Arianna
As midday crept through the windows of the house I blinked away sleep and registered the heavy weight around my middle which could only be Alessio's arm from how it was positioned.
"Good morning Arianna," he grumbles his tone thick with the timbre of sleep, and making his voice at least three octaves deeper.
Rolling over I stared at him, as a brief smile covered his lips then disappeared returning to his neutral expression which for me always seemed to include the corners of his mouth slightly turning up.
"Good morning Alessio," I say staring into his eyes as he carefully moved all the hair that had fallen over my face off and behind my ears.
"I think it's the afternoon I got home at eight in the morning," he says rubbing sleep from his eyes, and staring at the ceiling while I admired the sharp angles of his face as he did so. Alessio was many things and honest to his word was one of them. I did worry that him allowing me to run the Casino business in Genoa would become a problem for him even if he had allowed women to become made if they proved themselves, just like the men. I had never wanted to be made but I would be a manager for the Familia if possible.
"Your men probably have about a dozen issues for you to deal with," I point out and he mutters something before turning to look at me.
"I need to go shower, then I will go to work, also Matteo will somehow have everything managed so that I can take on the task of dealing with the Vincenzo Familia, they've likely been brought to a storehouse, or possibly even the home of the Familia the one that the main crew works out of in Genoa and not the old townhouse in the middle of the city which all of the Capo's used as a work office," Alessio says though he had told me about the other things that occurred there. I could tell that he didn't like that his men brought their mistresses to what was supposed to be a work building. Outside of Familia territory I knew of the wish that some women had to have their husbands find a mistress and leave them be.
I couldn't wish that for myself.
Alessio then slid from the bed his wound still tightly wrapped even as he went into the bathroom and shut the door to shower sleep away and prepare him for his day. I wouldn't even pretend that I didn't know what he had done, or did do on the daily, but I was willing to forgive him for it, I wasn't exactly pure either I knew about the life and what it meant, many former mafia members had spoken of their experiences in the life, and what it meant to become a made member in the past. Alessio's past would haunt him for a long time though I doubted it would disappear because it made him the Boss of the family in the end even if he was worried about how it may affect me.
Getting out of bed I walked into the closet and pulled on one of the robes I'd wrapped myself in each morning since I had gone shopping on day two of being her in the golden cage of Alessio's estate. Even if I didn't consider it a cage I was expected to be poised, and beautiful and a trophy wife for the Boss of the Familia. That was supposed to be my honour and I wasn't ever going to be.
I didn't mind that there was other women who did want to be one, but not me. Before I had been made the future wife of the Boss of La Cosa Nostra in Europe, I'd been used to the Mafia politics in Vicenza and the area that my Father had control over but Alessio was a master of power plays, he'd strengthened the Mafia here after its swift decrease in power and yet here he was still building his influence. I felt it was more of my correct position to help him build his power. Each day he tried more and more to open up to me, let me in one small step at a time and he didn't seem bothered by me asking so many questions, and in return I would be more then just a wife by title.
Going downstairs I almost ran into Lino who stiffened upon seeing me and I began to wonder what he had told his head of security before I had arrived in Varazze.
"Lino, would you please prepare the Phantom for Alessio today, and get another guard to get the Maybach for me, I'm going out later," I say and he nods curtly before moving to leave the house.
"Also Lino you don't have to stiffen away from me, you're Alessio's head of security, and you work in the same building as me. Alessio wouldn't have let you freely walk through the house unless he trusted you to be here," I say and before he could say anything in response I walked into the hallway that led to the kitchen and looking around the room I began to pull out various things to make breakfast for Alessio and I even if it was closer to lunch time.
As I familiarized myself further with the large kitchen I found that it was a lot simpler in here, along with more modern then I'd have expected any Italian based home to be. The home I grew up in had a traditional look even if it had been revamped, Alessio's home practically spoke of how he wanted things to be both different but the same. I'd also come to enjoy that he had such a large home because I could never run out of things to do in it.
"This would be the fourth day in a row that you've made breakfast while I slept," Alessio's voice says from behind me and I turned to face him as he closed the cufflinks on the Brioni suit he wore which had become a game for me to guess what suit he wore from what tailor each day.
"I like making breakfast for the people I care about, it's my way of supplying you with something in return for letting me live here in your house, and be driven in your cars, and not have to worry about anything," I say presenting Alessio with the large plate of various breakfast items I could find, and prepare.
"Yet when I leave, you sit in the living room and wait for me to come home," Alessio says using one of his fingers to pull the plate to the edge of the counter in front of one of the stools and then rounded the island to where I stood with flour dusting my fingers even after I'd wiped them clean with a damp cloth.
"Okay, I miss you during the day, I am going out though," I say as he stepped closer to me and pressed a kiss to my forehead, something that had been such a small gesture to so many, and many others considered something more like appreciation then affection, but Alessio was also purposely careful with me, and I'd always wondered why but I'd let him tell me in his own time why he chose to be so controlled and do certain things off of his own choice.
"I have something to come home to Arianna, even Lino and Carmilla know that I make sure to deal with things very quickly and efficiently just so I can come home to you at a normal time, though I will be dealing with the Vincenzo Familia today, after the assassination of Pietro's wife I'll be interrogating Alfonzo today, and I then get to be covered in more blood then I'd have liked," Alessio says wrapping his arms around me and because of our height differences I could hear his heart beating slow and steady in his chest.
The body of a killer, an the heart of a protector.
The thought alone gave me a different kind of chills compared to the first day I met him, now having him hold me so close to me and the dark look of genuine stoic control in his eyes told me that no matter what he wouldn't let anything happen to me no matter how bad things got in the Salvatorini territory and other allied mafia regions.
"You don't like blood though," I point out and he hums affirmatively.
"No, I just know what it smells like, what it feels like to touch, I've had days where I'm so covered in it I'm the colour of a wilting rose," Alessio replies leaning down and resting his head against mine as he stared into my eyes.
"And that was for your position as the Don of the Salvatorini Familia," I exhale softly, and he nodded, making me wonder just how far he would go in turn for his brothers and sisters, for me. I'd seen the glimpse of how he would treat anyone who disrespected me, and I was too young to remember being kidnapped, but I do remember the dozens of Bratva soldiers many of them still alive while they were crucified and left on the floors of burning buildings while doused in gasoline. Alessio had been there when he was just Underboss, and I wondered if he had been the one to do something like that especially when he had such strong opinions about how women were treated, and him despising anything to do with assault of women or children.
"I've also done those things as retaliation, but I promised you, you will never fall into harm with me here, and if you do, there is no words to describe the fate of the perpetrators," he says his voice taking on a dark almost magmatic tone.
"I'm not going to be harmed, besides I know where your gun room is and I could access it," I point out and his eyebrows raised as if he wasn't surprised.
"If you take one it has to go back to where it was before. Please," Alessio says and I nodded, receiving a kiss on the lips in response. "Be safe mon chérie".
"I will, you don't make it look like you're Donato Bilancia," I quip and he narrowed his eyes at me.
"I remember those killings, Arianna, I was alive," he laughs dryly and I sigh having momentarily forgotten that Alessio was eight years older then myself.
"You know what I meant, Mr. Mafia boss," I shoot back and he shook his head every so slightly while giving me a short lived glare.
"I will see you when I get home," he says walking around the counter and taking the plate and fork that had his breakfast on it with him as he disappeared out to the foyer soon followed by the front door opening.
Walking around the counter I set my own plate down and ate through my breakfast before thinking about what I'd do while out, and quickly got the idea to purchase a gift for Alessio since he wouldn't admit his birthday was in a few weeks, and I had to convince Matteo of all people to tell me, though he had been more then happy to let that information slip.
Just not if the rumour about their father was true.
It had been on my mind more then it should have been. Alessio and his siblings were close knit and I could tell that in the time since their father's death the six of them had become incredibly important and powerful figures in the Familia, and from Alessio's past I wouldn't have been surprised if just from how their father had treated all of them, that he did indeed kill him, and then used it to his advantage.
Once I was finished my meal I stood and made my way upstairs to the bedroom to shower and get dressed before I would leave to go into Genoa for Alessio's gifts. When I was finished with my shower and drying off, I did my hair into neat curls instead of the semi messy one's I had naturally before picking out a black pullover, leather pants, suede heels, two golden necklaces, and a bracelet with matching earrings. Then to prepare for the weather that was going to become more and more unpredictable as Winter neared. Taking a belted overcoat and sunglasses I set both over one of the chairs in the lounge of the bedroom before going into the bathroom to do my makeup. I wasn't typically over the top but I typically chose to do my makeup in a way that would make my facial features be more pronounced rather then different which could be done though I wasn't really into changing my face shape.
Picking out a bag to match what I wore I went downstairs and out of the doors of the villa to find that as if timed Carmilla brought the Maybach around the house and stopped in front of the steps before I slipped into the back seat and buckled myself in as she began driving down the long stretching driveway.
"Genoa please, Carmilla, I need to do some shopping for Alessio, and myself," I say looking out of the window at the cypress trees that lined the driveway until we left the compound and began heading towards Genoa.
It's a good length and I do plan on making the following chapter a whole thing surrounding Alessio and Arianna in a more normal setting, because I can't do just one specific genre of the story it is after all a Mafia Romance so I have to include both parts. Comment, vote, and share. Anyways
Peace✌