The summer breeze caressed (y/n)s bare arms and kissed her cheeks that were flushed due to the wine she had consumed. She looked at the garden smiling like only a drunk person could and raised her one leg so she could half sit at the marble of the balcony. Her feet were aching from the heels and she was kind of wobbly so she needed support. As she raised the glass of rose wine on her lips to take one more sip she felt a pair of eyes on her.
“Couldn’t resist?”
“Didn’t want to”
Massimo responded as he approached her. He didn’t make his presence known from the beginning cause one thing he loved was to observe her, she looked like a picture out of a fairytale, her beautiful pastel pink dress combined with her hair down caressing the exposed skin on her as she was bathed in moonlight perfected the image of a princess.
She smiled at him, her eyes squinting together in that cute smile he loved but so rarely saw, he liked seeing her like this, happy, carefree. He took a seat on the balcony as well right in front of her.
“You’re drunk”
“I’ve had more than I should but I’m not drunk”
Massimo nodded. She was slurring and her nose was red however he chose not to fight it, it was rare for her to look so…. Comfortable. He took her hand in his and just looked at her delicate fingers, her hand was so small compared to his, her touch was soft, warm, so different from his strong hold.
“Are you having fun piccolina?”
“I’m not small, I had to alter this dress in order to fit into it”
“I’m glad you are finally gaining some weight, I actually came out here cause I thought the wind was going to blow you off like a feather”
She giggled at his comment lightly. As she hummed to herself (y/n) leaned in and scouted closer to him so he could wrap her in his arms which Massimo immediately did. Her perfume engulfed him immediately, that sweet scent of jasmine and vanilla mixed with orange was causing him to think that this is what heaven smells like.
“How’s your new girlfriend?”
“She’s drunk and hugging me in the balcony”
“Smart but won’t fool me”
(Y/n) and Massimo were complicated to say the least. Since they met they had each other at an iron grip but they were always playing with fire, they never let themselves fully burn.
“Piccolina they are girlfriends, you will be my wife”
“I hate when you say that”
She mumbled in annoyance before she pulled away from him and fully got up, tossing her hair on one side. Massimo looked at her puzzled, she was irritated at his comment but he was just being honest with her. Their situation wasn’t the easiest, if something was ever to happen between them it had to be the end deal for both of them or else there would be a vendetta and that’s the last thing on Massimo’s mind
“Why are you playing games with me? Is this a way for our families to stay friends?”
“You insult me just by thinking like that, is that how low you think of me?”
“I- I don’t know what I think of you Massimo”
She tried to walk away from him but Massimo grabbed her wrist, preventing her from exiting and leaving him alone. (Y/n) met his gaze as her eyebrows scrunched together.
“Don’t leave me, I don’t want us to fight”
(Y/n) sighed before opening her arms and wrapped them around his waist so she could get lost in his arms. Massimo kissed the top of her head and she raised her head, resting her chin on his chest.
“You know that if this happens it will be like releasing two tigers from their cage”
“The fire with the flame”
“What if you leave me broken?”
She questioned him, her voice barely above a whisper as she stared at him with doe eyes, her lips barely open. He wanted to kiss her, rip that dashing dress off her and take her right on this balcony for everyone to see, for everyone to know she is his.
He resisted his animalistic urge and just left a small kiss at the nape of her neck, his lips tracing all the way up to her earlobe, making her heart flutter and her breath to get shallow.
“Then I give you permission to ruin my life”
“Please Massimo don’t make this harder than it already is”
She warned him, her hand going up to his chin to pull him away so she could look him in the eye. Her hues were darker than before due to the lust that had taken over her, Massimo’s fingers found her cheek and with his thumb he started to draw circles on her hot flesh as they stared at one another
“I feel like I’m burning”
“It’s your flame responding to my fire… amore”
-
That was the last time they spoke. That was his last words before they heard someone come in and pulled away from one another and (y/n) ran away to go look for her dad.
That night played in her head for a long time before she managed to bury it deep inside her memories. After his rude intrusion to her bedroom that memory was brought to the fighting front of her brain, she slept for only a few hours since all her dreams were about him.
When everyone started to wake up and come down for breakfast they were met by (y/n) sitting down at the table of Massimo’s garden with coffee in her hand.
“Good morning”
“Good morning gioia, I didn’t except for you to be up so early”
Mario said as he went to leave a kiss at the top of her head. He always felt like she was the daughter he never had, seeing her flourish made him puff his chest with pride, her father was a fair, smart man and she filled his shoes with such force.
(Y/n) smiled at him before she fixed her big sunglasses as Mario sat next to her.
“I wanted to check something about our new employees, specifically the gardener”
“What about him?”
“Nothing in particular, I just didn’t expect to have someone from Spain”
“(Y/n) don’t lie to me”
“He’s cute ok? Is that so bad?”
Mario laughed at (y/n)s little secret, earning a little smack at his upper arm from her.
“I’m sorry gioia, nothing is wrong, you are young and you work a lot. It’s just so… stereotypical, the rich girl and the gardener”
“I must agree, I expected better from you”
Massimo said coldly. He had lingered in the back in order to listen to their honest conversation and when he realized what it was about he was furious, he had no right to be but that didn’t stop him. (Y/n)s facial expression changed to match his and turned her head away from him and back to Mario
“You know what nonnino maybe Massimo’s right, it would be better if I kidnapped a tourist and made him love me, genius”
She responded sarcastically with a smirk. Mario held back his laugh but didn’t successfully hide his smile, Massimo looked at him and the older man went back to his poker face. Massimo just sat down on the opposite side of the table and served himself some water.
(y/n) on the other hand was boiling with rage, she couldn’t get over the fact that he just barged in her room in order to swoon her and now he thought he had a say in her love life. The icing on the cake was his wedding ring shining under the hot Sicilian sun. She bit the inside of her cheek and decided she had had enough, she shot up from her chair and walked away without a word. He was so full of arrogance that it made her want to strangle him
Once she got inside the house her eyes went to the table that was sitting at the entrance. Last time there was not a vase with chrysanthemums on it. She kept looking at it, trying to remember if there was even a vase on it before, at that cue a girl walked in the room holding another case with once again… chrysanthemums on it.
“Excuse me, where are you taking those?”
“To your room miss”
“Why?”
“I-i umm the boss told me to, should I not?”
The girl asked timidly. She was scared, you could tell about the immediate hunch on her back and her stumbling over her words, it was at that point that (y/n)s tone might have been a bit aggressive.
“No no I was just checking, hey one last thing, you mean Massimo right?”
“Yes”
“Just making sure. Run along then”
The girl rushed away leaving (y/n) with mixed feelings. This man was unbelievable, chrysanthemums were (y/n)s birth month flower, she remember telling him that she also felt like they were so misunderstood because in many countries they symbolized death.
She shook her head and started to walk up the stairs when she heard someone dry coughing behind her, she looked back and saw Massimo standing where she stood with his hands behind her back. She hesitated at first, thinking about what was the correct way to respond so she decided to just roll her eyes at him and turn back around and on to her room
“Just tell someone to bring me my plate, thank you”
Mario pursed his lips at the sight of (y/n)s nose buried in those papers, she walked in this office when the room was showered in sunlight and now the only source of light were the lamps. He closed the door and walked over to her, he had to admit that this situation was weird to him. She was so focused, determined to find the source, he was almost missing that young free spirit she had back then.
“(Y/n) you already caused quite a stir, it will be unwise for you to not show up for dinner”
“I have no idea what you are talking about, he asked for my help and I’m giving it”
“Yes and we are grateful, but your tongue was vicious and you are pushing your luck”
(Y/n) looked up at him. She was aware of what she had done and she was not regretting it one bit, he deserved to have a piece of her mind. Yet, Marios kind eyes made her rethink her decision, she sighed before she pushed back her chair.
“Fine, let’s get it over with”
(Y/n) decided to not go and change, her outfit was just fine and besides after that her mind needed some rest cause the numbers were starting to dance around in front of her cloudy eyes. Mario and her walked side by side towards the dinner room. Mario opened the door for her and let her walk first, she whispered a thank you and saw that Massimo was already sitting down at the one end of the table and on his side was a side of a young looking man who stopped talking once she walked in, in the room there was also two of her bodyguards. (Y/n) smiled as she walked to the chair that was placed at the other end of the table.
“Evening gentlemen… hello Massimo”
Massimo immediately sat up in his chair as he tried to hold back his temper that was challenged by her snarky comment. He watched her sit down at the chair and fixed her hair back. At that time a woman appeared and filled (y/n)s cup with rose wine. Massimo despised rose but he knew it was her favorite so he ordered the new staff to have full stock of it.
(Y/n) thanked the girl and reached for the cup to take a sip, the familiar semi sweet taste she adored hit her taste buds and she smiled in approval. For a woman like her it was unusual that she didn’t pay attention to why her favorite wine was being served, she was so tired she just blamed it on a blissful coincidence.
The silence that had taken over the room was broken by the door opening once more, a girl that was unfamiliar to (y/n) walked in, her hair was dyed blonde and cut to a short asymmetrical bob entered the room, she wore a black satin dress that reached her ankles and heels, she was rather short and skinny and her eyes were light blue.
The blonde haired girl approached (y/n), arrogance could be recognized by the way she walked while (y/n) remained calm as she looked at the girl.
“I’m sure this was just a mistake but this is my chair”
(Y/n) realized who the girl was and started to laugh at the scene. (Y/n) placed her hand in front of her mouth before she tried to recollect herself.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh, it’s just that you are so cute. Ah precious”
“Who are you anyway?”
“Babygirl, I was hoping you could sit by my side tonight, please?”
Massimo interrupted the conversation since he could tell it was starting to move over towards the fighting side. Laura looked at her husband with confusion as (y/n) stopped laughing and crossed her legs in order to get more comfortable in her chair as she watched Massimo standing up to extend his hand to Laura. Laura looked at him, clearly frustrated that this strange woman got her way but did as she was told. (Y/n) looked at Massimo with a devilish smile.
Massimo whispered, unfortunately for him (y/n) heard him loud and clear. That’s when her rage decided to take over her brain, the table was big and full of plates for them to choose.
“Ignore? Is that how you treat your only source of protection? Well then, I’m going to just excuse myself”
She got up and turned away but what they didn’t see is that with her free hand she had grabbed a handful of the table cloth, as she walked away she started to slowly pull it making all the plates and expensive glasses fall and scatter around the floor and with one final pull everything was knocked off.
“Let’s see how you ignore this”
“You little stubborn b-”
Before Massimo could finish he tried to stand up but was stopped by (y/n)s bodyguards who pushed him back in the chair and pointed their guns at his head.
“Good Night everyone”
(Y/n) said without looking back but made sure to slam the door behind her leaving everyone shocked and angry.
-
(Y/n) decided to take a nice shower after she asked the staff to deliver a dish for her in her room. (Y/n) was known for keeping her cool, for thinking first and acting second, hell that’s what made her different from her brother, yet she was acting like a brat every chance she got, causing chaos and was just overall unprofessional. That was the only thing she regrets, he got under her skin, made her act irrational and crazy.
She put her robe on and walked out of the bathroom while drying her hair with a towel. Her mind wandering around only one thing, him. The hold he had on her was still strong or else she wouldn’t be reacting like this, she wouldn’t even help him let alone get herself on a plane and offer her knowledge in order to find the source of evil.
“Feel better?”
(Y/n) yelped at the groggy voice that took her by surprise. She spun around and her eyes were met with Massimo sitting on the other side of her bed. (Y/n) clenched the cleavage of her semi open robe in order to hide her naked skin while he stared at her with amusement. He had been waiting for her for about 10 minutes, he also thought that she had heard him come in, lucky for him this was a way better situation.
“What the fuck are you doing here?”
“What am I doing at my house?”
“In my room I mean, don’t act stupid”
“No don’t worry, I’ll leave that up to you”
Massimo responded as he got up from her bed. (Y/n) laughed once again at his smart remark, the banter between them was always a part of their…. bond, that was the only thing that they still had, both of them liked to talk back to one another. Massimo started walking towards her slowly never breaking eye contact. (Y/n) took a small step back while her hand stretched in front of her to show him that he should stay put
“Don’t you make another step”
(Y/n) instructed him, surprisingly Massimo froze, he wanted to push her buttons although his goal wasn’t to make her uncomfortable, honestly he didn’t know what his goal was, he just knew he wanted some time with her alone, especially after he got an earful from his wife about why he lets her get away with acting disrespectful to them, he had to admit that Laura was right, (y/n) has only been here for less than 24 hours and she had already gotten away with so much.
Now they were just left looking at one another, eyes locked and silence filling the space between them. (Y/n) felt her chest get heavy and her hands immediately got cold, she was nervous around him which shouldn’t be happening anymore. She bit her lower lip making it disappear in her mouth and between her teeth hoping it would prevent her from saying something she shouldn’t
“Why are you here amore?”
“Don’t fucking call me that”
Massimo called her amore way back when, it was one of his nicknames for her and her favorite. Now he was married and had been out of her life for years, so the last thing she needed was him scratching a wound that took years to heal, if you can even say it had been healed.
She took a few steps back in order to rest at the vanity table for a moment in an attempt to think of what she has to say. She put her head down letting her damp her cover her face and shield her as she took a deep breath through her nose so she can decompress, she raised her head once more to take one good look at his face
“I came here to help you, cause unlike you I own up to my promises”
“What I did was wrong, I know that”
“You mean more of what you didn’t do and please be specific on Which one are we talking about? Ignoring me after your dad died? not picking up my calls? Not coming to my dad’s funeral? Not even inviting me to your… wedding?”
“How could I inv-”
“Why? Too embarrassed? Well I guess that makes sense why you wouldn’t want me there, it would be surreal to have me there clapping while you walked out of the church holding hands with your new wife”
“(Y/n) please let’s-”
“let’s what Massimo? Pretend like you didn’t fuck up, I have forgiven a lot but unfortunately for you I am not willing to talk anymore I’m talked out and I just… Jesus Christ this is insane”
She turned her back on him and took a few steps to look outside the window, it was one thing to see her yell at him but as soon as she felt her eyes get full of tears she had enough. Massimo heard the crack at her voice, he saw her eyes getting a bit more shinny, however he chose to not point it out, he chose to stay silent and let her have a moment since he too felt like he deserved the harsh words.
(y/n) took a few breathes and closed her eyes, she was a professional at hiding her vulnerability, it has been the first time in years that she felt so out of control and if she was remembering right it was Massimo that had caused her last crying fest.
She spun around to face him once more, her lips pursed at a thin line and her arms on her waist in a clear defensive stance.
“what do you want Massimo? Why are you in this room”
“I don’t know, I wanted to see you, I miss-”
“No, no don’t say that, anything but that… you know what just drop it Massimo. I’m here cause I… wanted to help you, once again I’m here for you in your time of need even though you don’t deserve my kindness or help, so take this as my last nice gesture and then I will be out of your life so you can live your happily ever after. Now, get out of my room and go play house with your shiny toy”
Massimo could tell she was hurt, her arms crossed over her chest after her rant and her chest rose up due to her heavy breathing, the best thing was that she was still looking at him straight in the eye, the difference was that instead of her arrogant and strong gaze, her eyes were soft, sad and here demeanor showed vulnerability, it almost reminded him of how she was that night, the only thing was that back then he was able to hug her, console her, now he wasn’t even allowed to be closer than 5 feet from her.
His heart ached for her and being the cause of her outburst was causing him so much more guilt than he already had,he clicked his tongue before he placed his hands In his pockets and walked away with his body facing the door.
“Goodnight…. Amore”
Massimo was already at the door with it half opened when he said that and with a snap (y/n) was back to her usual tactics and grabbed a pillow to throw it at him, Massimo had enough time to get out of the room and closed the door so the pillow went straight to the wooden door.
“Fuck off Massimo”
(Y/n) said loud enough for him to hear from the other side. He smirked at her snapping at him, yet he kept thinking about what she had said, having her in this house brought back all the memories and emotions he had thought he had forgotten.
This was not going to be easy but it never was when it came to her she was always like this, stubborn, mouthy, prideful and relentless, its what made her… (Y/n)
Mario knew better than to listen to (y/n) and leave right away, he decided to let her take a breather and stayed at a hotel, waiting to see how she reacts after she thinks about it in a more calm manner.
(Y/n) on the other hand felt like she was sitting on hot stones, sleepless nights and headaches became a daily routine. She should turn her back on him, he wasn’t there for her so why should she help him now? But what if something happened to him? She wouldn’t be able to live with that, she didn’t mind the blood on her hands but his blood spilled because of her pride would be something she would never be able to forget.
“Why are you even bothering with playing hard to get? We both know you will end up helping him”
Her brother said Gregor was never really interested in the details, he was there to recruit men and make sure everyone acted right, discipline and violence were his strongest points. One of his favorite things to do though was to annoy his little sister, of course she had “asked for his opinion” but really she was just hoping he wouldn’t want to work with them.
(Y/n) didn’t even bother to look at him, she just kept brushing her hair while she was sitting down in her chair in front of her vanity mirror.
“What makes you say that?”
“Cause it’s Massimo we are talking about, if you were actually mad at him you would have killed him by now”
He was right about that, (y/n) was never the one that showed mercy, their father had taught them that respect is the biggest blessing and what Massimo had done to her and the family was something people killed over. She put her brush down and kept looking at herself in the mirror, trying to hang on to any type of anger she could find.
“He was out of line”
“He was, but wouldn’t you feel so much better if you could rub it in his face?”
-
“Marios back”
“Alone?”
“The crew did not report any other passenger”
The feeling that rushed through Massimo’s body was confusing to say the least. He didn’t have to see her, he got away with having to phase the elephant in the room but on the other side not only was he unprotected to future attacks, he secretly hoped that after all these years they would meet again.
“Alright”
He simply said and walked away from the living room and headed to the front of the house in order to properly greet his confidant,if he was being honest he didn’t just want to welcome Mario back, he wanted to ask about her, make sure she is…. Ok.
What caught him by surprise is that it wasn’t just one car that pulled up, it was three. Massimo’s eyebrows furrowed in curiosity but chose to wait and see what this was all about. Mario got out of the first car, however he did not walk up to Massimo, he rushed to the third car and opened the door of the black Audi.
For the first time in years Massimo froze, he felt his jaw tighten at the sight of the woman that got out of that car.
(Y/n) took Marios open hand and got out of the car, she had caught up to him at the last minute but insisted she went with her own airplane and to not let Massimo know she was arriving. Her big designer sunglasses were covering half of her face and her hair was down, it was planned since she wanted some kind of protection when it came to her facial expressions.
“Thank you nonino”
She whispered to him with a smile. Mario smiled back and linked his arm with hers as the bodyguards ran around picking up luggage and driving the cars to their parking spots.
(Y/n) felt like throwing up, she was grateful Mario was not holding her hand cause she felt like the circulation of blood had stopped and now her fingers were ice cubes, as she walked up the steps she could see Massimo’s hesitation which brought her some type of comfort. He was nervous,maybe more nervous than her
“Massimo look who decided to come along”
Mario joked in order to break the ice, unsuccessfully due to the fact that the tension between them was so intense that you could cut it with a knife. As they reached the top of the stairs (y/n) stood proud and tall, she would usually take off her sunglasses and greet the person with a handshake yet this time she flipped her hair back and her hands to herself. Massimo wanted to hug her, tell her how much he missed her and ask her how she is doing, greet her like he used to back in the day, before he betrayed her.
She looked the same but also different, last time he saw her she was just starting to take her first steps to womanhood, her face was usually round but now you could see her cheekbones a little bit more, she didn’t have that pureness of a young girl, she was a woman and it suited her so well, (y/n) was always pretty but now she had the air of luxury, an aura that remained so untouched and unattainable.
“It’s always a pleasure to have you here”
“I wish I could say the same, I’m only here because my father taught me to always help a fr- someone in need”
She did that on purpose, she wanted to let him know that she was upset, she was sharpening her knives while on the plane, seeing him fidget was such sweet revenge but she wanted more.
Massimo smirked bitterly, it wasn’t her remarks that stung, (y/n) always had something to say and knew how to get under anyone’s skin, it was her demeanor that made him feel uneasy. (Y/n) always smiled at him, hugged him and placed her hands on his face to observe him, now she was as cold as ice and treated him like an enemy. That’s what sat with him.
“I think we should show (y/n) her room”
“Yes, right after you show me the office, I want to go through every transaction that happened 5 days before your…. Wife’s accident”
(Y/n)’s mouth felt like someone forced her to swallow a spoonful of vinegar, she hid it pretty well though for anyone that didn’t know her, which in this case Massimo and Mario saw right through it. It didn’t make Massimo feel any better though, quite the opposite actually it caused him to become even more upset with himself.
Here she was, offering a helping hand even though he missed so many important events in her life, he thought and acted selfishly for so long and now she stood graciously next to him.
“Gioia we can assure you that we have looked through everything”
“And yet you still get attacked, so there’s someone in this house that knows your every move and my guess is that they get paid really well to run their mouths to your enemy. I assume the office is where it always was, in the meantime all the staff are fired, maids, butlers, drivers and chefs.”
“That’s ridiculous you can’t do that”
Massimo finally spoke up, he was sure that (y/n) knew what she was doing, her moves were always calculated, but this was her just stepping on his toes, she couldn’t just barge in and demand for everyone to just be replaced.
(Y/n) stopped walking and smirked to herself “finally! A challenge” he had stayed silent for far too long for her liking, now she could finally show him what she is really made of. She turned around and took two steps to stand right in front of him, she took off her sunglasses and he felt trapped in her gaze. Those eyes were always so captivating, hypnotic almost like the perfect drug for him.
“You failed to protect everyone in this house, they knew the route your driver took, they knew where you would be for lunch, they knew you would be at that vineyard, next thing you know they poison you, even if the staff was not the one that did it, they are not safe so you owe them as much as to put them out of their misery. Do I make myself clear?”
(Y/n) was spitting venom, her expression was harsh and her tone was dismissive, if anyone else talked to Massimo like that they would have never been able to finish their rant since he would have planted a bullet between their eyes.
She stood there, unharmed, staring right into his eyes that made her swoon and giggle when she was young, she could still feel that summer night breeze that caressed her skin the last time they spoke.
Massimo curled his hands into fists, his breathing got heavier and his nostrils widened making it clear how angry he was getting.
“Mario, let the staff know. I want new staff by the end of this day”
And with that he walked away, almost ran away from her in a desperate attempt to control his temper and to help himself so he could comprehend that (y/n) was going to walk around his house, lay on one of his beds, eat breakfast at his tables. She was going to be so close to him, yet so far
So I told you guys I want to start a series and honestly as soon as I started I couldn’t stop so I really hope you like it cause I have so many ideas for this. Please let me know if you liked it!
“This is the second time they were able to get to us”
Marios voice was stern, cold, angry some would say. Massimo leaned further back to his leather chair, his left hand reaching up to his temples so his fingers can gently rub in order to give some relief to this mild migraine.
After Laura’s safe return his enemies were testing him, they found his Achilles heel and they would not stop unless one of them died.
“Why don’t you ask for her, the (y/l/n) family-”
“They won’t agree, she will not approve it” the last sentence was barely above a whisper. Massimo was in much need of an alliance, however he was smart enough to know that asking the (y/l/n) to protect his wife was disrespectful to say the least, he couldn’t possibly do that to her.
“Let’s just try, if they find out we have that type of protection they will retreat… let me talk to her”
Mario loved (y/n), how could he not? He was there for her birth, baptism, birthdays and any type of celebration. Her father- god rest his soul- was good friends with Massimo’s dad, she was the second child but she was the smartest, sure her brother was the muscle but she was the brains, her gaze was as sharp as a knife, the determination she had was written all over her face ever since she was a toddler.
Massimo huffed, questions racing through his brain, if Mario got through her then that would mean two things, one is that his problems will be over, second is that he will have to come face to face with her and that made his blood run cold.
“Fine, make the arrangements for your trip to Albania, leave today if you can”
“Already done, I fly in an hour”
Massimo smiled. Of course Mario knew Massimo would agree, at least he let him have the illusion of choosing which Massimo was grateful for.
“Let me know how it goes”
-
A knock interrupted (y/n)’s train of thought, she didn’t bother to raise her gaze from the papers scattered across the well polished wooden desk.
“Come in”
She spoke as she flipped through another page, she insisted on reading every single piece of paper for everything, finances, real estate, payments, whatever was written down had to be approved and signed by her and only her. Her secretary entered the room and made sure to close the door behind her.
“Mario is here to see you, says it’s urgent”
“Mario? As in Mario from Italy? My dad’s friend?”
The girl nodded, it was maybe the first time her boss looked surprised. (Y/n) let her pen down gently and spun her chair around, facing away from the door.
“Take him to the garden, take care of him for me until I come down”
“Right away miss (y/n)”
As the door shut (y/n) took in a deep breath and closed her eyes tightly. He wasn’t hurt, the news would have reached her by now if he was harmed, Mario came alone so most likely it has something to do with business. So many possibilities of this unexpected visit came to her head, although she knew there was only one way to find out. She let out her breath slowly and got up for her seat and before she touched the golden handle she fixed her pastel pink button up silk shirt. As she walked towards the garden she felt like the belt from her pencil skirt tightened more and more.
“Mario, what a surprise”
“Gioia! Let me take a look at you”
Mario held her hands and stretched his in order to observe her. She was always beautiful but she was a woman now, it had been almost 7 years since he saw her, she was not the little girl full of happiness and ambition anymore, she was a delicate lady.
“My goodness you have grown such graciously”
“I can say the same about you nonnino”
She started calling him grandpa at a very young age, she never met her grandpa from her dad’s side, so in her young mind she thought that he was it, she would see him only a few times and he would always bring sweets and gifts just like her other grandpa so he must be one as well.
“Oh say that to my squeaky back, come here”
He said as he hugged her tightly. (Y/n) hugged back with the same energy, she adored him a lot and seeing him after such a long time felt so comforting. Mario rubbed her back before he leaned a bit towards her ear.
“I’m really sorry gioia, I should have been here for the funeral”
“It’s okay, I understand”
She said before she pulled away. Her father passed away about 4 years ago, of course someone had hired a hitman to take him out. At first she didn’t think anything of it, he had been shot before she was almost certain that he was going to be fine. Unfortunately she was wrong.
“Come on, let’s go for a walk, it’s such a beautiful day today”
She told him as she lead the way, her heels clicking against the shiny white marble floor, her father had made sure their house had a big garden, her mother almost demanded it since she grew up on the countryside, in order to please his wife her father looked through so many houses before he bought this one.
“How’s business”
“Excellent I must say, we finally made a deal with the Serbians. You know how difficult it was due to the politics of our countries”
Mario nodded and they stayed silent for a few more moments before (y/n) stopped to lean on the balcony and face him.
“But I know you are not here to just see me and apologize”
“Massimo send me”
“I figured that much, why?”
“We figured that maybe it’s time-”
“For me to help him? He got attacked two times in one month”
She started to get defensive, word gets around in this type of business and Massimo now looked weak and vulnerable, she was expecting him to try and seek for help yet she did not think he would come to help.
“You know how much he respects you”
“Really? Then why isn’t he the one that’s here? Like a man”
She crossed her arms in front of her torso and looked straight into Marios eyes. Mario knew that this was a delicate subject so he had to dance around on thin ice with her, it wasn’t just business between her and Massimo, it never was.
“You know him (y/n), he was too ashamed to come here”
“But he wasn’t ashamed to send someone? Let’s forget this for a moment, what will I gain from helping you?”
“The torricelli family has been friends with your family before you were even born”
“Exactly, so imagine my shock after none of you showed up for my father’s funeral, Lorik is probably tossing and turning on his grave as we speak”
She stood up straight and uncrossed her arms in order to express more emotion with the motions of her hands.
Mario took in a breath before he smiled at her once more.
“He fucked up, you are hurt and you have every right to do so, trust me he didn’t get away so easily from skipping such an important thing. Do this for the sake of his father, for my sake”
“I’m sorry Mario, but I can’t keep running whenever Massimo needs it”
(Y/n) started to walk away from Mario as she was desperately trying to control her emotions with all her strength. The nerve of this man to come and ask her for help, after everything that happened.
“He might die (y/n), they won’t stop until he is out of the picture”
She stopped dead in her tracks, if it was humanly possible her heartbeat would be heard around the mansion, the thought of Massimo being six feet under crushed her and Mario knew it.
“That’s none of my concern anymore, for me he died 4 years ago along with my father”
You could smell the salty musk of the ocean from below. The light breeze kissing your cheek bones the same way your eyelashes did as you permitted them to rest upon your face. Out of all of abrupt changes that had been forced upon you, you were grateful that the calm essence of the sea had remained a constant in your life. Your anchor, your safety net, your-
‘’Mrs. Amarro.’’
The tide drew you in, captivated you. The sound of the waves carrying you further from the cruel orbit of the world into the loving embrace of salty arms. Carrying you back to an old friend, long forgotten, but still familiar all the same; carrying you back to your innocence.
‘’Alessia.’’
You sharply exhaled, turning your attention back to your therapist. You had become very familiar with Dr. Jeevika Singh the past year and a half. Her graying hair hidden in a tight bun contradicted her youthful face. Even with her lips set in a firm line, her eyes often displayed her empathetic nature when meeting with you. Just as they did now. She was one of the most renowned therapists in the area, and she was one tough cookie. She also knew how to reel in your attention, such as purposefully calling you ‘’Mrs.’’
‘’Miss Amarro is fine, doctor. We’re not married,’’ you offered a small, lopsided smile before turning your attention to the ocean’s horizon outside of her office windows. You didn’t need to be facing her to know she gave a disapproving shake of her head before setting down her notebook, taking her glasses off from the bridge of her nose before gently placing them on the oak coffee table between you two.
