Chapter Four- Dior #4
“Did you answer my question, Dior? Your father stole from us. Is that statement indeed true?” Victoria tilted her head to one side as she waited for me to answer.
“Yes.” I looked straight at her as I gave my response.
“So, that simply means that until your father’s debt is repaid in full, you’ll be here with us until we allow you to leave.” The smile on Victoria’s lips slowly vanished. Something tells me that she was just as dangerous as the men in her family.
“Ok,” I replied, looking away from her and instead focusing on the beautiful backyard.
Butterflies fluttered, landing on all the bright, colorful flowers that littered the plants.
It was abundantly clear that my fate was sealed.
I was a captive to the Ricci family, which was why escaping was my only way out.
Fuck Victoria, Tomasso, and crazy ass Buddha, I was about to run for my fucking life like a runaway slave tonight.
Surprisingly, the day spent with Victoria passed pleasantly enough.
Outside of her letting me know that I wasn’t about to go a got damn place until Lewis paid what he stole, Victoria’s company actually wasn’t half bad.
She didn’t hesitate to explain the role Ricci women play in their husbands' lives.
I was right to think Victoria was just as brutal and cutthroat as the men.
She let me know that once I’m married to Buddha, I was supposed to be his rock.
It was my job to accompany him to certain meetings, not because they needed or wanted my input.
Na, I was to be used as some sort of weird fucking prop.
Apparently, I was supposed to sit there and look fucking pretty, while the men did man things.
It was fucking ridiculous, if you asked me.
She explained that men from different cultures had different rules for conducting business.
Some mob bosses required the men's spouses to be in close proximity because they believed it brought good luck. Meanwhile, other races of men believed women should steer clear because it brought nothing but bad luck.
Victoria went on to let me know that Ricci women were strong, never weak.
Ricci women were who kept their husbands grounded, but we did it respectfully.
Talking back or expressing ourselves in what would be considered an out-of-place manner was an absolute no-no.
Well, that sucks for me. I guess I’d have to stay quiet half the time.
“You have to know when to stand your ground, and you have to know when to shut the fuck up. The faster you learn when to let the correct temperament out, the better. Buddha is complicated; he’s going to test you in more ways than one.
He’s going to make you wish you weren’t born on some days, and on the other days, he’ll make you feel like the only woman in the world.
Always try to figure out how to get the latter out of him.
Trust me, you do not want to see the side of him where you wish your mother had never birthed you. ”
I listened closely to Victoria speak about her son.
I couldn’t even lie, I was very intrigued.
For some odd reason, I wanted to know more about him.
For instance, what made him so complicated?
How did he earn the nickname Buddha? Fuck, I even wanted to know why he only fucked strippers and escorts.
Too bad I would never find out, because tonight, I was gone.
Victoria even made me help plan the farce of a wedding.
She made me choose a dress and decor. I pretended to give a fuck, choosing a beautiful Balenciaga gown that came with a ridiculous price tag.
I’m not sure if it was my imagination or not, but Victoria seemed as if she was truly looking forward to this fake ass marriage and me marrying into this crazy mafia family.
“The men will be back any minute,” she said, looking at the time on her watch.
“It’s almost 8 o’clock. See about your hygiene before they’re back.
You can use the guest bathroom. I think I have something I can give you to wear.
Let’s go,” I followed her from the living room to one of the many guest bedrooms with an adjoining bathroom.
I felt like screaming as I showered. This could not be my life now.
These people were keeping me here against my will; it could not be my life.
Once I was done, I saw a simple Polo shirt dress on the bed and slipped into it.
I had no choice but to go panty-less. There was no way in hell I was about to slip on the same undies I had been wearing all day.
Making my way down the stairs, my steps slowed when I heard the deep baritone of male voices.
I took a steady breath as I mentally prepared myself to greet Buddha.
There were two new faces that I hadn’t seen before.
Along with Buddha, Tomasso and Snow, there were two other men.
I remembered Tomasso mentioning his brother and his son earlier.
“Ahh, this must be Dior. I’ve heard so much about you,” the strange man said as he got up to greet me.
“I’m Tomasso’s step-brother, Francesco. It’s nice to meet you, bella signora (pretty lady),” Francesco said, kissing both of my cheeks.
He held me a little too tight and too close for my liking, but I ignored it.
Victoria filled me in on Francesco. Tomasso learned about him in his younger years.
Apparently, Tomasso’s mother remarried, and the man had a son, thus earning Tomasso a step-brother.
Victoria said Francesco helped teach Tomasso about certain aspects of being a boss, and they joined forces to go into business together.
“This is my son, Luca.” Francesco said, pointing at the young man seated next to Buddha.
“Ciao, (hello),” Luca’s eyes swept over me in a salacious manner. I could tell his thoughts were lewd just by the way he was looking at me. He made me uneasy, so I looked away from him and settled my gaze on Buddha.
“How was your day? My mother said you were on your best behavior.” Buddha got up as he spoke and came toward me.
I gave him a tight fake smile. Victoria smiled as I looked at her, happy that she gave me a gold star of approval.
“Good girl, I’m very proud of you,” he said, so only I could hear as he kissed my cheek.
One thing I knew for sure, this proud moment was going to turn into disappointment really quickly once I ran the fuck away from here.
“The day was well spent. Are we leaving now?” I asked, eager to get back to his house so I could set my plan in motion. I didn’t want to sound suspicious to Buddha in any way.
“Yeah, it was a long day for us also. Gimme a minute,” Buddha responded, getting to his feet.
I stood back in silence as he, his father, and Snow walked a short distance away.
They were speaking softly so I couldn’t hear.
I frowned because whatever they were discussing seemed heated. I wondered if it was about me.
I felt someone’s eyes on me and turned to see Luca staring at me as though I was a piece of meat. A chill ran up my spine. There was something about him I didn’t like.
“So, you’re about to marry Buddha. Too bad you didn’t meet my son first, I would have loved having you as my daughter-in-law,” Francesco said, looking me up and down in a lustful way. I guess it was safe to say, like father, like son, when it came to these two men. They gave off serious ick vibes.
“Dior, let’s go,” Buddha called out to me when he was done having his conversation. I was actually quite relieved to be leaving with him. His uncle and cousin didn’t sit right with me.
“I’m trusting the package will be dealt with? No loose ends,” Francesco directed his question to Buddha. I listened carefully, knowing they were speaking in code. Again, I wondered if they meant me.
“I’ll deal with it first thing in the morning. Don’t worry about it, I’m sure you and Lorenzo need to be getting home,” Buddha answered, looking at his uncle and cousin as though he was eager for them to leave.
“Your father and I have business to discuss. I guess I’ll see you on your wedding day,” Francesco smiled, turning to me again.
With a look of annoyance on his face, Buddha turned away from his uncle and signaled to me.
Like the obedient girl I wanted him to believe I was, I walked over to him.
Reaching for my elbow, Buddha guided me toward the front door.
We left his brother behind as we headed outside.
“Did you eat?” He enquired, holding the passenger door of his Bugatti open for me.
“Yes, your mother took really good care of me. Shit, I didn’t even tell her I was leaving after she was so nice to me.
Will you call her and tell her for me when we get to your house?
” I asked, looking at him before he closed the door, and he nodded his head, agreeing.
I kept silent as he hopped behind the wheel so we could make the short drive to where he lived.
Buddha seemed tense as he drove. I wanted to ask him so many things, but I knew he probably would just ignore my ass.
I discreetly looked at him, the way his hand gripped the steering wheel.
Powerful veins bulged between his knuckles.
Under different circumstances, I would have enjoyed being in the same room with Buddha.
He was a very handsome man, he gave off a very confident air.
I could tell he dominated a room with his presence; he was an alpha male.
He probably was not used to hearing the word no.
“I have to go to the pig farm. I’ll let you in, and you’ll stay inside the bedroom until I get back. Please don’t do any dumb shit to piss a nigga off,” Buddha explained once we stopped the car in front of his house. He turned to me, his cold eyes glaring a hole in my skull.
“Ok, I’ll be on my best behavior,” I reassured him, wondering why in the hell he needed to go to his pig farm at this time of the night.