- 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐕𝐀 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓 -

♠️ 𝐀 𝐑 𝐈 𝐀 𝐍 𝐍 𝐀 ♠️

- Now 20 Years Old

There is no better feeling then riding Orion through my uncle's vineyard just as the morning Italian sunrise starts to make its presence known. I love being awake while most people are sleeping. I don't know why, it just feels peaceful.
Gripping my Arabian stallions reins, I push him to canter faster.

"Come on Orion, faster." I said over the wind in my face. And just like a good boy, he did.

Once we reach the lake, he slows down to a trot and then eventually stops near my favourite spot. Taking my feet out of the stirrups, I swing my leg over and jump on to the grass.
Leading Orion over to get a drink, I grab the backpack and set down my blanket.
Taking off my boots and socks, I pick up my romance book and dip my white, pedicured toes into the cool water.

Ahhh that feels wonderful...

A lot has changed since that night 8 years ago, being disowned by my so called 'father'.
Being sent to live my Aunt & Uncle in Italy was the best thing to happen to me but not before Antonio felt the need to give me a farewell beating.

Asshole.

Aunt Sofia and Uncle Lorenzo took me in no questions asked and treated me like one of their own children. Years ago Antonio forbade my 'mother' from having anything to do with them, because Sofia chose to marry Uncle Lorenzo who was a nobody to Antonio when they was young. And she refused to marry an abusive man in the Costa Nostra double her age. So in his eyes she embarrassed him.

Seeing a pattern here?

If Antonio Moretti can't control or beat a woman into submission, he sends you away to be someone else's problem.
What's that saying again? Out of sight. Out of mind?
But fuck him, it's not like we care.

It took me a while to get comfortable here at first. Being surrounded by people I didn't really know, in a different country I hadn't been to since I was a baby and without the safety blanket that was my twin brother.
Not only that, it slowly started to register with me that I had killed someone in my baby sisters bedroom. It was a lot for a 12 year old to take in at once, but I got through it with the help of my real family.

I have always been a 'wild child', constantly on the go wanting to learn anything and everything. And being too curious for a child growing up in a strict Mafia household. And let's not forget having a problem with being told what to do. Or maybe the problem was Antonio trying to tell me what to do? Yes let's go with that.
So instead of being angry with me like I was used to being treated. My aunt and uncle embraced the little sassy mouth girl I was and got me the help I needed.

Turns out I'm what some people call a 'child prodigy'.
My uncle thought it was best to get me seen to by special doctors since my brain and vocabulary wasn't what you would call 'normal' for a 12 year old girl.

I found out that I have an eidetic memory and can read up to 15-17000 words per minute. As well as having a IQ of 178.9. And because of this I graduated school at 14. Then got my Bachelors Degrees in Business Management, Accounting and Finance. And got my Doctorate in Mathematics and Engineering all before turning 18. And none of that would of been possible without Sofia And Lorenzo.

Feeling a soft nudge on my shoulder. I turn towards Orion and brush my fingers through his silky midnight mane. Humming a soft tune under my breath, I soak up this peaceful moment with him in our favourite spot.

Thinking of going back to America to see my siblings makes me smile. I can't wait to squeeze them. It's been hard not being around Leo & Luca as much as I would of liked. Watching them grow up through video calls and secret visits here and there wasn't enough for me, but I had no choice since Antonio kept a strict eye on them. Seeing my other brothers an Arabelle was easier since there older but now I'll be going back for good. And I can't wait to see Antonio's face when he realises he can't do nothing to stop me.