Proper introductions.

As they drove in, Bella stared around in awe, they had not exaggerated when they had said the  Del Gato compound was majestically built, because it was indeed, tall, very tall palm trees filled the area and a waterfall in it's midst. Bella stared around in amazement, her lips ajar.

The car halted and she inhaled for a while ready to meet her Mr Man, her mother gave her a small  kiss on the cheeks afterwards.

"Dante Cassato himself" a thick masculine voice exclaimed. Bella turned to see the almighty Lorenzo walking majestically down the stairs, clapping.

Her father walked towards him and they chuckled before grasping themselves 

"and where is my daughter-in-law?" he asked grinning from ear-to-ear. Dante pushed his daughter forward and Bella walked carefully to him

"oh my" he gasped "such beauty" he took the hands of the lovely woman and Kissed them Softly

bellissima Cosatto" he called and she nodded.

"Una delle donne piu belle che abbia mai visito"

(One of the most beautiful women I have seen)

With that sentence, she smiled, smiled hard.

He had just called her one of the most beautiful woman he had set his eyes on, whatever could go wrong.

"how flattering you must feel" her father whisphered as they walked in. she blushed.

behave" his thick voice came again and Bella put her face into a frown.

They moved slowly behind Lorenzo as he walked, until they appeared at a large room with a very wide table of about 60 chairs gathered around it, the man offered a seat to each of them and they thanked him in Italian taking a seat afterwards.

"Benedetta and Dominico will be down shortly, please be patient" lorenzo smiled at his guests and took his seat.

Not long after he had spoken, Benedetta walked in, her son moving behind her. Bellissima turned her head sharply and 

Oh! What a sight!

The man walked slowly to the table, in all power and might, his hair neatly organised and trousers well pressed, he looked up to his fiancee and smiled, she was beautiful.

Once their eyes met, bella looked away immediately, trying to hide her blush but failed miserably.

" welcome" he spoke to his guests.

"Grazie" Dante replied immediately and Alice smiled to show her gratitude.

"Dante, Alice" Lorenzo began "my wife, Benedetta"

Benedetta smiled softly at them before taking a seat, right next to Bella. She gulped.

"You look so beautiful, my dear" she whispered. Bella smiled, feeling her self-confidence rise. it felt so good to be complimented and admired already from the family, she had almost felt loved or is that too soon to say.

"So?" Lorenzo spoke grinning from ear-to-ear, Bella loved his aura, he seemed like a nice person, like the town had said "can we hear something from you bellissima"

"Bella" her father corrected "we refer to her as bella" she could see her mother smile turn to a frown from her side but said nothing.

"bella then, can we hear anything from you?" Dante looked at her eyeing her to say something.

what was she to say?

" I don't really have anything to say" she spoke, chuckling lightly, her father glared a her and she bent her head down, drinking of the juice that was served a while ago 

"how about you tell us about yourself" benedetta asked sweetly, oh, what did she have to say about herself, there was really nothing to say. Benedetta noticed the woman's discomfort and she spoke again "perhaps your date of birth, age, best colour?" she looked around smiling.

"I'm born in November" Bella smiled sweetly "November 21st"

"that is very close to mine" Lorenzo laughed, trying to make her feel comfortable"

she already loved Lorenzo, he was free spirited and extremely nice to her and she found herself wishing he was her father 

be grateful Bella, she scolded herself, but honestly there was not much to be grateful about, her father barely showed her any love, neither her mother nor any of her siblings only Emilia differed slightly, she wished her father was different than he was, she wished he loved her, that he loved her greatly.

Most time she'd pray her father had a change of heart towards her and loved her like she deserved, like they all deserved but no, that wasn't what he wanted for her, she could only wish and wish as long as she wanted, but wishes, they never came through 

"how old are you Bella?" dominico asked, his voice thick yet sweet

"Twenty" she spoke Softly looking down 

"You're all grown!" Lorenzo exclaimed.

"I wouldn't really say that" she laughed nervously

"twenty is Grown" Dante said Sternly, trying to warn her to shut up, she didn't pay heed, he wasn't the one to get married, she was.

"To you, to me it's not" she smiled at him

"bellissima" her mother mouthed and she moved  her eyes away.

She looked at her mother again and saw the worry in her eyes 

"I think twenty is quite grown" Alice spoke, trying to make her realise, she was making a mistake going against her father's words.

"no mother, you know that, don't you?"  for some reasons she knew her father would do nothing to her at least, not now, not here.

" what makes you think that?"  benedetta asked.

" I think being grown is completely up to you, you know when you're grown, you'd feel grown"

" so you don't feel grown" dominico's mother came again 

"not all that grown" 

"what do you mean not all that Grown?" Her father asked taking a sip of his wine 

"Not grown enough to get married, but that's by the way"

Dominico smiled a little at the woman, shaking his head afterwards.

Her father glared at her and if these were the cartoons she had seen with her sister Zeta, she would have seen smoke leave his head from how angry he was at the moment, but Bella did not seem to mind 

"you do not want to get married?" Lorenzo asked bewildered 

"I do" she smiled "even if I didn't, that wouldn't matter would it?" She look around 

"bellissima stop" her mother mouthed again and  she rolled her eyes internally.

"Okay" Benedetta spoke clearing her throat "we can talk about something else" she smiled nervously " Dominico, is there something you would like to say" the man looked at each of them speaking afterwards 

"Politely" he began "I would like to have some  time alone with my fiancee, if  that is possible"

"off course  please go on" his father said gesturing towards the door.

Dominico nodded at Bella and beckoned to her, to come with him.

"excuse me" she said Softly leaving after.

He waited for her by the door and they walked out, saying nothing as they moved.

"what exactly is your problem?" he asked her quietly as they approached the Gardens 

"what problem?" Bella looked at him, they stared at each other for a while saying nothing.

" do you have an issue with me?"  he spoke  un- bothered, that was a good question she said to herself, did she have any issues with him.

No, she did not, he was attractive, very attractive and thrilling to her, there should be no problem with him 

"why did they move the wedding?"  she asked not looking up to him at all 

"I don't know anything about that and I am just as pissed as you are" 

She nodded saying nothing more, truth be told, she wasn't really all that angry that the wedding was moved, she was rather pissed that they had not sought her consent before taking any action, had they ever, there was never a time her  father had asked her, if she was fine with any decision he made about her, before he made them.

Dante hardly ever spoke to her after she turned ten, it was all Emilia now and even  if a few of her siblings were jealous about that, she wasn't, her father was  worthy of every other emotion, but definitely not love, even as he never showed love to most of them, he still granted them the basic necessities, gifted them with the things they needed, they were fed properly, clothed well and cared for by their mother.

To her Alice was the Greatest Gift the man had gifted any of them, she loved her mother so much, they all did, and she deserve to be loved indeed.

She was never appreciated enough for all her efforts, she would work hard and do the most she could, but her husband never regarded her, sometimes Alice would hope they would kiss at least or Make Love as they used to, but no, Alice had not been touched for a long time and she couldn't frown about that anymore, it was her fate now.

Bellissima could remember when her father once loved her mother so deeply, she was only six, so she couldn't remember much but till today she couldn't place an actual reason why the love died.  Alice could, he was tired of her, to Alice there were true loves, soulmates and if anything, he was not any of those to her.

she was blessed with the opportunity to choose who she wished to marry and she blamed herself, she could have waited, waited patiently, she was so blinded with the gifts that Dante would send, and she really convinced herself that she was in love with him.

No, she wasn't, she was in love with the gifts he sent her, the affection he showed,  not him, never him and every morning she prayed that her children received love and affection from whoever they ended up with.

She prayed for Rosa and her husband every day that she would only receive love and care from her man, she prayed every night for Renata, when they had begun to plan her wedding ceremony and now, now she prayed for Bella and Dominico, that her daughter would only feel enough, pleased and loved in her marriage.

"I think we need a proper introduction"  Dominico spoke again "I know you're pissed, I am too" she looked up to him "but regardless you are going to be my wife soon and I need to know more about you"

wife, the word sounded big to her, she was going to be a wife, very soon, what kind of wife would she be? how many children would  they have? she thought 

Ew, she said to herself, she shouldn't be thinking of these things 

"You could ask me anything" Bella smiled "I'd gladly answer"

"I do not want to ask you nything in particular" he stopped for a while before moving again "I want you to talk to me, to speak freely" she stared at him for a long while, admiring his features and thanking God that he looked nothing like Leonardo 

what beautiful babies, they would have she thought to herself 

Ew bellissima stop that, the woman scolded herself again.

"I'm Belissima Cassato" she smiled at him "you already know that"

"please go on" 

"I have five beautiful sisters" she spoke blushing at his intense gaze on her, she wondered why he stared at her in such manner but wasn't pissed he did, she loved that he looked at her that way, it made her feel more beautiful than she thought to be "I could tell you all their names, if you want me to"

"What is your favourite colour?" He asked interrupting her, if it were to be someone else, she would have thought it to be rude, but it made her smile instead 

"Black"

"Why?" Dominico eyed her suspiciously 

"It's dark" she said to the man, looking at her feet as she moved, a habit she was very fond off, somehow it helped her with her anxiety 

"What's yours?" 

"Blue"

"why is that?" She asked him, still staring at her feet.

" it's the colour of your eyes" 

She turned her head immediately to look at him, and blushed after.

Oh God! She really liked the man.