His Caged Dove -Mafia Romance (BOOK ONE)

Five: Dove

"Oh, right," he said as Timor opened the door for him. He cocked his head to my direction. "The last rule, bird, no running away."

He didn't have to tell me that one. It didn't matter if I could run, because I would never be able to escape from their grasp. When I was young, I remembered I would always run off to play when Father had things to do. Mother said as long as I came back at a certain time, I was able to do it. It was a Summer filled with genuine laughter as I played chess, read, and learned to garden. It was the only time I felt like I was free.

I had run shortly after being betrothed to Robert and raped, but I didn't get far. I was beaten so badly; I couldn't move for a month. After I nodded, I opened the door on my own, my bare feet hitting the snow-covered ground. Immediately, I tried not to be captivated by the view.

The estate was the only building for miles, guarded by a giant fence to not allow intruders in or out. Made out of what I assume to be white marble with an orange red roof top. It was much bigger than my father's place for acres.

Not only that, but there was a greenhouse section connected to the right side of the estate. It was covered in vines that desperately needed to be trimmed. Out of the whole estate, it was the only place that seemed to not be kept well. Mother always loved to garden, and I inherited my love for plants from her. Peeking to my left, I saw a small pond, though it was covered in a thin sheet of ice. Even if it was winter, the place was breathtaking.

Too bad this would probably be the best I had in experiencing the place. If he was anything like Father and Robert, I would be shoved in a small bedroom with just a small window, if I was lucky. I unconsciously pulled into the suit jacket to try keeping myself from shivering as I stood there, waiting to see if I was allowed to follow.

Gedeon noticed right away when I stood there and frowned as he came to a full stop. "Are you waiting for an invitation?"

This time, I couldn't help but narrow my eyes slightly at his comment. With a small huff, I slowly trailed behind them, my feet crunching on the snow as I followed them to the large house. I could only imagine what illegal activities they had done in order to afford this place.

The guards up front bowed as Gedeon passed the front of the gate, though they sneered when their eyes landed on me. Timor's words echoed through my head. They all hated the Italian families, and as the princess, they automatically hated me for the blood running in my veins.

Even though I was innocent in this war.

Soon as Gedeon and Timor was steps away from the entrance of the huge iron glass door that was adored with intriguing patterns, someone opened it.

"Where's your wife? Did you actually go through with it? I want to see her," she said with a squeal that resembled a puppy. I slowly leaned a bit so I could see passed Gedeon and Timor to take in who said it. Standing at the entrance was a girl, perhaps around my age. Her hair was long, going up to her waist as it was tied by two hair ties in the front. She was in a uniform dress of some sort, with an apron over it. Her eyes were full of curiosity and wonder as she stared at me and gasped. "That's her?"

"Ana, have you prepared the bath and clothing like I asked?" Gedeon asked, stepping into the house. Timor shrugged off his suit as the girl took it from him and placed it onto the rake on the side. So much were going on that I visually didn't know what I wanted to take in first, the interior of the house before I was placed away or at the scene in front of me.

"Yes, obviously," she rolled her eyes, placing an arm onto her hips. "Though I wished you would have told me an hour before, so we had time to prepare. The other maids weren't happy with your last-minute whim to scramble something, especially since we don't know what she can or cannot eat."