THE MAFIA’S CAPTIVE ANGEL

Sin had gone out to go about his busy schedule, and Zoey was surprisingly not around again, leaving me once more bored. It’s not like I could hang out with Mateo since he was busy overseeing the house in Sin and Luca’s absence. What better way to eliminate boredom than by reading a book?

I had recently downloaded a reading app, where you can read your favourite stories of different genres. Right now I am reading a novel called Loving Hayden. It is about two teens who were once archenemies but later became friends with their enemies. Okay, maybe not friends with benefits, more like enemies with benefits. I was eager to see where their relationship was going to lead. I continue to flip through my phone as I read the story.Content rights belong to NôvelDrama.Org.

I was so engrossed with the story that I didn’t realize how much time had passed. I was disturbed by the sound of a knock at the door.

“Mani, are you in there?” It was Samantha’s voice; she knocked again, probably waiting for a reply.

I stood up, checking myself to make sure I was well dressed. I walked to the door and opened it, welcomed by the sight of Samantha.

She lunges at me, pulling me into a tight hug. “Mani. I missed you.”

“I can’t breathe,” I said, tapping her back as i tried to pull away.

“oh, sorry.  Am just so happy to see you.” She screamed, a smile stretching across her face.

I laughed at her behaviour, finding it very amusing. “I am happy to see you too.” I made way for her to step inside the room, and we both walked to sit on the couch.

“Where have you been? I had asked Sin, but all he told me was that you had something to take care of.” She had been gone for almost a week with no phone call.

“I had to handle something in Japan and just got back yesterday.” She didn’t tell me anything else about what she had to do. I know it was confidential, but no matter how many times I ask, I still won’t be given a proper answer. I didn’t bother asking her any more questions again, knowing fully well that it was going to be fruitless.

“Where is Zoey? I didn’t see her when I came in.” Samantha asked.  Even though I don’t know where she went, she promised to tell me.

“I don’t know; she went out early this morning. said something about family matters of some sort.

“What kind of family matters? I thought she didn’t have any family left,” she asked, looking confused like i was.

“Same here, but she promised to explain everything when she was ready. So..”

“I feel like she keeps a lot of secrets.” I nodded my head, agreeing with her, but I still didn’t blame Zoey. Whatever it was that she was keeping must be difficult for her to tell.

“Let’s just give her some time until she is ready,” I say to Samantha.

“Sure, no problem. So what were you doing all alone, cooped up inside the room?” Samantha questioned, “I am sure you are sulking, probably missing Sin.” she teased.

“No… I wasn’t sulking,” I retorted back with a smile. “I was reading a novel on my phone.”

Her face turned sour, like she had heard something and was absorbed and irritated. ” Books,”

“There is nothing wrong with reading, Sam.” I said in a scolding voice.

“I hate books, or literally anything that has to do with reading so many words.” She shivered, and I laughed. Samantha really can be very dramatic.

“We need to get you something; have you told Sin about doing your residence?”

“No.” I replied.

“Why, you said you were going to ask him, and that was like a month ago. Why haven’t you done that?”

“I know..  I’m just scared; things with us have been going great lately, and I don’t want to ruin them. Moreover, what if he turns me down? I just don’t know what to do.”

I was really worried. I know he won’t hurt me, but with everything that had happened and the way things were before between us, What if I ended up doing my residency here in New York and I ended up meeting someone I know from school, or worse, Stephanie?

“Just bring it up and see how it goes. But right now we are going shopping,” Samantha said, getting up from the couch and dragging me along with her.

“Shopping, I don’t think that’s a good idea. It might piss Nikolai off,” I said, being sceptical.

“Fine, why don’t you call him and ask?”

I walked to the bed to pick up my phone. I dialled Sin’s number and waited for it to ring. Turning to Samantha, who had her thumbs up, she was cheering me on.

” Amore”.  His voice sounded deep and raspy, with a little bit of worry. “Are you okay? What is going on?”

“I am fine, Nikolai.” Sam is here, and I just wanted to know if I could go with her to the mall. I said it all at once, my eyes shooting close, waiting for his response.

“Okay, I will let Mateo know,” he said. I was shocked! I didn’t expect him to agree that fast, and a wide smile spread across my face. I raised my thumb, making Samantha let out a squeal.

“Thanks Nikolai”.

“Be safe,” he said before ending the call. The both of us jumped, squealing, and I quickly ran into the closet to change into something more presentable. I let my hair down, then walked out of the closet.

“Are you ready to go?” Samantha said, gesturing to the door. It’s better to leave early, so we won’t come back late. We both walked out. Sin had given me his card a week ago in case I needed to buy something online or anything at all, so I should use it. I tried to decline since he already puts money in my account, but that man is so stubborn.

“Oh, yes, we are going to have to pick out a dress for you and me. I have a few things in mind and an idea of what you should wear.” Samantha said as I shut the door, and we started walking downstairs.

“It’s a good thing you are here; I have no idea what to wear for next week’s party.” I say.  Sin had told me about a “small party,” as he puts it, that we were attending here in New York, making me wonder how many parties I had to attend with him. In a span of a few weeks, this was the third party I was attending with him.

We got outside of the house; Mateo was waiting with a few of Sin’s men, and three cars were lined up.

Mateo opened the middle car for me. Samantha and I got in, and we drove off. One car at the front and another behind us.

After a while, we pulled up at the mall. It was huge, just like I remembered it. I had come here with Stephanie a bunch of times but never really got anything serious. I put on my shades; I didn’t want anyone to recognize me. We got out of the car, with Mateo and the rest of the men trailing behind us.

People turned to stare, probably wondering if we were some kind of celebrity or something. I chose to ignore them and continued my journey into the mall. My eyes scanned the mail looking for a dress that would suit me, but we didn’t find anything. I was constantly being dragged by Samantha to different stores.

How could I have forgotten so quickly how she gets when shopping? My feet were aching, and we still haven’t found anything presentable to wear. We had been to a couple of stores, and it was already 2 p. m. in the afternoon when we walked into a beautiful boutique. It was filled with a lot of beautiful dresses and fewer people, so the chances of getting recognized were slim.

Samantha and I searched and searched for the perfect dress for the two of us, and I was about to give up and just go back home to the mansion when I saw it.

The Dress.

It was a beautiful red dress that was definitely fitted. It was a red drop waist mermaid long strapless formal dress.

“This is it.” I say, smiling at it.

“Why don’t you try it on? Let’s see.” Samantha says, pushing me off toward the dressing room.

I took off my clothes and put on the dress. I raised my head to stare at my reflection and was stunned. The dress was indeed beautiful-if possible, way too beautiful.

“Mani, come out. I want to see how it looks.” I could hear the excitement in Samantha’s voice. I unlocked the door and stepped outside; Samantha’s jaw was dropped to the ground. “Oh my God, it’s like the dress was made perfectly for you. You are going to give Sin a run for his money.” She said, pulling me into a hug, then pulled away to look at the dress. “You really look beautiful, Mani.”

“Thank you,” I say, my lips raised in a smile. I walked back to the dressing room to take off the dress and change back into my own clothes. As I picked up the dress, I caught sight of the price tag and almost fainted.

It was freaking expensive.

I walked back out to put the dress back where I found it, and Samantha stared at me, confused.

“Why are you putting it back? That dress looks too good on you not to be worn.” She asked.

“It’s expensive, Sam. I didn’t expect it to be this expensive.”

She grabbed my hand. “You do know; Sin doesn’t mind right. Do you see how much money he makes? This is like a change for him, so don’t worry and take the dress.” I hate using Sin’s money because I know for a fact it’s not mine. But at the end of the day, I had to get the dress.

“Okay, but if he gets pissed at me, I am blaming it all on you.” I won’t even mind looking good, so I took the dress to the cashier and bought it with his card.

“Name,” the cashier asked.

“Violante”-the minute I said his name, her hands trembled, and she dropped the card on the floor.

“I’m sorry, I will get this done right away.” she says, swiping the card. It was obvious that she was afraid. She seemed so scared once I brought up Sin’s name. How influential was Sin that he made people this scared of him?

I wondered.

After paying for it, Samantha was able to find a dress that suited her, too, and she paid for it. We walked out of the boutique in search of shoes and other necessities. We walked out of the mall and Mateo took the shopping bags from me. We got in and drove right off, back to the mansion. Samantha and I spent the afternoon together, watching our favourite movie and complimenting the looks of the male lead. We ordered a pepperoni pizza along with some fries and chicken. I have been eating a lot lately. Maybe it was stress, but anyway. We had a lot of fun.