Third Person POV
Reece Mansion
Easton looked at his parents who were looking back at him sharply, waiting for him to speak up.
He knew there was no need of lying anymore and hence started to narrate how he met Angelina and what all happened until the present day.
Kris had just come back after showing Angel her room.
She was standing silently , listening to her brother explaining things to her parents.
After Easton told his parents everything, he looked at them calmly, ready to face any consequences for lying.
On the other hand, Katherina and Michael were deep in their own thoughts.
"Angelina had been living with the Marinos all these years.", Michael stated with a thoughtful expression.
"How's her relationship with Riccardo Marino?", Katherina asked calmly.
"She hardly ever spoke of him. I guess he isn't very present in their lives. And whenever I bring up his topic, Angelina's mood drops and she dodges the topic.", Easton replied.
"No wonder. I would be surprised if he had been loving towards a child that's not his.", Katherina said coldly.
"You know him, mom?", Easton asked, surprised.
"He's just an acquaintance.", Katherina said in disdain.
After a moment's pause, she looked at her son.
"So, Angelina is not happy now?", she asked calmly.
Easton shook his head.
"It's all those Marinos' fault, mom.", Kris said angrily.
"Why did you think that she would be happier with them than with us, Tony?", Katherina asked calmly.
Easton speculated his thoughts for a moment in silence.
"Because her brothers and sister love her like their own and she loves them back as much.", Easton said calmly.
Katherina didn't say anything.
She respected and trusted her son's judgment. He never took any decision based on assumptions or on impulse. If he was saying that the Marinos loved Angelina, then they truly must have.
"Though I'm furious at that family, I do accept that at a point even I felt she would really be happy with them.", Kris said thoughtfully.
"Why so, princess?", Michael asked, looking at his daughter.
"I talked to her second eldest brother, Theodore, dad. He was very possessive about his sister and didn't like us being anywhere near her. If he had not given a damn about her, he wouldn't have bothered to keep us away.", Kris said, looking at her father.
"Then why did they leave her to us now?", Zay asked with a frown.
"If they love her like Kris and Tony said, why did they send her away to us?", Zay continued.
Before Easton could say something, his mother beat him to it.
"There's always two sides to a story. We are only seeing from one side.", Katherina said calmly.
Kris shook her head slightly.
Like mother like son.
Even her brother had said the same to her on the flight.
"What do we do now, Kate?", Michael asked his wife.
"Angelina is my niece, Mike. She's no less than my own child to me. I want to see her happy. Let's try our best to make her happy. The rest, only time will decide.", Katherina said calmly, looking at her husband.
He nodded and gently kissed her forehead.
"I'll go check on her once and see if she needs anything.", Katherina said and walked away.
Michael looked at his son, who was sitting still, indulging deep in his own thoughts.
"You don't look convinced, son.", Michael said calmly.
"I just am not able to believe Vincent Marino sent Angelina to us, dad.", Easton said in a daze.
"Did the man love Angelina so much that you aren't able to understand his current decision?", Michael asked.
"Unlike Theodore, he was rational, but yet he was never ready to send his sister away. Why now then?", Easton thought out loud.
"Rest for now, Tony. Think about it when you've cooled down. Anyway, what's more important now is to make Angelina comfortable and help her to handle the sudden blow, she might be depressed right now.", Michael said calmly, standing up.
He walked away after wishing his kids a good night.
"Dad's right. All the other thoughts can come later. Right now, we have to make Angelina comfortable here.", Easton said.
"True.", Kris agreed.
"You guys didn't even introduce me properly.", Zay said with a scoff.
"As if that's going to stop you from befriending her.", Kris scowled.
"Stop bickering. Go and sleep now.", Easton said, looking at his siblings.
"Yes, sir.", both of them said in unison and walked away.
Easton chuckled at their antics.
He himself was walking to his room, but a sudden ringing of his phone startled him.
He looked at the caller ID and frowned.
On the other hand, a few minutes earlier, Katherina walked to Angelina's room.
She lifted her hand to knock, but realizing that the lights were off, she slowly opened the door so as to not wake up Angelina.
When she walked into the room, she was surprised to see the bed empty.
She looked to the side and found Angelina sitting by the window, leaning her head on the window and staring out.
Katherina could see the hurt in her niece's eyes and her struggle to suppress it.
She didn't know how the Marinos treated her niece, but if Easton was right then she was loved by her siblings. Having to leave them must have been a big blow to her and Katherina couldn't help but empathize.
She slowly walked to the window and sat opposite to her niece on the window sill.
"I'm sorry for interrupting, but can I sit here for a while?", Katherina asked gently.
Angelina looked at her aunt numbly and looked back outside.
Katherina felt a pang in her chest seeing the young girl in pain.
"The weather is too chilly today.", she said calmly, trying to strike a conversation.
"I see you don't want to talk right now. It's okay, you don't have to talk, I'll talk.", Katherina continued.
"Feel free to do anything and speak anything in this house. you don't need to have any inhibitions. There are no rules and the people in this family are absolutely friendly. You might not believe me, but the biggest softie in this house is your uncle. If you want something, just give him puppy eyes and he'll instantly melt. Then it's Zay. He might act all tough, but it just takes a small request for him to come to your aid. And then Kris. She is everyone's partner in crime and she doesn't even hide that fact. Easton, on the other hand, might sometimes be strict, but he spoils his siblings a lot.", Katherina said with a smile.
Angelina slowly looked at her aunt.
She didn't understand why the woman was telling her all that.
"What? You're confused that I'm not speaking about myself?", Katherina asked in amusement.
Angel quickly averted her eyes.
"Well, if you want me to be honest, I'm quite strict. At least that's what everyone in this house thinks, including the maids and other employees. Not that I enjoy bossing around, but with Mike being a partner in crime to the kids, someone has to act strict. That's why I took up that role. But you don't have to be worried about it, I'm not that scary. You can tell me anything and everything.", Katherina said with a chuckle.
Angelina couldn't help but look at the woman.
It was out of manners and subconscious inclination towards the woman.
The woman looked easily approachable and her warm aura was hard to ignore.
"Trust me when I say you can tell me anything. In fact, you can even say, 'Hey, Kate, I want you to leave me in peace right now.'", Katherina imitated in a pouty voice.
Angelina involuntarily chuckled lightly.
Katherina smiled.
Angelina's smile dropped, remembering something.
Katherina could see the changing emotions in the girl's eyes.
"It's easier to let go of emotions than to keep them suppressed, Angelina. I won't ask you for answers or force you to smile, but just know that it's better to break once than keep breaking all your life. You cannot think properly and find your path or solutions correctly if you don't let your pain out.", Katherina said calmly yet firmly.
She could see that Angelina was trying to shut her emotions off and stay numb.
She knew her niece needed some time to process everything that's been happening to her and decided to walk away.
She stood up and wanted to hug her niece, but stopped herself, not wanting to overwhelm her.
Angelina just continued to stare outside the window.
"Good night, Angelina.", Katherina said softly.
She didn't expect any answer from her niece and started walking out.
"Good night.", she heard a soft mumble while closing the door.
Katherina smiled softly and closed the door.
She had never known her sister had a child. If she had even the slightest idea about Lilliana's pregnancy, she would have turned the world upside down to search for the child.
Unfortunately she found out about her niece only after fifteen years.
But, Katherina was a very practical woman. She was never the one to dwell in the past.
She knew they were late to find out about Angelina, but she'll do everything in her power to see her niece happy.
And to do that, she has to know about her relationship with her former family and she will by any means.
Marino mansion, Italy (Italy is 6 hours ahead of USA)
"Angelina left, Arianna.", Luce said calmly, his tone hurt and angry.
Arianna frowned.
She didn't understand what her brother just said.
"Left? Left where?", Aria asked with a confused frown.
Luce took a deep breath.
Telling his sister the truth was turning out to be more anxious than he had expected.
"She left, Aria.", Luce stressed.
"That's what I'm asking, Luce. Where did she leave? That's why she didn't come to greet me. When will she return? Where did she go?", Aria asked continuously.
Luce looked away.
He was having second thoughts about his decision.
But, he clenched his jaw and decided to do what he had come for.
He was going to tell the truth no matter what.
He looked at Aria calmly, who in turn was looking at him in confusion.
"After you were kidnapped, .....", Luce started narrating what all happened after that night of her abduction.
With each passing sentence, Aria was growing increasingly shocked and subconsciously angry.
Luce narrated how his own mother, Aria's father and their grandparents have been behaving with Angelina the past few days.
Aria felt her chest constrict with all that she was hearing.
She had known that her aunt disliked her sister, but listening to Luce's words, she was just realizing that her aunt didn't just dislike Angelina, she hated her and hate was a very strong emotion.
She thought her father just stayed away from Angelina, but again she was wrong. When the situation turned bad, he didn't back off from hurting her sister.
Aria was disappointed and angry.
The term angry was just an understatement to what she was feeling at the moment. She was furious, her eyes blazing in anger and disdain.
Luce narrated until the hospital incident and stopped.
He didn't know how to tell Aria about Angelina leaving with that Reece guy.
Aria clenched her jaw and the uninjured palm tightly.
"They had the audacity to act all sweet to me after treating my sister like that!", Aria said through gritted teeth.
Aria was burning in anger.
Luce was startled to see her that angry.
He had never seen Aria being that furious.
Aria, on the other hand, was disgusted both by her aunt and her father.
Having been a victim of abuse herself, she knew how painful it was to live under the same roof as those who don't appreciate one's presence.
Aria was disappointed in herself for failing to recognize what her sister was going through because of her aunt and she was utterly disappointed for having not stood up to her father when he had told her he disliked Angelina.
"Aria", Luce's sudden voice broke Aria off her chain of thoughts.
She looked at him with anger, directed not at him but at her family.
"You said Angel left, Luce. Where did she go? Did she leave Italy and went back home? But why did she leave alone? Even Vince stayed back. I can't believe he allowed to send her back alone.", Aria said seriously with an angry frown.
Luce clenched his eyes.
He hadn't told her about Easton's arrival and how his eldest brothers decided to let go of their sister.
This was going to be the hardest thing to reveal.
"Luce", Aria probed, nudging him a little due to his lack of response.
"You already know the fact that Angelina is not related to us by blood, right?", Luce asked calmly.
Aria stiffened at that.
She didn't like hearing it.
"Hmm.", was all she said.
"Then didn't you ever think she might have a biological family out there somewhere?", Luce asked, his voice thick with concealed anger.
Aria felt a bad feeling at the direction in which the conversation was going.
Her heart was constantly telling her that she was not going to like what Luce was about to say.
"What are you trying to say, Luce?", Aria asked, her heart thumping in her chest and her insides stirring with anxiety.
Luce had enough of beating around the bush.
He himself was unable to bear the anxiety.
"Do you know Easton Reece?", Luce asked, coming directly to the point.
Aria frowned.
She didn't understand why nothing was making sense.
She didn't understand what Easton had anything to do with this.
"I know. Why?", she asked with a frown.
"He is Angel's biological cousin.", Luce said, gritting his teeth.
Aria froze in her place at the news.
Her eyes widened and she gasped.
"E-Easton is-", she started, but couldn't complete her statement at the revelation.
"Yes.", Luce confirmed again.
Aria was at a loss of words.
She had thought Easton was friends with them just out of courtesy and because he was happy talking to them, but never in her wildest dreams did she expect him to be so closely related to Angelina.
Aria couldn't understand why he decided to keep the truth from them all along.
Most importantly, she was having a bad feeling about what Luce was going to say next. She knew she wouldn't like it, but she had to hear the truth.
"Where is Angelina, Luce?", Aria asked calmly, her eyes clearly swirling with fear and panic.
Luce gently held his sister's hand in support.
He knew it was going to be hard for her to listen to the truth.
"That night, Vince ....", Luce started narrating the whole incident that happened the previous night.
Aria's lips parted in shock, her eyes wide and her breath ragged.
She felt her heart sink and her stomach churned in hurt.
There was a slight tremble in her palm and Luce squeezed her palm gently yet firmly to keep her from trembling.
"It can't be.", Aria mumbled in shock.
"How? Why? -", she mumbled at a loss of words.
Her breathing was getting heavy with all the stress she was exerting emotionally.
Luce noticed her shallow breathing and immediately reached for a glass of water.
He could see how her palms were trembling, so he placed the glass at her lips to help her drink the water.
Aria shook her head and looked at him with wide eyes.
"Aria, please. You need to calm down.", Luce said gently, his eyes pleading with her to calm down.
He once again placed the glass of water at her lips and this time she took two sips.
Luce placed the glass back on the stand and took her hand gently in his.
"Aria, look at me.", he said gently.
Aria looked at him in a daze.
Her brain was still struggling to process the newly found revelations.
"I'm sorry, I didn't do anything when all this happened. But, you can't take stress right now. I need you to calm down please.", he said firmly.
His firm voice did hit Aria and she broke out of her daze.
"Y-You mean Angel left with E-Easton?", Aria asked softly, her voice quivered.
"Vince sent her away with Easton.", Luce rephrased.
"She was pleading not to and she even looked at us to support her, but we just-", Luce said in a closed-off voice.
He couldn't bring himself to say anything further.
Aria's lips wobbled when the situation slowly started to sink in.
Tears started flowing down her cheeks.
She was having a hard time accepting the fact that her sister was sent away.
Aria couldn't believe it.
She knew how much Vince loved each one of them. He would never hurt any of them so brutally.
Aria's heart couldn't accept that Vince hurt her sister, hurt them all.
Luce could only clench his eyes in pain.
He himself was going through a rough time, he didn't know how to console his distraught sister.
"Oh my goodness, princess! Why are you crying?", Nina's sudden voice startled them.
Aria slowly turned her gaze towards the door.
Luce looked at the door and found his mother standing there with a bewildered expression on her face.
Before he could say something, Nina rushed inside and stopped beside the bed.
She sat on the bed and cupped Aria's cheek gently.
"What's wrong, Aria? Are you in pain? Should I call the doctor? Luce, say something.", Nina said, worried.
Aria was looking at her aunt in a daze, but slowly everything Luce said started coming back.
Her eyes that were swirling with pain until now, were turning dark with specks of anger and disdain.
"Leave", Aria said calmly, looking at her aunt.
Nina frowned at the sudden change in demeanor.
"What happened, Aria, tell me-", Nina was saying gently, not noticing the changing emotions in her niece's eyes.
"LEAVE", Aria raised her voice, looking at her aunt angrily.
Nina withdrew her hand, startled.
She was shocked to see Aria that angry.
Theo was just coming to her room. When he heard Aria raise her voice, he rushed to the room with a frown.
"What's wrong?", Theo asked as soon as he reached Aria's room.
He was shocked to see Aria looking at their aunt in anger.
"What happened?", Theo asked again calmly.
Aria averted her eyes from her aunt and looked at Theo with the same anger, but now there were also hints of accusation in her eyes.
Theo stiffened at that.
He could see the accusation in Aria's eyes as clear as day.
He looked at Luce, who averted his eyes.
Theo understood that Aria found out the truth.
Before Theo could say anything, Aria beat him to it.
"Leave, Mrs. Marino.", Aria said angrily.
Nina was shocked and hurt.
Aria had refused to call her 'aunt' and the anger in her niece's eyes really startled her.
"Princess, why don't you tell me what happened? Why are you angry?", Nina asked gently.
Aria didn't bother to look at her aunt a second time and looked at Luce.
"Ask your mother to leave, Luce.", Aria said calmly, but the anger was evident in her tone.
Nina was beyond hurt and a little anxious.
She never thought Aria could be so firm.
"But, Aria-", Nina was saying, but Theo cut her off.
"Leave, aunt Nina.", Theo said calmly, but his tone was sharp and firm, not giving any space for argument.
Nina knew the situation was very ambiguous and decided to leave for the moment.
She stood up and was going to touch Aria's hair gently, but Aria turned away, avoiding her aunt's touch.
Nina was extremely hurt and walked away, disappointed.
Aria didn't spare a single glance at Theo.
She was extremely hurt, angry and disappointed at everyone.
Somehow, Luce was the only exception.
"Aria, you should calm down first.", Theo said gently, standing a few feet away from the bed.
No response.
Aria furiously wiped her tears.
Theo did not know what to say or how to start.
In fact, he himself was angry, disappointed and struggling internally, unable to blame anyone.
He could see the anger and pain in Aria's eyes.
He had felt the same and was still feeling the same.
He knew she needed answers, but he himself didn't have any and he had not been in the mood to confront his brothers.
The silence in the room was deafening.
None of the three speak a single word, all of them struggling with their own turmoil.
On the other hand, as soon as Nina told what happened with Aria, Riccardo was shocked.
He couldn't believe his daughter had asked Nina to get out.
She was too kind to do that.
Bianca frowned, but didn't say anything.
Things went in their advantage when Vince sent Angelina away.
But Bianca knew how much her granddaughter loved that girl and hence she also knew it was difficult to deal with her at the moment.
Rosario sighed, understanding that his niece had come to know of what happened the previous night and about Angelina's departure.
He had advised his niece to be careful and sort things out soon, but it was already too late.
Riccardo rushed up to his daughter's room anxiously.
When he reached her room, he was surprised at the silence in the room.
He composed himself and went in.
"Aria", he called gently as he walked into the room.
Arianna stiffened at her father's voice.
She loved and respected him.
She had given him a chance despite his brothers being very opposed to him.
She had trusted him to at least be civil to her sister.
Alas, he had broken all of those hopes.
All she felt for him at the moment was anger and disappointment.
She didn't want to deal with him at all.
She wanted all of them gone.
"I'm feeling tired, Luce, can you please ask everyone to leave and not disturb me.", Aria said calmly, looking at her cousin.
Theo felt hurt, but he knew he deserved it.
Riccardo, on the other hand, was startled at his daughter's words.
"Aria, princess, what's wrong?", Riccardo asked calmly with a gentle edge to his tone.
"Luce, please.", Aria said, looking at Luce, ignoring her father.
Luce looked at his uncle with a silent plea, suppressing his anger.
Before Riccardo could say anything, Theo led him out of the room and closed the door behind him.
He understood that his sister was too exhausted and she needed some rest.
Riccardo was upset at the way his daughter ignored him. He decided to speak to her when she was in a good mood.
On the other hand, the extreme exertion of emotions wore out Aria's energy as she was just healing from her injuries.
She was feeling light-headed and a little dizzy.
Luce noticed it and helped her to lie down properly.
As soon as her head hit the pillow, her eyelids started drooping.
"Thank you for letting me know the truth.", she said softly, closing her eyes.
Luce hummed in response and covered her properly with the duvet.
She was too emotionally drained to stay awake.
Luce walked out of the room with a sigh.
They all needed answers. Neither Vince nor Aurelio had spoken a word about the situation and neither of the other brothers took a step to confront them. They were all too upset, angry and disappointed at their eldest brothers and couldn't bring themselves to blame them or hate them.
All of them were at the peaks of their emotions and needed time to ask for reasons.
Alas, Luce knew unlike them, Aria wouldn't wait to cool off. Once she wakes up from resting, she wouldn't waste a second to confront her brothers.
It was high time Vince and Aurelio gave them answers!
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Phew! That was a long chapter!
How was the chapter?
What's your opinion on the Reece family?
Well, Aria is furious. 😬
Seems like it's finally time to put the elder Marinos in their place. 😒
Anyway, Vince better be ready with answers, his siblings are in rage. 🙁
Precap : Aria's confrontation.
Don't forget to vote, comment and follow.
Yours lovingly,
Author.