Chapter 20 (Aliyana)
Chapter 20 (Aliyana)
The truth, of how just hours ago that man had his hands all over me is at the tip of my tongue. Does she know? Could she have heard Marco when he had me trapped in the kitchen with his hands on my naked ass? No. Marco loves her, I am a distraction.
“And there it is, the guilt of innocence. You are jealous.”
"Really? Because from where I stand, I think you are mistaking my I don't give a fuck attitude for something it’s not."
"And what is that? Please don’t stop on my account," Deno says as he enters the room with mirth written in red across his face.
"Aliyana enough, let’s go," Guilia says in a low tone.
"No, I am not going anywhere. I am a guest here and right now I feel like we are not wanted. If you would like this wedding to be called off, it can be arranged. What can’t be arranged is your flare of saying things you know nothing about. It must sting to know that my sister would be Mrs Catelli before you. Maybe you ought to think about why that is."
"Aliyana." Marco's voice whips through the air as my name is barked across the room before he even enters. A thought of his eyes as I left earlier flashes in my head.
"Aliyana, please let’s just go. Camilla is a bit drunk." Guilia pleads but pleading is not going to take me back down. This is where Camilla will learn the error of her ways.
"I have had enough of your fiancé's snipes since we got here. She has used every opportunity to bring my sister down. And now she wants to play her little games with me. And I am not in the mood to play.”
“We should get to bed now.” Guilia talks louder, hoping it would get me to bed, but I refuse to budge.
“No, I am done being silent. We came here to celebrate a union and believe it when I say I did not want to be here. But in the light of it all, I am glad to see that this is how the Catelli’s treat their guest.”
“Enough, you need to calm the fuck down,” Marco says
“I didn’t come here to watch my sister be bullied into obedience, or get accused of being a jealous lover and my sister is as much a part of this family as Camilla, if not more so since she gets married in a week. She deserves respect.” Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.
Guilia stands rigid next to me, not used to me standing up for her or maybe it is the fact that I am screaming at Marco, the head of the household and that is punishable. He could beat me, slap me, kick me out. And maybe I am crazy for my actions, or like Ren I have a death wish, but either way, I know he won’t do any of that.
“Is this true?” Marco asks looking at Guilia.
“Aliyana didn’t mean it.”
“Yes, she did,” Leonardo says also walking in. I am shocked he was even around after his earlier impromptu leave.
“We were going to discuss it later on tonight alone, but since this has now become a public affair, I should say brother that your future wife is a bitch. And while I thought her despise toward my woman was solely out of jealousy, I was wrong. Today she outdid herself, you should keep her in line, she has crossed a line no one is allowed to.” Leonardo says nothing else as he walks toward Guilia and me.
He takes my sister’s hand and the two of them leave. But his words have me frowning. I happen to know that this isn’t the first time something of that unmortared threat has left his mouth.
“You are making a big thing out of nothing. I was giving her my opinion” Camilla says walking toward Marco.
“An unwarranted one from what I hear,” Deno voices out from his relaxing position by the wall.
“Really? Is telling my sister that her future husband is never going to love her, or airing out his sex life that you happen to know so much about nothing?”
She has the audacity to look sheepish.
“Because that look you placed in my sister’s eyes is nothing. I have no idea what planet you stepped off of, or how fucked up your life was growing up but I happen to take my sister's distress as a very fucking big thing when it comes from someone with cruel intentions. And you don’t know me enough to give me any advice, because if you did you would be careful the next time you speak to me.”
Camilla laughs, “You are a little girl, with some very important friends, I think I know enough.”
“REALLY? Is that why you spent all that money and time asking about me? You seem to forget that I too have a fancy surname.” Her mouth shuts and she is seconds from exploding and I don’t hide the slight tilt of my lip as I stand in my purple flare dress feeling like I just won a match with the she-demon.
“Yes, Camilla, is that why?” Marco asks her but his eyes are still on me.
“Marco.”
“I think I heard enough. I apologize for my fiancé's behavior.”
“I’ll take Aliyana to her room,” Deno says as Marco and Camilla have a silent standoff.
“No, I would. Camilla, I suggest you make use of the bedroom I provided for the evening.” Marco’s words are harsh, and even across from the two of them I can feel his anger. Guilt drowns me at what I
did.
Knowledge can sometimes be a tool used to fix a problem, in my case, however, Knowledge was a weapon I used to win a small battle that is inconsequential in the grand scheme of all that is happening. Look what you made me do Camilla, I hope this teaches you a lesson.
“I can take myself to bed.”
“No, you are not. We have business to discuss.” Deno and Camilla leave the library and I deliberately wait on the other side, delaying the inevitable.
Marco Catelli was done waiting. It was time to face my actions or was it? His phone rings and an almost forlorn look captives his face.
“We’ll talk tomorrow Aliyana.” I nod and leave him as he answers his phone and a sense of pity fills my body, as I take the stairs to my bedroom. I pass the one and hear a crying Camilla. Yes, it was time to call it a night.