I wake up in an empty bed, the sun shines through the window and lights up the whole room. The window is half-open, letting the sound of singing birds in and fills my ears, but the wonderful music gets broken by the sound of an angry voice from the bathroom.
I sit up in the bed, I can see dad though the chink, he's talking into his phone, he turn his head and our eyes meet, his expression relax at the look at me, he say something in another language into the phone and hang up.
He walks over to me and takes a seat next to me. "Hey sweetheart." His voice is soft and sweet.
"Good morning," I say.
"It's actually 11 am." To be honest, I'm not even surprised, it's the best sleep I have ever had. He pulls a strand behind my ear. "How are you feeling?" he asks me. I shrug. I don't know how I'm feeling, I mostly don't want to feel anything, just forgetting everything from last night, like it never happened, let the past be past.
He let out a sigh. "Why don't you go and freshen up, and we can go down and eat lunch." I nod.
I go to my room and pull off my clothes and step into the shower, the water slide down my body, removing the disgusting hands from yesterday, but the water can't wash away the bruise of a firm grip, on my upper-arm, I look down my body, the same purple bruise on my stomach haven't disappeared, my discolored lap, marks, everything from when someone hurt me.
I step out of the shower and put on a jogging-set, and some makeup to hide my still black eye.
I walk out of the bathroom, I spot dad's blazer lying on the floor, from yesterday, I pick it up and lift it up to my nose. The smell of safety fills my lounges, and flows through my body, giving me a relaxing feeling.
A knock on my door makes me turn around, I quickly shove the blazer under the covers in my bed the moment dad peeks his head through the door.
"Are you ready?" he ask me, I nod, he hold the door for me, "you can keep the blazer if you want," he says as I walk past him, I feel my face warm, my face must be red as a tomato, he chuckle, and I can't help than let my lips tilt up into a small smile.
We walk down to lunch in silence.
I want his comforting hand on my shoulder, I want his protecting arms around me, I want to feel safe. He's the first person I have really felt safe with. Every time he's around nothing can hurt me, and the second he's gone, it ends with my tears connecting with my pillow. I slip my hand into his as we walk, and he gives it a little squeeze sending a flow of safety through my body.
*
Robin slips his hand into mine when a bunch of people walk inside, the next day.
Dad is welcoming everyone that walks through, Alexander and the others are hugging and talking with the youngest of them, they must be our cousins.
Two grown up men walk through, each holding their wife's hand followed by an old couple. Dad calls them mom and dad so they must be my grandparents. My grandpa greets my brothers and walks away into the living room. I frown, isn't he going to meet us.
My grandma is the first one to greet us, she comes nearly running over. She pulls Robin into a hug and kisses both his cheeks, she turns to me and grips my shoulder and looks at me before she kisses both of my cheeks and pulls me into a crushing hug, I can hardly breathe.
"You don't know how excited I have been to meet you," she says, without breaking the hug.
"Mom let her breath," she breaks the hug and I can finally breathe again, I take a deep breath making the others chuckle.
The man who told my grandma to let me go is walking towards me followed by his wife.
"Dominic, your uncle," he says, shaking my hand. "And my wife Talia," he says, nodding to a beautiful woman with bright red curly hair and freckles in her whole face. I shake hands with her while Dominic greets Robin.
"Why don't we take my kids next and then you Carlos," he says, and the other nods.
After Talia greets Robin, three guys come up to me, the oldest in the lead.
"Hi, I'm Pietro, it's really nice to see you after all this time," he says, while we shake hands, I crack a smile at his comment.
"I'm Santino," the next one says and sticks his hand out for me to shake it, I do. The youngest, and the only one with dark brown broccoli hair, and freckles over his nose and cheekbones, he clearly has got the most genes from his mother.
"Baldassare," he says and gives me a short but firm handshake.
When no one else comes after Baldassare Carlos claps his hands together and rubs them.
"I guess it's our turn," he says with the brightest smile on his face. I think I already like him.
"Hi, I'm Carlos, your fathers favorite- oh I mean his youngest brother," I can't help but giggle, that seems to make his smile even brighter. "It's good to have you back, Alessia." I think I might match his big smile by now. He turns to Robin and throws his hands in the air. "And who do we have here?"
I shake hands with Angela.
"Thank you," Robin laughs.
"You welcome, maybe your sister wants one too," he says and takes his hands to Robin's ear and a chocolate coin appears in his hand. Robin gives the chocolate to me, but I tell him to keep it. I know how much he loves chocolate.
"You were lucky there," Carlos says when Robin gets to keep both chocolate coins.
After Angela has greeted Robin four guys walk up to us, the oldest in the lead. "Hi, my name is Roy," he says and nearly crushes my hand. He doesn't look like his father, he looks very serious, like Alexander.
The next guy comes up to me and sticks out his hand. "I'm Manuel," he says and shakes my hand and turns to Robin. Manuel's twin steps up to me and shakes my hand.
"I'm that dumbass's twin, Samuel," he says, gaining a death stare from Manuel. Samuel grin and greet Robin.
The youngest steps up to me and shakes my hand, he looks only a little bit older than Lorenz.
"I'm Sabino," he says and turns to Robin and shakes his hand before he joins the rest of his family.
"Great, why don't we go to the living room until dinner is ready," dad says. And together we walk into the living room.
Dad's phone is calling, "I need to take this," he says, he waves at Alexander for him to follow and they walk out.
"Robin!" someone calls for Robin, I turn around to see Tony, dad's Assistant. "Luigi wants to see you in your dad's office."
"Luigi?"
"Your grandfather."
"Oh." He glances at me. "Um okay," he says nervously before going to dad's office.
I am sitting on the couch next to Salvatore, who is having a conversation with Roy, Pietro, and Dominic about something, I don't know, and I really don't care right now. I know I shouldn't be nervous about Robin, but something is wrong. My so-called grandpa took him into dad's office, alone, I don't know why and it's stressing me out, and it's not better that dad and Alexander haven't come back yet.
I sit in my own mind wondering about what Luigi wants from Robin, when someone calls my name, I turn around snapping out of my thoughts and see dad's assistant.
"Luigi wants to see you now," he announces.
I stand up without looking at my brothers or my cousins, and head to the office, I knock twice on the door and wait for an answer.
"Come in."
I open the door, Luigi sitting behind the desk and with his hands folded like he owns it. He doesn't. Robin isn't in here; he must have walked through the living room without me noticing.
I walk in and close the door behind me. Scared, that's the only feeling I can feel. After all those years with him, I have a pretty good feeling when someone wants you something good or bad, and this is definitely not good.
I can feel my hands start to sweat, I look down at my feet, I don't want to meet his gaze, I feel something and when I look up, he is on his way towards me, I didn't even hear him stand up because of the pounding in my ears.
I start to hear him more clearly now he is closer to me; he takes out his hand to shake it.
"I want to introduce myself, Luigi Riccardo." Confused, I take out my hand to shake his, suddenly he fastens his grip and pulls me slightly closer to him. There is only a few inches between us now, his black emotionless eyes staring into mine.
I'm back in the restaurant's restroom.
I can feel my heart beating faster again.
Their hands on me.
My hands start to sweat even more.
Their bodies on top of me, holding me against the floor.
I can feel my legs shake under me. I'm afraid of how long my legs will last before they give up and I will drop to the floor.
I kick, I punch, I scream.
I look at him through the blur in my eyes as he studies my face.
"Blue eyes, flat brown hair, just like your father, you look nothing like your mother. I just hope you won't act like her; I never liked her, I have always thought she was a bitch, and I was right, don't you think?" he asks with a voice that sends shivers down my spine, I nod "Yes-yes sir," I didn't stutter, but my voice didn't leave any other sound that a squeal at first. He smirks at me for my answer and lets go of my hand, he doesn't step back though.
"That's what I thought...you can go now," he says, and I do.
I walk past the others that don't even notice me.
I go to my room but when I am about to step in, I think about Robin. I walk over to Robin's room and knock, no answer, I knock again and call his name, letting him know it's me, it works, after that I hear a little 'come in'. I step inside and see my little brother that I have my whole life tried to protect from everything bad. I swore I would protect him forever, but here he is, sitting in his bed, hugging his knees, with tear stained cheeks that he quickly tries to wipe off. I close the door and quickly step over to him, I pull him into a hug but stop halfway when I see something red, he has a cut in his eyebrow.
"He hit you?"
I feel all the anger rush into my bones, hell no, no one touch my brother, I don't care who it is, if it is a stepdad, brother, cousin, grandparent, guard, or the bloody queen, no one hurt, thread, or scare my brother. Ever.
Before he gets to answer I storm down to dad's office, I walk past my brothers and cousins that are looking rather confused after me, I get closer to the office now, I can hear voices in there, but I don't give a shit, I walk in without knocking, dad sits behind his desk, and to the right is Luigi standing in front of the desk both with a confused expression. "Who the fuck do you think you are?" I spit walking straight over to Luigi only stopping when we are only a few inches apart. Before he can say anything again, I continue.
"You know what! I don't even care who you think you are! Because no one! And I mean NO ONE hit my brother without consequences!" I spit moving a little bit closer just to show that I'm not scared, or at least make him think it.
A smirk forms on his face, and I start to get even more pissed now. "Do you think this is all a joke?" I ask.
"Do you think I'm scared of you?" he asks calmly, ignoring my question.
"No. But that's only because you don't know me, and if you know what's best for you, you stay away from my brother." I declare looking him straight into his cold dark eyes, I know my thread won't even make him blink, but this is much more than revenge.
"Is that a thread?" he asks calmly, raising a brow.
"Oh yeAh," I answer with the coldest voice I could muster.
I look at dad before I turn on my heels but stop again and turn around at Luigi's voice.
"You leave? I thought it would have consequences- "
I hit him right on his nose with all the strength I have before he could finish his sentence. The moment I hit him two pairs of hands grab me from behind and pull me away from him.
"DON'T TOUCH HER!" Dad, there is now standing, yells.
The four hands immediately let go of me. I don't wait a second, I storm out of the office, and slam the door, leaving Luigi and dad stunned. I walk past my brothers and cousin again, ignoring them but I can feel their stare following me till I am out of sight.
Antonio
I watch my daughter storm out of my office and slam the door after her leaving me totally stunned and my dad with a bloody nose.
I look at my dad, he stares at the door that was slammed in seconds ago, then he looks at me.
"See that, that is a true Riccardo," he declares.
I tell the bodyguards who grabbed Alessia to go outside, where I wanted them to be all along, but my dad doesn't like it when they aren't near me, so when he's here I pretend that they're always with me. (Even though I think he knows that they aren't.) I will deal with them later. When they are gone, I turn to my dad.
"You hit Robin?" I yell.
"What?"
"I told you not to do anything to test whether they're a true Riccardo or not, but you did anyway."
"You know better than anybody else that family is the most important to me. I would never. Hit. My. Family."
"I Told You Not To Test Them! And I Trusted You Not To Do It!" I yell, I'm so close to hit my own dad right in the face. This morning I told him not to try on anything, but he clearly didn't listen. I can't believe I failed my daughter again.
"Let's go and find Pietro so he can look at that," I say irritatedly and point at his nose.
We walk down to the living room.
"What happened?" Lorenz asks when he sees dad's nose, everyone turns their eyes to us.
"You too?" Pietro asks.
I frown. "What do you mean you too?" I ask him while he places dad in a chair and lean his head back.
"Robin has just been down here, he fell and hit his head on the corner of his desk, so he started bleeding."
"Where is he? Is he okay?"
"He followed Alessia after she stormed out. He cried a bit, but I think he's okay now."
My mom comes in, she rushes over to dad when she sees him. "What happened?"
"Alessia hit me."
"What!" everyone says in units.
"She thought he hit Robin probably because he was bleeding," I tell them.
"Alessia?" Matteo asks, surprised.
"Yes," I nod.
"Our sister, Alessia?" Diego asks.
"Yes."
"She hit grandpa?" Lorenz asks.
"Yes."
"Wow," Salvatore mumbles.
"What do you say grandpa, are they true Riccardo's?" Roy asks him.
"Yes," he answers and looks at us, but Pietro pushes his head back, so he looks at the ceiling making everyone chuckle, everyone but Alexander.
"Wait. You scared them to test if they are true Riccardo's?" Alexander asks.
"Yeah, and they definitely are."
Alexander turns his face to me. "I can't believe you!" he stands up from the couch, everyone is taken back by his sudden outburst. "Don't you think she has been through enough recently!" He yells at me, it's the first time for so long that he has lost control.
"What are you talking about?" Dominic asks, he leans over in his seat, very interested in the conversation.
No one says anything, everyone looks from me to my sons waiting for answers.
"He asked a question?" Dad says through gritted teeth, he knows he has messed up.
"Does it have something to do with all of you-" Baldassare points at my sons, "-surrounded Uncle Antonio after the dinner with Mr. Walder? It's all over the internet." Of course, he has seen the pictures.
"Yes," I sigh. "Someone attacked Alessia in the restroom."
"Attacked?" Matteo says.
"They tried to rape her!" Diego finishes. An angry tension fills the room.
I turn my gaze to dad, his expression is usually blank, but now it's full of guilt, until it turns to pure anger.
"And where are those bastards now?" he asks in Italian, everyone here knows Italian, but speaks it in case Alessia and Robin should be nearby.
"In the basement," I answer in Italian.
"Is it possible that Robin and Alessia are going out for a few hours some day?" Manuel casually.
"Yeah, you know, just for some little fun," Samuel finishes.
"I go up and check on them," I tell them, ignoring their comments and walk up to Alessia's room.
I knock on her door, no answer, I knock again when nobody answers I open the door slightly.
Alessia sits in her bed and Robin stands in front of her.
"Robin, can I please talk with Alessia alone?"
He hesitates but nods. Before he walks past me, I lie my hand on his shoulder. "Does it still hurt?" He shakes his head. "Good."
I go over to Alessia and sit on her bed after Robin leaves.
"I'm sorry- I thought he hit Robin- I would never- I'm sorry- please, please," she rambles but I shush her. Tears are streaming down her face, she's shaking, she's scared, and it hurts. She has just got comfortable with me, I really hope for my dad's sake that I don't have to start over with her.
"I'm not mad, even though it's not okay to hit someone but you know that, right?" She nods. "Your grandpa was testing whether you and Robin are a true Riccardo. Which is nonsense, I knew the second I saw you; you were a true Riccardo... he would never hurt his family, it's the most important thing for him." She doesn't say anything. "You're not in trouble this time, but I must say that hurting your family is not acceptable, okay? And what my dad did wasn't okay either."
She nods "I'm sorry." A tear falls down her cheek and onto her pants. I take her hand and rub my thumb on her hand. She stops shaking.
"Do you need anything?" The moment the words leave my mouth she wraps her arms around my neck and hugs me, and cries into my neck. I wrap my arms around her and hug her tightly. "Please talk to me sweetheart, I can't imagine how much you must bury inside right now, please talk to me... how are you feeling in general?" I ask, not breaking the hug, I won't force her to talk to me, but if she doesn't, it will only hurt herself and I can't let her get hurt any more.
She takes in a shaky breath. "I'm scared," she cries, "I'm scared of leaving you, cause every time you're not there, something bad happens."
"I understand, I'm gonna stay with you as long as you need," I half whisper, "in the beginning I didn't want you to feel trapped or overprotected but... there won't happen anything to you, I promise you, I will protect you, don't you worry, I will not let you down again, I promise," I say, I rub circles on her back. We don't break the hug for a long time, but I don't care, it feels good to have my daughter close to me, knowing that she's safe.
"I'm proud of you." She breaks the hug and looks up at me with wet eyes and tear stained cheeks, I put a strand of her hair behind her ear. She looks at me like she's trying to detect a lie. No lie detected, she begins to cry again and hug me tight, and I know I said something right.
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