Seeing Camille slap her son infuriated Gianna,she slapped her back,
"Don't you ever lay your filthy hands on my son again." She roared and for the first time ever,Camille and Carol got pretty scared of her.
The fierceness and furiousness at which the slap landed made Camille lip bled,
Carol seeing this got really scared,
"Mommy's okay,don't fight with aunt." Reid said but from his mothers blind spot,he was sticking his tongue out at Camille who stood like she was going to cry.
Tony who stood by didn't do a thing other than walking to Gianna to calm her down.
Deep down,he loved the fact that she fought back at Camille,
"Let's not spoil the evening mood GI,let's go prepare dinner," He took her arm then turned to the boy,
"Reid stay in Mommy's room,gran…."
"But grandpa,I want to stay in the living room." The boy protested,
Gianna turned *to him and immediately she did,he smiled and obediently walked to the room still sticking his* tongue at Camille.
Do you think you can hurt me and mommy will let you go?
Camille and Carol didn't come out for dinner,even though Gianna knocked on their door twice to invite them,they didn't come out.
"Allow them to wallow in sorrow,I'd love what you did earlier," Tony said to Gianna as they did the dishes together,
"You need to start standing up for yourself and Reid now.Fighting back doesn't mean you're evil or bad,rather it means you're brave and courageous and that's what I want you my daughter to be." He patted her shoulder with a wet hand,
Smiling,she nodded.
"That's good," He turned to the boy,
"Hey chap,take care of your mom okay,don't let anyone whosoever bully her." The boy nodded,without him telling him,
He already knew that he was born to protect his mom since she can't protect herself.
And that's why he's doing what he's into now.
As for grandma and aunt Camille, he's going to deal with them later not now.
"Grandpa, I know that.No one can bully my mom and go scot free." Gianna could have taken that as a child's promise but to Reid it wasn't,
He meant every word of it.
His sweet side is reserved for his mommy but bad side was for those who'll bully her.
He'll protect her,since his daddy isn't here to do that.
Since he was a little kid,he'd asked her of his father and she has never given him a good reason why he doesn't have a father,
To him the man must have hurt his mommy so much that she doesn't talk about him and isn't willing to talk about him with him.
As he grew up,the little space he'd created for his father faded and his mommy took over,she's his father and his mother,literarily his whole world.
He doesn't need father or anyone else,he has his mommy and he wants it to be only the two of them forever.
Camille was so angry at the slap Gianna gave her,
"Mother that bitch had the nerve to lay her hands on me." She cried,checking her swollen cheek and bleeding lips,
"I'm so sorry I couldn't do anything, it was because of your father,he was supporting those outcast." Carol sympathized with her daughter,
She pulled out an ointment from her purse and started applying it on the girl's cheek,
"This'll help the swell reduce." She said still applying the ointment,
"Wuu…wuuu,its hurt,mother be careful." She cried louder as the pain continued,
"I'll teach her a lesson that she will never forget in her entire life for hurting you,my princess." Carol cajoled her daughter to stop crying,
"Mother,its because she feels she's earning more money than us that's why she hurt me.." The girl began
"Now I'll make her lose her job and she won't have enough money to feed herself and her son." She added,Carol just nodded,
"Yes,you'll do just that.I want you to show her her place,she belong to the floor and that's where I'll put her." Camille stood up from the bed and walked away from the room.
The next week when Gianna went to work things were going fine but unknown to her,Camille and Carol had lay out a perfect plan to taint her image at work or worst make her lose her job.
Gianna had just gone out to summit a proposal to their department head immediately after lunch break,
As soon as she stepped out,some aimless youth dressed as hooligans boldly injured the security guards and they barged into her department,
They flung a row of tables and shouted her name loudly,
"Gianna where are you?"
"Get yourself out of there and come face us."
Their intrusion frightened everyone,a few noticed the way they are dressed and the tattoo on their bodies and cowered to the corner,
Rumors had it that these men were the most dangerous ruffians in the city and they'd a very powerful backer
'What had Gianna done to offend them?'They couldn't help but wonder at the frightened state.
When Gianna returned,she was shocked by what she saw but regained her composure,
Once one of the ruffian saw her,he recognized her and they all approached her dragging her by the arm outside the office.
One appeared to be their leader came out and slapped her,
"So you're that bitch's sister?"he asked,mere looking at him one could say he was evidently vexed,
Hearing the word bitch,he knew who they were referring to,
What had Camille don't to offend this people? She asked herself as the pain of the slap continue to sting her cheek.
" Do you know how much your sister owes me?" The man asked as he sized her up from head to toe,she couldn't help but feel irritated at his stare,
Cradling her cheeks which still hurt from the pain,she finally understood everything
Calling her sister by mind,the latter must have incurred this huge debt while she was out having fun,
Her family's financial condition wasn't good and she doesn't have any money to pay off her debt,
She must have given them her work address to come take the money from her instead.
Gianna was so regretful, feeling her father would meet setback,she'd left her company address with them,how on earth could she imagine that something like this would ever happen.
However,she was unwilling to summit to this hoodlums. The debt was so much for her to pay,
Her unwillingness is not from her back bone but rather from her financial strain,
If she pays Camille's debt,she might not be able to pay Reid tuition fees for next semester and to to do other necessary things
Having stayed mute,one of the hoodlums poked her,
"Are you mute you can't speak,pay up.."The leader who was now enraged grabbed her shirt collar,she looked at them and mouthed,
"I don't have any money on me,so I can't pay." Her voice was firm but her heart wasn't
"Okay,since you dont have money,they are so many ways to pay up." Another said,
"You look very pretty ming playing with us for awhile?" The leader asked while the rest eyed her with clearly written malicious intentions,
"Speak with respect," she stood up to leave but they pulled her back,
"Why owe someone and still refuse to pay them."He said to them, she still looked at them in disdain.
Seeing her vile intention, she deep her hands into her pocket and brought out her phone,the leader slapped her hands and the phone fell,he smashed it with his boot,
"What?" She yelled with agitated eyes
"You wanna call the cops?" He asked her,she didn't say a thing,
"Never thought you'll be that smart,"
"Master,didn't that bitch says she has a child and he's in the middle school uh?" Hearing them talk about her child make her scared,
"Please don't go to Reid's school please," She pleaded,the men seeing they've finally gotten her,smiled to themselves,
"I'll give you the money but please don't hurt my son." She pleaded with the gang,
She's always rational when it comes to her son.
Gianna went inside and brought out her ATM card with trembling hands and reddened eyes.