CHIARA
"Anna, get over here," he said. The girl pulled off the woman's embrace, and that's when gasps erupted, mine included. Her face, the poor little girl's face, was unidentifiable as she weakly crept forward. She had bruises on every part you looked at. It was even hard for her to even open her eyes. I fisted my hands. "What do you want me to do to your father?" Said Junior, his eyes trained on the shameless pig.
People who were supposed to protect us are the ones who inflicted pain on us nowadays. Who can we trust anymore?
How could he do that to his daughter? I could only imagine for how long this has been going on until she was able to voice it. Funny how some people would still ask you to keep your mouth shut since the abuser was a family member. Fucking ridiculous! It made my blood boil. And this wasn't just a simple rage. It was coming from a person with experience of being abused since childhood.
"Do not be scared because he won't be touching you ever again. Say whatever you want to say." Added Junior, lines deepening on his forehead and veins popping on his neck. The shameless man stared at his daughter, warning her with his eyes. Bastard! "I want you to beat him up, sir. Beat him so hard that he knows how it feels to be on the receiving end." Said the girl without stuttering, and all the while holding gaze with her father with so much fire in her eyes. That, there, was what I lived for. All girls needed to have that fire every time, everywhere and not cower before abuse.
"Your wish is my command, Anna." Said Junior, amused as he placed his gun back in the leather holster by his hip and then began to fold his sleeves. "No! Anna, please forgive your father; it was a mistake. Please forgive me." He said, panicking. I scoffed, "Is it a mistake if you repeat it over and over again?"
The man faced me, and I raised a brow at him. He scurried back when Junior approached him. "Hold him up," He calmly said as though he wasn't about to wreak havoc on the man. The two men pushed him back and stood him on his feet, each one of them holding him by the shoulder, bracing him for the impact.
He punched him hard on his left eye, and then on the right without giving him a moment to register the pain. He cried so hard, but his mouth was shut by a punch and another one, and he spat blood, howling. Each punch pushed him back, but the men placed him right back.
"Shut the fuck up! You have been beating your daughter and wife whenever you felt like it. And then you threatened them not to speak, so I need you to do the same. If I hear your cries again, I'm cutting your tongue next," said Junior as he punched him everywhere, blood spilling from his mouth.
When Junior was done with him, his face was much worse compared to her daughters. He was crying, but even that was painful for him. Junior's hands were bloodied, and so was his white shirt, stained all over.
"I need all of you to pay attention to what happened today. If you are tired of your family, leave them here and go. If you think you have lost your mind, leave. But if you resort to what this piece of shit did, I will come for you and I will make sure you pay tenfold. The Conti estate condones any sort of abuse, especially domestic abuse. I'm reminding you just in case you forgot the rules. And if anybody abused you, come straight and see me. Is that clear?" His narrowed eyes looked at everyone. "Yes, sir," all of them replied in unison. "Throw him out. He is banished from this estate." He ordered, and the men dragged him away. "Disperse," he said to the rest. Everyone walked away. I'd never been so proud of someone like I was with Junior.
Francesca walked up to me. "My dear, how have you been?" We shared a hug and kisses on the cheeks. "Wonderful. I'm sorry about the other day. I was just not in the right headspace." I said once we pulled back. "That's okay, dear. I'm just glad you are doing fine now. And please promise me that I'll have you next Sunday." She said, tucking my hair behind my ear. "Okay," I said without thinking. "See you, then." Junior acknowledged me with a nod with which I returned before he left with his mother.
"We should head back, too," I said. "Yes, madam, and I've already called the driver; he'll be here soon." She said, I was glad she had. There was no way I was returning on foot.
A few moments later, a car arrived. Then an average-height man with an athletic body stepped out. My first reaction was to compare him with the young lady beside me. "Yeah, he is my brother. And don't be surprised by him, he lives in his own world mostly." She uttered with a sigh.
The man stopped before us and took off his sunglasses. "Good afternoon, Madam. I'm Black, you newly assigned bodyguard." He said. The only difference these two had was their gender and the black eyeliner on his waterlines. Which enhanced and sharpened his gaze. Now I understood why Marina said he lived in his own world. He was defying societal conformity and I loved it. But Carmelo never told me about assigning a bodyguard to me.
"Just don't get on my nerves, Black. Everything else… cool." I said. "Yes, madam," he replied, opened the door for me, and then shut it when Marina was about to enter, and walked to his driver's seat. She cursed him before opening it herself and stepping into the car, and the car began to move. We reached the mansion, and I excused myself to my bedroom while Marina made lunch.
I took out my phone and was met with Carmelo's text, asking me if I had had lunch yet or not. Smiling, I replied and then slapped my face afterward. What the fuck was I smiling for?
Today, that young girl, Anna, had inspired me a lot. Taking a deep breath, I inserted a number on the phone and then texted. The reply came quicker than expected. Asking me if I was sure of what I was about to do and I replied with a bold yes. Antonio's time had come to an end, and I was going to drag him down slowly, slowly. By the moment he realized that it was me, it'd be too late. His fall was inevitable because it was I who was pushing him down.