Dark Romance: A Cruel Obsession

“My grandfather and Alajos’ grandfather were close brothers, and he was a trusted aide to two Capos. Later, when my grandfather passed away, my father inherited his position and became Kamden’s right-hand man,” Luzia said. “Even though Simpson has taken over his position now, he still has a say in Houston’s management.”

“But Mare is different. Mare’s family, though not small in Houston, is not enough in front of Hargrave. My father would never agree to me marrying him. If he finds out about us, he will kill Mare,” she continued.

“What should we do?” Vivian asked anxiously. “You’ve already missed out once, are you planning to miss out on the second chance as well?”

“I don’t know,” Luzia didn’t lie to Vivian, she truly didn’t know. She didn’t even know what Mare was thinking, would he be willing to risk everything for her?

Luzia’s confusion was genuine, and it saddened Vivian. She knew Joseph was a complete thug, and Luzia had suffered abuse in this marriage. So Vivian always thought that as long as Luzia could get rid of Joseph, end this marriage, she would finally find happiness.

But reality dealt Vivian a loud slap. Luzia not only didn’t find happiness, but also once again fell into the unfortunate fate of being treated as a commodity.

What should be done to help Luzia out of this predicament?

Dhanna had finished nursing and fallen asleep deeply, oblivious to the luncheon downstairs ending and most guests departing; the child remained silent in her sweet dreams.

Vivian secured Dhanna in her baby seat before having Diego’s car prepared to return to the penthouse apartment.

Luzia and Mare walked together with her, while Alajos stood next to Noah; they still had business to discuss.

“I will be back later; you go and rest,” Alajos kissed Vivian’s forehead and bid her goodbye.

Back in the apartment, Vivian took Dhanna to the master bedroom, as her nursery was not yet fully furnished, so her crib had to be temporarily placed in the master bedroom.

“Perhaps we should finish setting up the nursery sooner,” Luzia suggested. “Alajos is too busy, and he will be busy until Dhanna grows up.”

“Then we can skip the nursery and go straight to decorating her children’s room,” Vivian joked.

“For heaven’s sake, be a good mother,” Luzia weakly mocked. “Dhanna also needs her own room.”

“What can we do?” Vivian was also frustrated. “You know how much Alajos cares about Dhanna, he insists on personally setting up her nursery. And if we help him complete it, we’ll rob him of that opportunity, and he’ll be upset.”

Dhanna’s nursery was arranged next to the master bedroom, which was also Alajos’ idea, to allow him to check on Dhanna’s condition at any time. If Dhanna was hungry or cried, he could respond immediately.

“Is this the little princess’s room?” Luzia exclaimed at the walls filled with a cartoon world, soft blankets on the floor, decorative lights and cards piled up. Dhanna’s play area was already set up with Barbie dolls and plush toys. “Dhanna is truly blessed. This is a limited edition.”

Luzia envied sincerely, looking at Vivian, “Alajos must be a good father.”

“I hope so,” Vivian sighed and took off her shoes, entering the room barefoot. She sorted through the cards strewn on the floor and found an ‘a,’ “But Dhanna is a girl. Her future fills me with worry.”

“Why?” Luzia asked.

“Like us, she is a Mafia girl. Mafia girls are never free; they are imprisoned under the glory of their fathers and brothers, shackled by the bonds that maintain family alliances, forced to become gifts of trade.”

Vivian had fallen into such a fate before, but luckily, she found Alajos, who was willing to say ‘love’ to her.

In contrast to her, Luzia had faced two unfortunate marriages and was now forced into a third one.

Vivian was scared. She now feared that Dhanna wouldn’t have her luck and might end up as unfortunate as Luzia.

“But Alajos is different; he says ‘love’ to you, he says ‘love’ to Dhanna, something Mafia men can’t do,” Luzia squeezed Vivian’s hand, as if her grip could strengthen her conviction. “He promised you that Dhanna wouldn’t become a ‘gift,’ right?”

“Yes, but…” Vivian lacked faith. “The future is long, who knows what it will turn into in a decade or so?”

“You’re just creating problems for yourself,” Luzia said. “You can’t control the future, but you can influence the present. Every doubt, suspicion, only hurts Alajos.”

“Alajos has made changes difficultly; think about how much life and death you endured to arrive at such a change. Don’t let your worries ruin it, okay?”

“It’s my fault,” Vivian also reflected on herself.

The future was long, and Dhanna was still young. Vivian couldn’t keep carrying these doubts and worries, as it would not only affect Dhanna’s healthy growth but also harm Alajos.

“You don’t need to blame yourself, miss. I know you’ve gone through a lot, but just as I have experienced all the misfortunes, I believe the Lord will let his faithful followers achieve good results,” Luzia said devoutly. “It’s getting late; I should go back to sleep. Rest early, Vivian.”

“Goodnight, Luzia,” they bid farewell at the doorway of the nursery.

Vivian returned to her room, and Dhanna was already awake. The fully rested infant energetically waved her arms and legs, babbling incoherently to the air.

“Hello, sweetie, you’re awake,” Vivian teased her with a doll. The little baby stared at her with her light brown eyes and suddenly laughed, reaching out with her chubby hands to grab her mother’s golden hair.

Vivian played with her for a while and checked the time; it was close to midnight. The downstairs was quiet, and there was no phone ringing.

Hadn’t Alajos finished work yet?

Vivian comforted Dhanna for a while, as the infant slept a lot during the day but was difficult to soothe at night. Vivian wanted to freshen up but Dhanna refused to sleep.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

She hesitated between asking Luzia to help watch the child or leaving her alone in the crib to play. Before reaching the decision, she heard a scream from Luzia, followed by the forceful push of a door and gunshots.

Luzia!

The chaotic sounds startled Vivian, her heart pounding frantically. She instinctively wanted to rush out to check on Luzia, but she knew she wasn’t capable enough. Recklessly running out would not only fail to help Luzia but also burden Mare.

After brief consideration, Vivian retrieved a gun hidden under the pillow, holding Dhanna as she retreated into the bathroom.

Dhanna was still too young to comprehend what was happening, unaware of the danger approaching them. She was well-behaved, even if loud gunshots were heard outside, she just blinked her eyes, grinned with her toothless gums, and babbled to comfort her mother.