Letizia was walking side by side Vincenzo towards out of the woods to gardens on a path towards the mansion.
Letizia spoke " You are walking too slow taking your time. Can you walk faster? Also this is not the way Vienna brought me through. Are you taking me elsewhere?"
Vincenzo chuckled " Am I taking you elsewhere? Well, I could, if you want me to. I thought you don't want to date me but it seems like you do?"
Letizia spoke " Don't play around... Answer my question."
Vincenzo put his hand on his heart " Me? Playing around? I am not a player. But I could be if you want me to be... Fine ... Relax... I am taking you back through a different route that's longer. That's all. No tricks."
Letizia spoke " And why is that? Why can't we take a short cut?"
Vincenzo spoke " Well for one I enjoy your company. Secondly, when we return, there is a possibility that you will go complain to your father about me. Then he would complain to my father and my father would most likely ground me for weeks and would skin me alive. I don't think I will see you again any time soon. You see my father grounds me in a different way compared to my siblings. He would put me in solitary confinement and would home school me for weeks. So you won't need to worry about seeing me in school for a while. But when I get back to school after my punishment is over, we will pick up where we left off."
Letizia was looking at Vincenzo with her mouth open " You seem to be so sure of all consequences. How do you know I would tell on you? How would you know what your father would do?"
Vincenzo looked ahead as he was walking side by side Letizia " I just prepare myself mentally for the worst case scenario. Worst case scenarios happen for me when my mother gets involved. So if you want to get me grounded, go to my mother about this to quicken the process. That would guarantee my father's wrath. But I don't mind getting into trouble because of you. I just want to say, you would be worth it. Spending time with you is worth getting punished by my father."
Letizia spoke " Well, you are wrong. I wouldn't tell on you because I like fighting my own battles and don't need your father to fight my battles for me. I also certainly would never bother your mother by informing her what a horrible person you are. You are nothing like your mother. She is popular as the most diplomatic and welcoming woman of her class and yet you are just arrogant, offensive and unbelievably crazy...Someone needs to talk some sense into you......"
Vincenzo laughed " You are changing the subject..... You know ..... I really think you should take advantage of your upper hand. Go tell on me and get me into trouble while you can. I knew you had a phobia of dogs and yet I scared you off with them. You don't get many chances to get me. When you do get a chance you must take it. Because you won't get to top me on anything I bet from now on."
Letizia spoke " Don't be so confident. Don't worry about that. I would get you my way. I don't need adult interference. I fight my own battles. You hurt me and I will make it even with you."
Vincenzo sounded irritated suddenly" Did you just say that I hurt you? You don't know the meaning of hurting when I am the one doing it. I didn't hurt you. I just threatened you to kiss me but I did not try to hurt you. You obviously don't know what I would have done to anyone else if they hit me. I didn't even try to hurt you. If I tried to hurt you, then you would have been screaming right now... "
Letizia shook her head " You are so crazy. First you treat me so roughly and suddenly you are acting in denial."
At that moment the mansion came into view and Letizia wasted no time and kicked the back of Vincenzo's leg making him trip and she sprinted towards the house.
Vincenzo chuckled " I will get you back for this." He could tackle her to the ground as she was running but he chose not to. He didn't want to hurt her. It felt strange to not want to hurt someone who just hit him but that was how he felt."
Vincenzo didn't chase Letizia. He was deep in thought. He was still determined. Nothing was going to change his mind that was set on having her. He vowed to himself to one day have her.
Vincenzo walked to the table where all the boys were sitting and took a seat. He picked up a soda can and started drinking as he stared deeply towards Letizia who was sitting at a table with the rest of the girls having tea and cake.
Letizia didn't like his stare at all. She turned to Vienna " Your brother is crazy. Why is he so different to you. He set his dogs on me. I have a phobia of dogs by the way..."
The girls around the table gasped in shock.
Vienna spoke " No.. He really did that. I will tell my mother. She would talk to my father."
Letizia spoke " No. I can take care of myself. I don't like to tell on people. Seriously I don't want anyone to know."
Clarisa spoke " Your funeral. He obviously has a grudge against you for doing that. Once you make an enemy out if him, it's all for eternity. He won't stop unless you tell Mrs Rosario and she will tell her husband about this. Only his father can talk sense into Vincenzo and no one else."
Vanessa nodded " That's so true. Even in school no one bothers give him detention. It's same with Tristan. Those two just never learn and just become worse."
Letizia spoke " Like I said, I can handle him."
Vienna spoke " Look, my mother is coming this way. You can tell her if you want. I won't say anything but you can. If you want to."
Letizia looked at Adele Rosario as she was walking towards their table with a basket of muffins in her hand. She was just so beautiful and also very friendly. She was so different to other women who were married to mob bosses like his father. Adele Rosario was indeed the only woman on her table of elite women who wasn't from a crime family. She was the only typical all American woman. She was well known amongst families as an attractive woman not just for her looks but how she could lit up every room she walked into with her smile and warmth.
Adele put the basket of muffins on the table of the girls and spoke " Are you enjoying yourselves children? I quickly made some fresh muffins earlier on today. I just wanted you to have a special access to it. Don't tell the boys." She then winked and walked away.
Letizia smiled " I really like your mother. She is really nice."
Vienna spoke " She is nice. But she can't control my brothers sadly."
Clarisa spoke " My mother can't control Tristan and Trent either. Your mother does her best. It's just that these boys are something else."
Letizia turned to Clarisa " You look like Trent. What is your age difference?"
Clarisa spoke " Well, Trent and I are twins just like Vienna and Viggo. But I am slightly younger looking and smaller. When my mother was pregnant I was given zero chance of survival. My twin was big and I was small. So you never tell Trent and I are the same age."
Letizia spoke " It's such a big coincidence that you two are both twins. Are twins in your families?" She was looking at both Vienna and Clarisa.
Clarisa explained " Vienna's mum has a twin brother. So Vienna is a natural twin. My mother had twins because of the medication she was taking to make her pregnant. They make you have twins and triplets some times. No twins in my close family. But the great grand father had a twin I think or so they say."
Letizia spoke " Interesting. I wish I had a twin brother. Its lonely being the only child."
Vanessa turned to Letizia " Come on. You and I are lucky to have no siblings. I used to really want a brother but seeing Vincenzo and Tristan made me change my mind. You would not want any siblings if they would turn out arrogant and mean."
Clarisa bit her lip " Viggo is fine."
Vanessa nodded " So is Stefano. But sadly genes don't work so simply. You could never tell Viggo and Vincenzo were brothers if they didn't resemble their parents."
The girls laughed and looked around soaking the atmosphere as adults were having afternoon tea on tables around them.
Letizia looked at the drinks table and spoke " I want some soda. I will be back."
As Letizia walked to the table she saw Vincenzo stand up and walk to the table to. He stood next to her as she reached for a soda. He spoke " You know I never forget anything. That kick to my leg won't go unanswered Letizia. Just because I am nice, it doesn't mean I will forget."
Letizia turned around and held a soda can in her hand " You need to cool off. Go have a cold shower."
Vincenzo spoke " I do that already every day. I love lying in an ice bath every day and have a cold shower afterward. Other advice would be welcome."
Letizia was looking at Vincenzo with surprise " You must be kidding. Right? Who does that?"
Vincenzo spoke " I do. It's part of my fitness regime. You should try it some time."
Letizia shook her head vigorously and spoke " Excuse me. I have to go." She just couldn't believe what a crazy life style Vincenzo had. He was fifteen. As she walked away he spoke " That's good. At least you are learning not to just walk away when I am talking to you."
Letizia whispered as she walked away " You are insane."
Vincenzo walked back to the boys' table as his eyes were following her.
Tristan O'Neil brought him out of his thoughts "Have you finished studying for tomorrow's exams?"
Vincenzo sighed "What do you think? I have read the book so many times. I am reading it again tonight after the meetings end before I go to bed."
Tristan spoke "So do you think you are getting A+ again."
Vincenzo spoke "Do you?"
Tristan nodded "Of course. There is no way of getting lower grades. Is there? I have read my calculus book inside out too. Its getting boring studying at home. Not many years until college is left... Not many years." He then took a sip from his soda looking into the distance.
Vincenzo eyed his rival. Vincenzo lived to meet the challenges thrown at him just like how Tristan O'Neil anticipated challenges and welcomed them. The two boys had so much in common. Both were first born heirs to their father's business empires. Both had the best private tutors who taught them all they needed to know ahead of their classes. But they both still needed to study hard to ensure they didn't get a lower score than each other in his class and one didn't top the other in any field at all for that matter. Both their fathers were very strict about them getting top scores, being highly fit and being the best in every field as they possibly could relevant to the business . They had to get A+ in every subject or they were going to be punished. They had to be as good at each other or their fathers were going to unleash their wraths on them. So as much as they preferred to hang out with their fathers men most days and attend evening shooting practice sessions or anything fun that their fathers men did, they couldn't.
Both Vincenzo and Tristan couldn't wait to go to college, become lawyers and take over the mob leader position from their fathers and change the rules. They wanted power, plenty of power and they wanted to rule.