AGAINST THE TIDE Book #2

Chapter Forty One: A Good Day?

Vittoria's POV
The heat us beginning to be unforgiving. Not even air conditioning can save us now. Even Marcelle who is usually well dressed is walking around in vests and shorts. I'm not complaining. I like it.

With Sofia being around, there's a lot of life in this house. She is always in a good mood and she moves from one person to another, infecting all of us with happiness. She hordes Marcelle but it's not in a bad way. We both lean on him when we are watching a movie. He complains the whole time about us increasing his body heat when it's already hot. We really don't care about his comfort just how good it feels to be close to him.

Nerina has been scarce. She is not grounded but she's almost invisible. I think being threatened with a boarding school scared her. I hope he is only threatening her and he doesn't mean it. Anyway, with the weekend coming up and news that we are travelling, I want to straighten things with her before we are stuck in a plane together and she throws me out. I can't out it last her.

I knocked on her door and I waited for her to open. When she did, she stared at me blankly. She then stuck her head out to look through the hallway.

"Are you here to start shit? Because if you are I won't fall for it."

She has a foul mouth!

"I'm here to talk. Peace offering." I offered her a gift box.

I bought her w pair of earrings. I dint know if she will like them.

,She took the box from my hand and opened it. She smiled just a little before it faded quickly. "Come in." She opened the door wide.

Except Juan and Gio, the rest of Marcelle's children are messy. Nicolò and Marco call their mess an organized mess. I believe them because they can find anything in a pile without a hustle. They have no use for their hangers or closets. The maids are not allowed to clean after them. Nerina is just the same.

I skipped over some clothes on the floor and stood near her bed. She sat on an armchair staring at me. Her eyes are the same color as Reina's but hers are not playful. Curious and mean, absolutely.

"Well?" She asked me.

"Why don't you like me?" I asked her.

"It's not rocket science Vittoria. An idiot can understand."

"Let's assume I am an idiot. Explain it to me." I crossed my hands on my chest.

She rolled her eyes. "Mommies and daddies are supposed to stay together forever. I can't accept that my parents are not together. I want them to get back together and as long as you are in the middle they never will. That is why I don't like you."

"May I sit?"

"I'm afraid that if I disagree my father will send me to the moon."

I sat on a little chair. "I somehow understand how you feel. Not exactly, somehow."

"Then why are you still here?"

"Because I love your father."

She scoffed. "You are a gold digger." She told me to my face.

I willed my heart to still. I came here to make peace with her so that we move on without any problems.

"What would make you say that?"

"Everyone thinks so."

"Who is everyone?"

"I think so."

"I think you are an evil wicked little girl. I think you are a spoilt brat. I think you are a liar. I think you are manipulative. I think that you are not smart enough to learn from your mistakes. You see, there's a lot about you that I have concluded from our brief encounters. But that is my biased opinion because I don't know you well enough to know who you are. You don't know me either and your opinions are your own from your small little point of view. But we can get to know each other. We can put aside our indifferences and then get to know each other. After that we can make conclusions. What do you think?"