something without telling me. Whatever it is, I suggest you stop thinking about it right now because it’s not going to work. He would kill you and your family family without thinking twice. Let me handle it!” he told me once more, sounding so serious.
“No, Ralph. You have done enough already. This time, I’ll handle it myself. Just stay back and do nothing this time. Don’t speak, don’t ask questions and for the love of God, don’t get your ass whooped again.” I told him mockingly, walking out on him immediately. He called after me as I walked away, but I couldn’t care less about his warnings. I have to find a way to get to Claire without his knowledge.
He knows what I’m planning and he is trying to get me to feel relaxed so he can force me to listen to him. I don’t want that, I want to do this on my own. I want to try and reason with the Mafia lord and get him to listen to me. I am going to use my diamond necklace and ring to get Claire out of trouble. I don’t know what Kyle is owing, but I’m willing to pay it all up as long as it gets Claire out of trouble.
“Wait, Victoria!
Stop acting so stubborn, I need you to listen to me right now!” He called out to me. But he could as well be talking to the wall because I didn’t respond to him, I didn’t utter one word. I just walked into the room and started going through my stuff, searching for the jewelry that I wanted to use to save Claire. He followed me into the bedroom, but he still didn’t know what I was planning. He just knows in his heart that I wasn’t going to give up so easily. He plans to talk me out of it and get me to change my mind.
But that not happening anytime soon. I went around the room like a lunatic, searching for my necklace. Raphael stood by the couch waiting for me, he stood by the side, leaned his back to the couch, and folded his hand while watching me move around the room like a psycho. It was beginning to look as if I was really crazy because I couldn’t find the necklace that I was looking for. That’s weird…
I’m pretty sure that I brought it back and put it here in my closet. It was still packed in my box after we got back, but I brought it out to show to Claire, so I’m certain that I brought it back home. But where is it now, where did I put it?
“Oh no!
Oh my God!
This cannot be possible!” I screamed out loudly as I realized that someone must have moved it out of the room when I was not around. It has to be Mom, she must have decided to go out there and look for Claire by herself. I guess she must have realized that I was trying to keep her safe and that is why I am hiding the truth from her. She must have gotten angry and decided to go and find her.
Holy shit!
What the hell is happening to my family, why does it seem like everything is falling apart right under my nose. Mom is sick, she is supposed to be on bed rest. Yet she risked her life and went out there to search for Claire. When I was told that she stepped out for some fresh air, I should have known that she had gone to search for Claire. I should have realized that she wouldn’t stay back and wait for me to do it alone, she is so damn stubborn, just like me.
“What is it this time?” Ralph asked me when he noticed my sudden panic. I didn’t know what to say, I couldn’t tell him what I was planning, I couldn’t even tell him that my mom had outsmarted me and taken the bold step that I was about to take just now. Be would not be happy about it and I don’t have the time or energy to explain to him and beg him to understand.
“You need to come clean with me, Victoria. There is no way I would know how to help you when I don’t know the full story. I need to know everything, I demand that you tell me everything right now!” he scolded me angrily, warning me of his anger if he ever found out that I lied to him or that I went behind him to handle it myself. I gazed at the empty space, looking so lost and confused. I don’t even know what I’m doing anymore, I feel like I’m going crazy.
“Come on Vee, you should know that I have a plan always. I am too invested in this to let something happen to your mom and your sister. I let Dominic win that fight for a reason, I know exactly what I’m doing, I won’t let you down, I promise. Just trust me, please Victoria. I can’t stand to see you like this. I care about you more than you know. I may not show it often, but I do care about you, so much,” he told me, a small smile playing on his lip.
My breath hooks in my throat, my heart pounding in my chest. I looked into his eyes and I saw the truth reflected right back at me. He may not love me as much as I love him. But deep down in his heart, he cares about me he really does. Now I’m feeling terrible for lying to him always, I’m such a bad person.
“I’m sorry for putt you through all this and still blaming you when it’s not your fault that Claire decided to leave the house with that asshole. I… I feel the same way. I’ve always felt it. I just didn’t know how to say it.” I confessed. It’s not his fault that my mom and my necklace are missing too, I have to stop putting all this on him.
“I need you more than I care to admit, Ralph. I need my family back together, I need Mom and Claire back. Please help me get them back, please Raphael,” I pleaded.