When the night faded to black and the cheers began countless bottled began to be brought out from the cellar and poured out for the dozens of guests to enjoy.
Taking one of the glasses, I began walking around the reception with Aria who had yet to stop smiling after we'd finished our vows and as we continued to be met by the various men and women circulating the room I watched all of my sisters pull Aria off and begin to make as much conversation as they could with her and Gabriella.
"You're one lucky bastard," Matteo says looking from Aria who had changed into a dark blue dress that looked as if it was made out of feathers that were tipped with black and white. She was a sight I'd admit that, I was certain there would be those who would whisper that she deserved someone better then me, someone who was softer, and kinder. A man that wasn't going to kill at the slightest whim, but that wasn't who I was, and for some inexplicable reason Arianna had still not opposed to being my wife, no matter what had happened or been said she remained determined to work together to have it work.
"I'm going to remain the luckiest bastard in this fucking room till the day I die," I mutter before I caught a glimpse of my mom making her way through the crowd.
"Mother," I greet as she stopped in front of Matteo and I.
"Enjoy today, my son, the women in this world will seek to cut you two apart," mom says looking over her shoulder to Aria who was laughing with Amara and Victoria.
"Gabriella and Matteo are to marry in two months are you going to tell them that too?" I ask and she turned back to Matteo.
"Gabriella Valentino, she is younger then you Matteo by seven years," our mom remarks.
"Arianna and I are eight mom, besides it could have been worse, there were many that wanted me to bind with one of the local Familia's, but none of them have daughters a comfortable age by comparison to myself," I say knowing that Antonio and Julia were an incredibly close pair as people, and even if the two of them were close years in advance. In any normal world a man who was nearly twenty eight and a seventeen year old weren't close, I did want to talk to them separately to know what was going on with them. It was an odd feeling, I wanted my siblings to be happy, but morality told me many times that I wouldn't approve a decade of age difference unless both were okay with it, and genuinely wanted the union.
"You could have married for love," she says though the word sounded like poison. She wasn't a well acquainted person to love, after all she had been with my father for two and a half decades, and after I was born she was left with the real monster he was.
"I did, mother, if I can guarantee anything, my siblings and I will marry for love, then you won't have to worry about another generation of abuse towards our partners," I reply taking a slow sip from my glass as I surveyed the crowd.
Mother smiled then, had smiled when Aria and I walked down the aisle together, and I hoped she saw that I would be nothing but the best I could for my wife. I wanted to heed to what Matteo warned me of, and now whenever I looked to the woman who was forever mine, who could make aphrodite look plain by comparison.
"Mother, I would like to speak with you, Alessio should continue on to other people here," Matteo says and I eyed my brother for a moment before slipping away and drawing the conclusion he was going to talk about his nearing marriage to Gabriella.
Crossing the room I sought out Antonio who was dancing with Julia who looked beyond happy, and the weight in my chest watching them settled. I didn't want to admit that I wouldn't be unhappy to allow them to be married, didn't want to say that I could make an exception for my brother who was so many years older then the girl he held but also seemed to be making her happy. Julia Fianntino looked happy being held by my reclusive brother.
"Antonio," I say nearing them and both paused to look to me while Julia seemed to step behind Antonio slightly.
So she still is afraid.
I was used to it, I would have to change that at some point but until it was the right time I wouldn't.
"Alessio," Antonio says smiling in the thin but calm way he often did.
"I need to talk to you privately," I say and he nodded following me out of the main hall to the office in the house.
"What did you need?".
"What are your intentions with the Fianntino's daughter, brother?" I ask leaning against the desk.
"What are you?" Antonio began furrowing his brow.
"Don't lie to me Antonio, you've know Julia her whole life, I just need to know what she is to you," I state and he falls silent for a moment while his eyes addressed the floors patterned carpet.
"I don't like that the fucker Romeo touched her, I don't like that I had to undo all the trauma she was caused by that fucker," Antonio says gripping his hands into fists as tightly as he could.
"What happened in Paris, Antonio?" I ask directly, not wanting to hear the details just simply what it was between them.
"I was her guardian and she my ward while she was there, I just wanted to protect her Alessio, same as you would for Arianna," he says and I nod.
"She's nearing marrying age Antonio, and each of us has a partner either prospect, public or hidden," I say knowing both Matteo, Luca and I all had public relationships, Amara was still single, while Victoria had been secretly having a relationship with her bodyguard and in time I would have to speak to them about it. Antonio however had some mix of the three, he was the Underboss of Paris, and I knew that many girls found him attractive, but he wasn't interested in them that was clear with Julia, who was both a prospect to a future relationship, and somewhat public because of their long history of companionship. However anything deeper was hidden, they would have to wait to be anything more that was the law.
"Don't remind me," Antonio grit turning to one of the paintings in the office.
"Make your decision soon, and I can make it easy for you. You just have to say the word and I will allow you and Julia to be married once she is of age," I say with a sigh and Antonio turns to me his eyebrows raised.
"You'd allow that?" he asks sounding shocked.
"You have to wait until she's nineteen, that's my condition," I say and he nods.
"I can wait that," Antonio says though the faint smile on his lips peeked through.
"Go tell Julia and her family that I will allow it if she and her family agrees on my decision," I instruct and he nodded before stepping forwards and hugging me which was when I cursed myself for being barely shorter then my younger brother as I wasn't used to it.
"Thank you Alessio," Antonio says and I hug him back.
"Of course that's what family does," I reply before both of us left and deviated upon getting back to the main hall.
Walking towards where Aria was took more time then expected as many of my Underbosses and Capo's began to make conversation with me as I moved through the crowd which was when I noticed the man step out from the main hall and pull out a gun, leaving me with just enough time to pull my own.
"Everyone get the fuck down," I yelled as the man fired a shot towards where the women stood, and without thinking as screams broke out I began unloading my guns magazine as I shot the gunman again and again watching as blood spurted from his chest until he collapsed to his knees while I moved towards him all while the made guests all pulled their weapons and began looking for others as I neared the man who just stared up at me in hate.
"Fuck you, Alessio Salvatorini," he spat and without hesitating I put a bullet between his eyes and watched him fall to the ground of the stone steps.
Alessio," Amara called and I turned to see Aria holding a spot on her chest.
Fuck, fuck, fucking not today.
Running across the room I wrapped Aria in my arms and helped her to lie down so that I could assess the wound on her chest that had to be near her heart turning her I found that it had broken the back of the dress telling me it hadn't actually hit any bone or vital organs.
Thank fuck.
Pulling her to me I cradled her face as she looked up at me all while my heart pounded in my chest.
"Someone call a fucking ambulance, now, and secure the property," I order looking around at those gathered and many left to follow my orders while I returned my attention to the woman before me.
"You look good with blood on your face," she says and I laugh knowing that I'd literally shot someone on my wedding day fulfilling the bloody wedding that everyone hadn't gotten in years, I had experienced my own twice now and I wasn't about to have the second one end with Arianna dead in my arms, that wasn't fucking happen as long as I lived.
Pulling off my jacked I tore the sleeve off and then took my knife and cut the lining out before double wrapping the pieces of fabric and using the hairpin Aria had in her still impeccable hair as a tourniquet. It was the last option to stop bleeding but I wasn't about to lose her, not like this, bending it I watched the edge cut into my skin as I hooked it so that it wouldn't loosen, all while my men gathered.
"Clean up the blood, and that body quickly I can't have an investigation into this," I sneered and they all quickly began the clean up process spearheaded by Matteo who seemed anything but unconcerned. Matteo and my wife were close friends even, and I may not trust most men but the exception was Matteo around Aria.
As the scene was cleaned up I watched as the dark blue fabric of my suit turned purple but wasn't seeping through as Aria lay with her head against my lap while she stared at me.
"Never thought you'd get attached to someone like this did you?" she laughs as I cupped the side of her face.
"With you it was inevitable," I say staring into her eyes and hoping that it wouldn't be the last time I looked into them, hoping that it wouldn't be another time that I had to look into the eyes of someone I loved before having them taken by someone else's stupidity and reckless disregard. But that was what I signed up for, I asked to have her be at risk because she would be married to me. Would be an extension to all the cruelty, and darkness I carried with me everywhere.
I didn't regret that my reaction had been to shoot the fucker who had shot my wife until my mag was empty. It was that I wasn't angry and had just reacted that frightened me. Aria's injury had come after next to the natural killer instinct I wasn't able to ever escape, not when it had been ingrained in my head by my father, or the countless times I'd had to kill.
After what felt like an eternity of holding Aria and making sure she stayed awake the paramedics arrived and carried her away much to my dislike of being away from her and I turned to everyone present.
"Party is over, everyone go home, I'm going to the hospital to be by my wife," I say before walking off and into the back seat of the Maybach.
Lino then got in without a word and began driving me off towards the hospital following as closely as possible to the ambulance making its way through traffic carrying my wife, the one person I couldn't live without.
So this is the end of this book I wanted to practice parallel writing themes so here they are. Comment your thoughts and opinions on the book, also share with friends and family, and maybe give me a follow if you enjoyed this book and enjoyed it, I would be more then happy to add another reader to my community. Anyways have a great day
Peace✌️