Mia Figlia

Chapter 39 ✔️

PoV Stella

I avoided Riccardo as often as possible. I was not at all in the mood for tenderness. It irritated me that I had to lie to him. But it was bitterly necessary for my and Isabella's safety. At this moment, he looked at me again full of pain. I averted my gaze. After all, he had accepted my wish not to be examined by the doctor. My little secret was safe for the time being. But for how much longer? Eventually, the truth would come out. Until then, the matter had to be settled. I sighed softly. What had I gotten myself into?

I ran up the stairs, stroking the wood of the balustrade. How often had I thought in the past that I would never be able to return here, back to Isabella. My daughter was the reason why I played this deviant game. At the moment I was nothing more than a plaything between two dangerous men. Angrily, I clenched my jaws. Why had I ended up in the middle of this shit? What had I done wrong in my life?

Grumbling, I pondered. The job I had been given was a difficult one. Pulling data from Riccardo's computer without anyone catching me was risky. Apart from that, the laptop was not always freely accessible. I turned the USB stick thoughtfully between my fingers. I rarely got to see Aiden, the head of the gang. Whenever he wanted something, he had sent Kyle to me. As it had been discussed in the car, Jack had taken care of me. The result had been two hours of physical training and eight hours of computer training a day. That for seven weeks, with some shooting lessons every now and then.

The time spent in the gym was one of the reasons I did not want Riccardo touching me or seeing me naked. The muscles I had built up were hard to miss. To be exact, they could not be overlooked. It would only lead to annoying questions if someone noticed them. I had to complete the task quickly in order for my life to continue normally. Jack's words came to mind.

As long as he lives, you will never be free.

He was right, I felt that deep inside. First, the biggest problem of them all had to be eliminated before a normal life was possible again. But it was up to me to achieve this. Something crackled near me. I wheeled around and looked suspiciously in all directions. No one was in sight. I quickly put the flash drive in my pocket, then strolled to the stairs to go down to the first floor.

"Cara, can we please talk?" Riccardo appeared next to me out of nowhere. I winced, hoping I was not looking at him guiltily. Had he been watching me? With my heart pounding wildly, I followed him into his office. He sat down in the boss chair at the desk, and I pulled up another chair. There was no way I was going to sit on his lap. That would only be an invitation for more.

"What have they done to you, cara mia, that you are almost panic-stricken to avoid any man and especially me? What can I do to make you at least trust me again?" There was sadness in his voice. Slumped, he stared at his hands, which lay motionless on the tabletop. I tore my gaze away from him and looked around the room. Surprised, I noticed that his cocktail cabinet was gone. Had he thrown it out? Francesca had happily mentioned that Riccardo had not tampered with the alcohol despite my absence. At least one good thing.

"I just need some rest. They did not do anything to me because I convinced them that I meant nothing to you and that you only wanted to marry me so you could legally get custody of Isabella. They thought that was plausible." Half aghast, he looked at me, then sighed.

"Thank God they believed your white lie." He shook his head. "I just wonder how they fell for it."

"Probably because I do not fit your normal booty pattern." Aiden himself had provided the template for that. I did not have blond hair, big breasts, or a bubbly butt. Riccardo thought for a moment and grinned.

"While you were gone, I was thinking." He nibbled on his lower lip as he looked to me. "I know you used to read through economics books in the library. What do you say I make it possible for you to study them by correspondence? I will not let you attend classes at the university. But studying from home is easy." My jaw dropped. Was he really serious? Did he have any idea what this meant to me? It would be my only chance at a decent education. Overwhelmed, I just looked at him. The rising emotions made it impossible for me to answer him. Silently, I just nodded.

"I thought so. I have saved a few web pages." He pulled his laptop out of the drawer. "Take a look at them at your leisure while I run some errands for the family." Again, I just nodded. Speechless, I watched him leave the office. Then, in a flash, I sat down in his seat and began my work.

A few days later, five of us were sitting in Josh's little café. Isabella sat happily between Riccardo and me, nibbling on her piece of chocolate cake. I sipped my fennel tea thoughtfully. Sweet stuff had been making me nauseous lately. Maybe also because Francesca was almost force-feeding me. She was convinced that I looked starved. The end result was that I was hanging my head over the toilet bowl while she stood in the doorway scolding me. Unfortunately, afterwards she had nagged Riccardo to drag me to the doctor one of the next days. The ringing of the little bell above the door made me look up. A pretty blonde, whose sun-kissed complexion was better suited to Los Angeles or Miami, walked in and ran straight to the counter. Lucius blew an appreciative whistle, but she ignored him completely.

"May I use your restroom?" Josh directed her, and she disappeared into the lady's room. "Reminds me, I need to go too." I stood up and walked after the woman. She leaned against the sink, looking at me expectantly.

"Jack said you were able to complete your assignment to everyone's satisfaction?" She raised an eyebrow, probably still not believing I was capable of anything more than sitting anxiously in a corner.

"But of course, I do not think I would have let him know otherwise." I pulled the USB stick out of my pocket and handed it to her. "Have fun with it. I assume the deal still stands."

"Don't understand how Aiden could even make a deal with someone like you," she grumbled, "but yeah, it still stands." She pushed off from the sink and disappeared. Grinning, I went to the bathroom before finally returning to the Italians. A huge weight was off my shoulders, and I felt ten inches taller. I had fulfilled my part of the bargain. The rest was out of my hands.

"Let's go. We have things to do today, and Stella looks exhausted. Better get her back to the mansion." My fiancé gave me a worried look. My upset stomach and my constant fatigue of the past week were a thorn in his side.

"And you will not sit back down to continue learning! You have exhausted your body enough already. I should not have allowed the study in the first place. I will revoke it if you do not take more rests." Riccardo looked at me vigorously after dropping me on our bed. He had left Isabella with Lucia so the little one could play some more with Chiara. "Tomorrow Sam will check you out and I do not want to hear any back talk!"

"Don't worry, I will be a good girl and stay in bed." Even though my inner little devil was running amok right now because this Italian had to play my protector once again, I had no objection to some sleep. As a sign of my good will, I snuggled into Riccardo's pillow, which smelled deliciously of him. I could hardly keep my eyes open.

"Good girl." He leaned over and gave me a kiss on the forehead. I did not allow him to do more than that again yet, as a protection from my feelings. Frowning, I watched afterwards as he meticulously changed his clothes for the evening. A shoulder holster for two pistols found its way onto his well-trained body, as did a short knife that he fastened to his lower leg with a narrow strap. Several throwing stars and more knives disappeared into his jacket. Only a bulletproof vest he seemed to consider superfluous. On a remark on my part to it, he snorted amused.

"I have no intention of getting myself killed. It is going to be as easy as a walk in the park today." A cold shiver ran down my spine at his words. It reminded me again of the day that had changed my life in such a fateful way. Thoughtfully, I watched after him as he disappeared from the bedroom. Then I took a deep breath. "Today is the day the bastard will finally meet his maker,"I murmured into the pillow. The horror would soon come to an end. Isabella and I would finally be free. No one messed with my family without being punished for it.

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Alright, any idea what happened to Stella that she acts like this?

What will happen next?