Fight Me Little Pearl

Chapter 37

Chapter Thirty-Seven

FRANCESCA

“ A ll you have to do is say the word, and I’ll stay,” Valentino says, pressing me against the wall, his tantalizing scent clogging my brain. It’s eight in the morning, and his jet is ready to leave, but Valentino is doing all he can to seduce me into asking him to stay.

He’s playing a very dirty game because many times I’ve been close to damning Matteo and Nonna Isadora and having him spend all day with me, but I know that will be an incredibly selfish move. It may be the last time he sees Matteo. Not that he seems to care either way. Still, Matteo and Nonna Isadora will get their wish.

“It’s time to go, Valentino.” I push him away, even though all I want is to tumble into bed with him. “Hurry up.”

He shakes his head and backs away. “You’re going to regret this. You’ll miss me.”

“I miss you already.”

“Liar.”

When he grabs his luggage and walks to the door, my heart skips, and I hurry after him and wrap my arms around his back. He turns to face me and his eyes are alight with amusement.

“I’m still here; this is your last chance.”

“Valentino,” I groan. “If you ask me again, I’ll say, yes. I swear it.”

He smiles and kisses my forehead. “Then I won’t ask.”

I fall harder in love with him at that moment. “But you need to know that I’m only doing this for you. I do not want to see Matteo; I do not care about him at all.”

“Thank you, Valentino.” I take his hands. “I don’t take this for granted.”

He stares at me for another long moment before nodding. Then he turns away, but not before I catch the ghost of a smile on his face that tells me he secretly admires the sacrifice I am making for Nonna Isadora and Matteo.

I follow him down the stairs, where Vance takes his luggage and walks out. Roberto is also waiting in the living room. He looks happy that Valentino is going to see Matteo.

“Good morning,” he greets. “Good morning, Signora Barone.”

I frown. “Just call me Francesca.”

“Signora Barone sounds better,” Valentino says. “I’ll be outside with you shortly, Roberto.”

“Okay.” Roberto takes the hint and disappears, leaving us alone.

“When will you be back?”

“As soon as I have seen Matteo,” he says.

“Alright. Go well and come back safely to me.” I kiss his lips.

“I’ll see you soon.” He lingers beside me for a few seconds before leaving.

As soon as the door closes, my heart longs for him again. For a short while, I almost run out of the door to glimpse him again, but I don’t want to seem desperate. Instead, I go and sit on the armchair in the living room, contemplating my life, and how I got here. When did I become so dependent on Valentino that the thought of a couple of days away from him is like torture?

The door opens, and my head whips towards it, hoping it’s Valentino, but my happiness deflates when I see Vance. He’s surprised to see me in the living room, which is understandable because whenever Valentino is absent, I’m always upstairs in our bedroom.

“You didn’t go with them?” I ask.

Vance walks slowly to the other end of the room. He always gives me a wide berth. Dutch does, too. It’s like they’re scared of coming too close to me. As if I carry a communicable disease.

“No, La Signora Barone.”

“Why?”

“The Boss wants me to guard the house.”

I laugh. “The house? Or me?”

Vance purses his lips and looks away from me. I know trying to have a conversation with him is hopeless, so I put the TV on and direct my attention to it.

Two hours later, I’m at the dining table having some food, when the doorbell rings. I glance at Vance. He jumps up from his chair by the window and looks at me. “Are you expecting anyone?”

I shake my head.

“It’s Federico,” he says looking at his phone screen.

“I’ll get it,” I say, jumping up and walking towards the door.

“Don’t.” He is scowling blackly.

It stops my tracks. “Are you going to open the door?”

“No.” Vance stares at me with stone-cold eyes.

“What?” I feel quite confused. “That’s Valentino’s cousin.”

“He does not need to be here. The Boss isn’t here, and he knows it.”

“You guys are all crazy,” I mutter before heading towards the door. Vance is suddenly in front of me, blocking my path. It’s the closest he’s ever come to me since I’ve been with Valentino.

“Don’t open the door.” His words are like an order, and instantly, I balk against it. Around us, the doorbell is still ringing nonstop.

“How are you going to stop me?” I ask, before pushing past him.

I know he won’t touch me, and I’m right. When I reach the door, I pull it open, an apologetic smile on my face. From the first moment I met Federico and his brothers at the airport on my first trip to Venice, we hit it off instantly. We’ve not had a moment to connect since then, and now that Valentino is not here to glare at him, maybe we can be friends.

“Hiya.”

“Francesca,” Federico laughs. “How are you?”

“Come on in,” I invite warmly.

Without Valentino around he seems a little more relaxed and I’m happy about it.

“I’m fine. What about you? Everything alright?” he asks, glancing around him.

“I can’t complain.” He walks into the house and seems slightly taken aback to see Vance’s forbidding and clearly disapproving figure, but he nods politely at him. “Vance.”

“Federico.”

“I’m having grilled cheese on toast and tomato soup. Would you like some?” I ask Federico, walking towards the dining table. I hate eating alone and I’d asked Vance earlier, but he courteously but categorically refused.

“Sure.” Federico follows me to the table and sits across from me.

“Please help yourself.” I gesture to the simple food on the table.

“Hmm… American food,” he mutters under his breath as he gingerly places one slice of toast on his plate. He looks at it as if it could suddenly jump up and bite him.

“Would you prefer some pasta?” I ask, amused.

“No, no, this is good. Um… thank you for making Valentino go to Matteo.”

“I didn’t make him do anything.” From the corner of my eyes, I see Vance drift closer to us. It’s obvious that he doesn’t like Federico and I wonder why. “You know he only does what he wants to do.”

“That may be true,” Federico says, taking a bite of his toast. “But you do have some influence over him.”

“Can I join you too, La Signora Barone?” Vance asks.

I know he’s only doing it to eavesdrop on my conversation with Federico, but I play the game and smile at him. “Sure. Join us.”

He takes a seat two chairs away from me facing Federico and stares pointedly at him, but Federico doesn’t pay him any attention.

“Would you like to go out for a drink later?” Federico says to me. “You must be bored out of your mind alone in this house.”

“Well, I’m not-”

“I can’t allow that,” Vance says coldly. “La Signora Barone won’t be going anywhere with you.”

“Excuse you.” I glare at him. “You do not speak for me.”

“You’re right,” Vance answers unapologetically. “I speak for Signore Barone when I say this. You can’t go with this man.”

I had been about to politely turn Federico’s invitation down, but the high-handed way Vance spoke to me made me quite angry. It reminded me of the way my father used to speak to me.

“Where would you like us to go, Federico?”

“Call me Rico, please.” He chuckles. “Federico is such a tongue twister. I don't even call myself that.”

I laugh. “Rico it is then.”

“Thank you,” he says. “Valentino has a lot of bars in town. Let’s go to one of his properties so he won’t get mad. That way you’ll be protected at all times.”

Everyone is walking on eggshells around my husband. It’s funny in a morbid sort of way. “Yes, I’d love to go. I’ve never been to any of his bars.”

Federico’s eyebrows rise enquiringly. “He doesn’t let you?”

“My husband doesn’t stop me from doing anything.” I glance pointedly at Vance, who stares back unflinchingly. I see why Valentino likes him. He’s annoyingly good at his job.

“Good. Then we have nothing to be afraid of.”

Federico grins at Vance. Vance doesn’t respond, but there’s a look on his face that says he won’t let the outing happen. I’m interested in seeing just how he plans to stop me.

“Excuse me.” Federico pushes his chair back. “Just need to use the bathroom quickly.”

“Sure. You know the way.”

“Down the hall.” Federico grins, sets his phone on the table, and hurries away.

I feel Vance’s gaze on me like a heavy blanket as I turn my attention back to my food. It is then that I hear a muffled noise. The sound is coming from Federico’s phone. He had accidentally left a video playing on his phone.

I’m about to look away when I hear Valentino’s name called. The phone’s volume is muffled, but it’s not far away from me, so I’m certain I heard it. I lift my head and look at the screen, but I can’t make out the details of the moving images as the device is angled away from me. Then I hear my husband’s name spoken by a woman’s voice again and damn the consequences, I reach for the phone.

My fork drops from my fingers as I register what I’m watching on the screen. In the dim, seductive lighting of a small room, Valentino is sitting on a leather chair. He is wearing a white shirt, unbuttoned at the collar, his sleeves are rolled up his muscled forearms. He looks sexy and handsome, but that’s not what my eyes are riveted on.

There’s a gorgeous, almost-naked lady dancing over him. She writhes like a snake on top of him, pushing her breasts close to his face and sinking her face so close to his crotch she is almost giving him a blowjob. The breath whooshes out of me when she arches her hips into his crotch and then lowers her head towards his face. She has a long mane of hair, so I can’t tell if she actually kissed him or not, but judging from how seductive the dance is, I can imagine they must have fucked afterwards.

Obviously, I’m not a man, but even as a woman, I can see that this hussy and her moves are sexy. There’s no way Valentino wouldn’t have thought that too. He’s an extremely sexual man, and the slut obviously wants him badly.

A voice next to me pierces through the protective walls I’m erecting around me. “Please, La Signora Barone, put the phone down.”

I turn to see Vance’s unsmiling face. I look at him and the horror in my body must have shown on his face because he stands suddenly. I feel as if I have fallen from a cliff edge into a dark abyss. This is my father all over again. My hands are shaking as I hold the phone out to him.

“Would you like to watch?”

“Put the phone down, La Signora Barone.”

“Of course, you’re right.” I hit pause and set the phone back on the table, angling it the way Federico left it so he wouldn’t know I touched it at all. I look at my food. It has gone cold. The cheese is a congealed yellow blob. “Don’t tell Rico,” I whisper shakily. “It was rude of me to look at his phone without permission.”

Vance doesn’t respond. He just stands there as still as a statue behind me.

A smiling Federico returns seconds later. “I bet my food is already cold,” he says, lowering himself onto his chair.

I raise my head and try to smile, but it is impossible. My heart is breaking. There is an explanation. Of course there is. This must have happened before I came on the scene. But there is no respite in that random explanation. Valentino was wearing his wedding ring in that video.

“Would you like me to reheat it?” I ask. My voice sounds strange. Far away. There is real distress in it.

“Nah.” Federico waves me off. “Sometimes grilled cheese is best cold.”

I glance down at my plate. Grilled cheese is never best cold. Only ice cream and revenge are best cold. I think of what to say next, but my mind has gone blank. Suddenly, I hear a strangled growl and my head jerks up. Vance is standing behind Federico, a small knife pressed to his throat, while his other arm presses Federico’s upper body against the chair. Vance’s physical appearance is deceiving. He is tall and slim, but judging from how hard Federico is struggling against him and is still unable to wrench himself free, there’s a lot of strength in that supple body.

And how could he move so fast? I only looked away from Federico for one second.

“Vance?” I call, confused and shocked. “What’s going on?”

It seems like the two men don’t hear me because neither pays me any mind. Vance’s eyes are cold and hateful as he stares into Federico’s upturned face.

“Pick up your phone and delete that video.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Federico blusters.

“Vance, stop it!” I yell, but I may as well be shouting into a void.

Vance glides the knife across the smooth skin of Federico’s neck and blood drips down his neck, seeping into the fabric of his sky-blue shirt.

I gasp with shock. Oh shit. Things just got real.

Federico’s eyes widen. He is as shocked as I am that Vance would dare hurt him.

“I swear I will kill you and gladly surrender myself,” Vance says. “I don’t mind dying as long as I take your life with me.”

When someone says this, you know they’re serious. You can never win against someone who’s not afraid of death. As if reading my thoughts, Federico shakily reaches for the phone. I watch as his fingers go over the screen while Vance watches from behind.

“Go to the deleted folder,” Vance orders. “And delete it from there.”

Federico doesn’t argue. Seconds later, he says, “Done. Now let me go.”

“Not yet, you worthless Judas!” Vance growls. “Open your gallery.”

“What?” Federico gasps. “That’s insane. You’re infringing on my?—”

Vance roughly jerks him up, and the knife digs deeper into Federico’s throat. More blood flows, thick and sticky, and spreads across his shirt.

“Your fucking gallery.”

When Federico opens it, Vance yanks the phone from his hands and goes through it. They remain there for minutes until Vance is satisfied that there’s nothing else on the phone. He throws it and spits on Federico before slowly releasing him. Federico wipes the spit off his face before staggering to his feet, his face contorted in an ugly scowl.

“What was that for?”

“You’re a dishonorable man,” Vance says emotionlessly. “I always knew you were no good. You will pay dearly for this.”

Federico clutches the cut in his neck. “No. You will pay dearly for this!” He points a finger at Vance. “I am a Barone and you treat me like this? How dare you?”

“You’re a Barone. That’s why you’re not dead at my hands,” Vance says. “But I’ll wait for the Boss to deal with this. You need to leave right now.”

When Federico hesitates, Vance roars. “Now!”

Federico throws me a cryptic look before storming out of the house. It doesn’t matter how many folders they delete the videos from, it’s still playing in my head. Surprisingly, my eyes are dry, even though my heart is in the most unimaginable pain ever. Dying would be easier than this torment.

Still, I remain calm on the surface. I pretend I’m not hurt.

I can feel Vance watching me, but he doesn’t say a word. Steadily and calmly, I take a gulp of orange juice before pushing back my chair and heading toward the stairs. Vance is suddenly in front of me, and his eyes aren’t so emotionless anymore. There's feeling in them, but I’m too dead inside to care.

“What is it now, Vance?” My voice is strangely tranquil.

“That video is a lie.”

My fists clench. “So, my eyes are lying to me?”

Vance runs a frustrated hand down his face. “No, but-”

“If my eyes are not lying to me the video is not a lie,” I cut in sharply. “Now, step away from my path.”

He obeys, and I walk up the stairs. Putting one foot in front of the other. I will survive this. I am strong. I can do this. I close the door and switch the TV on and choose one of the MTV channels. It must be featuring music from the eighties because Eric Clapton is singing Wonderful Tonight .

What a strange coincidence.

That is my mother’s favorite song. She said Eric had perfectly captured the feeling of unrequited love in that song. I never got it when she told me that. But today, I finally understand the terrible pain my mother must have felt when she found out she had married a man who would never be faithful to her.

The longing in Eric Clapton’s voice fills the air.

I turn the volume up as the first howl of pain erupts out of my mouth.