“This is the Chiara I know; now go get ‘em!” Vincenzo amusedly says with a big smile on his face, making me laugh. My dad is now standing next to me. I smile at him, take his arm, and let him lead the way.
“As you know, this party is full of important people, including members of the mafia, and this year, we have the honor of having theCapo de Camorrapresent!” When my father professes the last words, my body freezes, and I can’t take another step forward. He smiles at the guests in a relaxed way and stands in front of me. He lifts up my face, leveling my eyes with his. “Chiara, is everything all right?”
“Camorra, they’re dangerous. They called them bloodthirsty on TV two days ago!” I mutter, feeling the panic run through my veins.
“Yes, they may be dangerous, but you have absolutely nothing to fear; you’re safe, dear. Nothing will happen. I would never allow anything to happen to you or your brothers, never! Besides, they’re our clients, and that makes us allies. There’s no reason to fear that anything will happen. Now we’re going there, and you’re going to meet the Capo and the high-ranking members of the Camorra; I’m with you, and it’ll be quick, okay?”
“Okay!” I say, holding on tighter to my dad’s arm, leading us to a table in the middle of the ballroom, where all the men are dressed in black and giving all their attention to the man in the center.
He’s tall, looks like a giant, seems to be about fifty by the grey hair, and next to him, a stunning woman, a little shorter, with the most beautiful blue eyes I’ve ever seen in my life, glances at me and offers me a warm smile.
“Good evening, gentlemen, madam!” Dad speaks in a loud tone, making himself heard, putting an end to the conversation that was flowing between them. “DonHernrico, Lady Milena, meet my youngest daughter Chiara!”
“Good evening, it’s a pleasure to meet you!” I say while smiling, still trembling slightly from knowing that the man in front of me is theCapo de Camorra.
“Chiara, darling, I’ve heard so much about you!” Althoughyour father didn’t say that you were this beautiful! Compliments Milena, coming up to me and hugging me briefly.
“Thank you so much, madam. You are stunning!” I compliment back, seeing the smile on her face widen and her husband look pleased with my words. He approaches and leaves a small kiss on my hand.
“Chiara!” Calls dad, catching my attention. I look over to him, and when my eyes wander, I can’t help but fix my gaze on the person next to him. “This is Luca, son ofDonHenrico and Lady Milene!”
“Good evening!” I say quietly and shyly. He’s the most handsome man I’ve ever seen. He’s as tall as his father, almost two meters tall, well-built and muscular, with dark hair, slightly tanned skin, and the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen. A beautiful, cold blue, his posture is stiff, like any other mafia man andhis face is frozen, which makes it difficult to try to read his expression or emotions, making him even more mesmerizing.
“Luca De Santis, nice to meet you!” When his mouth opens, a husky, calm voice floods my ears.
I can’t answer; I don’t know what to say. He offers me his hand, where I place mine, feeling my stomach turn when his lips touch my skin. My whole body shivers and my mind spins, trying to understand how, with just one touch, my body reacted as if, after feeling your lips on my skin, nothing would ever be the same again.
“Chiara Mancini, it’s a pleasure to meet you!” I say with my voice trembling and still hypnotized by his eyes. I can’t stop looking at him; he’s simply stunning, as if he were the living recreation of a Greek statue, beautiful and cold.
I look at my father, who is engaged in a conversation with theCapo oftheCamorraand his wife. Luca looks at me seriously without showing any emotion, which makes me nervous. Not knowing what to do, I clasp my hands in frontof my body and wait for him to say something, but he doesn’t. He seems to tire of analyzing me, shows a slight expression of annoyance, and speaks to the man next to him. Alone, I run my eyes around the great hall, trying to find someone I know, which turns out to be a failed attempt; I can’t find anyone.
“And you are?” I hear a voice behind me and immediately turn around to see if the person is addressing me. She gestures with her head, impatient for the lack of answer. She’s tall, red-haired, slim, and very pretty.
“Chiara Mancini, my father is the host!” I tell her calmly with a smile on my face. She looks atme head to toe, inspecting me deeply, and looks at me with a look of discontent.
“Your name would do; I didn’t ask for your family tree!” She declares coldly and rudely, with a superior tone.“Hurt before you get hurt, hurt before you get hurt.”My brain screams these words at me incessantly: don’t let them humiliate you; put you down. You are a Mancini, after all; a Mancini never lets herself be walked on. “By the way, my name is…” I signal with my hand for her to stop talking, leaving her with a confused look on her face.
“You don’t need to introduce yourself, darling. After all, you’re not very relevant anyway!” I say with contempt, casting a look of superiority at her. “HURT BEFORE YOU GET HURT!” She stares in shock, as if she couldn’t believe my words. She slowly approaches me and extends her hand in my direction; I take a small step back. “I request you to keep a respectable distance between us; I don’t want to be forced to call security.”
“Here she is; for a moment, I thought it was a lie, but it turns out…” I follow the voice with my eyes; it’s Luca. I look at him, confused, not understanding what he’s saying. “The evil, spoiled princess that Salvatore Mancini keeps hidden so that she doesn’t attack anyone!” My face closes up, and the blood starts rushing through my veins. I feel annoyedandhumiliated.
“I’m sorry, but I really don’t understand!” I say with a calm expression, hiding how upset I am inside. I want to scream, to ask him what nonsense he’s spouting at me, but that would only prove his point, so I smile.
“You’ve just proved the rumors are true, that Mancini’s youngest daughter is nothing more than a spoiled little princess with a superiority complex who will do anything to humiliate and trample anyone who stands in her way.”
I clench my hands into fists and hold back the tears that are desperately fighting their way down my cheeks. So that’s what everyone thinks of me; that’s who I am andwhat I’ve become. I want to scream and say that this isn’t me, that I’m just fighting not to get hurt, that he and everyone else don’t know me to judge me, that they don’t know anything.
“I don’t know what kind of rumors you’ve been hearing, but I think you’re misinformed. In any case, it’s irrelevant. I’ve never been interested in the opinions of drug dealers and murderers!” I coldly state, the first thing that crosses my mind, immediately regretting it when I notice his frozen face and flaming eyes. I swallow dry and leave the place as quickly as possible.
I run to the nearest bathroom and lock myself in, letting my body slide down the door to the floor. Tears finally run freely down my face, and my lungs begin to tighten. I find it hard to breathe, and honestly, I want to die. Why the hell am I so weak? Why have I always had to be so weak?
I’ve always told myself that I would never care about what other people say, so why am I like this? What they think of me shouldn’t be so important, so why is it hurting me so much? Why can’t their words leave my mind? I never wanted to be the bad person or hurt anyone; I just didn’t want to get hurt, and apparently, this has turned me into a witch worthy of fairy tales. My heart races, and I sob as I try to breathe; tears stain my white dress with the black of my mascara, and I want to disappear. Irush to the mirror, and I look like hell. I can’t leave here like this; no one can see me like this. I take out my phone and send anS.O.S.message to my brothers with my location: I need help. A few minutes later, I hear a knock on the door, for a moment, I wonder if one of the guests is at the door.
“Chiara, it’s me and Lorenzo, open up!” I hear Vincenzo’s voice and sigh with relief, walking to the door and unlocking it, allowing them to come in. “My God, what happened to you? Have they done something to you? Tell me who it was, and we’ll sort this out now!”
“I’m a disaster…” I say breathlessly, unable to hold back the compulsive crying that insists on coming out of me.
“Calm down, breathe, and tell me what happened; we’re here to help!” Lorenzo says calmly and clearly, holding my shoulders and making me look into his eyes. He gives a slight smile and conveys all the calm and reassurance I desperately need. I take a deep breath and wipe away the tears with the back of my hand, smudging my face even more, and tell them what happened.
