Sold to the Capo-Chapter 73: CHANGING THOUGHTS ABOUT THE MAN

ADRIANA’S POV

I woke up with a groan and struggled to sit up in bed, feeling my body aching.

Looking beside me on the bed, I remembered that Vincenzo had not stayed in the room with me last night.

Not like that was important anyway, but then I remembered the events of last night, and I placed my head in my hands, thinking deeply about what had happened.

From his strange request about wanting to touch me to his not answering me when I told him that I hated him. I had no particular reason to say that, but the atmosphere had been weird, and I just wanted to see his reaction to it because I had begun to doubt if I didn’t see him in a different light.

From the first time I had seen him again when he saved me months back here, I knew he was attractive but I masked it by saying I hated him which I truly did but now that I had forgiven him, it felt like the mask was being pulled back, revealing things I wasn’t sure I was ready for.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs, and I turned to the door in time to hear a knock.

"Adriana?" I heard Val’s voice from outside the door, her voice soft yet insistent.

"One moment" I replied gruffly, struggling to my feet before I limped to the door, swinging it open to see her staring at me with relief in her eyes.

"I would have come earlier to see you, but I knew that you were going through a lot, and Vincenzo was with you, so I didn’t want to burden you with too many visitors." She struggled to explain in one breath.

A light laugh escaped me and I shrugged, knowing it was no big deal. "It’s fine, Val. I know" I assured her, my voice coming out as a slight croak.

She stared at me for a split second before wrapping her hands around her, her head resting on my shoulder as she sighed into my hair. "You got me worried, Adriana" She whispered.

I wrapped my hands around her tentatively. "I’m sorry, I guess no one expected that, huh?" I tried to joke but she wasn’t smiling.

"Don’t worry, nothing’s gonna happen again" She assured.

"I know" I smiled, gently pushing past her to go downstairs.

She was right behind me judging from the light footsteps now, but she didn’t say a word; she simply matched my pace and wrapped her hand around me to steady me, her gaze fixed forward.

"Thanks" I muttered, leaning heavily on her.

She didn’t seem to mind my weight and she didn’t answer but just let out a gruff sound to acknowledge me as she led me to the couch.

As soon as I had been settled, she took a deep breath and looked down at me. "How bad does that still hurt?" She nodded to the gunshot wound.

I looked down at the thing and shrugged. "Honestly, not much anymore but who am I to complain when I’m getting extra treatment?" I joked, and this time, she cracked a smile at it.

"First gunshot wound?" She asked, sitting next to me.

"Yep, and no better day to get it than now, I might as well get over it," I shrugged nonchalantly, staring at the scar that it had left behind.

She looked up at my face, and I suddenly felt subconscious; I hadn’t felt like that under Vincenzo’s gaze, but I didn’t know what Val would say, so instinctively, I reached a hand to touch the healing bruises.

"Does it still hurt?" Her voice was softer as she almost reached a hand to touch my face, but I stopped her in time, my second hand grabbing hers, a self-conscious look on my face.

"No, it’s fine. It doesn’t hurt anymore. It’s just having a weird color to it, but it is fine. The balm worked, and so did the drugs Besides, the cuts have healed." I showed her to prove my point.

She, however, didn’t let her gaze linger on it, thankfully, before she smiled sympathetically at me. "If it’s any consolation, Master LaRosa is going through worse" She smiled.

I sat up in my seat, suddenly eager to hear more. "What happened?"

"That day after Vincenzo received a call from Master LaRosa, he was livid and stormed there with the men. He tore the place down, gave Master LaRosa a taste of his own medicine, and ended up shooting him twice, but thankfully, before he made any rash decision, he found you and then quickly left the place as he was more intent on getting you to a safe place" She explained, her hands slightly gesticulating.

I nodded, though my lips were lightly parted in disbelief, and I nodded again. "Wow"

She hummed and stood up, a blank look now on her face. "Do you want me to get some food for you? Grace isn’t home, so I’ll make something quick for you, huh? Sandwich?" She asked, already heading off into the kitchen before I could answer.

I wasn’t even sure if I had an answer to what she was saying, after all, I had other things to think of. Just like placing this new information with the one I had seen yesterday about Vincenzo’s behavior. He was behaving weirdly; he was always looking for ways to touch me, and even though he hadn’t made any move to kiss me again, I knew he was thinking about it judging by the way his gaze always seemed to drop to my lips when he thought I wasn’t looking.

The thoughts of everything were not just making sense, and I tried to disregard all the ones that made sense because it just didn’t seem plausible.

I kept denying it because the day I accepted that theory, my whole life and beliefs would change.

This is why, as Valentina came back, I blurted the first question that came to mind. "Can I ask something about Vincenzo?"