Chapter 3

Diana

I winced in pain as I tried to raise my head from the pillow. I tried opening my eyes but I could open just one. I shut it back because the lights in the room was too bright.

Trying once again, I opened it slowly and accessed where I was. The room was painted in white, except for a few pieces of furniture in the room, it was almost empty. I looked at my bandaged hand and was unable to move it

An elderly man in white and a woman in a color I couldn't make out were talking in hushed tones. She must have seen me open my eyes because she gasped and ran towards me.

“Diana! Oh! Thank you Lord”. She hugged me tightly but quickly released me as I winced in pain again. “I'm so sorry my love. I was just happy to see you open your eyes, my pumpkin”.

Just then, the man in white moved towards me and began assessing me. He took out something that looked like touch light from his chest pocket, switched it on and flashed it into my eyes. He told me to blink my eyes several times. When he was satisfied, he moved to the water connected to my unbandaged hand , checked out whatever it was he wanted to check before asking me questions.

"Miss Diana, can you hear me, just nod your head if you can”. I nodded to show that I could hear him. “Do you recognise the woman beside me?” I nodded again. Of course I recognise my mom. You've been in the hospital for a week, I'm glad you're responding to treatment, he said smiling

After asking me several questions, he became satisfied or so I think and left after giving instructions that I shouldn't be stressed. “Water”, I requested weakly , mom moved towards the table beside me and gave me water from a bottle while helping me move my head up a little as I couldn't move

‘Mom, what happened, what am I doing here?” I can't remember a thing. The last thing I remembered was sitting on the swing chair at the park.

“How did I get here mom, I asked her, I remembered leaving the house angrily, I remembered going to Diego's club and trying to bargain with him and how one of his boys bundled me out but how I found myself at the hospital is the part I don't get.

Just focus on getting better,mom said. It looked as if she was intentionally boycotting my question. She smoothened my hair and avoided eye contact with me. Something was definitely wrong, I could feel it in my guts.

“Mom?” She looked at me now , her eyes red and puffy. She must have cried a lot for her face and eye to be in such a state. “What's wrong?” I asked again.

“I wished you had listened to us all, but you didn't. I'm just so glad you are alive. Let's take it one step at a time. The police are already on his tail. Just stay strong, my pumpkin".

“On whose tail?” I asked , my anger spiked. She must have sensed that I was angry because she held my shoulder warmly looking me in the eyes.

“I'm going to make him pay even if I have to write a petition to all human rights activists in this town. I'll make him feel the pain of a mother watching her daughter helplessly without being able to do anything”.

“It must have been Diego, you were found very close to his club battered and almost bitten to death. Why did you go there in the first place? Giving you to him wasn't a good one but it wouldn't have been this bad if you had listened to us” she whined

Diego did this? That can't be possible, I remembered leaving his club and walking to the amusement park. I wanted to tell her it wasn't him but I couldn't.

Suddenly I couldn't breathe, I tried to calm down and breathe but I couldn't. My vision became blurry, the last thing I remembered was mom screaming at the top of her voice. Doctors running helter skelter moving to my side.

***

I woke up again three days later as I was told. I opened my eyes again and found myself still in the hospital.

As I opened my eyes slowly,my best friend Louise is by my side,she looks distraught.

“Diana!, you got me worried!” She said, I thought…”I thought you were gone”, she continued crying

“Are you okay now?, how did you end up in such a mess!”

“You need to stop screaming and crying if you want me to answer any of your questions”, I said as she pulled me into a tight hug.

She calmed herself and sat down holding my hands. “How did you fall into the hands of the Dragon Mafians, how?”

“Lo!, I began, “my life is in a mess, I'm done for. Remember how we've been looking for Liam for a while now? Well, it turns out that he's been hanging out at Chillies Club. Apparently, he absconded with Diego Hunters’ drugs”

“Wait, you mean number 1 mafia king Diego?” She asked incredulously and I nodded.

“Okay,so how does that affect you? Let him look for Liam and settle their scores”, she said impatiently

“That's the thing, he couldn't find him. So my father has used me as collateral till he finds Liam

If he doesn't show up in two week's time, I am to be married to Diego”. I finished explaining to her.

“Crap! Double Crap”. She said, “you'll become Miss Hunter? You are in deep shit!”

“I know right, I had gone to his club to strike a deal with him but he declined. Angry at him and myself,I decided to get fresh air at the amusement park close to the club. Suddenly these guys came in and held me down saying something about Diego crossing his part”

“The last thing I remembered was the leader calling his minions to pounce on me” I finished explaining to her.

“You know, she began, maybe accepting the offer isn't so bad? One thing I'm sure of is that Diego would provide you and your family the protection you need”, she said calmly.

“Well , he didn't protect me from this”, I refuted pointing to my bruised face.

“You really think Diego won't get to the bottom of this?” She opined

As if on cue, the door of the room opened and he walked in majestically to my side.

“Diana”, I'm sorry you had to go through this, be rest assured that I'll find him and deal with him more than….

Before he could finish his speech, mom walked in and jumped on him when she saw him.

“You greedy bastard, after giving you my daughter, you still do this to her? You lowlife mafia bastard!”

All efforts to get Diego out of her hands proved abusive as she held her grip on his suit

“Mom! I shouted suddenly, it wasn't him!’

“No Diana, you were found around his pub”

“He's not!, I repeated,and what is this crocodile tears about? Would this have happened to me if you hadn't given me away instead of your stupid son?” I screamed

“It was for your own good”,

“No mom, it's not. It is for the good of your stupid son. You wanted no harm on him, I was simply a way out”

“I've accepted your decision, all of it”

I turned to Diego, “I'll marry you, you need not wait till two weeks,I think I need all the protection I could get from your foes and my parents”

“But first get me out of here”