Savannah slammed shut the door of the living room, startling her daughter Serena. Amadeo eyed her but walked over to settle down on the one-man sofa.
"Mom…?" Serena moved closer to her. "Are you alright?"
"Am I alright?" Savannah laughed. "Are you really asking me that?"
She twisted her gaze over to Amadeo, barking, "I told you that girl was going to mess up. I warned you, Amadeo!"
Amadeo didn't respond to her words. He rather held a thoughtful, cold look on his face, legs crossed with head thrown back.
"Mom, you should calm down. I'm sure Dad is troubled by this too. I mean—"
"Shut up, girl. You know nothing!" Savannah snapped, picking up the remote to turn the TV on.
[In a stunning turn of events, the wedding of Lady Viviana Di-grassi is proceeding, though not as planned. The bride arrived not with the groom handpicked by her influential family, but with a man of her own choosing. With only the mysterious groom and the officiating priest present, the grand ceremony now stands nearly deserted. However, despite the scandal, it seems Lady Di-grassi is determined to see to the END of the wedding—]
She turned it off quickly. Then slowly looked at Amadeo.
"Did you hear that?" she asked with a snide smile. "Even with all the warning you gave her, even after you made it clear she couldn't proceed with the marriage, she'd gone ahead with it and married that nobody."
She took a step toward him with an 'I told you' expression on her face. "You've lost the leash you have on her, Amadeo. That girl has learned to defy you, and this is only the beginning. It won't be like always when she did everything you said obediently like a dog."
Amadeo slowly met her gaze. "I'm thinking."
"Keep thinking then." Her grin stretched her lips. "What will you even do? The wedding has already happened. She's married to that thing, and I don't think there's anything you can do about it. I mean, are you going to ask her to divorce him?"
"I'd like you to stop talking, Savannah." Amadeo glared at her. "I can barely hear my thoughts with you running your mouth."
Savannah scoffed, "You've got to be kidding—"
"Ma'am?"
She turned around to find one of her maids standing with her head lowered.
"What is it?"
"The chef would like to know what you'd prefer for dinner…" The lady's words trailed off as Savannah turned to cock her head to the side with the darkest of looks on her face.
"Hey."
The maid froze.
"Do I look like I'm in a good mood?" Savannah questioned.
The maid shook her head, stuttering, "N-no, madam."
"Get out of my face."
She didn't stall, turning and rushing out of the living room.
Serena breathed out, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You should calm down, Mom. Being this angry isn't going to help. As for Viviana—" She gripped her handbag. "—She's going to be dealt with eventually. Let her enjoy her wedding night."
Her lips pulled into a line. But it was the cruellest of smiles.
——
Mr. Stolov swung his entire body, his fists driving into Fernando's face enough to have him staggering.
"What is wrong with you, boy?" he questioned. "You can't take a hit, but you can handle disgracing our entire family?"
Fernando clutched his face.
"Dad, please, I can—"
"You can do what? Explain?" Mr. Stolov laughed, amused. "Take a look at yourself. At the animal of a person you are. Are you a whore? Why can't you control yourself? Huh? Why can't you control that thing in your pants?"
"Dad!—"
Mrs. Stolove tried to step in. "Honey, I understand what he's done. But you should—"
"Shut up!" he snapped at her. "This is all your fault. You keep pampering him, and this is what he's turned into. A womanizer and a proud one at that. He has no atom of respect for himself or this family. Do you realize what he's cost us? Do you think the Di-grassis will still want to go on with this deal? Or do you think they can't withdraw? That is if they haven't already started!"
He stepped up to his wife, glaring her down.
"This deal may benefit the Di-grassis, but keep in mind that these people are on a different level from us. In every way, I mean. We could have had them as an ally, but your son has cost me that!"
Mrs. Stolov's eyes darkened.
Suddenly she chuckled and lifted her hand in a gesture to herself. "My son?"
"Yes, your son!" he growled. "What? Are you deaf?"
She scoffed, laughing dryly with an offended look on her face. "So, he's my son when he messes up? But when he does good, he's our son? Oh, it's my fault that he's behaving like this?"
"Isn't it?"
She shoved him hard. "Go to hell, Alberto! I didn't raise him on my own! You did with me. So maybe blame yourself too, huh? After all, you can't say you didn't see or know of the things he did. No, you did, yet you overlooked them! That girl, would you say you didn't know he was in a relationship with her? That he is the father of her unborn child?"
She laughed. "Yes, Alberto, yes, you did and you know! But what did you do? You were at the wedding, yet you couldn't even utter a word. Now you've come back here trying to act all high and mighty with him. Oh, please, save that act for someone else."
The look in her eyes alone ridiculed him.
"Fernando is a grown man! A thirty-year-old man, and you expect me to take the blame for the things he does? You've got to be joking with me. His mistakes are his, and if anyone is more responsible for him now, it's you!"
Her fingers dug into his tie, and she pulled him down till she could glare right into his face. "Alberto, I'm warning you. Don't you ever raise your voice at me again."
Spinning on her heels, she stormed out of the room with hands flexed into fists.
The door was slammed heavily shut.
Mr. Alberto Stolov took a deep breath. "Why am I in love with this woman again?" He turned toward his son.
Fernando instantly dropped to his knees. "I'll fix this. Dad, I'll fix this. I just need time."
"And how will you fix it?" Alberto snorted, "How are you going to gain back the Di-grassi's trust, huh? That girl is already married to another man. What exactly can you do?"
Fernando looked up at him. "She can still divorce him. All I have to do is convince her. Besides, Mr. Di-grassi isn't going to choose that unknown man over me. I'm the son of the family he can benefit from. Yes, I messed up, but if I can convince Viviana to get a divorce, surely Mr. Di-grassi wouldn't say no."
Alberto sighed dejectedly.
He slowly squatted down to his level, asking, "And do you really think you can do that? Do you think you can convince Viviana to divorce the man she willingly married for the world to see? Fernando, you are my son, but you're very stupid, I can hardly believe you're my son sometimes. Maybe I should have a DNA test done?"
"Dad!" Fernando's pupils dilated at him. "W-what do you mean by that?"
"Oh, hush up."
Alberto stood up.
"Of course you're my son. You're just too idiotic, it's hard to believe at times. Your mother has me mad right now, but she's not dumb, so I don't know who you got that from."
"Dad—"
"I don't want to see your face, not until this issue is fixed. Are we clear?"
"Yes, sir."
He stormed off.
Fernando watched him go. His fingers curled against the floor, and he let out a shuddering breath, controlling the rage quivering through him.
"Viviana, you damned woman! This is all your fault. AHH SHIT!"
He dragged his fingers through his hair.
"This is driving me crazy!"