CHAPTER3:Elena’s smile
1298 Words
Elena chuckled at Bianca’s words. She was puzzled. How would two beautiful daughters from the same parents have such distinctive characters? Bianca and Melissa were too different.
At forty-four, Elena possessed a timeless beauty that drew attention wherever she went. Her dark hair fell gracefully over her shoulders, and her warm eyes looked very gentle, which made everyone trust her easily. She was exceptionally gorgeous, even with all the stress she had gone through these past years.
Elena had managed to train her beautiful daughters since the disappearance of her husband, until Bianca forcefully took it upon herself to assist her mother.
“Mum!!!” Melissa screamed. “You don’t know the plenty of money she just showed me. Bianca must have entangled herself with some bad deal, Mum.”
Elena was startled when she heard the huge amount that Melissa had just told her. Elena’s eyes widened at Bianca.
“Where did you get such money from?”
Bianca’s eyes stared into Elena’s eyes.
“Mum, calm down.” She held her shoulders. “I might be stubborn, unserious, and nonchalant, but I am definitely not a thief. Riccardo gave me the money willingly. You can see,” showing her mum the creditor’s name.
“Who is Riccardo, my girl?”
“He is one of my clients, but he is now my Demi Gold. Believe me, Mum, I am literally telling you everything. I cross my heart, Mum. We are rich. All our debts are going to be paid, Mum.”
Bianca hugged and kissed her mother’s forehead and swayed her mother so she could join her dance.
Bianca was screaming on top of her voice, singing.
Elena jolted her.
“Reduce your voice, Bianca.”
Elena shook her head and sat down slowly. She always wondered why two daughters raised in the same house could be so different.
Bianca was sunshine and chaos.
Melissa was caution and determination.
One followed her heart.
And the other followed facts.
Elena sat on the chair with a radiant smile, thanking God for sending them a helper. She smiled again vigorously, and she stood and jumped. She couldn’t pretend any longer that she didn’t love money. She was a lover of money and had always thought that Bianca took after her in her love for money, while Melissa took after her father, always cheerful and focused.
Mark Romano, Elena’s husband, always spoiled her with expensive clothes and shoes, but after his disappearance, she had to auction them for them to feed.
Bianca handed Elena her credit card.
“Mum, spend whatever you feel like spending. I want you to look amazingly beautiful like you were before Dad’s disappearance.”
Tears streamed down Elena’s eyes. Finally, they had bounced back to her classy dressing and good life.
Melissa looked at Bianca and Elena with bewilderment.
“Mum,” she screamed, “so will you just allow Bianca keep the money without knowing the supposed Riccardo?”
They both laughed at Melissa.
Bianca said, “She is Daddy’s girl.”
Later that night, the apartment grew quieter. Bianca had gone into her room. Melissa was focused on unraveling the case of her father.
Elena looked through the walls and saw Mark Romano’s portrait. With his blue eyes filled with life, he was looking so cute in the photograph. She was sadly staring at the portrait, trying to hold her tears, but they rolled down her cheek uncontrollably. Then she consoled herself with a bright smile.
She muttered, “Wherever you are, please just be safe, my home man.”
A knock echoed at the front of the apartment.
Melissa frowned.
“Who could that be at this time?”
Melissa stood up and yelled towards the entrance door.
“Who are you?”
A masculine voice came from the entrance direction, calm and firm.
“Please, I would love to have a word with Melissa Roman. My name is Liam Bellini.”
Melissa paused. She had seen that surname several times in the Aurora Hotel investigation she had been doing.
Elena heard the knock and came out hastily from the kitchen.
“Who is there?” she asked Melissa.
Melissa shook her head and slowly opened the door.
“What do you want?” Melissa asked, staring at a handsome boy in his late twenties. His features radiated quiet confidence, and his expensive clothes calmly suited his well-built muscles.
“I’m Liam Bellini—”
Melissa cut in sharply.
“You have said that before.”
But he couldn’t seem to get his gaze out of Melissa’s sexy eyes.
“Oh,” he finally spoke, dipping his hand into his pocket.
Elena stiffened at Melissa’s back.
He brought out a card and extended it to Melissa.
“I guess you are Melissa Roman.”
Melissa stuttered, “Yes.”
He replied, “I think we need to talk about Mark Romano.”
Melissa and Elena froze. Their eyes widened as if they had just heard something forbidden.
No one had ever talked about Mark Romano’s disappearance since four years ago.
Melissa asked within her mind, “Who is this man? Why does a stranger want to talk about her father, and how does he connect to everything?”
Something deep down told her that her life was about to change.
Elena’s face suddenly went pale, but both Bianca and Melissa were so shocked to notice Elena.
Elena had missed her husband so much and always wished he could come back to her, and she prayed every day for Mark Romano to be alive and not dead.
Melissa collected the card from the stranger.
“What was inside the card?” she argued with her mind.
She locked the door, and Bianca asked, “Do you know the content of this card?”
Elena cut in sharply.
“It will be the young man’s address.”
Bianca said, “I am not letting you do this alone, Melissa. You cannot see a total stranger alone.”
Melissa and Elena stared at each other, and they burst into tears.
Elena held both her daughters, crying and consoling them.
She said, “I know Mark is out there, and he is going to come back to us someday.”
Bianca heard the vibration of her phone inside her room and hastily ran to pick it up.
She had been waiting all day for Riccardo to call, but there wasn’t any call. Bianca had tried reaching him, but his phone was switched off.
She picked the phone and heard a feminine voice.
“Hey!! Is this Bianca?”
She answered, almost mumbling, “Yes. How may I help you?”
The voice cut in sharply.
“So, you are the w***e who has turned my husband into her money bag. I saw the large amount he transferred to you this morning. If you don’t let loose of my husband, I wouldn’t promise the doom that awaits you.”
The voice screamed, “Cheap slut! He doesn’t love you. You are just a plaything.”
The call ended.
Somehow, Bianca thought, “Is Riccardo using me as his plaything?”
Then she smiled in a demonic way.
“He can use me for as long as he wishes. I am unbothered.”
Bianca went back to Elena and Melissa. She always had her ways of shoving out her worries, making burdens feel less cumbersome.
Bianca called out to Melissa, “That Bellini guy is unspeakably gorgeous. What if we have a threesome kind of fling with him? Let’s f**k him mercilessly till his limbs are broken.”
She winked at Melissa and smiled with Elena.
“Mum, what do you think?”
Melissa gasped.
“Eww! You are so naughty.”
They all burst into laughter.
- Writer
