"Maybe it would help if you talked to our Padre," Claudia spoke as Santino slowly turned to her with a cocked brow. It wasn't like he didn't want to talk to the man, but they had more important matters. San knew who was at fault here, and it wasn't the man that helped create him. The man who raised him forced his mother to keep the truth hidden, and he was the only person Santino was mad at. "There's nothing to talk about. He's my Padre, and the two of you are my sisters... problem solved."
"Oh, yeah, he's clearly a fucking Romano man. All of you have big egos and swear you know everything." Arianna sighed as she rubbed her belly. It made Santino think of his son and the woman he thought loved him as much as he loved her. "I know that face. Someone broke your heart—"
"You don't know what you are talking about. No one has broken my heart. I'm trying to concentrate, and you three are distracting."
"Sure... We're not here to judge, but maybe we can help if you let us." Santino paused to look up at the three women before him. He could see himself in his big sisters and cousin, making him realize why he had always thought he didn't belong with the Gallos, and why his father was so hard on him. He knew... he knew he wasn't his, and he treated him and his mother like shit besides letting them leave. "Earth to Santino—"
"Why the fuck are you snapping your fingers in my damn face like you're crazy?"
"Because we lost you for a moment. You spaced out in your own little world. We were talking, and you didn't respond. What's going on in there?" Arianna spoke, making Santino sigh and shaking his head. "Nothing for you to worry about. Tell me more about this plan your sister-in-law has for Berardo. Or am I a part of it?"
"None of us are but Isaac, my brother, and Regenia...."
"What if he tries to run?" Santino asked, causing Arianna to shrug. They had to be out of their minds to think Berardo didn't have a backup plan just in case something went wrong. Giuseppe and Regenia had to know this, and Santino couldn't allow them to walk into something half-cocked. So, unwillingly, he stood and quickly went looking for Giuseppe, finding him and his wife in the kitchen in the middle of a makeout session.
"I don't mean to intrude, but I was talking with your sister and cousins. They told me you plan to go after Berardo with just the two of you and Regenia's uncle. Giuseppe, I know we are trained killers, but even I know that idea is dumb as fuck, and you know it."
"Maybe Ari needs to start paying more attention during our meetings. Sometimes pregnancy brain can be a bitch. We're not going after Berardo half-cocked. Snipers will be on every roof near Isaac's, and about twenty of my men will surround the place. As my wife stated before, Berardo has been proven hard to kill. This time, we will not be taking any chances. You can help if you like— and you did intrude." Giuseppe smirked while Santino shook his head. The man was an asshole, and so was Santino but in a good way. Something he didn't get from the man who called himself raising him.
"Didn't your wife just give birth almost two months ago? Don't tell me you want another one so soon." He chuckled as Giuseppe gave him the finger after Santino walked away with a smile. He made sure to look for his sisters as he found them again in the living room with his cousin laughing and talking. "Did I miss something?"
"Yes and no, cousin. Why didn't you tell me you learned these very sexy women were related to you? Damn, why couldn't I not be related to the dickheads we call our family... have you told your Madre you know the truth yet?" Santino sighed, shaking his head. He and his mother hadn't been on good terms lately, and if he started questioning her, she would shut down. He never understood why his mother had so much faith in the man who abused her or why she loved him so fucking much.
The shit was disgusting.
Salvatore treated her like shit. To him, his mother was his slave, and he treated her as such. The only thing Ottavia was good at for him was making babies, but Santino also knew why he was mistreated so. The man knew he wasn't his child; therefore, he was used as a punching bag until he grew tired of it and took matters into his own hands. That was the night he finally stood up for himself. It was the night, he took a practice sword and used it as a weapon, beating the man he called his father to a bloody puddle before shooting him in the back, leg, and arm. For weeks, he laid in a coma, only to wake paralyzed. San had hoped he would die, but the man above had other plans.
"I know you're happy to be around them but lay off Ryan. They are my sisters, and I don't want you trying to fuck either of them. Find someone else to bother."
"Damn, am I sensing the overprotective brother syndrome?" He chuckled as Santino cocked a brow, causing his cousin to back away with a smirk. "I hear you loud and clear, Santino. We were talking, and they wanted to know what they could do to make you feel comfortable around your true family." He understood what they were doing, but things like that took time. Plus, they were waiting for the blood test to confirm his relation to Leonardo, although he knew what it would say. There was no denying it. Santino could see himself in the man and the two girls before him.
If he had focused more on his appearance, he would have known why he didn't look like his other siblings. Instead, he aimed to find a better way to please his father, who didn't give a rat's ass about him. "Santino—"
"For the love of god! Don't fucking sneak up on me like that... shit!" He yelled, trying his best to calm his breathing as Xavier stood there with a questionable look. He knew how it looked, but the man hadn't lived the life he had to. Xerxes loved his children, even the ones that weren't his; Santino, on the other hand, got the shit beaten out of him for looking at his father the wrong way. "Damn nigga, put away the fucking gun. No one is trying to harm you."
"What Lias is trying to say is maybe you need to speak with our Opa before he leaves."
"A shrink? I think not; I'm good at managing my own shit." He wasn't, but Santino wouldn't dare tell them that. "Dude, you're not managing shit if you pulled your weapon before acknowledging the threat. On the real, talk to our Opa and let him help you cope with this change and whatever else you have going on in your ugly ass brain." Elias shrugged as Xavier handed him the papers. The DNA results were back, showing Santino he was Leonardo's son.
"Truly, I don't need to cope with this." He said, waving the papers. "The news is relieving. After hearing the truth after so long gave me the strength to do what I should have done many years ago— walk away from the Gallo Family. I was going to kill him anyhow with my two-faced fiancée but leaving him without an heir feels much better." He smiled, writing something down on a piece of paper before turning to his sisters with a smile.
"Are the two of you happy now? I'm smiling, and somehow, it feels damn good to know I'm a Romano besides a Gallo."
"You look ugly as hell when you smile. Has anyone ever told you that?" Elias said with a cocked brow. "No, but you're one ugly bastard yourself."
"FUCKING FINALLY! Someone on my fucking level—"
"Elias, there's no one on your level, and you still haven't told me how Yejide and your babies are," Claudia says as Elias smiles, speaking to her in German as if no one could understand him. Santino could get used to this. It was how a family was supposed to work; everyone laughed and talked, making this the first time he felt like he belonged until a girl walked in, stopping everything around him.
"Who is she?" He asked without thinking, but it made his cousin smile along with the rest of them. "Regenia's little cousin... Isaac's daughter. Her name is Skylar, and she's in her second year of medical school. Sexy, isn't she?" Arianna smiled, making Santino roll his eyes as he stood, approaching the woman. It was something he should be thinking about, but Terina wasn't an option anymore. Although he loved her, her heart was somewhere else... helping his father. Therefore, she had to die once his son was born.
"My, aren't you beautiful, Angioletto (little angel). I'm Santino, and you are?"
"Nigga that's the stupidest pickup line I ever fucking heard. Smoke some weed and get your mind right." Elias yelled, making the others laugh as Santino turned around. "Shut the fuck up, fool!" His comment made the girl giggle, forcing Santino to turn back to her.
"I'm Skylar Roberts, and it's a pleasure to meet you, Santino."
If anyone is wondering what Skylar looks like please go back to the second character page and scroll down to the bottom of the page. I hope you all enjoyed the double update and know Berardo's time is coming soon.