Game of Love Ch. 10

"Whether you don't wanna hear it or not, it won't change the fact that..."

"Shut Adrianna!" She warned. "I don't wanna hear a word from your mouth. You're the reason why he's acting all stupid. You filled his head with your stupid stories and now he's acting all dumb. You're the one to blame and if anything wrong happens to my son, you're not gonna like what I'll do to you."

"Yes, mommy!" Adrianna snapped, chuckling bitterly. "You can blame me all you want. After all, I am the only idiot in this house. The rest of you are all smart, right? Adrianna is the unwanted daughter, someone who shouldn't have even been born."

To say Kim was shocked would be an understatement. She stood still, her eyes opening widely. Not once in her wildest dreams had she thought she'd hear such words from her daughter.

"I know you think I am stupid and I just keep troubling everyone." She said with tears in her eyes. "I am also useless and I just lie around like a person. Isn't that what you're implying?"

"Adrianna, what are you talking about? Stop talking nonsense. I don't have time for this."

"Do you have any time for me?" She snapped. "All the time you have is for a boy that isn't even your son. You care about him more than you do me. It's not fair."

"Adrianna, please, don't misunderstand me. I didn't mean it like that."

"Don't worry, mommy, I won't trouble you anymore." She chuckled bitterly. "You can continue treating that Trevor like your second son and forget you have a daughter. It's not like you've made me feel loved ever since father died. But listen to me, whatever you do or say to me and my brother, it won't change what the truth is."

She stormed out of there leaving Kim looking like she'd just had an encounter with her late husband. Her eyes were wide open and so was her mouth. She was trembling in shock but deep down, there was some anger that was building up inside her.

"This is all your fault, Eric!" She snarled, balling her fists. "You've managed to turn my children against me but I promise you that I'll make you pay for it big time. This is my promise to you."

***

Eric threw his blazer angrily on the couch and started moving about the room, gripping his hair painfully. He'd never felt as angry as he did at that time. He was so mad that he simply so red. He was so angry that anger itself was brewing like a storm out at sea. He couldn't even think properly.

At that time, Riya came rushing in after him. He'd driven home like he was going insane and he'd brought Riya with him. His mood was totally ruined.

"Eric, please, calm down." She held him tightly, rubbing on his chest. "What happened was really terrible and I know that..."

"No, Riya!" He chuckled bitterly. "You're very wrong. What happened was more than terrible. That dirty stupid man just tried to embarrass me in front of everyone. He even had the nerves to touch me. I swear, if I see him, I'll kill him with my bare hands. I'll send him six feet underground."

"I know you, Eric. I didn't believe him because I know your relationship with guys has always been bitter." She sighed. "This was a total setup. Someone wanted to humiliate you and ruin your image."

Eric looked at Riya in shock, suddenly feeling a sense of coldness taking over. Tears welled in his eyes and his heart started racing. His body trembled as he took a really harsh breath.

"Giada!" He groaned, his voice sounding like clip. "That bitch! I am pretty sure it was her. He took a cushion and threw it angrily to the floor. Giada!" He screamed.

"Calm down, Eric, please!"

"Giada will pay dearly for this, I swear!" He chuckled bitterly, shaking his head in anger. "I'll make her pay for this in a way that she'll regret ever knowing me. She thinks I am the type of person that she can play stunts on? I'll make her pay."

"She deserves it. No wonder she was looking towards us when the whole drama was going on." Riya gasped. "She engineered the whole thing. But why would she do that?"

"I don't care about her reasons. But she'll pay for this dearly. I am gonna destroy her."

"Who knows what would have happened? I was so scared. It's a good thing Sergio was there to save the day." Riya sighed, combing her hair with her fingers. "I never thought I would say this but I have never been so thankful at Sergio!"

Eric sighed, taking a seat. Now that she had mentioned about Sergio, the image of what had happened began forming in his mind and he got scared.

"Yeah! I am so glad that Sergio was there. I never thought he'd do that. I was so shocked when he started beating up the guy." He sighed. "But I didn't want him to do that. I was so scared he was gonna get into trouble if that ever got out in public. Oh God..." He gave a long, low groan, gripping his hair. "...I am so worried about him. I want to call him but I don't have the courage to. Who knows what he's going through?"

Riya's mouth gaped when she heard that. But she also had a frown, staring at him like he'd just said something abominable.

"Eric?" She gasped, chuckling nervously. "What are you saying? You and Sergio don't talk to each other? You guys split up five years ago and..." She paused and gasped. "...don't tell me..."

"Riya, it's a long story." Eric sighed. "But Sergio and I are not enemies. We resolved our issues a few days back. I couldn't hold it against him anymore. What had happened was bad but he was not to be blamed and I think he has suffered enough the last five years."

Riya chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "Wow! I can't believe this. You only returned over a week ago and you forgave him that easily?"

"I had no choice."

"Hmmm..." Riya was still shocked. If she didn't know Eric that well, she would have said he was joking. But he was serious. "...so that's why he acted like that and came to your rescue? He's still in love with you."

"What are you talking about?"

"Eric, don't tell me you're the only one who doesn't see his love for you." She said softly. "He could have chosen to just slap the guy, warn him and get him away from you. But he didn't just warn the guy but beat him to pulp too. Only a man who is so much in love can do that to protect the one he loves."

"You're talking nonsense!" Eric chuckled, rising from the couch. "I think you're tired and..."

"No, Eric!" Riya shook his head. "Didn't you see Sergio today? He was a monster and almost killed that guy. Maybe you're too blind to see or you see but just choose not to pay attention. He's very much in love with you. You know me. I say things the way they are and after the way he acted today, I am sure everyone sees that love too."

Eric felt his heart give a sharp pound. He remained stationary and just stared at Riya without even blinking. He knew Riya very well. She was the type of person that spoke things the way she saw them, the truth. Eric knew very well that Sergio was still in love with him but was it that obvious that Riya saw through it too?

"He was just protecting me."

"As what?" Riya asked, raising her shoulders in a half shrug. "He was staring at you almost the entire time you and I were talking. The way he acted was just a confirmation that he is very much in love with you. Open your eyes."

Eric clenched his fist. "You're just seeing things, Riya. And you're tired. Goodnight! I'll send a maid to show you to the room you'll be sleeping tonight."

He quickly left Riya in the living room and she was smiling. She didn't know why she got excited upon figuring that Sergio was in love with Eric although he was marrying with someone. She was sure Eric loved him too but what kind of game was he playing?

***

Giada was walking slowly towards the alley, making sure that no one saw her. It was a really cold night and there was wind blowing all over.

She was looking all around and she was a bit scared. There were piles of boxes and wood almost everywhere and it was very quiet. She slowly walked further in and found the man she was searching, one of the people that worked for her.

He was seated on a pile of wood, leaning to the wall with his eyes slightly closed. He looked messy and when Giada saw him, she got really mad and she angrily cleared her voice.

The man opened his eyes quickly, wincing softly. He was truly messy. His white vest was blood. He was holding a part of his tummy and he was completely swollen all over his face. He looked like a tomato was about to rot. Giada even had to grimace, giving him a disgusting look.

He had a bandage tied around his head and he had several stitches on his face.

"How dare you call me here at night, John?" Giada snapped, breathing in harshly. "Do I look like your fellow criminal that should meet you in such places? I told you never to call me, didn't I?"

John got up, wincing a little too loudly. He was in pain. He started limping slowly to Giada and he even had to suppress a cry. The only thing that was able to show his pain were the tears in his eyes.

"Ma'am, I had to call you here." He said in a low voice. "I need some money, more money than you paid me. As you can see I am in a really bad state and I need treatment."

Giada laughed, raising an eyebrow. "Are you being serious, right now? Why the fuck should I pay you when you couldn't even do a simple job?"

"I did as instructed, ma'am." He groaned. "I did all that you told me, maybe even more. But look at me, ma'am. Your son in law almost butchered me. I don't even know what part of me hurts the most right now. I need to go and see a doctor. This wasn't part of the job. My job was to humiliate and ruin the reputation of Mr. Hernandez and even though I rejected, you forced me to. But now look at me.

I need treatment as soon as possible and for that, I need money."

"You are not getting a penny from me, get it!" Giada snapped, raising her finger at him. "There's no way I am paying you for your failure. And besides, I seem to recall Kim telling you she was gonna take care of the medical bills so why did you call me here?"

"I can do that and you can get in trouble."

"What?" Giada gasped, furiously dropping her hands. "Are you threatening me? Do you even who you're talking to?"

"I am not threatening you, ma'am." He groaned. "But I can't accept the offer from Mrs. Alvarado because it will get me in trouble. Mr. Hernandez is not stupid at all. Don't you think he is gonna want to find out who I am and who had sent me? As far as I know, I have never met with him or even slept with him. And I won't hesitate to tell him who exactly sent me and I don't need to remind what trouble that will broom for you, ma'am."

"How dare you!" Giada yelled. She was rigid with fury. "How dare you threaten me?"

"It's not a threat, Mrs. Sandoval." The man chuckled through his pain. "It's a promise because if I go down, I am taking you with me. And I can easily get out by telling Mr. Hernandez that I was forced into it but you..." He chuckled, chirping. "...you're gonna pay dearly because I know he hates you."

Giada's breaths sounded like she was about to orgasm. Her fists were clenched and she seemed like an earthquake was occurring in her body.

"So if I were you, I'd pay me."

"You're not getting a penny from me." Giada yelled, her voice echoing. "You definitely don't know who I am, do you?" She chuckled bitterly. "I am worse than a monster."

"I don't care." The man said. "You're the reason why I am in this state so... so you can either pay me or I can accept Mrs. Alvarado's offer and let everyone find out the truth. Or maybe, I can even go to Mr. Hernandez's house and tell him the truth. I am sure he'll even pay better than you."

"You're bluffing!"

"Maybe I am." John chuckled. One of his eyes was so swollen that he couldn't even see with it. "But soon, I won't so you better fucking pay up."

Giada groaned, getting closer to the man. She raised her finger, pointing it right in his ugly face.

"Do you know that I can kill you right now?" She snarled, her jaws shaking uncontrollably. "Do you know I can kill you and feed your carcass to the vultures? Don't mess with me. Ask around..."

"Your words mean nothing to me, Giada!" The man snarled, making Giada gasp in shock. "Do you think I would have come to you unprepared? I told my brother everything and sent him our conversation earlier. If I do not return safely to him, he's gonna sent everything to someone that will destroy you. I know secrets about you Giada that might completely ruin you. Maybe Eric would love to get his hands on all of them."

"Don't threaten me!"

"It's not a threat but a promise so don't you fuck with me!" The man yelled but ended up wincing painfully. He'd never been in so much pain.

Giada felt tears of anger in her eyes as she stared at the man. She stomped her foot on the ground, opening her handbag angrily. She then took out a bundle of 100 dollar bills and threw it to the man. He took it and then looked at her, giving her an angry eye.

"And what the fuck is this?"

"Your payment." She chuckled bitterly. "I think that should be fucking enough to take care of you."

"Do I look stupid to you, Giada?" John snapped. "Do you think I endured all this, risking my own life just to get some cheap change from you? It seems you are not taking me seriously. Maybe you need..."

"What the fuck are you whining about?" Giada grimaced, eyeing him from head to toe in disgust. "That's 20 000 dollars and it should take care of whatever fucking needs you have."

John laughed, shaking his head. Then he did something even funny. He threw the whole bundle at Giada's face which surprised her big time. Her eyes widened and her mouth gaped. She couldn't believe her henchman had just done that to her.

"What do you think of me? Do you think 20 000 is gonna keep your secrets?" He grunted. "Add two zeros to that and we're gonna have a deal?"

"Are you mad?" Giada gasped, shaking her head abruptly. "You must be out of your damn mind. Where do you expect me to get 2 million from? And why would I give you such a huge amount of money?"

"Aren't you a rich woman?" John snapped. "I don't care where you'll get it but I need it right now, otherwise, you're gonna be in so much trouble. It's all up to you, Giada. Either 2 million or your reputation goes sky high."

Giada groaned angrily, stomping her foot on the ground. "You're making..."

"Lady, I don't have whole day." John groaned softly. "I still have to go to the hospital to get treated. If you waste any more second, I'll definitely change my mind."

"But you know that I don't have..."

John furiously removed his phone from his pocket and showed the screen to Giada.

"That is my account number. You can do the transfer right now."

"What? I can't..."

"I don't care." John said harshly. "But if you're not interested, it's fine. I could have gone straight to Eric but due to our relationship, I decided to come meet you first. But it looks like you're not interested. Goodbye..."

"Fine!" Giada snarled, clenching her fist. "I'll transfer the money to you right now."

Giada angrily took her phone and with an angry look of hatred, she started putting in the details. It didn't take long and a message came on John's phone confirming the transfer. He chuckled as he checked the message, trying his best to smile but he was in so much pain.

"Thank you so much, madam! You're really very kind."

"Now you listen to me!" Giada warned, pointing angrily at him. "Take that money and leave this city. If anyone finds out about this, not only will you lose your life but I'll make sure I wipe out your entire family. You know me. I am not joking."

"I'll take that as a bonus for my job." John took the bundle from Giada, surprising her big time. "It was nice doing business with you." John laughed. "Until next time. I am only a phone call away."

"Get the hell out of here!"

John nodded slowly and started slowly walking out of there, holding his ribs. With each step, the pain amplified, the bloody muscle quivered. Blood was slowly oozing out of numerous wounds in his face and arm. But with all that pain, he managed to walk away from there before he got into a cab and left.

Giada screamed angrily, kicking a can. Her eyes flashed with anger, much like lightning on a pitch black night. Her hands were clenched and she was trembling so much that one would have thought she was convulsing.

"Damn you, Eric!" There was something evil about that shout. "You always manage to ruin everything. And I thought Sergio wasn't gonna do anything. He was just supposed to watch. I thought that idiot had tied the soul of my son and Sergio together. Then why the fuck is nothing working?"

She gripped her hair, pulling on it as hard as she could. She didn't care about who heard her or the place where she was. She was mad and that was all she knew.

"This isn't over!" She vowed. "Just wait until my son's wedding has passed. Then I'll destroy you. I swear!"

Giada's heart was now as black as night and her only mission was to destroy Eric and wipe him out of the surface of the earth. She wasn't gonna stop and that was a promise!

***

Thanks for coming to the end of the 10th chapter. Please, don't forget to drop your comments and rates as well guys. This just shows me that you guys are really hooked and looking forward to more and I shall give you more. That is my promise.

The theme songs are, "Attention," by Charlie Puth, "Sorry not Sorry," by Demi Lovato and "Forever," by Angeline Quinto and Eric Santos for the Seric moment at the charity organization.

Chapter 11 will drop very soon.

Feel the passion...