The Mafia’s Forbidden Desire

ROSALINDA.

“You still don’t know who the father is?” Antonio asked again as he approached us, his eyes growing darker with each step he took.

“Uhm, he was adopted, and we…” Papà scratched his temple, looking confused as he tried to concoct a lie.

“Cut that.” Antonio groaned, shaking his head slightly. “I know that this boy right here is your grandson.”

“He’s not-” Papà tried to persist with his lies, but Antonio cut him off.

“And Rosalinda here,” he said, pointing his index finger at me. “Is the mother.”

Why did he seem so sure? I wondered as I narrowed my eyes at him. How did he find out?

A thought came to my mind, but I shook it off. I knew Antonio was a Mafia boss, but I didn’t think he was cruel enough to torture innocent people just to feed his curiosity.

“Is that why you said she wasn’t a good fit for the agreement?” He continued, his eyes growing darker by the second.

“How did you know?” Papà asked, a scowl creasing his forehead. “Don’t tell me you did what I am thinking.”

“Nope.” Antonio shook his head. “I didn’t. Lorenzo did. He forced the answers out of them. But don’t worry, he didn’t hurt them.”

I knew it! The second Lorenzo left the mansion without pushing for answers, I knew he was up to something. That sneaky man.

“That bastard!” Papà groaned, the rage blazing in his eyes capable of burning the house down.

“So, who is his father?” Antonio asked as he flicked his gaze at me, his eyes boring into mine.

“Mommy, who is my daddy?” Carlo’s tiny voice suddenly asked, and I darted my gaze at him.

“I said shut the fuck up!” Papà boomed before I could even think of a reply to Carlo’s question.

“Roberto!” Mama scolded as she quickly flicked her gaze at Papà. “He’s just a kid, remember?”

“Rosalinda, I’ll ask you this again. Who is this boy’s father?” Antonio asked again with a stern voice, his eyes still boring into mine.

“It’s none of your damn business.” I retorted as anger started rising within me. I could see the shock on everyone’s faces at the way I talked to him, but I couldn’t care less. Who the fuck was he to question me about that?

Cradling Carlo against my hips and steading him with my hand, I leapt to my feet and started stomping out of the living room as rage continued to boil within me, but I didn’t even get to walk two steps before I felt a strong hand grab my other arm, forcing me to stop in my tracks.

“I’ve warned you before; you are not to talk to me in that manner.” Antonio groaned, the rage burning in his eyes matching mine. Just that his was more intense.

“Get your hand off me.” I yelled as I tried to snatch my hand away from him, but he only tightened his grip on my arm.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

“Rosalinda!” Papà groaned. “Where are your manners? Apologise to him now.”

No! I don’t owe him an apology. I wasn’t in the wrong. If anyone should apologise, it should be him, not me. I knew Papà was scared that he might hurt me or something, but I wasn’t afraid of him. I knew deep within me that Antonio wouldn’t hurt me, and that was what gave me all the audacity.

“Rosalinda!” Papà called again, but I didn’t even flinch. Antonio and I continued staring deeply into each other’s blazing eyes without even blinking. The intensity of the fire colliding felt like a volcano was about to erupt, but in our eyes,

In the midst of everything, my heart managed to find a soft place for him, and I couldn’t even explain it. Damn! I hated the man standing before me. I hated that I was still attracted to him despite the fact that I was extremely angry at him. My body was supposed to be in sync with my mind, but it betrayed me. It reacted to him in ways that it shouldn’t.

Carlo suddenly started crying, jerking us back to reality as we finally broke eye contact. Antonio flicked his gaze at Carlo, stared at him for a few seconds, and sighed before finally releasing my arm from his tight grip.

I subconsciously flicked my gaze at Sofia, and she shook her head slightly, pressing her lips tightly together before walking out of the room.

Another misconception.

“Have you tried to search for the father on your own since she’s too stubborn to say?” Antonio turned his attention to Papà.

Papa sighed. “I’ve tried every means possible to look for him. But to no avail.”

“I’ll look for him.” Antonio offered, and I quickly swung my head to the side to look at him, my eyes widening in perplexity. Why would he do that?

“Why would you want to go through such stress?” Papà voiced out my thoughts. “Don’t bother yourself. You won’t find him.”

“I would soon be part of this family. So, she’s also my responsibility.” He replied, and I squinted my eyes at his reply.

Papà raised a questioning brow at him. “Are you sure you want to take up this task?”

He nodded. “Absolutely.”

Papà sighed before nodding his head in agreement. “Okay. I hope you’ll be successful and bring the bastard to us.”

“I’ll need her phone number. Tracking her calls and messages would be the first step.” Antonio said before flicking his gaze at me, his eyes growing darker. “This is your last chance to tell us who the father is, or-”

“I’d like to see you look for him and actually find him.” I cut him off before I quickly turned around and started walking away from them.

I could feel everyone’s gaze on me as I walked out of the living room, and I was sure that there was only one question hanging on their minds.

When did she develop such audacity?”