Chapter two

C H A P T E R  T W O

She could not believe that it was that easy, neither could Loris. She could tell just by looking at him that he had a thousand different questions running through his mind, but he could not ask her any right now. Instead he showed her to a room and told her that this would be hers and that Mr. Mancini would probably announce her as a guest of his soon to the people here. Until then, she had to keep her head low and get familiar with the grounds.

He walked out, closing the door behind him as she started exploring the room. This whole place was breath taking, fully aware that she was in a mansion belonging to the mafia, she could not help but admire the earthly tones of the room making her feel warm. Carpet covered the whole floor, and paintings caught her attention immediately. There was a huge mirror right beside her door, almost the size of the wall. She stared at her reflection and took a deep breath, looking at the eyes that were looking back at her. She could not mess this up now, she was in. After all the years of planning, training, crying and all the pain, she was finally in, and she knew that there was very little she was not willing to give up in order to fulfil her plan.. even if it was the last thing she would get to do.

A knock on the door snapped her out of her thoughts. She reached over, opening the door as a maid stood in front of her, holding a huge gift box.

“Ms. Vaccarelli, I was instructed to give this to you and show you to the dining room when you were changed.”

“Thank you very much, I’ll be out in a few in minutes.” she said, taking the box from the maid and smiling at her before making her way back into her room, closing the door behind her. She placed the box on her bed and opening it to find the most gorgeous forest green dress. It was so smooth and so light, with shiny fabric that would complement her eyes, making them stand out furthermore with her tan skin.

She took it out of the box and could not help but smile, it was incredibly gorgeous. Beside it sat a pair of silver heels and earrings.. Mr. Mancini definitely already had a plan, and she needed to submit to it, or make him believe that she did at least...

She wore the dress, slightly struggling with the zipper. It had a very little handle, and it was hidden in a thin layer of fabric to make the dress seem seamless. After minutes of struggling to zip it, she decided to ask the maid outside for help to avoid sweating in this gorgeous piece of clothes. She clasped the earrings and strapped her shoes onto her feet, before spraying a bit of perfume on her neck and behind her ears. Her makeup was already done, it was minimal but still looked good. She had some eyeliner, mascara, lip balm, and blush on which was all she really needed. She looked at herself in the mirror, realizing how good the dress fit. How the hell did he manage to get a hold of a brand new dress and shoes that fit her, this quickly? She let go of the thought, not wanting to be too late. She quickly strapped her knife that she had gotten back from Mr. Mancini around her leg. Thankfully, the dress was not tight all the way down, leaving her a little room to strap the knives and leave them undetected. Just that zipper left now. She headed out, her words making their way out before she did.

“I am sorry, could you just help me with the zi-… oh sorry”

Holy shit. She truly thought that Elvio Mancini looked good, but holy shit he could not even compare to the man standing in front of her.. Her nose immediately filled with the scent of coconuts and earthly musk. His shoulders broad and his figure tall, he looked like he would tower over everyone. His slightly messy hair was almost a dark brown, but under this light it did not seem so dark. Her gaze moved to his eyes, and she inhaled sharply, they were such a warm brown, yet they were so incredibly cold. Those eyes looked like they had a thousand thoughts running behind them but absolutely no emotions. He stared deep into her soul, his hands in his suit pant pockets. His arms were visibly toned, even under the black shirt he wore and the suit jacket. He wore a black tie, with a slight shine to its fabric, just like her green dress. His fingers had a few different rings, some thin and some thick.

“Turn around.”

A voice so low, so raspy yet so breathy spoke. She needed a second to process his voice before she could even process what he said.

“I am sorry?” she asked, as he looked at her side. She followed his gaze to her unzipped dress. “Oh..” she let out before gulping. Her eyes wandered back to his face once more, she did not recognize him. All the photos she saw, none of the men looked close to him. She knew that she would remember if she had seen him. Even if Elvio Mancini was more attractive than expected, she still recognized him from the pictures she had seen of him. But she knew that she had never laid eyes on this man before in her life.

“There was a maid here,” she said but got cut off.

“I sent her away. Turn around.” He commanded once more and this time she did. He took a few steps towards her, close enough to reach her zipper without having to completely stretch out his arms. Her eyes slightly wandered to the right to look at him as he ever so gently pulled up her zipper, completely focused on it. His hands felt ice cold against her skin, even if they only touched her for a split second, making her struggle to not slightly jump at his touch. When he was done, he turned around without even looking at her, and started walking away.

She looked at his wide back as he walked further away from her. His body was breathtakingly impressive. She took him in as he walked so swiftly yet casually. His scent was still in her nose, even after he walked away. But then he stopped. He did not turn around, just stopped and waited. “You need more time Ms. Vaccarelli, or can we get going already?” He spoke with that velvet voice of his as she quickly cleared her throat and followed him quickly to catch up.

He knew who she was.. but she had no idea who he is..

“You know my name,” she said, and he just looked straight ahead and kept on walking, with his broad hands in his pockets. She followed him, not knowing which question to ask. She had way too many on her mind and before she could decide on one, they had reached the dining room where everyone was taking their places around the table. Women, children, and the men, all sat together. There were tons of them. Athena’s eyes scanned the room, trying to get a glance at everyone. She got a glance at Loris, who stood far away, talking to a beautiful redhead. He nodded slightly towards her, and she did the same, glad to finally see a face she recognized.

“Ms. Vaccarelli, you look lovely.” she heard Elvio Mancini speak, as he made his way towards her and the mysterious man beside her.

“Thank you, Mr. Mancini.” she replied with a slight smile. Mancini’s eyes travelled to the man behind her and quickly yet quietly uttered “ti sta aspettando.”

She tried looking clueless as Elvio Mancini nodded towards the man sitting at the head of the table. He is waiting for you..

She knew that the man behind her did not seem like a bodyguard or someone of a low rank, he was dressed too expensively for that. She thought perhaps an associate of the family, but he moved with too much ease in this mansion to be someone who did not fully belong here, let alone feared others here. Yet he was the one who lead her here, but to be waited on by the head of the table told her he was more important than she thought. She felt him walk from behind her and head towards the man on the head of the table. Elvio Mancini took a step back, gesturing for her to lead the way and take a place at the table. She smiled before sitting down on the chair closest to her. The air shifted in the room, everyone quietened down and she felt that she had done something she was not supposed to. Elvio Mancini looked at the man who had escorted her here, almost as if he was looking for a reaction, but he got nothing. She could not hear what the men on the head of the table were discussing, but she knew that it was in Italian at least. She was glad to know that her language skills and the time spent learning them was not going to waste. Eventually, they wrapped up their conversation when everyone had arrived and the man who had escorted her here, sat on the chair next to her.

“Father, everyone, I would like to introduce Athena Vaccarelli, she is a guest of mine and will be staying at the mansion as long as I am here. She is under my protection, and no one is to harm her.” Elvio Mancini spoke, introducing her as an associate to the family, before sitting down beside the man who had led her here.

“Ms. Vaccarelli,” the head of the table, and Elvio Mancini’s father spoke. “I hope you are finding everything to your liking?” Michalis Mancini spoke in a tone so sweet it would have almost fooled her.

“Yes, Mr. Mancini. Thank you for your generosity. I am thankful for this opportunity.” She faked an appreciative smile.

“μη με κάνεις να το μετανιώσω” he spoke in Greek, making her raise her brows in surprise. How many languages did this man speak? She knew that Michalis Mancini was no ordinary man, after all, he ran the Mancini family, and his reputation scared the dead. Not only was he ruthless, but he was clever.. extremely clever. How else would he manage to run this family for so long and win so many mafia wars?

“I won’t make you regret it, Mr. Mancini.” she replied to his earlier threat as he nodded, pleased.

“Let us eat everyone,” he spoke, as everyone dug into their food, and she quickly reached over to her glass of water and took a much needed sip of water.

After a long dinner, accompanied by countless whispers and secret glances, Michalis Mancini left the dining table and people started excusing themselves as well. No one dared leave until he had left, not even the children. Not only was it fear, but she even sensed a bit of respect that some held for that man. After all, he was an honourable man to those who were his slaves. That is partly how he grew his empire, anyone desperate with skills worked for him in return of shelter and protection. But dare cross him, and you would not live another day to talk about it. Yet here she was..

Elvio Mancini stood up shortly after, standing behind her, “let us head to the office to discuss some business.” He spoke looking at her as she nodded and stood up. So did the man beside her.

They lead the way, and she followed them, making their way to an office at the end of the corridor of the second floor. Once they got in, the mysterious man walked over to a little table with bottles and glasses and poured himself a scotch.

“Gio getting straight to business as usual..” Elvio Mancini joked as Athena realized what he had just called the man.

Gio…

Giovanni Mancini.. the underboss of the Mancini crime family and the man she was here to kill..