Elio steps back and lets me get up. I bend down to grab my clothes, thrown carelessly to the side, and I start to get dressed. He beckons me to come closer, and then he helps me to pull up the zipper of my white pencil skirt. "You could spend the night here," he says, watching me calmly. I look up at him for a moment as I button my jacket. "I could, yes," I whisper to him. And it breaks my heart to see the hope shining in his eyes. Elio runs his hands down my back and pulls me back to him. He spreads my legs enough so I'm kneeling on the couch right before him. Then he puts his hands on my cheeks and comes to press our foreheads together. "What more do I have to do to make you stay?" I frown slightly. I try to pull my head back, but Elio holds my neck firmly. "Sign the divorce papers." Elio lets out a sigh. "I refuse. You are mine. You agreed to be mine. You can't abandon me again. Especially not today. I can leave you your apartment, your business, amore mio. But I will neve
I wake up and change immediately. 5:00 AM. I am late. But what can I do? My body was perfectly relaxed after the orgasm Elio gave me, and I fell into a deep sleep as soon as I got home. It was as if my mind was perfectly serene, knowing that he was on top of me. I quickly grab my gym bag and sling it around me. I need to hurry downstairs. I need to walk and let my body warm up from the effort despite the cold morning air. 5: 30 AM. Half out of breath, I finally arrive at the gym and rush to the locker room to drop off my stuff. As I try to pass through the door that separates the showers from the training room, my coach grabs me by the arm and drags me toward the exit. I do not have time to figure out what is happening to me before I find myself outside. My bag is thrown on the sidewalk while my coach claps his hands loudly as if to remove the dust. "I know I am late, but don't you think you are overreacting a little?" I ask my coach. I cringe slightly as I meet his dark ga
The sound of an incoming email startles me as a slightly satisfied smile appears on the corner of Elio's lips. I do not know what it is about, but I know from how he is acting that he just received some great news. He looks up at the driver of his car, then informs him that he will make a phone call using the car's speaker. I raise my neck, leaning on the headrest of my seat. I just close my eyes, trying to keep my composure. I repeat to myself like a mantra: it is nothing, Lulu. Elio is just afraid you will get hurt. You still have your job and apartment, even though it is now riddled with damn spy cameras! "Don Elio" articulates the voice over the speaker. "I am very pleased with the speed this case was resolved. Glad to see your skills are up to the salary I am paying you," Elio replies coldly. I can feel him moving to the side and reaching for a cigar. I do not know what case he is talking about, but one thing is sure, Elio is delighted. Strang
(Thirteen years ago.) I can hear them talking. They try to whisper around me, but I am not deaf. "The bambina is only sixteen..." "Who will take care of her until she comes of age?" "Luciano died like that. Cardiac arrest. But, if you ask me, he paid for all the excesses of his youth. "I know some people who must be angry that they did not manage to kill him." "His daughter found him laid out when she came home from school." "His daughter is a Mafia princess. I wonder how much she will inherit." "Luciano was a rich man." "Luciano had a daughter?" "Yes, he did. Stronzo (asshole*) knocked up the daughter of a capo. She died giving birth to the bambina." "She could marry one of my sons." "Who will tutor her?" "The families are likely to fight among themselves to get custody of the girl. To acquire Luciano's daughter is to have the opportunity to have access to his fortune." "Wouldn't that be Santo Ganovese?" "The Ganovese's mad dog." "Why did the Ganovese come?" "Where i
I arrive at the sizeable Ganovese estate. The choice was not difficult. I really wonder what my father could have done in the past to make the Ganovese owe him a debt. Matteo takes me by the hand and starts to give me a tour of the house, explaining the rules of the house. "Generally, we can do anything as long as it doesn't piss Santo off!" he tells me. "I feel like he's angry all the time," I reply immediately. Matteo bursts out laughing and puts his free hand to the side of his mouth to share a secret with me. "No. He's always hungry, and it puts him in a bad mood." "What?" "Santo is a big, hungry teddy bear. If you want to win points with him, bring a dessert and ask him to help you finish it." "Why doesn't he eat more if he is so hungry?" "Elio's order. Santo is a compulsive eater. Once he emptied the closets and fridges in the Villa, but I was too small to remember. Since then, Santo is only allowed to eat at mealtimes if he does not want to upset Elio." I catch myse
(Elio) "When are you going to put a ring on my finger?" my girlfriend of the month asks me. I laugh mockingly as I button up my shirt. I still wonder why I agreed to make her my official of this month. She is everything I hate. But, she is ambitious and venal, nothing easier to maintain in the short term. My mother would cry if she were still alive. Mangiare bene (eat well*), I do my best. Ridere spesso (laugh often*), I no longer laugh spontaneously since I have taken on the role of Don, and lives depend on my every decision. Amare molto (love very much*), I will not marry anyone and will not drag anyone into my darkness. I will act so that my little brothers live happily with the ones they choose. But I am far too bad to be able to have my own family. I know I am lying to myself. I dream of being in a relationship as my parents had, and I dream of being able to fall in love and be fully consumed. But I am a Ganovese, and I know perfectly well that nothing is healthy about th
It's been a week since I came home. I am leaning against the large railing of the outdoor terrace with a glass of cognac. I have reached the point where this is what I need to keep up with the hectic pace and function. I have not slept for several months now. I am in a constant state of stress, and the number of problems I have to deal with seems to grow daily. I am only 26 years old and already carrying the workloads my father started in his 50s. I am doing my best, but I am exhausted. I have managed to free up some time to spend with my brothers. It's been a week of calm among the Cosa Nostra families. I greatly appreciate the presence of the daughter Luciano. She keeps my little brothers busy and happy, which is the only thing that matters to me today. But I do not know why. My brain kept looping the moment I caught her and Santo in the kitchen. It was easy to take on the role of Don after the accident that took my parents away. Our father trained
(Elio)I do not know when the last time I slept so well was. I open my eyes, and I can't help but smile as I see my two little brothers lying asleep around me. Santo is sleeping on his back; arms crossed against his chest. Even asleep, he keeps his eyebrows furrowed. I can't help but laugh inwardly as I hear his stomach growl. On the other side, Matteo is also lying on his back. He has put an arm against my stomach, and his leg is crushing mine. Even here, our latest brother is trying to take all the space for himself. I stand up and let out a sigh of satisfaction, looking at my watch. 5 AM. I must have gone to bed around 8 PM after spending the rest of the afternoon listening to my little brothers complain that I work too much. I have not slept that much in ages. I leave my room quietly, making sure to make as little noise as possible so as not to wake them up. I went downstairs to take a shower in one of the guest rooms and just put on one of my eternal cotton pants. I forg