Bambina

13

Achilles looked up and saw his assistant enter his office while the man closed the door behind him with a soft click.

Achilles smiled at his assistant. "Arlo, how's my kids?"

Arlo greeted the man with a smile of his own before sitting down on a chair near Achilles' front desk.

"I don't even know if I'm your assistant anymore." Arlo mused, fixing his glasses. "I'm more of a babysitter than your assistant, sir."

Arlo was Achilles' assistant in the business world and his second in command in the more bloody, dangerous world. He's someone who he could trust and Arlo is someone who wouldn't betray the Cattaneos.

Other than those labels, Arlo is also a good dear friend of his.

Achilles had to laugh at his words. "Well, I hope that they weren't giving you too much trouble."

The young man chuckled. "I feel like they're becoming more and more like you everyday, sir."

"You mean my sons?"

He scoffed, leaning back on his chair. "Especially your sons, sir."

Achilles leaned forward in amusement. "How so?"

Arlo sighed at his enthusiasm. "Well, let's just say that m'lady's at fault."

Achilles raises a curious brow. "My daughter?"

How could his sweet innocent Luca be a part of his devilish sons?

Arlo smiled at his old friend's curiosity. Of course he'll be curious about his children. The Achilles that Arlo have known was heartless and cold. Nothing could make him curios because for him, everything's useless.

"M'lady's been bumping into trouble these days." He mused and the father knitted his brow in concern.

"She's okay, right?"

Arlo rolled his eyes. "Of course she is, you dimwit. With your sons showing their true colors, of course she'll be okay."

Achilles huffed. "You're overreacting, Arlo."

"Oh, I'm definitely not, sir." Arlo chuckled. "It also seems that Matteo's showing his true colors as well."

"Ah, so the devils are showing?" Achilles exclaimed in amusement.

Arlo chuckled at that. "The devils are definitely coming out to play."

"Oh, I do hope that they're not killing anyone."

Arlo snorted. "I don't think that you should hope for that high, sir."

Achilles leaned back and gave him an impassive look before sighing. "I can't give her the life that we have, Arlo. I just can't."

"Well, sooner or later, she'll know about the other world that we live in and believe me, she deserves to know."

"Oh, she deserves to know, yes." Achilles nodded in agreement. "But that doesn't mean that she needs to know about it, Arlo."

"She has a responsibility as a Cattaneo, sir!" He argued at the man but Achilles only stared at Arlo.

"But she doesn't have to take that responsibility."

Arlo gave him a disbelief stare. A Cattaneo has to take the responsibility of leading a group. The business. The mafia.

Matteo also have the same responsibility. That kid may not look like it but he already knows how to load a gun. He already knows how to fight and fire a weapon. He already knows how to be a damn leader.

And Luca needs to be like that.

She needs to be a bloody Cattaneo.

"With all due respect, sir, she won't be your little girl forever." Arlo said calmly despite the withering glare of Achilles. "She'll face a lot of problems and you won't always be there to protect her, sir. Wether you like it or not, she is still a Cattaneo. Everyone is staring at her, waiting for her to lead a pack just like what people are doing with your sons. She is a Cattaneo and that will never change the fact that she'll soon stain her hands with blood, Achilles."

The man clenched his fist in anger. Not because of Arlo but because of the word Cattaneo. That name that's passed on for generations, it's been stained with the color red. Nothing but blood and darkness.

Luca's been stained with that surname. She'd been cursed.

Oh, what will Maria say if she were still alive?

"She resembles Maria... " Achilles whispered, closing his eyes as he imagine his dear wife. "I just can't... After losing her, I just can't lose the single thing that she have left behind before passing away. I've promised her, Arlo. No matter what, I need to protect my little bambina."

"I know... " Arlo said softly, knowing that Maria's still a sensitive topic. "I know but you can't protect her forever."

Oh, he knows.

Promises are made to be broken and you know that.

Bitter life this is.

Was what Arlo was thinking.

Oh, how Achilles wished that could keep his promise.

_____

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