The Mafia’s Forbidden Desire

ROSALINDA.

Papà was skimming through a file when we entered his office. The second he saw us, he set it aside, focusing his attention on us.

“My lovely daughters.” He beamed, a face-splitting grin tugging his lips apart, surprising us.

Sofia and I flicked our gazes at each other, confusion roaming our features, before returning our gazes to Papà.

He had been stern with us since the whole pregnancy and Oliver issue. So, seeing him talk to us cheerfully was quite surprising and suspicious.

“You asked for us.” I muttered, approaching his desk.

“Yes, I did.” He leapt to his feet and walked around his desk, stopping before us.

“Rosalinda, Sofia.” He continued, darting his gaze between us. “I know I’ve not been the best father. Looking back at what happened, I realised I should have handled things differently.”

Sofia and I looked at each other once again, our confusion deepening. Those were the last words I had expected to slip off Papà’s lips.

“What? Are you dying?” Sofia was the first to speak.

“No.” He chuckled softly as he dipped both hands inside his pockets. “It’s just that it hurts me to see both of you rebel against me. You’ve always been very sweet, and I realised my actions might have changed you. I want my daughters back. That’s all.”

“Okay, Papà. If this is you asking for forgiveness, we forgive you.” I blurted out.

I didn’t know where all that was coming from, but that was not the time I wanted to hear about his redemption. I needed to leave there as soon as possible.

Because the longer I stay there, the slimmer my chances of catching up with Antonio become. I needed to get to Antonio before he started his manhunt on Oliver.

So, agreeing to forgive him was the fastest way out. I’d still talk about my feelings and how much he hurt Sofia and me later, not now.

“Sofia, right?” I turned to look at her, hoping she’d understand why we needed to pretend to forgive him.

“Right.” She nodded. “You are our father, and we forgive you for all that you’ve done.”

Well, that didn’t seem believable.

“Are you sure?” Papà asked, sceptical about our response.

“Of-course Papà.” I muttered, closing the distance between us and embracing him.

“I’m just glad you still love us.” I told him as we pulled away from the embrace.

“I never stopped loving you.” He declared, his gaze darting between Sofia and me. “I love you both so much.”

After finally convincing Papà that we had forgiven him for everything, he finally let us go. I was still sceptical about his apology, though; it was sudden and immensely surprising.

I snuck out of the house and boarded a taxi to Antonio’s mansion, anxiously hoping he’d still be there when I arrived. Papà had wasted a lot of my time, and my chances of catching up with him seemed really little.

But luck was on my side, as I got to his place just in time. He was standing by his car, about to slip inside, when I got there.

“Antonio.” I called as I sprinted towards him, panting heavily.Text content © NôvelDrama.Org.

“Rosalinda?” He raised a confused brow, gazing at me. “Why are you here?”

Marco was standing by the other side of the car, and I couldn’t feel him eyeing me warily, but I didn’t give a damn.

“Can we talk inside, please?” I requested.

“Please.” I added when I sensed his hesitation.

“Fine.” He agreed, pressing his lips tightly together as he started heading to the front door, with me following suit.

Once inside, he led me through a maze of corridors without uttering a word to me until we finally stopped in front of a door.

“After you.” He said as he pushed the door open, holding it for me to enter.

“Thank you.” I responded, nodding slightly as I trudged inside.

The room was enormous. It was beautifully decorated with a theme of gold and white. To say it screamed royalty was an understatement.

“Is this your room?” I couldn’t help but ask. It was just too gorgeous.

“Yes.” He answered, confirming my guess as he shut the door behind us.

“It’s beautiful.” I complimented as my eyes continued wandering around, momentarily forgetting the reason I was there.

“So. What did you have to discuss with me?” Antonio asked, reminding me of the matter at hand.

I had a lot of things to say to him, but I decided to start with the less difficult one.

“Thank you.” I said, genuinely meaning it.

He raised a brow. “For?”

“Ruby. Thank you for following her and making sure she was okay.” I elaborated. “You didn’t have to do it. But you did anyway. And I know you did it for me. So, thank you.”

“Oh, don’t flatter yourself.” He chortled, and I chuckled softly.

There was a long stretch of silence afterwards as we just stared at each other, saying nothing.

“So, is that all?” He asked after a while, breaking the silence.

“No.” I slowly shook my head. I was just starting.

A lump formed in my throat, and I swallowed as I tried to think of the right way to put it. It was Oliver who started it, and I knew I had no right to ask him not to take his revenge, but he was Sofia’s lover, and I had to do something about it. Oliver’s death would break and shatter her into pieces, and I didn’t want to ever see my sister go through such an ordeal.

“I’m listening.” He prodded as he wrapped his arms around his chest, awaiting my response.

“Can I ask you for one impossible favour, please?” I finally said.

“I know what you are about to say. I know why you came here. And just as you’ve said, Rosalinda, it’s impossible.” He asserted.

“Antonio, please!” I implored desperately. “I beg you. Please don’t kill him.”

Staring directly into my eyes with a deadpan expression, he replied sternly. “No!””