67- Eleonora's Strength

POV- Sofia Vitale.

Lying on my little couch, I look for something cool on TV. But I end up giving up, since nothing catches my attention. Until I hear the doorbell ring, I walk over to the door and open it. 

"Antonie? What do you do here? Have you seen what time it is?" He doesn't answer me and enters my apartment without even being invited, I close the door behind me. "Hey! What do you think..." I try to argue, but he stops me, leaning sharply against the door. "What do you..." 

"I'm not going to be part of your plan anymore, better, I'm not going to help you with anything else." He says through his teeth, which makes me frown and question: 

"And what is this about? Why are you giving up?" He moves away and leans against a small table, turning his back on me and scratching his beard. "Did you fall in love with Eleonora?" He looks at me with bulging eyes, as if he had spoken the worst of barbarities. "You fell in love with her, that's why you're giving up!" Antonie approaches me again and presses me again, but this time against the door. 

"It's not up to you why I'm doing this. I just don't want to sink my life to satisfy you, to feed your revenge in vain. Because she hasn't done anything to you, she's innocent in everything, she doesn't even know you exist." 

"I didn't know..." I hiss and he walks away, I cross my arms and say: "Eleonora already knows about me and possibly about you too. Viktor Sorrentino found out about me and told him everything, so I don't doubt he knows we're collaborating." 

"We were. I'm not going to be part of anything anymore, I'm going to tell her. Everything, everything I know." I widen my eyes and try to counter-argue, but he doesn't give me the opportunity and leaves my apartment. 

THE NEXT DAY... 

...

POV- Eleonora Vitale.

After taking a relaxing bath, I leave the bathroom and dry my hair. Like a sleeper, Alessa is in her crib and sleeps peacefully. 

Putting on the clothes he had set aside for the night, Viktor is about to arrive and Dad is upset, but I don't judge him. "He has reasons to be!" I walk out of my thoughts with a few knocks on the door, then say an "come in." 

"Daughter, your, your... Viktor is down there." He says grimacing, I end up smiling. I finish getting ready and accompany him. 

And when we arrive on the first floor, I see Viktor waiting for us standing, dressed in a... "Suit?" And holding a bouquet of white roses. 

Dad doesn't greet him and I feel immense shame, but I couldn't make him do something. "For it will certainly be much worse." Viktor tries to disguise his discomfort, but it is visible. I receive the bouquet and thank him for the gesture politely, so I invite him to sit down. Instinctively, I sit next to him and Dad alternates his gaze between the two of us. Viktor clears his throat and says: 

"Alfred, I would like to start our conversation by apologizing for absolutely everything. I was a fool to doubt Eleonora and treat her the way I did. And there is not a single day that has blamed me for this, especially after I had the opportunity to hold my daughter in my arms." 

"Do you know what annoyed me the most? The fact that you cheated on her and I almost witnessed it, that's what makes me hate you the most at this point." Viktor lowers his head and hisses: 

"I didn't cheat on her." I suddenly turn towards him, Dad stands up and questions harshly: 

"Well, are you calling me a liar, Sorrentino?" 

"No, but I didn't cheat on her. Of that I'm sure, because the next day, when I got home, memories of that night came to my mind and I remember that at the time, well, you know..." He looks at the floor, embarrassed. "It didn't go up..." I try to hold back my laughter as I watch Dad's expression, who after some time laughs. So intense, it even makes him red.

Viktor accompanies him and also starts laughing, but the laughing section stops when Dad gets serious.

"I'll accept you again, of course, if Eleonora wants it. But if it were up to me, we would never see him again." Viktor nods. "So, my daughter, do you want him back?" They both watch me, my eyes widen, because I wasn't expecting it. Before I could answer, the doorbell rings and I take the opportunity to go to the door, saving me from this predicament.

I open the door and see Antonie in front of me, I get nervous and curious to know what he wants, since he was not invited or warned that he would come.

"Antonie, is there a problem?" I question and he swallows hard, as if he were guilty of something.

"I need to talk to you and Alfred." I say it and let him in, he is surprised to see Viktor. Who gets up ready to do something, but fortunately Dad manages to restrain him.

"What do you want here? Know that if you came to try to do something against my wife and daughter, I will not allow it. I can go to jail, but I'll kill him first." Snarls Viktor, Antonie seems unfazed by his words and just says:

"I have something to tell..."

We wait silently for what Antonie has to tell us. He looks one by one until he stops his sight on me. Viktor growls like a rabid dog, but stays in the same place. I sigh and take the lead, asking: 

"So, what do you have to tell us?" He stares at me and lowers his head. 

"Me, it's... It's complicated." Whispers. I look at Viktor and Dad significantly, saying: 

"We are already knowing about my twin sister. For this reason, you don't need to explain much to us. So, forward to us." 

"The thing is, I was helping her." He speaks at once and takes a deep breath, taking courage to continue: "But I gave up, I have nothing to do with it and I shouldn't get involved." 

"Why was I helping her?" Viktor asks. Antonie takes her view towards him. 

"She was blackmailing me with something I did in the past." 

"And what did you do?" It's Dad's turn to question. 

"I'm just going to tell you, Eleonora and this one don't need to know. It's nothing that has anything to do with what I came to say." 

"Okay, then tell us what happened." Say. 

"Sofia intends to kidnap her daughter and I was going to help her, but I thought about it and ended up regretting it." Sad speech. Viktor tries to free himself from Dad's grip, but he holds him even tighter. 

"I don't want you near my family, you ordinary! Vai fuori di qui!!" My ex-husband screams. I go to him and ask him to calm down. He does as I say, inhaling and exhaling. 

"Eleonora, I know you have reasons not to believe me. But if I'm telling you this, it's because I really regretted what I was thinking of doing. I just want to make sure you and little Alessa are okay." I agree and Viktor catches my attention. 

"Eleonora, you can't allow this guy to continue hanging around you. Who knows if this is not just a tactic to achieve what he has just confessed to us." He says the same, leaving me with the flea behind my ear. 

"Viktor, I wish I didn't trust him. But at that moment, if you don't do that, our daughter could be kidnapped, heaven forbid!" I speak and everyone is silent, reflective. 

"That's fine, but if this miserabile dares to touch a strand of his hair or Alessa's, I'll go after him all'hell." I swallow hard and agree, because we had no other way out. 

"Alfred, I need to tell you what happened and clarify everything with you." Dad agrees and slowly relaxes his grip around Viktor and lets him go. 

"Let's go to my office." Dad says and the two go to the room. 

"So, do you really trust this man?" Viktor asks, coming to me. 

"We need to do this." Reluctantly, he nods and grimaces. "Well, I'm going to prepare something for us. Stay here..." I leave him in the living room and go to the kitchen. 

I look for coffee and the moment I open the door of the pantry, I hear a noise right behind me and turn in the same direction. I was faced with a gun pointed at my head and a man entirely in black, holding it. 

Before I could react, I receive a blow and my vision is blurred until it gets dark. 

MOMENTS BEFORE...