The Bride Price

Imelda (Eee/Mel/Da)

I looked down at the photos my father placed in front of me. The pictures causing an overwhelming feeling of disgust and betrayal deep in my stomach.

"You've been stalking me." I accused, my vision blurring from the sting of his actions. I covered my mouth with my hand as he continued to angrily spread the pictures in front of me. Tears escaping with every quick, angry movement he made. Landing on my boyfriend's face in the picture distorting it.

We were in his office. I was directed by our butler Juan to go directly to my father's office once I got home. My stomach twisted thinking it was about this but I reasoned that we were extremely careful and it had to be something else. But never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that my father was having someone stalk me. It was saddening and angering to sit in one his office chairs like a student in a principal's office while he stood on the other side of the large desk presenting the pictures like I was the only lunatic.

Andrew and I were very meticulous in our attempt at dating. Knowing the serious trouble we'll be in if rumours were even whispered. We'd meet at a large library about 30 minutes away from our neighbourhood. We couldn't risk trying something in the neighbourhood. Everyone knew of everyone and the rich liked to gossip.

We both took the 30 minute drive, separately, every week despite Andrew and I being in the same school. Besides the beginning of our relationship when we were friends, we didn't speak or greet each other in public only doing so when it'd be rude and impolite to ignore each other. That would also start gossip.

It was so carefully planned Andrew would always arrive at the library, way before me and I'd look for him once I arrived. We'd have to meet at different spots every time cause he'd looked for the section that wasn't occupied. Sometimes we'd have to stand in between the shelves if there wasn't an empty section with desks. We were in a middle class neighbourhood where no one knew us but still tried our hardest not to be seen together.

We were so careful that I've never texted or communicated with him over the phone, I didn't even have his number saved in my phone. He'd text Stacy anything important and she'd call me, never texted me cause the content of the conversation can be traced if my Dad decided to snoop.

I'd sneak off campus for these meetings. It was impossible to sneak out at home. The security was too tight and if I told my dad I was going somewhere I'd be required to take a guard who would watch me like a hawk. All the staff knew I wasn't allowed to date and had been ordered to enforce this rule.

I didn't have a guard on campus though. The university was for the elite and the security was great. I'd tell my driver and guard who were always tailing me, and would wait parked at the school for the duration of classes, that I had a study session with Stacy for three to four hours.

Stacy was truly the glue in my relationship. She lived with her mom in a penthouse just outside the neighbourhood. We'd leave campus using a different entrance from the one I told my guard to meet me at and drive to her place. Where one of Andrew's cars, which I had the spare key for would be parked. I'd take the car and drive to our meeting spot at the library 30minutes out of our neighbourhood.

It was a lot of work but we were trying to be as safe and as discreet as we could. We were trying to avoid this.

A loud bang echoed through the room followed by a cracking sound. Making me jump a little and look up searching for the source of the sound. My father's angry face looked down at me and I see that his fist was the culprit. The old sturdy mahogany table, his victim, cracked under his assault.

"I gave you everything, everything you've ever asked for. You only had one rule, one rule! to follow"He boomed looking at me with a rage I've seen before but never had directed at me.

Normally Id sit quietly and just hear him out whenever this issue came up but today I couldn't stop myself.

"It's not like you asked me to not do drugs or follow a curfew." I whispered loud enough for him to hear while wiping away the tears with the back of my sleeve.

The room went still. It seemed he couldn't wrap his head around the fact that my words weren't an apology.

I decided to physically stand up out of the chair I was occupying. and looked him in the eyes. Sitting down while he stood over me was making me feel smaller than I was already. I felt less vulnerable in this position ready to stand up for myself regarding this issue. It seemed to shock him.

"You're asking for my life" I accused angrily. "And this!" Pointing to the pictures. "Is so disgustingly gross and abuse of your power." I said my hands moving frantically around.

I could visibly see him getting more enraged than I thought him capable.In all my years I've never witnessed the man in front of me looking so scary and deadly. I shrunk back.

"Do you know." He started in a low dark tone, then stopped at a loss for words. "Imelda can you just begin to imagine the consequences of your actions." He said fear occupying where his anger once was. He began to pace behind his desk. He looked petrified.

"The Morrettis aren't people we can upset, no matter how big or powerful I get." He said, saying their name with the fear it deserved. His eyes sad and distressed. He looked at me with pity, the look of pity broke my brave facade

"But Papa it's a death sentence..." I sobbed, hugging myself. Not able to maintain eye contact

He fell back into his chair in a slump. It was a such a weird and peculiar image. My father never slumped.

I wanted to feel bad for him. But my heart was sore when imagining my future. Im the one whose life has been robbed. "Was I sold for power, money or status." I started bringing up the question he hated most in the world. One of the many questions he never answered.

He physically flinched like he was just hit. But I did not let down, I continued "Or was I sold so you can give you can give me 'everything'" I said with air quotes around the everything, referring to his previous statement. "I would've rather been a poor man's daughter than a monsters bride." I screamed, as tears rushed down my cheeks landing on my chest damping it. "I didn't ask for all of this! The big house, the parties, the dresses!" I was spiralling at this point. " You sold me for dresses, glamour and what!" I was still shouting as something connected with my cheek, hard.

Causing my head to whip to side. I took my hand and slowly brought it to my abused cheek in disbelief. I turned my head slowly, still in shock, to face the perpetrator. I completely forgot she was still in the room.

I looked into the eyes I hated most in the world. She stood there pretending to be mad but I've learned to see through her facade. She was trying to impress my Dad, trying to look good and caring in front of him. I stopped caring what this stupid woman did to try and impress my Dad, and ignored her constantly picking on me. But hitting me, hitting me was outrageous, hitting me was crossing the line.

I looked at her with all the hate and disgust in the world. All my frustrations towards her started to flash before my eyes and the anger from the situation I was in fuelled me. I saw red and did something I've always fantasised about but never thought in a million years I'd do to her or anyone.

I lunged at her grabbing her hair and pulling. Using my other hand to hit anywhere I could. She first tried to pry my hand out of her hair while her other hand attempted to block my hits. She managed to grab my wrist that wasn't in her hair and I was unable to continue hitting. So I pulled her hair harder as she tried to pry my fingers out of her hair with her other hand.

She screamed for help. While I was silently heaving trying to cause as much pain as I could. As all the thoughts about what she has done to me started flooding my head.

She failed to get my hair out of her hair. Then she moved her hand from my fingers in her hair to the centre of my face and she started pushing my head back. Still trying to get out. I pulled harder, while fighting to get my other hand free from her grip to continue my assault and also stabilise myself, she was pushing hard. I turned my face to the side and she continued pushing my head from my cheek not ideal but much better than my face.

I pulled her hair really hard towards the floor and she yelped as she fell down loosing my wrist. Just as I was about to go for another hit. Someone caught my hand behind me.

Our struggle for dominance over as another hands came and pried my hands out of her hair. And lifted me off her while I fought to be released making sure to kick her in the process. My father pulled me and held me while the house keeper was trying to drag Lauren away from me, both looking shock and in disbelief of what just happened.

I stopped struggling. "Let me go. I'm done." I said and my dad let me go slowly weary as if he's expecting me to strike again and wants to catch me before I do.

"How dare you!" The banshee screeched and as my father left my side to comfort her. "She hit me!" My father's wife screeched again looking at my father whose confusion was beginning to subside and rage began to form.

I don't care, if I'm the one spending the rest of my life married to a monster he had no right to be mad at me ever. Especially not over a fight she started. "You hit me first." I said looking at her with daggers.

"She's your mother!" My father voice boomed angrily causing the room to shake. The housekeeper, Maria scurried out of the room.

"Don't ever call her that." I screamed angrily.

"She might have not given birth to you but by all authority she's your mother." He scolded in a loud voice.

"She closer in age to me, than you!" I snapped with arms flying out in the air before falling back down.

He flinched and looked down at the woman sobbing in his arms. "Apologise." He said looking straight at me.

I stood there starring back silently

"Apologise to her!"

I started to walk to the exit of the office.

"She shouldn't have hit me first. I don't know what she expected to happen." I said heading for the door. Deciding that I'm tired of the both of them.

"Don't you dare get out." He bellowed and I stopped in my tracks. "Maria!" He called out to the housekeeper she scurried in quickly like she wasn't too far away. She stayed close enough to her the drama but now close enough to get hurt.

"Please help Laura to our room so she can rest. I need a word with Mel." He said while staring at me.

"Yes Mr Mutombu" she responded with a nod putting a hand on the witches shoulder who was still sobbing and quietly helped her out.

"She not sick, she can walk by herself." I mumbled. Not loud enough for anyone to hear

She closed the door behind her and now there was just me and my father standing and staring at each other. He sighed and his shoulders slumped.

"What you did was disrespectful and you will answer for it." I was about to open my mouth and argue and say she hit me first but he raised a hand."But right now I need to know if..." He started in a stern voice but started to look uncomfortable towards the end looking everywhere but me.

He sighed his shoulders slumped even further. "Did you , um sleep with the boy." He said looking finally making eye contact with me trying to gauge if I'm lying.

I felt like being spiteful and saying yes but the atmosphere in the room signalled that this was too heavy to joke about. He looked too scared to hear the answer, he seemed to be holding his breath.

"No." I said quietly.

He looked at me again trying to see if I'm lying then decided I was being truthful and sighed a sigh of relief and walked back to his chair behind his desk.

He whispered . "If me dying will get you out marrying Luciano. I'd die. I know he's a bad man and when I think of your life with him I have murderous intentions towards the people who got you in this situation including me. But I'm useless dead, a dead man can't protect you. Your mother died, and everything spiralled. Now I have to be the one to live for you. I didn't marry Layla because I'm some sick twisted pervert that likes girls my daughter's age." He said rubbing his temples.

I cringed "She's not that young she's almost a decade older than me." I tried to take back what I said.

He ignored me. "I don't plan on you staying and living a miserable life with him for the rest of your life." He said.

"That's why I married Layla, I have a lot of money, but I'm new money. Her family is old money with lots of roots and connections in high up in the hierarchy of power. I might have more money than some of those people but I'm an outsider. I wasn't born rich. I can't go against the Morettis without help. There are much older women with powerful families but none as powerful as Lauren's." He sighed and I got worried that I just beat up my ticket out of this marriage.

"Although she got close to you to get to me. Which I didn't know and I'm sorry. I have money, she wanted more wealth and business gains for herself and family I needed strong connections. I wouldn't have gone through with it if I knew the past between you to. You never said anything"

"Do you really think you can overpower the Morettis." I said looking at him like he is crazy. Completely ignoring the conversation about Lauren I hate to think about her but I hate speaking about her more.

"No, I just want to be able to make you disappear and they are difficult people to run from. It'll be impossible for me to make you disappear without a lot of help." He sighed

"These pictures of you and this boy kissing. I don't know what's Lucianos response to that will be." He said looking down and when he look up there was a lone tear on his cheek. "But I will try to minimise the consequences. Try and save the alliance so you don't die, I'll kill everyone in his family then myself if you do. But I promise you won't die." Another tear slipped and her stomach flipped. Her life was dependent on someone else's mood and their forgiveness. She felt sick.

She wanted to run out and throw up but she wasn't done. She needed to know. "How long have you been stalking me. And how did he get a hold of the pictures" I asked softly

"I wish I had been the one to stalk you so I could've saved you." He said massaging his temple. "The pictures were sent in the mail. In a brown envelope, no writing no note just sealed with Lucianos seal. I opened it and the pictures were inside. " He sounded scared. I was scared too.

"I kissed him." I whispered prettified, scared of dying. Luciano clearly sent the pictures as a warning. "I didn't think we would get caught. Andrew and I were always so careful." I sobbed but Luciano is more thorough.

"As long as you didn't sleep together. I have something to argue. That will be enough. It has to." He tried to comfort me.

"Will Andrew be fine?" I asked wide eyes, terrified of the answer.

He seemed to be debating whether or not to awnser that. "His father is an old partner of the Morettis. He will be fine" he said looking at me

I felt like I shouldn't believe him.

So many lives at stake and i failed them. I should've looked further into the future and not be clouded by emotions. Why did my grandfather sell me to a killer.

"Grandpa drew up the contract with Lucianos father. You have access to the full contract. Not the edited one that you give me containing only the rules I have to follow" I started, shuffling a bit. I've asked this a thousand times and never got a response. "I need to know. What I was exchanged for... what was my price... How much was I worth." asked sadly. Thinking about how I was traded like livestock.

"You're priceless like, the moon and stars." He said looking away angrily as if I just brought up a bad memory.

It wasn't much.

"That's not an answer." I said

"He sold you for the moon and stars. Every man has something they consider priceless.To another man it may not be golden but to him it was the moon and stars. Just know that. Don't hurt yourself thinking so much about that." He said sadly

I felt my stomach sink I wasn't going to get the answer. I'll never know what was so important to my grandfather that he was willing to have me marry into that horrible family and what did they get from in return from this marriage.

I walked to the chair I was once sitting in and grabbed my bag and phone walking out of the room.

He didn't call me back.

I went to my room and closed the door then lied on my bed and started sobbing.