Betrayal | ✔️

19. Altercation

Altercation: A noisy argument or disagreement, especially in public.

- E m m a -

My mother walks over to Vincenzo and I, calling out her allies.

"Penny, you don't have to do this," Vincenzo states, pulling me behind him.

The woman in question only snorts, throwing her head back.

"Who said that my name was Penny?" she cringes at the name, "My name is Pandora."

I silently snicker, and I look at Vincenzo who is clenching his jaw to stop from laughing. Pandora grits her teeth.

"Pandora is one of the most popular mythological characters of all time. It is a Greek name, created using a pan, which means 'all' and doron, which means 'gift. Hence, the name Pandora means 'all gift.' That's not sinister at all, right? But in the Greek mythology, Pandora became the first to unleash evil on the entire world," she growls.

"So that's why you're evil? Because it's what your name means? Pathetic," Vincenzo chuckles.

My mother scowls.

"Now, now, dear child, you don't want to get on the wrong side of me, do you?" my mother smirks, having a sudden mood swing.

"Do you really think that I'm afraid of you?" he raises and eyebrow.

"Well, seeing as you're afraid of your own brother, then you would be," she states simply.

"And why would that be? I don't see him around," Vincenzo looks around for emphasis.

"That's where you're wrong," a voice comes out of the shadows behind me.

I slowly turn around, along with Vincenzo, to be greeted by Valerio.

"You traitor," Vincenzo growls.

Valerio chuckles.

"No, Vincenzo. I'm not a traitor. You see, our dear, dear father lied to us. I'm not his son, and therefore, I'm not the leader of the Italian Mafia, which means you are. I wasn't about to get bossed around by my younger 'brother' so, Pandora, here, invited me to join the American Syndicate. She promised me a life of being my own boss and destroying you," he spits.

Valerio looks smug, like he just accomplished something, which makes me hate him even more.

Now it's Vincenzo's turn to chuckle, and now his former brother's expression has changed.

"And, you believed her? She's just going to use you, like she's done with everyone, including Emma's father, and our, well- my, mother," he gestures to me, but Valerio puts a finger up.

"I don't want to hear it. You have done so many things to me-" he starts but the man next to me interrupts.

"Oh, yeah? Like what, Valerio? Because you have kept our father a secret from me for my ENTIRE life. I thought that he was dead, like mum, and you chose to tell me that he was? TO MAKE ME BELIEVE THAT I HAD NO PARENTS LEFT, AND THAT I HAD NO-ONE WHO LOVED ME?!" he screams, a tear dripping down his face that I quickly wipe away with my sleeve.

"SHUT UP! Just shut up!" Valerio yells, "THAT DOENSN'T MAKE YOU THE VICTIM! NOT EVERYTHING IS ABOUT YOU!"

"Perché non parliamo in italiano così la tua fidanzatina, o la sua miserabile madre, non può capirci?" he continues.
["Why don't we speak in Italian so your little girlfriend, or her wretched mother, can't understand us?"]

"Emma caprie, ma non credo che sua madre lo capisca," Vincenzo says, gesturing to my mother's confused face.
["Emma understands, but I don't think her mother does"]

Valerio shoots me a look, staring at me up and down. I fidget, feeling like I'm in trial getting pat down until I feel a firm hand wrap around my waist. I look up to see Vincenzo glaring daggers at his brother and my tenseness eases. It doesn't completely subside, but it eases.

"Sei proprio un ipocrita. Io ti ho tenuto nascosto il padre, sì, ma TU sei rimasto in contatto con... nostra sorella alle mie spalle. Anche dopo quello che mi ha fatto! Ugh, non posso nemmeno sopportare di dire il suo nome," Valerio grimaces.
["You are such a hypocrite. I kept the father from you, yes, but YOU kept in touch with... our sister behind my back. Even after what she did to me! Ugh, I can't even bear to say her name"]

"Non l'ho tenuto 'dietro tu spalle'. Non l'ho tenuto affatto segreto! Se mi avessi chiesto se parlavo ancora con Vanna, ti avrei detto di sì! Avrei risposto onestamente! Ma tu, invece, mi hai mentito, molte volte su papà. Dicendo che era morto e che si era ucciso perché non mi amava, ha davvero preso il suo pedaggio-" Vincenzo starts screaming before we get interrupted by a loud cough.
["I didn't keep it 'behind your back'. I didn't keep it a secret at all! If you had asked me if I was still talking to Vanna, I would have said yes! I would have answered honestly! But you, on the other hand, lied to me, many times about dad. Saying that he was dead and that he killed himself because he didn't love me, really took its toll-"]

Vincenzo and I turn around, while Valerio stays put, staring at my mother. She looks at us innocently before coughing again.

"Speak in English, instead of... whatever language you were just speaking," she demands, stomping her foot.

"No," I hear from behind me, coming from Valerio.

She rolls her eyes and pouts like a child, causing Vincenzo to roll his eyes.

"Per qualcuno che dovrebbe essere un adulto, e persino il leader del Sindacato Americano, ti comporti come un bambino," he turns his nose up at her.
["For someone who is supposed to be an adult, and even the leader of the American Syndicate, you act like a child"]

She gives him a puzzled look and he glares at her, not dropping eye contact while Valerio and I blend into the background.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't realise that you were so dumb that you don't know Italian," he states, not showing any sympathy at all.

"I said 'For someone who is supposed to be an adult, and even the leader of the American Syndicate, you act like a child'," he repeats.

She furrows her eyebrows and opens her mouth to reply, but closes it.

"Now, let's get out of here."

He turns to me, before Valerio tackles him to the ground and someone jumps on top of me, knocking me to the ground and out of consciousness.