II – Rag Doll
After a few quick phone calls, the man returned to the apartment. He was surprised to only find Anastasia wiping her eyes of makeup. She was smiling brightly, even if her face had been stained by tears. He could not tell if it was genuine or as fake as her nails. The man wasn't very interested in reading her either.
"Giuliano, you're home early."
"Yes... Is Caterina here?" He had been the one to choose this name for her.
"No. She left in the morning with Vincent and announced she will be eating somewhere in town."
There were a few rules the man had never voiced, but Anastasia had learned. Among these, never ask unnecessary questions, always offer all the information she had on a subject and always make sure Rosa was not alone whenever she went out.
Giuliano sat on the couch and threw his arms over the back. He sighed.
"Should I bring you anything, dear? Or should I order something-"
"No... Don't bother."
Trying hard not to feel his lack of affection, the mother moved to sit on an armchair to his left. She curled her legs beside her and put her hands on her lap. The seat to his right was always reserved to Rosa.
"You're bothered by something. Let's hear."
Although surprised, Anastasia couldn't deny the accuracy of his observation.
"Yes, that's true... My love, I am worried. Why are we so suddenly moving here, to a foreign country we've never even visited before? I know you've mentioned business for a reason, but I can't seem to figure it out. Are there some problems...?"
The woman knew that directly asking what his business was could be a very bad idea. On the other hand, she had a very bad feeling about his sudden decision of moving to Japan. For a few moments, her husband seemed deep in thought.
"I have caught rumors of employees being corrupted. I hate losing money pointlessly, you already know that. I am here to supervise the Asian wing of the company."
He seemed to be in a good mood, so the woman continued.
"It's such a strange country... I mean, different. It's the first time we see Asia, Rosa and I..."
Because the man was from an adoptive family and he never really told her about his past, Anastasia was trying to avoid mentioning the continent most of the time. Though since they were in Japan, she figured it could be a good idea to carefully talk him into allowing himself a short vacation. Whatever his company was, it was eating up most of his time. Therefore, whenever he had a day partially free, he would choose to relax at home or sleep.
"We are not tourists, Anastasia."
"I am sorry. I just thought-"
"You don't think. Go wash your face."
With her head bowed, the woman went to the bathroom. In truth, her makeup was so messy it made her look like a raccoon. She wiped the paint off and washed her face. Why bother covering her dark circles and few acne scars when he didn't care to look at her more than ten seconds a day?
His phone rang.
"Yes." her husband answered. "The finest quality, I expect... Good. What did the examiner say?" After a short pause, Anastasia could imagine him grinning. "As expected. Be ready to ship it tomorrow. Make sure to be there on time."
He hung up. Anastasia tried to sneak from behind the corner of the hallway to her bedroom, only to be caught from around the neck by his strong hand. She froze. Like a hare blinded by a car's powerful lights, she was waiting in fear for the man's reaction.
"Were you listening...?" he asked in a deep voice by her ear, sending cold chills of fear down her spine.
"N-no-"
"Don't lie to me!" he yelled. The man pressed her against the wall. "I will rip out your tongue next time you dare lie. Does my business interest you?! Does it?!" he screamed through gritted teeth.
The woman stood still and silent, keeping her eyes closed. She trembled in his hand. Surprise washed over her when his grip loosened and he let her slide to the floor at his feet.
"I am keeping this from you to protect you. Because this way, I can protect Caterina. Stop trying to pretend you have a brain! Shut up, smile, and enjoy your little magazine. That should be your worry, not what I am doing. It's what you've done all your life. Cover your face in paint, pretend you're still twenty and bathe in your superficial world. You know nothing but flashlights and plastic. You wanted to be a doll? Dolls have no brain. Dolls have no opinions or thoughts."
When she opened her eyes, he had his back turned.
"Do not push my hand again." he mumbled.
As he gradually became calmer, she was starting to remember every time he had thrown her across the room like a rag doll. She remembered every angry hit that lent on her body. She remembered every time he had broken the furniture in his office, on the top floor of the club, either with his fists or with her body. Yet, he visited her in the hospital. When her family couldn't afford it, he paid for her treatment.
What had just happened was her fault. It was what she deserved. No, it was less than what she deserved and the first time in fourteen years, he punished her. In a way, it seemed he was almost sorry for her.
"Get up." he addressed her again, though he didn't turn to face her. "Your phone is ringing."
He didn't sound angry anymore. For a moment, Anastasia forgot about the abuse and thought of how much she would have liked to hear him using that tone every day. He wasn't cold anymore...
Confused, but smiling, she stood up. Vincent had called and he sounded rather worried.
'Signora? Please pardon my call. I know you and the master have asked that I notify you immediately if the girl is in trouble. I have reasons to believe trouble will be on its way soon.'
The Dragon could hear Vincent's voice at the other end of the line, though he could not understand the words. "What is it?" he questioned his pale wife.
"Rosa... My Rosa! What happened? Vincent, you must tell us everything!" Her fingers tapped the button marked 'speaker'.
'I have used the device given, master, and I found out that the young man your daughter has met only an hour ago is the elder son of the Police Chief Yagami Soichiro.'
The man frowned. The Police must never be allowed anywhere near his family or his life - it would have been too risky.
'Master...?'
"How is my daughter involved with the police chief's son?"
'They have met accidentally on the street, master. We are now at a Japanese restaurant. They have been talking for the past hour about cultural differences, literature, music, and I believe, some pop culture. I apologize, sir, I could not understand some of what they were saying.'
Author's Notes:
Story proofread by the beta Eat4Fun.
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