《Union Of Death (Secrets of The Famiglia Part 2)》 Chapter 1 (Camilla) Chapter 1 (Cami) America, the ce where dreamse true, and white picket fences are a must. ¡°Miss Moretti, your grandfather sends his apologies but he will not being to your birthday. He said to enjoy the evening.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t he have just called and told me that himself,¡± I say to Ridwano, my 2nd bodyguard, or was he the first? ¡°Scusi Signorina.¡± Sorry, Miss. I sigh but say nothing else, as the car continues to travel along the road of no real destination. There is pros and cons thate with the title of Dante Moretti¡¯s granddaughter. Pro¡¯s were far and few between because the con¡¯s always pped me right in the face. Today is no different, only today instead of wasting this chance I am embracing it. ¡°Can you drop me off at the hotel?¡± The driver doesn¡¯t question me and I don¡¯t turn my face from the street lights and bustling cars of Washington DC. I¡¯m 23 today. 1 year to add to my growing hate of my Grandfather and another year to add to the loss of my parents and brother. We arrive at the hotel just before 8 pm and in a way, I am d and relieved to just get inside. Sliding out of the Bentley, a standard car if your Grandfather is the Godfather of the underworld, I rush to the door. ¡°Miss Moretti, you are back early, did you enjoy your dinner?¡± The doorman asks me as he opens the door to lead me in. He is a short chubby man, around 50. He reminds me of someone I met on my trip to skast September. ¡°I did thank you. Do you have a bar around here?¡± My long dress is not the perfect bar outfit but it is definitely me. A mafia princess ¡°Certainly, this way.¡± I move toward the door he¡¯s ushering me to and spot the dim lights and mirrored beams before I enter the cozy ce. ¡°Thank you.¡± I signal the bodyguard which is closest to me to tip the guy. The ce has a vani scent that hits my nose as I enter and make my way closer to the bar where I sit down. The bartender is a handsome bulky man, maybe in histe 30¡¯s. ¡°What can I get for thedy.¡± ¡°3-fingers-whiskey, anything ck will do, 16-years or older.¡± ¡°Coming up.¡± The shelves surrounding the bar are designed in a pyramid of cherry wood finishes. Hundreds of bottles of alcohol are stacked around the expanse, catering to a truly wide variety of customers. ¡°Give her a Jameson Jacob.¡± The deep voicees from the other end of the bar and my eyes fray to the man who now holds my attention. ¡°Are you the manager or something?¡± I am genuinely curious. ¡°Or something.¡± He is hidden in a shade of light so it is hard to make out his face but his voice is deep, dry. He must be one hell of a man. I get off my chair and make my way toward him as my guards start approaching. I send them a signal with my fingers to rx. I don¡¯t want them ruining an evening before it hasn¡¯t even begun. I get closer to the man and that is when I see the uniform. ¡°You are a soldier? Wow, I didn¡¯t see thating. I¡¯ve never met an American soldier in my life.¡± He says nothing but when I sit next to him and smile, he stares at me with dark intense eyes. ¡°What brings an English woman like yourself to this fine dine, dressed like that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my birthday, so I thought I would dress up and leave my castle and have a drink with a handsome man. And not that it makes an inkling of a difference to you, but I am actually Italian.¡± His face is clean- shaven. His head is cropped short and a tattoo is visible on his scalp but the dim lighting in this particr area makes him seem like a vivid dream. The Bartender brings my drink over to this side and as I take a much-needed sip my eyes stain his handsome face with lust. ¡°Two Italians in a bar. What are the chances? Like what you looking at?¡± He asks me and augh bubbles in the back of my throat. ¡°I¡¯m still looking, I will let you know when I am done.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t strike me as an ordinary Italian, you sound and look British, are you here for holiday?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the hair. I changed it to red. And yes and no. I came to visit some family. I thought I would surprise my cousin, and he would be all smiles to see me but I missed him. It seems like he left for London with the intention of surprising me. And yes, I like what I see.¡± ¡°The nights still young, who knows what can happen.¡± When he says that my entire body heats up at his not-so-subtle hint. I have never been an exhibitionist but tonight staring at this man I know he was about to change that. ¡°If I¡¯m going to miss my ne for you, I should get a name.¡± ¡°You first.¡± Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! ¡°Marco.¡± A man walks toward us with a tray in his hand that has a cell phone on top of it, interrupting our conversation. ¡°Sir, your brother is on the phone.¡± His eyes stare me down and a flicker of recognition shifts my lust into something deeper. Could it be? ¡°Tell my brother something hase up.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± I smile as a swamp of nerves rushes through my body as the boy I have loved since I was 8 years old sits across from me with want and doesn¡¯t recognize me at all. ¡°Do I get that name?¡± ¡°It depends, how badly you want it.¡± Chapter 2 (Aliyana) Chapter 2 (Aliyana) Present-day The darkness can be the setting for one''s nightmare or the sign of one¡¯s escape. There are instances between life and death, decisions we need to make. Only when we are weighing our options thinking we chose the most usible of the lot, we have no idea that the selections we end up making, can sometimes have drastic consequences. Like the people who killed my friend, Ren. They had no idea when they pulled that trigger, we were going to catch up to them so easily. Stupid people. The one who betrayed us had no inclination that we would ever find out. We have, well, I have. And right now, I am the one with the trump card. But showing my hand too early would not be wise so I bite my tongue. Waiting. The long skinny brush hangs by the tail end through my nimble fingers as the brown-colored tip glides across the roughened canvas, reminding me, how easy one small simple judgment can influence a vast amount of other aspects. We are the product of our choices. And most of the time we screw it up, royally. What we do, what we say, where we end up is all part of who we choose. Yes, who. Because it all comes down to you verse everyone else. Like this painting, I chose the brown thinking it was going to bring a bnce to the grey clouds, but all it brings is duller, faded shades of grief. In the not too different past, I assumed that life wasn¡¯t a nomination of oneself but the rulings of the ones around me. My opinion on that changed, the day Marco Catelli walked out of my life. My ¡®take¡¯ on a lot of things has changed since then. Including my interpretation of the word ¡®art¡¯. Once a form of indulgence, now my promise of vengeance. How easily is the heart tainted by its adversary, rejection? There are internalndmarks since the day Marco walked out on me. Days when I feel a hollowness like I''m missing something so full. Yes, full, because it is all I can feel, it is all I want to feel. Fulfillment Only now I am full of pain and nothingness. I push it back, as that thick lodging in my throat reminds me of how empty I am, and how pale my existence has be. In the darkness of my bedroom I convince myself I¡¯d wake up, I¡¯d be numb, the pain I feel would be passing and all that matters now and mattered before would be here, in my world. All those people would be around, smiling at me, looking me in the eyes, and telling me that it was just a dream. Yes, it would be one heck of a choice to believe this is a dream, to convince myself that my life, myck thereof is a bad nightmare. But life never works that way. Life is meant to be difficult. Smooth sailing is a joke, nothing is ever simple, and if anyone tries to convince you differently, then I suggest you have your Glock against their head for spewing shit to you. Because life is hard, your battles aren¡¯t like everyone else but don¡¯t make them any less real. In the 5th State, it is more than hard, it is a dangerous ride just being born. Add in the extras and you got yourself a life fit for a viin. And that is a normal conversation amongst our kind. Talk about someone getting whacked, or your uncle Benny just dropping off the face of the earth. Even I will brush it off as one of those things. Because that is what the underworld is about, and we, the women born in this darkness take it up the ass even though we are not working ss. And we will not settle for anything else than our brand of fucked up. We only know one way. And even if you are stupid enough to want different, the men will find you and haul your ass right back where it came from and then you are fucked. Ask Rosa Marchesi, the infamous Italian girl who fell in love with a diplomat¡¯s son who sold her out to her family. He chose his safety over her heart. It was a good choice, we have to choose ourselves to survive in the 5th State. Even a normal boy figured that out. It is a pity selling someone out is considered bad manners though, else he would still be alive. But 24-year-old Rosa is. She¡¯s now a myth, a story without a proper face. Some say she is a ve to her parents, who keep her locked up in their home. Others say she is the lucky one who got it easy and lives in a mansion near Malibu. But either way, no one has seen the girl in years. Like my cousin, Rosco. My mouth tilts at the thought of ourst interaction just a few days ago. My ¡®presumably¡¯ dead cousin, now a biker named Knight. How small is the earth we im as our home? Squinting my eyes, I bend my neck to pay close attention to the rustic chair I¡¯m currently painting into life, as the cold air seeps through my jersey. I twirl my brush, making sure I get the perfect curl around the chair''s back. I would need to add in some gold, yellow and ck, with a few touches of white mixed in to get the perfect antique look I was wanting to portray. My finger shakes as I use my tiny brush to get the corner end of the chair perfects to my naked eye. Yes, it alles down to options. Decisions, decisions. The wind blows my crouched, awkward form as my lips tug at how every day is a new day, making way for a fresh start. Even us, criminals, evil killers, the tortured ones, get that fresh start. The beginning of something new, the chance to choose differently.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! It is our own fault we remain the same. We still pick that gun up, we still smile, relishing in that sickness we are born with for the taste of death, for the taste of ending someone''s life. Ande Sunday morning, like this morning at 9, we go to church. We are the ones who pray to god and return vigntly to mass confessing our sins and asking God if we repent will he forgive us, but in actual reality we are the worst of the disbelievers, we are the sinners, the ones who are convinced they have the authority to take a life, to y god. The truth is when we have that gun in our hands, we feel like we are god, we feel powerful. It is the reason we allow our anger to lead to where it goes. It is the excuse we tell ourselves when we beat another person because they didn¡¯t fit in with our ns. And I, Aliyana Capello am a sinner just like the rest of them. I am just one of the few who acknowledge that I am better because of it. Free, because I have not strayed from my path, I have not craved goodness as I have craved the love of a man, the feeling of want. I have not be so weak that I have forgotten who I am and what I am meant to be. Nor have I forgotten the blood that runs through my veins is not just belonging to the Italian Famiglia but Bratva, a strong Russian syndicate, that many fear. I am not just a member of theirs, but I am a member of the Vasiliev n and it is time I started acting like one. For a long time, I wanted to fit in with the Famiglia, and that want blindsided me from the other part of my heritage. My mother chose to remain a member of the Bratva, and for years I thought it was to keep my sister safe but I realize now it was more than that. She didn¡¯t want to abandon who she was; her identity was more than her marriage. Her love for herself outweighed her desire to please my father. A lot can happen when your eyes are open, when you can finally see, only then you understand it all. Chapter 3 (Aliyana) Chapter 3 (Aliyana) By then you are finally free to feel and to purge all that anger, hate, pain and love out. It is only once you have finally stopped and understood that life isn¡¯t about what other people want. It is about you, what you want, who you want and I don¡¯t want a man who chooses someone over me. I want a lover who is unafraid of reason, who stands tall in those things that don¡¯t make sense and who isn¡¯t scared away by the thought of loving me. And I deserve that feeling ofpleteness. And right now, that lover is me. ¡°I say we ditch the whole formal vibe and do a retro theme. Ky would love it, you can get that girl Diane to organize it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not feeling Retro. When I agreed to this Ky, said small. Now, I¡¯m sensing big.¡± ¡°True, but we not havin¡¯ the party just for you, your birthday is just an excuse to have a party, things are pretty boring recently.¡± ¡°If we are going for Retro we should have it at Cristen, the ce looks akin to a 60¡¯s club.¡± My new favorite ce. When Deno and Marco asked us to frequent the ce, I admit I was lost and didn¡¯t know what to believe. Whether I could trust the Misfits, I¡¯m still not sure. Nobody wants to admit when the people who are supposed to be our most trusted allies turn out to be strangers. Even when the answers are staring you right in the face. But a few months ago, that all changed when I had to face facts. If Romero, Michel or Gabriel killed Ren, what was the reason and did it mean that I would be next? We all learned to fight together, shoot, aim and leave no fingerprints unless you are framing someone. Everything we have done up until this point has been all of us. However, I learned a bit more than them when it came to smelling a rat. It was something my father instilled in me from a young age. Because it might just save my ass one day. And since I started frequenting Cristen, I smelled a big rat, every time I stepped foot in that ce. ¡°How much longer? If I am going to be stuck like this for another half-hour at least give me darn chocte or somethin¡¯,¡± Diamond whines from the deck. Her hair drapes down her back like a golden satin cloth. ¡°I can HEAR you nagging like a banshee all the way from the kitchen. I brought your darn chocte,¡± Kylie walks into the backyard, wearing a yellow and blue bikini that does wonders for her breasts. The same breast that looks a cup size bigger than I remember it. Her body is tall, but where Diamond is a barely-there 17-year-old girl still growing into her womanhood, Kylie Bray is all woman. Her hips are on the curvy side, but not too much that makes her take the hourss shape. Her breasts are small but full, and her long legs that are currently shining and dark shoulder-length hair that drowns in health brings no doubt that she is in fact a pure-bred rich girl. The tray she is currently bncing with cocktails I know has more alcohol than it does anything else, proves why she is genuinely the best person I know by far. ¡°If this drink doesn¡¯t add some zing to your ming, Liya, I don¡¯t know what will. And stop staring at my boobs. I¡¯m going to think you want to touch them or somethin¡¯.¡± Diamondughs when my cheeks go pink as my ownughes out in a soft giggle. ¡°Do you wanna touch my boobs Liya? I would touch yours if you want.¡± Kylie¡¯s make-shift sultry voice has me sttering my paint on the floor as I put it down and Diamond half falling off her chair, I was currently painting for thest 2 hours. ¡°I leave you, girls, for an hour and you turn gay,¡± Deno walks to the backyard from the side of the house. His cream chino¡¯s and lose shirt is not the attire I saw him in this morning. Kylie winks at me as she puts the tray down on the side table near Diamond and pulls her long jersey over her bikini. ¡°What on earth are you even talking about? Since when did a woman offerin¡¯ another woman a feel of her chest considered gay? This is the 21st Century, boob touching is a thing now.¡± Deno smiles, and taking the bait walks closer toward us, ¡°And does this ¡®thing¡¯ extend to say, a man like myself?¡± Diamondughs louder, teasing ¡°Yeah, Ky-Ky, does it extend to a man like Deno.¡± Kylie¡¯s face turns shell shocked and I can¡¯t take my poor friend lost for words as her big brown eyes remain in a frozen state. Dumb-founded is the correct thing to say. ¡°What the fuck is going on here? Kylie, it is 4-degrees, why are you half-naked?¡± Vincent questions Kylie as he walks in. It isughable how small the world actually is. The guy is cute, with light brown hair and sharp Texan farm boy features coated in olive skin. Kylie describes him as, rough and ready. His Italian heritage hints in his slightly bent nose, which Kylie insists is straight and his long eyshes she swears are masculine. Deno rolls his hazel gaze and scratches his neck before slipping his hands into his cks. The entire pose is chilled and rxed as he gives his attention to his cousin with a grin stered on his clean- shaven jaw. ¡°I thought I said stay in the car. Thedies were having a private moment. Now you ruined it with your mouth.¡± ¡°We need to leave, Marco just called, said it was an asap,¡± Vincent says the one word I don¡¯t like to hear. I am not sure whether it is his warning tone or the fact that it is only 11 in the morning. But the hidden meaning behind his words has my shackles on high alert. Something is going on, question is what? ¡°Well,dies, let us get to it.¡± Deno walks over to my messy designated work area and gives me a kiss on the cheek. Kylie makes a terrible hand sign that involves her mouth, tongue, and fingers. Deno thankfully doesn¡¯t see it and turns to leave, but stops, ¡°Before I go, your sister is having dinner at the Manor TOMORROW evening and has decided to stay the weekend. Iria and Natasha don¡¯t get along, so we decided to skip the parents and make it for the siblings only. You would need to join. Kylie and Diamond, you are of course both wee as well.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t. My momma wants Diamond and I to haul ass to Liston from the 20th.¡± ¡°Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find us. Tell Sienna I said Hi if she decides to join youdies. Haven¡¯t heard from her in a while.¡± Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°Will do sugar. Though I highly doubt I would be seeing Sienna. That girl got a lot of exining to do once she decides to show her face. You take care now. Bye Vincent.¡± I don¡¯t say a thing when the octave of her voice drops as emotions clog her throat when Vincent¡¯s name leaves her lips. I do pay attention to Diamond¡¯s eye roll. ¡°Yeah, you too,¡± Vincent says leaving without a backward nce. He walks so fast as if he can¡¯t stand another minute in Kylie¡¯spany. I wonder why? ¡°Why were they so eager to leave?¡± Diamond voices out the same thing I was thinking a minute ago. ¡°Who cares, let¡¯s drink. Then I will get into position and Liya honey, when you paint my ass, make it pop,¡± Kylie suggests as she lifts the orange and red cocktail to her full lips winking at me. I sit my ass next to hers on the deck bench that is missing a cover, and proceed to join Kylie as Diamond does the same, snapping a chocte off the tray. ¡°So, have you met the she demon yet?¡± ¡°She demon?¡± I query from Kylie as the sweet alcoholic drink runs down my throat. ¡°Yes, sugar, Cami Moretti? Marco¡¯s future bride? Because I have and if you are going to survive a weekend with that bitch you need to know all the deets.¡± I take a bigger sip of my drink and so does Diamond. ¡°Why must you go minding all those people¡¯s business Ky, didn¡¯t you learn your lesson with Sabastian? Your momma had to get you out of that one, and frankly, it is just a waste of time when you could be studying for your test. A-C is not a good enough score to brag about.¡± Diamond shrugs her shoulder as she delivers Kylie with a friendly reminder in that Southern drawl of hers. ¡°I ain¡¯t gonna learn any lesson if you always reminding me of that one-time Diamond. And momma did not get me out of anything, I merely spoke my way out of it on my own.¡± ¡°That is not how I recall that conversation going down Ky. I recall Aunt Hunter chipping in and exining to Sabastian how your mouth seems to have no filter.¡± ¡°Did not,¡± Kylie raises her voice in denial as I wisely sip my drink remaining quiet. Diamond shrugs her shoulder, her lips pursing as if to say ¡®whatever you say Ky,¡¯ and takes a big sip of her cocktail, she gives Kylie a pity half-mast look, as she lifts her eyebrow and pierces her lips in a rxed way. ¡°If you say so Ky. Only remember when you in Church next Sunday and you ask God for forgiveness, you should ask him to help you to stop lying.¡± It happens so fast, one moment Kylie is sitting and ring at Diamond, and the next she is mming her drink down, sttering the floor with strawberry and orange daiquiri, while Diamond is halfway down the pool area with an empty ss, as most of the contents of it is now on the floor. Iugh and it is a lightugh thates easy and free even on this cold day. Soon it will be Christmas, my first Christmas without Ren. Soon I would have to meet the woman who is deemed better than me in the uwful sight of Marco. Before I know I¡¯d be 20, in just 2 short weeks. And a whole new decade would begin. Chapter 4 (Aliyana) Chapter 4 (Aliyana) Rebellion has be mytest friend and closestpanion when dealing with my father thesest four months. To think in less than a few short months Ren would be gone for a year. An entire year without him. ¡°Surely there must be someone else Papa. I really don¡¯t want to go, please?¡± ¡°Absolutely not. ria is prepping for our Christmas dinner and your brother can¡¯t be the only one who attends. Now enough of this whining, you are leaving in an hour and that is final. Your sister needs you there, this is a big-time for her. It isn¡¯t every day a woman gets married. Soon Guilia will be a Catelli. Making babies and doing woman things.¡± I roll my eyes at my father¡¯s back currently faced to me. After my week with Kylie and Diamond ended the day before, I wasn¡¯t so keen on the prospect of me going to the Manor. Apparently, the Manor was not the Catelli¡¯s household I thought. Which wasn¡¯t too far from my own, but it was Marco¡¯s Manor and required a 3-hour drive to the middle of nowhere. A trip that far meant Filippo Guilia and myself were all going in one convoy. Which meant this was going to be an entire 180 minutes listening to Guilia bitch and moan, while Filippo swore about every damn car that didn¡¯t drive the way he wanted. All peachy and rosy. The only thing is I¡¯m not looking forward to it one bit. What soured my mood even further was the near mentioning thought of meeting Cami Moretti. Marco and her were engaged and soon to be married. ording to my nosy friend Kylie, Cami was apparently secretly living with Marco in the Manor. Upon hearing this news, going just seemed like I was throwing myself into a hot pit. And I prefer the cold. ¡°And with regards to your choice of soldiers, I decline your suggestion. Salvatore and Michel are rted to Cami so naturally, they could¡¯ve attended if they were invited which was not the case. Gabriel will be attending on his Uncle''s behalf and I think the two of you alone is enough trouble for one weekend, so I have decided to send Matteo.¡± And there it is. The bane of my existence. Matteo Di Salvo is the most annoying being ever to cross paths with me and stay. He lives to drive me insane. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! My Papa however thinks Matteo is a great choice to ¡®keep me in line¡¯. Which is the term he used on the few asions Iined about my soldier. ¡°That isn¡¯t fair. You know I despise him, why is he always the one to take me everywhere?¡± My father turns at the tone in my voice, and then I am not so brave. The slight shiver that rushes down my spine isn¡¯t something I would openly admit. ¡°Close the door.¡± My father¡¯s request takes me a second, but a feeling of nerves crushes me as I get up to do as he orders. My frown and curiosity now a nket on my face, as I seat myself down in the brown leather chair, I have sat in almost every day thesest 4 months. I can''t help my attention which draws to my mother¡¯s photo sitting on his desk. She is the center of his world even in her death and it isn¡¯t the first time I wonder why my father chose to cheat on the woman he holds at the apex of his entire existence even in her death. ¡°I need this weekend to go off without a hitch. Our family and the Catelli¡¯s have a long bitter history, and people outside the Famiglia are noticing. This could be a problem. If I send Salvatore these people would think our ties are not solid and strike. Salvatore is not just a guard soldier. He was a gift from Deno for your safety. Extra protection. We must be strong and stand united. My history and bad blood with Marcello should not be carried on with you and your siblings. So with Guilia and Leonardo¡¯s marriage, we will strengthen our bonds. I need you to make this weekend a sess.¡± ¡°Salvatore is loyal to me. Matteo questions me at every turn. I think you are making a mistake. But I will do as you ordered.¡± ¡°Good, now get ready and call your brother in will you!¡± My father dismisses me, ignoring my re. I get up and open the door gently. I learned early on that my rage should be kept inside and used for a purpose. mming Papa''s door to show him my anger is a wasted effort. He doesn¡¯t care. I know, because once upon a time I mmed a lot of doors and banged a lot of cupboards. Nothing ever came out of it. Papa didn¡¯t condone my tantrums. He brushed it off and stuck to his guns. There was only one way HIS. Chapter 5 (Aliyana) Chapter 5 (Aliyana) The boot ms with a big thud as my sister¡¯s mood enhance her ability to close things quietly. I sit in the front of the ck vanquish OWNED by my brother. Pushing the button to move the leather heated seat a bit forward, I slip my phone in my bag, ignoring Guilia and Filippo discussing her sudden blue mood. The reason is me. I knew that this morning when she arrived and heard from Papa that I would be joining the two of them. I stood there shocked that it was the first time she heard about it. Guilia and Leonardo¡¯s rtionship was no longer just an arranged marriage. And as much as she tried to convince mest month when we had our luncheon of her loathing for Leonardo, foolishness is not a trait I possess. Guilia had gotten close to her soon-to-be husband and the closer she got, the more she secretly wished I wasn¡¯t around to witness any of it. And I know it has nothing to do with any negative underlying issues she has about my 4-year-old crush on her soon-to-be husband. She just feels awkward. My sister convinced herself that any sign of happiness from her part meant a heart-breaking sadness on mine. Admittedly, it¡¯s selfish of me not to have convinced her otherwise by now. To tell her the truth would mean I confess it to myself and risk other people finding out about my sins with Marco Catelli, namely, my father. Sometimes in the prism of my own self, I wonder if my silence really stemmed from self-preservation and the wrath of my father or was it that I secretly enjoyed her pity and spirited emotions that held me in its core. I touch the steering wheel as a colorful bird sweeps through the air. My phone rings and I already know who it is by the ring tone. ¡°I¡¯m not picking up,¡± I say to the empty car, as my heartbeat gets heavier. A shadow appears by the car''s window and I close my eyes as the fucking ring knocks on the window. ¡°What!!!¡± I don¡¯t face the perpetrator. He ignores me and knocks again. I take a deep breath and open the door with every intention of hurting him with the door, but he must sense my venomous thought and takes a step back. Both feet get out of the car as I stand by the open door and re at the arrogant blue-eyed, blonde- haired Matteo Fucking Di Salvo standing less than 4 ft. away from me. He is wearing a grey coat on top of his Winter Suit and his face is blotched with redness and remnants of his sickness. ording to Elise, Matteo got sick a week back, just after his return from Chicago. He also requested 0 days off. But seeing him today, he is insanely warm. A hazard that is not going to assist with his fever-stricken body. It is cold today, but nheless beautiful, windless, yet tickled with a whisper of the uing snow that would soon grace our yards. This is the eye before the storm. A fitting description for this entire weekend. We were going to be experiencing a cold front soon and some snow. While normally I''ll bite my tongue around Matteo, I can¡¯t help the words leaving my mouth. ¡°If you are so sick why agree toe with?¡± My curiosity is unhidden standing in this weather looking at the boy who is slowly skirting off enemy lines. The question is why? ¡°Contrary to what is ying in that little head of yours, I was not the brains behind this.¡± His voice is like sandpaper to my skin, and if he was anybody else, I would have felt sorry for him. But he isn¡¯t anybody. He is my enemy that has moved way too close forfort into my entire world. ¡°Contrary to what you BELIEVE is ying through MY head, I don¡¯t want to be subjected to a sneezing soldier the entire weekend.¡± He rolls his eyes, huffing in annoyance. ¡°Are you sure that is the only reason? Or are you just scared I will let your siblings in on your little secret? Tell me, Miss Capello, does your sister not smell the deceit and lies you try so hard to cover up?¡± Material ? N?velDrama.Org. I go to take a step forward but I see my brother just in time as he marches toward us with a quiet Guilia. ¡°I¡¯m not the only one with an agenda.¡± I hiss at Matteo, as he has the audacity tough. ¡°But mine doesn¡¯te with a bullet to the head.¡± Matteo leaves me with those parting words and I want to scream, shout and swear as loud as my voice could possibly manage, but with a thumping heartbeat, flushed skin, and an itching palm to p him I bite my tongue and hop into the car just as Filippo and Guilia pass me. ¡°You good to drive the entire way? I have some paperwork I need to get done.¡± Filippo is not in a good mood. I wonder what was said in my absence, but the tension in the car is certainly at a dangerous point when Guilia jumps into the back without mming the door shut and Filippo opens hisptop without waiting for me to reply. I take a deep breath. Okay then. I push my finger in the start button as the cares to life and vibrations of its power bringing me a small reprieve of the intense day. Long drive, here wee. We arrive a little after 12pm. The three Bentleys at the back slow down on to the side of the forestation as we take the right, going off the tree view roads and into what at first resembles the beginning of a forest, but changes when we take a left, over a small pothole ande face to face with the gates of hell. They have actual demons with horns and tails welded into the wrought iron. ¡°Must I hop out and press the buzzer?¡± I ask my brother who hasn¡¯t said more than 5 sentences since we began our journey. And those were to give me directions. ¡°I got it, you stay warm, you¡¯ve been driving.¡± Filippo doesn¡¯t wait for me to respond as he hops out of the warm car and into the freezing air. The further we drove, the colder the air became. I turn to see Guilia¡¯s sleeping form, covered in a warm throw-over I carried in case. The manor is nothing of what I expected Marco¡¯s ce to be. Which isn¡¯t much to think about since I have never seen where the guy stayed. From the safety of the car I examine the expanse, and the distant walls we would soon be residing in. It resembles a 3-hundred-year-old castle. Filled with death, lies and history far beyond my almost 20 years. Maybe it is some old ce that once belonged to a wealthy American family that had a taste for Victorian living. Or perhaps a British Aristocrat bought a piece of American soil and decided to put his own roots into thend and built this for his beloved. Filippo rubs his gloved hands together as he walks back to the car and hops in. Chapter 6 (Aliyana) Chapter 6 (Aliyana) ¡°It¡¯s like we stepped foot into another dimension it is so cold.¡± Two men in ck pants and jackets walk over toward us, and begin unlocking the gates. I am surprised the gates don¡¯t open automatically like his father''s ce. ¡°It seems the owner over the house wishes to maintain the house in its full ancient theme. Which apparently includesck of better security.¡± I say earning me Filippo¡¯s firstugh since he got into the car. ¡°Everything here is donkey years old. Except there is excellent cell service. This ce belonged to the DeMarco¡¯s for nearly 4 Centuries. Marco inherited it when his mother passed.¡± ¡°His mother is a DeMarco?¡± This is news to me, I always thought they were Nicole¡¯s children. If Marco is a DeMarco, that means Gabriel is rted to Marco. Marco, Marco, Marco. The word runs through my head. His name is a reminder of who he is. Question is, was the reminder a curse or a blessing? I¡¯m going to go with thetter. Maybe joining this weekend away is not such a bad idea after all. There is a lot of things one can learn when the answers are close by. ¡°Not all the Catelli siblings belong to Nicole. Let¡¯s keep this one between us.¡± I nod just as the gates part ways for us and Guilia rustles at the back, sensing our arrival. ¡°It feels like I¡¯ve stepped into another time,¡± Guilia utters as she yawns and most probably stretches her long lithe body. The space at the back is a bit cramped with the paint supplies I carried just in case the mood struck me. ¡°Did you enjoy the nap?¡± I ask as I drive into the yard surrounded by an open manicured garden. I can''t see the house nicely from this far. But I do take note of the overly on top art piece that is the entry of the greenery. It is crafted in ivory, two lions intertwined in a battle of wills. I try to zoom in on the statue but can''t really get a good inspection on the piece which is the one grandeur of the garden. ¡°Yes, as a matter of fact, I did. And I also want to say sorry for behaving like a brat.¡± ¡°I am cool with it,¡± I say as Filippo ignores her apology. I wonder what she said to piss him off this bad? My nerves are not helping my inquisitive self either. They are currently on strike for working too hard thesest few hours. They are demanding release. The crisp clean air prates my senses as I pay all my attention to the healthy evergreen grass and hedgehog trees. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. Further away resembles the plot of a dead ground for the ghost of Carnival street, haunted in a grey fog, still in the promise of the winter chill. I wee the crisp of the air, a thrilling re as each inhale is felt deep within me. There were a few rumors regarding this Manor. Most of it farfetched besides the one tale I think has some truth to it. Marco Catelli had a graveyard in his backyard. Of that, I am almost 99% certain. "We''re here!¡± I say as the car stops under the big dome-like parking space. To my right is the entrance, which is open to two doors that I''m sure is akin to the gateway of Buckingham pce. "Yup, we have arrived. This ce is a tidbit creepy," Guilia makes a shivering sound. I turn off the car¡¯s engine and see perpendicr to me is a familiar face. Xander Moretti He must have a strong sense because he looks at me right through the partially tinted window and his eyes say nothing. Thest time I saw him was the night Ren and Matteo killed a Russo. ¡°I think it¡¯s perfect,¡± I whisper the words, not sure if they can hear me but not caring either. Matteo shows himself as he opens my door and the smell of his vape hits my nose. The strong vani scent catches in my throat as he blows the smoke. ¡°''Why do you smoke that, it¡¯s disgusting.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a quality-adjusted lifestyle, don¡¯t knock it until you''ve tried it,¡± Matteo says as he slips the device into his coat pocket. My eyes betray me as they go back to Xander who is dressed in denim pants and a ski jacket. He has no gloves on his hands but if he is cold, he doesn¡¯t show it. ¡°You crushing on Xander? Good luck, the guy is Marco¡¯s firstmand,¡± Matteo says as my brother and sister hops out of the car. ¡°Maybe you should wipe your face Matteo, it seems to be full of jealousy,¡± Guilia adds walking past us, she touches Matteo on the shoulder and winks at me. ¡°And I wondered if you were into hot sexy men, good taste,¡± I tease with a wink of my own as he has the nerve to roll his eyes and smirk. I don¡¯t stand a moment longer in the presence of Matteo. My sister beats my brother and myself to the door where the owner stands, in his dark cks and grey Jersey. His smile is as false as his personality. My stomach knots as my heart picks up speed with every inch closer I get to him. Why does Marco have to own the ce and not Deno? Because karma likes to fuck me over. He doesn¡¯t look at me and I am thankful for that small reprieve to reprimand my traitorous body into not humiliating me as it did thest time I had to look into the man''s face. My body must remain faithful to my sanity and not let me down like that day where he broke me down and left me without a backward nce. The thoughtse as a needed shield and I am grateful for them, and also for the hardness, it has caused around my heart since this man I now stop in front of, showed me the meaning of the word, heartbreak. His face breaks out into a grin, as his eyes dip to my bared legs, encased in a sued 4-inch-high, ck ankle boot, that kept my feet warm but gave me a bit of added height. His eyes hold my own in a second, and my heart beats in fear, making me feel like I am the one doing wrong when he is the one standing too close, staring too long. His rigid body betrays his unaffected stance as he drops his mindless attention to the winter pencil dress, that hugs my body, hinting at my curves. And like our first meeting, altercation, his outstretched hand is waiting, extended, facing me. Idling. ¡°Hello, Mr. Catelli.¡± I wrap my hand around his for less than a second, because unlike thest time he touched me, I am the only one being burned. So why should I suffer? My inner strength does not defy my internal order when I look behind him, dismissing him as if all he deserves is a few seconds of my time. And I should take pride in how excellent of an actor I am. Of how I, a woman am able to convince Marco Catelli of all men that I am unaffected by his presence. I walk away toward the inner part of the house and a familiar voice strikes me to a standstill as my ears perk when I hear a small voice following. ¡°Gabriel,¡± I yell not caring whose house I¡¯m in. ¡°Aly Cat, where art thou.¡± I walk toward the sounding from my right. The angelic art on the ceilings talk of medieval gods and demons entangled in a battle of wills. Much like the lion statue outside. Golden beams surround the art, like a caged world all poured into one ce. It is breathtakingly exquisite and reminds me of Leonardo Da Vinci¡¯s painting, The Battle of Anghiari. I walk through a less grandeur scene as I step into the widespread kitchen. Gabriel¡¯s smile warms me up as I am epassed in his tall familiar arms. ¡°You look way too grown up, Aly Cat, is it your sister¡¯s wedding dinner or yours?¡± Iugh and open my mouth to say something when a tall woman in a white pencil skirt and red blouse walks toward us. ¡°Hi, you must be Aliyana,¡± She is staring at me and although it is our first time officially meeting it isn¡¯t her first timeying those eyes on me. ¡°In the flesh.¡± Chapter 7 (Marco) Chapter 7 (Marco) Complications are something I consider a natural hup thates from making too many changes in one go. The woman, yes, that one woman who walked into my home minutes ago is indigestion stuck in my fucking chest and she is not going away. I have sealed that with my brother¡¯s marriage to her sister. ¡°You looked surprised to see my sister, I know I mentioned she wasing.¡± Filippo misses nothing when ites to his siblings, and I am certain he didn¡¯t miss my surprise when she walked up to me and called me Mr. Catelli. What the fuck is that all about? And why is she wearing such sexy clothes? Is she secretly seeing someone? Must be Gabriel, the fucker was too excited when he heard she wasing. ¡°She looks like a woman, I thought she¡¯s a kid.¡± Filippo smiles and touches my shoulder, ¡°She was never a kid. Only now she is ready to show us what we always knew no?¡± The reminder of the 12-year-old girl with a gun in her hand shes in my head. If the thought does anything, it reminds me of the real reason I chose Cami in the end and not Aliyana. Only at the time, I wasn¡¯t aware that Cami Moretti was the girl I lost my heart to 6-years-ago. If that isn¡¯t a sign I¡¯m not sure what is. The thought makes me smile. Following Filippo inside the house, I don¡¯t miss the man lurking in the dark waiting for me beneath the staircase. We weren¡¯t done with our meeting. ¡°I''ll see you all for lunch.¡± Filippo flicks his hand waving me off as I retreat to the man, who was mostly a ghost. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this in the library,¡± I say as I begin walking in the opposite direction of all the noise. The Ghost doesn¡¯t make a sound when it follows behind me. Opening the double doors, I wee the smell of wood, rosemary and my favorite, books. ¡°Knight is not going to like it, but I''ll do it if it means you owe me a favor ¡± The Ghost voices and I turn to look at the boy. He is still in his early 20¡¯s and what I hear, thedies love his pierced, tattooed Goth look he wears like a second skin. No matter how much he covers himself in, he can¡¯t hide the blue blood staining his very existence. Nor can I hide the cursed one coating my own. ¡°And Jack Creston? Still think the fucker is lying?¡± I''m curious as to what the Ghost has to say about the guy who possibly had a hand in killing my brother. ¡°Got the asshole in a fucking hole down South, Ribs thinks the man ain¡¯t gonna say shit knowing he has backup so high up the food chain.¡± His face doesn¡¯t change, so I have no idea what is his real take on the situation. However, I suspect the Ghost did not believe Jack had anything to do with Ren¡¯s death as Deno convinced the Misfits that night in the Warehouse. But we had one more card to y with Jack before we let him free. ¡°The best bet we have is to reel his son in and y a dirty game of cat and mouse. Aliyana and Gabriel would be able to help with that.¡± ¡°She''s turning 20 in 12 days, don¡¯t you think that should be her only priority for now?¡± The Ghost brings up the one thing I have avoided since he arrived this morning. ¡°I''m sure your brothers are thrilled to hear the exciting news.¡± ¡°Michael, yes. David has his head too far up his ass to even say hello.¡± I smile staring at the boy who never felt a thing in his life besides a deep need to protect those unfortunate or in Aliyana''s case, duty-bound. ¡°Well, her life is soon to be filled with more men than her small form can handle, let¡¯s hope it¡¯s all smooth sailing and nobody gets hurt.¡± ¡°People are going to die. You wanted to marry her for the same reason many would want to kill her. Getting hurt is just a small part of it.¡± ¡°Sometimes love and duty blinds the honorable.¡± Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ¡°There is nothing honorable about you, Marco. If I could feel anything for that girl, it would only be sorrow.¡± I stare at the boy who saved my life more times than I would ever count. Sometimes I wonder if he was made with the image of an angelic soldier in mind. His sculpted face matches his concrete belief. Chapter 8 (Marco) Chapter 8 (Marco) ¡°Then you will be the only one. Aliyana is quite capable of handling herself. She has the Misfits and will soon be much more than Sartini Capello''s daughter ¡° ¡°Whatever you think she is, just make sure you remember that you are as much a part of the Shadows as all of us. Your new title won¡¯t protect you from your duty.¡± ¡°My duty is to protect my daughter.¡± The Ghost walks toward the library door. I think he is ready to leave. He turns to face me and I see nothing but his blue gaze he got from his mother. ¡°If you wish to protect your daughter you should start by protecting your Queen. The Shadows will be arriving soon, I suggest you start preparing. And that woman of yours should learn that snitches get stitches.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll see you soon,¡± I say as he leaves. My mind rumbles with questions and ns. What if, what not, all circled around one person, a woman who just a few days ago was a girl who stood on the rooftop of a building, barefoot in a green dress gazing at the stars, not know that the stars were bowing to her. My attention is drawn to my desk that sits at the apex of the room. And like I have done since I got here 2 weeks prior I walk toward the antique and sit in the brown leathered chair. Pulling the draw open, I put a hand inside until I feel the lever at the back. A click is sounded and I open the small part in the middle of my desk that has now shown itself. In it is a leather woven journal I have had since my grandfather handed it to me many years ago. I unwrap the leather binding and open it to a nk page, and grab the ck marker pen. Mischa The moon is a beautiful sight when it is caught in its perfect form, but so is a beetle when you are chasing it. ¡°Marco, you are being unsociable,¡± Cami''s strong voice filters through the room. I close the book and smile up at the woman who would forever be mine until the day she died. I am not certain why it doesn¡¯t sound as appealing as it once did. ¡°I''ll be out in a minute. Have you met Aliyana? Or is she creating havoc with Gabriel?¡± I ask and though I say nothing, I don¡¯t miss the twitch in Cami''s red lip smile. ¡°I have, which brother will she be married off to?¡± Her question wears a double meaning and does its trick to poke, and like the good husband, I intend to be one day I budge. Getting up from my space I close the gap to the brown-haired beauty with a tall frame and tits I feasted on as often as I could. ¡°If you must know,¡± I say as my hand wraps around her waist and her smile changes from dashing to flirty. ¡°Yes?¡± I watch her face, her cheeks, her mouth, and just when I have her, I grab her hair and pull her head back until she gasps. ¡°She can marry whoever she chooses, all she needs to do is say who.¡± I let Cami go and step back. She rights herself looking unaffected, ¡°That can¡¯t be true, even I, with all my men, didn¡¯t get to choose who I marry.¡± ¡°Are youining?¡± I query as I straighten my pants, keeping my attention drawn to Cami. ¡°No, but...¡± ¡°But nothing, Aliyana''s business is not something that is up for discussion. She is a guest, not an enemy.¡± ¡°I know but...¡± ¡°Enough, this weekend needs to be a sess, there is a lot more at stake than your feelings.¡± She stares at me for a long time but her instinct is to be submissive. With all Cami¡¯s bravery and show of power she is an Italian woman who knows her ce and chooses her battles. I admire that about her. She is strong but knows that I am a beastly monster and she is mine. ¡°Mischa is sleeping. She''s still to meet the others.¡± Cami leaves the library after conveying her message. The Ghosts warninges to mind, and I have to take a few seconds to really question myself, if Cami could be snitching on Aliyana? And if that was the case, to who? I head back to the desk and continue with my journal for the next hour, losing myself in my words. Writing everything is new to me, something I started 6 months ago. It is my coping mechanism. The one ce I can truly be myself and let everything I''m feeling out. ¡°Papa,¡± I hear the crying voice of my daughter and the light sounds of her little feet as they run toward the library. How she always knows where to find me is a mystery. She runs straight into the room, and right toward me. Her hair is long and ck, and her blue velvet dress is partially shoved into her pants. I turn my chair as she jumps straight into my arms and tucks her small head under my arm. Her finger goes straight to her pink lips and her rosy cheeks flush from her fear. Because that is what it is, fear of me not there when she woke. ¡°She¡¯s getting too old for that babying shit. You need to teach her not to howl like a fucking crazy person,¡± Leonardo grumbles as he stands by the door with his arms crossed. ¡°At least we know you two are rted. You were worse when you were this age.¡± ¡°Now you talking shit, I was the best behaved. Lorenzo, well, he had some lungs on him.¡± The happy thought brings a smile to my face as I look at the girl who owns all my goodness. ¡°I remember the two of you watching gummie bears when your mother was getting dinner ready and you started fighting over the remote and eventually you just let it go and Lorenzo got hit with it in the mouth.¡± ¡°He cried until he peed his pants.¡± Leonardo startsughing, ¡°what was it that he said?¡± he clicks his fingers trying to remember. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°My blood is leaving my body.¡± I remind him and I am not sure if our thoughts are linked but the blood did leave his body when someone shot him and left him to die. ¡°Papa, who are all those people?¡± Mischa asks as she lifts herself up on myp, digging her elbow into my rib. It is a small, simple question but the answer is weighted in aplex truth. ¡°The one girl is Aunt Guilia¡¯s sister and the man is her brother." ¡°Familia.¡± She says and my heart melts with her pronunciation of ournguage. ¡°Yes, they are, would you like to meet them?¡± I already know the answer but I still give her a choice. As my daughter, Mischa will always have a choice. Her face brightens as she jumps off myp and runs to Leonardo who opens his hand for her to hold. Mischa has always had our soft side, especially Leonardo. He would not be so patient if it was his own kid but his love for his own would be unfathomable. ¡°I''ll take her to meet the bunch, why don¡¯t you get the speed boat ready? We can take our new family for a ride? Maybe discuss some wedding arrangements with Gabriel and Aliyana.¡± My brother doesn¡¯t wait for me to respond. I slip the journal back into its hiding ce and head off in the opposite direction to get the boat ready. Chapter 9 (Aliyana) Chapter 9 (Aliyana) ¡°I don¡¯t want to wear a pink one, I want red like Camimi,¡± Mischa squirms in Deno''s arms as he holds the red dress with one hand and her with the other as she goes to war with his shirt and arm. ¡°What wants, don¡¯t get,¡± He is fooling no one with that stern look he is giving the girl. Sitting here watching the two, I am still stunned that Marco has a kid. I wonder who is the mother, she looks a lot like him but also nothing like him at the same time. They have the same color eyes and that is about it. It almost seems too untrue to be true. But here the child is in the flesh. I itch to get the kid and help Deno, but I am also enjoying watching the soon-to-be Capo squirm. She is two handfuls and a half. When I introduced myself, she was very shy and went to hide between Leonardo¡¯s legs. I haven¡¯t had a chance to speak to him alone and give him my unspoken warning about hurting my sister but by the way, he couldn¡¯t keep his eyes off her, I am hoping I won¡¯t need to. I find it funny how I spent years wanting him, and convincing myself he held Jupiter in his palm that just the thought of talking to him brought me to a jabbering mess. Yet, after one kiss, well, maybe a few more kisses from his older brother I forgot about him, and any feelings I conjured up vanished. It didn¡¯t die, because for something to be dead it would have to be real and the feelings, I had toward Leonardo were not. The heels on the floor alert me to the arrival of yet another person who belongs to Marco. Admittedly she showed no hostility toward me since we arrived. But, I notice my sister avoid Cami. I want to know why. ¡°Aliyana, will you be joining us on the boat? You are already dressed.¡± She smiles and it is genuine, which makes my secret wanting of her to be a bitch a bit dramatic. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m just waiting for Deno to get Mischa into a jacket.¡± ¡°OH, let me help,¡± She walks over to Mischa who mistakenly flings her arm on Cami¡¯s face. ¡°Enough, if you don¡¯t put that jacket on you can stay behind, now say sorry to Cami.¡± I am surprised by the tone but more surprised by the person it ising from, Xander. ¡°Sorry, sorry, sorry,¡± Mischa screams before she starts howling. Wow, she has a pair of lungs on her. Deno doesn¡¯t seem to care about Cami who is obviously at a loss to still reach for the now screaming kid or leave. I go up to take the kid, as Deno warns me to not touch her as he tries to put the pink jacket on her. I ignore him and grab her from behind which he lets me do, and take her to the counter where I leave her on the top. Noticing she might fall, I smile at her, ¡°You know the pink totally matches your hair,¡± I wink at her and she quietens but looks at me. She doesn¡¯t say anything and I take that as a queue to put the jacket on her properly. I don¡¯t move to take her off the counter but stare at her as she stares at me. Yes, kiddo, I was once just like you, spoilt by my daddy. ¡°Wanna jump and I catch you?¡± She instantly smiles and like all kids that naughty her mood changes as she throws herself and I catch her just in time. I turn around and see 5 sets of eyes looking at me in shock. Guilia walks in rolling her own and grabs an apple, ¡°You guys forgot we have the twins?¡± ¡°Twins?¡± Cami asks ¡°Yes, our brother and sister. I¡¯m dying to go on the boat.¡± I say and leave them with Mischa on my hip. Marco is standing in the passage and unfortunately, I can¡¯t avoid the man in his own house. ¡°Mischa, you want toe to me?¡± He askspletely ignoring me. Well touch¨¦. ¡°No, I like Yana.¡± The name causes an ache in my chest to think Ren knew about her and never mentioned it. Was he really my best friend? ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s go, the boat is all stocked and locked.¡± ¡°With hot chocte,¡± His smile is slow and he makes a zipping motion to his lips and Mischaughs as he winks. He stares at me for a moment and I know after meeting Cami it can¡¯t mean what I want it to be. ¡°You look better like this.¡± His words take me by surprise and I watch him turn and walk toward the direction he came from. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°Standing here isn¡¯t going to get you to the boat, Principessa,¡± Xander says from behind me and I turn with MISCHA to see the others are still talking in the kitchen. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a post to go to?¡± I ask him. ¡°Yes, on the boat next to you.¡± He winks and Mischa giggles and I can¡¯t help it, but I smile before turning around and going to the direction Marco went. I hear, Xander follow close behind me. Chapter 10 (Aliyana) Chapter 10 (Aliyana) ¡°Mercer Ind has its beauty, but it¡¯s fuckin¡¯ cold.¡± Filippo murmurs, looking out to the water. ¡°Want some?¡± Deno asks extending the joint they decided to smoke. Xander looks at me from the top part of the boat, where he is sitting with Marco and Camiughing about something. I had to give the guy credit when he tried to sit next to me. However, Filippo and Gabriel beat him to the punch. They more like pushed him away. I drop my gaze from his when Marco catches me staring and Cami whisper¡¯s something in his ear. ¡°Guilia was just telling me your art is getting Exhibited in a few months.¡± Leonardo yells from the bottom of the boat, where Guilia, him and Mischa are sitting. ¡°I am, Gabriel is going to be my male model,¡± I say back as Gabriel grabs me by the waist and starts tickling me and I scream when Filippo joins. We ride on the boat for another hour before we hit shoreline and Guilia, Cami, Mischa and myself rush to the house while the men stay behind. ¡°Oh my gosh, it is so freaking cold. I need a hot bath and thick piece of that chocte cake, Liya.¡± ¡°Cake? Your skin needs to be clear before the wedding. You already have a few zits around your chin,¡± Cami says as Mischa runs to the bathroom. ¡°Zits go away, and their marriage is arranged. It isn¡¯t like Leonardo can call off the wedding if he wanted to. And I doubt he¡¯d want that,¡± I wink at my sister as she drops her gaze, saying nothing. I am not sure if it¡¯s because she still thinks I have feelings for him or the truth behind my words. ¡°Maybe but it would decide whether she remains the only one. We live in a world where a man is king and we are peasants,¡± Cami argues as we walk toward the stairs leading to the rooms. ¡°Hardly the case, a woman is as important to her husband as the children she¡¯ll give him,¡± Guilia says as she begins walking up the carpeted staircase taking off her jacket. ¡°Male children.¡± Cami corrects. ¡°Well, your man seems quite content with the female one he has,¡± I interject, diminishing what she says. Something about it rubs me the wrong way, and I think it is the truth behind her blunt words. ¡°My man wants an heir just as much as any of our men do, if not more so. Don¡¯t let his love for one child blind you from facts.¡± ¡°Cami is right, Liya.¡± Guilia adds as we get to the rooms. ¡°If that¡¯s the case I am happy I get to choose the man who would be my husband. I will add gender discrimination to the list of no no¡¯s,¡± I say and Guilia and Camiugh. ¡°Choose? That is not how it works.¡± ¡°Liya, has a choice who she wishes to marry. But judging by Xander who couldn¡¯t keep his eyes off you maybe it won¡¯t be for too long.¡± I actually snort at the thought of it. The guy and I were never going to happen. He might be in with the Catelli¡¯s and Cami¡¯s cousin but he is not going to be anything to me more than a boy I know. ¡°My cousin is very handsome and he¡¯ll make a great Capo in a few decades,¡± Cami winks and Guilia giggles when I make a haste exit to my bedroom. Opening my door, I m it shut on the two women still chatting, happy in a way that my suspicions regarding Cami and my sister is just that, suspicion. But a part of me restless, like I am missing something. Stretching my neck, I walk toward the bed, that is overly exaggerated in its glory, like it is fit for a queen. Guilia¡¯s room is not this big and I asked her why, but she dropped her face and smiled saying nothing. I am d I have this room, because the white bath tub on the left is calling my name. My jacket is gone in a second and my jeans are open as I begin prepping my water. The tiles around the bath tub is cold, so I throw the towel from the wooden rack on the floor for my bare feet. I shimmy out of my pants, when a throat clears, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that Miss Capello.¡± The deep voice scares me and I drop to the floor with a small squeal. My hands hit the tile in time to save my face from a blue eye and I am not sure why but Iugh. Salvatore swears under his breath, as he begins walking closer and my bedroom door opens. He is wise to turn and move fast to the walk-in cupboard. ¡°What are you..?¡± Guilia rushes into the room and helps me up as I stillugh a bit. I do well to keep my eyes off the walk-in closet. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°How did you fall? And why are youughing so loud? I thought you were crying.¡± ¡°I fell while trying to take off my pants, I thought it was funny. What are you doing so close to my bedroom, I thought your room is on the other side?¡± ¡°I wasing to tell you that your friends are here, Papa must have changed his mind.¡± ¡°Or he decided to fire Matteo.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± She touches my nose and she open her mouth to say something but shuts it again looking at me. ¡°I¡¯ll be downter.¡± ¡°Okay, take your time.¡± She leaves and I slip my pants back on, before closing the tap. ¡°No one besides Deno knows I¡¯m here.¡± Salvatore saysing closer as I walk to the bed and sit. He does the same, ¡°I got that footage you asked for, I watched it but I think you would want to see this Miss Capello with your own eyes,¡± Salvatore is the gift I was given what feels like a lifetime, because he is the only one who I can trust right now without blinking. ¡°Is it that bad that you had to drive 3 hours and sneak into my room?¡± ¡°I took a jet, Inded while you were on the boat,¡± He sits next to me leaning forward. ¡°I¡¯m freezing, you might as well lock the door, so I can shower.¡± He smiles and that scar of his reminds me why I can trust him. Of why I get up and begin taking my clothes off with him in the room. A lot can happen in a short span of time. People can be killers. Your friends can turn out to be your enemies and your new guard can turn out to be the closest person in your life and also a friend you take your clothes off in front of. Chapter 11 (Aliyana) Chapter 11 (Aliyana) ¡°Would you like me to take your warm clothes out?¡± ¡°Yes, and a bra and panty too. What did you tell Papa you were doing?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything, Miss Capello, your father got some news about one of his shipments, seems like there is still someone killing the Catelli¡¯s soldiers.¡± ¡°Any idea who it is?¡± I ask him as he goes about getting my clothes ready and I hop into the bathtub, soaking up the heat that scorches my elbows. ¡°No, I think Deno is working on that. I¡¯ll let you know if I hear anything.¡± ¡°Your cousin seems nice,¡± I say to him as he brings my clothes to the bath area. His stare is harsh, as he scowls at my naked flesh under the water. ¡°She is nice to your face, but remember she still sees you as a minor. She has yet to know you are the root to a rose with deadly thorns.¡± My skin flushes and I turn my back to his wandering gaze. That was enough torture for today. Because that is what it is to him, torture. ¡°Salvatore.¡± ¡°Yes, Miss Capello?¡± ¡°Have you always chosen God over everything else?¡± ¡°Yes. Though I must admit Miss Capello, you tempt me at times.¡± ¡°But doesn¡¯t that make your faith stronger?¡± ¡°I, I, yes, it does.¡± ¡°What would you do with your freedom if it were granted?¡± I ask him for the seventeenth time since he told me about his Catholic upbringing. ¡°I would be a priest, and serve God until myst breath.¡± ¡°You gave me the same answer 17 times,¡± I point out. ¡°And it was 17 times you asked me the same question. Does it not warrant the same answer?¡± I get up after washing the soap suds off my body and like the good man he is, he holds a towel open. I look at him, so human, but his restraint is exceptional. ¡°Sometimes, I wonder Salvatore, if your answer is really an answer or more of a confession,¡± His jaw tightens but he says nothing to that. I tighten the towel and change into the ck track pants and long winter vest, saying nothing to the silky bra he chose and grab the jersey from his outstretched hand. My hair falls from its makeshift bun, as I jump on the bed patting the other side. Salvatore is my little slice of heaven and I am his temptation to hell. While he is a made-man, he killed once, a long time ago, by mistake and has never killed since. He is loyal, beastly looking and once you get to know him, quite funny. ¡°Let me see it. Do you have it on your phone?¡± I ask him, ¡°No, I brought myptop,¡± He gets off the bed and pulls the bag from underneath the bed and I wait patiently for him to set it up. The video begins ying and I watch the familiar face talking to the hooded figure. ¡°Who is that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Something catches my eye and I pause. ¡°Is that...?¡± ¡°Yes, Mero,¡± ¡°What was he doing there, he said he was going to train.¡± Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. I wait and see Mero walk to the back of the restaurant. 10 minutes go by before he walks back out and leaves just as the hooded person leaves. ¡°That isn¡¯t all,¡± Salvatore kills me further when he switches videos and the video changes to the outside where the hooded figure is jumping into the car with Mero, just as Jack Creston walks out. It isn¡¯t long when a group of men covered in ck grab him and throw him in the van. I sit back and take in all that I have just seen. ¡°Are you going to show Deno?¡± Salvatore asks and that is the big question. Am I? What was Mero thinking? Was he tied up loose ends? ¡°There are too many questions that need to be answered. Tonight, keep yourself hidden. I hear Mero and Michel are downstairs. Find out where Mero is sleeping and check if he brought anything with him. He is sentimental and untrusting, which means whatever could implicate him would be on him. He won¡¯t stay on the property, you would need to break into his room.¡± ¡°What are we going to do to him?¡± Salvatore asks the question I don¡¯t know the answer to. ¡°If it were anyone else, I would feed him to the wolves, but he is my friend, I can¡¯t just sentence him to death without knowing for sure.¡± ¡°I understand. But Deno would want something.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t Deno that we need to worry about, it¡¯s Marco. I heard him talking to a man earlier when I decided to go snooping around the ce. He mentioned something about kidnapping Dn Creston, and me helping with that. Talking about helping, it is safe to say Gabriel is innocent which means we should let him in on our little side thing.¡± ¡°I agree Miss Capello, Gabriel is innocent but he is very loyal.¡± ¡°And? What? He isn¡¯t loyal to me?¡± I question Salvatore, as I take in the cream walls, and brown wooden dresser with an oval mirror. ¡°Do you notice this room seems old?¡± ¡°Yes, the DeMarco¡¯s lived here, many years back. This room belonged to Berenice Antone DeMarco, wife of the first Godfather in America, Edio Gaspare DeMarco.¡± I sit up and smile, ¡°Serious? And I get to sleep in her room?¡± Salvatore smiles, and his scar stretches, as his face transforms into a carefree version of himself, ¡°Yes, he loved his wife so much that he kept her here in this manor locked away for only his eyes alone, and if you go to the library downstairs, there is a desk with a hiddenpartment. My mama said his journal still is hidden in that desk, and so is pictures of his beloved, Berenice.¡± ¡°Did he spend his free time writing about her?¡± I find the story hard to believe, but Salvatore always knows something about someone, which is why I think Deno gave him to me. A Holy man for his brother¡¯s unholy sin. ¡°I don¡¯t know what he wrote in his journal, but I know he built a dome in the back garden when she died and buried her inside it. I can show it to you tomorrow if you like?¡± ¡°Yes, tomorrow I want you to let everyone know you are here, as my guest. That way we can go exploring and you can be my very own Chaperone.¡± We exchange a look and something warm and calminges over me as I smile in glee. Over the months, spending time with Salvatore didn¡¯t help with the pain of what Marco did to me. Of how he used me, gave me hope and then tossed me aside without a backward nce, he ruined me. I take a deep breath, and look at the man who has shown me that I am better than what Marco Catelli made me feel like. Salvatore has taught me that loving myself, and staying true to who I am is my greatest weapon when ites to my foolish heart. I am stronger now, I am Bratva and Italian and I am proud of who I am. I spend the afternoon lying on the bed, forgetting about Mero, Marco, my sister Elise who left for Chicago a month ago and everything else, as I stay lost in my mind trying to decide how to ask Salvatore to be my male model. Gabriel is an artist''s dream, with his sculpted angr features. But Salvatore is a painter¡¯s forbidden fruit. He would be perfect in my showcase. Diamond and Kylie, two pr opposites, and the eye of their affection, Salvatore, the untouched fallen angel. The thought of forcing him to do it doesn¡¯t seem right, because he wouldn¡¯t want to strip naked in front of me. I did it in front of him, because he said he has never felt temptation with a woman. Like myself, Salvatore is a virgin. I jolt, when a hard knockes on my door, ¡°Aliyana. Come down it¡¯s dinner time.¡± I take a deep breath and see a sleeping Salvatore next to me, open his eyes and theptop which is still open on his torso move. ¡°I¡¯ming,¡± I say to my brother, who doesn¡¯t sound too joyful to be knocking on my door, which means I must have slept through the afternoon. ¡°Move your ass, I''m hungry.¡± ¡°Sto arrivando,¡± I''ming, I yell. I hear him leave and turn to watch Salvatore stretch. ¡°I¡¯ll wait ¡®till you have gone then check Michel''s room in case Mero left something there.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you hungry?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll grab something from the kitchen on my way out.¡± ¡°Out? To where? I want you here,¡± I tell him as he scowls. ¡°I can¡¯t stay here with you, if you want me toe tomorrow it has to be like I am only arriving Miss Capello.¡± ¡°Fine, but let me know when you are safe.¡± ¡°I am your protector, why do you insist on being mine?¡± The question takes me a minute to actually ponder. I never considered it, but was I his protector? ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe I just want you to stick around a bit longer.¡± His mouth goes thin at my answer and his jaw hardens but he says nothing in response and like that I leave him, and my safety behind. Chapter 12 (Marco) Chapter 12 (Marco) Out of all the people around the table I thought would bete for dinner; it didn¡¯t cross my mind to put Aliyana on the list. The food is almost cold by the time she arrives, and because she is the guest none of us have eaten. Aside from Mischa of course. ¡°Sorry I¡¯mte,¡± Her cheeks are flushed, and her eyes are still swollen from sleep. But her muzzled hair and half-mast eyes that are way too dangerous to belong to a woman like her, is not what has us all staring. Everyone seated around the table is wearing evening clothes, dressed to take pictures and have wine in the informal lounge after dinner. It is an Italian tradition when someone is getting married. The women gossip andpare dresses and the men talk business. In our case, Aliyana will join in on our discussion. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you dressed,¡± Guilia whisper yells from her seat looking as embarrassed as Aliyana should feel but she isfortable in her skin. I¡¯m not sure why my eyes are more drawn to her, the most underdressed person in the room. Maybe it is the power she will soon possess. Or maybe it is her ability to be herself no matter how much the world seems to change around her. ¡°No one said dress up, Se mi dicessi di vestirmi, mi vestirei.¡± If you told me to dress up, I would dress up. She frowns and looks around the table, decked with food I am sure is cold by now. Cami is livid, and my patience is wearing thin just looking at her. She is dressed in track pants, and a cream jersey that has holes and paint on it. What on earth was she doing in her room for 5 hours. Surely not just sleeping. My eyes filter across the room to Deno, who is smiling. There is nothing amusing about it. ¡°Sit down, so we can eat,¡± I say because I have a feeling she will go upstairs to dress up. She takes her seat next to Guilia and starts dishing up. ¡°Where is Mero and Michel, I thought you said they were here?¡± she asks openly ¡°They had to leave, Mero will be backter tonight and Michel wille over tomorrow,¡± Xander responds. And I bite my tongue wanting to say that it was not her business where they were. Everyone begins to dish up. The table remains quiet and dinner is not as joyous as I hoped it would be with an angry fianc¨¦, but we get through the meal. The staffes to take the dishes and Aliyana gets up and starts helping them. I say nothing and Cami blinks a few times before I see her first smile. My chest eases and I ce my hand on her knee under the table. She holds my hand in return smiling brighter. ¡°I can see why Xander has it bad for her,¡± Cami whispers. I frown but straighten my face before she sees it. ¡°He hasn¡¯t mentioned it,¡± I responded wanting to know more. Xander hasn¡¯t seen Aliyana for years, I have made certain of that. But obviously, that was about to change. ¡°Of course not, he''s Xander. Let¡¯s chat about itter.¡± I smile at her but don¡¯t respond. We won¡¯t be chattingter, about anything, because tonight I am going to be plotting a murder. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°Gabrieles and help me with the dishes,¡± Aliyana says not looking at the man who has kept a close watchful eye on Aliyana since she arrived. He gets up and does just as she asks, without question. The two of them walk side by side and I clench my jaw recalling his uncle saying what a good couple the two would make. For some reason, he doesn¡¯t deserve her. ¡°You squeezing my leg too hard,¡± Cami moans. I drop my hold on her leg and get up, ¡°I think the men need some alone time. We''ll be in the library.¡± I kiss Cami on her head and leave the room as a textes in. Check your security footage between 2 pm and 2.09 Ghost I walk faster to the library and head straight to the bookshelf, and twist the lion statue on the shelf until the door clicks open. I open the secret door shooting a quick text to Deno so he knows what I''m doing and heads down the staircase. The room is bright with cameras, and Matteo sits by the main set of cameras eating cake. ¡°Bring up the cameras between 2 and 2 09 this afternoon. Did you guys manage to get the n I wanted?¡± I ask him all business. ¡°Yes, also we found a possible location for Amariya, that hacker of yours is going to get us a smaller region to look.¡± The video starts ying and I see nothing out of the ordinary. I wait, and don¡¯t move my attention from the screen even as Deno and Filippo enter. ¡°There, is that a jet?¡± ¡°Yes, Salvatore is here.¡± ¡°Where is he?¡± ¡°Probably around somewhere.¡± Deno sounds calm and collective. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you know where.¡± ¡°If you must know he was with Aliyana in her room.¡± ¡°What the fuck?¡± Filippo swears as his face turns murderous. ¡°Calm the fuck down. He is celibate and as hot as your sister is, Salvatore, will never touch her unless he was saving her.¡± I say, which is the truth and the only reason I told Deno to give him to her. Now I am starting to question my own logic to my reasoning of giving her a loyal protector. Chapter 13 (Marco) Chapter 13 (Marco) ¡°I thought he was supposed to stay behind, Aliyana¡¯s father¡­¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t get to make those choices where Salvatore is involved.¡± Deno finishes Matteo''s sentence. I shoot a text to the ghost saying that it was Salvatore. My phone beeps almost immediately after that, Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Not that camera, the one on your bedroom Ghost I say nothing further or draw any further attention to Salvatore¡¯s arrival. ¡°I need to go to the bathroom, let¡¯s get the ns on the table and get the others in here.¡± I leave them and head up the stairs and straight to the bathroom where I open up my phone and punch my pin and then finger print Michael Stone set up for me, and add in the time and date into the videos search box. The signal is fast, another thing Michael Stone added for me. The search finds my result and I watch the feed. A tall hooded man, walks into my room and goes straight to my safety box I keep on the floor beneath a tile. He opens it and ces something in it. Then seals the box and puts everything the way it was before leaving. Following the footsteps of the hooded man, I head to my bedroom, ignoring the ck bedding filled with toys and straight to the tile. I open my box and look inside to find a small USB. I head to myputer on the right side of the room and put it in. The video ys Jack Creston and a shorter hooded figure exchanging something, I almost close my laptop when a figure in the background catches my eye. The video ends and a message pops up to open file 227 and I do, to see Mero at the back of the restaurant kitchen, talking to a girl. I frown as I see who she is. What were two of them talking about. I watch them exchange words and Mero gets pissed off as she starts smiling. He storms off. I frown, because I don¡¯t see or understand the connection. Me: What am I missing? I shoot the text to the Ghost hoping he''ll know more. Ghost: Ask the fucker who put it there. Me: I thought I was? Ghost: I''m not 6.2 but someone in your house is Me: Got it Ghost: You should have chosen the Queen Me: . I leave the room after putting everything back to how it was. Downstairs the women are sitting and discussing something, with Gabriel as he sits near Mischa, helping her build the puzzle on the wooden board. Aliyana has her feet on the couch alreadyfortable, as Guilia and Cami sit around the fire with a ss of red wine. ¡°You all look cozy, enjoying yourself?¡± I ask and for some reason Aliyana doesn¡¯t even look at me, it is like I am not even there. ¡°Aliyana, and Gabriel, a word.¡± Cami frowns, but says nothing, she knows better than to question me about anything in front of guests. Aliyana unfolds herself from her position and Gabriel stands up leaving his water on the table. They both share a look I don¡¯t like but I leave it be and walk out of the lounge and down the passageway, to the library area where I stir them to the bar area on the left wing. ¡°Sit,¡± I tell them as I round the bar counter and pull a bottle of Jack down from the top shelf. ¡°What is this about?¡± Aliyana asks me, ¡°You are going to want a drink for this.¡± I tell them as I drop 3 sses on the counter and start pouring us all a stiff drink. ¡°I think I''m good for now.¡± Aliyana says and I give her an exasperated sigh. ¡°Mero ever mention he was seeing someone in the Famiglia?¡± I ask them both, Aliyana frowns, but Gabriel merely gives me his eyes. His poker face is good, but I am a bit better than that, ¡°It might prove his innocence.¡± ¡°Wait, Gabriel knows?¡± Aliyana asks, ¡°Yes, you told me, just now when you were taking the dinner tes to the kitchen.¡± She rolls her eyes, ¡°you were eavesdropping.¡± ¡°No. When the two of you arrived today you were both separated. While Gabriel watched you, you contemted whether you would trust him and tell him the truth behind why you have not hung out with him alone in his home. And then your hedge man Salvatore arrives and whatever the two of you discuss for hours in a locked room, youe to a decision. The question is, Aliyana came clean to you, why don¡¯t youe clean to her, and tell her who put that Usb in my safe.¡± Aliyana takes the drink and shoots it down. ¡°Usb? Not me.¡± He frowns, and I see he knows nothing about it, which leaves 2 people left. ¡°How did you know Salvatore is here?¡± ¡°Cameras, he wasn¡¯t that discreet about it.¡± She shrugs it off, ¡°It wasn¡¯t a secret.¡± ¡°Now that we are all on the same page, I have a job for you two, call it an extraction.¡± ¡°You want us to kidnap Dn Creston.¡± Gabriel says already knowing the n I was yet to inform the others on. ¡°Did, as in the past tense. I have a new person in mind.¡± ¡°Who?¡± They both ask in unison. ¡°Your friend, Romero.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not kidnapping Mero, forget it,¡± Aliyana starts to get up but Gabriel stops her, holding her arm and they exchange another fucking look. How the hell is Aliyana going to marry a man one day, if the made-men she calls her friends touch her as if they own her. Or maybe she owns them. ¡°Why would you want us to kidnap Mero? He is our friend,¡± ¡°A friend that could have killed my brother.¡± Gabriel rolls his eyes and releases Aliyana who sits back in her seat, looking at me like I¡¯m crazy. Little do they know I have proof. ¡°Mero is not the killer, he loved Ren like we all did. There must be reason to whatever you think makes him a perpetrator.¡± I pour another ss of brandy and swallow it, in one big gulp. The burn is nothing like the smouldering evil eyes Aliyana is so inclined on giving me. ¡°Maybe you should take a second to let that brandy sink in, it might give you a brain.¡± ¡°Aliyana,¡± Her namees out like a whip through my lips. ¡°No Liya.¡± Gabriel is wise to read the signs of this meeting getting bad fast. ¡°Many men would never talk to me like that.¡± ¡°I am not many men. Asking us to spy on some guy is one thing, expecting us to kidnap our best friend is not just another thing, this is serious and it has no grounds. Mero is not the one who killed Ren.¡± ¡°Are you trying to convince yourself of that or me?¡± The truth fears nothing but secrecy. ¡°I don¡¯t need to convince myself, or you, I am not going to be an essory to my friend''s death.¡± Aliyana gets up and leaves and this time none of us stop her. ¡°If you want to kidnap Mero why don¡¯t you just get it done yourself, why get us involved?¡± Gabriel asks me a question I normally wouldn¡¯t answer but I do so now, because he has to learn how this life works if he is going to stay on the top once he is handed a small thrown. ¡°I was curious to see the extent Aliyana would go to protect her friends.¡± ¡°So, you knew she wouldn¡¯t agree to it but you asked anyway.¡± I smile at the young soldier, my small cousin with so much potential. ¡°Yes, loyalty and duty are different in our world, sometimes one outweighs the other. The question is which one do you fall under cousin?¡± He casts me a look that I¡¯m sure one day would make men and women shake. ¡°I¡¯m here aren¡¯t I?¡± Chapter 14 (Aliyana) Chapter 14 (Aliyana) I listen to Marco¡¯s words, and snort as I leave the door, and let the two of them discuss their shit. I send Mero a message to note back here, and tell Michel to get a car ready for tomorrow. There is no way I am handing my friend to Marco Catelli. A quick text to an old friend and I am well on my way to getting back to my sister. This weekend is important and if all goes to n it might be thest one, I have with her for a while. Because Papa will not be happy when he finds out what I did. ¡°If you think for a moment you are fooling anyone with the way you look at my man you are more stupid than you think.¡± ¡°You are hurting me Cami. Please.¡± I walk in just in time to see Cami with her ws in my sister, and Guilia¡¯s arm twisted. Cami¡¯s eyes widen and she lets my sister go. Not thinking, I march up to her and she stands her ground as I p her across the face. She is taller than me, and dressed in a powerful suit. And then there is me, ¡°You are stupid thinking you can touch my sister.¡± She moves to p me, but I grab her wrist mid-way, spinning her around by the same arm, I kick her with my barefoot on the crease behind her knee. She falls and makes a soft sound. I bend down close to her ear, ¡°I have taken men bigger than you, and dropped them just like this. Touch my sister again and I will slit your throat while Marco watches,¡± I push her on the floor and spit on the side of her head. Mischa runs inside and sees Cami on the floor, ¡°Why is Aunt Camimi on the floor?.¡± I smile at the girl as I walk closer to her and bend down, ¡°Aunt Cami is looking for her earing sweetheart. I¡¯m going upstairs now with my sister, would you like to join?¡± She smiles and her cheeks are so cute, I touch her nose, ¡°No, I want daddy.¡± The way she says it tugs at my heartstrings and reminds me so much of myself. I was just like her, my father¡¯s daughter. ¡°Your daddy is on the side of the house, if you scream, he wille.¡± I wink at her as I get up and she giggles, ¡°You pretty,¡± She says, as I stand to my full height. ¡°Thanks kid, so are you, go find your daddy.¡± ¡°Guilia, let¡¯s go.¡± We leave Cami standing there and I take my sister and move to the staircase. She makes a turn to go to her room, ¡°Guilia,e to my room.¡± I leave no crumbs for argument and I have never spoken to my sister in this way. She is older than me and she has always been the one who was stern. But what I saw today, is not good. It was time my sister knew a few things about me, and the first was that I have never been the kid she thought I was. I have had death on my conscious since I was 12 years old. Maybe not exactly that, but she could count on me to protect her. I close the door and lock it behind me, and see her standing in the middle of designated bedroom, ringing her fingers together. ¡°I suggest you start talking, what happened in there?¡± She bursts into tears and I tilt my head, but walk over to her, knowing hurt can be a crippling thing. I hug her, ¡°Papa wouldn¡¯t be happy to see you crying, Filippo would be furious, and well you already know how I feel about it.¡± ¡°You should not be fighting my battles for me, you are the younger sister.¡± She sniffs and I let her go and take a step back, ¡°Tutti abbiamo bisogno di aiuto a volte, Guilia.¡± We all need help sometimes, Guilia. She smiles at me but it is so defeated that my own secret, the one which could have eased her heart sits heavy in the room. ¡°Even big sisters it seems.¡± She whispers and touches my cheek with her palm. I watch Guilia as she paces in my bedroom. ¡°How did you learn to fight like that?¡± She is more curious than worried, so I take that as a good sign. ¡°That is a loaded question. But a short answer, I grew up with 4 boys.¡± She smiles, ¡°Well, that was freaking awesome how you just took Cami on. She isn¡¯t that bad you know.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, that is why I''m asking you.¡± ¡°When Leonardo and I first got engaged, I was miserable, and I couldn¡¯t reallye to you, or talk to ria, so I found another way to deal with it.¡± Material ? N?velDrama.Org. I arch my brow, waiting to hear more. My attention doesn¡¯t waver from my sister. Chapter 15 (Aliyana) Chapter 15 (Aliyana) ¡°I started shadowing Marco, BUT only when he was around. And Cami was always there, but I was careful.¡± ¡°You mean stalking?¡± I can¡¯t help butugh. She sighs and it¡¯s dramatic, just like the Guilia I know. ¡°It was hardly stalking. It was observing from afar.¡± I put my hands up in peace, ¡°Okay, Observing.¡± ¡°So one day we were at a party at the Rasetto¡¯s ce and Leonardo saw me watching Marco. He told me that he knew I had a crush on Marco, but it was cute, as long as I KNEW I was his and didn¡¯t act out on it. But by then I was falling in love with Leonardo,¡± She cringes, ¡°But before I could say anything Cami walked in, and Leonardo doesn¡¯t like her, so he left me alone with her. She waited for him to go and the minute he was far away, she started ranting about how I am a little girl wanting to w my way into Catelli¡¯s home and in Marco¡¯s life, I told her it wasn¡¯t like that but she went crazy.¡± I say nothing, but judging by Guilia¡¯s wild eyes, there is more. ¡°So for thest five months every opportunity Cami has alone with me, she brings it up, and if I even look at Marco or he talks to me she goes ballistic.¡± ¡°That is insane. Why don¡¯t you tell Papa?¡± Guilia stares, long and hard at me, and her eyes drop and I already know the answer to that, ¡°You slept with Leonardo didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Aliyana.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have feelings for Leonardo Guilia, haven¡¯t had them for a long time, if ever.¡± She nods her head, agreeing with me, ¡°I know, you and Marco. I saw the two of you that night just before Ren¡¯s funeral kissing.¡± I open my mouth but Guilia holds her hand up, ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened between you two, and yes, at the time it hurt me, but when I saw you and the way he looked at you Liya, I felt this yearning for that.¡± I swallow hard at the memory of it all. It was so long ago, that I don¡¯t even know who that girl is anymore. The girl who fell for a man that took with no intention of giving anything back. ¡°There was nothing to yearn for if you must know, I was led to believe he was going to marry me, and as you can see that was never in his cards.¡± She walks over to me and wraps her arms around me, ¡°Why have we never spoken like this before?¡± ¡°We never needed to I guess. Cami can¡¯t keep bullying you, we need to do something about it.¡± ¡°What?¡± She releases her hold on me, and I look up to my sister, ¡°For starters, we get ready for bed, and sleep. And tomorrow we decide what we will do with the She demon, and that is going to take a phone call to Kylie. She is the queen of lessons. Also, on a lighter note, you look rather sexy in that red get up.¡± Guilia smiles, ¡°Kylie equals trouble with a capital T, I¡¯m in. And thanks, but tomorrow remember to dress up for lunch.¡± We get ready for bed, and Guilia jumps under the covers, I got one foot on the bed when she gives me that pouty face I know all too well. ¡°Now?¡± I ask her. She blushes her eyebrows. ¡°Seriously Guilia, the kitchen is like on the end of a city.¡± ¡°You are exaggerating, please Liya.¡± I tighten my lips and cast a longing look to the bed before going back downstairs. I get downstairs, and not surprised everyone is still awake since it is only past 10. Sneaking to the kitchen in my emoticon pj¡¯s and hair tied on top of my head, I inwardly berate myself for confessing my past with Marco to Guilia. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Guilt from confessing a truth you try to forget is a sour taste. Opening the double door industrial fridge, I see 2 gallons of milk, the one is half full so I take that one. ¡°Whatever you thinking about doing to Cami, don¡¯t.¡± I drop the milk getting the shock of my life. Leonardo walks up to me and picks it up. ¡°Thanks.¡± I take it from him, but he doesn¡¯t let go so easily. ¡°As much as I want to strangle her, my brother will take her side, and that can be a problem, I suggest if you want to do anything it would be an indirect sabotage.¡± ¡°You were listening to our conversation?¡± He shrugs as he rxes his lean body, I once drooled over against the stone counters, ¡°I make it a habit to know what my future wife is up to at all times.¡± ¡°That is barbaric.¡± My feet feel the pinch of the cold tiles as I move around the kitchen getting two sses of milk. ¡°Cami is barbaric. I thought Guilia with all her fire would have put the bitch in her ce.¡± ¡°Sometimes it isn¡¯t that easy.¡± ¡°You made it look rather simple when you took her down. There are cameras everywhere in the house, you should be more careful where you decide to show true colors.¡± ¡°You are talking in riddles.¡± ¡°Nope, I am talking in facts. You made an enemy with Cami, and you might be a queen but she is not called a she-demon for just anything. Pour your milk Aliyana and thank you for standing up for what is mine. I owe you.¡± He walks out and I frown, reeling in his words. When a made-man says he owes you, that means he owes you big time. I pour the milk, trying to figure out what he meant. For a yboy, he sure as hell knows how to leave a woman guessing. One thing is sure though, Cami is a problem I don¡¯t need now. Chapter 16 (Aliyana) Chapter 16 (Aliyana) My morning goes by without a hitch as Guilia and I spend three hours on the phone with Kylie, half of that time she is bantering with one of her brothers or screaming for her mother when one of them teases her. It is a memorable conversation as we try to find a suitable way to teach the She demon a lesson while Kylie navigates the craziness which is her life. If I knew I could have a life simr to Kylies¡¯ I would long for it. But that is never going to happen, so I enjoy just listening as an outsider and by the end of our conversation, Kylie, Guilia, and I have a solid n. Guilia and I skip breakfast but Leonardo has other ns when he walks into my room around 12 and carries a shrieking Guilia away. I¡¯ve just done my make-up when Salvatore¡¯s name shes on my screen, ¡°I was beginning to get worried.¡± ¡°Hello Miss Capello, I have just ARRIVED, at the Manor.¡± ¡°Perfect timing, I¡¯ll be right down.¡± I click my phone off and grab my heels. This time I am prepared for the lunch, with a cream flirty but respectful dress. My bare feet rush down the stairs with my heels in my hand. And just before Ind on thest step, without thinking I run and throw myself at Salvatore who instantly grabs my waist. ¡°We have lots to do.¡± I smile but it drops when I see his grave face frozen on something to my right. I turn and see two angry faces, one belonging to Marco and the other my brother. In an act of self- preservation, I run toward my brother and throw myself at him too, and like I predicted, he holds me and loses his anger, thinking I am just happy. Which is not off the mark. I am very happy. ¡°You are extra bubbly, did sleeping next to Guilia rub off on you?¡± He asks holding me at arm''s length. ¡°Maybe.¡± I y coy and Filippo smiles, shaking his head. I give a still evil-eyed, Marco a small acknowledgment which he answers by storming off to his man cave, sh library. ¡°What¡¯s up his ass?¡± ¡°Nothing you need to worry about. What are your ns for the day?¡± ¡°Not sure as yet, why?¡± ¡°I wanted to spend the day with you and Guilia. The brothers are going hunting and Cami is going to the doctor, apparently, she hurt her knee.¡± My brother gives me a look but remains quiet on why. I know Filippo has a thing about killing animals, but he still eats the meat. ¡°I was hoping to justy low today,¡± I say and Filippo looks behind me, before his attention darts back to me, ¡°You were hoping to snoop, and Salvatore I¡¯m sure was going to be the wingman.¡± ¡°Not snoop, just check the ce out.¡± ¡°We can do that together, Cami and Salvatore don¡¯t get along, inviting him here was a bad idea.¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t invite him, I did,¡± Deno says and it is the first time I notice how quiet and not himself he has been. Filippo raises his brow but remains quiet. ¡°Since he is here, he can join us.¡± Marco storms back to where we are all standing, ¡°Actually Salvatore needs to leave.¡± I want to refuse but something in his eyes tells me not to and I don''t. Salvatore and I will have to discuss Mero when we get home tomorrow. Guilia, Filippo, and I spend the day around the property, and although my brother¡¯s knowledge of the history of the ce is not as extensive as Salvatore he does a good job keeping us entertained. The rest of the men are back around lunchtime and Cami walks in just as everyone is starting to gather around the dining area. ¡°How is your knee? Did the doctor say what is wrong?¡± Marco asks her as she kisses him on the cheek. She is dressed in a ck low-cut dress that hugs her entire body. ¡°It¡¯s fine, all sorted.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, I got Xander and Gabriel to take Mischa back to my sister¡¯s ce for the evening.¡± He tells her as we all sit around the table. ¡°Oh, I thought she was staying with us?¡± ¡°No, I think some alone time is on the tables.¡± Marco looks at her, but there is something I am missing. ¡°So, how were the grounds?¡± Deno asks me, all smiles and charm, which is aplete 360 since we arrived yesterday. ¡°It was interesting, though I want to know more about Berenice and Edio.¡± ¡°There are different stories surrounding them, the romantic version is she was a princess trapped in a castle for her own protection, but the other one is she was a prisoner, kidnapped and stuck in this ce her husband built to keep her hidden.¡± Leonardo is the one who answers and I find thetter version unappealing to what I have seen. My eyes skitter to Marco and he is staring right at me. Was he angry I refused to kidnap my friend? ¡°I think I like the first version.¡± ¡°Well there is a journal hidden somewhere in this ce, and I believe Edio wrote the truth in it,¡± Deno responds as the food arrives. ¡°Did you men manage to catch something?¡± Guilia asks from next to me. ¡°No, we didn¡¯t end up hunting,¡± Deno informs all of us and the silent exchange between himself and Marco is palpable. What was I missing? ¡°Oh, well there is always a next time,¡± Cami adds, joining the conversation. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°Before we eat, I would like to say a few words.¡± Marco stands, and we all stare at the man with the ck molten eyes as he lifts the whiskey ss in his hand. ¡°To new beginnings, and past endings. We are all part of one family, but years ago tragedy struck and my father made a choice that separated the Catelli and Capello families in a way that has caused many problems over the years. But, my brother, Lorenzo, found his closest friend in a Capello, Aliyana. And now Leonardo has found a wife too. So let this union bring us closer and let the past be the past. I know I can never right the wrong of my father but I am hoping with this union we can mend old wounds and create strong bonds. Today I officially wee Capello¡¯s as part of not just the Famiglia but the Catellis¡¯.¡± ¡°To new beginnings,¡± Deno says and we all repeat it drinking our wine. But as I sip, the after taste is not sweet, the bitterness is potent and the happiness I had when I woke up this morning dissipates under a cloud of hate. My sister is still gone and Marco expects us to just forget about it. That can never happen. I remain silent throughout the meal, and the moment it ends I get up and begin clearing the table. No one stops me or pays me any attention. I get to the kitchen and smile at the workers, washing the dishes and clearing up the mess. ¡°Sei bellissimae tua sore, Azure.¡± You are very beautiful like your sister, Azure. The one lady says to me, and I am a bit confused, she is older than the others. ¡°Azure?¡± ¡°Si, il signor Capello l¡¯ha sempre portata nel maniero per il fine settimana.¡± Yes, Mr. Capello always brought her to the Manor for the weekend. I smile as my mind goes through equal parts shock and hope. Azure Capello, my sister. I have a name for my sister. ¡°Grazie.¡± Thank you I go back to the dining room and hear them all talking andughing and I watch them. All of them are so joyous, care-free happy. I have tried for years to find something about my sister. A sister I never got to know but I felt a kinship to, love, and honor her. These people knew her, they touched her, seen her, and watched her get taken away. And now after a small speech, that basically said fuck her, they want us to forget what they did. I can¡¯t. It isn¡¯t the brothers that I me, but their father and I understand Marco¡¯s desire to try and fix his own family since Ren died, but what about mine? My sister is still somewhere out there and now I have a name. I can find her. Chapter 17 (Aliyana) Chapter 17 (Aliyana) After a long lunch and the afternoon fast approaching, I head to the kitchen for a snack, not expecting Marco to be sitting there. I turn to head right back out, ¡°Don¡¯t go,¡± Two words I once wanted to say, two words that would have once held much more than what it means now. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Please, stay,¡± I think about it carefully, before I turn around and see him sitting by the counter with a chair and hisptop. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you wear sses.¡± His eyes are covered with a thin metal frame. He looks almost sad, and I find it odd since he has everything he wants. ¡°Years of reading do that to a man. If you looking for the chocte there is a Belgium one on the top cupboard behind you.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Aliyana,¡± ¡°Did you know my sister? Azure?¡± He is so silent, and I wonder if I were to drop a feather would I hear it. ¡°Yes, I did. We all knew her, and I know what you thinking.¡± I go to the cupboard and pull out the chocte. ¡°No, you don¡¯t.¡± He gets up and walks around the counter and I look up at the man that hurt me. ¡°I do, Mezzosangue, and that speech I gave in there did not mean that I just forgot about her, Deno named his fucking club after her. We have searched for years, looking.¡± ¡°So, where is she?¡± I m the chocte in his chest and he holds my wrist, holding my hand to his beating heart. ¡°Here, Mi Amore.¡± I pull my hand away from him. ¡°Don¡¯t call me that, you have no right. You chose that over me.¡± He traps me closer as his ck depths drown me, all over again. I am not weak, but now I don¡¯t feel strong any longer. ¡°I have every right; you think I had a fucking choice? You think I want to watch you throw yourself at other men?¡± He pushes me toward the fridge door, away from the passageway and preying eyes. His other hand holds on to my waist, ¡°You honestly believe I chose to let you go?¡± ¡°Please, Marco, don¡¯t.¡± ¡°No, Aliyana, you don¡¯t, you breaking my heart, Mezzosangue.¡± His mouth descends on mine and one day I will question the sanity behind this moment, someday I would look back and pray it finally made sense because today isn¡¯t that day. Today, I kiss Marco Catelli, the man who hurt me, the one who wants to kill my friend. Today, I betray my soul, my sister, my friends and my father as Marco lifts my body, and his hands grab onto my naked flesh. I kiss Marco Catelli and he consumes me yet again. Only this time he is not mine and I know as much as it feels like it is, today I lie and sin. Today I choose lust of loyalty. And I don¡¯t regret it one single bit, as he takes his other hand and holds onto my breast, grinding his hard length against my heated flesh. Augh, a familiar sounding closer, my sister. I push Marco back and he stands there looking like a man lost but equal parts hungry, his chest rising and falling and I p him. ¡°I hate you.¡± I should storm out, but I don¡¯t. I simply leave him there, as I walk away without a backward nce. Only now, I don¡¯t have anywhere else to go besides somewhere in the property. A property that belongs to him. ¡°You¡¯ve been awfully quiet since lunch, is everything alright?¡± Guilia asks me. I want to remain quiet as I stand in the cold, watching thest of the light filter through the sky. ¡°I know her name,¡± I say. ¡°Whose name?¡± Guilia asksing to block my view, she is wearing a jacket and I know somewhere in the back of my mind it is freezing but I just don¡¯t feel it. ¡°Azure.¡± Guilia¡¯s eyes widen and she grabs my arm moving me further away from the house. ¡°Who told you? Papa never wanted you to know that Aliyana.¡± ¡°Papa doesn¡¯t get to choose for me, he is not God, Guilia.¡± ¡°I know, but looking for her is dangerous,¡± She looks behind me, to the door, nervous before her gaze descends back on me, ¡°What I tell you, you can¡¯t tell a soul. Promise me Liya.¡± I frown, as I stare at my disheveled sister. ¡°Promise me.¡± ¡°Okay, I promise.¡± Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! ¡°A few years ago, I went with Papa to Los Angeles, for a function, he didn¡¯t tell me much about it, but he said he wanted me to join and promised I wouldn¡¯t tell. While we were there Papa disappeared, naturally I went looking for him and found him on the balcony talking to someone, I took a picture of it, it was Azure, well the older version of her, but she wasn¡¯t like how I remember her Liya, she was different.¡± ¡°Where is the picture?¡± Guilia looks hesitant but slips her cell phone from the pocket she keeps around her thigh, and scrolls through pictures and I see her. ¡°Mia Sore,¡± My sister I whisper. ¡°Our sister. I¡¯ll send the picture to you, just don¡¯t show anyone.¡± My fingers drift over the screen. ¡°She is so tall, and her hair is short, like a boy.¡± She is wearing leather pants, and a jacket, with long riding boots as my father, stands next to her. Her face is serious and her eyes, I can¡¯t really tell much about her eyes but she is alive. And my Papa has known it, maybe he has kept her that way, watched out for her. Chapter 18 (Aliyana) Chapter 18 (Aliyana) He has never mentioned it, but why would he? Seeing her even from the screen makes her more than just a dream, and it calms my raging heart that she has at least one parent like me still there. My father is truly something. ¡°Guilia, Aliyana it¡¯s freezing outside, get in.¡± Filippo shouts from the door and I hand my sister back her phone, feeling like my entire world has just twisted on its axis. ¡°Let¡¯s enjoy our evening.¡± I whisper as my sister holds me and we walk back together. These two days with Guilia has really shown me that I can trust her, and that she isn¡¯t at all what I thought she was, there is more to her than just my father¡¯s daughter and Leonardo¡¯s words about her firees to light and so does the reason I spent an hour doing my hair this morning. We are all sitting around talking about Leonardo and Guilia, Filippo is exchanging embarrassing stories with Marco and Deno about the two. Camiughs carefree next to Marco, who has his hand on his own leg and hers on his. He hasn¡¯t acknowledged me once, and in a way, I am d, because I don¡¯t think I can take it if he did. Marco¡¯s phone rings and he is still mid conversation when he picks it up, ¡°Xander, is everything alright with Mischa?¡± I gather it is when Marco smiles looking relieved. I am sure in his line of work, which I¡¯m not too sure of exactly what that is, but it is probably gruesome, he has many sleepless nights worrying about his daughter. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ¡°What the fuck?¡± Whatever Xander is saying over the phone has all the men on alert and even Cami looking worried. Guilia and I share confused looks, when Marco gets up and leaves the room. I take that moment to signal Guilia to follow me. Marco¡¯s shouts are heard from the kitchen side, yelling at Xander as my sister and I steer ourselves to the library. We get inside, ¡°Shut the door for minute I want to see something.¡± I pull my phone up and look at googles, how to section I saved earlier that day on my browser. I go to the desk and feel around it for something that screams hiddenpartment. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Guilia questions looking nervous. ¡°I¡¯m exploring. Edio had a journal, it is believed to be in this desk hidden. And I want to read it.¡± ¡°Aliyana, that is stealing.¡± She whisper yells and I smile, opening the draw. ¡°It is borrowing, I intend to put it back.¡± I search for something and I find it at the back, a small block piece. ¡°When? We¡¯re leaving tomorrow.¡± ¡°In the afternoon, I read fast.¡± I pull it a bit and the front top part of the desk opens and in it like a beacon is the journal. Brown leather wrapped around secrets, at just the thought of what is inside, my bodyes alive. ¡°We are going to get into so much trouble for this.¡± ¡°No, we are not.¡± I walk closer to her and look for a hiding spot. ¡°What are you doing now?¡± She asks me, still standing by the door. ¡°Looking for a hiding spot.¡± A knock on the door sounds us both into a fright and Guilia points to the coat rack, ¡°Under there.¡± I run as she yells, ¡°Coming.¡± ¡°What are you girls up to?¡± I almost sigh in relief as I slip the book in time under the coat rack, and Guilia opens the door. ¡°Nothing, Aliyana wanted to put her bra right,¡± My sister is terrible at this but I move my cup a bit, showing Deno that is exactly what I was doing. ¡°Uhm, whatever you were doing, just make sure Marco doesn¡¯t find out, because he is in a foul mood.¡± Deno walks in, his denim pants and t-shirt is one thing I always liked about our Underboss. Hisy-low attire, when he isn¡¯t around his father. Which I notice is more often recently. ¡°Guilia can I talk to you?¡± Leonardo stands by the door looking equal parts serious and anxious. ¡°Yes, of course.¡± She widens her eyes at me as she moves her jumpsuit-covered body across the room. ¡°So, what were you really doing?¡± Deno asks with a small smile as he walks closer into the room. ¡°Snooping.¡± I wink, as a blush creeps up my cheeks at how true that statement actually is. ¡°You don¡¯t happen to know why Mero and Michel didn¡¯t show up today would you?¡± ¡°No, why would I?¡± ¡°Because Marco asked you to kidnap Mero.¡± He gives me a knowing smirk. ¡°I don¡¯t me you if you did. I would do the same thing if I were in your shoes.¡± He circles around me, but I remain calm. ¡°And that is?¡± ¡°Warn your friend to get the fuck out of dodge.¡± ¡°I have no idea what you are talking about.¡± I remain calm as he stops in front of me, ¡°Tsk, tsk, Aliyana, I thought we were friends, and now you lie to me?¡± ¡°We are friends, but so is Mero.¡± He purses his lips, ¡°Ren wouldn¡¯t have believed Mero is guilty either, he¡¯d do whatever it takes to keep him from Marco.¡± ¡°Yes, he is innocent Deno, I know what Marco saw on that footage, I saw it too, but Mero would never kill Ren. He would die before he ever betrayed his friend.¡± He looks conflicted, but whatever holds him in indecisiveness he snaps out of it. ¡°Do what you have to, and keep him safe, but I want to know what he knows. It¡¯s almost a year Aliyana.¡± I nod, my heart feels the loss of Ren, but it also knows the innocence of Mero. If it was Michel or Gabriel, I¡¯m not so sure I would be so eager to protect them, but Mero is loyal. I know it. Chapter 19 (Aliyana) Chapter 19 (Aliyana) Deno leaves the library and I take a moment to admire the ce, the long bookshelves, the thousands of books, the browndder that is polished, looking brand new and not withered by the signs of time. My fingers touch the leather couch, as I scour the area, wondering what it was like to be her, Bernice Antone DeMarco. My eyes stop at the portrait and I stare at her, ck eyes, hair pinned up with loose curls hanging from the side. Her face is painted like it was porcin, her dress shy and her lips stained red. I am not sure how long I stand here, admiring or critiquing the artist''s impression of the woman who remained in these walls since the day she died, but I sense a connection to her. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. A need to belong, and to Edio she did, whether she was the love of his life or the prisoner in his Manor. ¡°Leonardo, Fillipo, and Deno are leaving tonight.¡± My sister''s voice cracks through my haze. ¡°Judging by the yelling we heard, I¡¯m not surprised.¡± I finally turn to see my sister, looking sad. I frown, ¡°Is everything good with you? Leonardo is not going forever Guilia.¡± ¡°You and him should have been together, not me. I am not the strong-willed woman he thinks I am, but you are, and when you around it feels so awkward knowing that you wanted him for so long.¡± She looks at the portrait wiping away a tear and I have nothing that is going to make her feel better. ¡°You are not ying fair Guilia, Leonardo and you are getting married, any feelings I had for him are dead. I don¡¯t want you to hide your feelings for him when I am around. I want to know that the two of you are happy. We spoke about thisst night, I thought we were over it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that simple,¡± Her hazel eyes glisten with unshed tears and for the first time, I see the damage my silence has caused my fiery sister. I take her cold fingers, and hold them in my own, stepping closer to her, ¡°It is as simple as breathing. You love him.¡± ¡°I do. First, I thought it was just me epting our marriage, but Liya, when he looks at me, I fall harder for him. But I don¡¯t think Leonardo feels the same. I mean he likes me and thinks I¡¯m beautiful as he said so many times before but he still looks at other women when he thinks I am not watching and gets calls from girls at college.¡± My dread is a hard pill to swallow when I stare into her hopeful gaze, that is begging me to tell her different. I should, I could. I¡¯m certain I can find the perfect words to convince her of his undying love. But even I am not that cruel to the ones I love. She is right, Leonardo will not be faithful but like Bernice maybe they can make it work. It isn¡¯t like they have a choice. An arranged marriage in the Mafia is until death. ¡°His feelings might change over time. He might fall deeply in love with you, or he might just love you. But Guilia, in our world love is a luxury, unreciprocated or not. Once you are married you will have babies, and those babies will be the love of your life. At least you love him. Imagine having sex with a guy you don¡¯t love, or with a big belly,¡± I smile as sheughs. ¡°You are right, how did you get so wise so quickly.¡± She asks and my hands leave her as the reasons how I became so wise sh through my mind. ¡°I see you too are getting all cozy,¡± Cami walks in with a ss of wine in her hand. She seems a bit off, maybe too much to drink? ¡°You know, if you want my opinion, you should cut your losses and ept that Leonardo would never love you, you are a shiny new toy, meant to stay on a shelf and get dusted every once in a while. Trust me. He has had more gum than any of his brothersbined, and I¡¯m talking after he got your daddy to agree to sell you off,¡± Cami says as she walks into the library. ¡°Gum?¡± Guilia asks and Camiughs, ¡°Sex sweetheart. I¡¯m talking about the big S. It¡¯s a metaphor. No wonder he chose you over your sister, Aliyana has too much spine for a man like him.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to bed,¡± I say to my sister not allowing Cami to rile me up for the third time. ¡°You should stay Aliyana, and take my advice, it will be vital information for one day when you marry your, not so shiny prince.¡± "I have never met you in my life before this weekend, so I fail to see how your opinion in the matter of something that is none of your business is so vital that I should stop and listen." "You sound like a jealous lover," Cami states as her heels click toward my sister and I. It is after 11 at night and she is still dressed as if she was attending a business meeting, in a ck pencil dress that hugs all her curves. Is that what Marco likes? If he does then I am d I am not the one stuck with him. That could never be me. ¡°Or maybe you are just an unhappy one. Is the big ole Marco Catelli not doing it for you.¡± I am actually curious to know the answer to that one. ¡°No, I am certain you sound like a jealous lover, though I fail to see why. Since you are the only single one here. Still, harboring feelings for your sister¡¯s man Aliyana? Or are you one of those little girls with daddy issues and hoping to snag yourself a man way too old for you? A taken man.¡± Chapter 20 (Aliyana) Chapter 20 (Aliyana) The truth, of how just hours ago that man had his hands all over me is at the tip of my tongue. Does she know? Could she have heard Marco when he had me trapped in the kitchen with his hands on my naked ass? No. Marco loves her, I am a distraction. ¡°And there it is, the guilt of innocence. You are jealous.¡± "Really? Because from where I stand, I think you are mistaking my I don''t give a fuck attitude for something it¡¯s not." "And what is that? Please don¡¯t stop on my ount," Deno says as he enters the room with mirth written in red across his face. "Aliyana enough, let¡¯s go," Guilia says in a low tone. "No, I am not going anywhere. I am a guest here and right now I feel like we are not wanted. If you would like this wedding to be called off, it can be arranged. What can¡¯t be arranged is your re of saying things you know nothing about. It must sting to know that my sister would be Mrs Catelli before you. Maybe you ought to think about why that is." "Aliyana." Marco''s voice whips through the air as my name is barked across the room before he even enters. A thought of his eyes as I left earlier shes in my head. "Aliyana, please let¡¯s just go. Cami is a bit drunk." Guilia pleads but pleading is not going to take me back down. This is where Cami will learn the error of her ways. "I have had enough of your fianc¨¦''s snipes since we got here. She has used every opportunity to bring my sister down. And now she wants to y her little games with me. And I am not in the mood to y.¡± ¡°We should get to bed now.¡± Guilia talks louder, hoping it would get me to bed, but I refuse to budge. ¡°No, I am done being silent. We came here to celebrate a union and believe it when I say I did not want to be here. But in the light of it all, I am d to see that this is how the Catelli¡¯s treat their guest.¡± ¡°Enough, you need to calm the fuck down,¡± Marco says ¡°I didn¡¯te here to watch my sister be bullied into obedience, or get used of being a jealous lover and my sister is as much a part of this family as Cami, if not more so since she gets married in a week. She deserves respect.¡± Material ? N?velDrama.Org. Guilia stands rigid next to me, not used to me standing up for her or maybe it is the fact that I am screaming at Marco, the head of the household and that is punishable. He could beat me, p me, kick me out. And maybe I am crazy for my actions, or like Ren I have a death wish, but either way, I know he won¡¯t do any of that. ¡°Is this true?¡± Marco asks looking at Guilia. ¡°Aliyana didn¡¯t mean it.¡± ¡°Yes, she did,¡± Leonardo says also walking in. I am shocked he was even around after his earlier impromptu leave. ¡°We were going to discuss itter on tonight alone, but since this has now be a public affair, I should say brother that your future wife is a bitch. And while I thought her despise toward my woman was solely out of jealousy, I was wrong. Today she outdid herself, you should keep her in line, she has crossed a line no one is allowed to.¡± Leonardo says nothing else as he walks toward Guilia and me. He takes my sister¡¯s hand and the two of them leave. But his words have me frowning. I happen to know that this isn¡¯t the first time something of that unmortared threat has left his mouth. ¡°You are making a big thing out of nothing. I was giving her my opinion¡± Cami says walking toward Marco. ¡°An unwarranted one from what I hear,¡± Deno voices out from his rxing position by the wall. ¡°Really? Is telling my sister that her future husband is never going to love her, or airing out his sex life that you happen to know so much about nothing?¡± She has the audacity to look sheepish. ¡°Because that look you ced in my sister¡¯s eyes is nothing. I have no idea what you stepped off of, or how fucked up your life was growing up but I happen to take my sister''s distress as a very fucking big thing when ites from someone with cruel intentions. And you don¡¯t know me enough to give me any advice, because if you did you would be careful the next time you speak to me.¡± Camiughs, ¡°You are a little girl, with some very important friends, I think I know enough.¡± ¡°REALLY? Is that why you spent all that money and time asking about me? You seem to forget that I too have a fancy surname.¡± Her mouth shuts and she is seconds from exploding and I don¡¯t hide the slight tilt of my lip as I stand in my purple re dress feeling like I just won a match with the she-demon. ¡°Yes, Cami, is that why?¡± Marco asks her but his eyes are still on me. ¡°Marco.¡± ¡°I think I heard enough. I apologize for my fianc¨¦''s behavior.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take Aliyana to her room,¡± Deno says as Marco and Cami have a silent standoff. ¡°No, I would. Cami, I suggest you make use of the bedroom I provided for the evening.¡± Marco¡¯s words are harsh, and even across from the two of them I can feel his anger. Guilt drowns me at what I did. Knowledge can sometimes be a tool used to fix a problem, in my case, however, Knowledge was a weapon I used to win a small battle that is inconsequential in the grand scheme of all that is happening. Look what you made me do Cami, I hope this teaches you a lesson. ¡°I can take myself to bed.¡± ¡°No, you are not. We have business to discuss.¡± Deno and Cami leave the library and I deliberately wait on the other side, dying the inevitable. Marco Catelli was done waiting. It was time to face my actions or was it? His phone rings and an almost forlorn look captives his face. ¡°We¡¯ll talk tomorrow Aliyana.¡± I nod and leave him as he answers his phone and a sense of pity fills my body, as I take the stairs to my bedroom. I pass the one and hear a crying Cami. Yes, it was time to call it a night. Chapter 21 (Aliyana) Chapter 21 (Aliyana) ¡°I have never seen you at any of the G¡¯s Aliyana. Thought a young woman like yourself will be on the prowl for a dashing man.¡± We are sitting in the lounge area, eating breakfast, the men are getting ready to leave beside Marco. Yesterday was eventful and I have no idea what happened after I went to bed, but whatever it was has left everyone rather on edge and quiet. To be honest a quiet breakfast is exactly what I need but Cami has other ns when she opens her mouth. ¡°I thought this was a breakfast not an interrogation,¡± I say as I stop what I am doing and look at the woman who cannot seem to keep her opinions to herself ¡°Interrogation, breakfast is all the same thing we are Italian are we not,¡± ¡°Actually Cami, if you must know I''m only half Italian, another part of me which you seem to forget is Russian and the Russians believe an interrogation is an interrogation.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know that.¡± ¡°Well now you do,¡± Deno walks in interrupting us by clearing his throat. Cami has the audacity to look surprised. I don''t even look at him I keep my eyes on her. ¡°Aliyana a quick word.¡± I get up putting my half-eaten eggs on the coffee table and go to Deno, ¡°I see you have an enemy, which makes Cami a problem since she happens to be close to Michel.¡±Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! ¡°The same Michel who told me she was paying people to get information about me? Yeah, I doubt it. What can I do for the almighty Deno?¡± He smiles, ¡°I spoke to Dexter, he said he can help with our little problem. I told your father I need your help at Azure tonight and my sister said she¡¯ll cover the evening for you. If Marco finds him before you...¡± He leaves the words hanging in the air and I already know what I am going to do. And Dexter did just as I asked. ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°Oh, and one more thing, whatever you took yesterday in that LIBRARY, make sure you give it back.¡± He winks and walks down the hall leaving me standing there. I watch Deno walk away and somehow, I know things are going to be different after the nights over. Sometimes in a world ruled by trust, we are bound by not just our duty to each other but by the integrity behind our decisions. I head back to the lounge and stop. I can¡¯t believe my eyes. Cami and Guilia hug, I say nothing as I enter. ¡°Aliyana, I¡¯m sorry I have been such a bitch to you and Guilia.¡± I am shocked, at her quick turnaround. How did 2 minutes change a person? That doesn¡¯t just happen. Dislike is like a disease, if you find a cure, it doesn¡¯t automatically heal you in seconds. ¡°Guilia, can you give us a moment?¡± Cami asks and Guilia leaves without so much as a flinch. ¡°What do you want now Cami?¡± ¡°To say I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the one you should be sorry to, my sister has a mark on her arm with your fingerprint.¡± If I were any other female, I would feel an ounce of forgiveness toward the woman who now is stripped of any false bravado. Only I am not. ¡°Marco and I have history, aplicated one at best. We have known each other since we were kids. I think I loved him even then. After my parents died, I left America, and Marco along with it, with no intention of returning. I missed him, cried for him, but life with my grandfather...¡± She pauses and laughs, shaking her head. ¡°Wasn¡¯t all rosy?¡± I ask but I am not sure my wanting to know the answer to the question is strong enough as my need to understand why she¡¯s sharing this with me. Her sad eyes settle on my curious one, ¡°Well, you don¡¯t survive this long with a man like him without learning to adapt fast, and adapting at 8 meant giving up all of those childish dreams, including the boy I loved.¡± ¡°So, you had a crappy childhood, I¡¯m sorry, but it doesn¡¯t exin your behavior toward Guilia.¡± ¡°6-years-ago by sheer luck and a crappy birthday I met Marco again. Only he didn¡¯t recognize me. I was just the girl in a grey dress sitting at the bar. But one night with him was all it took to give my heart to him again and I forgot for the evening that my heart wasn¡¯t mine to give away. He asked me to stay the night and I promised I would but I couldn¡¯t, so I left him in his hotel room waiting, with no intention of ever seeing him again. But faith gave us another chance, an arranged marriage through my Grandfather. A sealed deal, until death. I expected a lot of things. Namely, anger, hurt, pain, and eventually love. Only when I arrived, he was angry, but it had nothing to do with me. He saw me, recognized me, and knew who I was, but all I got was a shadow of the boy I knew, and a vessel to the man I met all those years ago. I thought if I gave him my body it would change, and he would fall in love with me but that didn¡¯t happen. Until he announced your sister¡¯s engagement. Slowly he started changing, and I could feel his love and a promise of a future. Yet, every time I turned around, he was with your sister, whispering away.¡± ¡°What are you getting at?¡± My shoes are silent as I get a bit closer to her. ¡°I thought Guilia was the woman who owned his heart, and it made me jealous. But it was never her, I didn¡¯t know it before, but I do now.¡± ¡°Know what?¡± ¡°You and Marco, he told me, everything, and I didn¡¯t know he wanted to marry you, or that you and him were even a thing.¡± I am shocked and a bit skeptical to just believe every word she is saying. ¡°We were never a thing. AND it still doesn¡¯t exin you paying people to find out shit about me.¡± ¡°Initially, I admit, your name was definitely a touchy subject when I first arrived. I never saw you, and although I heard you disliked Alice just as much as I did, Marco was always at your ce.¡± ¡°So basically, you got jealous?¡± She sighs, ¡°I love Marco, Aliyana. I¡¯ve always loved him.¡± Cami turns her back to me, and it¡¯s then I notice she isn¡¯t dressed too impressed. She is wearing normal jeans and a t-shirt just like I normally would, except today I am the one with the power suit on. What happened to the woman in the fancy dress and 5-inch heels? Is that the real Cami, or is this the one? ¡°And you have him, his ring on your finger. He is yours, forever. There is no need to be jealous of anyone. He never loved me; he chose you.¡± It hurts to say the words out loud but they are the truth and as much as I want it to be different it isn¡¯t going to be. A firm believer of faith is something my sister is, not me. The truth is a sad point to digest, and it is a horrible thing to say out loud. But he did choose her. ¡°Do I? He called off our engagementst night, he is sending me back home to my Grandfather.¡± She bursts into tears and I am standing here, under the same roof as her, his. Only she is crying for losing him and I am trying to wrap my head around what she is telling me. He called off the engagement, nobody, not even Marco Catelli can do something like that without some serious ramifications. The news has me still, frozen, did he really mean what he said yesterday? Am I really his? Is he, could he? No, because if I am his, and he is mine, what does that mean for Mero? I would need to choose. The question is though, was there really a choice? ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She faces me and I see the dread on her face, but I don¡¯t know her enough to believe any of it, or not. ¡°I¡¯m pregnant.¡± I gasp at her words and the severity of what it means. A woman in our world pregnant, before marriage is death, for her and the baby. ¡°I can¡¯t go back, I have no idea what to do, I have no one I can trust, Xander will never cover for me. He is loyal to Marco and Michel tolerates me; Salvatore hates me.¡± It is said, that a woman who is in need, turns to an enemy is a desperate woman. How do I help her? ¡°Tell Marco.¡± ¡°He can¡¯t know, he will hate me; I was supposed to be on the pill.¡± ¡°Why weren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I thought...¡± She actually looks embarrassed. It is a bit toote for that. ¡°He would have married you by now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She drops her eyes to the floor. I hear the sound of the men leaving, and the heavy footfalls of Marco. ¡°I need to think,¡± She wipes her tears at my simple words that don¡¯t guarantee I will help her or not, and I must say I feel pity for her. Chapter 22 (Marco) Chapter 22 (Marco) ¡°Why were you looking in my desk yesterday, Aliyana?¡± She is standing in the middle of the room looking at me like I am puzzle. ¡°No reason.¡± I am not sure what I want her to say, but honesty is not going to be her best policy if she is to get out of this unscathed. ¡°There is always a reason, what do you want?¡± She is looking at me like I am more than just the man who hurt her and I am wondering how the fuck am I going to tell her that I have turned against everything I believe in for her. But first I need Aliyana to willingly give me back what she took. ¡°Maybe a pen.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t y coy with me, there is fucking pens everywhere in the goddamn house and you walk all the way here? Try again!¡± I cross my arms and stand with my legs slightly parted. ¡°Maybe I like that one.¡± ¡°I am done ying nice, first you go behind my back and get Salvatore to snoop in my fucking house and still rant about it to your brother. Then you decide to y fucking Nancy Drew, Talk.¡± She says nothing, and Cami actually cringes, because she knows I am pissed, ¡°Cami, get Guilia AND tell Xander to round up the guards and leave. I¡¯ll message youter.¡± ¡°Marco¡­¡± Cami mutters, ¡°NOW.¡± I bark and she jumps rushing out of the library. I don¡¯t miss the look she gives me. I walk slowly to the entrance and close the library door locking it. And then I walk to the only camera I keep hidden on the bookshelf and shut it off. ¡°Now, let¡¯s start, again shall we?¡± She res at me, ¡°I¡¯m not your meek wife, I told you I did nothing wrong.¡± ¡°My house, my desk, I will judge if it is wrong or not. AND I don¡¯t have a wife.¡± I take off my suit jacket and ce it on the brown leather chair and slowly remove my cufflinks, watching her in that fucking skin tight little skirt she decided to wear today, barefoot. My sleeves are rolled up as Aliyana¡¯s eyes flick to the door and back to me. ¡°Don¡¯t even fucking think about it.¡± She res at me and storms closer, ¡°You are unreasonable right now, I told you why I was here, if you wanted no one in the Library, lock the door.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my house! Why the fuck should I have to lock the door.¡± She tightens her lips and I watch her nostrils re, as she sees me take off my watch. Her green re reminds me of a poisonous snake, waiting for its chance to attack. ¡°I am not scared of you.¡± I don¡¯t want her to be scared of me, what I want is for her to give me what she took. ¡°Cut the crap Mezzosangue and tell me what you hiding.¡± She looks like she might refuse, but something muste over her when she hears the car¡¯s leaving. ¡°I will scream, Matteo will hear, I have a loud voice.¡± Shaking my head, I chuckle. A step closer is all I take for her to realize how close she already is to me. I could grab her in a second, tackle her in two. ¡°Matteo left this morning to attend some business and make sure Salvatore gets his ass home.¡± ¡°You had no right sending him away.¡± ¡°I had every right and you know it, what you also know is you aren¡¯t leaving here until you give me what you are hiding.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t belong to you.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s in my house, it very well fucking belongs to me,¡± I walk closer to her. ¡°You know what else belongs to me, Mezzosangue?¡± ¡°A shitty personality, because it sure as hell isn¡¯t me,¡± She walks two steps backwards. Not quite what I want but I can work with that. ¡°How about this, you show me what it is and if it really isn¡¯t mine, I¡¯ll give it to you and you can run along.¡± ¡°But what if it is yours?¡± ¡°Then I will have to punish you. Stealing from me is a no-go zone.¡± I shrug my shoulders, looking at her flushed cheeks, and visibly moving chest. ¡°Punish, how?¡± ¡°Stop stalling and get it, because if I have to, it will be a worse punishment.¡± Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. She storms off and goes to the coat hanger by the end of the doorway and lifts it up, and what I see there makes me fucking ticked. ¡°You stole my journal,¡± I yell as the temper I was beginning to get under control rises with anger, betrayal, and something too dark to even put a word to. Is this how my life is going to be with Aliyana? Will it be filled with betrayal? ¡°It¡¯s not your journal, it belongs to Edio.¡± ¡°And what if it is? Were you nning on giving it to him? What were you going to do? Dig his fucking grave up and perform a resurrection?¡± I walk closer to her and she grabs the journal close to her chest. There are things in there that she can never know, secrets that will put my entire n into jeopardy. ¡°I was going to read it.¡± The thought of that causes me to lose myst thread of patience and I pounce. I make it to her in seconds grabbing onto her arm as she flees. I pull her with minimal effort, and Aliyana throws the journal and punches me in the throat. Pain is felt as my throat clogs, trying to catch my breath. I release her for a moment and it is all it takes when she runs for the door. I press the safety button I installed to shut the library and turn it into a panic room. She tries the door and I hold my throat, trying to fucking breathe nicely. ¡°Open the fucking door.¡± She screams but no one is going anywhere. Chapter 23 (Marco) Chapter 23 (Marco) I go to my journal and pick it up and take it across the room where I move the rug on the wall aside and open my safe, cing the book in a more secure venue. I ignore Aliyana¡¯s tantrum, because that is what it is, a tantrum. This isn¡¯t about the book; I see it now. It is about us and it¡¯s time we talked. ¡°I love Cami, Aliyana, but I¡¯m not in love with her.¡± My voice is not raised in my confession, nor is it changed by the truth. Because for Aliyana this is news to her, but for me, I have said those words in my head every single day Iid my cursed soul in her path. Every time I stepped foot in her home I have said those words in my head. She turns around and I see her tear-stricken face, ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it, I just want to leave and stay gone, please Marco.¡± ¡°No, hear me out, if you still want to leave then go.¡± ¡°Leaving you when I did and how I did was the only option there was. Marrying mees with a heady price tag.¡± ¡°Mischa?¡± She asks, and I nod as she moves into the room, further away from the door. ¡°Yes, and no. Ie with an early death sentence. I have a lot of enemies, many of them. When I saw you on that rooftop you stole a piece of me, I didn¡¯t want to give to anyone, and every day since, you took more. But like you, I made Ren promises, and one of them was leaving you to live your life.¡± ¡°What? But I only met you that day, and Ren died that night.¡± Shees closer to me and her eyes are so confused but wary. ¡°It wasn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve seen you. I knew you from the time you were a kid. Never meeting you in person was for my sake of mind.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t. But I didn¡¯t want to put a child¡¯s face to the woman who would potentially be my wife.¡± ¡°But you chose Cami.¡± ¡°Yes, it is aplicated situation. My father wants me to have an heir and Cami is one I initially chose to give me that, but I changed my mind a bit toote. My father agreed to Dante Moretti¡¯s terms and the day I approached him about everything, it was toote.¡± ¡°So, you chose to hurt me instead? Do you have any idea how I felt?¡± ¡°I¡¯m ending our engagement. I want to be with you, I¡¯ll marry you in secret and keep you here just like Edio did with his wife.¡± A tear leaks from her eyes and she looks behind me at the painting of the beautiful woman who once graced this library. A woman many don¡¯t know about because her husband¡¯s love, became her prison, and her life an obsession. ¡°I thought you hated me, I convinced myself that I wasn¡¯t good enough, it took me months to get over you and now you want to marry me?¡± I walk closer to her and graze her arm which she moves and turns away from me. ¡°I loved you Marco, I begged you, you left me without a backward nce to even say goodbye, you left me there, then you announced to the entire world that your marrying Cami. Now what? You finally see the bitch she is so decided that you¡¯ll just have me? Do you honestly think I am just going to forgive you and forget what you did? How you made me feel?¡± ¡°You are mine dammit, you have always belonged to me,¡± I walk behind her and wrap my arm from behind her waist, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, so sorry, I was not strong enough to stand up for both of us, to fight, I¡¯m sorry Aliyana.¡± Her knees give out and I willingly go with her to the floor as she sobs. I hurt her, and I¡¯m hurting too, but spending this time with Aliyana so close to me and not having her be mine, has made me realize that I want her and my brother is right, I am not just a Catelli and Edio DeMarco found a way to be with his wife and keep her safe, I can do the same. ¡°I love you Aliyana, you can¡¯t leave me, never again.¡± I whisper things in her ear as she quietens down. ¡°My father will never allow two of his children to be married to a Catelli, don¡¯t you get it? Your actions doomed up.¡± ¡°I will find a way, Aliyana, your father is a man, like all of us.¡± I will kill him if I have to, she will hate me but eventually, she will learn to live with it. She lifts herself up from her position and looks at me with her red-streaked face, and glistening green eyes, and I swear my soul leaves my body in hope of touching hers. ¡°Kiss me,¡± She utters and I hold on to her neck, knowing if she knew the lengths I would go to have her, she will run. ¡°Ti Amo, Mezzosangue,¡± I love you, half-blood. I confess my biggest sin before my mouth descends on hers. I kiss her like I should have done all these months, I kiss like I have not kissed another and she kisses me back, like she is mine, because she is. Aliyana¡¯s hands grab onto my shoulders as mine goes to her button. She slips her blouse over her head as her naked flesh, a sight for a monster like me remains trapped in a white bra, begging to be released. I hold on to her, feeling her pulse race underneath my fingers. This what it feels like to have your heart in your fingers. Fragile, yet so powerful it can stop your existence like that. Her chest expands, as she watches me with those half-mast eyes. It is on this day, a cold Sunday in 2012, 2 days before Christmas that I make a vow, that Aliyana Capello will be my wife and I will kill anyone who stands in my way. "Take what is yours, Marco." I stare into her soulful green eyes, my pulse racing with adrenaline. My cock hard, and my mind fuzzy from the thought of her. From the promise of her intoxicating smell and hypnotist eyes that stare at me, like I am her fucking god, and that is what makes her the most dangerous person in the world. Because I will start wars, and risk everything for her. ¡°Can you feel it? This.?¡± I ask her. She tilts her neck, as a tear slides down her cheek, ¡°I was made to be yours.¡± ¡°Yes.¡±Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Chapter 24 (Marco) Chapter 24 (Marco) I wrap my fingers in her hair, eliminating the space between our mouths, our body, and every cell which connects us on the ne. I don''t pepper her with kisses but shove my tongue in her mouth consuming that small part of her, so she never wants for another. Her fingers dig into my neck, a sign that her possession of me will not be one made from softness. The memory of her, like this, will be fierce, a Queen, fit to lead a group of dangerous and a king, who only wishes at this moment to lead her. I rip her skirt open from the side and the sound of it tearing causes something in me toe alive. The fire zes in my body as I take what''s mine. She snaps my shirt open, the buttons flying everywhere. I am a man, getting ruled by his dick, and his sweet virgin pussy, with the promise of a longer ending, Aliyana is mine. She will remember this moment forever and I will live in this unholy ritual of us. Aliyana writhes naked on the carpet. Her body is moving, she can¡¯t keep still. I slide my hands along her legs, up her thighs as she moves her hips, wanting me to take off her panties. I¡¯ve slept with many women, and a lot of virgins in my days, and I know to be gentle, I am aware of breaking in unchartered territory. But seeing her like this, as she takes her dainty fingers and pulls the clip in the front of her bra loose, writhing on the floor, as I slid her whitece down her thighs, I don¡¯t want to break in. I want to take what belongs to me without any preparation, I want her to understand the love I give her, will mark her soul in a way that will be beautiful as it will be binding, and my love for her will hurt. She must see my indecision, because she grabs on to my arm and pulls me down and just like she wants, I am consumed by her. Aliyana pulls at my pants and I allow her, to open my zip, before her fingerspletely take over, touching an already starving beast. She wraps her hand on the top part of my cock and I move my hips a bit. But ying is not what I want. My lips take hers in a brutal kiss as I take her hands and hold them in one of mine. My cock moves to her entrance, ¡°Mi dispiace.¡± I say it because what I am about to do is a fucking shame. My sorry is to her, myself, and my daughter for my weakness. I rub my dick on her entrance, she''s so fucking wet. I push in slowly wanting her to rx and just as she loosens up I m in. She screams in pain as her neck drops back, her spin bends as my hand holds her hands in one and my other behind her shoulder. The floor is hard on my knees and it just makes me want to lose myself in her. She is tensed, and I kiss her, her lips so sweet, but wrong, I drop my mouth to the crevice of her neck, and inhale her sweet tainted scent. So innocent, but wicked. "You are mine now, Aliyana. Mine." I whisper in her neck, as I ce a small kiss, right in the center before I pull out a bit, and m back in, swallowing her cries with my mouth and she reciprocates. "Yes." The words slip from her lips, binding us, as I push right through all that makes her an angel, and like all angels getting their wings cut, she screams in pain and agony, but the more I go, the numbness of the paint blends with the friction of our bodies be one, as I working our bodies, to a rhythm of two lovers uniting after so long. I taint her, with the taste of pleasure and pain. I grab her long blonde hair, as my dick stretches her beating, bleeding walls. She lifts her body to kiss me, and her light glowing skin touches mine. I bite her lower lip as she throws her neck back, and like the beast that lives on the surface I suck on her neck, branding her in another way. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Her body bucks, there is no words shared. No derations made. When she pulls my ass closer, I start moving. Gliding in and out, I fuck her, getting off on the pain she will be stuck with for days toe. Knowing that I gave her that pain that will turn into deep pleasure once it subsides. She is quiet now, no loud noise, a silent yet receptive lover. I don¡¯t hold myself back as I explode deep inside her. Spent. Wey like that. Blood smeared on us. Our minds both drifted to what we just did. I wake up, on the floor in the library. Aliyana is not with me, I stare at the blood-streaked on my fingers and the stain on my shirt I used to wipe her. The books mock me from all corners, as the quietness of the aftermath of sin sings its sirens call. A pen falls from my side with my journal which I see she got out of my safe. I smile as I open it. A letter slips out. Written on the same rough paper. Dear Marco Life has not been kind to me. Karma and I have always been enemies. You think I don¡¯t remember the man who stood in the corner of the room when I was 12 and watched me kill a man, but I do. But that girl you saw on the rooftop the day WE lost Ren is not me any longer. I am different, darkness has soaked me up and I am drowning in the aftermath of it all. You say you are the one with all the enemies but I am the biggest enemy of them all, I am a traitor to all you stand for. I will not do what you ask of me, I will not betray my friend, nor will I marry the man who wishes to hurt him. Ren is dead Marco, and sometimes vengeancees at too high of a price, and we have to stop ourselves and ask the question if. And I have made my choice, Mero is too high of a price so you can rest at night. He is innocent, and I am going to prove it. The choices I am making will not allow us to be together. I have loved you since before I even knew you, and I will love you even after you forget why you ever cared. Which is why we can¡¯t be. We both have our secrets and this one we just shared would be the one that will always be my most precious. I gave you something of me that is more than my heart, and body. I gave you thest of my honor. Now I must live with loyalty and that loyalty does not extend to a Catelli any longer. I need to find my sister, and I need to avenge my friend, my way. I am sorry we part ways like this, but I won¡¯t have the courage to tell the man who has finally made me belong that he should marry someone else. Marry Cami, she loves you and in time your feelings for me would lessen and you would love her just as much and look after that kid, and never stop loving her as fiercely as you do, because a father''s love is stronger than anything she¡¯ll ever feel. And hold her tight, so she knows that you are safe. I suggest you put on the news someone has to take the me for all those deaths. Choose quickly Marco, the game has begun and La Sanati is first on the list. Until we meet again Love Always Aliyana I get up and lift the ss ball on my desk and fling it across the room, it hits the wall and shatters. I swipe everything off the desk and lift the desk up and throw it over. Our scent still lingers in this room, her blood, proof of our union is stained on my very flesh and she has left me, betrayed me, without even so much as a fucking moment to talk. I scream and let all my hurt, anger, the feelings of everything out. She left me! She is gone. I know Aliyana and I are not done. I will make her mine, and she¡¯ll pay for hurting me like this. But she is right, La must be stopped. Chapter 25 (Marco) Chapter 25 (Marco) The night is quiet and the siren of death remains in its cave awaiting the call. I crouch down, as my men filter across the Warehouse, awaiting my call. Many of them have fallen these past two years, I have lost 23 men, and tonight that number will increase, but it will be thest increase once the night is over. Leonardo shows the red dot on the man in the front, guarding his post. And the sound of his gun follows as our hell¡¯s night begins. Guns go off and we remain in our position as all of the Outfit soldierse from the inside, shooting like loose cannons, their fear tasted in the air. They should be afraid because they are about to die. Before my first tour, my father told me, a person tasted death before it came, it was like the earth''s way of preparing the human body for its grounds. I have always doubted the truth of that, but when I signal my men and they start shooting, and killing the men who attacked what was ours, I can honestly say I believe him. My gun aims and fires, killing as many of the Outfit as I can. La should have never started a war with me. I thought he would be smart enough to let my cousin get her vengeance and leave Mischa alone after our little talk but La will never stop, he is a man filled with malice, and set on taking back what he has convinced himself is his. My daughter. I run closer, missing a bullet to my shoulder by a hair''s breadth as Deno takes the guy out with a bullet to his head. The dead man falls as another man takes one, two, three bullets to his chest. The sound of death can finally be released and its loud noise fulfilling. Tonight, we feed the gates of Hell, rinse at the end of our enemy only to wash the outer stainse the morning, and tomorrow we repent for our sins, knowing it will never be forgiven because our soul will always be soaked in sin and blood. This is our damnation, and knowing it will not make us better, it will just make us colder. ¡°Clear the bodies. And fill the truck with everything that belongs to us, leave what¡¯s there¡¯s, let La come sort his own shit out,¡± Deno spits on the ground as he orders the men, kicking one of the dead men. I step over a few of them myself, refusing to look at any of them now they are no more. ¡°La did well not to be here tonight. Do you think he knew we were going to attack?¡± The question comes from Xander. ¡°Yes, but we already know that, which is why it¡¯s time we set a trap for our little snitch.¡± I smile as I look at my most trusted Soldier. ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± ¡°I was thinking eye-spy!¡± Heughs, ¡°Sounds like fun.¡± Xander leaves and starts helping with the bodies, I look over all the men in my arsenal and stand in the middle of the carnage, thinking which one of them was going to go and who is going to be the new recement. 2-hourster my men are all ready to move. ¡°Are you done for the evening?¡± Deno asks me and I already know the answer to that one even before I jump into his car. ¡°I have a short errand.¡± ¡°Where to?¡± ¡°Aliyana¡¯s house.¡± ¡°You sure? She is having an early birthday party We arrive at Aliyana''s house a little after 11. I know the ce is still packed because today is her birthday. It is a coincidence we park right at the corner and there she is, standing with Gabriel and Michel on the side of the house, talking. And not too far from them is Salvatore. The loyal soldier. Loyaltyes at a high price, it is actually a fucking joke, because the loyal ones normally get killed the fastest. I jump out of the car and march over to them. There is still death lingering on me. She is wearing the ugliest dress I have ever seen on anyone. It looks like a piece of stic shaped into a dress. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ¡°I thought men weren¡¯t allowed to Bachelorette parties?¡± Deno asks me as he walks next to me. ¡°Marco, Deno,¡± Sartini calls from the front door, alerting the trio in the corner of our arrival. ¡°Fuck.¡± Deno mumbles but turns around to the front door, I am hesitant as I look at the woman who is staring at me in equal parts hate, shock and nervousness. Yes, she should be very fucking nervous. I want to smile at her, but I¡¯m too angry over what she¡¯s done. Sartini is dressed in his usual suit and tie, as he engulfs Deno in a hug then me. Chapter 26 (Marco) Chapter 26 (Marco) ¡°What brings you here sote? Came to check up on Guilia?¡± He smiles, very pleased to see us, but I know he wouldn¡¯t be for very long. ¡°We here to talk to your daughter.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go and call her, ria painted her face in cream not too long ago.¡± ¡°Actually, I¡¯m talking about Aliyana.¡± And like I said, his smile drops and his calm facade transforms from father of the bride, to Consigliere of The Capo Dei Capi. ¡°What is it about?¡± Sartini questions but I see him signal Aliyana, from my prereferral vision. ¡°I just want to ask her a question, it shouldn¡¯t take long,¡± I respond as Deno remains by my side, forever my brother. The night sky is dark, as the house fills its surrounding with lights as the many guests drown the ce in noise. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! ¡°Yes, what¡¯s the problem Papa?¡± Aliyana queries as she moves in to stand right next to her father. He puts his arm around her shoulder and I finally get it. His love for his one daughter, can¡¯t be hidden because it is meant to be blossomed. She turns her head as those eyes of hers that just 5 days ago turned molten for me as I brought her body to pleasure. Her father holds all her attention and I am a fucking bastard because I want her gaze rested on me, looking at me. ¡°Marco and Deno are here for a quick question.¡± She smiles and finally I get her green gaze to grace me with the knowledge of our secret. ¡°Okay, what is the question?¡± ¡°We want to know where Mero is, we have searched everywhere.¡± She smiles, as a strand of blonde hair falls into her face, ¡°I haven¡¯t heard from him either. I don¡¯t me him though.¡± ¡°me him for what?¡± Deno asks her as her father keeps his frowning face on his daughter. She shrugs, smiling like she has no care in the world when we both know that is not true. ¡°Aliyana, talk quickly, you keeping Marco from his fiance.¡± His words make her flinch, but if he sees it Sartini doesn¡¯t show it. ¡°You wanted to kidnap him, kill him, because of a video. I don¡¯t me Mero for taking his chances, you have made it so that he is dead anyway.¡± I take a step closer to her, as my anger rises, but Sartini blocks her with his own body. He is the type of father who would step in to keep his daughter safe. No matter how wrong it is. I have always admired that about him, until now. This is between Aliyana and me. ¡°Aliyana will not know where Mero is, if he shows up she will tell you.¡± ¡°No, I won¡¯t Papa.¡± Shees from behind him, that fucking dress, is not a dress but a stic she wrapped around her body. ¡°Aliyana,¡± Her father¡¯s voice says her name in warning. I don¡¯t need to turn my head to know, Gabriel, Michel and Salvatore are behind me. Deno takes a step backwards readying himself if they thing about doing anything as the tension increases. ¡°I will not help you kill my friend; you can forget it. And if you think Gabriel or Michel is going to help let me just rest your little mind now. Read my lips Catelli, not happening,¡± She res at me and if her look could shoot bullets, I would be dead right now. ¡°You should learn your ce,¡± I warn her. ¡°And what ce is that exactly?¡± She smiles, but there is nothing nice about that smile as she steps behind her father, slightly, ¡°This ce here? I am my father¡¯s daughter.¡± ¡°Aliyana, enough of this,¡± Sartini tells her but his eyes are on me and his warning is clear.. Don¡¯t fuck with his kid. ¡°Is this what you want?¡± I ask Sartini because he has just drawn a line before we even tied the one we broke. ¡°If it¡¯s the only way yes.¡± I look at Aliyana, and then I turn and stare at the men who stand behind me. ¡°Loyalty gets you killed,¡± I tell them as I leave, with Deno following. ¡°That went well,¡± Deno mutters as we start the car and get out of there. ¡°Did you find out anything else from Dexter?¡± ¡°No, she didn¡¯t take Mero to any of his properties. Wherever Mero is we will find him. Aliyana wants time to prove his innocence. I say we give her that for now while we find him. Maybe he is innocent, and then we would have to face the consequences of his death.¡± My phone rings and I see the Ghost''s name shing. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°The Shadows will be arriving soon.¡± He clicks the phone off and I watch Seattle breathe itsst few hours of peace for a long time. The urge to text her is potent, so I do. Me: I hope you know what you¡¯re doing Yana: What I have to Chapter 27 (Aliyana) Chapter 27 (Aliyana) ¡°You look beautiful,¡± I say to my sister. She does. Her skin glows with happiness I will never feel. The glimmer in her gaze a reflection of crystal spotted in the sun. This is a good thing. Today is after all her wedding day. My sleeve hides the flecks of blood on my wrist. My gloved hands blinding her and all the outers of the evidence that is my temper from their using watchful sights. A smile is said toe in different forms and like one may see all things from a vast number of ¡®opinionated¡¯ ways, a smile can be taken just the same. I would like to think the one I am currently carving to my face is telling all of them that I am in fact sane and very ¡®delighted¡¯ to be here. Yes, what I think and what actually is, are onpletely opposite sides of the totem. Because I know my smile is fake, it is malicious, a lure to the na?ve and a tell, to the wicked. I am Aliyana Capello, Consigliera Sartini Capello''s daughter, and right now I am an enemy of the Catelli brothers. I¡¯m harboring a traitor, and maybe it is true, or maybe it isn¡¯t, either way, they are just as guilty as he is. They have taken many more brothers and sisters and as much as it pains me to say it, as much as Ren mattered to us, those people mattered to their family just as much. Months have gone by since Guilia was promised to Leonardo. Guilia and Leonardo dyed their marriage as long as they could. I am d in a way, as it has given them a chance to get to know one another. Two days have passed since Ist spoke to Marco. My father was so furious at me, he said nothing to me for the rest of the night. He further shouted at ria for nothing and that really got me. The next morning, he ordered me to go with Guilia and help her with their new ce. Most of the women prepared their homes before a wedding and purchased new clothes for all those dinners they would get invited to soon after. Guilia was no different. I spent thest 36 hours with her prepping Leonardo¡¯s apartment, near Azure, where they would stay. We were joined by cousins from the Catelli and Moretti family, which left Guilia and me with little to no time to spend with each other alone. She suspected something was going on when Cami and her left the Manor, but when they got back, I was waiting by the door with no sign of anything. My face was nk. We have not spoken about it and I have avoided any attempts from her side to bring the conversation up. So in a way, when thesedies were all over us, gossiping about their husbands or making up idle conversation, I was listening and ying the amazing sister. There were a lot of bad hush noises and the asional cuss words going around with the families right now, and those women were all in the know, although none of them really understand what the actual fuck was going on besides Nicole, the Capo Marcello¡¯s wife aka, Leonardo¡¯s mother and my sister¡¯s soon to be future mother-inw. One thing was for sure, Marco was right when he said my sister¡¯s marriage to Leonardo would help ease a lot of issues circting in the family and outside it too. The thought of leaving him, makes my chest ache at the finality of it all. He was so angry when he spoke to me, I hurt him, I could tell just by looking at his obsidian eyes. But how can he expect me to just let him kill my friend? Was that his idea of love? Mine was unconditional when it came to the Misfits. I owed Mero my life and just as much as I owed Ren. The only difference was my love for Ren was more. My phone rings, snapping me out of my reverie. Seeing the unknown number, I pick it up, walking toward the back of the house as my sister¡¯sugh sounds through the air when my brother tells her to hurry her ass up and get dressed. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Hey, I might have a tiny bit of a problem, I need to leave tonight.¡¯ ¡°What happened?¡± I ask as I look around me, making sure no one is eavesdropping on our conversation. ¡°Went into town today, like you said I stayed in the Southside, stopped at this burger ce, but Vincent Raseto showed up, my cousin. Tried to duck him, but he saw me.¡± ¡°Shit, and?¡± I hiss as I hear my name called from the other end of the house and my stomach sinks. This is not good. Vincent is close to the brothers, he will tell Deno. ¡°He said he isn¡¯t in the business of snitching, and got his order and left, but I think he knew I was there Liya, he didn¡¯t even look surprised.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Vincent, who is also a Stone, that whole family is weird. Where are you now?¡± ¡°At the cabin.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see you soon. It¡¯s Guilia¡¯s wedding, so we can move you if we¡¯re careful.¡± I see Filippoing toward me and clip the phone off, smiling at his nearing form. ¡°We are waiting for you, Guilia is almost ready.¡± My brother¡¯s words are terse and harsh, he is also upset with me. I¡¯m just not sure if it¡¯s due to my duty to my friend, or the betrayal of my father. ¡°I¡¯ming.¡± ¡°This wedding is important, so keep your opinions to yourself tonight. It¡¯s Guilia¡¯s day. And shit is already fucked as is.¡± He is scowling at me, and I understand why, but I also understand why I am helping my friend. ¡°Got it.¡± My sister¡¯s wedding is going to be the thing that hopefully puts a lot of people at ease, and brings some joy into many people''s boring lives. It is also going to serve as a distraction for an extraction. Chapter 28 (Aliyana) Chapter 28 (Aliyana) My father spared no expense for my sister¡¯s wedding which spoke volumes in itself. But Papa¡¯s silence and choice to cut me out of most of the celebration due to my altercation with Marco even after Deno insisted against it, is a hard pill to just swallow. He once told me to let bygones be bygones, so why can¡¯t he do the same for me. My Papa has no idea, his decision is the course of my silent despair. I am hurting something bad inside and I have no one to really talk to because the person who is hurting me is the only one, I have. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Marco didn¡¯t even look at me since that evening and I have seen him 5 times, I counted. Deno is stuck between a hard and soft ce. He betrayed my trust when he offered me help but went straight to the ce, he wanted me to take Mero. It hurt, knowing that he couldn¡¯t be trusted. Deno isn¡¯t the friend I thought. I make my way up the stairs, d Papa decided to use ria¡¯s new house and not mine. The tiles are pearlescent all through the bottom of the house, the upstairs including the staircase is fitted with grey carpets that cost my Papa close to 40k to have it ready for today. ria has really changed everything she could in the house and even though it isn¡¯t my style, I have to say the ce looks stunning. ¡°Guilia, Deno is here,e down,¡± My father¡¯s voice sails from the bottom of the house and I hear the sound of the guests as they p and talk. Kids y outside and again if you were an outsider you would think that this is just another normal family. There is nothing normal about us. When I get upstairs, greeting the women hanging around the stairs, I go to my sister¡¯s room. She is looking stunning in a Tibetan jasmine white and gold-trimmed dress that shows off her long legs and slim figure. Her make-up is wless and she outdid herself with her hair that is curled, falling down her back. The hairstylist is standing behind her, and I recognize the girl from my eco ss. A ceremony this big is private, which means she is either a Made-Man''s daughter or she is a soldier one. I¡¯m going with the latter since she doesn¡¯t look like an Italian. But neither do I. ¡°Hey, Serena. What are you doing there?¡± ¡°Looking at Guilia, Papa said Guilia is not going to stay with me anymore.¡± I put my phone on the stand next to Serena and touch her ringlets. ¡°Maybe not, but she will visit you often, and we can tell Papa to let you stay here on weekends.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± I hold my small sister and an ache in my chest expand that one day she soon will be getting married and I will regret not having too many of these moments. ¡°You look very pretty Liya.¡± I am wearing a lc three-quarter dress like my smaller sister Serena, only hers has flowers. Chapter 29 (Aliyana) Chapter 29 (Aliyana) I see Serenaparing dresses and she¡¯s obviously isn¡¯t liking hers very much when everyone gushes about Guilia¡¯s dress, including her mother, ria. In fact, for all ria¡¯s bitchiness, she has been a dream the entire wedding. She even backed ten dozen biscuits and 4 cakes just because she knows Guilia likes her cakes. I want to believe her niceness is real, I really do but I can¡¯t. ¡°You look beautiful too Serena.¡± She beams at me and I wink before I grab my phone from the passage table and begin to walk down before my sister. The amount of people in our entrance hall is an easy sixty. From our old Zia Irene to our Uncle Thomas, and Capo Marcello standing next to Nicole, they were all here, seeing their not so virgin bride walking down the stairs before she gets to the car. Deno is waiting downstairs, looking exceptionally neat in a tuxedo. Our house is packed and it feels like a funeral the way everyone is ring at me. It is almost like they all know my secrets like they can see I am hiding something or someone. I know that is not possible. The phone in my hand vibrates at that moment. A reminder of that secret and what I now have to do. A lot can happen in a few months, including losing your virginity to a man you have no intention of marrying. And My father is standing downstairs waiting to give my sister to the man I once thought I would marry. Slow steps, one at a time, down I go, people whisper as I finally reach the bottom stairs. After a quick, run and greet as my sister¡¯s maid of honor, we take a half-hour to get to the Catholic Church. Walking inside, I see Leonardo standing next to Marco and Deno by the alter, waiting with the Priest. For some insane reason, the news I heard this morning pops in my head. The shootout at the docks about 2 days ago, was now the new talk of Seattle, they were calling it gang wars, ming the Mexicans and I¡¯m sure that is what Marco and Deno wanted to happen. Then again, I did stroke his coat when I practically told him it was the Outfit who killed his men. I don''t need to wonder about the extent of Marco¡¯s crimes. I already know, and that is the reason the thoughts of us together, his naked body on top of mine, the taste of his lips as he kissed me with such abandoned y in my head and I find the courage not to go to him and beg him to forgive me. In this moment I am strong enough. My attention is given to Leonardo who looks striking, with his now short-cropped hair and linen white suit and blue tie waiting next to his brothers¡¯ looking every bit the nervous groom. My sister has grown fond of him. But now and again I still catch her looking at me like she needs me to give her permission. She has never needed my permission. My father is the only person my sister needs permission from and he has taken that away from her. Thesest few days I am finding it very hard to believe that Papa is better than the other men but as I look at him enter the Church with ria, like all these Italian Made-Men with their big rings and so much power, I''m finding it very hard to convince myself that my Papa is the man I have believed him to be, or am I blinded by the idea of better? "Aliyana, a woman after my own heart," Gabriel¡¯s voice snaps me out of my wicked thoughts as I spin around to look at him. He is looking very handsome today, in a Navy-blue suit of finely tailored perfection. I have not seen him since the day of my sister''s Bachelorette and with Matteo now permanently serving as a watchdog for my Papa, I couldn¡¯t even call Gabriel without Matteo breathing down my neck. "If I was after your heart I would have it by now," I tell him as a small smile peeks through the corner of my lips. ¡°Sometimes you say the sweetest things Liya.¡± I hug Gabriel, knowing this is my only chance for the day to let him know what happened, ¡°Mero called, Vincent saw him, we moving him today.¡± Gabriel pretends to kiss my cheek, ¡°I¡¯ll arrange the jet, Michel will let you know when to leave.¡± I step back just as my father announces that they will be having dinner in the ballroom. My eyesnd on my stepmother who is dressed in a lime green Vera Wang dress. She does not look very happy all of a sudden. And I know that it has nothing to do with my sister''s marriage. Which boggles my mind because I know for a fact that my stepmother wants me to get married but didn¡¯t want Guilia to, and that I always presumed was because Guilia was the twin''s free babysitter. Now I am not so sure. ¡°Sit next to me, Aliyana," Gabriel¡¯s face has a slight grin as he says this. "Why not, it will be better sitting with you than with her," I say as I tilt my head to the side. He takes me by the elbow with his fingers touching my flesh. The touch is intimate, but this is Gabriel so I brush it off and we move together toward the ballroom. "This must be hard for you, I hear your father and Filippo didn¡¯t take your little scene too well the other night," Gabriel whispers closely in my ear. ¡°It is what it is." Marco¡¯s wordse out of my mouth and this is the first time since he said it that I can understand why. Once, a not too long time ago what made it hard would be the feelings I have for him but today it is not my feelings making this hard, it is the extent of his crimes and those crimes extending to my friend.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! I see Leonardo stand and talk to my father, their hands locked in a man shake as my father tells him something that has him smiling. Matteo was very happy on our ride back home after we left the Manor, to share some of Leonardo''s crimes as Guilia slept with her music ring in her ears. To say the man didn''t like Leonardo was putting his actual hate toward Leonardo mildly. I don''t think the rest of the Catelli family did any better in his head. Which made Matteo a bit more tolerable. Chapter 30 (Aliyana) Chapter 30 (Aliyana) The light from the sensors blinds me but I remain crouched behind the tree, waiting for Salvatore to walk past and signal a clear coast. He tilts his head, and I rush down the driveway, keeping to the wall as Matteo and Cal turn the corner. 2 soldiers show up on my right and I duck down, just in time. After the wedding today, I was d Papa was angry with me, and didn¡¯t bat an eysh when I said I was going to tell Matteo to get me home. The reception was the one ce I wasn¡¯t allowed as it was the Catelli¡¯s property and Marco didn¡¯t want me there. He was trying to punish me, for the very thing he unknowingly helped me save, twice. Tonight¡¯s decision thus became easier, when defying Papa''s orders didn¡¯t consist of lying to his face. I wait as my leg starts to burn from the ufortable position it is currently in. The guards move like clockwork. It isn¡¯t a brain teaser to figure out that they are going to the guardhouse to check the surveince and then have a smoke. I wait for them to enter and I keep to my haunches. Once I get to the gate, I remain behind the bush of trees. Papa is leaving for DC tonight. He told me after announcing that Guilia and Leonardo will leave for their honeymoon straight after the reception. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. Today is exactly one week after my world came tumbling down as Marco confessed his love for me minutes after Cami confessed hers and sweetened it with a baby in the oven. She didn¡¯t show today, and I want to believe it is because she is homesick but I have no proof, and Michel neither. Cami was living with Xander, and that was all he knew. It is passing eight as the ck BMW drives in and I rush out. The soldier, Tike Malonees only for the evening shift. But he is like clockwork. Which makes it easy for me as I rush out. I run down the road, my phone lighting up just in time with Michel''s name. The cold air bites through the cracks of my thin sweat shirt. ¡°That was easy enough,¡± I say moving closer toward the car, phone on speaker. ¡°We should get you a doppelganger,¡± Gabriel yells from the car. ¡°We should, maybe one that would stay locked up for days,¡± I muse, with a wistfulness, as I say back into the phone shaking my head as I rush down the road. I see them parked in the 4 door ML and I run toward it. The bright Victorian style mansion they are parked in front of are full of cars. And the noise could be heard all the way down the driveway as I near them. Which is a sign that whoever¡¯s party it is, the ce is sting. The front door is pushed open, and I grab the top edge of the car door and hop in. I put my phone on the small section in-between the heated seats as Gabriel ends the call. Reversing out, he puts the car in drive as I clip on my seatbelt. ¡°Thanks for organizing the jet, I just spoke to Rosco, he said he¡¯ll meet us in Liston Hills.¡± I stare at Gabriel, and his eyes light up in a way that has my stomach knotting at the thought of what we would be doing tonight. Yes, tonight our lives are going to change drastically. ¡°Anytime Liya, though we should find out what the fuck is going on first with Mero before we move him,¡± He voices loud earning him negative points for bringing it up. Because questioning Mero is not going to be easy and beating a friend up would suck. ¡°What did you two get up to while I was trying to escape Fortnox?¡± ¡°We stopped by that new strip joint in town. Saw your father¡¯s guy. That old man that drives your ass to school when Di Salvo is MIA.¡± Michel points out from the back. I can smell the different cologne. Michel wears faint, but strong scents, and Gabriel always goes for a softer scent, Dunhill blue. Which he has worn since he was 15. ¡°Jere?¡± ¡°Yeah, we offered to get him a drink but he didn''t want to socialize with us young ones,¡± Michel carries on as Gabriel chuckles keeping his eyes on the road. The smell of his cologne is constant in the car but not overbearing. It is just there. But that could just be my imagination making something out of nothing, like the moments I catch him looking at Kylie, thinking he might be thinking of what it would be like to kiss her lips. Gabriel has never seemed like the type who would go for someone like Kylie. But I see the way he watches her. Or the times when Salvatore has walked into my house and found me painting, and his eyes showed me ces I might''ve considered entering if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that the Catelli brothers have both been the end of the arrow of my affections. Cupid has not taken a kind liking toward me when ites to love. And both times have ended with a Catelli ying the leading role. I should admit as I look at Gabriel driving while Michel begins ironing out our n that with Marco it was love, a mild feeling of wanting something that just couldn¡¯t be mine even though it was given to me on a tter. When it came to Leonardo it was just infatuation. A sense of wanting something I knew would never be mine. Sometimes we are drawn to the things we cannot reach. I think with both of them I fell, too hard for the idea of what could be and forgot what was. Which was nothing in Leonardo¡¯s case, and in Marco¡¯s, it was a young girl having foolish thoughts, believing that he, of all could love a woman like me. Because even though he has confessed his love, that lovees with a price, of someone else¡¯s life. The heat from the car is low enough that my ass is warm and my legs are not jittering. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that guy Jere didn¡¯t want to hang with us. Can¡¯t get over that shit.¡± ¡°You were trying to hump his girl,¡± Gabriel informs Michel as he elerates and I take the paper Mero hands to me. ¡°I was trying to sit nicely. I''m a big man.¡± Michel defends, which is true. He is huge. His muscles look fake but I know they are real. I heardst month he started training for his first cage fight. I always thought Mero would be the fighter since he was always training, not Michel. There is a lot of money involved in the underground rings, and one business that is shared amongst Bratva, Irishman, and the Famiglia. I was going to watch it with Papa and Filippo. They even put money on Michel saying that he was going to win. I didn''t doubt it one bit. ¡°Big or not, you were all over that girl. Couldn''t me you, that ass looked tight, you should work on your game though,¡± Gabriel¡¯s straitced tone has me smiling. The map in my hand shows a red line, I see faintly in the cars dim lights. ¡°Tight ass, nice big boobs, fuck, can''t believe that bitch is his wife.¡± Michel makes a sound of frustration and Iugh. I have seen Lyte; she is a mother of two boys but at 35-years-old, she looks way better than most of the girls on campus. ¡°Not as tight as Rissa,¡± Gabriel says as Michel and I make gagging noises. Teresa Palmer aka Rissa is Gabriel''s girlfriend from Campus. She''s a 2nd year in Actuary Science. Blue eyes, carrot red hair, sweet smile, and as he so nicely put it, great ass. Gabriel is young and has a good four years or more before his family would consider marrying him off and even then, he is a man so he can date whoever he pleases. Fidelity is like winning the full lottery in our world, far too rare to even consider it. Though it exists in some marriages. ¡°How long do you think it will take to get Mero out of there?¡± ¡°Without any hitches, I say 20 minutes max. Once he gets to the ne we can get him to Barfa in an hour without anyone seeing. Sabastian Delroy will be the one driving, apparently the guy is a really good driver.¡± Michel says all seriousness. ¡°And I hope you are wrapping it before you tapping Rissa. Don''t want your uncle ringing someone''s neck ¡®cause his nephew got a red head pregnant, that man scares the fuck out of me,¡± Michel says. ¡°Always,¡± Gabriel answers loud and clear. ¡°Are we almost ready to go?¡± I ask seeing him drive straight and not turn on to the highway. His smile is slow, I can taste the glee in the air. It is infectious. ¡°As ready as we can, considering we are about to piss off a lot of people.¡± Chapter 31 (Aliyana) Chapter 31 (Aliyana) After 6-hours, it is close to morning time. We have met a boy named Sabastian, who as promised drove from Liston Hills to Barfa and as Kylie said she would arrange, we had a group of bikers that helped us from Barfa to a ce called Ka. The town is dead and quiet, perfect for Mero to hide in in sight and Marco will never think to look so close to the Satan Sniper¡¯s Motorcycle Club. Mero is sitting on the blue and grey sofa, as Gabriel makes his famous coffee in the kitchen and I am standing by the wall stretching my legs while Michel is trying to fix the heater by the door. ¡°Maybe we should talk about why Marco wants your liver,¡± Michel says, not beating around the bush. ¡°He saw a video with me talking to Elise the day Jack Creston was kidnapped.¡± ¡°Elise? What does she have to do with it?¡± Mero looks at me and sits up cing his face in his hands. We all wait to hear what is going on, and why my sister is involved. ¡°Elise and I were having a thing, it¡¯s been on and off for a few years, and I loved her Aliyana. 2 months before Ren died, I found out something about her. I kept her secret hoping she would love me too. I wanted to marry her. I thought she¡¯ll tell me herself, confess but she didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Fuck, did you pop her Cherie?¡± Michel asks and I re at him, but all he does is shrugs as he lifts his jeans up and stands to his full height. ¡°No, she wasn¡¯t a virgin.¡± I frown trying to think of how sweet Elise could not be a virgin? If Mero didn¡¯t do it, somebody must have, so who? ¡°What is the secret? You said she has a secret?¡± Gabriel walks over with our drinks as Michel puts the switch on for the heater and the machine starts doing its thing. ¡°Elise isn¡¯t your sister, she is the Catellis¡¯. Capo Marcello was the one who slept with her mother, not your father. When Sabastian asked his dad, his father fed him a pint of lies. She fooled all of us, I had no idea how we were all getting yed for years.¡± ¡°What?¡± The soft voice ising from me, and I am still trying to wrap my head around it all. Elise? A lie? Now isn¡¯t the time to break and curse me for falling all these years. Believing she¡¯s good. Alice was right the night when she said I didn¡¯t know Elise, now she is gone back to Chicago. ¡°Fucking hell, shit fucker, what the fuck were you thinking Mero?¡± ¡°I fucked up.¡± He has lost so much weight thesest 5 days, and I want to pity him but now isn¡¯t the time. Nor is it the time to be angry. ¡°Yeah, well now they all want you dead. I told you not to go near Elise in the first ce. Now you tell me she isn¡¯t even my sister?¡± I move closer toward him, and Gabriel also sits down next to him. We know what love is like. It can make you do crazy things. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ¡°No, she¡¯s a Catelli, but a traitorous one. She¡¯s sleeping with La Sanati, the head of the Outfit, and he is double her age. He filled her head with so much shit, fuck Liya when she came to me and told me that Ren tried to hurt her, I didn¡¯t believe her, and she got so mad that day. I went to go see her after I spoke to you. She was hysterical. I didn¡¯t think she¡¯ll get someone to kill Ren. But I figured there was something not right that day when my ring went missing.¡± Chapter 32 (Aliyana) Chapter 32 (Aliyana) ¡°Do you know who it was?¡± His face is grave, and he drops his gaze. ¡°I¡¯m not 100% certain I¡¯m correct. I don¡¯t wanna cause trouble.¡± My eyes flicker to Gabriel who is also staring at me, as to say ¡®should we know¡¯ ¡°Who? Tell me dammit,¡± I yell as my heart elerates with the thought of who it could be. ¡°La himself. I went to Cristen and saw her there, I confronted her about my ring. And threatened to tell Deno who she was, but she smiled and said that she can see why La wanted to look in Ren¡¯s face when he shot him.¡± ¡°Okay, so that is practically a confession. Who was in the car with you the day Jack Creston got kidnapped?¡± Michel asks as he takes a seat on the small carpet in the middle of the lounge area. He looks to Gabriel, and I click my fingers getting his attention, ¡°Who Mero?¡± Material ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Sienna Bray.¡± I frown, taking a minute to digest that information. ¡°Sienna hasn¡¯t been seen in like a year, and shees to you? I know Sienna longer than you,¡± ¡°Well, she had leverage over me. She told me if I helped her, she wouldn¡¯t tell anyone that I was sleeping with Elise. She¡¯s the one who told me about Elise¡¯s father and the truth about who she really is. She also managed to get me this ring.¡± The ring on his finger was a replica not a real one. ¡°I couldn¡¯t afford to get one made since my father stopped giving me money and I¡¯ve been using what your father gives me to live and pay for my studies.¡± A made-man''s pride can have deadly consequences. Gabriel shakes his head, ¡°You should havee to me. I wouldn¡¯t even have blinked to fucking help you.¡± ¡°That just doesn¡¯t make sense. Why would Siennae to you, of all people? Leverage or not. She could have gone to Xander, the two of them dated a while back.¡± ¡°Because Elise was the one who told Jack Creston about Ren keeping the drug Diamond made and she promised to give it to him, if he found out where Kylie sent Diamond, for some reason La was very interested in the girl.¡± ¡°I see. It¡¯s going to be a long time before we can move you from here, the good thing is this ce is hidden and owned by someone who can keep you safe. Michel, Aliyana, or I will check up on you when we can. Until then I suggest youy low, there is enough food stocked tost you 6 months.¡± ¡°Thanks for helping me, I know the position it puts you all in,¡± Mero says and I don¡¯t think about it as I go to him and drop myself right on hisp and kiss his cheek. ¡°You would do it for us. We are family, there is no position better than that.¡± I say as I smile at him, hoping that God answers my prayer and keeps him safe. Gabriel put his hand on my shoulder, ¡°Aliyana is right. Family is family. We Italian, how can we turn our back on you?¡± ¡°And you are innocent, so we not reallymitting any big crime. We are merely stopping a war.¡± Michel says and we spend ourst hour with our friend as the sun begins to brighten our morning with its gentle reminder that we have to leave. ¡°How¡¯s Salvatore? Still think you can trust him?¡± Mero questions. ¡°Of course, yes. He was the one who showed me the footage of you and the one who kept Deno and Marco from tracking you.¡± ¡°Why isn¡¯t he here?¡± ¡°My father has forbidden Salvatore¡¯s presence in mypany. He is to keep a respectable distance from now. This means no car rides or Campus runs, just normal boring stuff. My father¡¯s words, not mine.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you will find a way, you always do. He seems like a good guy.¡± ¡°He is, we are cousins,¡± Michel answers Mero with a reminder of that small fact. I say goodbye to my friend and our trip back home is a sad one at best. Nothing can stop the dread weighing down in my belly. Elise betrayed us, we trusted her and this is what she did. I never thought I would ever live to see the day I would have to kill her. And it is sad to say that deep down I still love her. She is a piece of me. I used to sneak out of my house just to spend time with her, meanwhile, it was just a game for her. I never thought I could feel like this and it would because of a sister I thought I was saving. But she was plotting my friend''s murder. Chapter 33 (Aliyana) Chapter 33 (Aliyana) Today is supposed to be glorious, and magical. I¡¯m supposed to get up and walk downstairs and everyone is supposed to scream ¡®Happy Birthday Aliyana.¡¯ Only here I am downstairs, eating breakfast, alone at my kitchen counter. I look at my phone, hoping it would ring or I would get a message, but nothinges through. Frustration and anger ring its ugly head as I spoon the oats cereal into my mouth. I put my phone on silent, for a few minutes. Then I go into my chats and silence my father¡¯s name. Then I change the silent ringtone and add something not too loud. Once my cereal is done, I take my phone and start scrolling to see my Facebook messages. Nothing Nobody remembers it¡¯s my birthday. I wish summer could be here so I could swim my troubles away but it is a cold day. And since my father decided to leave for New York and not return, and my brother decided to drop off the Aliyana wagon with him there is no borate day today. Unhappy father, broke ass daughter. Guilia was still on her honeymoon, trying to get a baby I¡¯m sure and since Kylie decided to surprise her hot biker boyfriend, I¡¯m guessing my birthday is not anything to celebrate after all. Mero would have done something, except he is hiding out in the middle of nowhere, trying to stay alive. My phone rings and I almost fall off the chair swiping right. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°I¡¯m freezing outside, mind opening?¡± Salvatore. ¡°Yes,¡± The thought of torturing him a bites to mind but I bite my tongue, as he bangs on the door and a thrill at just having somepany brightens my mood. I swing open the door, and look at the tall man before I beckon him inside, where he starts taking out his jacket and boots. ¡°Your ce is like entering a different atmosphere it¡¯s so warm.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± I smile as his scar face changes from mild amusement to a full blown smile when he hands me a box. ¡°You remembered?¡± I squeal as I throw my short body into his chest, happier he remembered my birthday than the actual present. ¡°How could I forget Miss Capello, it is all you ever talking about these days.¡± ¡°Well, yes, true, but no one else has even called.¡± I tell him, but he says nothing to that as he hands me my present. I open the ck wrapper and open the box, revealing a pair of sapphire and diamond earrings. The gift is extravagant, and personal. ¡°Do you like it?¡± He asks, and I lift my toes and kiss him on the cheek. ¡°It¡¯s perfect Salvatore. Thank you.¡± ¡°You are wee Miss Capello.¡± ¡°You should go get something to drink, I¡¯ll just go put this in my room.¡± His knowing gaze says nothing as he leaves me and heads to the kitchen. I rush up the stairs, my room door is pushed open, and I frown knowing I left it closed so the heat could circte better. Checking around to see if anything is misced, I almost don¡¯t see it, but in between my pillow is a green envelope. I put the box down on my night stand and sit as I take the envelope. It has my name on it, written in a familiar hand writing. I would recognize it anywhere. ¡°Mom.¡± I say as my fingers trace the letters. I tear it open and a single letter written in white paper sits inside with a key. I get up and close my door, in case Salvatore decides toe upstairs. My body feels so tingly everywhere as I prepare myself for whatever is in the letter. Dear Aliyana Happy Birthday my beautiful precious girl. Today sees a new year, that will bring a lot of beginnings as it will endings. If you are reading this, then as you know I am gone from the earth and you have lived to see 20 years. If you have found love, hold on to it for as long as you can, nurture it, and never stray because love is magic all on its own. And if you have experienced heartbreak, let it be known that the world is a ball, and the people on it, are held by its gravity. Without heartbreak, we can not love, for how does one love with all the pieces when you have not experienced its losses. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. I¡¯m sure you have grown into a wonderful life because I know your father, he is a hard man, but where he is hard, he is a fierce protector. He would have made sure you knew you were loved by him. But if you weren¡¯t, or if he too has fallen, then I have made sure of it now. I know a simple letter cannot make up for the loss of a parent. I too have experienced the loss of both. But like my mother, and her mother before me, I leave you with all my possessions. My wealth, so you never have to answer to anyone but yourself. My house, so you never know what it is to be homeless, and my love, so you know without a doubt that you are loved without any reasoning. Aliyana, there is something else I must leave you with, but the answers you seek will be waiting for you at the address behind this letter. The key will open it for you. Good luck my darling daughter Love forever and eternally Your mother Chapter 34 (Aliyana) Chapter 34 (Aliyana) At the bottom of the letter is a co-ordinate. I punch the numbers into my phone and a few secondster I get a pin drop. It is 10 minutes from my house. That is creeping close to not being a coincidence. After all this house is the one my parents chose to raise us in. Now the question is, how to get out of here. ¡°Salvatore.¡± I yell from upstairs and it is barely a minute when hees to my room, ¡°Yes Miss Capello?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking about doing my hair, it isn¡¯t too far, I¡¯ll take Matteo.¡± He frowns as his lips thin. ¡°Certainly, if that is what you want.¡± The truth crosses my mind but I simply nod and say nothing at all. If it is a trap, I rather have Matteo with me, that way if he gets shot, one less Di Salvo is not going to keep me up at night. When he leaves, I change my clothes into something more casual, jeans and a white and purple cardigan, with boots and a ck coat. I tie my hair into a high ponytail and slip on my hat, scarf, and gloves. I grab the Glock I keep hidden under my nightstand. Matteo is waiting for me by the car with a bored expression on his face. ¡°Happy Birthday Aliyana.¡± He says all smiling and arrogant as usual. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Now, you nning to tell me where we are going little flower?¡± Matteo asks just as he jumps into the driver''s seat. ¡°Yes, to this location here. And I told you to stop calling me that.¡± I show him the pin drop. ¡°Why do I get the feeling this is something you want no one but your father to know.¡± ¡°Because I told you and you are his loyal servant.¡± Matteo scowls but shuts up and drives. My mind is reeling with the letter burning fire in my back pocket. My mother didn¡¯t forget me, she loved me. She left me everything. I am so eager to know what this key unlocks; I want to scream at Matteo to drive faster. We get to the ce, but it is an old, dpidated house, that looks a few days away from falling down. But it has promise. Is this what she left me? I jump out of the car and the slight nip in the air seeps through my chest and kisses the column of my neck. Matteo jumps out, ¡°Matteo you need to stay here. This is personal.¡± ¡°No can do, I¡¯m not letting you go in there without me.¡± ¡°There is no need, she is safe with me.¡± The voice has me spinning around as Ie face to face with my brother. ¡°Filippo, I thought you were...¡± He smiles, ¡°I¡¯ll exin soon,e with me.¡± Matteo stares at me for a second but shrugs his shoulders and gets back into the car. I follow Filippo into the yard area and walk over what looks like an old condom, and a few broken ss bottles. The ce must have been home to a few suspect people not too long ago. We get to the top of the varanda, and Filippo looks at me, ¡°Happy Birthday sister.¡± He kisses me and his lips are cold touching my cheek. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°The key, opens this door.¡± I take the key, shocked that he even knows about it, did he put the letter on my bed? I didn¡¯t even see him enter. And how did he get here before me? ¡°I can see our mind is working, but if you open this door you can get some answers.¡± I am nervous, somehow opening this door is important somehow. My fingers tremble, as I lift the key to the door, and I am going to me it on the cold and not the nervous anxiety I am experiencing. Turning the key, I put my other hand on the doorknob and open the house and my heart must stop beating, or something is terribly wrong for what I see before me is a shock. I walk into the house, Filippo leaves me and joins the men I see on a knee standing in a semi-circle facing me, bowing to me. ¡°Is this some kind of present?¡± The man in the center lifts his head, and his blue eyes hold my gaze, as a shiver from my back creeps up my spin. ¡°Royalty needs to be bowed to, even an emotionless man like myself knows that.¡± His voice, is deep, with a Southern drawl, and it is then his familiarity seeps through my shocked frozen brain. Kylie¡¯s brother. ¡°Kevin Stone.¡± I say, he smiles, ¡°Yes, may we stand?¡± ¡°Yes, of course, there must be a mistake, I am not royalty.¡± The men begin to stand, ranging from the early ¡¯20s to theter ¡¯40s. I recognize a few of them, including Sabastian Delroy, the young guy that helped us get Mero to safety. ¡°But you are. Your mother is the 7th child of a 7th child, and you are herst born, which makes you heir to her throne.¡±Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! ¡°Wait what?¡± I look at Filippo but I see he is quiet, but another man, in his 50¡¯s steps forward. And I know him very well, he is Marcus Bray, Kylie Bray¡¯s father. ¡°The Vasiliev wasn¡¯t always a member of the Bratva. They were once just Queens and Kings of Russia until there lost almost all their children due to a war that took ce centuries ago. To win the war they turned to an organization known as the ckhand, a dangerous group of criminals. Their throne came at a high price when they were forced to give one of their own up as payment to the ckhand. The Queen, Alexandra Vasiliev didn¡¯t agree with her husband¡¯s decisions so she started a group of shadows, assassins that were trained inbat, but came from Aristocrat backgrounds to terminate the ckhand. The group consisted of 16 men and 1 woman. After the ckhand was dead and gone the families all signed a deration, that every son from their bloodline would join and the youngest Vasiliev woman from each generation would take the ce as Queen. To make sure the Shadows remained just a legend, the Vasiliev bloodline chose to remain a secret and gave up its crown to its cousins.¡± Chapter 35 (Aliyana) Chapter 35 (Aliyana) ¡°How did Royalty be part of the Bratva?¡± Marco steps forward and I am shocked, he would be a part of this, how? Why? ¡°Your great Grandmother, Devora Vasiliev, the Queen before your mother, fell in love with one of the Bratva, she¡¯s the one who amended the order, so no one in the underworld including the Boss of all Bosses had more power than the Shadows. It was her way of making sure the 5th State always had a bnce and her husband couldn¡¯t use the Shadows to gain power.¡± ¡°She was righting a wrong she did.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Marcus says as Marco remains standing, looking at me. All the men are wearing suits except for one. Kylie¡¯s brother, Kevin Stone. Kylie said he had another name, a biker name. Killer. ¡°I know about the Shadows, I have heard stories, they are a secret brotherhood, sworn to keep the 5th State in line.¡± The Shadows were a myth, but Leonardo used the name a few times. ¡°You said all sons?¡± I ask Marcus. ¡°Yes, which means my sons will join when they are 20.¡± ¡°SO how many Shadows are there?¡± ¡°For now, there are 13, the Orniel bloodline has one active member, Killer.¡± He says his biker name, not his real one which I find interesting but says nothing. ¡°So, what is my part in this?¡± ¡°You would train, like all of us, and be a member of the Shadows. You will be given full-time Shadows, to protect you at all times. When you turn 21, you will sign the treaty and a few legal documents and begin your Reign. Obviously, there are rules that must be upheld, our job is to intervene in 5th State affairs when it bleeds into the world. We don¡¯t get involved in personal affairs.¡± Killer says because I guess that is Kylie¡¯s brother''s name. ¡°I understand, but does that mean I can¡¯t get involved too?¡± ¡°If you are involved in anything it is our duty to protect you and stand with you as long as it is for a greater purpose of good.¡± ¡°And what if one of you is the bad one?¡± My eyes settle on Marco and he clenches his jaw but says nothing as my brother finally speaks. ¡°In that case, if you can prove he is not loyal to the course, the majority of us will agree to an amendment of the treaty and we can erase the entire family name off the treaty. However, I must warn you Aliyana, that doing that is not something you should take lightly. Our business outside this circle does not interfere with the bnce. Your protection toward your friends and Marco¡¯s vendetta against it has no ce here.¡± ¡°Your brother is right, being the Queen of Shadows makes you the most hunted female in the world. Killing you is a sign of power. You would need to learn to choose your battles wisely. Your choices affect millions of lives now Aliyana,¡± Marcus says. ¡°Marcus is correct. As from today your father and his guards will no longer be of service to you. The Shadows protect their own. Your money, and all your living expenses has been transferred to your own ounts. As heir to the Vasiliev fortune, you are entitled to all the wealth belonging to your family. Obviously, your brother and sister gets a small fortune which they have received upon turning 20.¡± ¡°You mean Azure?¡± I ask Killer as he ys with his lip ring. ¡°Yes, and your dick head brother, Aleksie. I suggest you employ me to shoot him now.¡± ¡°Killer.¡± Another guy says and I look at him, also in a suit, but he has a tattoo on his cheeks, with snakes, it looks like it goes down to his neck. ¡°So, do I get to think about this?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, not, none of us have a choice, trust me, I will rather be in New York now.¡± One of the men says, and he has grey eyes, tall, he reminds me of someone I have seen on T.V but I am not sure. ¡°Who is going to train me?¡± ¡°All of us.¡± ¡°And why this ce?¡± ¡°This is your great grandmother¡¯s house.¡± ¡°I see, can I order one of you to not kill my friend.¡± ¡°It depends.¡± ¡°On what?¡± ¡°Is your friend¡¯s death going to start a war that will leak into the outside world killing hundreds of innocents?¡± Killer asks, but I know he already knows the answer to it. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then no. I¡¯m hungry, does your ce have food?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I say leaving the word hanging. The men all start filing out. I get outside and standing there is a ck car, with dark windows. Killer stands in front of it with his arms crossed, and his tattoos now visible since he removed his jacket. ¡°I¡¯ll be staying with you for the week as extra protection. I suggest you keep my sister in the not need to know.¡± His warning is clear and I have noe back to that since I understand his desire to keep Kylie safe and innocent. She doesn¡¯t need to know about this. I¡¯m a Queen. I wonder if ites with a Castle? ¡°Matteo is gone, I¡¯m going to need a lift.¡± Killer throws the keys and I catch it quickly. He opens the driver¡¯s door and I feel like Christmas, and maybe a bit like a queen. I jump in as he rounds the car. ¡°And whatever you do, don¡¯t tell my sister you drove my car.¡± Killers blue eyes are so in-depth that when he looks at me it is almost like I am mesmerized. ¡°Got it.¡± I say as I touch the scanner with the key and the car starts. This is going to be one hell of a ride. The other Shadows follow us as I speed up and head home. We make it in 7 minutes and Killer doesn¡¯t bat an eye at my driving. When I get home, it is quiet. The Guards are all gone. ¡°Salvatore?¡± I yell, hoping he is still around. But nothing. ¡°I told you, the Shadows protect their own.¡± ¡°Who is going to protect me from now on?¡± ¡°I am. Salvatore and Xander will be on your private protection since they work for me and you may choose any of the Shadows when you turn 21.¡± Marco answers, walking into my kitchen. I watch all these men, walking around and helping themselves to everything. They are now mine tomand. I am a Queen, the Queen of Shadows. How does that work for me? Is that why Marco wanted to marry me? ¡°Doesn¡¯t getting a Mafia to protect me defeat the purpose of the shadows?¡± I ask the question and they all stop what they doing. Weird. ¡°Marco is not part of the Mafia, his brother is. Deno made a choice to take over his father and have no part in the Shadows.¡± ¡°Howe he gets to choose and not me?¡± ¡°Because he is a victim, and unfit to be a part of the Shadows. Marco answers and for some reason the answer is blunt but saying the words aloud hurts him.¡± Material ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°But Leonardo decided to take his ce, he is on his honeymoon but when he is back, he will be your trainer for the 2nd month,¡± Killer says putting a cup of coffee in front of me. ¡°We can¡¯t keep things from you, all the men you see here are honorable to the course, we take this seriously. Many have died keeping peace in a fucked up world, so don¡¯t take it for granted.¡± The man with the tattoo says as he sits down on the counter. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I asked you about Deno,¡± I tell Marco in front of everyone and that earns me a small nod from Killer which somehow makes me feel like I scoured points or something with him. But isn¡¯t he supposed to be on my good side? ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. But next time you want to know something personal make sure you are alone.¡± I nod and get up as Marcus and another man I don¡¯t know start making breakfast. I want to know all their names but I make a note of spending time with my Shadows. If this is to be my family from now on, I should know them. Because I have a feeling that is exactly what this is, a family of really badass men. Chapter 36 (Aliyana) Chapter 36 (Aliyana) 1 year Later ¡°I think it¡¯s an idea you should consider.¡± My short steps rush behind Gabriel¡¯s long strides. The touch of cold tickles my nose as Gabriel moves a few paces ahead of me. It¡¯s a year since I found out I was the Queen of killers and so far, I¡¯ve done well not to call them for anything. I meet with all my Shadows for training and my life as my mother promised is very different. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. But hiding Mero for a year is a long time and I have pushed finding Elise who is still MIA back for longer. The thought of hurting her just doesn¡¯t gel with me. I believe there is always two sides to every story. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Gabriel, it makes sense. Think about this for a bit, a few months working with my dad could do wonders for your rank and we can see each other every day.¡± Also, I don¡¯t have to hurt you when you try to prevent me from killing your Uncle. ¡°Working for my Uncle is going to do that Liya and we already see each other every day. You would be married sooner orter. Choose a husband already. How¡¯s Salvatore?¡± ¡°Papa said I didn''t have to marry anytime soon. Salvatore isn¡¯t up for discussion. And Papa isn''t your Uncle. Don¡¯t you want to work for someone who is going to make you look honorable?¡± What I really want to say, is my father doesn¡¯t have any say over how I live my life, and you should really consider working for my father because it is going to keep you alive so you can take over as Capo after we kill your uncle, when we find him of course. Heughs, ¡°Your father doesn''t have an honorable bone in his body.¡± I know that, my father didn''t be the Consigliere of the most powerful man in the 5th State doing honorable things. And I certainly didn¡¯t be the Queen of Shadows because I was a saint either. ¡°He is ambitious, nothing wrong with that.¡± He stops a few steps before his ck Jeep, and I ignore his soldiers, and my shadows around us smiling at how my head knocks into his back. Gabriel grips my arm and brings me to the front of him. ¡°Where do you get all this energy from?¡± His face looks perplexed. Like he thinks I am absurd. Which isn¡¯t too far off the mark. I am training 3 hours a day, including a 2- hour run in the morning and my fortnightly sessions with Killer, the torturer who works my body for 4 hours non-stop. But I can¡¯t tell my friend any of that. He is clueless that his friend is the Queen of Shadows. Sincest week this has been the same conversation Gabriel and I have been arguing about. His uncle is the Capo Dei Capi, but he has been really bad and pissed off some really important people that want him dead. So, our n was to fake his death and me ourselves for ending his life. Obviously actually killing him is not part of the n. But he will step down from his rank and the new Capo Dei Capi will rise. My free time now mostly spent with Kylie since Diamond disappeared. It is a favor for Killer. I¡¯m still not sure of the whole story with Diamond, but I didn¡¯t pry. Kylie is the type, if she wants you to know, you will know. But Killer asked me and I didn¡¯t mind. Kylie was changing and we were both worried about that. Seeing Gabriel and Michel was bing a problem. People in the 5th State were starting to talk; well my stepmother was doing the talking and the other people were just repeating. My link to Catelli Famiglia had to be kept, because if it didn¡¯t then the 5th State would wonder and that would make me a target. More so now that my birthday was tomorrow. Filippo told me not to worry, but I didn¡¯t want Papa to have more to worry about. There was a war brewing with the outfit and Amariya DeMarco was the name whispered. Papa wasn¡¯t pushing marriage on me since my sister and Leonardo got marriedst year. Not that he had a choice but if he asked me I would do it. He knew that, we both did. And I wasn¡¯t interested. Life without Marco was good. He was still engaged to Cami and my guess was after 2 years of being engaged, we would be attending their wedding soon. But there was no baby. I thought of asking him about Cami but every time I saw him the question died in my mouth and understanding that his business was his own. The Shadows is something bigger than our quarrel. I didn¡¯t avoid him as I did before. I couldn¡¯t, because there were a lot of times where he needed my answer to a problem. I found out that the Shadow¡¯s relied on my input to make decisions because I was the Queen and the more empathetic of all of us. Chapter 37 (Aliyana) Chapter 37 (Aliyana) His engagement to Cami was known amongst the Famiglia and public but since our time at the manor he was never spotted with her often. It took me a while, but I could say that he never crosses my mind when I am awake. I have moved on. Kylie told me, the day I confessed everything to her, that moving on, and loving different people is a normal thing to do. She said a strong woman loves without worry. It is all part of the ride. Her advice helped me realize that Marco Catelli was not meant to be part of my entire story, and Leonardo was just a really good idea but not worth writing about. His infidelity is something my sister hates but knowing him I know his reasons run far more than just the story people paint about him. The two of us have gotten close and he is the one I would choose tomorrow as my 3rd Protector. Papa wants to cut off his dick and shove it in his throat. I know, he told me many times after Guilia called crying. Papa also wants to do worse with Deno since the two of us have be somewhat friends that saw more of each other than was eptable, but he was the Capo of the Famiglia and I happened to be quite interesting in his now newfound life. The Queen of Shadows is an important person to have as a friend. To think Leonardo had my sole interest for years. Life always shows you why it does what it does when you are ready. As for Gabriel, he didn''t want to hear about working for my father. In his charming way, I was beginning to believe that he didn''t hold my father in the highest regard. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! ¡°Come to the Apartment, I¡¯ll invite a few people over and we can just rx, tomorrow you¡¯ll be official, Legal to be Illegal.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t. If I want to enjoy tomorrow, I need to get that assignment done and finish that art piece for Mrs Krane. Plus, I promised Kylie I¡¯d meet her for lunch then I have to get to the Azure for dinner with Deno, it¡¯s Thursday.¡± This time I am talking about the truth. I had a lot to do before tomorrow. He touches my cheek, his deep attentive gaze frowning at me, ¡°Has Kylie mentioned anything to you about her and Vincent?¡± ¡°Maybe, why?¡± ¡°Michel mentioned he¡¯s been staying there.¡± This is a moment where I have to chew my tongue. Vincent has been staying there, and Kylie isn¡¯t the reason. The truth was much bigger than that, and no ce for me to open my mouth, especially to Gabriel. A few months ago, Deno and I went out, which was a normal thing now. The Capo of the Famiglia and I were friends. Real friends. And with that friendship came knowledge and trust that I would never jeopardize. And one of those things was the daughter of Gabriel¡¯s Uncle, Amariya DeMarco. Her story is one story that the more I learn the less I want to know. It is a dark and twisted nightmare; she still lives with. It is the reason she calls herself Beggar and the reason my father had to work so closely with the Catellis¡¯. It is also the reason Vincent is living with Kylie, because Amariya is there, hiding from her husband, La Sanati. The man I am going to kill. The funny thing is, I didn¡¯t find out from Kylie, it was Deno who spilled the beans about everything. ¡°Maybe Vincent finally decided that a Texan girl is exactly what he needs.¡± ¡°Maybe. You should get your ass home!¡± I know Gabriel doesn¡¯t buy that, but I also know he will never suspect me of knowing anything. ¡°Miss Capello, we need to leave.¡± I smile at that sound as I look across to Salvatore. His ck suit fits him like it was meant for him, which it was because it is tailored. ¡°Think about what I said,¡± I tell Gabriel as he touches the tip of my nose before giving chin lifts to Salvatore and Leonardo. I walk the small distance to the Bentley as Salvatore opens the door for me, my mind contemting on what I should be doing first. ¡°Are you sure you can''te? it will be nice to see you before the baby is born." Guilia whines as I open the door of my house. ¡°I can''t Guilia, I have finals. I promised my friend I would stay with her for the long weekend,¡± The lie comes naturally as I take the stairs to my bedroom. ¡°I never see you anymore,¡± Sitting on my bed reading my new book, ¡®Archangel¡¯s Prophecy¡¯ is Xander. ¡°Can we talk about thister? I have to go.¡± ¡°I guess, I love you.¡± She says as I end the call and pull off my pumps, flinging them both at him. He whacks the one with my book across the room and the other grabs with his free hand. ¡°What the hell are you doing in my room?¡± Gosh, he is annoying. His dark brown hair is cropped shorter than I am used to. I haven¡¯t seen him for 2 days. ¡°Waiting for you.¡± His deep gaze, lighter than my own twinkles as he gives me one of his mischievous smiles. ¡°And you couldn¡¯t wait in your own room? Or some other part of the house?¡± ¡°No, I got you a little present.¡± He gets off my white covered bed. He¡¯s in jeans and a blue tee that does wonders for his body. I will never tell him that though. Wouldn¡¯t want him to get a big head. That¡¯s why he makes you flush, Aliyana, because he is arrogant, or is it something more? I stretch my hand out, but he doesn¡¯t put anything inside it. He stands behind me. His body heat close, to mine. He slides my hair to the side as I remain stiff, waiting. His breath catches my naked ear, ¡°You know, Aliyana, beauty lies within the flesh, bone-deep, where only the curious can see, and the brave will conquer. I have tried to decide which one describes you, curious, or brave.¡± ¡°Have you figured it out?¡± He puts his hands over my head and reveals a chain with a pendant. I don¡¯t get to examine it as he fastens the link, sealing it on my neck. ¡°I think a bit of both.¡± He spins me around slowly, and I stand there, looking at him, in the middle of my bedroom. Will he kiss me, will he too leave me for an Italian woman? What will happen after we kiss? Does he like me? What is he thinking? Should I make the first move? No, that didn¡¯t end well with Marco. Maybe he just wants me to stare at him like this. His face transforms into a smile, as he kisses my forehead. ¡°I wanted to be the first to give you your gift, it matches the dress you wearing tomorrow.¡± ¡°Thank you, It¡¯s beautiful.¡± ¡°But you haven¡¯t seen it, how would you know it is beautiful?¡± My cheeks heat up as heughs and holds me by the shoulders taking me to the long oval mirror on the right side of my bedroom. My eyes stare at him in the mirror. He is very attractive, and his ent that once annoyed me is missed in this lonely house when he is running errands for me which have be a frequent thing. ¡°Look at your ne.¡± My eyes drop to my neck, and my breath catches a bit, it is beautiful, the Pendant is shaped like an eye, with diamonds as the outline and a ck diamond in the center. Is it odd that Marco¡¯s Catelli¡¯s ck eyes pop into my head, ruining this moment, but also iming it at the same time? My phone rings, as the doorbells go off. ¡°I should go get that! Marcus is sending Sabastian to stay tonight with Salvatore and you. We have some business. Leonardo and Killer are going to New York. Try to get some sleep, you have a big day tomorrow.¡± Our moment is gone, faded away. We have had a few of them, but with an enemy who bes your bodyguard, andter someone you possibly fall in love with, you can never know if it means something. Plus, I have been wrong before. I sigh, as I look at my neck, such a beautiful gift from an evil person. I wonder the extent of his crimes just as I wonder of the taste of his lips. Chapter 38 (Aliyana) Chapter 38 (Aliyana) I hear the door close as a textes to my phone. What ya up to biatch that you ain¡¯t answering my call? Taking that hottie Sal for a ride? Or Xander? .KB Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Iugh shaking my head and dial Kylie. ¡°Knew that shit will get your attention,¡± She says in greeting. One thing I know about Kylie is her tendency to avoid goodbyes, hellos and new meetings. She prefers everything to start from the middle. ¡°It will get anyone¡¯s attentioning from you. What¡¯s the ns?¡± ¡°Was thinking since I need a chat with Mr Crime Boss for a bit we go to Azure, have lunch, and then you and Deno can do your thing? Also, tonight¡¯s the Fraternity Partay, if you can get Xander to take a hike for the night and get Mister ¡®Hot Salvatore¡¯ to skedaddle your sexy behind to that said Partay I would be ever grateful, got my chick B with me, I wanna introduce your ass.¡± I smile because by the sounds of it, Kylie wants to introduce me to Amariya and that says something. ¡°Xander isn¡¯t around tonight, I will skedaddle my behind and meet youdies there, you are aware we could have just said all of thister when we having lunch, right.¡± Kylieughs, ¡°I ain¡¯t talking smack today, I actually have stories that need to be spilled tonight involving a very sexy male specimen, that is going to take all our talk time.¡± Iugh and don¡¯t stopughing even after Kylie cuts the call and I rushst minute to change my clothes. My phone rings and this time I frown at the number, ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°We need to talk.¡± That voice has me closing my eyes and my vibrant mood shifting. My brother Aleksie. He called me months ago with news I wasn¡¯t yet ready to share. ¡°I am all outa words.¡± I clip the call short and take a long breath remembering I am supposed to be upstairs changing. Xander is sitting on the edge of my bed again. ¡°I thought you are leaving?¡± I say as I walk past him and head into my closet. I look at the stacks of denim pants and grab a ck pair and then turn to my t-shirts. I slip off the band around my wrist and begin gathering my hair into a high ponytail. ¡°Alice hasn¡¯t answered her phone since yesterday, she wasst seen with Cami Moretti.¡± ¡°And I am supposed to care why?¡± He grips my arm and turns me to face him when I don¡¯t. ¡°I know okay.¡± He says it like I am supposed to know what he is talking about. ¡°About what Xander?¡± My sarcasm isced with irritation. ¡°Yourte nights with Salvatore Moretti for starters.¡± I smile at this and shake my head. ¡°I have no idea what you are on about. Jealousy doesn¡¯t suit you.¡± He is starting to get angry, a normal urrence with Xander recently. ¡°You think I was hounding you a year ago for nothing? I am trying to protect you, Ali. Do you think I am the only one who knows of where you go? Why? Salvatore doesn¡¯t give a fuck about you, I do.¡± My heart rate spikes but I give nothing away, that was a lesson I had to learn the hard way. Give them nothing. ¡°You only give a fuck about yourself.¡± ¡°Keep believing what you want Ali Cat. Now isn¡¯t the time to y dumb, my sister could be in real danger and I am asking you to help me, please.¡± ¡°What danger could she be in? You are insinuating and not for the first time that Cami is some dangerous vindictive bitch, when she is not. We have been over this Xander, she is your cousin. If Marco knew your little crazy fest against his beloved it will not end well for you.¡± I happen to like having you around Xander. ¡°Alice starts hanging out with her and all of a sudden she is missing? I always wondered what the twins were talking about that day at Azure, we would never know now would we?¡± I grip his wrist and stare at him in his eyes, as I pull his hold on me, and turn back to the stack of t- shirts. Spotting the white cotton tee with the words country ¡®hot¡¯ girl painted across. His phone beeps and I leave him to it hoping it¡¯s urgent and he needs to leave. Chapter 39 (Aliyana) Chapter 39 (Aliyana) ¡°Aleksie, Aliyana?.¡± His words, those words. I grab my tee and keep calm as my heart rate spikes. Then I act. I spin around and kick him in his left leg. He blocks it acting fast and grabs me around my waist as I go for his throat. He grabs my wrist in an unyielding grip. This happens as I find my body suspended off the ground, my back hitting the shelves, my clothes I took out on the floor, while Xander Moretti¡¯s entire body is pinning me. I re. He smiles like this is amusing, ¡°That look Ali Cat.¡± I struggle but stop when I feel something very hard, something that should not be hard. My eyes bug out and heughs actually fuckingughs. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! ¡°This is not funny.¡± ¡°It is quite hrious actually. I knew you were a little firecracker, controlling all those boys, wrapping them around that pinkie of yours, but love, you have surpassed my expectation, I am impressed.¡± ¡°Can you let me go?¡± ¡°I happen to like you like this, now let¡¯s try this again, why are you talking to Aleksie and why is Alice seen with him and you at a fucking restaurant in Bratva territory? Scratch that, why are you and my sister talking to a fucking Russian in the first ce?¡± ¡°I will help you find Alice, but don¡¯t ask me that question.¡± My voice is soft, I knew this would happen. Someone was bound to find out eventually. He lets me go, and my feet hit the ground, but Xander crowds me in, keeping me trapped as his eyes look at me like he doesn¡¯t know me. He is right to look at me like this. How can he know me, when I don¡¯t even know myself. ¡°An enemy is an enemy to the Famiglia and Aleksie happens to be one of them. An enemy I like to keep alive.¡± ¡°I understand your need to sneak off and spend time with Mero, he is after all like a brother. It must be hurtful knowing your father loved your mother but still decided to fuck around and have Alice. But if your father knew his bastard daughter lived right under his nose, he won¡¯t be as forgiving as I am, to either of you. He loves you, but he loves that power just as much and Alice is a secret he wouldn¡¯t want to get out. So naturally I figured this out, which wasn¡¯t difficult. You weren¡¯t exactly the most discreet about this. Which is why I cut it down. Protecting you. You are wee by the way, though it still remains a mystery why Aleksie has any contact with you?¡± I shouldn¡¯t answer, I know I shouldn¡¯t. I close my eyes as the pain hits me, for months I have kept this secret, for months. I knew my rtionship with Aleksie would eventually be a problem. But not like this. ¡°He¡¯s my brother. And I don¡¯t see why I should answer to you.¡± He frowns, ¡°Your mother was quite the busy woman, yes, but why are you in contact with him.¡± I inhale deeply, ¡°My mother, is dead and I am his only sister he actually still talks to.¡± Xanderughs and I don¡¯t find it funny at all. ¡°I was looking for my other sister, Azure,¡± I say picking up my clothes off the floor. ¡°And Aleksie one day showed up in Seattle, telling me to stop looking for my sister. I knew the moment I met him, he was good, I didn¡¯t know he was after Stephan DeMarco until Alice and I started meeting in the evenings. He showed up.¡± Xander stares at me, filled with questions. ¡°What does this have to do with Alice?¡± ¡°Alice and Aleksie liked each other,st year Cami started asking questions about me again, but she must not be very liked because Aleksie found out, and let¡¯s just say Alice and him weren¡¯t thrilled with the idea of her snooping. So, Alice started hanging out with her to see what her deal was and who was feeding her information about me.¡± ¡°What did she find out?¡± ¡°Cami was getting the information from me.¡± Salvatore walks into view, my closet now three times smaller. Both men. Xander turns to re at the guy. His like for him non-existent. ¡°Salvatore was giving her false information. I trust him.¡± ¡°And now Alice is missing?¡± Xander queries. ¡°No, she isn¡¯t missing, she¡¯s with Aleksei far from here.¡± ¡°She¡¯s pregnant,¡± Salvatore rifies and as much as I WANT to p him, I don¡¯t. Xander looks at us, both of us, and says nothing. His eyes working as we all stay in this closet space staring. Yes, I am very guilty, but I am also just a person trying to protect the ones I love. ¡°You should get ready.¡± He says as Salvatore walks away. Xander stands there as I move past him. I head into the bathroom attached to my bedroom and look at myself in the mirror. My emerald eyes darker, my face showing the secrets I keep hidden. The lies I have told in the past and the extent of my crimes. Everybody looks at me, pale skin, long blonde hair. I look untouched by the harshness of the world I am born into but I am anything but, my soul was tainted right along with the rest of them. I slip off my dress and start changing my clothes. My bathroom is small and was an added attachment my father put in when I begged for the walk-in closet. It is a charcoal bath with a matching toilet and silver powder-colored tiles. It was the only thing my father ever picked in the house. The thought makes me smile as I get dressed. Xander was right about a lot of things today, but his opinion about my brother was not. For his own safety, I hope he keeps the story to himself. I take my time hoping that Xander isn¡¯t outside this bathroom. He is a dangerous person and one day he will be powerful, but right now he is a 24-year-old man with knowledge that can get him killed very quickly. He is gone by the time I am ready to leave and I waste no time getting into the Bentley and going to see my friend Kylie. Chapter 40 (Aliyana) Chapter 40 (Aliyana) We have been sitting at Azure for the past hour. Deno isughing, Kylie is going on about Vincent. Our wine is going down smooth, the table decked with snacks and my favorite chocte truffles. ¡°How is it that he leaves you more pissed off than when he leaves Marco? And those two can fight,¡± Deno muses. ¡°I have my way sugar. Nice to keep things interesting.¡± Kylie who is sitting by the window goes stiff as a small smile ys on her lips. A smile I know too well. Curiosity gets the better of me and I turn my head. ¡°Speak of the Devil.¡± I sneer seeing a man I hoped to noty eyes on today. Deno finds me amusing as he stands up. He has removed his jacket and pulled up his sleeves since our 2nd shooter. His hair is still sleek and his jaw clean-shaven. His prominent nose, showing his strong Italian heritage. I keep my eyes on Deno, ignoring the man approaching us. ¡°Ladies,¡± Marco says all polite, if only he was like that, polite. ¡°What brings you here,¡± Deno asks as the two kisses and hug. ¡°Actually, Aliyana.¡± My body goes stiff at the mention of my name from his lips. ¡°Alone, now,¡± His order is terse. He turns around and I re at his retreating form. My chair scrapes as Kylie makes an uh oh sound and Deno presses his lips together. I march after him, and round the corner. Marco grabs my wrist as I take the passage, and before I even have a moment to think, I am getting pulled into Deno¡¯s office. ¡°What the hell do you think you are doing?¡± I blurt out. I haven''t seen him since a week ago and that was fleeting. He res at me, ¡°What the fuck do you think you are doing.¡± ¡°I was eating, having a good time. You should try it, maybe it will get that stick outta your ass.¡± Material ? N?velDrama.Org. He pushes me to a wall and crowds me in, ¡°Bull fucking shit. I received a very interesting call about 30 minutes ago.¡± He shoves his phone close to my face and it takes me a second to recognize the picture. The same picture with Alice, Aleksie, and me. ¡°I am going to ask you onest fucking time, Aliyana, what the fuck are you doing.¡± ¡°Having lunch with my family.¡± ¡°I am supposed to believe you are besties with a fucking member of the Bratva? Do you think I am fucking stupid? Aleksie doesn¡¯t understand the concept of family. There is absolutely no scenario where Alice, Aleksie and you are sitting together catching up on old family drama. So, I am going to ask one more fucking time, what the fuck are you doing?¡± His eyes are holding my own in a prison, waiting for me to give him an answer I¡¯m not ready to. ¡°Who gave you that?¡± ¡°This is my city, and you are a part of my people, Queen or not, how the fuck do you think this looks, Aliyana?¡± ¡°I don''t know okay, what do you want me to tell you?¡± I scream. ¡°The truth, Goddammit.¡± So, I told him. Everything but nothing at all. ¡°How do you know about Rosco?¡± ¡°I saw him at Kylie''s house over a year ago.¡± This is true, but my longst dead cousin who now belongs to a Biker club is not the reason I¡¯m talking to the siblings I hate the most. Nor was it my sudden desire to know Alice and Aleksie. They were coteral damage in a much bigger picture, and that picture had a face with a name, La Sanati. Ren¡¯s killer, the reason why Mero couldn¡¯t return home, and the reason why Amariya DeMarco was living on the street, never having the choice of seeing her daughter. ¡°Fuck.¡± ¡°You wanted to marry me because of a group of men? Now a yearter you think you can just waltz in here and question me?¡± ¡°No, I wanted to marry you because every morning when I woke up it was your name touching my lips. Now I don¡¯t even want to look at you. All it does is show me your betrayal. You habor a killer, pretending to be better, but you are worse than all of us, you are a traitor to your own kind.¡± His words hurt me, but I am used to it by now. This is Marco Catelli. ¡°I am trying to protect my friend; I don¡¯t just go around killing people because of a stupid video that proves nothing besides a love gone wrong. Ring any bells?¡± "Why do you wanna hurt me? Why." His question takes me off guard, and here, now, staring at the man who should never have kissed me back the day on the rooftop, I am just a woman, hurting the man who made me belong. And Marco Catelli is that man. I grip on his forearm and I cry as my knees threaten to give out. I put all my weight on my arms, his strength, the only thing keeping me up right now. How far have wee from the man I first met, to this now? A stolen moment influenced by his rage toward me. His fingers wrap around my arm underneath my left armpit and he lifts me up. His left hand around my hip, pulling me in toward his body. My legs instinctively wrap around his torso. His eyes burn me alive as his right-hand slides in the crux of my ass. And he moves, eyes on me, till my back hits the corner of the door. Mad-man His mouth takes my soul, possesses me as it touches my lips in a manner that has never been a sweeter contradiction to the hells fire burning in his gaze. "You Mezzosangue, terrify me. I am a constant storm and you, Aliyana is the eye to my storm." I suck in his exhale as his mouth hovers over mine Never have I encountered a man like him. He rips me to shreds at the same time he is my greatest hit of dopamine. I hate him for it. Marco didn¡¯t kiss me and I was d to just be in his arms even as I pushed him away and left. I didn¡¯t go back to the table where Kylie and Deno sat, I went home, and thank God I did. Chapter 41 (Marco) Chapter 41 (Marco) There are tipping points in life, incidents that change the course you are on. I always fought for different courses, hoping to influence a scenario that saved a bit more lives than I killed, but God must have had other ns for me because I found that the more, I wanted one thing, the less of it I had. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! Keeping my family safe was one of those things, but upon Ren¡¯s death, I dishonored my promise. Avenging him became the next course I was set on, and to bring my sibling''s closure I went after it with full force, but Aliyana Capello came between me and that fate when she chose to protect her friend. I don¡¯t me her for making the choice, for choosing his life over our love. I still keep the letter she left me at the Manor. I read her writing every night, hoping to try and find a small sign that she didn¡¯t want to rip my heart out, that feeling the way she did was just her way of trying to cope. But that is not going to happen. My phone rings and I swirl the still full ss of amber liquid in my hand as I contemte not answering it. But I do it anyway. ¡°La just blew up Aliyana¡¯s house.¡± My ss slips from my hand as every thought, every moment of us fades. ¡°Is she?¡± I close my eyes, not wanting to know but needing it. ¡°No, I¡¯m on my way there now.¡± Killer cuts the call and I trample over the shards of ss, rush toward my Penthouse entrance and leave. I don¡¯t waste a second just as I don¡¯t think about anything else, besides her smiling at me. I get to Aliyana¡¯s house, the gates are open. There are police everywhere, sirens, people are standing around as her screams whistle through the air. I jump out of my car looking at the house, which now is half gone, it can be rebuilt. I see her. Long blonde hair in a tangled mess, her short form on the floor. My legs take me closer, as her cries be louder. My brother Leonardo holds her. I get closer, and that is when I see it, the girl on the floor, pregnant, dead. It is said that deathes in three. I watch my brother hold the woman I love, who hails for her sister, and he who tries to breathe for his wife and unborn child, and I feel my own tear slipping down my face because I know without a shadow of a doubt, there was noing back from this. Aliyana screams, and I take another step closer to her when a hand holds me still. ¡°No, let her.¡± I¡¯m not sure if fate is just a wicked creature because Aliyana sees me, and she rushes toward me, and I stand here waiting. Her face is red, as her tears rain down. The night''s chill potent, as her hand extends to my face. Leonardo and Deno try to subdue her as she attacks me. ¡°You did this, YOU. La wanted to hurt you. She is death and it¡¯s her blood on your hands.¡± She is screaming and I know what she¡¯s saying is true. La knew my heart, he went after it. I stand here frozen watching my brothers hold on to the woman who has every right to kill me, who has every right to me me. ¡°Answer your phone, Marco..¡± It is said Deathes in threes. I pick up my phone and I say not a word after I hear the other person speak. Looking at Aliyana who is telling me with every part of her being how she hates me I turn my back on her and walk away. It is said Deathes in threes, today It came in fours, Guilia Catelli, and her 7-month-old baby boy, Marcello Catelli, my father, and Massimo Ri, a pilot, and friend. Today I woke up with a stick up my ass, pissed at God for not making this shit easy, tonight I question what is the actual reason of faith when it fucks you like this. Chapter 42 (Aliyana) Chapter 42 (Aliyana) 1 monthter I head to the door of my house, and that is when my phone rings. They say a ring cane in many forms, and mine came in this one. ¡°Hello Papa.¡± ¡°Hello, Aliyana.¡± ¡°You sound so serious, is everything okay?¡± ¡°I need to see you, I''ll be there in the next hour.¡± Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! ¡°Okay. I didn''t know you were in the city.¡± ¡°I wasn''t until a few hours ago, there has been an ident, the Rasetto¡¯s family ne blew up, no one survived.¡± I listen to my father and I still don''t know what that has to do with me. But Marcoes to mind and my hands get sweaty. I haven¡¯t seen him since my sister and her baby died. The other Shadows agreed it was best he kept his distance. The death of my sister still a wound not yet healed. La Sanati attacked me because of Marco. He kidnapped my friend Kylie because of Marco. The Shadows searched for her, day and night but we couldn¡¯t find her. We knew the clock was ticking. My father arrives in an hour just like he said and I go to his office, that was destroyed in the explosion along with my sister. My mother¡¯s picture no longer sits on his desk. His office is just a room, with some books, not his any longer. ¡°I have killed many innocent people in my plight for power, I have never imed to be a noble man or a fair one. And life has certainly not given me any reprieves, I have taken the power I have wanted in blood. I have loved one woman only to lose her because of her betrayal. But Aliyana, from the moment you were born you have been my redemption, you, Aliyana have been the one thing in my life I have loved without condition. You always knew I was a bad man, but you epted my love, my status as your father.¡± ¡°Papa?¡± ¡°You knew that I would protect you from anyone who did you wrong. And I have, I have made you strong. Given you everything and only asked you for so little. But today my child, I must ask you for forgiveness after I ask you to give yourself to another.¡± ¡°Papa?¡± I whisper again, confused. He turns to face me, I am confused, what is he talking about? ¡°As Sicilian tradition has it, when a child gets married the father of the bride cannot refuse a favor. It is considered bad luck but also shameful and weakness we do not need. I am afraid that I was asked a favor that has doomed us both, my daughter.¡± ¡°Papa? I don¡¯t understand.¡± What is he talking about? His eyes are so red that I am sure if look hard enough I would say he is crying. ¡°The Rasetto¡¯s weren¡¯t the only ones to fall today. There is a shift in power, the Capo Dei Capi has got a new name, and that name needs a wife Aliyana.¡± I close my eyes because I knew he would rise. ¡°Papa, please no, I... I love Xander, I was going to tell you, I want to marry him.¡± I am not sure how true of a statement that is but it¡¯s the only excuse I can think of. My father looks at me, and for the first time I see his tear in his eyes fall, ¡°That will not be possible any longer, like my daughter, The Consigliere of The 5th State I order you to do as you are told.¡± I drop down to my knees and cry. I have thought of a thousand ways in which I would one daye to this moment, me on my knees in front of my father, as many have done but not like this. ¡°Who is he?¡± ¡°I am so sorry, I have doomed us both. But even with all my power, I am not strong enough to deny him, neither are you. The Shadows can¡¯t help you here.¡± ¡°Who is he?¡± I scream at my Papa. ¡°I hope you will forgive me, Aliyana.¡± ¡°Who, tell me dammit,¡± I yell as my heart rips. It is like we both freeze for seconds as my father''s haunted gaze holds my own tormented one captive. All those moments growing up with this man who has loved me with a fierce determination that has made any other fatherly affection dim inparison sh through me. His crinkling eyes as heughed, his one-sided smile when the five of us needed help and called him. Always my Papa, there to rescue us, me. Memories that have brought us to this day, me on his office floor and him, the powerful man who promised to love me, protect me now offering me up, taking my freedom. Now, as Iy on this floor looking at him, he is not that man who loved his daughter, and I am not his little girl. He is the Consigliere of the Capo Dei Capi, a powerful member of the 5th State, and I am a grown woman who controls a powerful army of men, known as the Shadows, A Queen with no power against the leader of us all. ¡°Who?¡± I whisper. ¡°Marco Catelli.¡± I close my eyes as that name was once such a big part of my world until he took from me so much. Chapter 43 (Aliyana) Chapter 43 (Aliyana) ¡°Papa. No, not him.¡± My questions are kept in my head as my father gives me a brief story of what happened. It has been two hours, one hour after my father has arrived. I stand here, looking at a view I once thought I would be doing with a man I love. It was a wish. Knowing my freedom in this life of mine belongs to me is now no more. Did my luck finally run out? While Marco was busy getting my sister killed, was he nning to be the Capo Dei Capi all along? Was killing his father a power y? ¡°I might just make an honest woman out of you.¡± Marco¡¯s words on the roof top, a life time ago appears in my head. I am staring out the window, my mind filled with those moments I have shared with Marco Catelli. What do I say? I am his second option, and with him I don¡¯t have a choice any longer, my father is right to say the Shadows can¡¯t help with this. But still, I say, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t a full Italian be his wife? I don¡¯t think I am enough. I''m not the right fit for Marco. He will never love me.¡± "He chose you Aliyana, saying no would insult the Capo and embarrass our family. And Marco is a powerful man, love is for the weak, Aliyana, if Marco marries you, you will have the entire state protecting you, not just The Shadows.¡± Yeah, while he tries to take over The Shadows, because knowing him I don¡¯t see him bending to my will for very long. "It''s not the reason Papa, I refuse." I watch the moon call from the sky, "I have seen Marco, spoken to him. I know he loved Cami. I am not that, I am different. You said so yourselfst week. Do you remember? I like to paint, and study, I kill people, nothing about me screams wife.¡± I spin around as my heart feels like an overflowing cup of bowling water. Tasteless, besides for that burn. Marco Catelli is selfish to ask me to do this. He knows that I would have no choice. As much I want to believe we do have choices, in this case the consequences are so grave that even I can¡¯t refuse. "You are strong, Principessa, you can keep him safe. You can protect him and give him an heir, and that is primarily what he wants." I look at my father as he walks closer to me and takes my hands in his own. ¡°Why do the other men wear rings on their pinkies but some on their index finger papa?¡± ¡°You were always so observant my child.¡± He is so tall, and lost so much, but even he can''t turn down such an opportunity. Two daughters married to the Catelli¡¯s was a sign of influence and status. Yet, a small part of me, thinks of another reason that was supposed to be forgotten. Marco Catelli doesn¡¯t make decisions without a logical reason. His words, his actions, he has put his first decision on the list. A Queen. I nod in understanding. There''s no saying ''no'' to him, we both know that my reservations are for nothing. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. There is only one answer, one thing left to do, "Yes, I will marry Marco Catelli.¡± My father looks at me with respect and understanding. This is not the life I had nned out. "He''ll be here tomorrow,¡± My father says. But I have another n, "No need, I will see him tonight." ¡°He is mourning, Aliyana.¡± I look at my father, ¡°So am I.¡± There is nothing left I have to say to my father, I will marry him, but my father would not use me as a pawn to gain influence in the Catelli family. And Marco Catelli will not get the satisfaction of using me either. Chapter 44 (Aliyana) Chapter 44 (Aliyana) Aliyana I leave straight away and head to my future husband, Marco Catelli. I arrive at his Penthouse on the outskirts of Washington DC. It is funny that I know exactly where he lives without evening here. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. The doorman looks at me, probably wondering what a small thing like me is doing here at nine at night. ¡°Marco Catelli please, tell him it''s Aliyana Capello.¡± The door man phones and talks to Marco and I am surprised when he ushers me to the elevator and slides his card in without a pause. ¡°The lift should take you right to the Penthouse Miss Capello. You have a good day.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I get to the Penthouse and Marco is waiting for me with a scowl on his face. His short hair is in a tumbled mess. He has a right to be dishevelled, his fianc¨¦ just died. He lost his father and watched his brother be head of the Famiglia in one month. And made his first big decision since his own rise in power. Me I didn''t me him for the brandy on his breath, and the creases on his shirt. Standing in his Penthouse, just by the door, I look at my future husband. As sorry as I am for his loss, if I was going to marry him, we needed to talk. ¡°What are you doing here Aliyana, now isn''t the time.¡± ¡°I don''t love you. Why marry me? I''m not right for you." He smiles, ¡°We marry for many things, Aliyana, love is not one of them.¡± ¡°But why, answer me.¡± He stands and res at me, this is the first time I can actually say that Marco Catelli scares me. I am not frightened for myself, but for the ones who have put that look in his eyes. He suffers pain, but I see his need for revenge. ¡°What do you want me to tell you Aliyana? You are a problem I can¡¯t just get rid of.¡± He turns around and walks into his ce, with the door open. I walk in after him and that is when I see it. On the wall, taking up a good piece in the centre, is a picture in ck and white, blown up of Cami. BUT that isn¡¯t what surprises me, no, it is the provocative pose. She is wearing a man¡¯s t-shirt, with her legs up on the table, looking at the one behind the camera as if he, is the sole purpose of her existence. Is that what love looks like? I frown, when I walk through and follow him into the lounge. Strong shoulders, I once touched, look forlorn as he slouches. A hand on the brick bare wall, as the firece he is standing in front of with the brandy filled ss in his other hand, crackles. ¡°You think I am going to snitch about Mischa, don¡¯t you? So, you will sentence me to a life with you? A man in love with another woman?¡± I am bbergasted. He should know better. ¡°I don¡¯t belong here! Look at me!¡± I scream at him. " I have been looking at you since that roof, Aliyana.¡± He doesn¡¯t say anything else just takes a sip of his fucking brandy. ¡°I won¡¯t do it, I won¡¯t marry you just so you can keep an eye on me, I would rather you just kill me.¡± ¡°This wasn¡¯t a negotiation,¡± He yells as he faces me. I wish he didn¡¯t. ¡°You are mine, it''s my bed you will be sleeping in and believe me we won''t be getting any sleep.¡± ¡°I hate you.¡± ¡°Yeah, in time you will hate me more, take that as your wedding vows.¡± ¡°You can pick any woman. I am not even a full Italian. What have I ever done to you? We shared something, I was honest with you and you used that against me, you killed my sister, you killed her baby, she was fucking innocent. Don¡¯t you see how you ruin everything you touch?¡± I turn around, my back to him. I can¡¯t look at Marco now. My first kiss, my first love, my biggest regret. This is the part where I should cry, but my anger won¡¯t allow me that relief. He spins me around. I am in shock from him even being so close to me, I didn¡¯t even know he moved across the distance. His dark, ck eyes hook me as he stares in my own lost depth. Only mine are filled with turmoil, confusion and mostly an intense need to just be. "It''s you who will bear me an heir. A Mezzosangue.¡± He puts his hand behind my neck, holding my life in his big hands, showing me his power. He bends down, looking between my eyes and lips, ¡°I remember everything Aliyana.¡± His thumb brushes my lips, ¡°The taste of your lips, those dainty fingers with paint spots dusted on the tips, the feel of you on my dick.¡± My breathing esctes. Why is he looking at me like this? Why can¡¯t I just walk away? ¡°You know what I remember the most, Mezzosangue?¡± His breath whispers on my cheek. I am too stunned to even breathe, let alone nod my head, so I stand in a trance, under his wicked gaze. ¡°This. My hand around your neck and you''re strong will now left to dust in my presence. Do you know how easy it will be to snap your neck?¡± He kisses my cheek, how I once kissed his lips. He steps away, and my legs follow him, "I was going to choose you that night, I went to my father and I told him, but he said no, he promised Moretti an arranged marriage. He owed him for saving his life. I didn''t know her, I was upset. I wanted you. But when I saw, I did know her.¡± Chapter 45 (Marco) Chapter 45 (Marco) I have never been a fair man, by any part of the word. While my brother was getting groomed to be a businessman and the future of the Famiglia, I was serving my country in the Navy. I joined the Shadows, after my second tour. A few years in, I handled only certain cases. I used my free time and got aw degree under my father¡¯s nose. Knowledge is a good investment. My time I took to secure a safe future for my family was well worth it in the end. I was never behind on any abovew dealings. My hands always kept just above tidy, hiding the blood that it soaked in. Until 6 years ago. Do you know when you think of that moment that really changed your life, the exact time when you changed? For me it was not just a moment, it was the one I shared that moment with. The day I heard one word spoken to me, ¡°Daddy,¡± and those little hands wrapping around my neck, and that goofy smile. Mischa has been my driving force in obtaining the highest member of power. When she was a baby, Deno and I promised her protection, a silent right we did for a cousin who was shamed. I kept her close to my heart raising her as my own, so she never wants for anything. Cami put Mischa in jeopardy more times I could count. She was a woman I knew and grew into caring very deeply for. I loved her and I knew her actions came from her heart. "But you fell in love with her. She loved you too, she told me." Aliyana says it like it is the simplest answer to everything. If only she knew the whole story and the part, she has yed in this whole fuck up. I throw the brandy in the fire. It crackles and I say nothing to her little noise when she bumps her leg on my coffee table in fright. She should be frightened. "I am a made-man. I don''t love, not like that. It''s a weakness. " "But you loved her.¡± She insists. I walk toward Aliyana, and I tug her by the belt of her waistcoat until she is flush against me. ¡°Give me what belongs to me Aliyana,¡± I tell her. Her eyes are burning, a mirror of the fire just behind us reflects in the iris of her gaze. She''s so still, I wonder if she will give me what I want. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! I need her to say the words. She moves a step back, out of my arms, and stares at me, "You are Marco Catelli, Capo Dei Capi, The Boss of all Bosses." She opens the belt of her coat I just held in my hands, dropping it to the floor as her knowledge adds to the moment. ¡°And I, Aliyana Capello will never belong to you.¡± ¡°You already do.¡± ¡°Can you love me if I was responsible for Cami¡¯s death?¡± ¡°No, I can never love you Aliyana, but in a month from now, I will make you my wife. Now I need you to get dressed, if you want a lift, I will be happy to oblige, if not, please just get out of my house.¡± Chapter 46 (Aliyana) Chapter 46 (Aliyana) A message pings on my phone and I slip it out as I poke my finger on the elevator button. Marco: In one month from now you will marry me, Aliyana. I suggest you use that time to get used to the idea. I want to walk back there and punch his face. But I don¡¯t. My father¡¯s words ring in my ears. I know the extent of his crimes, and I know I am overpowered. In one months time I would marry Marco Catelli. Xander and Salvatoree to fetch me, my father must have told him where I am. I jump into the Bentley, my heart racing at how my life has turned. I am cursed because Imitted a sin the day my lips touched Marco Catelli, and I dug it deeper when I walked into that library and gave him my body, only to leave when I did. A man I once loved. We both did. ¡°We need to meet with Aleksie tonight,¡± Salvatore says from the front. ¡°Is that pair of clothes still in the boot?¡± ¡°Yes Miss Capello.¡± I take in the City lights and I watch the people walk by, doing their thing, clueless of the bloodshed that will soon be spilled. Today my father sold me to my enemy. Soon I will have to marry him. Marco Catelli was once the man I loved, but he took from me, time and time again. He hurt me. So, it is only fair I take from him too. An eye for an eye. I killed Cami Moretti and I don¡¯t regret a thing. Leonardo da Vinci once wrote, ck is like a broken vessel, which is deprived of the capacity to contain anything. I wonder what he thought of the color white. Did he think it was a sign of purity? Or did he too look upon whiteness as a false brightness, a lie? 2-years-ago if I stood on this very podium, with this man across from me, I would have been smiling, simr to the way I am now. The white dress hugging my body then a promise of honesty and trust as I smiled with a warmth knotting my stomach walls. Only then, my smile would¡¯ve beenfortable, wrapped in genuine joy, because then I loved him. At that stage in my life, he was my world and I would haveid myself on the floor where he walked with his blood-stained soles. And I would have done it naked, ready to bare myself to this one man with a smile on my face. A smile that wasn¡¯t bold, or soaked with the whisper of revenge. My heart would have beat with love, and not in the threat that now lurks outside this Church walls, waiting with finite patience that would sooner be over. This marriage is no fairy-tale. Yes, this entire scene once had the potential to be the perfect imagery of a great folklore tale where the devil married his angel. But I am not the angel, I¡¯m the bad one. Since I am going for honesty, I should also point out that this man is not the devil. The devil was once an angel. Marco Catelli has never known a day of what it feels like to be pure. He only knows evil, hurt, pain, and hatred. And the only greatness in this entire Church is my hate for this one man, my future husband. He lifts my hand, enclosing it in his own. I need not look into the crowd to know the women are ring at me in disgust and jealousy. I am marrying a Catelli. The few PEOPLE happy about this union are old and might think Marco¡¯s hand over mine means he loves me. But I assure you, love is not the case of point. He is squashing my hand, his cynical eyes are stabbing me to death, over and over again. Marco Catelli is showing me he will soon have power over me. This isn¡¯t a Union of Love; this is the Union of Death. Marco isn¡¯t marrying me for the life he ims to breed with me in the foreseeable future. He is marrying me to avenge the one he has already imed as his own. He is slipping this ring on my finger because I am the one with the tools he now needs in his arsenal to start a war. I am thest choice. Hisst step into the darkness. And my inevitable early grave is the only sce he offers. My father told me Marco was obsessed with the idea of me. But I know that is not true, Marco Catelli¡¯s only obsession is feeding his addiction to power. It has blinded him to the extent that he can¡¯t see, that I, Aliyana Capello his future bride, is his most dangerous enemy. If he thinks I am going to just allow him to use me, I will relish in his misery when he realizes I am not the mouse he was so in love with. Cami Moretti was foolish and whatever led her to her untimely death was her own doing. She wanted to y a game with the wrong yers and like Ren; they took her out like a pawn: - worthless and dispensable. But for me, I have gained Queen status. I am as evil and cunning as Marco¡¯s biggest adversary, La Sanati. The man they all search for. The man who chose to make an enemy out of me when he took someone he was not supposed to touch. ¡°Do you take Marco Catelli to be yourwfully wedded husband, through sickness and health, until you both shall live?¡± The word noes to my lips. I should say it. My true-love remains buried in a shallow grave that is still wet, in the middle of nowhere thanks to this man. I should say no. I look at him, his clean-shaven jaw, harder than I remember it. Those obsidian eyes that once burned with so much heat, I felt touched by the sun, now empty, freeze me in that my skin is still covered in Goosebumps from the time I arrived here, 37 minutes ago. ¡°Yes,¡± I say it and like a tick of a clock my fake smile drops. It boggles my mind how one simple word can have such a life-altering oue to one¡¯s life. Is that what my existence has nowe down to? Is that all that my freedom meant? One word and it is all gone. Sold at a low cost of pride to the man with the biggest title. How shallow has it all be? And I have said yes, sealed it all, and now I am the official Mrs. Catelli. I take a deep breath, as the shes ofst night remind me of why I am here, and I tell myself that biding my time is my only option. The ring my father chosees into view by my small cousin Bernardino and as I take it my eyes drift to the man sitting in the front of the Church row, my father, my jailer who just gave me away. A deep throat clears and my heart beats in equal measures of fear and nerves as I face my soon to be husband and hold the hand that just hours ago, left the mark on my neck. Funny isn¡¯t it. What is hrious is I slip the band on his finger knowing full well that he is not yet done with me. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. It is sad that a tear betrays me, as it slips down the side of my cheek. Life can sometimes be a cruel joke. How did it alle to this? When did I make the wrong choice? My name is Aliyana Capello, daughter of Consigliere Sartini Capello, and today on June 23rd, 2014, I became the wife of Marco Catelli, The Capo Dei Capi of the 5th State. The man who killed my lover, best friend, and who now wishes to kill me. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!