Luca

7 - The anger I feel

Luca

“What’s going on?” I ask as I walk into my father’s office, closing the door behind me.

I’m curious what’s going on. My father just called me into his office. My mother and brother are here, as well as a short, blonde woman I’ve never seen before, likely in her forties, dressed in a cream pantsuit.

“Come take a seat, Luca.” I do, next to my brother. “This is Lorna. She works for Romano, taking care of Sofia. She’s Sofia’s Nanny.” Dad tells me.

I narrow my eyes.

If this woman works for Romano, why is she here?

And why the hell would a nineteen-year-old need a Nanny?

Nanny is probably just a fancy word for minder. Romano would never leave Sofia alone.

“Now you’re all here, Lorna, would you explain to my wife and sons what you told me?”

“You swear that you’ll keep your end of the bargain?” Her British accent is soft but firm.

“My word is my bond, Lorna.”

Lorna nods her head, wrings her hands together, swallows, then looks directly at my mother. “I came here knowing Mr. Romano would kill me if he found out. I knew what I was getting myself into by coming here. You could have killed me, too. However, my life doesn’t mean anything if I can’t protect the girl who is like a daughter to me. I cannot sit back and watch him hurt Sofia one more time.”

“What do you mean, one more time?” I ask.

Just how many times has that man hurt Sofia?

Lorna looks at me. “Mr. Romano has never been very nice to his youngest daughter. He blames her for her mother’s death. It is never a child’s fault when a parent dies, but he thinks differently. Mr. Romano hired me to be the baby’s Nanny while his wife was still pregnant. After Mrs. Romano died, I raised Sofia like my own. I love her as though she were mine, and I can’t bear what that monster does to my little girl. Last night, when they arrived home after your meeting, Mr. Romano attacked Sofia.”

“What?!” I can’t help yelling.

Why the hell would he attack his own daughter?

“Be quiet, Luca! Let Lorna finish what she came here to tell us.” Dad yells at me.

Do I have a fuckin.g choice?

“Mr. Romano was angry because he believed Sofia made a bad impression on Mrs. Vidal by disrespecting your wife. Don Vidal, I assure you, Sofia meant no disrespect. She tried very hard to be polite. Regardless of who her father is, she has a good heart. I raised her with respect and manners, and I am confident she did not intend to offend Mrs. Vidal.”

My mother’s brow furrows. “What are you talking about? I have no problem with Sofia. She was nothing but polite. I like Sofia. It’s the whole situation I have a problem with.”

Lorna nods as though she knew that. “Mr. Romano beat Sofia so badly that she couldn’t pick herself up off the floor. He told Sofia that he’d bring her here today, and if she doesn’t convince Mrs. Vidal to allow the marriage, he’ll either kill her or have her shipped out. By that, Mr. Romano means that he’ll hand Sofia over to one of his contacts. Don Vidal, I know you know what kind of business Mr. Romano is in, and believe me, he will have no problem with selling his daughter to the highest bidder.”

Bile rises in my throat.

What kind of man would se.x traffic his own child?!

“He likes to keep Sofia in line. Last year, she got a little brave, and she refused to entertain one of his business contacts.”

“What do you mean by ‘entertain’?” My brother asks. He knows what I’m thinking, but I can’t seem to speak. I’m frozen in my seat listening to this woman talk.

“You’re not a stupid man, Dray Vidal, I’m sure you know what I mean.”

“He lets his associates fuc.k his daughter?”

Jesus Christ!

“Dray!” My father yells. “Watch your mouth.”

“No,” Lora continues. “He never actually let his contacts hurt Sofia; he only enjoyed frightening her. Still, he expected Sofia to allow men to behave inappropriately toward her, such as touching her legs, her neck, and nearly anywhere they wanted. Mr. Romano would make Sofia act as if she wanted that attention from those men. Sofia is very young and obeys because she is afraid of her father and what he might do to her.”

“If Sofia pleased him and secured the business he wanted, Mr. Romano left her alone. Yet, a single mistake—even the smallest misstep—meant a beating. Sometimes, he beat her until she was unconscious. He never let me call a doctor. I treated Sofia’s injuries myself, praying she would survive.”

Lorna stares at her hands. This is devastating for her. It hurts me, too, and I barely know Sofia.

“Lately, Mr. Romano has become much harsher with Sofia,” Lorna continues. “I’m not completely sure why, but judging by how he paraded Sofia, dolled up like a prop, before a room of men, it must have been serious. He’s done similar things before, but this last time was different.” Lorna shakes her head. “Romano was raging, and Sofia was terrified, though she had no choice but to submit.

“When they returned home, Mr. Romano was raging as I’d never seen before,” Lorna says with a sigh. “He told me that Sofia had refused to let a man touch her breast. Furious, Mr. Romano beat her and said he’d had enough. He dragged Sofia out of the house by her hair. I was terrified that I’d never see her again. For two hours, I paced my room, waiting for Mr. Romano to come back. When he returned, he threw Sofia at my feet and ordered me to clean her up. Sofia was beaten black and blue. She managed to tell me that her father had taken her to one of his contacts, intending to sell her into the se.x trade.”

Fuc.k! I’m roaring with rage inside.

How could anyone do that to their child?

Dray grabs my arm and shakes his head. He knows I’m struggling to hold my anger inside.

But what the fuc.k does he expect?!

“Romano would sell his own daughter to those people as though she were nothing to him?”

Lorna nods at my father. “Sofia is nothing to him. My sweet girl is just a pawn to Romano. He uses and abuses her because it’s fun for him to do so. He hurts Sofia in one way or another every single day. She deserves so much more than the life she’s been handed. All Sofia has ever wanted is to be like everyone else, though she knows that can never be. Either here with Luca or home with her father, Sofia will always be a prisoner.”

I roll my neck and grit my teeth. I don’t intend to make Sofia a prisoner. Sure, there will be rules, but those rules are there to keep her safe. The world we live in is dangerous, and she knows that. However, I won’t stop Sofia from having friends and a life outside of me.

Lorna turns to my mother. “Please, Mrs. Vidal. I know that I have no right to ask, but from a mother to a mother, please allow this union. It wouldn’t be my first choice for Sofia either, so I know how you feel about arranged marriage. But just looking at your son, I can see that he is a good man who will treat Sofia far better than her father ever has.

“Sofia is a good person, and she’ll be a good wife to your son. Please, I have to get her away from that man before he kills her. Whatever you want from me, I will give it to you willingly. I’ll give you my very life if that’s what is required, just please help me save Sofia, I am begging you,” The woman gulps back a sob, and I see the anguish in my mother’s eyes.

Mom jumps out of her seat, stalking towards the French windows with her hand over her mouth. My father follows her. “Marnie,” Dad grabs her arm, but she shakes her head. “Baby, don’t do this to yourself.”

“I had no idea he would hurt her, Draven.” Mom sniffs.

“You couldn’t have known, Marnie.”

“I know what it’s like to be beaten by my father and forced into a marriage I didn’t want. I was just thinking about Luca and Sofia. How am I supposed to sit here later on and look at Sofia without knowing Romano did those things to her because he thought I didn’t approve of her?”

Dad takes Mom’s face in his hands. My brother is getting agitated; he wants to go to Mom and comfort her. He’s a Mama’s boy, as much as he hates people pointing it out.

“Listen to me, Marnie,” Dad says. “You’ll be strong like you always are. Do you hear me?” She nods slowly. “Sofia isn’t going to be stuck with him forever.”

“But leaving her with him... It could be too late, Draven.”

No. I won’t leave Sofia with Romano, no matter what deal Dad’s got with him. Romano will keep her alive, but he could hurt her in ways she might never recover from.

“When they get here,” I get out of my seat, and everyone turns to look at me. “I’m taking Sofia, and I’m leaving. I’ll take her somewhere safe until you’ve sorted this s**t with him.”

“Then you’ll cause all-out war. Don’t be a damn fool, Luca!” Dad yells at me.

“Then I’ll shoot the bastard and be done with it!” I yell back.

“You stupid fuc.k!”

Great.

My father is angry, so he’ll yell for an hour about being right. He’s the Don; what he says goes. But Sofia will be my wife, and I have to protect her. Love doesn’t matter, but I respect her enough to do right by her.

“You’ll do as I damn well tell you!” Dad yells. “We do this my way, or I promise you, I won’t allow this marriage, Luca.”

I fold my arms. There’s no point arguing with the Don; he has all the power. He won’t kill me, but he’d take Sofia. I can’t risk that.

“Luca,” my mother says my name softly. “I know you want what’s best for this girl, and I promise I will do everything in my power to get her away from that man. However, you need to let your father and me talk. We’ll fix this. Sofia won’t be stuck with Romano for much longer.”

“And how do you plan to do that, Mom? How do you plan to get Sofia away from Romano before he kills her?” Not that I think he will. He wants this alliance with my father more than he wants his next breath.

“I have a plan.” My father says. “Now, you and your brother go about your day. I have more to discuss with Lorna before Romano arrives. Make damn sure you keep your mouth shut about what we’ve talked about, and do not mention Lorna being here. Romano needs to be kept in the dark, or he could do something much worse to Sofia, and I know you don’t want that.” Of course, I don’t want that.

I simply nod and leave the room.