Opia (n.) The ambiguous intensity of looking someone in the eye, which can feel simultaneously invasive and vulnerable.
Arabella's P.O.V.
Only a few weeks had gone by since I first had my meeting with Cairo, but it had felt like a dreadful eternity since I last spoke to Nicolo. Although I had made sure to lessen my contact with him, he had made it his goal to always have eyes on me, as I've occasionally spotted his guard, Luca, who was sent to observe and keep watch from a distance. I've learned to not mind Luca's unnecessary presence as I felt it was useless to argue on this subject again with Nicolo, and it would be an even greater nuisance to face him once more.
My business with Romano had surprisingly been going well, his aid in weapons and supplies were of tremendous help to Scarlett Operations as we were now productive and successful in helping those who sought out our assistance. The organization remained clueless of how our storage room was now stocked to the brim with new weapons, they had concluded that these supplies were donated to us as a kind gesture from our allies. It was only I who knew that these gifts stemmed from something much more threatening and came at a cost, which is the disapproval and judgment from my family if they were to ever discover what I had done.
The last conversation between Nicolo and I had caused me to become cautious of trusting Romano, but during these past few days he had proven to me that I should not see him as a dangerous mistake. Romano is a man of his words and, has so far, kept up his end of our deal. Working with him may be questionable, but I was glad with the decision that I had made, and so I stood here, gazing proudly at the list of red names that had grown shorter, and continued to slowly disappear as time continued on.
"Arabella," Atlas' frantic voice echoed down the hallway, and I peeled my eyes away from the screen to face my father, with Alexander hastily trailing behind him.
"Yes?" I asked, my face now filled with concern.
"I knew that I would find you here," he smiled with the corner of his eyes forming wrinkles as his grin grew wider, and I foolishly smiled in return.
"It seems like you've grown an interest in our data and progress these last few days," he said, nodding towards the screen that held my attention only moments ago.
I would have thought that his kind greeting was genuine, but the tone in his voice had changed into something that was more cynical, causing my face to fall sullen. My lips were pressed into a line out of nervousness as I studied his face more carefully, allowing me to understand his true emotions. He showed off his grin proudly, but I could now see through his eyes that it was fake, it was a sarcastic smile, an almost angry and sneering matter.
"I'm just glad to see that we've gotten the chance to help more people," I replied innocently, but my nerves had exposed my guilt as I awkwardly darted my eyes between my father, the screen, and Alexander, then towards my father...again.
"Is that so?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Father, wait," Alexander mumbled towards Atlas, but he returned a threatening glare. My heart began to race as I now knew that something was terribly wrong once I watched Alexander slouch in his stance and remained quiet against our father's growing exasperation.
"I mean, the more people we help, the shorter this list gets, and soon enough this screen will be empty, as it should be," I replied carefully, and darted my eyes towards my brother as I watched him slowly shake his head at the sound of my words.
"Yes, that would be a wonderful sight, indeed. It's amazing how quickly we've helped so many people in such a short amount of time, don't you think?" he asked as he raised his brows, urging me to come up with a response.
"The donation of supplies, from the other families, have been very helpful," I lied, biting my lip and turned my gaze towards the ground. They cannot know what I have done, Romano has agreed to keep this secret between us. It is not possible that they know. Right?
"We run a very successful organization, Arabella," Atlas said in a low voice as I clenched my jaw and held my breath once he took a step closer.
"One thing that contributes to that success is honesty. The truth. There are no lies to be said within these walls," Atlas warned, and I looked up into my father's eyes to see that they were filled with disappointment.
"If you've come to me with doubt, then why don't you just get to the point," I grumbled, narrowing my eyes at the frowning man.
"You must know the real reason as to why the number of names on this list have gone down," he stated firmly while raising a brow.
"And if I do?" I challenged him.
"Then, you must also know that you've made a grave mistake," he said, raising his voice while I scoffed and shook my head.
"I don't believe that my decision was a mistake," I argued, finally admitting to what I have done and submitting to his accusing glare. My father remained speechless as he gazed at me with shock and disbelief, while I too remained silent, wondering how the truth of my daring mission was brought upon him.
"This alliance which you have so carelessly formed with Romano is putting your life at risk, have you considered that?" he asked in a hushed voice as workers passed by, but his threatening tone was made clear.
"I did, but I've chosen to make a deal with him. A fair deal and he has given me his word," I stated while he sighed and shook his head angrily.
"You cannot simply make a deal with a man who has put your life in danger, a man who we have saved you from. Rules do not exist in the eyes of these mafia men, you cannot trust so blindly, Arabella, they will take advantage of that," my father scolded me.
"Your anger is making you overlook the progress that we have made," I said while I gestured towards the screen.
"Why can't you see that this deal is working?" I questioned him as I slightly raised my voice in annoyance.
"Because this business between the two of you has caused more problems than you could imagine," he responded and I looked at him with a perplexed gaze.
"We have been a neutral entity for years, but your decision of working with Romano has put us in the center of conflict with another family involved in this mess," he added. Another family. I repeated his words as I thought about my meeting with Cairo. Could this be the mafia group that he warned me about?
"What family?" I hesitated to ask the question as I was afraid of the answer that follows.
"You'll see for yourself, and I hope you're prepared because they demand to meet with us in thirty minutes," he said in defeat.
"Look, whatever issue they have with us can be fixed. We'll find a way, but I am not ending this deal with Romano," I reassured him.
"I'm sure you'll reconsider those terms after the meeting," he replied before turning away.
"I don't understand why you're so upset with me," I said aloud before he could take another step.
"There were hundreds of names on this list when I was first introduced to this place, but now there's only a handful. I have helped make progress in a matter of weeks, but that is something which you've failed to do in the many years that you've worked here," I managed to set aside my nervousness as I spoke these words.
"The priority of this organization is to help others. These people should not be on a waiting list, Atlas. They should not have to wait to be saved," I continued to argue.
"I do not want to hear another word from you, Arabella," my father scowled as he made his way toward the exit.
It upset me to know that I had made him disappointed in me, but it pained me even more as I watched him turn his back and walk away from me. I knew that I would be criticized by my family if they were to find out about this, but I needed my father in this moment. I needed him to listen to me, to understand me, but instead, I stood here alone, arguing with the only parent that I had left and rejoicing in this success, which others considered as a fault.
"It's what Mom would have wanted!" I called out to him with tears brimming my eyes as he struggled to understand the pure intentions of my decision.
He stopped in his tracks and turned to face me. I would have coward away if the man in front of me was any other person, but I knew that I couldn't be fearful of my own father. The fury in his eyes was accompanied with his face contorted in anger, almost disgust, as if I was wrong and crossed a line by bringing my mother into this argument, but I stood firmly by my words.
"Patéra, min thymóneis mazí tis. Aplós prospatheí na voithísei," Alexander spoke out as he quickly stood between me and my father, blocking the furious man from taking another step towards me (Father, do not be angry with her. She is just trying to help).
My brother held out his arm, gesturing me to stand behind him, but his protective stance did not stop me from facing my father and meeting his enraged eyes. We shared a look that was filled with tension, which only seemed to escalate. This disagreement between us would take time to settle as I knew that I would have to learn how to be patient with him, and he would have to do the same in return.
"Get in the car. Both of you," Atlas said in a low and commanding voice before turning away towards the exit.
I released a deep sigh as I was relieved from this thick and heavy air while I watched our father depart from us, allowing me to breathe again. Alexander turned to me with his thick brows furrowed and a slight frown displayed upon his face, but I turned away as I couldn't handle the disappointment from another loved one.
"Do you know who's this family that wants to meet with us?" I asked, breaking this unbearable silence.
"Dad didn't share any details, all I know is that you've been working with Romano," Alexander sighed and brought his gaze towards the window.
"Why didn't you tell me about this?" he asked sadly with a hint of shock laced within his voice, as if my lack of communication with this great deal had betrayed him. This matter did not concern any doubts that I had to trust my brother, but I knew that he would not allow any of this to happen, he would not allow me to become entangled within the mess that he and my father had kept me hidden from for years.
"Would you have stopped me if you knew?" I asked him and his face became twisted with troubles. My words had caused him to stop and think about his answer as I watched his mouth slightly open to speak, but no words came through. He remained speechless and I allowed his silence to become the answer to his own question.
"That is why," I mumbled to the absence of his response and gave him a sad smile before walking towards the exit.
The vehicle was filled with people from our organization, including my father and brother, but the ride to our destination was silent. My father's anger could be felt within this enclosed space and settled within us as no one dared to utter a word. I did not mind the silence this time, as it gave me a moment to think and listen to the thoughts that overwhelmed my mind.
I was beyond nervous for this meeting. I could not think of any family who would see us as an enemy and find my business with Romano to be problematic. As minutes passed by, I became more terrified as I feared that this was the family who Cairo warned me about. Their act of demanding to meet us was a power move, to say the least, and we were at a disadvantage as we did not know what to expect.
The car ride didn't last for long as we now found ourselves walking into an office building where we were instructed to meet. I slowly trailed behind my organization, dreading this meeting and preparing myself for any danger that may come our way. My brother stood by my side, comforting me with his presence as he knew that this ordeal had taken us by surprise, but I took a deep breath and tried to recollect myself.
"Since you believe that you are capable of making your own critical business decisions, I expect you to lead this meeting," Atlas spoke out while he stood between me and the office doors. The anger within him was still evident as I looked into his eyes, but his voice almost sounded encouraging, motivating me to challenge myself and resolve this matter on my own account.
I simply nodded my head in return and let out a shaky breath as I watched him walk into the room. My hand trembled as I reached out for the door handle, feeling the coldness travel along my palm, but I suddenly became frozen in the entryway. The room had seemed normal when I took my first step in, but my gaze trailed over towards the family who had summoned us to this meeting.
The Mazzerelli Family.
All eyes were turned towards me as I slightly stumbled backwards into my brother, but I ignored the presence of everyone in the room, except for the figure who sat at the end of the table. His men stood from their chairs, greeting me while I entered, and Nicolo soon followed their lead, standing proudly with his head held high showcasing a smug smile.
His gaze burned into my skin, but my body shivered as I felt his eyes following my every move. I slowly took a seat on the opposite end of the table, directly in front of the man who I've avoided seeing, and proceeded to scan the faces of those who were dragged into this meeting. I glanced over the figures who sat along the table, but Romano caught my attention as he shared a displeased and annoyed glare.
I finally looked up to face Nicolo and found that he had already been gazing at me, studying the scowl across my face while he narrowed his eyes and held a slight curl to his lips. He leaned back into his chair and looked down at his hands, slightly shaking his head while he tried to hide his snickering, as if he was laughing at my dumbfounded expression. His wavy hair fell around his face, but I could see that he was pleased with my reaction and what he had done, and I crossed my arms over my chest, waiting for this ridiculous man to speak.
"Thank you all for coming today," Nicolo spoke as he gathered himself and settled his gaze within my eyes once more.
"Let's begin, shall we?" he said with a smile, which I only saw as a facetious smirk as he found this situation to be humorous.
I knew that Nicolo had loathed the idea of me working with Romano, but I could not believe that he had taken it this far as to contact my father and declare an issue with us. The smirk across his face had proven that this was the least of his concerns, instead, he only saw this as a challenge that was only to be dealt between him and I. He made no effort to hide his amusement as I only glared back at him, feeling determined to finish this ludicrous meeting, but willing to beat this foolish man at his own game.
*****
Author's Note:
Dear Readers,
I apologize for the long wait of this chapter update, but I've began the process of working towards a new job, so I have been busy these past few days. With that being said, I may have to result to one chapter update a week instead of two chapters. I will let you guys know if the schedule changes!
Thank you for being patient with me, I hope you guys understand.
-Love, A
P.S. The next chapter will be in Nicolo's P.O.V!