Chapter 150 Are you worth it?
CHAPTER 150
Are you worth it?
ROSALINA DIAZ – POINT OF VIEW
The doctor leaves, and the tension thickens.
Then, Luca speaks, “You want to talk, Rosalina? Then, let’s talk.”
I close my eyes for a moment and let it wash over me. No one has called me Rosalina in a while.
“What do you want to know? I assume you know everything already. How long have you been digging into my past?” I ask softly, not looking at them, keeping my gaze on my hands.
“Since you stole from me.” Roman answers blandly, and I nod, ignoring the ache spreading through my chest.
“How did you hide your past so well that it took us months to figure it out?” Damian asks cautiously, as if he pities me.
I look at him and shrug, “Simple – I am Rosalina Diaz.”
“And being the only child of Rafael Diaz gives you protection and immunity; you were protected.” The geek with the glasses says.
I do not respond. I am still stunned to hear my father’s name on his lips.
“You are asking the wrong questions.” Adeline snaps, irritated.
Roman walks to me and drops a file. I take it, and my heart races when I see what it is. A marriage certificate. A different one.
I get up immediately, heart pounding. My vision sways, and I almost fall to the ground. Everyone gets up to steady me, but Roman is right there, holding my ankle firmly, cupping my cheeks, determination in his eyes, “I need you alive, Scarlett, so you need to slow down. Stop freaking out.”
“Stop freaking out? This is a different marriage certificate from the one we found in Percy’s hotel room. This one binds me to Emiliano; this is a … a contract … as if I am something he bought.” My heart is pounding harder now, as blood rushes to my ear. My fingers feel numb, and my pulse throbs loudly.
“He overrides my father’s rejection here. Everything is forged.”
“I can see that, and if push comes to shove, we will contend it in the court,” Damian assures me.
I look at him with a scoff, “The court?”
Roman is still holding me.
“This is not America. This is not even the La Cosa Nostra. This is the Cartels under Emiliano’s rule. They are vicious dogs, the worst, and the court of law does not stand. They are savages. He is their God. He makes the decision. There is no fucking democracy there.” I seethe, chest flaring with pain.
“His words are law. He does whatever he wants to do, and no one challenges him. My parents challenged him, and what happened to them? They died, painfully. He came into our house in the middle of the night and burned them alive. Do you know fire is the most painful way to die? Emiliano knows this, that’s why he uses it.” Blood rushes to my ears, and my knees weaken.
“If you do not calm down right now, I’ll take you upstairs and lock you there.” Roman cups my cheeks firmly.
I lean into his warmth, my heart skipping a beat at the contact.
“She’ll just break out. Get with the times, Roman. She’s a mafia princess.” The geek says unhelpfully.
“Shut up, Bastian.” Roman snaps at him, and I almost laugh.
“Sit,” he helps me to the couch, and sits beside me.
“Did you know you were promised to him?” Elena asks me kindly.
“No, I did not. I was fifteen.” I shake my head.
“But you knew him?”
“He was my father’s enforcer. He came by the house often. They worked together. Papa never hid what he did from me, but he always reminded me that it wasn’t the life he wanted for me. Emiliano was one of the many men who worked for my father.” I explain, pulling myself together.
“Your father must have known about the coup. Rafael wasn’t stupid.” Luca points out.
I do not respond. I am trying to acclimate to this new reality, one where I can talk about my past without consequences. There are consequences, though. Roman’s silence alludes to one.
“Emiliano does not just want to marry you. He does not need you. He can marry anyone he wants; he wants you because of your last name, but is that all?” Caleb thinks out loud.
“There has to be something else he wants, something he is looking for, something he believes he can get through you.” Damian agrees.
I look at Adeline. We have the answer they are looking for.
They keep arguing, debating, trying to get to the core of the issue, and I stay silent.
“Or is it the inheritance? As the Princess of the Cartels, your husband is liable to take over your father’s properties, which will include the cartels, so is it on the nose? A means to legalise his reign of terror?” Bastian asks me.
“You have to answer, Scarlett. It’s the least you can do.” Roman
Rage simmers in me. This is obviously fake. This peace is not real, and I am not about to let loose the only lead I have. Who knows? Maybe someone in this room is working for Emiliano. I know he has a mole, and I am certain this mole knows everything about us, so who else but someone in this room?
I stand up, heat rushing through me.
“I think I am going to bed., I say, a note of finality in my words.
Luca laughs dryly, his gaze hard as steel, “Let me guess, you don’t trust us to show your hands? You don’t want to put all the cards on the table?”
“Can you blame me?” I glare at him, “My cover has been blown. I am fucking naked now. Soon, the entire criminal organisation will know that Rosalina never died, and they will come for me. I do not have the luxury of time, and neither do I have the right to share information when anyone here can be a mole.” My tone is sharp and curt.
“A mole?” Roman repeats.
I look at him. He stands up and runs his hand over his face.
“Did you just say a mole? You, who have switched between multiple identities, who have lied to me, stolen from me, you, just accused my friends and me of being a mole, of working with a monster your family created?” He seethes, face growing red.
I welcome his anger. It is the only thing that feels right and true.
“What do you want from me? You want to apologise for staying alive? You want me to apologise for being Rosalina Diaz? I never got a choice in all these. I was born into it. It is a burden I have carried for twenty-six years.” I whisper, my heart breaking.
“I want you to apologise for dragging my father into a war you created. I want you to fucking get on your knees and apologise for making him collateral damage. I want you to tell me why all these people have died for you, if you are worth it.” He spits out.