The Mafia's Flower ( #2 in the Mafia Series )

twenty

< picture of young Reia above >
< warning! ⚠️ this chapter is a flashback >
{ FLASH BACK in Third Person POV }

Reia hadn't had any friends to play with in a while so she her mother a question that ended up changing everything...

"Mama when can I see Cris and Anna again?"
Reia asked her mother while sitting on the kitchen counter. Her mother Tori turns around and looks into the sad and lonely eyes of her daughter and for the first time she caves, deciding that her daughter needs friends to connect with.

"I'll talk with your father and I'll try and convince him to invite Vera and the kids up for your seventh birthday next weekend."
Tori tells her daughter her plan

Reia hugs her mother and says
"You are the best mama!"

Tori hugs Reia back smiling.

<{🥀}>

The next weekend had arrived and Reia didn't know if they were even celebrating her birthday this year. She had heard her mother and father arguing about it because her father forgot. Reia doubted that her mother would be able to make her wish come true.

Reia hears a knock on her bedroom door and in walks her mother and Vera, who happens to be one of Reia's favorite people.

"AUNT VERA!" Reia yells jumping off her bed going to hug Vera, who she calls her aunt because she's her elder and like family. 

"Hey sweet girl, I came baring gifts."
Vera says bending down to hug Reia back

Then Vera hands Reia her gift bag and says "Happy Birthday Beautiful!"

"Thank you!!" Reia's small voice says

Reia goes and sits on the floor opening the gift bag to reveal a beautiful pink dress with matching heels.

"Thank you!! Thank you!! Thank you!!"
Reia cheers to Vera as she hugs her dress

"I know how much you love color, and that pink is your current favorite, so I thought you could wear this today. I can do your hair for your birthday, if you'd like!" Vera says

Reia smiles so hard, you'd think her cheeks would hurt as she nearly screams "PLEASE!"

<{🥀}>

Vera did Reia's hair and helped her get ready — while Tori went to go deal with Luca.
He had been working too much lately, and hardly ever seeing Reia.

"You are all done." Vera says as she stands back to look at Reia and then she says "And might I say, you are the prettiest little brunette I've ever seen."

Reia blushes and mutters a 'thank you' as she looks at her reflection in pure amazement.
She felt like a beautiful princess.

<{🥀}>

Vera takes Reia downstairs for another surprise. Once they get down there Reia sees her father, mother, uncles, grandparents, but most importantly she spots Cristian and Annika. Reia smiles her biggest smile, and goes to hug her mother.

"You're the best! Thank you mama!" Reia says while hugging her moms hip.

"You're welcome flower! Your grandfather Val went to meet them in Russia just so Stefan would agree for them to come." Tori tells her

Reia runs to her grandfather Val and hugs him and says "Thank you Nono Val!"

Valente hugs his granddaughter back, after all  she means the most to him.
She's his world now.

"Why don't you go and talk to Cristian and Annika? They have come a long way to see you." Valente asks his granddaughter

"What if they don't remember me?"
Reia asks quietly

"No one could ever forget you flower."
Valente assures Reia

Reia looks at her granddaughter Val and he gives her a encouraging smile. Reia goes up to Annika and Cristian, and she opens her mouth to say something but nothing comes out.
Reia closes her mouth and starts to fiddle with her fingers.

"Happy Birthday Rei!" Cristian says suddenly sensing Reia's nerves and anxiety.

Reia looks up and smiles at him, and Cristian returns it hoping to ease her nerves.

"You look really pretty! I helped pick the dress out." Annika says cheerfully to Reia

"Thank you, I love it!" Reia replies

"Have you done the princess twirl yet?"
Annika asks Reia

"What's that?" Reia questions in confusion

"It's like this.." Annika says as she holds her hands up a little so it's not touching her dress, then she does a twirl, and her dress spins making her feel like a princess.

"No I haven't." Reia says

"Come on you can do it.." Annika says bubbly

Reia just shuffles her feet not really understanding how, and feeling uncomfortable with everyone around her.

"Come here Reia." Luca calls

Reia walks to her father, and he did something kind of rare.  Luca gave Reia a smile, and held out his hand. Reia smiled back, and took his hand. Her father twirled her a little, but not too much. He didn't want her to become dizzy. Reia's dress flowed out like a princess, and in that moment Reia felt as if she was really one.

Luca bends down to Reia and says "You are always a beautiful princess to me...happy seventh birthday!"

"Thank you daddy!" Reia says smiling for ear to ear knowing that this would be her best birthday yet because all of her wishes were coming true.

She felt like a princess, she was loved, and all of her favorite people were here to celebrate with her...

<{🥀}>

That was only the beginning of where Cristian's love began to grow, and Reia's crush began to blossom.. but it's also where Luca started feeling threatened knowing that one day someone would take his princess away.

Throw in bad parenting influences and paranoia...and you begin to understand Luca, and his protectiveness over his daughter.