~REID
"Boss, Mrs Gambino is here."
Immediately those words fell from Klaus' mouth over the phone, I instantly hopped into my car and sped back to my mansion like my life depended on it.
I navigated through the busy highway with my hands clutched to the steering making my knuckles turn white. My mind was a jumbled mess of worst case scenarios because Papa mustn't find out I had lied to him about the proposal.
I really don't understand why he made it compulsory for me to get married before he hands over the full reign of the Don's position to me. As it is, I only handle 50% of the things that is going on in the Valtorian mafia while Papa handles the rest.
He wasn't like this with Alastair so what changed?
My mother's unexpected visit had caught me off guard and I knew I wasn't prepared for all sort of questioning that might come along with it. The lies I'd told them, particularly about having a fiancée who lives with me now seemed like a ticking time bomb waiting to blow my entire plan apart.
I knew I was Reid Gambino but my father, Mateo Gambino was one to never mess with. Even though he was in his fifties, I still didn't want to be on his mean list so as to avoid feeling his wrath. The last time I thought I could beat him in combat, he had dislocated my left jaw with his elbow and that only made him look down on me. My dad was a menace and growing up with him had been a hell of a journey.
I had thought I was clever, sending a photo of Athena to my parents, hoping to buy myself more time till I find the one but now, as I approached the mansion, I realized I'd underestimated the situation I had created for myself.
I bursted through the doors with my eyes scanning the hallway frantically. Where was my mother? And where was Athena? The thought of the naive girl spilling the truth about our arrangement and how we had met made my stomach churn in a bad way.
My pace quickened as I headed towards the sitting room and before I got there, I could already hear the sound of laughter and conversation flowing in the air.
I entered the room as my eyes scanned the surrounding before landing on Athena and my mother who were chatting like old friends.
"Mama." I called, my voice coming out shocked like part of me didn't want to believe that she was here. My mother's eyes sparkled with warmth as she turned to me, a graceful smile settling on her face. "Reid, darling!" She stood up with opened arms as she engulfed me into one of her motherly hugs.
"How are you?" She asked, gently pulling away from the hug. I nodded in response which doesn't seem to bother her as she took my hands in hers, walking us to one of the sofa. "I was having a girl's time with Athena, such a lovely girl."
I forced a smile as I tried to play it cool but my eyes locked onto Athena's and I could see the confusion and uncertainty written all over her face. "Athena." I called in a firm but polite voice because I couldn't risk giving anything away at the presence of my mother. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"
Athena nodded as she followed behind me but I stopped and took her soft hands into mine which surprised her but I had to do it, to make everything believable. We walked in silence to her room with a palpable tension between us. Once we were inside, I turned to her after closing the door behind her. "What did you and my mother talk about?" I asked, my eyes searching hers.
Athena shrugged, a look of innocence on her face. "We just chatted about baking and painting. She is nice." She said, but with the way Athena stared at me, I knew there was more and I knew she already knows about the lie I had told to my parents.
I sighed, running a hand through my already messed up hair. "She thinks you're my fiancée, doesn't she?"
Athena nodded slowly before lowering her head to stare at her feet. "Yes, she does."
I cursed underneath my breath as I paced back and forth in Athena's room. "Okay, here's what we're going to do. For tonight, I need you to act like my fiancée." I started. "We need to make her believe that we're in love."
Athena's eyes narrowed and she folded her arms across her chest which made her breast pop up. They looked bigger than the last time I had seen her. What the hell have they been feeding her? I questioned myself but also pushed those questions to the back of my mind for I have bigger situations to fend for.
"And why should I do that?" she asked, her voice lipped with attitude. "You don't even talk to me, so why should I help you?"
I stopped pacing, taken aback by her sudden assertiveness. I knew Athena was a girl who does as she was told without putting up a fight so what changed? "Athena." I called in a warning tone as my eyes turned into slits. "I wasn't asking. I was telling you what you needed t-"
Athena cut me off, her voice firm. "No, Reid. You can't just disappear and reappear just to order me around like I'm one of your men." I looked down at her in surprise as my jaw ticked due to how hard I was clenching my teeth. "What do I get from this?"
I stared at Athena with a raised eyebrow. "What do you want?" I asked in a sharp tone.
Athena looked up at me, her eyes searching mine as she thought for a moment, her gaze lingered on my face as if trying to read my thoughts but my emotions were not one to be showcased.
"C-can you come back home and stop ignoring me." Her voice was barely above a whisper, her words were like a soft plea, a gentle reminder of the distance I had created between us and I could feel the weight of her expectation weighing down on me.
I felt a spark of annoyance at her words. She had just commanded me, no? Who was she to give me orders? My expression shifted and my eyes turned cold as I took a step closer to her which made her take few backwards. I reached out to her as my hand closed in around her small waist, pulling her body closer to me which made Athena's eyes widened as she let out a soft whimper. Tears clouded her eyes and I could feel her trembling slightly in my grasp as her body quivered with a mix of fear and anticipation.
"Who are you to give me orders?" I seethed.