Althaia
“No way! You got yourself that car?!” I gaped at the gleaming black Aston Martin as he escorted me outside.
“Sure did! Worked my ass off to get it.” He looked at his car pridefully.
When we were younger, he would always talk about wanting an Aston Martin. We used to love talking about cars when we were kids and got so excited when we saw those luxury cars in movies. I was a sucker for those cars.
Michael opened the door for me, and I immediately glanced around as I got inside, almost afraid to move in case I would ruin something. It was one sexy car, and just sitting in a freaking Aston Martin felt surreal. And he was looking fine driving it.
A sexy man deserved a sexy car.
“So, how come you’re attending the engagement party?” I asked. Sure, we all knew each other, and we were close growing up, but he was always talking about traveling the world, so I didn’t think he would have stuck around.
Michael glanced at me quickly before refocusing on the road.
“Ah, I forgot you don’t know.” He smiled, and I gave him a confused look.
“Don’t know what?”
“I work for your father now.”
Oh.
“So, does that mean you’re a part of the … family business as well?” I didn’t know how to word it exactly. It all sounded so strange on my tongue and made me slightly uncomfortable. Even though I didn’t know much about it, the word Mafia should be enough to know that it was definitely not a safe career.
“Family business, you say?” Michael chuckled. “Is that what you call it?” He continued to tease.
“Well, how else would I say it?” I chuckled, and he shrugged.
“Dunno, Mafia? Family business sounds so … boring.” He said as if it wasn’t a big deal.
“Mafia…” I said out loud, like it was a strange word. “You’re saying it like it’s a normal nine-to-five job you have. What happened to the ‘I want to travel the world’ dream of yours?” I slightly faced him with a brow raised.
“Who said I don’t get to travel the world, bellissima? I get to travel around, and I get to make a shitload of money. That’s a win-win situation for me.” He laughed, and I felt a small tingle erupt in my stomach at him calling me beautiful.
“Wait, do you speak Italian now or is it just that one word to hit on women?” I asked in a teasing tone.
“You don’t really have a choice but to speak the language when the Italian mob guys are around. Gotta defend myself if someone is out there planning to shoot my white ass.” Michael was cracking up, like he just told the funniest joke ever.
“I guess you’re right.” I couldn’t help but laugh along with him. “What about you? Still speak the language, or is it long forgotten?” He wondered. Even though it had been ages since I had spoken Italian, I still remembered a lot.
“Not really, it’s mostly forgotten.” I told him. I was not as fluent as I once was, but I wasn’t about to tell him that. I didn’t want anyone to find out I still knew the language because I wanted to hear if anyone was trying to talk shit about me.
“I still know a few words here and there. It’s just me and mom, so there really isn’t any need to speak Italian.” I bit down on my lip, hoping he didn’t catch on to my lie.
My father is Italian, and my mother is Greek, so naturally, I grew up speaking both languages. My mother was fluent in Italian since she was married to my father for so long. Since we no longer lived with my father, there was no reason for my mother and I to speak Italian.
Michael faced me and gave me another one of his beautiful smiles. He was one handsome man with ocean-blue eyes that you easily could get lost in. I averted my gaze so I wouldn’t be caught staring for too long. His handsomeness made me a little nervous.
“Yeah, I get that. No need to worry, I’ll be your personal translator during your stay.” He tilted his chin upwards like a soldier ready for duty. I let out a small chuckle. He looked so proud.
“Funny how the tables have turned, huh? It used to be me who translated stuff for you.” I teased. His lips curved up as he drove through the huge gates of my father’s mansion. Anxiety was building up as we approached the entrance.
“We’re here!” Michael sang as he parked in front of the stairs to the house. “Hold on a second.” He stopped me when I was about to open the door. Michael quickly got out and made his way to my side and opened the door for me as he gave me his hand.
“Thanks.” I smiled, holding his hand while attempting to exit the car gracefully, without flashing him too much leg with the long slit up my thigh.
Stepping out with my right foot first was a mistake as the slit rode higher up, giving him a full view of my tanned leg. Michael’s eyes dropped to my bare skin, and I hurriedly got my other leg out and stood up. My cheeks got all hot when I saw Michael smirking.
Clearing my throat, I looked down to make sure my dress was still in place, and I wasn’t accidentally flashing anyone. If people were going to talk about me, I certainly didn’t want them to talk about how they could see my thong.
“Still wearing the necklace, I see.” Michael’s eyes followed my fingers as I adjusted the necklace between my breasts. He gave a small smile as he touched the gem.
“Of course! Nono gave it to me. This way, he’s always with me. I never take it off unless I get wet.” He let his hand fall to his side and gave a full-on smirk.
“Yeah?” He inched closer to me. “How often are you wet, then?” Michael whispered while looking deep into my eyes, and my breath got caught in my throat.
I was pretty sure my face was as red as it could be, and my heart beat a little faster at our closeness. I gave his arm a light smack as I sidestepped him. I felt like I couldn’t breathe when he was so damn close to me.
“Shut up, you know what I mean. Let’s go. I don’t want to be too late for the party.” I said hurrying him along.
I heard him laugh as he shut the car door and walked up next to me. He took the small gift from me and put his hand on my back.
“Ready?” He asked, and I gave a brief nod. I took a deep breath, mentally preparing myself and hoping everything would turn out okay.
Together, we made our way upstairs and into the mansion I once called home.
The story is slowly undergoing edits. This note means this chapter has been updated.
Althaia As soon as we entered the mansion, a wave of nostalgia hit me as I looked around. I made so many memories in this house, and even though most of the interior had been changed, there was still a sense of familiarity. The staircase had been remodeled into a glossy beige that led to two small separate staircases on either side to get to the top floor. A sparkling crystal chandelier was suspended from the center of the staircase and small spotlights lit up the rest of the ceiling, giving it a nice, elegant look. I guess my father was too busy with the mansion to phone me back. I mentally scoffed but forced myself to think of the good times. The twelve years that I stayed here were amazing because I had Cara and Michael. As we walked towards the back of the mansion, we could hear music and people talking. We walked through the French doors to the gardens outside down a stony path that twisted around the corner to the house’s right side. I enjoyed the view of the gorgeous flower
Althaia “Thaia!” I heard Cara call out as she suddenly showed up and headed towards me with a wide smile on her face. “Cara!” I squealed, matching her excitement as I quickly handed my drink to back Michael, not caring that it spilled a bit, and walked as fast as I could in my heels and embraced her with a tight hug. It had been so long since I last saw her, which truly sucked because we were like two inseparable sisters. “Oh my God, I have missed you so much. It really is not the same without you.” She hugged me tighter into her tiny frame. “I know.” I chuckled. “I’ve missed you too!” I stepped back, holding her hands as I looked her over. “Cara, you look amazing!” I stared in awe at her gorgeous dress. A gorgeous, long flowy rose-colored strapless gown with a corset-like top with silver detailing that cinched her waist, making her already full breasts even bigger. Her raven hair was tied up with a few pieces framing her face, and her makeup was flawless, making her hazel eyes po
Althaia As we got closer to the group of men, I tried not to stare at anyone longer than a second in case they would take it the wrong way. They were huge and intimidating, and kept watching us as we walked up to them, but Cara was unfazed. She led me over to the two men at the center of the group; the two most terrifying-looking men. And one of them was the man Michael told me not to stare at, but holy shit, that man was even finer up close, and I couldn't take my eyes off him. I was nervous to approach him as his eyes followed me, and his stare made my heart race. He didn’t even try to hide it as he shamelessly checked me out, which gave me mixed feelings. I was not sure I was supposed to like his attention on me. “Althaia, meet my fiancé, Lorenzo.” Cara introduced. I looked at the man next to him and wanted to drop my jaw. He was about the size of a tank! He was so tall that I even had to slightly tilt my head up, and so muscular he could literally be related to The Rock. I woul
Althaia “Keep her out of this.” My father hissed. “And why should I when you’re the one hiding her, Gaetano?” Damiano bared his teeth in a sinister smile. “She has nothing to do with anything!” My father yelled at him. “Now, now.” Damiano chuckled, not fazed at all. “I’ll be the judge of that.” He pulled me in front of him and it felt like I was facing the Devil himself. Damiano leaned in so close to me, his golden-brown eyes looking so deadly. I swallowed hard, scared of what he would do to me. “We’ll have a little chat together soon.” He said with a wicked smirk as he ran a thumb along my jaw. I couldn’t talk. I couldn’t even breathe. I just stared at him, my eyes wide, while my heart felt like it was about to jump out of my chest. What was I supposed to say, anyway? Tea or coffee? I was pretty sure he preferred blood. And I could only hope it was not mine he was after. He leaned back, gave me a wink, and walked off. I exhaled and my legs buckled, making me stumble. But a
Althaia “What the actual fuck?” I shrieked, and my father shot me a look. I was supposed to be dead? “But he said Althaia Volante, I’m a Celano.” I said to get an explanation for that. “Celano is a name your mother and I both decided for you to have so people wouldn’t be able to track you down easily.” He explained, “I never gave you my family name because I want to protect the only daughter I have.” So, that was what he meant when he said I was causing trouble. Made sense now. But in all fairness, how was I supposed to know that? No one told me I was supposed to play fucking dead. “I couldn't take the chance of you going around and introducing yourself as Volante. Word would get out, and he would track you down fast to get what he wants.” He sighed, and it left me stunned once again. “So…” I trailed off. “Does that mean I’m in any kind of danger now? Should I be worried?” I asked, probably looking like a lost child. If my father had faked my death, then that meant Damiano was m
Althaia “What a grand entrance you made tonight.” Michael playfully bumped his shoulder into mine. “Tell me about it.” I chuckled. Michael walked me all the way to my hotel room to make sure I got back completely safe. I was really grateful, and I almost snuggled up to him for protection. I swiped my keycard and held the door for Michael to enter as well. “Not bad, Thaia. You got yourself a luxury suite.” He whistled in awe as he looked around. “Well, I thought I would take advantage of this opportunity and treat myself a bit.” I grinned. I had asked for the biggest suite in the hotel because I wanted it to feel like a real vacation. The suite was split into two large rooms; a lounge area with soft couches that would swallow you and a huge flat-screen TV, and the other with a king-sized bed. It had to be a king-sized bed because I had this annoying fear that if my arm or leg hung off the bed, some kind of nasty creature would definitely grab me and drag me across the room. I slu
Damiano I entered the lobby of one of the fancier hotels in Los Angeles and went straight to the reception desk. “Mr. Bellavia, so great to see you again! Are you here for a meeting?” The receptionist greeted me with a wide smile and quickly checked her computer. “No, I’m here for pleasure.” I told her. “Oh, excellent! But I’m afraid all our master suites have been booked. If you would give me a minute, I will have something figured out for you right away.” “No need to.” I stopped her before she could make any calls. “I already have a room. It should be under the name of Althaia Celano.” “Just a second and I will find it for you.” Her red nails tapped on the keyboard as she searched the database. “Bill her stay on my card. I will only be here for a few hours. Order everything you have on the menu, plus a bottle of your best champagne, and send it up.” I slid my card towards her and checked my watch to show her I was getting impatient so she would hurry. “Certainly, sir! I can s
Althaia “Thaia, get your ass up!” Cara shouted while constantly banging on the door. I let out an annoyed groan. I couldn't sleep all night, tossing and turning with my mind racing about all that had happened. And that Devil named Damiano did nothing to ease my mind. I knew he was too beautiful to be a sane person. When he said we would have a chat soon, I thought it was just to scare the shit out of me. Which worked. And then he freaking showed up out of the blue like the Devil he was. I know I have complained about how my life was getting a little too boring, and said I desperately needed some excitement in my life. Don’t get me wrong, I was grateful for everything in my life and what my mother has provided for me. Because of her, I was living a comfortable life. But my life was getting too repetitive. I never dreamt that I would land directly into the arms of a Mafia Boss! I should pack my bags, run and never look back. I really should. But I hate running. Oh, and that wink he