An Eye for an Eye

My eyes were beautiful. Many people have praised them, saying that they resembled the shine of the finest emeralds. But as the wife of a Capo, just being able to paint was far from enough.

I did not want to be a powerless and fragile little flower that required the protection of others. I wanted to be someone who could help Samuel on his path to success.

I placed my paintbrush to the side. I helped to manage the family's affairs in his place whenever he was away, and slowly but surely, my intuition grew sharper. But Samuel simply assumed that I was lazing around all day at home, pampered by the housekeepers.

In comparison, Daeleen, who had just returned from abroad, was much more alluring.

Samuel finally placed the eyeballs into formalin. He could not help but smile as he said, "Daeleen, I'll fulfill your final wish soon."

My consciousness began to blur. Annie noticed that something was wrong, and she could not help but speak up to Samuel on my behalf.

"Capo, Mrs. Sterling has never lied to you! Please go to her studio and see for yourself!

"Mrs. Sterling had already painted your child onto your portrait for this year. She had planned to surprise you with it on your birthday!"

"Paintings, you say? The last time Daeleen came over to visit and set up a camp in the garden, she mentioned that she was cold. We made a little bonfire with the paintings, seeing that they were just sitting in the studio unused," Samuel replied.

Annie could not help but exclaim. "What?! Capo, the paintings were the results of years of Mrs. Sterling's hard work! Your portrait is among them!"

Samuel became enraged at Annie and smashed the wine glass in his hand onto the floor. "That's enough, Annie! Have you forgotten that you're just a maid of the Sterling family? Your father is merely a Soldato of the family. Know your place!"

Annie was so terrified that she immediately dropped to her knees, trembling.

I reached out for her shoulder and patted her gently. "I'm sorry, Capo. This is my fault for not teaching her discipline.

"Annie was just worried about me, you see. As for the paintings, I don't really care if you've burned them or not."

An ugly smile crept up on my face. I knew that Samuel's heart was fully devoted to Daeleen and Daeleen alone. The truth of the matter no longer mattered at that point.

I had wanted Samuel to be genuinely happy about my pregnancy instead of thinking that I was simply using our child as a bargaining chip to win back his heart. Without his love, the paintings had become nothing more than mere scraps of paper. Being used to fuel a bonfire was the only value Samuel had seen in them.

Samuel was stunned when he heard me refer to him as 'Capo. ' It was the first time I had addressed him like his subordinates since our marriage. But seeing that I did not refute him further, he also said nothing more.

All he wanted was to present my eyeballs as an offering to the deceased Daeleen. "Send over 100 candles and 10,000 roses as soon as possible."