THE MAFIA'S PENANCE

I WAS THE OLD ONE

"What do you mean, Vern?" Stare confused.

Vernon turned to me and immediately pulled my hand again until he entered the room. He let go of me so violently that my arm hurts so much now. His gunshot wound seemed to be nothing to him as his strength still did not decrease in the slightest.

"So it's true that I was engaged to Vegard?" I asked Vernon who was still standing in front of me. "Tell me, why didn't that happen?'

"Because you're mine." Vernon replied with a cold look. "After your brother committed that sin, you were mine."

From Vernon's gaze I could see the radiance of his hatred for me. But the answer did not make me feel satisfied.

"Why do I belong to you?"

"I told you because you caused all that to happen." Vernon.

"What am I doing? Why am I the cause?"

Vernon laughed at my question. Everything is the same as before. He did not answer and went straight out of the room without saying anything more to me.

I caused all that to happen? What the hell am I doing? It makes me very curious. I wonder what happened ten years ago.

By nightfall I was with Vernon at an event. As he had said before, he asked that I not let go of his hand and I did.

The event was a party held by a businessman who was among the top three richest people in Italy. What surprised me was that it was a birthday celebration of a middle-aged man named Simon De Angelis. I knew exactly who he was. He was the father of Wynetta De Angelis, the woman Vernon loved.

Many were present, even Arthur and Renata also came. So does Vegard who came alone without a partner. Surprisingly, why doesn't Vernon want me to take his hand off?

"You two are coming too?" Renata.

Seeing him made me remember about some photos that were not in the photo album that Sesya brought. I wanted to ask him why he took it but Vernon's whereabouts undo my intentions.

"Where is Art?" I asked because Renata was alone approaching us.

"He was talking there." Renata's reply pointed towards Arthur's whereabouts. "You better not get drunk. There are many enemies here."

"It's like you're drunk, Ren." I snorted at Renata's behavior who still occasionally gulped the tequila martini. He was almost drunk at the moment. "Stop drinking, Ren."

"Yes, Ren. Don't drink anymore." Vernon.

"I'm so strong drinking can't be just because of a few glasses, I'm drunk." Renata's smile with a face that already looks flushed from drunkenness.

"It's over, Ren." I tried to take the glass that Renata had brought but Renata quickly pulled it.

At the same time, Renata's balance faltered. I removed Vernon's arm from the armband to support Renata so that the glass that was still half-filled spilled on the red dress I was wearing.

"I'm sorry, Viv." Renata looks panicked.

I turned to Vernon who looked annoyed at what was happening. But there was nothing he said and only slightly sighed.

"I'll be right back. I have to clean it up to the toilet." My words were straight away from Vernon.

I turned to Vernon before leaving the venue, a man named Simon De Angelis approached Vernon with two glasses of drink he was carrying and one of them was thrust on Vernon.

I walked out of the party hall and into a toilet right next to the hall where the event was taking place. One of Vernon's men has been following me ever since I walked out of the hall and stood guard at the toilet door.

"Viv, I'm sorry." Suddenly Renata went into the toilet and came straight to me. "I'm so careless."

My gaze was very upset at Renata as she wet her handkerchief to wipe my dress that was hit by the tequila martini she was carrying earlier.

"You take it easy, your appearance still looks perfect even like this." Renata.

I know he said that so I wouldn't be mad at him. It makes me even more upset. But my focus changed and I thought back to the missing photos.

"Ren, you met Sesya, didn't you?" Ask me to start with the questions I'm going to ask Renata.

"Yes, he came to your house.I mean Art's house because it's no longer your house. And it just so happened that I just made love to Art and left the room, and then I saw Sesya in your room." Renata answered, still cleaning my dress. "When I asked him, he said you told him to bring you a photo album of your fourteenth birthday celebration."

"Then how can that photo album be on you?" Look at me with full attention.

"It just so happened that when both of your parents came yesterday they wanted to look through some photos and they brought the photo album one of them, after which asked me to return it to your place but because I forgot, those photo albums I put in Art's room." Renata stopped her cleaning my dress.

"My parents are home?" I was so surprised to hear that. "Why didn't they call me? The two of them were supposed to meet me after coming home, even they weren't there when I got married."

"They've gone to Venice." Answer Renata. "What's up Viv? Why are you asking about Sesya and the photo album?"

"Are you the one who took some photos on that album? You better tell me everything! Ren, what happened on my fourteenth birthday? You must know that, right?"

"What did you say?" Renata asked back a little angrily. "What photos did I take and why did I take them, Viv?

For a moment I stared at Renata's facial expression and she knew that Renata was looking at me with confused eyes.

"There are some photos missing from the album. That's so weird."

"Then you accused me of taking it?" Renata's gaze implied an annoyance on her face to me. "I don't understand why you're accusing me, but I didn't do anything."

"really?"

"You also asked me what happened ten years ago?" Renata asked annoyed. "Viv, me and your brother have only been engaged for 7 years, I have absolutely no idea what happened ten years to all of you."

"But why are you asking me something like yesterday?" I was again very anxious to know the answer.

"Because Art once told me that you lost your memory. I want to know how you were before you lost your memory."

"Whatchu mean? Myself before memory loss? What was my previous self?" I asked in curiosity and confusion.

"I don't know if I can say this or not to you. But what I hear about you now and you who used to be is very different. You're like two different people." Renata replied after that slightly tilted her head at me about to whisper something. "If I didn't hear wrong, you asked Art to kill his fiancee first."

"Tu—his engagement Art first? Who's fiancee? Why would I ask Art to kill him?" My tongue felt very faint when I asked those questions.

"Wynetta De Angelis."

Suddenly the sound of several shots made me even more surprised after hearing Renata's reply.

...–NATZSIMO–...