The Wedding Night

Giovanni POV

I glared at my COO who was sitting beside me in the passenger seat of my 2019 white Audi Q8. She made me attended a stupid interview. An interview where the presenter was asking personal questions.

“When are you getting married?” The reporter had asked that question in the interview and it made me so angry that I shouted at her.

“Are you playing matchmaker right now? Where is your manager? I’m going to sue this company.”I had threatened.

How dare she asked that kind of question? I’m never getting married, ever!

“Are you okay Gio?” my COO asked as she stared at me with a worrisome look.

“I’m I okay? Are you even listening to yourself, Cassandra?”

Cassandra shrugged her shoulders and blink twice at me.

“What did I do wrong?” she questioned as if she was unaware of what she had done.

“Are you insane Cassandra?”I asked in a low tone. The driver looked back to see who I was talking to and quickly look forward after he saw me glaring at him.

Although Cassandra and I had a thing in the past, it doesn’t mean that I couldn’t treat her as an employee. my heart had turned to stone and I have no feeling because I don’t feel.

“Of course I’m sane Sir. if I’m not I wouldn’t be in this car talking to you, “she replied with a bit of sarcasm in her tone.

“Oh! You are sane! “I chuckled and loosened the blue patterned tie on my neck. “How dare you fix an interview that’s is centered on my personal life? How dare you!!!”

The car came to an abrupt stop and I glared at the driver.

“Why did you stop the car?”I asked.

“I thought you needed to cool off” the driver replied and bow his head.

I chuckled softly and face the driver giving him a hard look. “You are fired!!! Get out of my car now!!”

The driver began to apologize but I wasn’t in the mood for an apology. I’m not the boss of second chances.

“Are you deaf? Mr. What your name again?”I asked because I forgot his name.

“Samson, “he replied still bowing his head.

“Samson… “I paused and then shouted as loud as I can. “Get out!!!”

The driver hurriedly left the car, probably scared of my outburst. I turned and face Cassandra who was staring at me with a confused look. “Get out of my car!”I said to her. She looked at me probably thinking that I was going to reconsider her but I shook my head and pointed to the car door. “Get out of my car!!!”I shouted at her.

“Very well Giovanni, I’ll see you tomorrow.” she bowed and came out of the car. I came out of the passenger’s seat and entered the driver’s seat. I ignite the car and drove away leaving Cassandra on the road.

I breathe heavily and ruffled my hair. My life is a big mess. A really big one. I had anger issues and my outburst always turns out to be bad. I have everything in my life, the money, the establishment, the cars, women but I had no happiness. Not a tiny bit of it. The night is happiness to others but for me, it’s sadness. I had no peace of mind and shouting at people relieved me of the pain I was going through. Some called it emotional trauma but I call it a reality.

I parked my 2019 white Audi Q8 beside the roadside and laid my head on the car seat and soon I was drowning in my stupid thought.

*****

Melody POV

The next day of our arrival to mecianda, Lorena and I took hope for a walk at the amusement park near the motel we lodged into.

“Mommy, this place is amazing!!”Hope exclaimed as we walked into the park.

“I’m glad you love it, “I replied kissing her forehead. “Will you like to join the other kids in the playground?”I questioned.

“Yes! Yes!! Yes!!!” she jumped and ran to the kids that we’re playing in the playground met for children. Soon, she was running around with children her age and she looked happy to be with them.

“It’s good to have some air after so many years!”Lorena exclaimed as she sat on a bench beside me and watched hope playing happily with some children.

“Do you think madam samosa is searching for us?” she asked as she stared at the children in the playground.

“I have no idea. All I know is that we left Italy.”

“will you try to look for your dead husband’s parents and introduced their granddaughter to them?”Lorena asked and looked at me.

“His family hated me especially his mother and brother. Although franklin and his brother didn’t have the best relationship, his hatred for me is unexplainable. I can’t introduce my daughter to such a messed-up family.”

“But she is their family”Lorena argued. “You can’t keep her away forever Mel.”

“The Aderemi’s are powerful in mecianda and some part of the world. have I ever told you before that franklin was half Italian?”I questioned and Lorena shook her head in denial.

“His mother is an Italian. Her family is one of the richest families in Italy but she settled in mecianda after she got married to her husband. What do you think they’ll do if I just appear out of the blues after five years and told them that franklin had a child?”

“They’ll probably welcome you and accept their granddaughter,” Lorena replied.

I laughed out loud at what Lorraine just said.

“Welcome me? They’ll probably arrest me for killing their son.”I told her. “If they cared about me, they would have filed a missing case about me years ago but, they didn’t because they thought that I killed their son.”I breathe out and wiped the tears that had stain my face with my hand.

“Don’t worry baby, Lorraine is here for you.”

“Where have you being all my life?”I joked.

“Italy. I’ve been in Italy all your life until we met five years ago,” she replied with a smile.

“Thank you for everything Lorraine.”

“ok, ok smettila di comportarti da stupido(ok, ok, stop acting stupid)”Lorena replied in Italian and stuck her tongue out in a playful manner.

“se sono io quello stupido, allora sei tu Quello pazza(if I’m the stupid one, then you are the crazy one), “I replied to her and stuck my tongue out. We’re both adults but acting like little children.

“pazza? Ti mostrerò Quanto sono pazza. (crazy? I’ll show you how crazy I am.)”Lorena lunged at me and we both fall to the ground. we looked at ourselves and started laughing.

“That’s….. Was fun.”I said as we laughed again.

“Mummy, aunty lore, what are you both doing on the ground?”Hope asked as she walked to us. Looks like she was done playing with the kids.

“let’s go get ice cream, “I told her as I stood up from the ground.

“Yay!! “She jumped and hugged my leg.

Soon, the three of us were walking into an ice cream shop to get ice cream.

“What flavor do you want Hope?”Lorena asked.

“Strawberry” hope replied.

“How about you Mel? Mel! “She called my name but I didn’t answer because my mind was somewhere else.

My mind was was on the TV screen that was placed in the center of the shop for the customers to see. There on the TV screen was someone I never expected to see. Franklin.

“Melody! Melody!! Melody!!!”Lorena shouted my name but I didn’t answer her instead, I walked to the TV screen and touched the picture of franklin that was displayed on the TV screen.”

“Franklin..”I whispered as I touched his picture.

I could hear the people in the shop whispering amongst themselves.

“Is she normal?”

“Maybe she was just released from an asylum.”

“I’m not surprised because Giovanni Aderemi is a piece of art.”

“Someone get her out of here, she is scaring the kids.”A woman shouted.

I didn’t bother to listen to them because I wanted to wake up from the dream I was having. It couldn’t be franklin. He was shot in front of me and the house was set on fire.

“Mel, Mel stop this. Melody!!!”Lorena screamed my name and tried to pull me away from the TV but, I pushed her hand away.

Soon, two men grab me by the hand and pushed me outside the shop. Lorena and hope ran outside to meet me.

“Are you okay?”Lorena asked.

I looked up at her with tears staining my face, my vision was blurry and it was difficult for me to see her. I mumbled some incoherent words and choked on my sob.

“Aunty lore, is my mummy going to be fine?”I could hear hope asking Lorena.

“Franklin. He is on the TV. I saw him, Lorena.”

“Stop this nonsense melody. That’s wasn’t franklin because he died five years ago.”

“It’s franklin or maybe I’m dreaming. Wake me up Lorena, wake me up.”I cried.

“This is reality, Mel. That’s wasn’t franklin, it’s probably your imagination.”

“You think?”I asked her.

Lorena walked to me and pulled me into an embrace. “That’s okay melody. Let’s go home,” she said.

I carried Hope who had tears on her face and told her that I was fine but I wasn’t fine.

Was it a dream or reality?