Vincent arrived at his family's house three days after they arrived, he wanted to see his mother.
"Vincent, my child," His mother saw him as he entered the house.
She smiled and hugged him.
"Where is father?" He asked.
"Do not make your father angry again. He would kill you," She told him;
Vincent laughed.
"And what will he gain? I am not sure he can take the loss of his only child," He smiled.
Austin greeted Vincent's mother.
"Because many people are vying for this position and I am doing all I can to protect it for you," His father stormed in and hit him with his cane.
Vincent was always scared of his father, he could not disobey him.
"Father, I was going to come back but I had other things to do," He replied.
"What was so important? Sleeping with different girls every day, partying in all the strip clubs in Italy…" His list could go on and on.
"You are keeping tabs on me?" He asked him.
Delmont sat down.
"I have people following you to know what you are doing. Vincent, you are a grown man and you can do anything you want. If you think like that, then you are no less of a fool. We are bound by the rules of a strict society and being the boss cannot even protect you from those rules. You are getting married and I expect nothing but excellence from you. You should stop all the bad habits and start taking your job seriously," He told him.
Edward turned his head the other way. His father was always saying something about him, it was not known.
"As for you Austin, you are his second and soon you will be related, you should help him. Make him realize who he is," Delmont sighed and went.
Angie called.
"Sir," She spoke.
"This is not the right time, Angie," He said and was about to disconnect the call.
"This is important," She spoke.
Vincent sat on the couch.
"Last night I went to a party…" She began and he cut her short.
Vincent sighed.
"What does it have to do with me?" She asked.
"I saw the replica of your mother's ring but it had been turned into a pendant," She continued.
"I do not know what you are talking about, I gave that ring to Mila, so it is not missing," He replied.
Angie spoke.
"I was the one who always kept the ring, so you should know what I am talking about. I have not seen any ring with that design. I think you should call Miss Mila and speak to her. We need to know for sure, the person who wore it is leaving the country soon," She spoke.
Vincent looked at Austin.
"I swear to God, I will kill your sister," He told him.
Austin got up.
"What if Angie is wrong?" He asked him.
Vincent looked at him.
"That ring was given as a gift from the royal family of England in 1 942. There is only one piece and there is no replica. Well, call your sister, we will see if Angie is wrong," He told her.
Austin called sister Benedetti who gave the phone to Mila.
"Hello Mila, how are you? I am calling to check if you are fine?" He spoke, trying to make sure she does not give out anything.
"I am fine," Her voice was breaking. "No I am not fine," She admitted.
Austin sighed.
"What is wrong?" He asked her.
"I did something bad. I did not listen to Vincent, I removed the ring and dropped it on my desk and someone picked it up. That was three days ago. I did not know it was a priceless possession. Believe me, Austin," She cried over the phone.
Austin sighed.
"You are screwed, Mila," He said.
Vincent snatched the phone from Austin before he could continue speaking.
"You lost my mother's ring?" He was angry.
Vincent wanted to be there, he wanted to shout at her. Everything she had done was making him angry. She needed to be punished for what she had done.
He disconnected the call and threw the phone back to Austin.
"We will find it and return it to you. Do not be angry, she is just a child," Austin tried to make the situation better.
Vincent laughed.
"A child? Austin, stop supporting her. She has done the worst things but because of you, I still have to look away and forgive her. I will not tolerate disrespect and disobedience of any form from her," He said and left.
.
.
.
Mila's last paper was today, she had not heard from Vincent since the last time she saw him, four months ago.
His birthday was next month and of course her marriage to Vincent.
"How was history?" Stella asked her.
"It was okay," She responded.
Stella stopped her from walking away.
"Are you going to come for graduation? They also organized an after party," Stella smiled widely.
Mila shook her head.
"My driver will soon be here and I have to pack," She told her.
"But why? All we have ever talked about was graduation. It is time for grad and you do not want to attend it. What is your reason, Mila?" She pestered her.
"My birthday is before graduation. I am getting married, Stella," She smiled.
Stella laughed.
"You can tell me, you do not want to come instead of lying," Stella laughed and playfully hit her back.
She went home only to find Vincent in their house.
"Come with me," He pulled her hand.
He refused to let her see her parents first.
"Vincent, I am tired and I have to meet my parents. I do not know why you are dragging me to," She struggled.
Austin stood there watching them unable to stop Vincent.
Vincent took her to her room and locked the door.
"What do you want to do?" She asked him.
"I want to punish you but punishing you would make me want you more," He replied.
Mila looked away, she knew this was about the missing ring.
"Look, I am sorry. If was an honest mistake, I did not want this to happen," She apologised.
"You lost the ring and you cannot be forgiven. What were you thinking that you will not be engaged to me if you lost the ring?" He asked her.
He was trying to keep himself under control.
"I am sorry, Vincent," She said again.
He got up.
"You will not leave your room until our engagement party which is in four days.
Mila's eyes widen.
"Are you grounding me? I mean I just return and you are punishing me to stay in my room for four days? Vincent, you cannot do this," She screamed.
Vincent held her face.
"I can do anything I want. I will be monitoring you with my sources, if you leave your room for any reason, you will be punished and maybe you will never see your family again," He told her.
"Vincent, you cannot do this. I have a life to live. I just returned from school," She cried.
"Do not worry, basic amenities will be sent to you. Your parents are aware and they are the only ones who can visit you. Austin is not allowed because I know what he can do," He said.
He kissed her again and walked out of the room.
"Welcome to your little hell, Mila," He laughed.
Austin sighed when he came down.
"So you made us come to London so you could punish my sister," He said.
Vincent nodded.
"I want to marry a woman that respects me and obeys me. I want her to walk when I tell her to and do other things. Your parents have raised a spoiled brat so I plan on correcting her behavior," He replied.
Austin laughed.
"You will not be able to control her, Vincent. She is not like the others. My sister will not allow you to treat her the way you like," He said.
Vincent smiled. He still appreciated Austin as his friend so he could not anger him by punishing his sister more than she could take. He knew what happened in the society, he knew every woman was supposed to respect her husband and he was making him bend his decision for him
"Are you okay?" Austin asked his sister.
Mila nodded.
"I thought you were not allowed to be here," She asked.
Austin shook his head.
"I am not allowed to enter the room but I can stand at the door. I am sorry about Vincent. It hurts to stand by without being able to do anything," He hugged her.