Chapter 2 Shattered Hopes

Alessia stared down at the crumpled piece of paper in her hand, her heart sinking into her stomach.

Fifty dollars.

That's all Tony had given her after working her ass off for an entire week.

She marched toward Tony's office, her pulse quickening with frustration. He had to be joking, right? There was no way he thought this was a fair wage. Not after she had barely slept the last few days, pulling extra shifts to make sure the bills were covered.

Her breath hitched as she knocked on his office door, the metal rattling under her fist. "Tony!"

The door flew open, and Tony's sour face appeared. "What now?" he grumbled, eyeing her with clear annoyance.

"This," she held up the cheque, her voice trembling with restrained anger. "This is a joke. I worked all week, Tony. I-"

"And you were moving slower than a damn snail," Tony cut her off, crossing his arms over his wide chest. "You think I didn't notice? You barely did shit today, Alessia. I'm not paying you full wages when you're dragging your feet around the place like you're on vacation."

Her mouth dropped open in disbelief. "Are you serious? I was here, wasn't I? I served tables, cleaned, even dealt with the usual creeps. I've been working my ass off, Tony!"

Tony's eyes narrowed, his voice turning cold. "You wanna keep your job or not? 'Cause I can find a dozen girls just like you who'd be happy to take over."

Alessia clenched her fists, fighting the urge to scream. "It's not fair," she muttered, but her voice sounded small even to her own ears.

Tony snorted, clearly enjoying her defeat. "Life's not fair, Alessia. Now get out of my office. I don't have time for your whining."

He slammed the door in her face before she could get another word out. The sound echoed down the narrow hallway, leaving Alessia standing there, fuming. Her blood boiled as she stared at the peeling paint on the door, the thin paycheck still clutched in her hand.

"You're such a piece of shit," she muttered under her breath.

The door swung open again, and Tony glared at her. "You say something?" he barked.

Alessia's heart jumped in her chest. She forced a smile, swallowing her anger. "Nope! Nothing at all." She quickly turned and walked away, her fake laugh echoing through the empty hall.

Outside, the cold night air hit her like a slap. She stuffed the check into her pocket, kicking at a loose stone on the sidewalk as she headed home. The streets of Velancia were quiet at this hour, with only the distant hum of traffic and the occasional barking dog breaking the silence.

Her mind raced, filled with the usual mix of frustration and worry.

'How long could she keep this up?'

She was barely scraping by as it was, and now with Leo gone... the rent was overdue, her mother's medication was running out, and she had no idea when Leo would come back, or if he would come back at all.

She kicked another stone, watching it skid across the pavement. Her shoes were worn, the soles almost paper-thin from years of overuse. Every step felt heavier than the last, dragging her down like the weight of the world was tied to her ankles.

"Why does everything have to be so damn hard?" she muttered, glancing up at the dark sky. Her breath puffed in the cool air as she trudged through the cracked streets toward the rundown apartment building she called home.

When her eyes finally landed on her house, her heart skipped a beat. The lights were on.

Alessia froze, her pulse quickening.

No one was supposed to be home. Her mother was too weak to move around much after dark, and she hadn't been expecting Leo... but then again, it wasn't like Leo ever told her where he was going or when he'd be back.

She rushed to the door, her hands shaking as she unlocked it and shoved it open.

"Leo!" she shouted, storming inside. Her chest tightened as she saw him sitting there, sprawled out on the couch like nothing had happened. He looked up lazily, as if he'd just been sitting all day while the world crumbled around them.

"Hey, sis," Leo said with a smirk, stretching his arms behind his head. "Miss me?"

Alessia's jaw dropped, disbelief turning into rage. "Where the hell have you been?" she yelled, her voice shaking with fury. "You just disappear for weeks, no calls, no messages, and now you're just sitting here like nothing happened?"

Leo rolled his eyes, swinging his feet off the couch. "Relax, Alessia. I've been busy. You know I've got things to handle."

"Busy?" Alessia's voice rose, her anger boiling over. "You're out doing god-knows-what while I'm busting my ass trying to keep a roof over our heads! Do you have any idea what I've been dealing with? Do you even care?"

Leo's smirk faded, his face hardening. "Oh, don't start with this crap, Alessia. I didn't ask you to play the hero."

"No, but you're happy to let me, aren't you?" she shot back. "You're happy to let me be the one paying the rent, the bills, the food! And now-" She choked on her words as her eyes darted to the foam cushion on the couch, which had been lifted. Panic gripped her as she rushed to it, her hands frantically searching the spot where her savings used to be.

Empty. All gone.

She spun around, glaring at Leo. "You took my money?"

Leo shrugged, not meeting her gaze. "I needed it."

"You needed it?" Alessia's voice cracked with disbelief. "That was all the money I had left! That was for Mom's medication! How could you do this?"

"I told you, I needed it," Leo snapped, his face twisting with frustration. "I've got things going on. Important things."

"Important?" Alessia screamed, stepping closer. "Like what, Leo? What could possibly be more important than keeping this family together? Than keeping Mom alive? Do you even realize what you've done?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you," Leo said coldly, standing up and towering over her. "You think you're better than me because you've got a shitty job and you pay the bills? You're not. You're just like me. We're both stuck in this hellhole, and pretending like you're some saint isn't gonna change that."

Alessia's fists clenched at her sides. "I'm the one holding this family together. You're out there, running around, probably getting into trouble, and now you're putting all of us at risk!"

"Enough!" Isabella, their mother's weak voice suddenly broke through the shouting as she shuffled into the room, her body leaning heavily on the doorframe. "Please, stop fighting. Leo, where have you been? Alessia's right, we're all struggling..."

"Mom, stay out of this," Leo growled, turning his back on her.

"You can't keep doing this, Leo. We need to stick together. Your sister has been-"

Leo shoved her aside, his hands rougher than he intended. "I said stay out of it!"

Their mother stumbled, her body hitting the floor with a thud.

Alessia gasped, rushing to her mother's side. "Mom!" Her hands shook as she helped her up, glaring. "How could you?" she whispered. "She's our mother!"

Leo's face twisted in guilt for a brief second, but he quickly masked it with anger. "She's the one who put us in this mess. If she'd married someone rich, maybe we wouldn't be living in this dump. Maybe we'd have the life we deserve!"

Alessia stared at Leo, her chest heaving with anger and disbelief. "You're unbelievable, Leo. You act like you're the only one who's suffered, like you're the only one who deserves a better life. Well, guess what? We all do, but you don't see me stealing from my own family to get it!"

Leo scoffed, shaking his head. "You think working as a waitress is some kind of noble sacrifice? You think that'll change anything for us? You're just wasting your time, Alessia."

Her eyes flared. "Wasting my time? I'm doing everything I can to keep us afloat, and you-you're out there, running with who-knows-who, throwing your life away! You took everything, Leo. Everything. That was all we had left!"

Leo's face twisted in frustration. "I'm doing what I have to, alright? You don't understand the world I'm dealing with. You think you can save us by waiting tables and playing house, but it's not that simple. We need more than that."

"You're not 'dealing with' anything but getting us into deeper shit!" Alessia shot back, stepping closer, her face inches from his. "Who are you mixed up with, Leo? What kind of trouble are you in? You think your shady business is going to fix everything?"

Leo's jaw clenched, his nostrils flaring. "You're risking everything, Leo. And for what? You're going to get us all killed, and you don't even care."

His expression darkened. "I don't need a lecture from you, Alessia."

She threw her hands in the air. "Then what do you need, Leo? You've already taken everything I have. Do you even care about Mom? About me? Explain it to me. Tell me what's so important that you're willing to destroy this family for it."

Leo turned away, his fists clenched at his sides. "I don't owe you an explanation."

"Of course, you don't," Alessia snapped, her voice rising again. "Because you don't have one. You're just a selfish coward, running from your responsibilities while I'm left to pick up the pieces."

Leo's face hardened, his fists clenching again. Without another word, he grabbed his jacket from the chair and stormed toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Alessia demanded, following him. "You can't just run away every time things get tough!"

Leo flung the door open, not bothering to look back at her. "I'm done with this conversation."

"Leo!" Alessia shouted. "Don't you dare walk out on us again! Don't you dare leave us like this!"

But Leo didn't stop. He slammed the door behind him, the sound ringing through the apartment like a final blow. Alessia stood there, staring at the closed door, her body shaking with a mixture of rage and helplessness.

Behind her, Isabella, their mother let out a soft sob. "Why... why can't he just stay?" she whispered, her voice broken.

Alessia turned, her heart aching at the sight of her mother, slumped against the wall, her frail body trembling from the fall and the stress. She rushed to her side, wrapping her arms around her, pulling her close.

"It's okay, Mom," Alessia whispered, even though she didn't believe it. "It's going to be okay."

But as the words left her lips, they felt like a lie.