Blood Over Love
1097 Words
Marina smiled as she walked down the stairs to meet her equally smiling mother in the living room, a glass of wine dangling lazily in her hand. The soft glow of the chandelier reflected off the polished floor as she descended, her heels clicking lightly.
“What do you think, Mom? Do you think the slut is still alive?” she chuckled, her lips curling with cruel amusement.
Marina’s mother scoffed.
“Like Matteo would let her live after what she did.”
She took the wine from Marina’s hand and raised it, and they clinked glasses before taking slow sips.
Marina shrugged, rolling her eyes dramatically.
“Poor thing… she deserves it for daring to go after my man,” she spat, venom dripping from every word.
Her mother’s eyes snapped wide.
“She did what?”
Marina scoffed, irritation flashing across her face.
“Damien is a man, Mom. No doubt he just wants her for fun…” Marina snapped, taking another careless sip of her wine.
Her mother chuckled dryly, shaking her head.
“Damien has never cheated, Marina…”
Marina swallowed the wine and turned her face away, the sound of that statement clawing something raw and painful deep inside her chest. Her fingers tightened around the glass.
“He’s always had his eyes on Samantha, and after her death, he never cared about any other woman,” her mother added quietly.
Marina scoffed again. “And so what if he wants this one now? It’s nothing serious…”
“It’s beyond serious, Marina,” her mother scolded, pushing herself up from the couch.
Marina rolled her eyes, unimpressed.
“A man who wanted nothing to do with women after losing the one woman he swore was the love of his life suddenly takes interest in another is something to be afraid of, Marina,” her mother warned.
Marina exhaled sharply, panic creeping into her veins as the words sank in despite her resistance.
“You should get rid of her,” Mrs. Monroe stated flatly.
Marina snapped her eyes to her mother.
“Mom!”
The older woman pressed a defiant nod.
Marina shook her head. “You’re the one who advised I tone it down with the—”
“Shhhh…” her mother cut her off before she could say the word out loud, her eyes darting around the room instinctively.
“There’s no one here but you and me…” Marina whined.
“The walls have ears, Marina…”
Marina rolled her eyes again, annoyance etched into her face.
Her mother exhaled and stepped closer, lowering her voice.
“Fine. If you can’t get rid of her immediately… then do something for Damien. Something that will seal your place in this family while we quietly make arrangements to dispose of the slut sooner or later.”
Marina’s lips curved slowly. She nodded.
“Now you’re talking, Mom.”
“So what do you suggest?”
“A child… I want to give Damien a son,” Marina disclosed.
Her mother’s eyes widened in surprise before a proud, calculating smile spread across her lips.
“So what are your plans to—”
“But it’s not working, Mom… I’m not getting pregnant no matter how long Damien and I go at it,” Marina complained bitterly.
She lifted her worried gaze to meet her mother’s.
“What do you advise, Mom? What should I do?” she asked softly.
Mrs. Monroe smiled slowly, an idea settling deep within her mind.
“I’ll do anything—”
“We’ll have him exactly the same way we had Quinn,” her mother cut her off.
Terror spread across Marina’s face. She gulped painfully hard, her body stiffening.
“There’s nothing to fear, Marina… as long as the child carries the Moretti blood, it doesn’t matter who the father is.”
Marina lowered her gaze, her head shaking frantically now as dread settled in her bones.
Her mother sat beside her and took her hand gently.
“There’s nothing to worry about, my dear daughter… you’ll bear the Morettis a son. Your mother will make sure of that.”
Marina swallowed and nodded slowly. Her mother leaned in and planted a soft kiss on her hair.
“I bet she’s still in the mansion, sir… she came to pay your wife a visit,” a guard said, trailing behind Damien as his eyes searched every corner of the mansion.
“And you’re sure she didn’t leave? She could have gone home,” Damien said tensely.
“No, sir,” the guard cut in.
“She didn’t leave… none of us saw her go.”
Damien swallowed hard, panic surging through his veins as his gaze darted restlessly.
“Where could she be then…” he growled, pacing the marble floor.
“I heard someone fired a shot in the mansion today…”
Damien froze and turned sharply, his eyes locking onto a group of maids whispering among themselves.
“What did you say?” He lunged forward, seizing the wrist of the girl who had spoken.
“What did you say?” he demanded again.
“I—I’m really sorry, sir…”
“Speak!” he barked.
“We… we heard gunshots across the mansion earlier today,” she whimpered, her head lowered.
Damien’s heart sank. Gunshots never echoed through the estate. Selene was nowhere to be found. His father too.
That could only mean one thing.
“Where did it come from?” he asked breathlessly.
“Y-your father’s wing.”
Damien bolted toward his father’s wing, about to force his way inside when he ran straight into Matteo’s personal bodyguard.
“Sir…” the guard bowed.
“Where’s my father?” Damien demanded.
The guard hesitated.
“Where is my father!” Damien roared.
The guard pointed toward the gates.
Damien ran.
Rain drenched him within seconds as he sprinted down the dark estate road, his eyes searching desperately.
“Selene!” he screamed.
“Selene, where—”
His voice died in his throat as his eyes landed on a car identical to his father’s, parked in the middle of the road.
Soft whimpers and moans echoed from inside.
Damien’s stomach dropped.
“Selene?” he called, stepping closer—
A hand gripped his arm from behind, stopping him cold. His father’s guard.
Damien felt his heart shatter as he watched the car move to the rhythm of two bodies, in and out of each other.
He lowered his head in defeat.
He knew exactly what that meant.
- Writer
