Free Web NovelChapter 90: Another Contract
"You fool!" Maria continued to scream and shout clearly pissed but Dora could not bring herself to stop Maria from shouting on her father.
It was intense but she herself stared at her father trying to understand what audacity he had to do such a thing especially in the current situation they were currently in.
Two hundred million was the kind of money that she found difficult to envision as she stood by the door with a stunned expression on her face.
"Gullible! Even your child is disgraced by you!" The shouting continued even as Dora did her best to process whatever was going on.
"How dare you!!! Putting us in danger at every turn?? What were you even thinking in that tiny mind of yours?"
"You call yourself a man!" Maria continued and hard as Dora wanted to stop her from insulting her father she could not.
Shifting back as she leaned against the door trying to abate the spinning that slowly took place in her head as she thought of the amount of money her father owned and heard her step mother continue speaking.
"They have threatened to take my leg off! Worse of all, the loan shark is related to Tiberio!" She continued and Dora might as well have been sank into water head first as she struggled to figure out what was happening.
"What?" She gasped turning to look at her father waiting for an explanation even as he slowly began to mumble one.
"I didn’t know! I really didn’t know!" He emphasized with tears in his eyes as he fixed his eyes on Dora whose gaze turned a bit cold as she heard him continue to speak.
"Even a hundred million would be fine for now! Just to get them off our back!" He said but Dora couldn’t help how cold she sounded as she instantly began to speak.
"...so where exactly do you expect me to find a hundred million?" Dora asked her tone colder than normal especially since even with the tears it was clear that her father was looking at her to solve the problem.
"Dante...Dante can help!" He said begging as he spoke, "...this is more serious than I thought! There was no way to know that Tiberio is involved! It might even have been his plan!" He continued to speak but Dora had skittered into silence as she stared at him.
"I can only get ten!" She told him looking steadily at him as she spoke.
"This time is tricky! I can’t ask Dante for money!" She told him aware that their relationship was hanging by a thread. Asking him for money, and that kind of money was simply going to kill the already fickle thing between them.
"...he threatened to kill me!" Luca gasped but Dora simply responded back in the same serious tone.
"Stay in the estate Dante provided and don’t leave. I will have Maria moved there too. You’ll be safe there!" She directly told him.
She hadn’t brought up the fact that her being married to Dante and carrying his child was because of him and already he was shifting another weight on her.
One she refused to carry no matter how much tears ran down his face.
"I’m not asking Dante for such a stupendous amount of money! You have bodyguards! Use them father!" She told him done with the visitation she came for as she instantly turned around to leave.
Not wanting to remain and hear whatever they had left to say to convince her to do their bidding.
Without saying goodbye, she turned around and instantly left even as she went ahead and dialed Llara ’s number in a fut of anger speaking the moment it went through.
"My dad owes Tiberio 200 million" she said even as Llara also spoke the second she picked the call.
"I think I gave a blow Job to a high ranking member of the mafia!" She said even as silence filled the air between them the very next second, wach other processing what the other had just said.
"What?" Llara gasped before Dora could speak, "...that cannot be in dollars..." Llara said even as Dora responded that it was.
"He explained how it happened and that he was scammed but I don’t care! Asking Dante for money is not going to happen!" Dora said even as Llara began to respond.
"To be honest, I won’t advice it. The last thing you need is another contract!" Llara said even as Dora sighed her eyes widening the next second in a way that Llara could not see as thoughts went through her mind.
’She thought to herself the thought taking root as her eyes widened even she came to a standstill in the lobby of the hospital, Ettore her bodyguard and another walking behind her.
’What if another contract is what I need to ensure that I can stay in his house with my baby?’ She thought to herself as she stood there thinking hard as Llara continued to speak into the phone.
"200 million? How could he even have collected such a huge sum of money at once. Your dad is nice but I didn’t think he was that daring!" Llara pointed out having met Luca enough times to know the kind of person he was.
"I don’t know! It’s just a lot to think about," Dora said.
"...but still what are you going to do?" Llara asked over the phone putting herself what she herself wanted to previously discuss as she waited to hear what Dora was going to say.
"Nothing! As long as they stay in the estate even if they owe money to Tiberio they will be fine!" Dora responded even as Llara pointed out a weakness in her thinking.
"Keep in mind that in 6 months you would be having that baby, that’s if it does not come out earlier," Llara pointed out even as Dora took a deeper breath
The breath Dora took felt heavier than it should have been, as though the air itself had weight. Her free hand hovered briefly over her stomach before resting there, fingers pressing lightly through the fabric of her dress as if grounding herself was the only way to remain upright. The lobby felt too large, too open, every sound amplified—the murmur of voices, the distant ringing of a phone, the squeak of shoes against polished floors.
"I know," Dora finally said into the phone, her voice quieter now but no less firm. "I haven’t forgotten."
Ettore slowed when he noticed she had stopped walking, his expression unreadable but attentive as he remained a step behind her. The second guard stood slightly farther back, eyes sweeping the area with professional precision, unaware of the storm brewing behind Dora’s composed exterior.
"You can pretend this doesn’t concern you you," Llara said gently. "you’ve done enough! You’ve done more than enough! Your father should fix his own problems for once!"
"I know but it’s easier said than done," Dora replied. "He’s my father!"
She resumed walking, her heels echoing as she crossed the lobby toward the exit, the automatic doors sliding open to let in the sharp scent of the outdoors. The sky had begun to dim, the sun dipping low enough to cast long shadows across the pavement. Dora squinted briefly before stepping outside, her thoughts racing faster now.
"Just... be careful," Llara added. "Whatever you decide."
"I always am," Dora said, though even to her own ears the words sounded hollow. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
She ended the call before Llara could respond, slipping the phone into her bag as the car door was opened for her. The ride back was silent, the city blurring past as Dora stared out the window without truly seeing anything. Images overlapped in her mind—her father’s tears, Maria’s shrill voice, Dante’s unreadable gaze the last time they had spoken.
Another contract.
The idea refused to leave her alone even as she headed to a mall fro but a few things before she returned home.
By the time the estate gates came into view, night had fully settled. The guards recognized the car instantly, the heavy iron doors parting to allow them through. Dora straightened instinctively as they pulled up, her posture composed once more as though she were slipping on armor.
Inside, the house was quiet, the kind of silence that felt deliberate rather than peaceful. Dora climbed the stairs slowly, each step measured, until she reached her room. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it, finally allowing her shoulders to sag.
Her hand returned to her stomach.
"I’m doing this for you," she whispered softly, the words meant for the life growing inside her.
Yet even as she said it, her mind was already moving forward, calculating, planning. Tiberio was not a man who waited patiently, and debts like this did not disappear.
Moreover, there was something she could do about it but the question was whether she was willing and ready to pay it.
