Chapter 45: Chapter Forty Five

*Gabriela*

Looking at Ivy’s face gave me great pleasure.

Two black eyes and a swollen nose, that was bandaged up, was making her look ridiculous. It only fueled my happiness knowing I was the cause of it. But trying to be the better person I try not to show how much I enjoyed it too much to everyone.

I couldn’t say the same for Brittney and Maria, however.

Both females smirked every time Ivy showed herself in a room. I knew why Brittney smirked, but I was a bit shocked to see Maria enjoying the fact that I caused such an unpleasant situation. After telling her what happened she got all fired up on my behalf and was going to give the girl a piece of her mind too.

Until she came face to face with her and saw the damage.

She just snorted with a huge smile, stating, “That’s what you rightly deserve.” In Spanish, walking away leaving Ivy confused.

Which only told me that Ivy was slacking on her Italian lessons. I learned that both her and her mother weren’t full blood Italian and that they had to learn the language when my father found that out. But it was apparent that Ivy wasn’t taking it seriously. As for me, my mother always spoke the language, so it was a language I knew quite well.

The town’s doctor had come and gone, checking on my hand as well. It wasn’t broken, just a bit swollen from hitting something I’ve never hit before. It throbbed a bit but soaking it in warm water and icing it down should do the trick. I wasn’t too upset since it reminded me of the fact that what I had done was real.

Back at home I would never have done it since my father would have punished me more than he would have Ivy. As his daughter, I was expected to show more grace and ladylike manners since I held the blood of a Russo, unlike Ivy.

“Why am I the only one going?” Brittney’s confused voice sounded just down the hall.

Walking down the stairs to head for the living room I walk in to see Brittney sitting on the sofa with a magazine in hand, frowning as she stared up at Giovanni, who was staring down at her with a purpose.

He was smiling gently, putting on his jacket as he says, “I thought it would be good for you and the baby to get some fresh air and see the sights in town. It must be stuffy being couped up on this ranch for days on end.”

She slowly puts the book down, frowning. “I don’t mind, honestly. Its peaceful and beautiful here. But I guess it couldn’t hurt to look into town for a bit.” She shrugs getting up. “Is there a Starbucks around here by chance?”

I quirk a brow at that question. She was supposedly pregnant in her early stages, was drinking highly caffeinated coffee really something she should be drinking? It was her own body I get that, but if it was true that Enzo was the father than of course I was concerned about his unborn child’s wellbeing.

Giovanni was thinking the same thing, but keeping his mouth shut on the matter as he states, “Of course there is. How about we get something and maybe even go shopping?” He beams that clearly didn’t reach his eyes.

But it sure as the hell did in hers. “I always love shopping.” She gushes and walks out of the room to get ready.

She just gives me a smirk as she walks past me. I just ignore it knowing she was about to get a rude awakening when they hit town. Walking into the room, Papi Gio just stands there with his hands in his pockets, looking at me.

“What if she refuses?” I whisper in case she was still near the room.

He walks up closer to me and whispers back, “Then I’ll be the only one returning from town.”

A part of me really hopes that she refuses.

But if she doesn’t, then the DNA testing will tell us all once and for all whether she’ll be staying for a long time or not. And thinking about that brought a spike of anxiety in my chest. Giovanni leaves me in the room on my own as he heads outside waiting for Brittney, only to be replaced by my nemesis, Ivy.

My guard pulls up immediately, but she doesn’t get near me as she walks to an armchair and sits down heavily, grabbing the magazine that was left behind by Brittney on the coffee table. She sighs flipping through the pages.

We both hear the stomping footsteps and the slamming of the front door telling us Brittney had just left the house.

I was about to walk out just as she says, “She’s not pregnant you know.”

I stop, close my eyes, because I know I’m going to want to hear what she’s on about. Hating the fact that she knows exactly what to do to get my undivided attention when I didn’t want it.

“And how could you possibly know that?” I ask, taking the damn bait as I turn back around to face her.

Still looking at the magazine she slowly scans each article, as if she was paying any real attention to what was inside, and shrugs.

“I have my ways.” Was all she says.

Rolling my eyes, I turn away a second time. Should have known she was going to be vague about this. Like she really knew at all. She was probably trying to get my hopes up just to watch me crash to the ground when the results come back as being true. She was a bitch like that.

“I went snooping in her room when she wasn’t around. Never knew anyone to have gotten pregnant after a one night stand while being on an IUD.”

I freeze for only a second before I’m swinging back around with shock. “IUD? How do you know that?” I ask.

She rolls her eyes slapping the book back down on the table. “She has an appointment book that was shoved deep in one of her bags. Apparently she has an upcoming doctor appointment next week to get it checked. But more importantly, I found another interesting fact.”

She gets up and starts walking towards me. She gives me a wicked smile that made her look a bit ridiculous considering her bandaged nose and all. She winces just a bit but continues to smile.

We stand there facing each other, making me a bit cautious and on guard. With Ivy I never knew what she was going to do or say. It was out of habit by this point. I didn’t trust her worth a damn. But she always knew the right words to spout to get my attention regardless.

“Lets just say every word out of that red headed bitch’s mouth is a big fat lie.” With that she walks past me and heads towards the kitchen.

The unknown was starting to get to me, so swinging myself in the hallway looking after her, I couldn’t help barking out,

“What the hell did you find, Ivy?”

She just waves an arm above her head not looking back and replies, “If I were you, I would do some little snooping of my own.”

Then she turns through the doorway and disappears.