Ciao Amores,

Hey there, you gems, I couldn't start this chapter without thanking you so much for your support in the way of your friendship, comments, votes and recommendations to your friends.

I wouldn't have made it this far without your passion and zeal for romance. I value your take on my ideas so please feel free to loosen up, break those chains and give me your thoughtful analysis.

In my experience, as a reader, it inspires a writer. Gives them direction and focus to create a vision of where they want a story to go. Asks questions, get into the minds of the characters.

Undeniably, sometimes I may lose my perspective, my way forward. But, you guys, you help to pull me back. To snap me back on track with your thoughtful comments. So thank you again.

Cheers to the forty-third installation of Italian Coffee House. I'm thrilled you made it.

Please

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P.S. Very quickly I would like to conduct a poll. Which do you think are the most memorable quotes from each of the following characters:

- Adaramola

- Niccolò

- Krysta

- Tionnè

I will choose quotes for every character to be featured on : . Please go show some love by hitting that follow button. The page is solely dedicated to writing.

ENJOY XD.

XO,

Ang

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Niccolò's Chocolate House

Chapter 4

*

The car swerved suddenly to the left. Nicky and I tumbled toward the right passenger door of the backseat. Fortunately for me, his body shielded me from the force of the impact which seemed to be his intention. He, on the other hand, groaned in irritation. However, despite his discomfort, secured me in his arms.

"This is not happening." I breathed out, trying my best to keep it together. Either I took that route or I might just end up doing something incredibly stupid.

"Ada, baby, take a deep breathe." Nicky cooed, cupping my face between the palm of his hands. He urged me to look into his eyes, until my breathe had evened out.

I nodded in confirmation. Nicky caressed my cheek with the back of his thumb, smiling briefly despite himself. He trained his eyes on the cellular device in his hand before hitting speed dial.

"Do you want us to be free of this? No more hiding?" Nicky prompted, running his hand through my locs whilst touching our cheeks together lightly in a hug. It was a miracle that I even understood him. "To put this behind us, we have to get out in front of it. Play along. I won't let them harm you."

We stayed like that until the vehicle came to a halt. The driver came out of the vehicle pointing his firearm at us through the window indicating for us to get out of the car. His eyes landed on mine briefly and a shiver ran through me.

Nicky opened the door, stepping out slowly unto the brick road. I followed suit taking Nicky's arm from behind, as he created a barrier between me and the frenzied driver.

A brief glance at his colleague in the front passenger seat yielded no movement. Stale blood oozed from his suit. It unnerving, ghastly to conceive that I had just witnessed a murder.

"It's alright baby. I'm here. It will be ok." Nicky cooed over his shoulder.

"Shut up!" The driver yelled sticking the barrel of the gun at my husband's temple. I didn't know how Nicky was being so calm about when I was literally freaking out.

It was dark and damp outside. The smell of rain lingered in the air as puddles splashed under our feet. The driver directed us through an alley, a few yards up until we met a red metal door illuminated by a single bulb overhead.

He kept the gun aimed at Nicky even as he knocked the door in a coded pattern. A latch opened to reveal someone's eyes —which regarded the driver then us. The opening was shot again before the entire door opened to reveal a stout little man.

We were lead down a narrow walkway. Women spilled over into the halls in nothing but stilettos which adorned their feet. Everything from nipples to their labia on full display.

The light was low but I could still see them putting their filthy hands on my husband's arms and shoulders. I'd had quite enough of their wandering hands so I stepped in, blocking their access. Almost daring them to touch my man one more time. Who the heck did they think they are? Touching him. Lord only knows where their hands have been.

The atmosphere was engulfed in fog. The smell of sex, sweat and booze lingering. Enough to make me throw up. Goons were getting lap-dances. Some getting themselves nodded-off all with ammunition in hand.

I'd never seen something so explicit in all my life. Images I wasn't capable of un-seeing. I wasn't sure whether it was a good or bad that we made it to the next room.

Behind the lounge, dim lights overhead illuminated a few figures that hung back in the bay. Several men in dark suits, all ggiving off the appearance of waiting for something or someone. The light did not quite reach their faces, helping to conceal their identities.

Instead, the light illuminated a single chair at the center of the room.

Out of nowhere, a hand gripped my arm. When I tried to shrug out of it, the grip on my arm only tightened. Immediately, I knew it wasn't my husband's.

Nicky stepped forward in my direction, just as a trigger clicked, resounded the large room. On closer inspection, the driver had trained his gun at the back of my husband's head. Trying not to tempt fate, I stayed put.

It was almost as though the driver wanted an excuse to shoot at him.

The man who held my arm regarded me with a sultry look under his hooded eyes. Without warning, his heavy hand shoved me downwards, forcefully unto my knees.

The click of high heels circled the room. I tried to gauge scanning the area for the source. If I was not mistaken, that suggested a woman was in our midst. As if on cue, two hulking men side-stepped on my right and sure enough, a woman emerged from the shadows.

From my position, I wasn't able to make a distinction where that lady was concerned. To my surprise, she stalked towards me in the dark, stopping only a few feet away.

"Hello darling," She chimed. I could almost hear the smile on her lips.

Wait—that voice.

Immediately, my eyes shot Nicky. He sat in the chair. His eyes narrowing to slits. Not in confusion, but in anger. His reaction had cemented my suspicions and I was a taken aback.

None of this made any sense. The orchestrator of this entire scenario — was my mother-in-law?

She approached me with a conceited smile. Now more than ever, she had whether knowingly or inadvertently pissed me off.

To this day, Nicky and I had an understanding. An unspoken request. Since our estranged mothers were unresolved territory, we never talked about them. Ever.

Now, definitively, I knew it was the right call.

The woman had behaved like nothing but an ill-bred bitter bitch since our informal meeting all those months ago. And of what few times we encounter each other, she had been insulting.

I wasn't so sure that she hadn't returned from my husband's past to haunt us both. What woman would do that to her son? One who had an agenda.

Wasn't it enough that she'd abandoned her children? Broken them into so many fragments that they couldn't even dream of putting themselves back together almost a decade later?

Clearly, she thought they owed her something. What—I couldn't possibly fathom. More than that, she deserved to feel every ounce their pain. To think anything less, meant she had forgotten what it meant to be a mother.

His mother pinned me with her icy blue gaze. It was obvious how much she detested me. It was cringe-worthy, and definitely misguided. I had done her no wrong. There was virtually no merit for all the abhorrence radiating that woman.

"Of all women, he settled for the likes of you." She scuffed, inching closer with each word.

"Rich coming from the one who basically taught what not to look for in a woman." I replied. The room was silent, as her footsteps faltered.

This woman was getting on every last one of nerves. I was sick of her meddling in our lives. None of it concerned her and quite frankly, I could care less what she thought of me.

She deadpanned. "Well aren't you sassy."

"MYA!" A voice yelled across the room. Gravely and impatient, like someone was at their wits end. "What the hell do you want?"

It was Nicky.

Mya — as Nicky called her — angled her head in his direction. I noticed that she flinched when he yelled her name. I'd bet that she didn't expect that. Honestly, neither did I.

"Tsk tsk tsk, I know I taught you better than that." Mya wandered over to her son, halting in front of him, only to striking him across the face. "Morditi la lingua ragazzo, prima che tu possa pentirtene. (Bite your tongue boy before you regret it.)"

"What. Do. You. Want?" Nicky appraised her. Anger radiating off him in waves.

"It's quite simple actually." She looked at him, expecting that he would be forthcoming with the answer.

"Money," They both looked at me, as I had interrupted her monologue.

Honestly, on our first encounter, I could see dollar signs in her eyes. Mya had constructed this perfect little facade which she thought no one could see through. I, however, called bu**sh*t. People were a lot smarter than she gave them credit for. They just had better things to do with their time.

"You're smarter than you look." She fired back, almost surprised by my deduction. "Good for you."

"Why don't you go take out a loan?" Nicky inserted.

Did he just say—? Nah? I probably just imagined it. If I wasn't terrified I'd probably laugh right now.

"Why would I when my son fell into a small fortune and is capable of taking care of his mother?" She retorted.

"Be honest. Was there a day in your life when you were ever a mother? You just stuck around to squander away the money." Nicky all but growled. "What's to stop you from doing the same to me?"

It was odd to see him so seething, like the rage within was clawing its way out of his chest to snatch Mya.

It hadn't occurred to me how lucky I had been that time I'd split soup on him until just then.

"You'll just have to trust me." Mya replied.

"Non è qualcosa che io farei. (Not something I'd do)" I wasn't versed in Italian, but that spoke volumes. The way Nicky said it, it was unlikely that he would make that mistake. Ever.

"We can do this the easy way, where you and your wife get to walk out of here. Or the hard way, where one of you dies and the other gets to live with it." Mya said so calmly that I'm not so sure that she was bluffing. As if on cue, I felt the barrel of a gun press against my temple.

Mya chuckled coyly, standing beside my husband, clapping as though she was having the most fun in the world. "We both know that she's not worth it. She has not a dime to her name. Would you like a demonstration?"

"NO!" Nicky replied, at once.

Something about the way she phrased her words made my stomach to churn. Would she really have my killed? Even so, right before her son? My eyes followed her as she stood beside him.

"What was that?" Mya prompted.

"I'll do it." Nicky said, holding my gaze.

"Good boy. The account you'll transfer to is already set-up." She waved her hand, indicated to someone who later brought out a laptop. "All you have to do is punch in your account information and hit send."

Oh God, I thought. What if she follows through on her promise? Did she have a heart? A soul? I winced at the thought.

"Isn't it nice to be together again. I could stick around if you like." Mya began, eyeing her son as he obliged her request. She touched Nicky's cheek, only to have him recoil from her. "You was always a stubborn, but your sister. How would she feel knowing that you drove her mother away?"

"You missed on the best part of your life right there. That girl has more love in her than you or I. That could've been yours. I hope the money was worth it." Nicky attested, though it wasn't out of spite but on his sister's behalf.

"Remarkable, how much of him is in you." Mya admitted, despite herself. "He thought love could conquer all but this is not some fairytale, this is real life."

I knew his mother's icy words had struck a cord. Even if he try his best to conceal the effect. Her goons stood by, ready to restrain him if it came to that.

"I promised him, that I wasn't a housewife. But he didn't heed my words. He was swept up in what he thought was love. I never loved the man, he was only a means to an end." Her words were cold, sharp enough to carve a heart out. If I knew my husband, he was trying to keep his wits. "And the girl well, she's her father's daughter."

Oh God this woman is crazy.

"You see, he had issues. Pity it had to come to this. I didn't want anyone to get hurt. Do you believe that?" She asked, waiting for his response. There was something in her words than the obvious. Something she'd done. I could hear it.

"Not in the least." Came my reply. I don't know where I got the confidence, but her eyes fell on me in irritation. "God have mercy on your soul."

"Where is your God now, huh?" She chuckled darkly, approaching my direction. Unnerving me with every step. "Why would he allow you to fall into my trap? I guess you're not so perfect yourself."

"Everything works together for good for those who love the Lord." God had a bigger plan. Though I don't know what it is, he would never give me more than I can bear.

Not long after my words, the alcove began to fog over. In a matter of seconds, the room was completely engulfed in a cloud of gas. Coughs filled the air as did the sound of bodies hitting the floor.

As I shielded my nose and mouth from the effects of the gas, lighting tapping against the floor caught my ear. Abruptly, someone emerged from the crowd kneeling before me, offering a gas mask. I took it before they disappeared in the obscurity but not before gesturing for me to stay low.

Before I knew what was happening, all lights went out. Paired with the thick fog, there was no hoping of seeing what was occurring right before my eyes.

Footfalls echoed throughout the air. Out of the blue, a hand fell into my lap. I recoiled, in an attempt to create a decent distance between us, then I heard it.

A faint, "A-da."