𝑩𝒊𝒕𝒆 |

𝐹𝐼𝑉𝐸

SICILY had to be the most beautiful cities I'd ever come encounter with. The buildings and houses seemed like a movie dream. As the limo drove me down the dirt streets, I watched the people dance, and smile. Everything seemed brighter here.

We came to a stop in front of a pair of golden gates, right in the middle was the letter "R", which probably stands for Romano. We got the okay by the guard to enter in the estate, and in front of the doors stood the family I saw at the ball.

Kawtia in the middle, Giovanni on the left, and Valdo on the right. He'd be who I married, he was the one who brought me here, and got my father from being killed, remaining untouched. I stepped out of the limo, getting a better look at the property.

It was colonial, and very modern at the same time. The design was simple and easy, but pleasing to the eye. Mixtures of brown, white, and tan mixed around the house, adding color. "It is nice to see you again, welcome to our home." Kawtia greeted, pulling me into a hug.

Once she let go, she took my hand, leading me into the house. I followed her around as she described every detail, I heard the footsteps of her sons behind me. I felt Giovanni next to me, and looked over at him.

"She takes pride in her decorating skills, don't mind it." He whispered, making me chuckle a bit. It took about an hour for her to finish the tour, and she left it off at my room, which was beautiful. "I take lots of pride in your design, making sure it fits your liking." 

And it did. The walls were filled with books, all neat and color coded. "Wow, it's amazing. I love it." "You better, she hired a dozen men to put up the damn shelves." Giovanni stated. "I love it, don't worry." 

She signaled the boys to leave, and sat on the bed next to me. "I know this is a lot for you." I looked at the ceiling, not responding. "Trust me, I wanted to kill your father. And by the way you reacted to the news, your mother told me, you would've been better with him dead too." 

"I -" Her hand rested on my shoulder. "I did what was best in my son's favor. He wants to settle down, and start a family. And he fancies you. That was the end of the discussion." 

I tried to look at it from a positive note. I would be away from the toxicity of my father and mother, I'd be happy- or I could learn to be. My situation wasn't easy, nor was it anything to comprehend off bat, but it was a clean slate I could build off of.

"I'll let you settle in. Valdo would like to sit and have dinner with you, to spend a little quality time. Is that fine?" I sat down on the bed, running my hands through the fur comforter. "Yes, of course."

She walked towards the door. "Hey, Kawtia?" She turned around, raising a brow. "May you call me Eliza?" She nodded, and gave me a smile, before leaving the room and closing the door. 

I let my head fall back on the pillows, this was going to be a lot. But it was better than what I had before. 

A guard came to my door around eight, wanting to assist me to the dining table since I wouldn't know where it is fully, even after the tour. "My name is Remy, I'll be assisting you for the rest of your time in Sicily." 

I noticed he didn't have an Italian accent, instead he had an American one. "You aren't from Sicily, are you?" He gave me a smile. "No, I'm from America. Kawtia found me and took me in about six years ago, I've been serving them since." 

"Nice, she has a thing for taking people in, hm?" "Yes, she reminds me of how Bruce took in Robin, she laughs every time I say that." I gave him a warm grin, and he took my hand as we walked down the long hallways of bedrooms.

Remy was a tall and dark man, with icy blue eyes that bounced off of his melanin skin. His hair was cut short, and curly. He stood as tall as Valdo did. Once we made it down the stairs, he pointed to the long table behind a wall, and I walked where he pointed.

There sat Valdo, on one end. He stood, walking over to my chair and pulling it out for me. "You look great, Eliza." His mom must've told him to call me that, how nice of her. "Thank you." Once I was fully in my seat, he went to his. 

"Are you enjoying your time here, Eliza?" The way my name rolled off of his tongue settled me. "Yes, how could I not? Your city is wonderful." He smiled at the complement. "I take pride in it." He sipped from the large glass of wine, eyeing me down from the other end of the table.

"Tell me about yourself, I want to know you." I sighed, then spoke up. "Before I do that, I want to know something first." He raised a brow. "Shoot." "Why did you fancy me? What was it that made you want to bring me here, other than kill my father, who we both know deserved it?" 

"I don't really have an answer, other than that you're stunning, you seem easy going, which is something I've been yearning for my entire life." I was interested in what he was saying. "What do you mean? What have you yearned?" 

"My mother has always wanted me to marry someone like her, someone dominant, who I can rule with. But I've wanted someone the complete opposite of me, I find it more of a challenge to love them-- and I love a challenge. I don't want another person like me to be married to, because I wouldn't consider myself a good person." 

"Why wouldn't you? I don't think you're bad." "I've done bad things. I've done just as much as what you know of my mother to do." 

"Actions don't justify who you are, Valdo." 

"I know, but mine aren't just regular actions, I've killed and tortured so many people--it's hard to find human decency within all of that darkness. I have trouble trying to see the good in myself. I'm afraid there isn't any left."

He looked down at the table, cutting through his chicken and plopping it into his mouth. "That's a lot, and I can't even imagine understanding it. But I don't think you're bad." his eyes met mine, and he gave me a smile. "Thank you, Eliza."

"Answer my question, tell me about you." he sipped from his wine, with his eyes still locked on me.

"Well, if I'm being honest, there isn't anything more that I wish for than to not be born into this shameful life. The verbal and emotion abuse that comes with being the daughter of someone like Abraham really shaped my view on a lot of things that shouldn't have been shaped."

"Really?" he asked. "Yes, it made me yearn for adventure and something as simple as freedom more than most people would, since some automatically have it. That's why I'm not as nervous to live here, besides being practically shipped off." he let out a small chuckle.

"Trust me, and I'm sure she's told you this-- my mother's first instinct was to kill him. He's done some pretty fucked up shit, and lost us all a lot of money from his bad deals. But she put me and you first, and brought you here."

"That's nice to know." I collected vegetables from the table onto my fork and plopped them into my mouth. 

"I look forward to marrying you, and getting to know you more, Eliza." he raised his glass to me, and I did the same to him.