To Love Thy Enemy

Chapter Twenty

Catalina-

I woke up to the sound of voices and the smell of food, I looked around the room and realized that Noah was not here, which sent me into a panic until I became aware of my surroundings. I got up and my body was a little sore which made me remember the events from last night, last night I was woken up by Nadia who helped me get cleaned up and back into bed while Noah was off on business, which I should be wondering what exactly that meant. But I still cleaned the day off of me, wanting to forget the moments that happen the night before.

Slipping my feet into my shoes, I walked to the door and stepped out of the room and into the hallway following the sound of voices until I got into the kitchen were Mateo, Nadia, Alexis, Jason, and Noah where all sitting having coffee and waiting for breakfast. When Nadia noticed me, everyone grew silent as they turned to notice me standing in the doorway, Noah who was leaning against the window ceil looked over at me with concern as he straightened up slightly.

"Did you sleep well?" Spoke Nadia, but I did not turn my head to look at her.

I walked over to Noah who opened his arms and embraced me and immediately I closed my eyes to keep the tears from spilling from my eyes, I was still very traumatized and waking up alone sent me back to a place so long ago into my childhood that I didn't want to remember.

Noah spoke "I'm sorry I had to leave so early, I had to report to your grandfather."

I didn't respond to him; I kept my eye closed and continued to lean into him, I just needed a moment like this as I gained my energy back. I knew I would have to pull away but not yet, there was a sound of a door shutting and then I felt Noah tense up. I opened my eyes and turned to the side to see my Poppa, Alistar, Apollo, Janelle, and to my very much surprise Victoria and Gabrielle.

I have never pulled away from someone so much in my life, at this point I would be risking his job if my Poppa thought that Noah would not be able to handle the responsibility to do his job because of me being a distraction. "Poppa, I didn't know you were coming back so early." I whispered and walked over to him and hugging him.

"I heard what happen with you and came back because I needed to see with my own eyes that you were ok." He spoke looking down at me his hand under my chin to examine my face that was bruised.

Noah cleared his throat, "Sir, I have information whenever you are ready to speak with me."

Victoria Piped up "If you had been doing your job, my daughter would not have been put into harm's way. How could you be so irresponsible as to leave her exposed to be attacked."

Everyone looked taken aback by what she had said.

I saw red at that moment, and I pulled away from my Poppa and looked at her as Noah looked down feeling the blame that showed all over his face. Not only was she trying to embarrass him, but to do so in front of his employees even if they were friends.

I stepped over to her and before anyone had time to react my arm moved back and I slapped her across the face so hard that the print was visible right away and several people gasped. She looked at me in shock "How dare you slap your mother, Catalina."

I laughed and kicked her leg out from under her making her fall to the ground grabbing her by her hair, my Poppa tried to remove my hand "Lina, that is-"

I cut him off "There are a lot of f*****g things I can tolerate, but the one thing you will not f*****g do is speak to him any way you f*****g want."

Everyone was stunned by the words that were coming out of my mouth, I never stuck up for Noah and everyone knew I was normally the one jumping on the band wagon. Someone grabbed my arm and I looked up to see Gabrielle "Shouldn't you take your own advice, since you treat him worse than anyone." The silence in the room that followed.

I stepped back and slapped her hand off of me "Don't worry about what I do and how I handle my people, worry about your bank account problems and not about me bitch."

"CATALINA ENOUGH!" Boomed my Poppa.

I was tired, I was tired of always being silenced from the people around me. No one wanted to take into account the trials I just went through, the fact my life was in danger just hours before, the fact that the woman who abandoned me and only came around for my grandfather's money pretending that I mattered.

"No Poppa, it is not enough, you and Oma (My grandmother) never Raised me to not speak my mind. So why is it that you are trying to silence me now? This woman abandoned me, left me home alone with my father so that she could go see the f*****g w***e she had been sleeping with, the same f*****g man who took the life of my father and left me in a pool of his f*****g blood crying for my daddy to wake up, refuses to acknowledge me my entire existence basically and you expect me to care for her, to let her in, to allow her something she is not entitled to. If that's the case, you can f*****g send me back to Italy and I'll f*****g stay." I spoke, and I knew that I was challenging the person who controlled every move I made.

I heard Noah's voice in my ear "Calm down Catalina, breath!"

"No, I will not calm down, I was f*****g attacked again and everyone f*****g treats me like a child, I f*****g watched my father lose his life, my mother f*****g abandoned me at the age of 7, put into protective custody basically and told to sit quietly and don't draw to much attention to myself, act this way or that way, move to the beat of everyone else's thoughts and opinions. I can't even f*****g breath without someone standing over me telling me I'm doing it wrong. I'm kept in the dark like i'm not old enough to understand the business that my father and grandfather do, while people want to smile in my face and while I worry about the dangers behind my back and the thought of losing the only Familia I actually have left. So, no I will not f*****g calm down." I snapped.

I felt arms wrap around me and I froze to see it is Jenelle "I'm so sorry my baby bird, why have you held this in for so long?"

I stood there, not moving, not understanding, confused as my Poppa looked at me in shock never knowing the way that I felt.

"I'm sorry Poppa, I was out of line. I broke your rules, and I will return home." I looked down and pulled away from Jenelle and turned on my heels to leave, and then a voice shook me, and I froze in the doorway of the kitchen my back turned to the room as someone spoke, the chill that climbed up my spine and into my heart.

"Boss I checked the perimeter and didn't find anything." Spoke the man.

"Noah." I whispered just as my knees gave and I began to fall, I felt someone catch me.

"What is it Catalina? What is wrong?" I heard his voice in my ear.

"Who is that voice." I spoke.

A very confused Noah looked down at me "Jason."