Mia Figlia

Chapter 34 ✔️

PoV Riccardo

Slowly, the former don raised his head, staring at his wife. The love that was usually in his eyes when he looked at my mother had vanished. It had made way for another, more dangerous emotion. I did not want to be in the harpy's place now.

The old dragon herself had taken a few steps backward, pressing the handbag in front of her belly with her left hand. The right hand was hidden in the clutch. Her gaze wandered back and forth between my father and me. Drops of sweat beaded from her forehead. Her lower lip trembled slightly. The corners of my mouth twisted into a broad grin. Finally, the monster felt mortal fear. The emotion that accompanied my childhood when she had terrified me with her assassination attempts. To my rescue, my father's employees had always been nearby. But nobody would save her today.

"That rotten little bitch had to ruin everything," the conniving snake hissed. "Oh well, nothing matters now anyway." With these words she turned to my father.

"I detest you, always have. My dad forced me into marriage with you. Every time you touched me; I was disgusted. Sleeping with you was a chore. When I wanted to be satisfied, I went to other men, and you never noticed. You were always blinded by my beauty." My father sat stock-still, listening to his wife's venomous words, unable to move. The beast laughed derisively and turned to me.

"Unfortunately, every attempt I made on your life was thwarted. But in return I was able to prevent a marriage at least twice. Yes, I convinced Valerie to commit suicide and got her the pills to do it. And I was able to convince the other bitch to decide against having children with you. Only this nothing here," she pointed disapprovingly at Stella, "seems to be sticking with you for some reason. Yet she will never be more than a substitute for Valerie, will she? The girl you loved. You have no idea what joy and satisfaction it gave me when you were devastated after her death."

I saw Stella flinch for a moment. Was she simply a substitute? Memories of the time with Val crept into my heart. Then I saw Isabella's mother for my inner eye again, helpless and comatose in the hospital bed, me at her side. Another scene came to my mind. I smelled her bewitching scent again, as she crawled into bed with me when I had the nightmare. Warmth spread through my body. Abruptly, I stood up.

"Wrong mother. Stella is far more important to me than any woman before. She is the only one I want to grow old with. I love her from the bottom of my heart." My fiancée turned to me, gave me a warm smile.

"Then I guess I should take her from you as well. Happiness should never be a part of your life." From the corner of my eye, I saw the harpy pull a gun out of her purse. A gunshot echoed through the room before I could do anything. Trembling, I stood there looking at the scenery in front of me.

Two slender arms wrapped around my body; my gaze was still fixed on the woman who was now lying on the floor with a hole in her forehead. How often had I wished for this moment, literally longed for it? But now that my mother was dead, I felt only an incredible emptiness in my body. A sob made me look at my father. One lonely tear crept down his cheek. His pistol was lying on the table in front of him, and he was staring at his right hand with which he had fired the gun. With which he had saved my fiancée. Realizing that it was Stella who stood huddled against me, I pulled her even tighter and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Luckily the kids are outside right now," Giovanni muttered, standing pale beside Mario. We were used to violence as a mafia family, but at our parties it rarely happened that there were deaths. At most, there were fights, fueled by our Italian temperament under the influence of alcohol. But someone shooting his own wife had never occurred before.

My father stood up shakily, leaning on the back of the chair. Stella let go of me, circled the table, and hugged the former don. The latter clung to her as if his life depended on it.