I got a call from my parents today saying that dad would pick me up at 9 to take us to a restaurant.
A Reign family dinner doesn't happen often, unless something is happening. Regardless on that something being good or bad, I made sure I'd be the prettiest person in the room.
I look at myself in the mirror, touching up on my eyeliner as I get the notification on the intercom that somebody is taking the elevator up to my penthouse.
It's a private elevator so anytime anyone steps foot in it, i get notified.
Knowing it was one of my dads, I just wipe a shiny layer of lipgloss over my lips and walk to the hallway.
The elevator doors slide open and dad walks in, smiling as he sees me. "You look beautiful." He looks to the ground, picking up the white heels that were laying on the floor.
He crouches down and I put my hands on his shoulders as I slide my feet into the heels, letting him buckle them at the ankle. "Thank you, papa." I stand tall. "What's this dinner about?"
"Uh, Matty has something to share." He tucks a piece of hair behind my ear. "Bringing extra clothes? You can stay with us."
"I'm gonna come back here. I have a meeting with the hairdresser tomorrow. I'm thinking blonde highlights." I hook my arm with his, beginning to walk.
"I think Alessio wants to stay with you." He says once we're in the elevator.
"Yes. He called and asked already. I said he could." I smile.
He smiles too and when we're at his car, he opens the door for me. "Do you know what it's about?" I ask, putting my seatbelt on.
"Yes but Matty wants to tell you all himself. Hamada and Athena will be there. Their kids too."
"They have kids?" I frown.
"Two. Boy and girl. Twins." He frowns. "You didn't know that?"
"No. How old are they?"
"A year older than you." He says, a bit unsure himself. "I'll ask when we're there."
The resturant was one of Matteo's favourite, a Greek place. Dad links his arm with mine as we walk in and the waiter immediately takes us to the table.
Athena stands up, hugging me as she sees me. It's not often we see Athena, it's usually just Hamada, but from the gifts us kids receive, we all know that I'm Athena's favourite.
"You look so stunning, Ilaria." She squeezes me. "Arabella, she is seriously such a mini you."
The best compliment ever. I love when people compare me to my mom.
"I know right." Mom winks.
Athena walks around the table, my eyes land on two unfamiliar people and I didn't need to assume, these two fuckers look exactly like Hamada.
The girl was absolutely beautiful, her lips full and eyes fox-shaped with a thin nose. She had thick, long, black hair and tattoos down her neck. When she stands up, she towered over Athena and extended her arm for me, a full sleeve tatted up it. "Akahana, but everyone calls me Hana."
I shake her hand gracefully. "Ilaria."
She holds my eye contact for a minute before sitting down and my eyes drift to the boy.
His hair was shoulder length, half of it tied up into a messy bun and pieces pulled out to frame his face. He stands up, even taller than the girl and extends his arm, his black shirt rolled up to his elbows revealed patchwork style tattoos.
I put my focus back on his face but could only focus on his eyes.
They were captivating.
It looked like he was wearing eyeliner that's how thick his lashes were.
"Asahi." He clears his throat, his voice deep and silky.
I shake his hand, putting my attention on Athena. "I'd be so upset if I had kids and they didn't get an ounce of my features."
She laughs, resting her hand on both of their heads. "If Hana didn't dye her hair all the time, we'd have the same hair."
Hana rolls her eyes slightly and Athena just ignores that. "Play nice, Hana." She says, before walking back to her husband.
I don't look at them again, even though I could feel them both look at me.
I pick the menu up, reading it as we wait for Romeo and Matteo to arrive.
Even though Matteo was the one to organise this, he arrived fashionably late and drunk.
He takes the seat beside me and clears his throat. "Did everyone order?"
"We were waiting for you, kid." Hamada clears his throat. "We'll order then speak."
Matteo nods his head and picks the menu up.
I ate a big lunch, so I stick to a traditional Greek salad with a side of chicken tenders and a glass of wine.
Once we all order, Matteo clears his throat. "Feds bribed me into helping out some woman so now I gotta do that."
Dad sighs. Hamada looks down and Romeo jsut stares at him. "You can't."
"I have to, or i'm going to jail."
"It's a human trafficking organisation." Hamada speaks up. "And he's only working it for 6 months, under me and Asahi. Then his records get completely wiped and starts fresh."
I look at Asahi. Of course the hot ones are the feds. Why couldn't have he been a gangster or something?
"And if he gets caught he'll have the label as a snitch and then his life will be over anyway. Find someone else to do your dirty business, Hamada." Romeo frowns, not happy with this ordeal at all.
"Already signed of on it, Romeo." Matteo sips on his water. "I'll be fine. I know what I'm doing."
"If he gets hurt I'm killing you both." Romeo looks af Hamada and Asahi.
"No one's killing anyone." Dad interferes. "Matteo will have a protected identity and any reports written up will not use his name."
I sip on my wine. "At least it's for a good cause."
Everyone seems to quieten down and look at me weirdly.
Mom just laughs, breaking the silence. "You're right, it's a good cause and Matteo is more than capable of handling himself. And he knows when to ask for help too. Everything will go fine, and it's just 6 months anyways."
"That means we're postponing the Italian business." Luca says. "You'll do that when you're ready, Matty."
He nods his head, downing all of his water and then standing up. "Going to the bathroom." He announces before walking away.
I watch him disappear into the men's room, when I look back at the table, my eyes fall onto Asahi's. He was watching me.
"So you're a fed?" I say as my salad gets placed in front of me. "Bummer."
"Behave, Ilaria." Romeo warns me.
I roll my eyes at him, lookikg at Hana. "What do you do?"
"Nurse."
"You're a nurse?"
"Yup."
I gotta say. I'm surprised.
"Interesting."
"What about you?" Her jaw ticks, not in anger, in interest.
"I'm a principessa. I get my hands dirty when I want and let my brothers and dads take care of everything when I don't want." I sip my wine. "And I teach the girls in the mafia."
"Teach them what exactly?" Hana purses her lips. "How to obey men?"
"Akahana." Athena's tone is sharp. "Pack it in."
"How to not take shit from anyone, especially men." I tilt my head to the side, looking at her. "I'm not sure if you're aware but the Reigns don't really run like that."
She holds eye contact with me. "I'll believe it when I see it."
"I apologise, Ilaria. She just broke up with her girlfriend and she's been in a bad mood ever since." Athena stands up. "Outside, now."
Hana rolls her eyes but listens to her mother, strutting away.
Asahi on the other hand, he leans forward. "So, you teach the girls how to not take shit from anyone?"
"Yes." I lean back.
"And how does that work?"
I sigh. "My mamma made sure when I was born that the gang was going to change its ways. She wasn't having me growing up to be at their feet and obeying them." I sip my drink again. "And I won't have any other principessa do that either."
He smirks, a cocky smirk. "Fair enough. Feminism and all that."
"Not just men like my brothers either. It's men like you."
"Men like me?" He cocks an eyebrow in amusement. "Elaborate."
"Feds. Police. Cocky bastards." I mumble the last part.
He lurches his heart sarcastically. "Ouch."
I roll my eyes, looking at my little brother instead. "Wanna see the fish tank?"
He nods his head, grabbing my hand and we walk to the massive circular fish tank placed in the middle of the restaurant. He geeks out as he looks at the fish, then leaves me standing there as he runs to look at the lobsters and crabs.
I wasn't alone for too long because Asahi decided to join me. "Does Matteo have a problem with alcohol?" He asks.
I keep looking at the fish, staying silent.
"Tell me now if he does. Does he perform different when he's drinking?"
I stay quiet.
"I need to know. I won't tell your parents. It's merely for me to keep an eye on him and know when it's getting too much."
I clear my throat. "He's an alcoholic, yes. But he doesn't perform different at all. If anything he performs better. He just gets tired and his tolerance is extremely high."
"I noticed needle marks when we arrested him."
"As far as I know he just does what everyone our age does, but addicts hide stuff well so..." I clear my throat. "He's working on it."
"Thank you." He slides his hands into his slacks. "You're beautiful, by the way."
"I know." I keep looking at the fish.
That doesn't stir him like it usually stirs men.
As a waitesss walks by us, he grabs her notepad and pen from her pocket and flips it open, writing his number. "I'm here for six months."
I was astonished.
He tilts my chin up, tapping his thumb off my chin gently. "If you ever wanna..." He looks down at my breasts. "Bet I could give you the time of your life." Then he rips the paper from the book and gently puts it between my boobs, walking away.
Alessio runs up immediately, almost falling face first into me. "No way did he just do that." He says.
"He did." I take the paper out, throwing it on the floor as I walk back to the table, pretending nothing happened.
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