Chapter 91

Belladona
I clenched my fists tightly as I quickly got into the car. When the car sped up, I angrily removed my glasses, breathing heavily. I touched my cheek, murmuring curses. How dare she lay a hand on me? Now more than ever, I wanted her out of my life. And I was going to make it happen. I grabbed my phone and called César’s aunt, the only one who could bring him back down to earth.
“Belladona, dear, I’ve been wanting to talk to you for days,” she said as I began to sob, letting out broken words.
“Oh my God, dear… why are you crying? What happened, Belladona?”
“Forgive me for worrying you… it’s just… it’s just that I can’t take this situation anymore,” I said, releasing another murmured lament.
“You mean César…”
“Yes, Aunt… if I may call you that. Could we meet for a moment? You’re the only one who can understand my pain.”
“Of course, dear. You know I’ve always thought highly of you, Belladona.”
“Thank you so much, Aunt,” I said, hanging up and smiling as I touched my cheek.
“I’ll destroy you, wretch. You’ll pay for this insult.”

Belle
I washed my hair, and when I lifted my head to look in the mirror, a bright blonde color replaced my simple, ordinary brown hair. Every day I felt further from resembling that woman. I never wanted to feel close to that monster again. Once, I didn’t mind the resemblance; in fact, I aspired to be as elegant as her, almost as if she were a role model to follow. But once again, she proved to me that rich people were just appearances and meaningless status. And among them was César… the man I loved. Yes… because that’s how I felt every time I saw him.
I walked toward my grandfather’s room, but my legs froze as I thought it over carefully.
“Was that man really my grandfather?” I murmured to myself. I had been so close to my family and hadn’t even realized it. A smile formed on my lips, determined to be with him no matter who he was. If I had to pose as his granddaughter to make him want to live, I would give him that joy, just as he cared for me when I was a starving child.
I peeked through the door and heard Mr. Santorini say:
“Where’s the woman from earlier? I’d like to… talk to her.”
“I’m Belle, Mr. Santorini,” I said, stepping into the room. Suddenly, a message arrived on my phone. I glanced at it impatiently, and seeing who it was, a smile spread across my face. Moved by emotion, I sent a reply.
"When can I see you? I already miss you, and it’s only been a few seconds."

Belladona
When the door opened, I threw myself into César’s aunt’s arms, a woman who had always approved of our relationship and whom I was sure would support me no matter what.
“What happened to you, Belladona?” she exclaimed, pulling back to look at me. Shocked by my reddened cheek, she burst out:
“Who dared do this to you? What vulgarity…”
“Don’t worry, it’s nothing…”
“What do you mean ‘it’s nothing,’ dear? Your face is completely red from the blows. Was it a woman, wasn’t it?”
“Can we go inside?”
“Of course, of course. Come in. I’ll tell the maid to bring you some tea,” she said. I nodded and walked toward the elegant living room, setting my bag aside and taking a deep breath. Once again, I started to fake tears. She sat beside me, gently rubbing my shoulder, and said:
“Tell me, what happened?”
“That tramp has César in her claws, and it’s so obvious she’s just deceiving him. When I confronted her, she hit me,” I replied. The woman sighed wearily, running a hand over her face.
“If my late sister saw her son like this, she’d roll over in her grave… I don’t understand what’s wrong with that boy. It’s as if that woman bewitched him. When I tried to talk to him, he warned me to stay out of his life. He’s never spoken to me like that… He’s gone mad.”
“But there has to be a way for us to get back together,” I said, looking at her intently. She seemed uncomfortable and replied:
“Belladona, dear… I respect you for the years-long friendship my sister had with your family and the engagement you were going to have with César. But just because I don’t approve of his relationship with that homeless woman doesn’t mean you should get back together with my nephew.”
Shocked, I wiped away my fake tears. “What do you mean?”
“I know you did something terrible to César for him to publicly call off the wedding, making the family the talk of the town.”
“Aunt, I…”
“I don’t want to know. But don’t expect me to help you with César either. All I want is for that homeless woman not to become his wife. I promised my sister I wouldn’t let that boy be unhappy.”
I clenched my fist tightly and nodded with a forced smile. “Don’t worry, I only want his happiness.”

Breaking News
A commercial airline plane has suffered a technical failure, losing all communication with the control tower after its last transmission. There’s no word yet on the 200 passengers, and it is estimated they had to make an emergency landing. Intensive search efforts are underway, but with the challenging weather conditions, the search and communications are becoming increasingly difficult.

Belle
“Oh my God… César!”