Chapter 120

I pulled my hoodie over my head and made my way out of the car to walk to the apartment complex where Gina was staying at. The girls had pulled some strings and went as far as getting me the address.

“Serena?” I heard an all-familiar voice before I even got to the door. I took a deep breath and turned around to look at the person I hadn’t seen in a while, “Hey, Johnny?” I smiled. It seemed as if my camouflage outfit was not making that much noise.

“Serena, what are you doing here?”

“What are you doing here?” I turned the question back around, I knew what I was doing here, but why was he at Gina’s apartment?

“I’m here to check up on her,” Johnny spoke as if he knew that sentence wouldn’t sit right with me.

“Of course you are.” I chuckled. “You don’t have time to check up on me. You don’t have time to check up on your cousin –I don’t know if you know her, by the way, but her name is Siena.” I rolled my eyes at him.

He had vanished entirely, and the one time I did see him was to check up on Gina. “Serena, it isn’t like that,” Johnny explained. “Christian send me here to=”

“Christian?” I frowned my eyebrows. “Christian, send you here? This is getting crazier by the second.”

“Serena, listen!” Johnny stopped me. “I came here to make sure she’s quiet-because Christian asked me too, not everyone is working against you?”

“So you came here to kill her?” I asked, frightened. What kind of person was Christian? And was I event better when I was the one who wanted her dead?

“What, no? Who do you think we are?” Johnny asked, confused. So Christian didn’t send him here to kill her. “I don’t know, the mafia?” I mumbled.

Johnny rolled his eyes and grabbed my arm as he pulled me away. “Christian is fixing your mess, so please tell me what you are doing here?”

My mess?

“First of all, it’s the mess he created, and second of all, I came here to apologize,” I told him.

“Apologize?” Johnny sighed. “Serena, if you’re only going to make things worse…”

“I’m not. I came here to apologize.” I folded my arms. Johnny did not have to know the real reason as to why I was cleaning my image. “Is Gina expecting you?” He asked.

“No, I just came here to apologize, and I don’t need your permission for that,” I spoke before I brushed. past him. “Why would you apologize?”

“Because I’m a good person.” I easily lied. Johnny and I pushed the button at the same time as we both glared at each other. “Christian’s protecting you, don’t do anything stupid.”

“Protecting me by trying to steal my daughter?” I rolled my eyes and pushed him aside when the door opened. Gina was obviously expecting Johnny.

“What are you talking about? You’ve lost it.” Johnny scoffed. He seemed annoyed by me, and he had never looked at me that way. If the Lamberti’s were able to change Johnny’s mind, then they were capable of a lot. “I like Luca better than you, by the way,” I told him as we walked to the elevator. “Serena, what’s going on with you lately? Please get it together.”

“I really hope you said the same to Christian,” I told him and looked straight ahead. Being in this tiny space with him was already bad enough. “What have I ever done to you?”

“You chose Christian’s side over me. He cheated on me–I didn’t cheat on him. The thought had never even crossed my mind.” I spoke.

“Serena. Christian is my cousin, and I’m not on anyone’s side.” Johnny sighed. “I know it might seem weird that he send me here, but he only did it to make sure she’s okay-he’s doing it for you.”

I decided it was better to keep my mouth shut, so I ignored him. Was he really doing it for me, or was he doing it for himself? It was as if he was in a rush to get there before I did because the moment the elevator opened, he pushed me aside. “Serena, it’s better if you leave.”

“I’m not going anywhere. I came here to apologize—“

“For what!” Johnny raised his voice. Johnny never raised his voice at me. I walked next to him in silence and stood behind him as he knocked on Gina’s door. The apartment was definitely a downgrade from the lovely mansion she used to live in, but we had both been there, and it was her own fault, “What is she doing here? Did she come here with you?” Gina asked Johnny, who had stepped aside. He looked back and forth between us while he was trying to find an answer.

“Let me make it easier for you. I came here to check up on you.” I told her as I stared at her black eye. I definitely got her good, but in my defense-1 gave her a warning and told her to let go of me.

“You came here to check up on me?” Gina chuckled and stepped aside. “Come in. I don’t want to miss this.”

I smiled and pushed Johnny aside so I could walk in as his eyes shot daggers at me. If looks could kill, I would’ve been dead right now. “What game are you playing?” He whispered, but I ignored him.

“That eye looks really nasty,” I spoke and put on my sad face. “I’m sorry okay? I didn’t know what came over me, and I should’ve never lost it.”

“No, you shouldn’t.” Gina agreed. I hid my fist behind my back and clenched it in anger as I was one second away from giving her another black eye. I had every right to beat her up.

“But if it makes you feel better, I’m also sorry. I’m sorry for everything, and I want you to know that I have found it in my heart to forgive you, and I won’t press charges. Let’s call a truce.” Gina spoke and stuck out her hand.

I had to put on a poker face because her words almost made me laugh. I actually wanted to say, go ahead and press charges for a fight you started, but that was not what I came here for. “Thanks, Gina, you have a big heart.” I surprisingly managed to get out without any sarcasm.

“A big heart?” Johnny whispered behind me. He could probably see right through my bullshit, and so could Gina, but I didn’t care. As long as I apologized, they couldn’t do anything out of line.

“And all of this over a man-

“No.” I hummed. This was where I was going to stop her. “I never punched you because of Christian. I’ll never bow down to any man-I beat you up because you betrayed me and made a fool out of my baby and me.”

“Okay, then.” Gina frowned her eyebrows. If it were any other girl, I wouldn’t have gone as far as going to their house, but this was different. Gina was someone I trusted and someone I genuinely liked. Did I hate her? No, I still thought she was a kind person, just annoying.

“And you, Johnny?” Gina asked. “I came here to make sure you wouldn’t resent Serena, but I think the two of you are good.” Johnny sighed.

“I told Christian. I’m the one who started the fight, not Serena-I did, and I’ve decided to let it rest,”

Gina spoke. At least she was aware.

But what was Christian even doing?

Why did he even care?

“Anyway, I’m sorry for getting in between you and your husband. Going to your house and throwing a fit like that was wrong. You’re right, I behaved like a high schooler, and I’m sorry for that-but at the same time, I hope you knew where I was coming from.” I ranted while Gina listened to me. “I do, and I’m also sorry.”

“Okay, if that was it-then I’ll be on my way out,” I spoke and rushed out the door. “I don’t have anything else to add.” Johnny excused himself and followed behind me.

“Are you going to stalk me now?” I asked him once we reached the elevator. Johnny ignored me and pushed me against the elevator wall. “Serena, I don’t know what you’re planning-but you have to stop, please.” Johnny spoke as his eyes softened. “Think about Christian and his dad—”

“Think about Siena and me!” I yelled at him. “No one ever thinks about me. Please think about me?”

“I am, so is Christian, and that’s why I came here!” Johnny told me. That was funny because instead of sending his dog to check on Gina, he could’ve sent him to check up on me. “Johnny, you don’t understand. -they’re trying to take my baby away from me.”

“Says who?” Johnny chuckled. “Your crazy family?”

“I’m sorry, what?” I asked. This time he was doing a little bit too much. “You sound like Christian. Did you know he threatened to kill us and called us dirty Alfonzo’s?”

“You know how Christian gets when he’s angry. He says stuff he doesn’t mean!” Johnny defended him. “And I should just accept it and be okay with that? Christian is not some giant toddler. If he gets like this when he’s angry, he should take anger management classes.”

“Yes, I agree. I actually think both of you should. Anger management and relationship therapy to fix this crap!” Johnny yelled. “My uncle is dying, and he doesn’t even know about what’s going on because everyone has been lying to him. Will all of you take responsibility when he finds out?”

“What?” I whispered as my mind went to Lucio. I was so caught up in everything that I had forgotten all about the man who was like a father to me.

I never understood why everyone followed him around, but seeing how everything had fallen apart after he was not here, I finally realized his impact. This situation would have been a whole lot different if Lucio. had a say because everyone feared him.

“I don’t want to do this, and I don’t want to argue-but Christian’s words scared me,” I told Johnny as we walked out of the elevator. “I know, and I didn’t have to tell him because he knows. He loves you and Siena so much, and all he wants is to work things out.”

“We can’t.” I shook my head. “He threatened the Alfonzo’s, and they’re taking that threat very seriously, by the way, so we can’t.”

“But you love him!” Johnny spoke. “I can see that you’re hurt, but I can also see that you love him, and your don’t do this to someone you love.”

I did love Christian, and I made it so obvious, but up until now, our relationship had been toxic, and it was definitely not from my side. His bold personality was an issue, and he said many hurtful things to me. He erased my surname from our daughter, he bashed the neighborhood I lived in, disrespected my jobs, and I still loved him. It was wrong.

Johnny followed me all the way to the car and demanded an answer. “Did you know that I allowed him to come clean? I would’ve stayed with him-all he had to do was be honest.”

“I know.” Johnny nodded his head. “Christian is an idiot, but he’s our idiot. Please don’t give up on him, he needs you, and he needs Siena. He can’t even sleep at night because he misses Siena.”

That’s right, I was supposed to let him see Siena, and that was something I couldn’t take away from him.. No matter how scared I was.

“My dad can bring her over tomorrow, at the Lamberti estate as discussed,” I told Johnny. Leaving her at a house full of Lamberti’s seemed crazy, but at the same time, we all knew that they wouldn’t pull anything funny as long as Lucio was in the house.

“No, no, not your dad.” Johnny sighed. “Christian needs to spend time with his daughter without your crazy father side-eyeing the two of them every second.”

“That’s good. I need someone to side-eye him.” I spoke. “I personally think you’re ridiculous with these, supervised visits, but after his words, I understand where you’re coming from,” Johnny confessed. “But if you have a heart and if you care about Lucio, you’ll not send your dad, but you’ll come on your own.”

Go on my own and face a house full of Lamberti’s?

They probably hated me because of that video and even blamed me for not knowing how to “keep a man. At least it sounded like something the Lamberti’s would say.

“My uncle also wants to see you. I will make sure uncle Lucio will also be in the room. No one will dare to say anything to you.” Johnny insisted. Bringing up Lucio always worked.

“Fine, you win-as long as Lucio’s in the room. I’ll come on my own.” I gave in. I felt stupid for doing it. and it was not what I had discussed with my family, I did not know if this was all part of some evil master plan to kidnap Siena, but it was Johnny. The same Johnny who wouldn’t even hurt a fly.

I had to come up with some real quick because feeling the Alfonzo’s about this was definitely not an option. They could not find out about this.

“So you’ll be there tomorrow? Just you, Christian, and Lucio?” Johnny confirmed.

“Yes, I’ll be there tomorrow.”