A/N- So, I don't have an updating schedule rn. I am quite busy with my rl to give an exact schedule so sorry about that😟. I will try to be more regular with my updates, I hope.🤞
T.W- Offensive language, Panic attack from "I stumbled as I walked..." to "...I was so tired."
Happy Reading!😊
"I met Angelo Conti." I declared to my friends at lunch as I took a seat beside Ethan. I was frustrated with the fact that after Dad told me to stay away from Contis I had to meet one- who was that handsome. It was unfair. There was no way I was going to tell anybody with the surname King about the encounter and I wanted to voice out my frustrations. So, then came my new friends.
"You met Angelo?" Emma asked, eyes wide. She sat with Mark on one side and Enzo on other, opposite me. Enzo had one arm wrapped around her as she leaned against his chest. They were one beautiful couple, I must say.
"Also, my bodyguard can speak." I announced. She hadn't spoken a word after that though and a part of me was really thinking that I had made it up. Well, it wasn't my say in when or if my bodyguard should speak and I guess demanding her to speak if she wasn't comfortable or preferred not to would be wrong. Yet I was allowed to be suprised and shocked about it considering that I hadn't thought it was a possibility until today.
Ethan shared my suprise and shock. Obviously. "Miss bodyguard can speak?" Ethan asked, voice pitched high in confusion and excitement. His loud question was more directed at the lady in question sitting on the table behind us than me. As usual my bodyguard ignored him.
"Angelo was very handsome." I said with a hint of my frustration, "and he is a Conti." Both Emma and Mark nodded in agreement with my statement like they understood. This was what I needed.
"I am more handsome." Enzo said (read whined) to Emma who just patted his bicep and instead looked at me as she asked, "was he hostile to you?"
I shook my head, "I doubt he knew me." I took a bite of the muffin (which looked best among the assortment of food) from my lunch plate and then made a face. Maybe I should ask Miss Sophia to pack me lunch? Cafeteria foods were stale even though this school was the most expensive one in the city. Or I might have been spoiled by Miss. Sophia's cooking. (On a side note- I used my black card to buy the lunch. It was a fun experience. Also, sad because I do not think black cards should be used to buy school cafeteria lunch? Kinda sounds cheap. Though what did I know? Maybe rich people did that.)
"Are you sure?" Mark said and then he turned to Emma, "Was Angelo there at the orientation?"
Emma's pretty face pinched in concentration before she shook her head, "I don't remember seeing him."
"What orientation?" I asked.
"The one about you." Emma answered as Ethan left our table to join my bodyguard. (A fleeting part of me wondered if I should save my bodyguard from Ethan's one-sided talking then decided against it. I was sure that my bodyguard had pretty good control on herself to not shoot the lover boy. I hope.)
"About me?" I asked instead looking at the others confused.
"Yeah." Mark answered.
"I don't remember attending any orientation." I said.
"No you weren't there." Emma agreed, "but I thought you knew about it. I mean haven't you wondered?"
"Wonder what?" I had no idea what she was talking about.
"Oh!" Mark clicked his fingers, "I get it. This is another information that is obvious to us but you have no clue."
"Like the Contis?" Enzo questioned.
"Exactly." Mark nodded to him before turning to me, "Ellena, you are Domenico King's only daughter who literally came out of nowhere. Everyone in this city and maybe also the country is curious about you." I blinked at Mark. Right. I was so busy running away from Creepy Cole and then making my stay here possible that I had ignored the fact that being Domenico King's daughter would give me unwanted fame. Just like how until Valentino said it, I hadn't realised the danger that came with being a powerful person's kid. Not that any of that was a deal-breaker for me. I was too desperate.
Anyway, what did it has to do with this orientation thing? Sensing my confusion, Mark continued, "Still there is no picture of you on any social site and no information about you other than one single announcement made by you dad. Isn't it weird?"
"Yeah, none of our classmates or anyone of this school posted anything about you." Emma said taking over Mark, as Enzo played with her hairs far ago zoning out of our conversation, "Haven't you considered it weird because one single pic of you, one small glimpse of you and my followers shoots up, and yet I haven't done so? That nobody posted anything about you?"
I stared at Emma and Mark. Now, as they were stating so, it did sound weird. This school was full of teenagers.
"That's what the orientation was about. It was before your first day here. Valentino King, himself was here. We all signed some documents, under the supervision of our parents, to not disclose any information about you on any public or private platform."
I stared at them. The King's were wired differently weren't they? Maybe one day their actions wouldn't leave me speechless but today wasn't that day.
"Your parents agreed to it?" I questioned after a moment of silence, "you all agreed to it?"
"Of course." Mark shrugged, "In this city, nobody says no to Kings if they want to live peacefully." He got a elbow from Emma, who shook her head at him.
"You make us sound like some mafia or something that controls the city." I huffed.
"Aren't you?" Ethan, who had finally realised that it was a failed mission to talk to my bodyguard, asked as he took back his seat beside me, "Everyone knows so that King is synonym to mafia in this city."
"Ethan!" Emma practically shouted looking at him in horror. Both Mark and Enzo stiffened. I, who was going to laugh at Ethan words, paused. What with this atmosphere?
"You think Kings are mafias?" I asked bewildered. That sounded absurd.
"Of course not. I was just kidding." Ethan laughed and then, "you won't believe what my sister did..." He went on and on about an hilarious story related to his younger sister. I tuned him out. I had made weird friends who think my family were mafias. Sure, my father was said to practically own the city but mafia? Really?
Discarding that weird thought I focussed more on the short meeting with Angelo Conti that happened after I was ordered to stay away. Though I was innocent as I was unaware of my saviour's identity. It was no problem. I would just stay far away from Angelo Conti from now onwards in view of knowing who he was.
*****
The rest of the day at school passed peacefully with no Conti or Mafia talk. Even the ride home with twins went without any threats delivered to me. Miss. Sophia made me delicious snack and also agreed to provide me some decent packed lunch from next day when I complained about the inferior food at the cafeteria to her. I completed my maths homework without getting struck once. All good things.
So, obviously something had to go wrong.
It started when I was watching Iron Man 1 alone after I was done with my homework. Like every other room in this freaking house, the TV room was also large. It had a big TV on one wall with numerous speakers, some game controllers, a big beige coloured sofa set in the middle and facing the TV, four black bean bags scattered on the floor, a black glass topped table and many black and white striped cushions. There was a small corner next to the wall on the carpeted floor, facing the TV, that had blankets and more cushion arranged in some kind of cozy nest. The walls were off-white except the one with TV attached to it. That one was brown beige.
I was on edge of my seat as the scene where Tony stark went fuck-it-I-am-iron-man (even though I had watched the movie more times that I could count and would watch probably more times in the future) was coming that someone entered the room disturbing my peace.
And guess what? It was Antonio King with his usual scowl on. No wait. It was actually a bit more furious that his usual scowl. Who ruffled his feathers?
"Leave." He growled as he made towards the sofa I was sitting on.
"Excuse me?" I asked baffled. Did he just came in and suddenly asked me to leave in a very non-polite tone? What did I do?
"Fucking leave." He ordered, "I am here and I don't want to see your face so get out." Wow! The audacity of this guy.
I took a breath.
Remember Creepy Cole, Ellena.
"Can I finish what I am see..." I trailed off when Antonio took the remote from beside me and switched off the TV. Okay so he wasn't here to watch anything but want me to leave. He turned the TV off on my face. Okay. It's okay. I was a very calm girl. I was not angry. Not at all.
"Out!"
Would it kill him to talk a bit politely? Fuck him!
I threw the cushion, I had on my lap, away and stood up. Since I was being a model houseguest, I decided to just walk out.
"Wait." Antonio said catching me by elbow before I could walk out. I looked up at him not amused. What was wrong? He wanted me to leave and now he was not letting me. This guy was a weirdo.
"You should fucking leave this house." He ordered sounding very angry.
"I am sorry?" I was so puzzled. Out of nowhere? Like I was just sitting here watching TV and he came suddenly asking me to leave the room now he was ordering to leave house. What the fuck! We haven't even had any interaction today.
"Are you deaf? I said you should fuck off to whatever ditch you had crawled off from." With that he let go with enough force to make me stumble. I really need to hit jym if I wanted to live in this house.
I took a breath as I righted myself. I shouldn't be angry. So, what if Antonio just came out of nowhere and started insulting me. I wanted to live here for just two years with very less problems but only if the residents of this house could let me.
Deep breaths, Ellena. He is an asshole but he is better than Creepy Cole till now, I reminded myself. A bit of attitude though won't kill him, I guess.
I folded my arms behind my back and looked up at my brother with a pleasant smile, "Sorry, but I don't think I would. I am here to stay."
My smile might had not been as pleasant as I had thought as I watched Antonio's brown eyes flashed in rage. Oh well, my bad!
"Though this room is all yours now dear brother." I said with my pleasant smile still on.
Antonio's teeth clicked in anger and then he shouted, "Don't call me that. I am not a brother to the daughter of a whore." He spat out.
Ex-fucking-cuse me. Did he just call my mother a whore? My smile dropped.
"What did you call my mother?" I snapped. Now, that was going too far and I wasn't going to take it laying down. Nobody insulted my mother. "How dare you!"
Antonio gave a bark of laugh that grated on my nerve. I was always giving him benefit of doubt considering he was my brother but right now I really wanted to punch his face. I stopped myself and just glared at him. It was vile that I was so much shorter than him and had to look up!
"What would you do?" Antonio taunted me, "Your mother fucking ran away and then now her bastard is invading our life. She was a fucking slut-"
"Your mother was a slut, little girl." I flinched as Antonio's voice overlapped with Creepy Cole in my mind. I took a breath as my hands shook. No. I needed Antonio to stop talking.
"Antonio, please stop talking!" I warned but Antonio didn't.
"-who spread her legs for Dad and-" that was my limit. I knew my action would be extremely against the policy I was going for to stay here yet right now it felt beyond caring. Since I couldn't punch him as he was too tall I went for the next good option. I lifted my left knee and in one perfect moved kneed Antonio right in his balls. Hard.
Antonio let out a satisfying scream of pain.
I smirked. I had my fair share of using that move on men and so I could say I was a pretty perfect aim. And I went easy on Antonio.
I reached out and put my hand on Antonio's shoulder who was kneeling in pain. Now, I was looking down on him.
"Next time, mind your words, listen when I tell you to shut your mouth and don't speak of my mother." I patted his shoulder and released him, "Should I bring you some ice, brother?"
Antonio hissed in pain, "you little-"
"What's happening here?" I turned at the loud inquiry coming from behind me and then stiffened. Daniele King, my most intimidating eldest brother with whom I had least interactions with, was standing there with his arms crossed just a step inside from the door. His perfect face that held most similarities to my father among all us, was blank. Wearing a no-wrinkled black suit, tall with strong arms folded and no expressions, he painted a very scary picture. His blue eyes, so similiar to mine but colder, shifted from me to Antonio and then turned back to me, "Were you two fighting?"
"The little bitch kicked me in the balls." Antonio hissed. Looked like I should have hurt him harder if he could still talk.
Daniele raised his eyebrow at me and I looked away.
"Antonio, go see a doctor if you need one. We will talk when father will be home." Daniele ordered, "and next time don't let me hear you calling your sister anything like that or you wouldn't like the consequences." Did Daniele just scolded Antonio for me?
"Ellena," Daniele called my name with enough authority for me to look back at him, "come with me."
Daniele turned expecting me to follow and I hurriedly did so. Ah fuck! Now, I was regretting hitting Antonio.
Please, please don't let him send me back.
I would plead if I had to or else I would be restroted to stealing something expensive from here to run away with (won't be a problem as this house had many expensive things) as going back was no option.
Not after the incident.
*****
Daniele took me to his office which according to rule number three, I wasn't allowed in.
Yes, if you were wondering, I did memorise the rules.
Daniele's study didn't match his personality. It was smaller than my room in size but still quite big. The walls were grey with the left wall covered in floor-to-ceiling window with brown blinds. There was a white sofa next to the window and small coffee table in front of it. A white wooden desk was in the middle which was piled up with papers and a laptop. A comfortable looking white chair behind the table and facing the door, with two smaller one in front. The wall behind the large chair and opposite to door had a single painting depicting a beautiful scenery of forest. The right wall had wooden shelves holding some random objects and one or two picture frames that I couldn't inspect. Lastly, there were plants. Many plants. A potted one with big leaves near the window. A small one on the shelf. Okay more than one on the shelf. Two potted plants by the entrance. One on the ground near the shelf. A small cute cactus plant used as a paper weight on the desk. It was weird since Daniele's image, according to me, didn't fit such greenery but who was I to judge? Altogether the office felt comfortable.
Daniele gestured me to sit on one of the two chairs facing away from the door and I sat down. He crossed the desk and sat on his chair. I clasped my hands together and rested them on my lap, eyes flickering around the room. I was so anxious that I could hear how loud my heart was beating.
Ah! Now that the adrenaline was coming down, I was really panicking. I should have controlled myself. It was not that my mum would have been pleased about using violence to defend her. It's just that Antonio's words reminded me of the second-worst night of my life. The first would always be when the police knocked to inform about mom's car accident. I had never felt so distraught and loss before. I gripped my hands tighter. I don't want to remember both the nights.
Thankfully, Daniele helped.
"So, did you hurt Antonio?" He asked not sounding angry.
I nodded looking down.
"What did he do?" Daniele asked.
"Huh?" I looked up at him.
"Are you telling that me you hurt him unprovoked?" Unlike me, Daniele looked quite calm as he sat casually on his chair.
"He called my mum a...he called her demeaning words." I answered steadily. I had no idea what Daniele stance on my mother was but Daniele's calm was somehow and mysteriously calming me down too.
"Antonio has a bad habit of releasing his anger on others." Daniele said. Of course. When Antonio had came into the room, he was furious and then he took it on me.
"Knowing him, he must have really pissed you off that you choose violence." Daniele said. I knew that tone. It what my mum adopted whenever she was displeased by my actions but was also secretly agreeing too.
"He did." I confirmed.
Daniele regarded me and then to my suprise his lips curled in amusement, "You are like Dante."
"Dante?" I asked bewildered. The guy who choked me. My third-eldest brother.
Daniele's amusement dimmed and I realised that his eyes that always felt cold to me was looking a lot more like they were plagued with grief. How very non-observant of me as Mum's eyes so different from Daniele, held that same depth whenever she wasn't looking at me. I always thought it was my father whose thought would make mum looked like that. I wondered whom Daniele was grieving for?
"Dante would commit violence to defend Lia too." Daniele said and there was something in his tone that I couldn't differ, "and like you, he wouldn't be remorseful about it."
"I am." I protested, "I do feel guilty." I didn't want Daniele to think that I was a brat. I knew the rules said to respect my brothers and I still went and kneed one of them. I was being stupid. Though I did believe Antonio deserve that.
"Sure." Daniele said. It was obvious he didn't believe me but he was so calm that it felt useless to panic or anything. For some reason, he didn't look that scary either.
"On Thursday, 5'o clock in the morning I want you to come to training area." Daniele declared.
"Why?"
"Mandatory fighting lessons." Daniele informed, "Next time, I don't want you hitting your brother's chance of future kids." Daniele smirked. Okay, this guy was literally shredding my earlier impression of him.
But Daniele said next time that meant I was staying. Right? "So, I am not being..uh...sent away? Back?" I wanted to be sure.
Daniele didn't say anything for some long seconds and instead stared at me. Then he sighed.
"Sorellina," Daniele's voice sounded a bit soft, something I had thought only Valentino was capable of in this house and maybe Rolando, "Dad's name wasn't on your birth certificate and we weren't contacted when Lia-" Daniele cleared his throat, "Now, he has you custody. He is your legal guardian. You are our sister. As long as you want you will stay here no matter what you do. This is your house and we are your family. So be secure in it." Daniele said those words with so much assurance that it was hard not to believe him.
"Though of course, you and Antonio both will be punished for today's fight when Dad will be home."
I nodded. Punishment I could handle.
"Was it hard? Getting the custody I mean?" After all my social worker was a bitch.
"Nothing Domenico King couldn't handle." Daniele said nonchalant. It might be wonderful to have such powers, "your social worker was a bit uncooperative but the judge was amendable. It worked in our favour as paternity claim wasn't hard to establish. Your stepfather was in no condition to come to the court to challenge us. Not that he could have."
Yeah I know. Creepy Cole was in no condition to come to the court. That's why I ran here. I couldn't stay because I knew when he would wake up from his coma, he would remember and I would be fucked.
A loud facing yell echoed in my ears followed by thud of something hitting the ground hard. I blinked as a flash of scarlet coloured my vision. Shit! I stiffened and then put a very tight leash on my emotion as I looked to Daniele. I have to go to my room.
"Can I go now? I have homework to do." My voice came out steadier.
"Yes." Daniele answered as I stood up.
"Thank you." I said stiffly and then I was walking out of his office before he could interrupt. His office was on the ground floor so I took the stairs. I held the banister tightly as I climbed up. My hands were sweating and my breathing was becoming erratic as my leash on the emotions were loosening. Fucking hell!
The day was going on so well.
Fortunately, I made upstairs.
I stumbled as I walked and had to hold on the walls to not fall. My vision flashed scarlet again and I closed my eyes. A fucking mistake.
There was so much blood all over the white tile. He looked like a corpse lying in the pool of red.
Fuck no. I opened my eyes. I didn't want to remember that night.
This time my mind didn't hear my frantic pleas as I was bombarded with images and sounds.
Him injured. My scream. His scream. The alarm of ambulance and police. So much blood. On my hands. On my clothes. On the floor. On the stairs.
"He fell down." I had said through my tears. The police lady had been so sympathetic.
"Poor girl, lost her mother and now her stepfather is in coma." They had said.
"Ellena? Ellena!" Someone was shouting my name. Something cold touch my face and I blinked. A blurred face entered my vision. I blinked once more and again until the face cleared.
"Dante?"
I looked around in confusion. I was sprawled on the cold floor in the hallways with Dante crouched in front of me and his very cold hand on my face.
As if hearing his name was the confirmation he needed, Dante pulled his hand back. That's when I realised my face was wet. I was crying.
Shit! I was crying in the hallway of my father's house.
Atleast I wasn't back there.
Yet it felt I was. The blood, the panic, everything was still playing in my head. And seeing Dante wasn't helping. He had tried to kill me. His thin fragile presence felt so threatening. Fuck! I couldn't breathe. I was shaking and cold. My legs were numb and I couldn't breathe.
I was dying.
"Dante what-"
"She is having a panic attack."
Oh god! I was dying. I couldn't breathe and I was dying. My chest hurt.
"Ellena, sorellina, focus on me. I am right here." I knew that voice. Just a few minutes ago, I had heard him sounding so calm.
"Daniele" I wheezed his name, feeling tears well up in my tears.
"Yes it's me. Let me help you. Okay? Can I touch you?" I shook my head at that. "Okay. I won't touch you. Just focus on me. Can you take slow, deep breaths for me? Inhale and I will count to 5 and then you exhale. Can yo do that?"
I gave a shaky nod.
Daniele's voice was calm as he counted. I stuttered at first but slowly I followed his instructions and my breathing slowed.
"You are doing good Sorellina. Now, do me a little favour and count backwards from hundred. Can you?"
I nodded and did so.
By the time I reached to 1 in my counting, I was breathing normally and feeling exhausted as well as mortified. I had been doing so good all these days and still I slipped. Fuck you Cole.
"Ellena, you back with us." Daniele asked. I hummed in agreement. I was suprised and again mortified to see that Dante was still there, leaning against the opposite wall away from me. Daniele had taken his place infront of me.
"Good." Daniele smiled. It barely stayed but I was shocked. I didn't imagine Daniele smiling ever.
"Can I ask what brought this on?" He asked. I shook my head. I was too exhausted to relieve it.
"Okay. Can you get up?"
Could I? I didn't think so. My legs were still numb and I was so exhausted. I shivered as I felt chills.
"I..." I hesitated. I didn't want to be laying in the hallway but I didn't want to be touched right now either.
"It's fine. We will just stay here for a while." With that said, Daniele sat on the floor, legs criss-crossed. I sighed and with a bit of effort, sat up a little and pulled my legs to my chest. I curled my arms around them and rested my head on top of my knee. My eyelids drooped as I felt my body ache. I was so tired.
We sat in silence and even with Dante there, Daniele's presence felt safe.