The sound of the buzzer went off before the heavy metal doors opened for her. Amy had arrived at the Women's penitentiary and was being escorted by a guard. She saw some of the prisoners basking in the sun, others lifting weights, some playing sports, and some openly gawked at her.
They were gruff looking, not bothering to hide their expressions that displayed their intentions with her. They looked like they were ready to pounce on her. But that's not what made her shiver in her boots. She was about to meet the woman who brought her in this world.
This sudden meeting, could she have made the wrong conclusion about Gwen despite the wrongs she had done to the world? Esmeralda did say the woman would visit the ditch she abandoned her..... But she knew her from Esmeralda's revelation. Or was she afraid to approach her because of the King? So many possibilities. Amy wiped her sweaty palms against her trousers.
She averted her gaze and faced forward, speeding up to match her pace with the guard's. Maybe because the higher ups were notified of her visit, they prepared a special room for the two. She was let in to find Gwen sitting with her back to her.
At the sound of her walking in, Gwen's chains extending from the cuffs on her hands and feet jingled when she turned to see Amy walking in in a black on black outfit from her top, trousers, to heeled boots.
Amy went to sit on a chair a few feet away from Gwen. Even without looking at her, she could feel Gwen's gaze take in every inch of her.
Amy looked around, it seemed they had created space in someone's office for them judging from the office set and book shelf on the other end of the room. There was no table between them to prevent any foul play. There were two cameras situated at the top corners of the room surveiling the meeting. To stop her shaking leg, she crossed it over the other and leaned back, taking a dominant stance.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtGwen also leaned back and fixed her gaze on her face. "I would not have recognized anywhere if you weren't sitting in front me. Where did all this weight come from? How could you let yourself go like this? Did all that running stress you out to the point-"
"My weight gain is none of your concern-"
"You act like you're not bothered but I know better, I can see right through you", she said with laughter in her tone. Amy uncrossed her leg ready to leave when Gwen got the message, chains jingling when she raised her hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. Quite the temper you have. No surprise where you got it from."
Amy crossed her legs then her arms. She didn't bother hiding how irritated she was by Gwen's jabs. "Get to the point."
"Daughter", Gwen said it like she was testing it. "Never thought I'd see you again."
"Between abandoning me and trying to kill me, yeah, this possibility was very unlikely", Amy replied curtly.
"Oh come on, don't take it personal", she nonchalantly dismissed her with a wave. That response confirmed the hurtful truth she had originally concluded about Gwen, but she did not let it show. She didn't want to give the woman the satisfaction.
"Seems you took being the King's minion a little too seriously. And at the expense of my life", Amy scoffed and felt pleased seeing Gwen's face harden at her jab. She continued, "There's something that you want, something you believe I can give you. What is it?"
"Straight to the point, I like that. I swear to God, if you didn't have that bastard's face, I would have liked you, maybe just a little", she gestured with a show of her thumb and index finger. Her expression quickly changed into an icy one. "I want the King dead."
"You're already serving for multiple life sentences", Amy's brows furrowed in confusion at this.
"Exactly. What's one more? This punishment is unfair. I cannot go down like this! But that will only change with the King dead. Believe me, I would have loved to do it myself."
"And what makes you think I'll do it?" Her eyes narrowed. The nerve this woman!
Gwen leaned forward resting her elbows on her knees and fingers laced, assuming business mode like she was about to convince a potential investor to make an investment. "Come on. We've both been wronged by the same person. Think of how Dylan betrayed you after all that you had been through. Think of the danger he put you through, the bounty hunt; all those years with you meant nothing to him. More importantly, whose father forced me to abandon you? His! Don't you feel wronged by this??? They deprived you of your time with me!"
'His father?' Amy mused. Does Gwen not know who the real King is? But she had been with the organization for so long. It could only mean the late King must have done a great job disguising Esmeralda's real identity to those closest to him, not even Gwen knew the child was a girl and right in front of her.
"That doesn't explain why I have to do you a favor. It's my problem to deal with, not yours", Amy pointed out.
"Well it's the least you could do for me for bringing you into this world!!! AND YOU RUINED THINGS FOR ME!!" she snapped, sitting back up to face her with a deadly glare.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"Excuse me??"
"I could have gotten rid of you when I found out I was having you! You were as a result of that monster's filthy touch! I still have nightmares of him-", she stopped herself, closing her eyes to steady herself before she could throw up. Her eyes and tone were more vicious now. "I carried you for nine freaking months! Even when I abandoned you, I longed for you but I later convinced myself that it was good I got rid of any traces of that man. But nooooooo, fate played a cruel joke on me! Years later you are delivered right to my door step and ruining my plans.
"Do you have any idea what I had been through because of the dark Waters? Everything they did to me made me this way! So I planned to overthrow them! The success of that operation would allow me to gain control of all links here in the states and I would use that power to take Italy down. But noooooo, those very same people I wanted to overthrow threw me under the bus! And it's all because of you! YOU!! YOU!!"
Gwen stood up to launch at her and Amy was quick to get out of her seat and away from her. The chains restrained her, she could only get a few inches close but no more to reach Amy. She was clawing the air trying to reach for her and bearing her teeth in an angry growl. A siren went off probably signaling the guards that Gwen was out of control.
"KILL HIM! KILL HIM! I GAVE BIRTH TO YOU! THAT'S THE LEAST YOU CAN DO FOR ME YOU UNGRATEFUL B*TCH! I CAN'T GO DOWN LIKE THIS!!! NOOOOOO!!!!"
The guards came pouring in and restrained a screaming Gwen! There was raw hatred and anger etched in her features as she screamed at Amy. She was forced out of the room, leaving a stunned Amy. A guard came to Amy's side. The latter didn't know how her legs carried her out of the room and finally out of the penitentiary.
Zach saw how absent-minded his girl was when she came in to join him at the back of his SUV. Without a word, she took a sleeping Roserie from him and held her tightly in her arms. He saw the tears on the verge of falling as she hugged her baby and this sight broke his heart.
"Drive", he ordered. And they took off.
The silent tears fell. Zach wanted to hold her in his arms but he knew, she needed Roserie's comfort. So he stayed on his side and let her silently cry her eyes out. From time to time, she would sniffle and wipe her tears, but she didn't let go of the little one.