The Devil's Bride : The contract Vengeance

chapter 3

“ We tried, dad. I went to meet with him in his office, but it was pointless.” Sofia said adjusting the duvet to cover her father properly.

Sofia and Marco sat in their dad’s room, alongside their uncle. Mr.bellanti had been ill for weeks, Sofia's been handling the business and reporting every detail back to him.

The room was lit. The bed, a grand four cornered, canopy bed. Mr.Bellanti laid weakly on his bed. A rough cough escaped his lips.

Sofia quickly poured water from the jug on the table next to Mr. Bellanti into a cup and gave it to him.

“Careful.” She said gently, as she assisted him to sit upright, stacking pillows to support him.

“So what's next?” Mr. Bellanti asked, his voice low and cracky.

“We go with plan B” Marco answered.

“Plan B?” Mr. Bellanti raised an eye brow.

“Well, we will have to set him up.” Sofia chimed in, waiting to see her dad’s reaction. He nodded, permission to continue.

“We don't know how yet, but we will discuss it in our next meeting. Raymond will give us a solid plan. If it works, we will execute it and sue him.”

“Is that all?” Drake Bellanti, Sofia and Marco’s uncle asked, skeptically . “Because he is smarter than that, from what I have seen. Don't forget, your father and I worked with his dad. That family… They are very tactful in dealings. Just when you think you are on the right track, they make you stumble and fall.”

Sofia's eyes met with her uncle's. She leaned forward adjusting her posture, “Then what do you suggest we do, uncle?” she asked, curiously.

….

Dom had been in the hospital for two hours with his sister, Eliana.

She had been diagnosed with stage two cancer. Now, they are in Doctor Sheila's office for their appointment.

“ I have reviewed all your test results and imaging scans. Based on what I see and the results, you have stage two breast cancer.” Doctor Sheila said, flipping through documents on her desk.

“Stage two?” Eliana asked her voice trembling. “What does that mean exactly?” Her heart pounded like it threatened to come out of her chest.

Dom was speechless. He reached for her hand and squeezed it tightly, the only assurance he could give.

“ It means that the tumor is larger than two centimeters, it has spread to some lymph nodes nearby, but there is no sign it has reached other parts of your body. Uhm, the good news is, we caught it early and it is still very treatable”. Doctor Sheila explained, adjusting her glasses.

Dom couldn’t help but give a very heavy sigh of relief. “ So… what happens next?” . He asked so curious he could feel his hand trembling.

Eliana felt it too. She gently placed her other hand to calm her brother.

“ We’ll begin the surgery to remove the tumor, followed by chemotherapy or radiation, depending on how you respond. For that, you'll need enough strength. But you should know you're not alone in this. With timely treatment, your chances of full recovery are high.”

“ Will I lose my hair?” Eliana asked with discomfort. She couldn't have expected to have cancer in her entire life, she heard stories but she never experienced it. Not until now.

Doctor Sheila replied with a calm and assuring smile. “There is a chance, yes, but not every treatment causes that. We'll walk through everything, step by step. Together.”

“So when should we expect to start the treatment?” Dom asked, leaning forward towards the doctor, like she said something that needed urgent attention.

The doctor wore an understanding smile, “Mr. Capo, we will get back to you, through a call or an email, as soon as we have the treatment plan ready. But for now this is all I can tell you. You don't have to worry, we are moving swiftly.” She concluded and stood up, packing her files and documents together. “If you'll excuse me.” She said and walked out, leaving the two in deep silence.

Dom slowly turned to his sister, he was short of words. Obviously, he didn't know how to comfort or reassure a cancer patient.

Eliana’s gaze was blank, her fingers held together in between her laps. Her mind seemed to be processing the weight of the doctor's words.

Dom finally spoke, calm but reassuring, “Everything is going to be fine.” He placed her head on his shoulder.

“ I pray.” Eliana whispered, her voice low and barely audible.

For once, Dom felt the weight of her words pierce him, into his bone marrow. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly like she was about to slip from him. He feared her loud silence caused great discomfort.

For the first time Dom, a man of confidence and always controlling, felt he lost all control. He felt he lost confidence. This wasn't him, he was in an alien territory. Somewhere he couldn't fight.

But even as he held unto her, his mind was still somewhere. Calculative. Vengeful.

…

“What? You refused him?” Maria's voice, sharp and loud. Her eyes squinted like she didn't know who sat in front of her.

Sofia smacked her lips, guilt written all over her face, “Not exactly. I didn't refuse him entirely. I just told him until all this was over.” she said, her fingers itching her cheeks.

“What's not over?” Maria squeezed her lips tightly together, trying to define the words she couldn't understand.

Sofia's look was guilty but also stressful. She placed her hands over her eyes and moved them back to her head and sighed. “Maria? You should know. Marriage shouldn't be the prior thing on my list, right now.its all too fast” Her voice was a little like she was arguing rather than trying to explain. “ Besides, we can always go over it again.” she slightly shrugged.

Maria could feel the disappointment in her tone. She sat on the chair across from her. The rays of sun from the window fell on her face without permission. She furrowed her brows a little, squinting her eyes, trying to guide them from the harsh sun. “ Then? What will happen?”

Before Sofia could answer Maria picked her words already. “You can't have a life outside business? Can't you see his efforts?”.

“I can Maria.” Sofia stressed, she could already feel the frustration of the conversation building up in her. “ But there are times for everything. I can't literally think straight with the kind of task placed in front of me.” She paused. “You of all people should know that this is not me. And, I explained my reasons to him…” she lowered her gaze trying to find her words. “ It seemed like he understood.” she said, unsure.

“There you go! His expression said otherwise, right?”

“I couldn't tell,” Sofia said as if she was ashamed. “But everything will be fine, I know.”