CHAPTER-12

LENA

"Hello?"

"So, you finally decided to take my calls," my father said, his voice dripping with disdain from the other end of the line.

"Good morning to you, Father. Tell me, why did you bestow upon me your time?" And ruin mine.

"I see you're still as mouthy as ever, even married into the Andressano family. I called to invite the Andressano family to your sister's charity event. Before she goes on maternity leave, she wants to perform for poor, sick orphans or something." How noble of my sister! Even though he invited the family, not me. The urge to roll my eyes was almost overwhelming.

"I will inform them, Father," which, of course, I won't.

"Not just inform; make sure they are present."

"Yes, Father."

"I don't expect anything from you, but at least you embarrassed me less this time. After all, you've embarrassed me enough already. Everyone is going to look at us at this event." He hung up on me without another word.

Yes, I remember that time when Kennedy threw herself onto the table and blamed me for pushing her. Everyone fell for her victim act. That was the first time my father slapped me in front of everyone when I tried to tell the truth. He also stopped bringing me to any events. That's why no one remembers me now.

After that, I was bullied at school and lost my friends. Everyone thought I was just a fat, vindictive girl.

But that didn't stop me from retaliating when her ballet shoes mysteriously went missing before her big audition. She never did ballet again.

Our teenage years were filled with these cat-and-mouse games until I finally ran away from my father's home. Even now, she still finds ways to belittle me. My intuition says she will definitely try to mock me at the event because Alarik rarely attends these useless gatherings. Not that I could be with him even if he did.

All this drama and lack of sleep have started to give me migraines. I don't have time for this, but I need answers. That's why I'm meeting up with Penelope. I promised her a few tickets to the event in exchange for some information.

Of course, she's late. I've been waiting for the last 20 minutes in this cafe, staring at the door every time it swings open.

"You came in early." Finally, she comes holding a few shopping bags.

"I was just shopping for a concert." Penelope, give me a reason. From her beaming smile, she was really excited about the concert.

"No problem, but now answer some questions." I spoke.

"Ok, but why are you so serious?" She frowns. Do you think leaving your home makes me happy? Furthermore, five rental spaces have been turned down for me without any explanation.

"Well, first question: what is the deal with the third floor of the mansion?" She gulped down her coffee.

"I don't know clearly either. I am also not allowed to go there. One time, when I was 10, I secretly decided to go there, but before I could reach the door of the room, Aunt Victoria caught me, and she screamed at me and told me never to come there. After that, she installed a private elevator, which can only be accessed with a card. After a few years, I tried to ask my brother. He also doesn't have any ideas, and Mom doesn't answer those questions." These answers have begun to develop into new questions.

"You are saying none of the family members except Victoria are allowed to go there. Why, not even Alarik?"

"Yes, not even he is allowed. You basically don't know that, but cousin Alarik and Aunt Victoria do not really have a good relationship. Aunt Victoria will not leave a single moment to disrespect and taunt him."

Although Alarik and Victoria don't get along, Alarik is always portrayed in the media as the perfect son. As the only successor, he took over the whole Andressano empire at the age of just 21. Nobody could have objected to the young adult taking over the corporation because of his overwhelming power.

But he's Victoria's only son, and rumor has it that she loved him so much when he was little. The truth is significantly more nuanced than his public persona as a loving son. Their tense relationship just serves to trap me further in the maze of familial drama.

"Why would they have problems in their relationship? Everyone talks about how Alarik never made any decisions without Victoria's consultation. I thought Victoria was the one who arranged our marriage. Isn't it why Victoria said I am with her on tour?"

Penelope paused, her gaze flitting around the cafe, as if deciding whether to reveal further information. I sensed her anxiety, but I also knew she had a soft spot for boy bands. I leaned in closer, my voice dropping to a covert whisper.

"Penelope, what if I could get you backstage passes to meet some of the celebrities at the concert? Would that help jog your memory?" Her eyes widened, and she bit her lip, obviously tempted. After a few moments of thought, she sighed and nodded.

"Alright, but you didn't hear this from me," she said, glancing around nervously. "Victoria and Alarik's relationship started to sour when he was a teenager. Alarik always had a rebellious streak, and Victoria's controlling nature didn't sit well with him. They clashed over everything, from his education to his friends."

I nodded, urging her to continue. Penelope glanced at the door again, then leaned in closer.

"Things got worse when Alarik started dating someone Victoria didn't approve of. She tried to break them up, and Alarik retaliated by pushing back harder against her control. It became a power struggle, and when Alarik took over the empire, he did it on his own terms, not hers. That's when Victoria started to publicly support him, but behind closed doors, their relationship remained strained."

"But what about our marriage?" I asked, puzzled. "Victoria arranged it, right? Wasn't she supportive then?"

Penelope shook her head. "Maybe Aunt Victoria arranged it, yes, but not out of support. It was more about control. She wanted to secure alliances and ensure Alarik was tied down in a way that benefited her. Your marriage was part of her larger plan to maintain influence over him."

I frowned, trying to piece everything together. "So, Alarik is just playing along for appearances?"

"Exactly," Penelope confirmed. She shrugged. Maybe that's why he did not ever want to meet me. Then why would he kiss me? Was that kiss out of attraction he felt for me as Lena Mathews, not as his wife? Does he really not know about me, or does he never want to know about me?

Did he really have feelings for Stella? Katherine talked about it. If he came to know who I am, he would never appreciate any other woman taking her place. He must dislike me then. I am a hypocrite too. I mean, I loved someone else too. I just wanted to make Enzo jealous. At least to opt to leave Kennedy.

"Do you know what happened to the girl he dated?" I continued.

She shook her head, continuing to sip her milkshake. "She is dead." I blurted.

She choked, frowning at my words. She is getting confused too. "How?"

"Well, she died in the accident just two months before our wedding." She gestured for me to lean forward. She whispered with her hand, hiding her lips. She was nervously looking everywhere to make sure no one was listening to us.

 "I'll tell you a secret since you should know now that you are his wife. Aunt Victoria is not Alarik's real mother. She never gave birth to Alarik."

"What!" I yell.

"Stop shouting. It's a highly classified secret of our family." She turned around to see whether anyone else was listening.

"Well, Alarik just didn't get adopted into the family as some random boy from an orphanage. He is Lorenzo Andressano's illegitimate child. I don't know who his birth mother is. I was only four when all of this happened, but I remember how Victoria was hysterical, and one time she tried to kill him." She whispered more.

My eyes widen in shock. This is a secret that will definitely cause problems in the Andressano family. Andressano is one of the top five influential family in the world. Bloodlines matter in this world, and Lorenzo Andressano married into the Andressano family through Victoria; she was the mafia princess of her time, and she married for love to Lorenzo Andressano. If someone finds out he is not of the true Andressano bloodline, his distant relatives will definitely try to kill him. They would never be happy with a non-bloodline ruling over them.

Is this the reason he was attacked at the club? Was impulsively marrying him the biggest mistake I made? Not only my life, but my future children's lives will be in danger. Fortunately, no one in the Andressano family is familiar with me. But they will finally get to know me; what will happen next?