My Crown

Chapter 11

They let me go yesterday because the princess was upset. I shake my head at the memory. Luciano is weak. He's allowing her weakness to infect him. One of those two is going to end up dead. All in the name of love.

I'm still healing in bed when more soldiers come to grab me. Fuck. Are we going to make this a daily occurrence?
This time I'm being dragged to Luciano's office though.
Shit! It's almost time.

I can hear the yelling from outside. The men look at each other before one knocks and they are let in. The entire inner circle is here today.

My eyes land on him though. The same golden eyes I loved so much. He looks so different now, but he's still so handsome.

"What happened to Isabella?" Ophelia asks me.
"I'm good, doc. Bruises magically healed overnight." He smiles and memories of that same smile flood my brain.

"She doesn't belong here." Malorie's eyes burn with passionate hatred. "Mad about that little accident?" I can't help the smile on my face as I say it.

"I knew you were behind it." Gianni roars, "I told you, Luciano." She whines. "No, Susanna was. I just switched places with you. Payback for trying to poison me." If I am going to die, I'm going out with a bang. Might as well get everything out today. 3:33

"She shouldn't be here. You should be resting." Caroline says to me. How do I tell her I can't go back? Just lying there. My thoughts always go back to her, to Isabella.

"You tried to poison her?" Gianni is stunned, "You have no proof." She snides. "I don't need it." This isn't court. My sentence is already decided.

"She also tried to poison you, you know." I inform Ophelia. "Tried to plant the poison in my room and everything. Bet you didn't know Gianni watched me like a hawk. He saw you."

"That's what that was" he realises. I watch Malorie turn pale. Gianni sent the bottle to the lab but has probably forgotten about it. "Seriously, Malorie, that was an amateur move. You would think that after four years here you'd know better than that." My smile spreads seeing Ophelia's hurt expression.

"Don't believe a word she says. It's all lies." Aagh. Come on. Save the theatrics. "Take her to the cellar." The guards that brought me in then drag her out.

"Who wants to go next?" I ask sitting down comfortably. They eye me warily and Caroline shakes her head.

"Is it all a lie? What about you Caroline? Anything I should know?" Ophelia asks with teary eyes. I notice Antonio tighten his hold on her. "She never claimed she was your friend." Antonio speaks up for her.

"Caroline?" Ophelia's voice is pleading. "You are no queen of mine." She says looking her straight in the eye at which point the tears descend Ophelia's beautiful face.

Luciano takes his gun out, but I move quickly to stand in the way. Not Caroline.

"This is why she is our queen." Caroline says. "She was ready to take the bullet for me. She took Trisha's beatings yesterday. She took revenge on the bastards that hurt us." Caroline says. "Do you want to know how Isabella died? When we were hiding in the safe room, Isabella was being raped. Repeatedly. No one here did anything to help. Except Liza. She was out in the thick of it all searching for her. She killed the men that hurt her. She took care of her. But it was too late. The damage was done. She hung herself the first moment she got."
I failed her.

"You were grieving for Liam. You didn't even notice Isabella hadn't been to work yet. Or Maureen, or Helen or Rosalina or Gigi or Francesca. That's because none of you give a damn about us! You burn our dead in a heap and forget that we have a right to mourn our losses too." She is sobbing by the end. She has a point there.

"How did Gigi die?" Lorenzo asks. "Single bullet to the head." I tell him remembering her lifeless body. My chest aches at the memory. She deserved better.

He holds it back but I can see his pain. I always could.

"None of us have any respect for any of you. Kill me if you will. I honestly don't give a fuck anymore." I turn around to walk away.

"Where's Shakira?" I pause hearing that name. It's been so long. "Who?" Caroline asks. "She was before your time." I tell her, "Dead." I answer him. "Selena?" "Dead." "Olivia?" "Dead." "Jessica?" "Dead." "Crystal?" "Let me save you the trouble, Zozo. They're all dead."

"Mimi?" It's been too long since anyone other than Gigi called me that.
"Hey, Zozo."
He looks shocked and heartbroken.

"Tell you what, you figured it out way faster than G. Dense head's been watching me for months and he still didn't figure me out." I turn my gaze to Gianni hoping to escape those gold orbs I once loved.

"No" he whispers. "Come on now. I always loved giving you a headache." I smile. Recognition flashes in his eyes, "Mimi?" Took him long enough.

"Who's Mimi? I thought your name was Liza." Luciano asks. "Mimi, Scarlett, Liza. You can call yourself anything really." It's not like I have any official documents.

My eyes find Lorenzo's again. It's been over ten years and I can still read him like a book. He has that look in his eyes again.
"Mimi..." "Save it." I interrupt. "I don't want your apologies."

"What is going on here?" Luciano demands. "You're still not listening." I tell him. I don't answer to him! He doesn't get to demand anything from me.

Silence presides over the room. I check the time and it's 3:39. I look over at Caroline, "I need some air." She excuses herself and Antonio follows after her. Good, I can't have her here for this.

"Story time." I decide. "Once upon a time, two kids loved each other." I look Zozo right in the eyes for this one. "Little Mimi loved Zozo to the ends of the world. He was her very best friend, despite the fact that his family owned her. She looked past all of the hate and the two were as thick as thieves."

"Little Zozo liked to make promises to Mimi. You see, even as a child, his word was his bond. A mafia lord who goes back on his word is a mafia lord with a death wish." This time I look over at Luciano.

"Then his parents decided to send him away. He promised her he'd come back. Promised her he wouldn't leave her alone in this cruel world. He promised he'd visit her, send her letters. But he never did."

"Mimi, I'm so so..." "Ten years later and he comes back. Only Mimi isn't the same little girl. She doesn't feel anything for him anymore and she hates that nickname."

"Four hundred and seventy-eight" My attention is now on Luciano, "That's how many times I hid in the closet while your father's men raped my mother." He tries to hide it but I can see his surprise.

"Eighty-seven." They look between each other. "That's how many people I have lost living under this roof." I can still see their faces.

"A lot, right?" I look around at their dumb faces. "And those are just the ones I liked." The real numbers are staggering.

"Do you know why every single member of your staff is always caked in makeup? Your mother set it up. It's to hide all our bruises. Make us the pretty little dolls you want to see." I look in all their eyes.

They all know, of course. They know how we are treated here. They just choose to turn a blind eye to our suffering.

"And I'm sure you've noticed our hair cuts. Very chic. You see our hair dresser killed herself. Do you know why she chose hair of all things?" I ask Ophelia who just stares at me.

"Most of your soldiers are rough. Our hairs were always such a mess. We could hide our bruises with the make up we were given but they'd rip and ruin the hair. Our hair always reminded us of our defilement. She wanted us to look in the mirror and instead remember that someone cared."

"Every woman you see with this terrible hair cut was at some point raped by one of your men. And I know you won't lose any sleep over it. Why should the great Luciano Morelli care what happens to a bunch of weak girls, right?"

During my rant I forgot to check the time, so I wasn't ready. I felt the shockwaves from the explosion throw me across the room. I'm not going to be just another servant. They all better fucking remember me.

I close my eyes. I am still haunted by her face.