MariannaThe past few weeks with Diego and the men in the hideout have been blissful. I was being cared for like an egg, my protruding tummy was always being made fun of. I wasn't allowed to cook or do any form of house chores in the house, at least Diego made sure of that.Diego always delegated men to stay by my side all day, some of them went out, surveying the environment and bringing back any information they heard about Javier.I was surprised that there were still few men who were still loyal to my family, irrespective of the kind of person my father was. They still treated me with love and kindness and respect.Lady Del Vecchio, that was what I was still called. They refused to call me by the last name that should have been used. I should have been Marianna Bezzio, because legally I was married to Javier.That night as usual, we all sat in the living room, whining and playing. A very large pizza sat on the center table, we all sat round the table. The men sat on the floor, Die
MariannaDiego was beaten blue black even before we were taken out of my room. His hands were tied at his back, his swollen eyes tried to make sure I was still in his vicinity.Alceo's brother held me by my hair, not too tightly but tight enough. I unconsciously held my stomach, his gaze happened to follow the sudden movement he just witnessed.He pushed Diego to the floor roughly and lifted my top up without asking for any permission. He looked at me, a whimper escaped from my lips as he gently trailed his long fingernails on my body, leaving various sensations throughout my body.As we walked into the main room, I saw the bodies of the last men who were ready to stick by my side, laying dead on the floor. Some had bullets to their forehead and some, various bullets all over their bodies.“When we heard on the streets that Marianna Bezzio was dead, we couldn't believe it. I personally couldn't believe it,” he lit his cigar and dragged in a few smoke before he exhaled it in my face.“
MariannaThe van came to an abrupt stop, making us lunge forward suddenly. A silent hiss escaped from the confines of my mouth as I hit my head on the other side of the van.“Marianna, are you okay?” Diego's voice searched for me, trying to get a sense of clarity of where I was.“I'm okay, I'm fine,” I assured him.The squeaking of the van door caused me a huge discomfort. I tried to tune out but it just got louder.“Bring them out,” he commanded.Their grip on my skin burned and I couldn't help show the pain on my face. I tried to use my other senses to have a feel of the environment since the one responsible for the job was on a break.I could hear Diego's grunting behind me, I was a little bit calm, knowing he was near. My mind wandered far, on Alceo's brother words. ‘The new mafia leader will be so happy to see who I brought’.According to the story I heard about the late Isiak Romanov, he was a brutal and fierce leader. More fierce than my father, just a little compassionate and
AlceoI stood on the balcony of the house watching the van that drove in at a very close range. The door opened and the facial expression on her face showed that she was gripped painfully. Even with the blindfold on, her face was twisted in some kind of way. She hadn't changed a bit and I just wanted to run down to hold her in my arms. Kiss away whatever tears that were going to be making a mess on her beautiful face.It was going to be the fifth month and it just feels like yesterday we saw each other last. She had only put on some weight, still looking like the girl I had fallen in love with.Diego was pushed behind her and seeing him with her, I believed she was doing well.Word had it on the street of her death, I refused to believe it. Uri refused to believe it as well as the men in the house.He was hell bent on getting his revenge, most especially on her. I knew he wouldn't do anything to her behind me even if he saw her.I was assuming my father's seat temporarily until I wed
DiegoThe drama which just unfolded in front of me was the least thing I had expected or anticipated. I was able to free myself of the string used to restrain our hands behind us.We were shoved roughly into the dark space and I was quick to hold Marianna before she lost her balance.She was quiet, too quiet for my liking. The only thing I could hear from her was the way she sobbed. They were subtle enough to remind me of how heartbroken she was when she first got out from Javier's.“At least, be nice and put a fucking light in this place,” I yelled at the guard. I was just trying to drag her out of the fucked up mess with Javier and now we were tossed back in a similar place.“For the Russian leader to have asked us to put you here, you are one step closer to death. You this fucking Italians,” he spat and walked away. Left to me, this guard would never have the chance to talk back to me. But no, all thanks to the present condition of mine.I used my other senses to find a suitable pl
AlceoAll my thinking was going into the dungeon to see Marianna and maybe talk to her about her present state. How her life had been ever since it all happened. But no, I happened to meet her late father's guard instead, challenging me.We all knew that what happened that day wasn't her fault, it was the history that ran deep between them that fueled the fight.The house was connected in such a way that I could hear most of the things being said from the dungeon in my room.I couldn't afford to look weak in front of my brother, he had sacrificed so much for me. And I was sure that Marianna had gone through alot too. It was almost impossible to not notice the healed bruises on her skin. Diego would never have done that, he was so protective of her, that I wonder sometimes if that was all this was about.I found my way to my room, placing my ear against the wall to see if I would catch anymore words being said.The door opened and I knew who exactly walked in. The thing Diego talked ab
MariannaThe loud banging noise from the bars of the iron forced me up. I had no idea when I slept off in Diego's arms but now, I found myself gently laid on the cemented floor with Diego's shirt covering me. The last thing I remembered was crying and holding on to Diego like he was the oxygen I was using to breathe.There was a small lamp on the floor, casting its reflection all over the place, aiding us to see clearly. Diego's rigid wide back welcomed me, his hands were folded into a tight fist.“Diego,” I called out, finding support from the walls as I tried to get up.“Oh the little bitch is up,” I heard a voice say. I recognized it to be Uri's. “I do not have a business with you, it's her I seek.”Diego's voice was as hard as a rock, deadly and venomous.“Call her one more name and you would wish you hadn't,” he threatened. Well, except the fact that it wasn't a threat. I knew Diego well.I found a spot where I could gently stay and watch both of them. He moved closer to Diego, h
AlceoAs I reclined to her level, all I wanted to do was wrap her now big body into my arms and relive the memories from our past.Her face glowed and she curled her lips into a smile as the word pretty left my mouth.She opened her mouth to talk and the next thing that plastered itself on my face was the remains of pizza leaving her mouth.“Gross,” came from different parts of the room. I could bet that they said it with a disgusted look.She was confused, fear had replaced the smile on her face. Her gaze was shifting from me to everyone in the room concurrently. She was literally shaking, only I could see it.She wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her palm. “I'm sorry, I did not know that was going to happen.”I stayed still without giving her a response.“Remove your cloth and wipe his face,” Nina commanded with a stern voice. Every word of hers coming from a place of hate.“Oh, I'm sorry,” without a second thought, the ash blouse she wore went off her neck. She was lef
AlceoThe days pass us by quickly; minutes turning into hours and hours turning into days. The bigger portion of it wasn't left behind; days turned into weeks and weeks turned into a month. Word on the street was that Javier was still on the run with the house and Rosco desperately looking for him.When Marianna told Rosco about how everything went, he was skeptical about her decision at first but reluctantly had no choice but to accept it. We managed to act cool but deep down I knew how much Rosco loathes us.Our lives have been beautiful ever since then but paranoia wouldn't release its tight grip on me. My presence seemed to calm Marianna down, knowing that I was crazy in my own way. I would watch the world burn for your sake if she demanded it. She lived freely and Javier became her past.She hummed along to the music playing from her phone inside the bathroom. She decided to use that day to wash her long dark hair, there was no way she was going to let me in with her.“It's high
MariannaThe mumbling sound of disagreement was starting to get to my ears. I refused to take my gaze away from the forefather, we both stared at each other like our lives depended on it.He hit the table, silencing everyone at once.“If I hear you well, Alceo Romanov is of Russian descent. His father is the late Isiak Romanov who got into a crossfire with your father, right?”“Very well forefather, you are correct,” I responded in affirmative.“I'm afraid my dear Marianna, that will not be possible,” he said. Deep down, I knew that was a response I might get. Rosco and Alceo believed that I was at least going to attain my rightful position today but I purposely kept that part away from them. Alceo renounced his position just because of us, and I wouldn't take my father's position and leave everything that concerns us. I love him too much to do that.“Why forefather? Is there something attached to it?”“The Russians are our enemies, one of the main reasons Javier was stripped of his
Marianna As usual the asshole who called himself my husband that stole my rightful position was up there, smiling at me. It's only a matter of time, sorry hours and minutes. Heaven knows why he decided to answer the message sent out this morning.“Good morning elders of the house,” I started to say. “You gave me an option the last time that I was here and I am here to present to you what I found the past few days.”Oblivious of what was spoken about the last time, the smirk on his face still did not disappear.I brought out the recorder in my pocket and handed it over to the house boy. He connected it to the speakers and everyone listened to the devastating truth on it.As I looked up to see the look on his face, it had been replaced with one of shock. Now was my turn to smile, a proud smirk plastered itself on my lips, refusing to go away.Huge uproar of mumbles arised and he kept adjusting himself in his seat. He had begun sweating and cursing himself. Even the great Javier still h
AlceoThe night felt like eternity to me, I couldn't close my eyes to sleep properly. Any little sound, I was up; knowing that Diego's killer was still roaming freely with no idea of him being exposed.Then I thought about Javier's words to Diego, he has a bigger plan than to rule the Italian mafia. He was after the Russians too. If I could connect all the dots properly, that would make a lot of sense why Nina kept pressuring me to marry her. Not because of my father but because she needed to marry me and then get rid of me for Javier. After that, he would be successful in penetrating the Russian mafia.The pads of my palm stroked Marianna's hair gently, showering her with a lot of thanks in me. Her giving birth to Cael made me come back to my senses. Thank whoever made her fall into forced labor, might as well be Nina; every disappointment is a blessing after all.Her light snores captured my attention back to her, she is a very beautiful woman. Ecstatic that we ended up with each ot
MariannaKnowing Diego's final moment was both torture and relief for me. At least we knew the son of a bitch that murdered him. Rosco and Alceo sat there without saying anything. His head was bent and I could hear very gentle sniffs from him. I never saw him as someone who could cry but I guess the death of a loved one was the most torture to be ever created.My eyes were starting to hurt badly, I could feel how swollen they were. Without looking at myself in the mirror, I pictured the color to be red.I reclined in the direction of Alceo and laid in his body, he wrapped me with so much warmth and care. Maybe my tears weren't enough but there's still a lot more that I would do.I decided to go first, the silence in the room was shattering. It could pass for a graveyard.“I'll go to the house tomorrow and show them the evidence. Javier Bezzio needs to be dethroned, he has done nothing but harm since he assumed that title.”“No way,” Alceo said.“I'm not going to let you put yourself i
AlceoThere was no amount of consoling that I could do for Marianna. First of all, I was glad that the Russians had no hand in Diego's death; maybe a little but not totally. And his Russian spy is dead as well. All the pieces of the puzzle were falling in place. Before I could return back to the surface of the earth, I heard screeching of a car outside in the compound.I had zoned out and forgotten that Marianna asked us to call Rosco. She sat by the phone and kept crying her eyes out, holding the phone like her life depended on it.The door flew open and I met with Rosco's bloodshot eyes. He searched for Marianna with his eyes and came straight for me. There was no time to tell him that I didn't cause her tears. 2 heavy punches hit me in the face and he held me by my neck, choking me. I tried to break free, but he was just too strong. Marianna ran from her position and tightened her grip on him.“I told you if she shed a single tear, I'd kill you,” he reached for the gun in his pock
MariannaIt's been over a week since Alceo came back from their house about Nina's death. No news or any progress has been made concerning it. And I could see worry and fear starting to reside in his eyes and his gestures. He became more clingy and protective of us, always swearing and promising to protect us.I decided to indulge him in the house chores I wanted to do. It was a general cleaning and it would be so cumbersome for me to do.“Al,” I called out for him. He came out with an apron tied around his neck, making him look sexy as fuck. I was beginning to drool just by looking at him.“You can take me if you want pretty,” he came closer, running his index finger over my cheek. “The sitting room is big enough for us to do as we wish and you can be sure that I would make you scream my name loud enough for the neighbors to hear.”I snapped out of the trance he was trying to put, I hit his hand away and pinched his arm, making him curse out.“Ouch,” he whined. “That wasn't nice, pre
AlceoImmediately I stepped into the room, every eye turned at me. Uri's situation was worse, it wasn't up to 48 hours since he was proclaimed the new leader that a death happened in the family. And it was more suspicious, because it was Nina's. Someone he was closer with.Frustration and worry resided deep in Uri's eyes, for a moment I wanted to sympathize with him but I decided against it.“I thought you weren't going to come around,” Aleksi said in a low voice to me, coming closer.“I could still turn back and return to the love of my life, it's not too late,” I replied to him in a straight and sharp tone.“Now is not the time to do all these, let's figure out what happened first. Then we'd sort the rest out ourselves.”“There's nothing to sort out, just let me be.”I went straight to the body and pulled the cloth covering her face. She was stone cold and dead by now, her face was pale and hard. I examined further, lowering the cloth again. I saw the spot where she was stabbed, it
AlceoKrrrrr-krrrrr-krrrrr, the incessant ringing of my iphone forced me out of bed. In my sleepy state, I walked to the spot where Marianna made us plug our phones. She was a huge advocate of not sleeping with our phones because it caused radiations of some sort. Without checking the caller, I picked up.“Hello,” my voice was gruffy and scratchy. “Who is this?”“At least, wake up from your stupid slumber and check the caller ID on your phone.”I could recognize that voice from hell. “What else do you want Aleksi? At least, you all have successfully taken away my father's legacy from me.”He sighed before saying. He knew how much pain I was in. “Nina is dead, we found her body in front of the house this morning.”“Well I didn't kill her, if that's what you are asking,” I said nonchalantly.“Arrrrrgh,” his grunt forced me to push the phone away from my ears. “This is not a joke Alceo. I know you don't like her but not enough to the point of killing her. So please we, I need you to come