Mia Figlia

Chapter 25 ✔️

PoV Riccardo

"Why is your father making me do this? We are both much too young to get married!" Valerie's blue eyes filled with tears. Nervously, she played with one of her blonde curls. Her usually rosy cheeks were bloodless.

She was right, we were too young. She was about to turn eighteen, I was just nineteen. Although my father's interference bothered me, I welcomed the fact that Val would soon be my wife. Ever since I had first seen her six months ago, I knew she belonged to me. Standing behind the counter, she had cheerfully served the customers in a small café. She was earning extra money for her future studies since her parents were not particularly rich. Day after day I had turned up at that place to buy a drink or a piece of cake and be close to her. My father had soon caught on and kidnapped Valerie.

I still clearly remembered the night when I found her in my bed. Sweaty and tired, I came home from a mission. Others my age went to a bar or club to party, while I met with my father's business partners or did different jobs for him. Anyhow, I entered my room late that evening and heard quiet sobbing. My hand found the light switch and then I saw her. Valerie. Handcuffed and lying on my bed. Her eyes, red from crying, were fixed on me. Her lip trembled slightly as I approached her carefully. I gently stroked her disheveled hair behind her ear and pulled her to my chest. After a while, she told me that my father had shown up at her parents' house and offered them a lot of money. Money which these people urgently needed to provide well for their other children. Reluctantly, they had agreed to Valerie marrying me. It took me some time before she believed me that I had known nothing.

The next day I had asked my father to let her go. But he had refused. He paid a lot of money for her, and she would give me an heir for the family. A few days later, I had already become comfortable with the idea, but Val still hated our forced marriage. Nonetheless, she would soon be my wife. I smiled at the thought that perchance in a few months she would be carrying our child in her womb.

"Are you even listening to me?" I startled and gazed at my fiancée, who was looking at me, stunned. She gulped, then turned away and left the living room. At the door, my mother stopped her.

"I got you what we talked about." The woman who had been cold to me since I was born smiled warmly at my fiancée. As she did so, she pressed a small box into Valerie's hand, which I assumed to be medicine. Apparently, a harmless sleeping pill since Val was complaining of insomnia because of the upcoming wedding. I did not pay much attention to it. I was rather surprised that my mother, of all people, was taking care of my future wife.

Shortly thereafter, I went to check on one of our department stores. A supplier had not received his payment and was standing outside the building with some thugs. I quickly found out that my father's employee responsible for payment had stormed off with the money. I assured the supplier that we would pay the bill immediately. But not before incapacitating some of the hired thugs, thus making it clear to our business partner that we took threats of any kind seriously.

In a good mood, I went to my room. Valerie was already in bed and asleep. Smiling, I undressed and slipped under the covers with her. Gently I pulled her to my body and was startled. Her skin felt unnaturally cold under my fingers. I quickly turned on the bedside lamp and shakily checked for her pulse. Thereby I saw her bluish colored lips. Her heart was beating, but slowly and weakly. I jumped out of the bed and called our doctor. He stumbled sleepily over the threshold, but when he saw my fiancée's condition, he was suddenly awake.

"Take her to the infirmary immediately," he shouted to the bodyguards standing outside my room.

A few hours later, I sat stunned in a room in that very infirmary.