Manners with the Devil

20

G I A V A N N A           A M A T O

"Giavanna. Listen to me." Lucas' voice comes from behind me.

"Fuck off, you've already made my life hell so stop making it even more hell." I yell, not looking behind me. I don't want to look at his agonising face.

"Giavanna."

"Lucas. No. Fuck off. I don't know why your so obsessed with me." I start walking faster, but I feel his body stop moving after mine.

I exhale in relief, at least he knows when to stop pushing my buttons.

I carry on my footsteps, walking along the corridor, wanting to get out of this nightmare. 

"Giavanna." He says in a much lower tone.

I don't respond.

"Giavanna." He repeats.

"WHAT?" I turn around to face him.

Our eyes connect with eachothers. His eyes in mine. My eyes in his. Then, he speaks. Wrecks the moment.

"I haven't brought you here to make you suffer. I'm here to help."

"HOW ARE YOU HERE TO HELP? YOU'VE KIDNAPPED ME. TAKEN ME AWAY FROM SEBASTIEN. TAKEN AWAY EVERYTHING. YOU'RE NOT HELPING. YOU MAKE ME SUFFER." I cry out.

Lucas is taken back, and his face shows signs of shock and disturbance. 

Yet again, people are scared of a 22-year-old woman.

 I'm not scary.

Two other men come clashing into the corridor and run up to me and Lucas.

"Antono and Matteo, go." Lucas growls and looks behind him, his whole mood changing.

The two men slowly nod and walk back down the corridor.

A long pause of silence happens for thirty seconds. I counted each second but then I broke it.

"Lucas, just let me go. I don't want to be a part of this Mafia bullshit." I mutter, tears streaming down my cheek, staring at my feet. 

His body moves closer. At least four footsteps away from mine. Tension reveals itself in the air.

My heart beats faster.

"Giavanna." 

Another pause happens throughout us. It was a straining me. 

He just repeats my name. Over and over. Never having anything good to say.

"I'll let you go."

His words shock me. My eyes widen. My eyebrows rise up. My mouth gawps open. 

He stares at me.

"Really?"

"On one condition." He clears his throat, still deeply staring into my pupils, "Antono will be by your side at all times."

I hesitate, but then I realise that this is the only way I'll be able to live my life again without being stuck here.

"Done." 

I wipe the tears that rolled down my cheek, break eye contact with him, and then I walk down the corridor.

A smile lifting my face.

I still need some damn alcohol though; he took it out all his damn cupboards. However, my mansion will have eternity shelves full of it.

I'm fucking ready to go back home.

"Miss Amato." The maid, from this morning, comes up to me, "Antono is ready at the front gates in a limo."

"Thank you." I reply.

I basically run to the front gates since all I can think about is the amount of alcohol that I will have when I get to my own house. And obviously being free. Being able to see my friends. Being able to attend University again.

At the front gate, stood around five security men, a driver and the black long ass Limo.

"Miss Amato." Antono greets me as the driver opens the back door for me.

"God, call me Gia." I roll my eyes at his professionalism. We are going to know each other very well so why would he call me 'Miss'?

"Gia." He nods his head and I get in the back of the limo with him.

The vehicle starts and we are off.

I haven't been to my home in one month so I'm quite nervous about all the memories that will flood back into my brain once I get in there.

"Mr Santoro wants me to give you this." Antono passes me a brand-new phone.

I take it and swipe up to log into it. I'm sure that he has some bullshit security thing on this. But I call Vivvian straight away. She's been on my mind all month. She probably thinks I'm dead.

I press her number in the phone and it rings.

"Hello, who's this?" She asks.

"Hey Viv, it's me, Gia." 

"What? Giavanna? Wait- What?" She blurts out, confused. 

"Yeah, it's me, I'm sorry for wh-"

"BITCH- YOU HAVEN'T FUCKING TEXTED ME IN A MONTH I THOUGHT YOU FUCKING DIED" She shrieked down the phone, almost crying.

I look at Antono whose face cringes at mine. 

"Vivvian, I'm sorry, can we catch up for coffee at noon, I need to tell you all about it."

"Fine, but if it's some shitty excuse like you met the love of your life or some shit, I won't be accepting it well."

"Well... if you say that." I reply, laughing.

"Girl, no no. I'll meet you at noon at our coffee place we always go."

"Right, Love ya." I reply and end the call.

Thank God Vivvian accepted that, I thought she would have came through the phone and choked me.

I put the phone down, knowingly, that later I'll be calling Sebastien.

I just want to know where he is. What he is doing. And if he is okay, since the last time I saw him, was when he had two gunshot wounds bleeding out of him.

"We are here." Antono speaks up.

I look outside and find myself in the driveway of my home.

Memories flood back to me of the last night I was here. Escaping reality. Finding my father's letter. Running from the house to a club. To catch myself to find Sebastien. 

Antono exits the vehicle, and the driver opens the door for me and I get out.

I exhale. Staring at the Mansion before me. 

"Ready?" Antono asks, standing beside me.

I nod my head, and I went in. 

Normally, I would hear the voices of my father yelling, screaming or him smashing bottles. I would see Henry running up to me to take my bags and tell me that my father is drunk again. But none of that happens. 

My Father is gone. And Henry probably went with him. 

"Will you be staying here?" I ask Antono. 

"That's what Mr Santoro wants." He nods his head.

"Well, you can take the guest room, second floor, second door on the left." I tell him.

I make my way upstairs to my room on the second floor aswell.

More memories swamp my mind. The note from my father still sat on my bed. My bed was unmade. Clothes layed on the floor. 

I need to call Sebastien.