Marked For Crime Royalty| Book One | ✓

53 - Dinner with the Rossi Famiglia

In sync, they all said Amen, even Teresa slowly and they sat down.

"Buòn appetito!" Nora cheerily said and they all laughed even Luciano, sitting down. Teresa picked up her fork and she heard a gasp. Looking up, she saw Nora shaking her head and she grew confused.

"Don't worry, they have a certain way of how to use them" Adriano said, and he rubbed her back, comforting her. Yeah right, they just want to pick on me, She thought.

"Teresa" Nora called and she looked up, wondering what she was going to say, or ask.

"quanti anni hai? (How old are you?) Teresa, stared, confused, blushing of embarrassment that she didn't know what she said. Laura snickered and Teresa huffed.

Luciano placed his hand over hers, looking at his mother. " Le manchi di rispetto, manchi di rispetto a me"(You disrespect her, you disrespect me) Luciano said, looking among them. They were all more than aware Teresa didn't speak Italian, and yet she chose to disrespect her with it.

" How old are you?" Nora repeated, in English.

" Twenty-two ma'am" Teresa knew they were about respect and she would rather not give them something else to criticize her about. Besides she used manners when her aunt raised her so it wasn't a huge deal.

" Besides working in a gentleman's club, have you done anything else?" Lorenzo questioned and she didn't hear a judgmental tone, more of curiosity.

" You can say stripper father" Mia snickered and Teresa squeezed Luciano's hand, knowing he wanted to say something. Teresa ignored Mia though, and shook her head in response.

" No sir, I haven't"

" Well would you like to?" Gemma then asked. Teresa wasn't sure though.

" When I'm able to do more, of course" She responded and once again Mia giggled causing Jeevan to glare at her and she rolled her eyes at him, obviously the one wearing the pants in the relationship.

" That's a challenge" She said and Teresa's eyebrows furrowed confused by what she meant. "Normally, us women stay home, and the men go out and do whatever" She shrugged and Teresa looked at Luciano who was wearing a grin only because she knew this already. They've already had that talk before. She stays out of everything and they'll be fine, which she was completely fine with, sometimes.

" Teresa's more than fine with being a stay home mother" He chuckled and she nodded, seeing a small smile appear on Nora's face. Of course she would love that, after all she raised Luciano technically alone, yet with Lorenzo. A stay home mom and she didn't complain till she found out Lorenzo cheated on her.

Nora leaned forward, grabbing a bowl and a spoon, putting beans on her plate, while speaking. "What about your family? Do they know anything about him?"

" Mother" Luciano said, and Teresa shook her head whispering, " It's okay"

Teresa explained how neither one of her parents were aware of Luciano or her being pregnant let alone they weren't even in her life. She explained how her mother found out about stripping and threw her out the house and also explained that her father abandoned her when she was born and he remarried and had kids. That she hasn't seen him since.

For the first time she could see the sympathy Nora had for her when she spoke of her mother. "No mother should ever do that to her own child. I assume you were close?"

Teresa explained that her mother left her also after she was born and went to the United States while she left her with her aunt in Brazil, not actually mentioning Brazil. Then Nora made a joke saying " I would love to meet the woman who raised you" She smiled and it was a genuine joke but Teresa lowered her eyes at the mention of her aunt.