Arianna
Night fell long before Alessio had returned home and instead of staring out the window like some lost puppy I'd taken a walk through every corner of Alessio's enormous mansion estate which had been large enough to host likely his entire Familia's top Made Men with ease and space to spare. I'd also gone to my room and had picked out clothing for tomorrow when I'd go into Genoa to get clothes.
I'd also had dinner alone since tradition made it so that a woman could eat with a man who wasn't family or she wasn't sworn too, and so I had taken the spot at the head of the table and looked around at the eleven other spots around it that remained unoccupied, though the view out of the windows at all of the gardens. The sight was breathtaking from the elevation of Alessio's home, and if it wasn't like a cage I'd have felt comforted by all of the darkened shades of reds, yellows, and blues.
It had only been once the plates had been cleared and the staff went to their own homes likely no more then fifteen minutes away that isolation set in and I felt the need to hold back whatever emotions being trapped in this house elicited from me.
"Alessio won't be home until midnight," a voice says and I turn to see Matteo standing in the doorway of the dining room before he pushed off the onyx coloured frame and left the door open as he was expected to.
"Does he do this often?" I ask staring at Matteo as he rounded the dark room with the wall of wine bottles behind tinted glass, before lowering my gaze as I'd been taught to never stare at a man more powerful then myself which was pretty much all men. I'd broken this rule with Alessio, kept finding my eyes gravitating to his eyes that were like an Atlantic storm whenever I'd looked into them before he'd stormed off.
"Yes, and you don't have to bow your head. Women aren't expected to be subservient here, and Alessio would prefer his wife have confidence," Matteo advised softly, the smirk I'd seen him not let up on since he'd had to separate from Gabriella several hours prior.
"I'm not his wife yet Matteo," I point out and the second youngest Salvatorini brother shrugs dismissively as if it was any different.
"Since Alessio had asked you, it was his way of stating claim on you. You are his and he is yours, enter in alive and leave dead. The last line of initiation may as well be how mafioso engagement works".
"I am not a possession," I state and Matteo laughs lightly as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, as if amused at my response.
"You say that now Arianna, my brother doesn't go after much but he's never not gotten what he wanted. My brother and I are similar in that way, but I won't bother if something doesn't go my way I change the plan, or abandon it until its a more suitable time. Alessio would kill for you if you asked him too, he'd rather give everything he has in the moment because he likes things being instantaneous. He will possess you in ways that you didn't think was possible in life," Matteo says with a short lived laugh.
"Sounds like a control freak, or the results from affective narcissism," I counter and a dark amused look crossed Matteo's face.
"He's a man of discipline and focus, he doesn't often lose his calm and when he does it's like letting a wolf into a rabbit pen. From the outside your family gave you to a monster and a killer, to a man without morals," he continues, "Alessio will fulfill those ideas but will also make you see the light in him that he keeps hidden away if you don't give up on him".
We both then heard the sound of an engine, drawing my eyes out of the windows and through the trees I could see the headlights of his low sleek sports car before it disappeared. Several moments passed then the front door opened and steps followed and paused then nothing, not even the slightest sound, though Alessio had to be walking through the house proven less then a minute later when my fiancé stepped into the room and Matteo turned to him meeting Alessio's glare.
"I hope you haven't told her anything incriminating, or tried any of your tricks Matteo," Alessio pressed, his distrust clear which seemed odd though a man like him didn't have many allies and in the state that he'd left the house I wasn't surprised that his reaction to his brother being with me was suspicion.
"No, just telling her that you boil children and eat them," Matteo teased and I could tell that Alessio wasn't in the mood for it.
"You have a twisted sense of humour brother," he says and Matteo chuckles lightly and though he'd seemed like the more sensible brother I knew that both him and Alessio were a package deal and were both capable of cruelty in their own way just Matteo hid his with humour and charm all while his older brother hadn't bothered with hiding his nature, like he'd accepted that side of himself and embraced it.
"Let me remind you, that you played with knives as child for fun," Matteo points out and he was met by a piercing look.
"I don't deny my nature brother, or my predilection for violence," Alessio sighed pouring himself a healthy measure of scotch something I'd noticed was in almost every room that could be used for social gathers though it had mostly been in his office, the cigar lounge, and the kitchen though I was sure there would be a bar in this massive penthouse.
"And to not end up experiencing it, I'm going to leave the room, don't have too much fun with your fiancé," Matteo taunts satirically as he left shutting the doors of the dining room.
I then watched as Alessio wordlessly pulled his jacket, cufflinks, and vest off along with rolling up his sleeves and undoing the top two buttons of his shirt.
"Don't mind Matteo, he has a very teasing sense of humour, so don't take what he says too seriously, most of it is for a reaction," Alessio says as if he was warning me, though what Matteo had said earlier sounded quite genuine more the even a practiced liar would be able to pull off.
They're masters of pathological manipulation my mind reminds me and I let out a sigh that brings Alessio's attention to me.
"How was dinner?" he asks as if he hadn't disappeared for the past eight hours.
"Quiet, this house is never ending" I say and he let's out a scoff.
"It was meant to be the headquarters of the three Familias and all their Underbosses along with their families. To spite my father I'd turned it into my personal compound," Alessio explains lifting his glass to his lips and taking a long sip before he tilted his head back and shut his eyes.
How he looked like he'd been taken out of a modelling magazine I didn't know but the dark intensity of the man I was sharing the room with was filling me like an incubus might try to seduce its victim.
"Why do you not share it with your family?".
"They are spaced out Matteo is the only one close aside from my mother, and they both live in separate mansions. I've invited them to live here before but they always politely declined," Alessio says fixing my with an inquisitorial look as if seeing if id comment on his life before they drifted down as he took in what I had been wearing but I'd taken off my boots hours ago. Choosing to pad around the house in thigh high panty hose that had the lacey part covered by my skirts length, even if I hated how revealing and oddly immodest I felt in the clothing my mother had chosen for me.
"Your family must be broken up by your fathers death I'm guessing, if that's the reaction?" I say and his eyes thinned into a mild glare but still I felt like I was being stared down by a panther.
"My father abused all of us, and his death was retribution by fate for how he treated us. I believe it's fair that he met a demise before he could dictate the lives of my siblings and I more," Alessio explains and I felt a wave of guilt pass over me as I glanced down not noticing him walking towards me until I'd felt his hand gently touch me, tilting my head up to look at him. He had a look as if he was controlling himself from doing something before he'd taken a small black velvet box out of his pocket and set it down in front of me on the table.
"I owe you an apology, I'm hoping you'll accept this," he says his stoic mask taking over his features as he removed his hand which I'd found I'd leaned against slightly though based on his reaction maybe he hadn't noticed.
Opening the box I was met by a platinum band with small diamonds covering most of the band and a flawless two carat rectangular diamond central to it all with a square of paper on the back of the box with black lettering branded to it spelling out be mine, be my wife. It sounded too gentle too heartfelt to have been Alessio's choice of words but none the less they made my heart skip a beat before I set the box down and stood going to hug him but stopping and dropping my arms to my sides as the gesture seemed too affectionate.
"I accept your apology, and yes I will," I say and his lips twitched before he licked them to part the dry suction that had sapped them together.
"Good, I'm going to shower, I will see you in the morning Arianna. Also my bedroom is the last to the left at the top of the stairs," he says walking out of the room without another word and I gathered that he planned to be true to his earlier statement. This wouldn't be a marriage of love but one of respect and peace of our families. His apology by proposing even if he hadn't actually said that's what this was told me enough about him to know he'd done this out of obligation, but I wondered if there was another piece to it, as if he'd chosen to gift me this specific ring.
Walking over to the box I pulled it out and slid it onto my left hand ring finger, finding that it perfectly fit.
No one had gone with him to get this, how had he known my ring size?
Staring at the doorway where his footsteps echoed I felt both intrigued and reserved about the man I'd be sharing a home with for four months.
I really don't know how I've been flying through these chapters but I am. Comment, vote, and share, I appreciate all of you. Anyways
Peace✌️