Mafia's Substitute Wife

She can't show her face

“Come on, Leticia, is it that bad?” Erin asked with concern as she showed her red spotted face to her aunt, she woke up due to her burning face. Quickly, she rushed to the bathroom to wash away the face musk she had put on the previous night to make her skin soft. Unfortunately, she saw dots on her forehead and her right cheek.
“Look here honey…well.it's…there's nothing wrong with…aish'' Leticia said as she held Erin by her chin and turned her, so she could see properly. Upon seeing her face, Leticia gasped in awe. Erin's face had turned red and looked swollen.
“I know…it's horrible… I shouldn't have listened to Lola” Erin said in frustration and walked back to the dressing table where there were multiple cream tubes. All of them were given by her friend Lola to soften her skin.
“Lola? You mean you listened to Lola…good god Erin” Leticia said with wide surprised eyes as to why an intelligent person like Erin would listen to Lola. Lola was her troublesome single daughter who didn't know her purpose in life besides giving beauty tips that didn't work for anyone.
“I know, aunt, but she insisted…and you know today…oh no princess I forgot…how are you dear” Erin was so confused that she even forgot her little daughter Kiara standing by the door. She looked pretty in a light pink dress with curlers in her hair. Kiara smiled, planted a small kiss on Erin's cheek and hugged her.
“Mommy get ready…we should go now… I would rather not be late” Kiara said in a small mischievous voice that had Erin smiling faintly. She wasn't sure how to tell her daughter that she wasn't ready to go anywhere. But then again, breaking her daughter's heart at her very first school function when she just started school a week ago, they moved to Italy.
“Okay, my princess…go and pack everything… Mommy will be ready in two minutes…is that right?” Erin replied as she moved away from Kiara, who smiled cutely and nodded.
“Okay Mommy,” saying that, Kiara ran out of the room looking happily and only when she was gone did Erin sigh and get up from the floor. Leticia arched a brow at her.
“Leticia I can't go…can you please…” she started saying, not sure how to go about it, but Leticia shook her head and put her hand on her hip?
“You know I can't Erin… I have to go to the restaurant…the food critic is coming” Leticia said with utter defeat and Erin greatly understood her aunt's situation. Leticia was a kind-hearted woman who had always been there for her, even in the past. Her aunt never ceased to be by her side, and she was a business lady who owned a successful restaurant. Not only that, but a food critic was coming to taste their food, which was important.
“I wish Lola was here,” Erin said as she looked at herself in the mirror, and she looked horrible, she wasn't going to show her ugly face in public later on at Kiara's school because the school itself wasn't so ordinary. It was the most expensive school in the city with rich kids and parents. She was lucky her daughter had an opportunity to get admission thanks to Leticia who didn't want her granddaughter to go to a less prestigious school.
“I would have loved to go and don't ever count on that Lola…she didn't even come home last night” Leticia said furiously hating the name Lola at all costs, her daughter was careless, above all, single and not searching forget searching she was certain Lola didn't even think about finding a man for herself.
“Don't say that…she called me last night…and well, she has a job interview later on, so I'm sure she didn't want you to know about it” Erin explained with a chuckle and started looking her through her clothes hoping to find something to cover her face with, Leticia loved her daughter very much and wanted nothing but a son-in-law which was a different case with Lola, she loved being single.
“Interview my foot…anyway get ready now you will be late, and we don't want that”Saying that Leticia left Erin to do her thing and Erin stood there and sighed heavily as she stared at the black cloth in her hands.
“It's better than nothing” she told herself and tried it on and yes, it was going to hide part of her face. It was going to be a long day, but she hoped to see the school principal and tell her about the situation she was in. Parents were expected to go on stage and give a little speech about their children, and well, she wasn't going to do that and embarrass Kiara.

***
After getting ready, Erin made sure her daughter was looking presentable too. They took a taxi to Sun Sky private school, it wasn't a long way there but just a 10-20 minute drive. However, with the unlucky traffic jam, Erin was sad to make her daughter late when. To be honest, her Kiara was a chatterbox who didn't stop talking regardless of what, but besides that, she was everyone's favorite little girl. The principal and teachers loved her in just a short while.
“Alright madam…this is it… I can't drive any further in”the taxi driver said and Erin looked out the window and understood, seeing the many expensive cars driving inside the school grounds.
“Okay, uncle bye!”Kiara shouted in excitement and immediately stormed out of the car and made a run for it.
“Kiara. Stop running! wait, mister” Erin shouted after her daughter as she dug in her purse to get the money. Her face was covered with a veil, which the driver frowned upon but didn't say anything.
“Here…thank you” she quickly gave him the money and proceeded to run after Kiara. Her daughter wasn't even looking where she was going, cars were speeding by, which was dangerous. However, the little girl was too happy to see the danger.
“Kiara no!”Erin shouted as her heartbeat increased, she looked to her left and saw a black car coming at full speed, then at her daughter who was running to cross the road but tripped on something and fell down.
“Kiara get up baby!” she shouted in fear, dropped everything she was holding and made a run for it, it seemed like her daughter had hurt herself and her shoe had come off. She was trying to put it back on without knowing of the car coming. Erin held her heart in her hands as tears rained down her cheeks running as fast as her legs could carry her, she was hoping the driver of the car would stop. It seemed whoever was driving seemed to be blind to see the little girl in the middle of the road.
“No!" Erin shouted as she reached where Kiara was and dropped to her knees and hugged her daughter. In desperation, she turned her back towards where the car was coming, shielding Kiara from getting hit just as the car came to a halt just an inch from Erin's back.  Erin's eyes were closed waiting for her death, which didn't come. The man behind the wheel widened his eyes in fear as he got back to his senses, but soon darkened his expression and stepped out of the car in fury.