The Mafia's Wife

Prologe

30th September, 1994
14 year old Xavier Falicci was sat in the kitchen area, playing on his Gameboy as he waited for his mama and sister to return from the doctor's surgery.
His sister Rosa was ill with what his mama suspected was an ear infection, but the family doctor was away with their papa so Rosa had to be taken to the doctors in the nearby town.
Xavier was anxious. Papa had told him to be the man of the house, protect his mama and siblings- especially his little sister.
Xavier could see that Rosa was papa's favourite, his special little girl. If anything happened to them, Xavier didn't even want to think of the consequences. And they had both been gone for well over 2 hours now- surely, with all of their money, Rosa could be seen quicker than the others?
"accidenti!" Xavier swore as he lost the game due to the lack of concentration, and he put his console down, bored and nervous.

Xavier loved his sister dearly... Rosa was by far his favourite sibling. She was everybody's favourite- apart from his mama's. Mama always told Xavier that the first born was always the mother's favourite and held an extra special place in their heart. He loved his mama also, as she was the only parent that showed any of them love. Their father was a true mafia boss- strong and cold in every sense, never showing weakness to anyone, which included to his children. But papa did have a soft spot for mama, which he had overheard from his Uncle Alberto that it would bring his papa down eventually.

One of their maid's came in cleaning, and nodded at him out of respect.

"Could you make my sister her favourite cookies for when she returns?" Xavier spoke in English to try and practice it, a trait that his father said was imperative for the growth and survival for the Falicci family. So Xavier's English was near enough perfect, as he wanted to please his father. He could tell that his father wasn't proud of him, no matter what he did. He had even killed the family dog in order to display his strength- but that had ended in several lashes with a belt in front of his papa and uncles. But Xavier would be strong, the son and future leader that his papa wanted out of him.

The maid got to work making his sister her favourite treat, and he smiled a little at the thought of her response. She called him 'Xavvy', and he loved it. Everybody was especially careful with Rosa because of the repeated history of Falicci girls and the death that they faced when young, all the way from his grandfather's sister, his grandfather's daughter, and his uncle Salvio's twin daughters who didn't make it to their 5th birthday due to a calculated attack just before Xavier was born. So Rosa was kept safe at all times, but even knowing the amount of guards that his mama had taken, Xavier did not feel as if it sat well with him. He wanted them both back safe, and show papa that he was able to take care of his family, as he would his own family one day.

Xavier had never had a girlfriend, but he wanted one. And eventually, he decided that he would want a large family- much like his own. With 7 siblings and 5 Uncles all with children, the house was full of life and people. He wanted that for his own family. A beautiful wife who doted on him, and many many children. But he would never treat them the way his father did- his lack of affection did a lot more harm than good.
As Xavier was deep in thought of his life and future as the Falicci boss, time trickled on.
2 hours turned into 4, and outside was dark as well as the cookies cold.
He was internally debating whether to ring his papa and ask if he knew of their whereabouts, but there was suddenly a lot of commotion in the previously still house. He ran to see what was happening, and followed the commotion into the main hall.
Making sure to hide in the shadows, he saw his papa. He was shouting 'no' over and over again on the floor, and was rocking something back and fourth on his knees.
As Xavier crept forward, he saw that it was a body.

Who was dead?

There was a lot of blood, and then Xavier's stomach dropped when his papa said his mama's name. He tried to look as the tears filled his eyes, look at the colour of his mama's dress, the parts that weren't stained with blood, and it was the same one that she had gone out in. But where was Rosa? His sister Rosa?

Suddenly Xavier was grabbed and pushed back into the kitchen, and he realised that he was crying. The tears were rolling down his face because he knew that his baby sister had suffered the same fate, and that he had failed his papa in doing the one thing that he had asked. To protect his sister and mother.

A hard slap across the face made Xavier snap out of his daze and see his Uncle Vincenzo staring down at him, shaking him.

"My, my mama?" He breathed out, needing to hear the confirmation of his mother's death.
His uncle nodded, and the tears got even heavier along with his heart. But Uncle Vinc was having non of it.

"No boy! Listen to me now. You are the heir of the Falicci name, so non of this crying and emotion will do. Your father has lost his wife and only daughter, so you will need to be strong. You need to be a man and stand and protect this family while we are hurting. So cry when you are alone and nobody can hear, and use that grief for revenge. Do you understand boy?"

Xavier didn't answer, still feeling like his whole body was broken with the pain. Another sharp slap knocked his head to the side, and Vincenzo frowned.

"I said do you understand?"

And staring into his uncles face, Xavier knew what was being asked. He was the future of the mafia, and his mama would have wanted it. So, wiping his face of the tears and straightening his clothes, Xavier nodded and cleared his throat.

"I understand sir"
And forcing himself to suppress his heart still breaking within his chest, Xavier left the kitchen and took another look at his dead mother and broken father, his whole world changing from that moment on.