A Lily Amongst Roses

Sixteen

Wednesday

Sebastian was nervous as he and Massimo, his older brother, entered Italy through the German border in his black SUV. Sebastian looked so much similar to Giovanni, with short black hair with a few hints of grey peaking through, he looked way younger than fifty-eight years old.

He was looking through emails on his phone when his Massimo shoved it out of his hands.

"What the fuck?"

"You've not even messaged them yet. Not even messaged your kids!" Massimo yelled, indicating to go left on the motorway. Massimo, unlike Sebastian, had slightly longer hair which was pulled into a messy bun on top of his head, he wore a black buttoned shirt and black suit trousers, and along with his look, he wore rings along his veiny tanned hands, which many women would swoon over. He never could quite understand why though.

For a fifty-nine-year-old, he looked to be about forty. And seemed much younger than his age. There wasn't even a single wrinkle on his face, the only definition being his dimples as he smiled. He had a light stubble with black and grey hair.

Sebastian glared at his older brother, "So you want me to talk to them?"

"You did not just say that?" Massimo gave a look before turning to look back at the round.

"What?"

Massimo turned into the nearest gas station.

"The fuck is it now? You need to piss again?"

Massimo didn't say anything, waiting until he pulled over into a parking space. There was silence amongst them for a few moments. Massimo leaned back in the seat, glancing at his younger brother.

"They didn't ask to be on this earth. You and Vivianne. Well mostly Vivianne's doing but still, children need their parents.. and by the looks of it both of you are failing them. And I know Vivianne is a psychotic bitch, but you're not. She's hurting your children, Seb. And you're hiding away from her because you're afraid."

Sebastian rolled his eyes, "I'm not afraid."

Massimo nodded, "Okay. Then call them." He gave Sebastian his phone back, Sebastian reached out to grab it only for Massimo to pull it back slightly looking into his brother's eyes, "Call Giovanni."

Massimo waited, putting the car in the ignition and pulling out of the parking space before heading back on the motorway, he listened to the phone ringing, "Put it on speaker."

He watched as Sebastian pressed the speaker, watching as Giovanni's name pop up on the screen as it rang.

"Sebastian." Giovanni's voice came through.

Massimo nodded, encouraging Sebastian to talk to his eldest son.

"Gio, I've heard about Andrea. How're you holding up?"

- -

Giovanni sat in his office cuddling the kitten which he named Ilaria, who was playing with his hands when he got an incoming call from his father. He sat straighter, stroking Andrea to calm his nerves, "Sebastian."

"Gio, I've heard about Andrea. How're you holding up?"

Giovanni's eyes almost bulged out of his head. His father was asking how he was. Surely not, he must've been worried about Ralph's first mistake in their company. See, in truth, the Fiore's are one of the most high grossing successful families across Italy and the United States, Fiore often sending shivers down people's backs due to their economic power. Not only this, but they also put their efforts and charities into protecting the planet.

"I sorted the Ralph's situation-" Giovanni began, however, his father interrupted him.

"No. I don't care about that. How are you feeling?"

This was an odd feeling for Giovanni, he asked his dad to wait for a few moments before exiting his office and rushing downstairs with the kitten in his hand. He ran down to the living room where his siblings sat.

"Uh. Bruno. I need your help." Bruno immediately got up from the sofa where he was cuddling his own kitten into his chest.

Giovanni made a mental note to get the kittens all of their vaccinations.

Soon Bruno and Giovanni were standing in the hallway.

"Father asked me how I'm feeling."

Bruno smiled, "That's good right? Tell him how you feel." He patted his brother on his back before turning back into the living room.

-  -

Sebastian was nervous when Giovanni didn't respond for three whole minutes, "Gio?"

There were muffles, "Ilaria, stop." Giovanni laughed, "You're biting my finger."

Sebastian and Massimo's eyes widened, a tug clenching at their chests.

"Gio?"

"We got kittens. They help. I named mine Ilaria... She's adorable. I think you'd like her."

Massimo smiled breifly, and then burst out laughing, not expecting a kitten to be what Giovanni was talking to, he pulled into the center of Florence, just an hour and a half away from La Berga.

Sebastian smiled slightly, "I'm coming home."

Giovanni replied, "You are? When? Next month with Massimo?"

"Uh. No. We finished work earlier. We're in the car on the way. We'll be there in an hour and a half."

"Oh shit. That far away. Well, let me go tell everyone, so we can get the house ready for your arrival."

Before Sebastian could reply, Giovanni hung up the call. He sighed, putting his phone down and running his hands through his hair. "God that was so awkward."

"It's okay. At least you didn't put your son in prison for a year for assault." Massimo pulled down into a private countryside road where there were hardly any cars.

Sebastian groaned remembering how his ex-wife, Vivianne, had physically gotten into a fight with Maximus 10 years ago when he was only fifteen years old. He recalled Giovanni calling him to explain the situation and how Vivianne got her own son arrested just because he refused to spend time with her, to which she had slapped him again and again, tormenting him. Slaps turning into fists. Fists turning into kicks.

Her other sons couldn't do anything about it, Ralph and Arlo were at school whilst Giovanni and Bruno were being restrained and held back by Vivianne's cousins, blocking them from helping him. In self-defense, Maximus hit her back, just as the police arrived.

Maximus was then put on trial and faced one whole year in Juvy.

Thankfully, his father bailed him out after a week with no record of being a felon on his criminal record. And the media had no clue of the whole situation thanks to Massimo's powerful manipulation with the press.

Sebastian divorced his wife two years later. 

It was around this time, that he had begun to see Rue's mother more consistently in private, secretly paying support for Rue. Gabriella had simply refused for him to see her, claiming it wasn't the right time until Vivianne was out of the picture. She knew exactly how Vivianne was, and did not want the snake to be around her own daughter knowing exactly what she was like with her own. She had often urged Sebastian to rebuild his family with her, but he declined, worried Vivianne would ruin the picture.

A few years later, Eleanor Perkins was born.

The youngest child and daughter of Sebastian Fiore.

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- Emi