Mena
As the day turned into evening, the party was in full swing. The ballroom of the Fanucci mansion was filled with people of high status. Politicians, entrepreneurs, and I had overheard even the mayor was present.
All these 'important' people couldn't fool me though, because just like everyone else, I knew what this family stood for.
Among the attendees were also families from the underworld, who would just like the Fanuccis—hide behind their businesses, which were merely a shield to hide their criminal roots. A prime example was the Baldinis, the family of the future bride.
Despite the glamorous outfits, the true nature of these mafia families was clear to those who could see beyond the surface.
I knew all too well that men like Domenico Fanucci, who greeted the guests with a big smile, lacked the decency and empathy that made us human.
I was exhausted from serving the guests their drinks and snacks. There was no time to rest as everything was performed under the watchful eyes of Madam Catherina.
The only time I got to rest was when Liza handed me a tray with a single bottle of expensive champagne, which came straight out of the Fanucci winery.
"This way you get to stand still for a second," she whispered, giving me a hand.
"Thanks, Liza," I said, gratefully.
We both moved our gazes toward Maxine, whose dramatic laughter could be heard from across the room.
She stood beside Alessio, who looked out of place and was glued to his arm like a pot of honey. Around them were various people, who I presumed were her friends.
"Once she moves into this mansion, it's going to be a nightmare," Liza sang.
"Tell me about it," I replied, thinking back to the day I served her, her lunch. Maxine had an alarming level of arrogance, one no one could compete with. She treated the staff as if they were invisible, she had no respect, had shown no appreciation.
"Do you see those people over there?" Liza's words brought me back to reality. She pointed at a man and woman, looking down from the balcony. Both well-dressed.
I nodded, "Yes, I see them."
"They're Leonardo and Pamela Baldini." she shared the information. "Leonardo owns the West Coast. They call him the Leone, and some folks say he's even worse than Domenico."
I chuckled at Liza's words, not entirely whether she was joking or not. Was that even possible?
"When you think about it, the union of these two families is quite frightening."
I took in Liza's words, quickly deciding it would be wise to avoid them as well. It would be great if I could stay clear of both families tonight.
"Oh, by the way, I ran into little Melody today," I told Liza. "She's quite something for a six-year-old, isn't she?"
Liza huffed, "That child is a spoiled brat, but don't tell anyone I said that."
Although I felt guilty about badmouthing a child, I couldn't help but agree. Comparing was never great, but if I would compare her to Naty—my daughter was an angel. By now she was probably curled up against Mrs. Rodriquez, who had agreed to let her stay the night.
To my dismay, I locked eyes with Alessio, who was staring at me with a smug smirk displaying on his lips, and a glass in his hand.
Alessio was wearing a black tuxedo that seemed to match his attitude perfectly.
His dark hair was neatly styled, emphasizing the annoyingly handsome features of his face.
I nodded back, a sign of acknowledgment which made him eye me strangely.
His frown and the shake of his glass made it clear that he was simply requesting a refill. That was all.
My cheeks were red from embarrassment. "Duty calls," I excused myself from Liza, not daring to let someone like Alessio wait any longer.
Once I stood in front of him with the bottle of champagne, I refilled his glass without making any eye contact. By now I knew making any kind of contact with the Fanucci brothers would get me into trouble.
I turned to leave, but Maxine's voice stopped me. "Excuse me," her tone was anything but polite. "It's kind of rude of you to forget about me—don't you think?"
Aggravated, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, then I turned around with a smile. "I'm sorry, Madam," I spoke, refilling her glass as soft laughter erupted from the group.
"The first thing I will fix once I live here are the maids," Maxine told her entourage. "Stuff like this doesn't happen at the Baldinis."
I tried ignoring the words that came after. Just as I was about to leave, Alessio's hand closed around my arm. Startled, I looked at Maxine, fearing the woman might kill me—but luckily, she was too busy with her own conversation. Flustered, I stared from Alessio's hand to his eyes, waiting for him to tell me off—but he never did.
"Wait," he simply mouthed.
Obeying his words, I remained frozen as a statue as he let go of me. I was already on the edge of Maxine's belittling words, and I was not in the mood for any games.
Alessio raised his hand to gather everyone's attention, and everything stopped what they were doing to look at him.
"Thank you all for being here tonight," he began his speech, strong and confident. "I appreciate each and every one of you."
"Family, friends, mom, dad, my brothers, my adorable sister... the Baldinis—and of course, Maxine," Alessio locked eyes with his future bride, whose mouth nearly twitched from smiling. "Maxine, there's something I have to confess."
Maxine covered her mouth with her hand, giggling. "Don't be shy. What is it?"
Alessio took a breath. "I didn't want to do it like this, but I can't stand here and pretend to marry you when my heart already belongs to someone else."
What?
The room fell into stunned silence. Despite her evil ways, even I felt sympathy for Maxine. No matter how mean she had been, this was a harsh and public humiliation. This was neither the place nor time for this.
"What are you talking about, Ales?" Maxine chuckled nervously, looking around for support. "What is the meaning of this?"
Alessio continued, unbothered by her reaction. "I can't stand here and pretend to be happy, while the woman I truly love is forced to watch all of this... serving us as a maid."
Gasps filled the room, and heads turned as everyone, myself included, tried to find the maid in question.
Alessio Fanucci with a maid?
Who would've thought?
Most of all, which maid would've been stupid enough to involve herself with a Fanucci?
"A-A-A maid!" Domenico made his way downstairs from the balcony. Leonardo Baldini, and his wife, did not move a muscle, but their faces said enough.
"Yes, a maid!" Alessio raised his voice. Before I got the time to process everything, he had turned towards me and grabbed my hand, tightly. My heart beat out of my chest as I slowly realized what was happening.
"And her name is Jimena."
Just like that, the world around me had stopped.
IsaacIt was only afternoon when Isaac carried a large bucket of grapes back into the mansion. As he walked, he was surrounded by the giggles of the children running around him.Among them were two of the many children of Amaro Ortega, a ten-year-old and an eight-year-old girl. They reminded him so much of his own daughter.The older one, Milena, looked up at him with wide curious eyes. “Can I help you carry the grapes, Mr. Isaac?” she asked.Isaac glanced down at her with a kind smile. "Maybe next time, kid. You know your brother doesn’t like you working."“So what? He doesn’t like us talking to you either, but I still do it,” Milena retorted. Isaac chuckled softly as the kids ran off.He had been brought to the house of Amaro Ortega, Julian’s brother. Amaro was a lawyer, a good and quiet man who didn’t say much. When Isaac first arrived, he had prepared himself for the worst, expecting some form of punishment or at least harsh treatment for all the damage he had caused the Fanuccis.
MenaI smiled down at the baby in my arms, his tiny fingers curled around mine as I admired how perfect he was. His full head, his dark eyes, the little sounds he made.Naty sat on Alessio’s lap, her eyes warm and curious as she gazed at her new baby brother.“What do you think?” Alessio asked her. “Do you like him?”Naty giggled in response. “He’s really cute, and I already love him so much!”Alessio and I shared a smile. Over the past months, we had both worried about how Naty would adapt, but for now, she seemed to be doing just fine. The delivery had been smooth, just as smooth as the pregnancy. Alessio stayed by my side the entire time, and I hoped raising him would be just as easy.I was still at the hospital, and after some visits, it was finally just us—a moment of peace.Naty reached out and gently grabbed the baby's hand, giving it a little shake. "Hi, baby—it’s your big sister," she spoke softly, a pout on her lips.The baby cooed, and we all laughed softly. "Does he have a
Mena "Look, Mommy, it's pink!" Watching her excitement filled my heart with warmth. "Is it for me? Can I open it?" Naty asked eagerly. "Is this the thing that's better than the candy ring?" Flustered, I looked at Alessio as he took the box from her. "I will open it for you, and while I do that—there’s something I want to ask you," Alessio spoke tenderly. He took Naty's hand across the table, and she smiled at him. I relaxed in my chair, wondering what he was about to ask her. “I’m not good at speaking,” Alessio began, “But I want you to know that what I’m going to tell you comes from the bottom of my heart,” his voice was sincere. Naty nodded, giving him her full attention as her eyes turned wide. For a moment, the air filled with silence as Alessio paused, thinking about his words. "Naty,” Alessio said, nervously. “Having you and your mommy in my life is one of the best things that ever happened to me. I love everything about you, I will always be there for you—and I will do
MenaI wrapped a scarf gently around Naty’s neck, making sure she was warm for the evening. She looked adorable in the dress I had chosen for her, for the dinner Alessio had planned.He hadn’t told me much, only that a driver would take us to the location. Whatever he told me, I just went with it—because I was too tired to investigate. I had already done that a lot lately.Naty showed me a wide grin.“What is it?” I asked, curious about the reason behind it."Nothing, I’m just really happy," her eyes sparkled.I immediately pulled her into my arms, caressing her hair with my fingers. She was really happy, that’s all I wanted to hear. After everything we had gone through, this was what she deserved. A joyful and carefree life.“Come on, let’s go,” I took her hand in mine.As I reached the bottom of the stairs, I noticed Liza in the foyer. Our eyes met and a smile spread across both our faces. It was the first time I had caught her alone since she handed me that letter. The letter that
AlessioI stepped into the room, letting the door slam shut behind me. Isaac, who sat on the bed, his back turned against me, turned instantly and our eyes met. His were full of regret, but mine were empty.He looked different, better indeed.His face was still bruised, his neck where the scissors had been, bandaged—but overall he looked good.I stuffed my hands into my pockets and leaned back against the door, watching him in silence. Would he be the one to speak up, act like we were just two old friends catching up—or perhaps offer an apology—or was he really smart enough this time to know he had to keep his mouth shut?Minutes stretched out, and neither of us broke the silence until he finally spoke."I know you still have a lot of questions," Isaac began. “And if you want to know more, I can explain—“I grunted. “There’s nothing more for you to explain, and I don’t have anything else to say to you,” I spoke coldly. "I’m here to give you instructions, and that’s it."Isaac nodded,
AlessioI sat in the chair in Julian’s office, waiting for the man to arrive. He had called me yesterday, told me Isaac was fully recovered, and now it was time to figure out what came next.Quite some time had passed, and I began getting impatient when the man decided to walk in at his own time, with two glasses in his hand. “Ah, if it isn’t my favorite fed lover,” he greeted me, handing me the drink before making his way over to his chair.A grin spread across his face, as if he was proud of his own joke. I scoffed, eyeing the drink in my hand.“The drink isn’t poisoned if that’s what you’re thinking,” Julian spoke.I released a chuckle, setting the glass down without taking a sip. “It’s not that,” I said. “I trusted you when I asked for your help, and I trusted you when I left Mena in your care—but now, I just want to discuss what needs to happen to Isaac.”“And that’s why you won’t drink?” “I don’t have time to drink,” I stated, my tone urgent.Julian’s expression changed, and