Chapter Five
1671 Words
As Adalina walked along the corridor that led to the underground parking lot, she thought of how many times she had walked that path, and how many things she had done to gain respect from these people.
When she had first arrived at the Martini's castle, her status as both the daughter of godfather and a renounced assassin had not mattered.
These people didn't want to hear but see, and even after they saw they did not stop testing her bottom line.
She had worked so hard for the crown she bears; the matriarch. Her conveniently marrying Marcello was just a mere title.
The humiliation, goading, constant disrespect how could she forget for even a second. How many times had she felt like there were hands choking her, those hands like metal clamping down her vessels and cutting off her airway till she was gasping desperately for air that was barely licking through the c***k of a closed window. She had died and lived, fallen and soared. Yet again she has fallen.
She is a Sokolov, it blood was raging madly in her pipes.
How could she have even thought of leaving the product of her hard work for someone else to reap.
It was alright, Marcello had pulled the rug underneath her feet when she had just barely found a footing, but it was okay.
She knew she would be disrespected and degraded once again, yet again she would find her way to the top.
There was no option of giving up.
The car pinged and its light flashed as she pressed the remote in her left hand. Adalina strapped the belt before pressing the start button and swiftly maneuvered the Audi out of the garage.
She could not describe where the pent-up rage precipitated from. Was it from marital disloyalty or the disrespect she would be suffering in the future.
All her hard work had amounted to nothing, it was safe to say her dedication could not save her marriage. Her fidelity, her status, and her potential served nothing. Nothing at all. She pulled the gear as she sped down the express.
Compromise, she had with her life. She loved the thrill her job offered, but here she was wasting away playing house. She had given it up; stalking her prey, discovering hobbies, and flaws. She had found it so unique and fascinating.
And now she was the boring Adalina who had to take care of the household, clean up after her husband's messes, and then strove desperately to meet up with their expectation.
She gave up her dream, his hobbies had become hers and his inspiration had become her expectation. Love, she didn't love him, but she had given her all into their marriage. She did not want to have a marriage like godfather's, yet godfather had proven to be a better husband.
Was it too much to ask for the same respect that she had given in return. Was it?
Was it her fault for having any expectation of him
His betrayal had stung, she thought at least they'd be committed to each other in this facade that was short of being a cage and her a canary unable to escape.
She had put up with everything thrown at her she had been called uninteresting and rigid for being resolute. She had endured, but, why did it look like she was the only one who noticed. Why did it seem like she was back to square one?
What did they want from her?
She had forgotten who she was in this battle of meeting expectations, and the harder she tried the farther she got from being that person they wanted her to be.
She pulled the break and the car came to a halt at the garage of 'the cruise' club. The club was a part of the dowry given to her, it was them letting her take charge of her household. Take charge, she did, but share, she wouldn't.
Her father had once said she was stubborn by nature, she does not leave any chance for compromise. Even Marcello had once called her rigid.
She had battled against herself to be patient, but what had she gained in the end. If she continued being patient what would be her end? A bullet in the skull maybe, but would have been best compared to a husband with a bastard child.
Adalina strolled into the high-end club, it was hers and she was proud of the work she had done. She twirled her car key as she looked around, of course, the club was running smoothly while her life was in rumbles.
Well at least, something was going right.
This club feels more like home than her own home, the cacophony of noise put to rest the raging storm threatening to break free rendering her vulnerable.
She was a Sokolov, and Sokolov can not be vulnerable.
That moment of weakness was her only reprieve.
She glanced at one of the VIP sections when she noticed something that made her settling blood effervescent; Matheo groping an unwilling waitress.
He broke rule number one of "the cruise", our waitresses are not to be touched unless willing. This was his second.
As the redhead struggled frantically in his left hand, he delivered a resounding slap on her tear-stained face. He locked his arms and pulled her onto his lap. Matheo's free hand then crept into her very short pleated skirt. These perverts never learned.
Adalina watched as his partners laughed at the expense of her desperation and fear, and she wondered if a struggling woman provoked the desire of a man.
It never did matter if it did, because he had just provoked her anger and someone had to pay for it.
She matched in his direction just as she unstrapped her gun and placed the hand slightly behind her.
She stood at the entrance as she observed the girl, she could not be more than twenty, her petite body had curves in the right places, and her heavy curls had been let loose from their bounds.
No wonder, predators like them liked innocent girls like her.
Her doe eyes filled with tears looked frantically around for an escape or a Samaritan, but Adalina was no Samaritan.
Two gunshots rang out; one at each knee, and a loud cry of agony and that of fear followed.
For a few seconds, the dancing and chatter stopped, but the music never did and soon afterward they resumed.
Matheo had roughly pushed away the woman on his lap to cup his injuries with the intent of relieving the sharp pain radiating through his legs.
Adalina didn't miss the look of ecstasy that flashed in the redhead's eyes.
The manager had rushed to the scene at an unknown time, and as Adalina turned to leave, he chased after her.
" Adalina", his breath came in pants. "What has happened? In between his brows was worry.
" What has happened is that that asswipe Mathias...." She pointed her gun in his direction
"Matheo", He corrected.
" He broke our number 1 rule", She worked around the strap to keep the gun tucked away.
"Would it kill if there was an exemption? He ran into her back as she stopped abruptly.
" Such as",
"The son of the man in charge of arms", He gestured with his lips jutting out in the direction of Matheo who was being rushed out.
" Darius, have you forgotten or are just taking bribes",
"You should not worry yourself about such ladies, she wanted quick cash, but she wanted to leave before the deed was done", He ran his hand through his brown locks. His eyes darted around to avoid looking into hers.
" Quick cash? Adalina looked at him in a sardonic manner.
"Looks can be deceiving", He tried to shrug nonchalantly, but it looked forced.
" Just like yours, isn't it",
As he opened his mouth to counter her, the look in her eyes promised the third bullet would be in his skull.
"Looks like I've been wrong in my judgment, how much is your cut",
" 25%? Her head tilted to the side as she ran her eyes down his slender six-foot body.
Darius shuddered reflexively knowing that he would not be getting out of the situation unscathed.
"Remind me how much you are being paid again", She led him towards her office and he looked around for an escape route, but the nearest door was about twenty feet away. He knew he would be dead before he reached it.
He kept quiet not knowing if it was a rhetorical question.
Adalina opened her office with her fingerprint and gestured for him to go in " Well" she dropped the gun on her desk and pulled at her leather gloves.
She knew he was eyeing the gun, but he should know better than that.
"Fifteen grand", He replied in a shaky voice as the realization had just dawned on him.
"Generous isn't it? She looked at him in question and he nodded unable to refute her.
She stared long at him until he shoveled on his feet.
She sighed softly and muttered "I'm aware you know which term you've violated",
" You can't fire me, after all, you didn't hire me", Seemingly gaining some courage, Darius looked at her in deviance but that look of fear he was struggling to hide didn't evade her.
Adalina's hand paused briefly in thought; she seemed to have forgotten that he was hired by Lovetta, Marcello's mother.
If she didn't handle it well would she not be disappointing her.
Without a second thought, she unlocked the safety clip and shot him in between his eyes.
She long pressed the intercom on the table, and a masculine voice responded " I need you to send a message to Lovetta",
"Message", Petrov inquisitively reiterated. He thought of what message Adalina could have for Lovetta when they never see eye to eye.
" A gift",
- Writer
