A Mafia Daughter 1

Part 9

Viviana stormed into her house angrily, realizing what a fool she had been to forget who Matteo was. She had let a moment of gratitude fool her into thinking he could be a sympathetic person. But she had seen him firsthand, ordering a man's death.

She looked around, vases full of flowers all around. Quickly, she ran to the vases, yanking the flowers out violently.

"Greta!" She called, her voice cracking. The housekeeper came out of the kitchen.

"What is it, Ms. Viviana? Are you okay? What are you doing?" She asked, as she saw Viviana tossing the flowers on the floor.

"These are going in the trash, get a bag." Viviana said, dumping more flowers on the floor.

"But Ms. Viviana..." She began to protest.

"NOW." Viviana ordered running up the stairs towards her room. She threw the door open and grabbed a bouquet she had placed by her bed. Without thinking, she opened her window and threw them out onto the street.

"Bastardo." She said. The housekeeper heard Viviana curse in Italian and moved quicker. It was rare to hear Viviana use Italian, usually only when she was livid. Quickly, she moved to get the flowers all into a large trash bag, thinking what a shame it was to throw them but also wondering what had upset her.

"Is that all of them?" Viviana asked, as she helped the housekeeper move the trash bag out to the curb.

"Si." She answered simply.

As Viviana entered the house, she noticed a single flower which lay on the kitchen table, somehow forgotten in the rush. She walked over to it slowly, cursing herself for falling for his act- suddenly feeling her hate for the entire Mafia refueled. As she picked up the flower, she brought it to her nose but the sweet scents she had enjoyed yesterday were now gone and in her anger the flower was crushed beneath her fingers.

She needed to get out. She couldn't be here. She couldn't. She couldn't be somewhere where it was necessary to be followed by guards, where she might get shot down, where everyone she knows is liable to kill for the right price.

Viviana was the daughter of a mobster, and as such she knew how to fire a gun before she could read- and still she felt no safer. As long as she was here she was at risk. She needed to get out of here, but how?

------

"Viviana! Viviana Aliotta! Get down here!" Viviana awoke from a deep sleep to the sound of her father screams. She sat up slowly, looking at the time, it was half past five. She had slept all afternoon.

"VIVIANA!" she heard him call again. She realized he would probably be wondering about the flowers. With a quick look in the mirror, she lazily made her way downstairs.

"Daddy, I'm here." She said, appearing from the staircase.

"Would you like to explain to me about that bag full of flowers outside?" He asked. Viviana walked past him into the dining room.

"Bugs." She said, not wanting to argue. Her father looked at her for a moment, debating whether or not it was a legitimate excuse.

"Okay. Well, listen to me. You need to get dressed- we are having dinner at the Don's tonight." He said, a smile forming on his face. Viviana groaned inwardly.

"But Papa, I'm very tired today, I am not well. Besides, It is so late. Greta must have started dinner by now ." She said, trying to get out of it. The last thing she wanted was to face the Don or Matteo.

"That doesn't matter. Besides, I tried calling earlier but you didn't pick up your phone." He said.

"I wasn't feeling well- I slept all afternoon." She said begrudgingly.

"Well, then you can't be so tired, so turn around, put on something pretty. We leave at 7 sharp." He said. Viviana stared at him for a moment.

"Really? I know this is important, daddy," She said, trying to get him to let her stay home, "But I'm still not feeling so great after what happened."

Her father looked at her semi-ashamed for a minute. He knew she was still in shock. He reached out for her hands, grabbing them tenderly in his. He looked at his daughter- she was very beautiful, smart, cultured but he had not been hard enough on her. Spoiling her rotten and letting her stay away when she should have been with her family at home.

"I would let you stay if I could, but tonight you are the guest of honor." He said with a smile, stroking his daughter's cheek. Viviana's face changed to one of curiosity.

"Me? Why? What do you mean?" Viviana asked.

"Viviana, come sit. " He said, pulling her to sit next to him.

"The Don has bestowed a great honor on us. His son, Matteo, has requested your hand and The Don has approved." He said. Viviana was perfectly still, her face had gone completely white.

"What?" She asked after a few seconds, stuttering as she tried to comprehend what he said.

"Matteo has asked for your hand in marriage, " her father said, his voice full of joy, pride in his face, "and I have happily accepted. "

Her father leaned in and hugged her and for a moment she hugged him back too in shock to respond. Viviana stood and began to pace around the room, slowly repeating to herself what her father had just said.

"It's a great honor to unite our family with his. Of course, we could see that you and Matteo had begun to form a bond." He said, smiling at his daughter. Viviana stopped in her tracks and turned to look at his face.

"But we just met... two weeks ago." She said, still processing his words. Her mind was racing… had she really heard him right?

"Si, but when it comes to love..." Her father began but she cut him off.

"Love? Love? Papa, I don't love Matteo." She said blankly, stopping and staring at him as if he had said something ridiculous. "I can't love someone I just met." Her father shrugged.

"Well he seems quite enamored of you and besides, Love is something that comes later." He said as if it was common sense. Viviana raised a brow at her father, trying still to make sense of things.

"but I don't want to marry Matteo." Viviana suddenly blurted out. Her father's face changed.

"Why is that?" He asked.

"Because I can't be the Don's wife. What about my dreams? I'll never be a teacher, I'll never work with children..." she began in a panic. Her father shook his head.

"You will be busy enough with your own babies. Listen, figlia mia, It is normal to be nervous..." he began but she cut him off.

"I'm not nervous. I don't want to be married- I don't want to have babies. I don't want to be a mobster's wife! I can't!" she said, her voice slightly raised.  Her father stared at her for several seconds, surprise by her outburst. Viviana was quiet. Had she really just blurted that out?

"I will not stand here and listen to such foolishness. It has already been decided and you will forget the nonsense you have learned and remember your place. Now go get dressed." He said angry now.

"No." She said defiantly, honesty giving her a newfound courage. Her father raised his brow.

"No?" He asked.

"No. I will not marry him... or anyone." She said, raising her chin. Her father gave a chuckle. Viviana swallowed, aware there was nothing to laugh about.

"Ragazza stupida." He muttered suddenly reaching forward and pulling her hard by the arm.

"Owww, wait…dad." She said trying to wiggle free of his grasp but he was too strong.

"How dare you defy your father?" He was muttering as he dragged her about. Viviana lost her footing as she tried to pull away, knocking herself to the floor.

"Wait, wait." She said, trying to get away but he grabbed her hair, forcing her to get back up and follow him.

"Daddy, stop, stop!" She screamed, genuinely surprised by his behavior. He had never laid a hand on her before.

"You think you can just say No to whatever you want. Listen to me, in case you weren't aware." he was shouting. Viviana let out a cry of pain as she tripped when they reached the top step. She half expected him to stop and pull her up but instead he continued to drag her by the hair.

Viviana managed to stand up again, only to have him push her into her room.

"Please, please stop." She was crying now.

"Listen, carefully, Viviana Aliotta. I have spoiled you all your life, granted your every whim. I have sheltered you from the reality of this life." He said, removing his belt has he did so. Viviana stared at him wide eyed.

"What are you… please..." Viviana was terrified.

"It is my fault for not bringing you home when I should have, for not teaching you your place. Like it or not, you belong to me, you are a part of this family and in a few months time, you WILL marry Matteo or I will silence you." Viviana's eyes grew wide at her father's blatant threat. She couldn't believe her ears.

"I can’t… please don’t..." she begged.

"Now, I will teach you to obey." He said, curling his belt about his hand. Viviana, turned around, wanting to crawl away but she did not escape the first lick of his belt.

Viviana cried out in pain as she collapsed on the floor. Her father had hit her with all his strength. Slowly she tried to get back up but another blow followed, then another, then another.

Several lashes later, Viviana lay on the floor, more in shock than anything. The pain on her back was excruciating, her father had hit her like he might hit a traitor. Felipe Aliotta stood still, trying to catch his breath. He stared down at his daughter who slowly began to sit up, tears down her face.

"Now you will get dressed and meet me downstairs at 7." He said, leaving the room and slamming the door behind him.

As he went to his room, he felt sudden shame. Shame at her behavior and shame at his. He had not meant to strike her, especially not so hard. He had hit his other daughters when they were young but he had never struck them like this.

'she needed to learn a lesson, it is better this way.' he thought as he struggled with an urge to comfort her.

Viviana sat on the floor for a few minutes, sobbing uncontrollably. Then she heard a tap as Greta let herself in.

"Ms. Viviana." She said in a soft voice. Viviana looked up at her, a crumpled mess.

"It's okay, Miss. Come here." Greta said, kneeling down next to Viviana and taking her in her arms. Viviana immediately hugged the older woman, sobbing and trying to take comfort in her. They were like this a while before Greta finally pulled away with a kind smile.

"Come now. We need to get you dressed."