“Will you marry me Guiya Giselle? I promise I’ll make you happy.”
She squeezed him tighter. “You already have. Yes, Gabriel. Yes.”
~59~
“Everyone, let’s finish this tomorrow, si?”
The women in the room silenced, all watching their boss with a mix of confusion and concern. The seamstress pool meetings rarely ended early. Every second was dedicated to one important matter or another.
Regardless, the team took no issue with the change in plan. They stood, speedily collected their belongings and left the conference room. Their boss wasn’t a woman who enjoyed repeating herself.
Alone, Athena reread the folded note her secretary’s assistant delivered some 20 minutes before the meeting was scheduled to end. There was probably no reason to clear the room the way she had. Alas, she knew the slightest hint of gossip was enough to incite full scale speculation among the masses. Having the daughter of two Tesano executives call in the middle of the day to chat, would be quite enough to incite such speculation.
“What can I do for you, Miss Campagnone?” Athena wondered aloud.
She hadn’t talked to Rosella Campagnone since the night of the young woman’s dinner with Stone. Athena had talked to Delia Campagnone a week or so earlier. Rosella’s mother said that according to her daughter, she got the sense that a fun time was had but that there wasn’t much of a spark with Stone. Still, it seemed as though a polite friendship had been found. It sounded as though Rosella had heaped enough compliments on Stone so that her parents had no cause to suspect the evening had been anything other than enjoyable.
Nevertheless, Athena hoped the unexpected call might give her more insight into the night her son had yet to speak a word of, in almost five weeks.
From her perch on the conference table, she dragged over the phone and began to dial. The phone was picked up at the Campagnone residence and Athena was greeted by a member of the housestaff. It took less than a minute for Rosella to pick up. She made small talk, an obvious ploy to waste time until she had privacy and then the pleasantries reached an abrupt halt.
“I’m pregnant.”
Several silent beats passed while Athena worked to process the news. Twice, she labored to find her voice and ask the questions starting to crowd her mind.
“You slept with Stone that night.”
“I must have,” the girl’s confession rushed out on a shaky breath. “I haven’t had my monthly since then and...”
“And?”
“I-um-”
“Speak child!”
“I was a virgin. I-I was a virgin and I don’t remember any of it,” Rosella began to sob.
Athena rolled her eyes in response to the display. “La, la ragazza. Andrà tutto bene,” there, there girl it will be alright, Athena didn’t make much of an effort to pull sincerity into her voice.
“What will I do? My parents can never know. How could I tell them this-”
“Who else knows?” Athena demanded.
“No one-no one, I swear. Not-not yet. I-our maid does all the laundry. I haven’t let her touch mine in days, said I was too old for her to handle my underwear. I don’t know how long she’ll respect my wishes.”
“And your parents?”
“They don’t know, I swear. They’re sure to begin asking questions soon. Some of my clothes are starting to feel snug. They will notice. I’m sorry Mrs. Tesano I-I didn’t know who to call-”
“Shh...it’s alright, child. It’s alright,” Athena meant it that time. Afterall, the girl did have a Tesano in her belly. “Have your mother call me,” she said.
“What? But why? Mrs. Tesano please, you-you can’t tell her I-”
“I don’t intend to tell her. I need you to trust me, Rosella.”
The sound of shuddering held the line for a long while. “Y-yes ma’am,” Rosella finally replied.
“You should also prepare to be away from your family for some time.”
“Away? B-but I-”
“Rosella, my love, you are an unmarried girl-no longer a virgin who now finds herself with child. Should anyone discover that, it would tarnish you as you’re without any prospects for marriage. Your parents would be frowned upon as well.”
The possibility sent Rosella into another emotional tailspin. Sobs and shudders clogged the phone line.
“I am sorry, child, but you should understand that it’s not easy to be seen as the parent of a fallen daughter. The results aren’t pretty.” Silently, Athena acknowledged how familiar she was with that scenario. Her father had behaved as though his world would be forever darkened by her transgressions.
“What should I do?” Rosella’s voice was small through the line.
“Just have your mother call. I’ll tell her of an exciting opportunity I want to offer, especially to you. I’ll tell her that I see something in you that Stone is still too immature to notice. I think you’ll be a perfect assistant for me, but it will take much training and time away from home.”
“Time enough for me to have the baby,” a hint of relief colored Rosella’s voice.
“Precisely.”
“And what then? Will Stone-?”
“One thing at a time, child. Leave Stone to me.”
