Opening my heavy eyes, I peered around the room. It wasn't my room. It looked like one of the guest rooms I'd cleaned before after Ermanno spent the night.
I noticed a glass of ice water sitting on the table beside the bed and I reached for it. My throat was dry and scratchy. It felt like a desert.
I drank the cool liquid slowly, wincing when I swallowed but relieved by the hydration.
By the time I finished the glass, I was still thirsty. So I started to stand up in search of more water, but the door opened to reveal Arsenio and Dr. Rossi.
"Hello, dear. How are you feeling?" Dr. Rossi asked. His presence in the house was nice and calming. He never made me anxious. I wish he came to the house more than when I injured myself.
"I'm okay. What happened?" My voice came out kind of hoarse, so I coughed to relieve it.
"You passed out. After Mr. Campione told you about his business, it was all too much of a shock to you and you passed out. There is nothing wrong with you, dear, so don't fret. Only a shock." I nodded and looked at Arsenio. He was finishing up his conversation with Dr. Rossi.
I looked over all of the features of his handsome face. I could stare at him all day.
As I watched his jaw move while he spoke to the doctor, the memory of what he had told me came back. He was the boss of a Mafia.
Boss. Italian. Mafia.
My hands felt clammy. Partly from fear, partly from the fact that I'd felt more comfortable with a man responsible for a party of organized crime than I ever had with my father.
Dr. Rossi shook Arsenio's hand before he walked out of the room. Arsenio ran a hand through his hair and sat down on the chair by the wall. He looked over at me and we held eye contact for the longest time. I wanted to look away from the captivating man, but it was like my body was preventing me from doing so.
He stood up and dragged the chair to the side of the bed and sat down once again. He looked down at me and cleared his throat before speaking.
"Eloise, I know you just passed out and are exhausted, but we have to have this conversation now. It is very important." I reluctantly nodded. I didn't know what this conversation would entail, but I was not looking forward to it.
"No one is going to kill you. I would never hurt you, and I will never let anyone hurt you, but you are now a part of this, so there will be rules. I told you, and now you are involved, so these rules need to be followed to keep you and everyone else involved safe." He reached down and brushed a piece of my hair around the back of my ear. The motion sent a shiver of pleasure through my body and I couldn't help but lean into his touch.
Arsenio stared intently at my face, almost as if he was in a trance. He must've noticed my staring back because he shook his head slightly and began talking again.
"You will need to sign a contract. It's the Omertà Code. I assume you've never heard of it, so I will explain. It means that a man can deal with his own problems without the help of the law. It's also the Mafia's code of silence. It essentially says that you will always be protected by us as long as you follow the rules, and do not involve any outsiders or figures of authority in our business. If you do not follow the rules, you will be seen as a traitor to the family and consequences will ensue."
Consequences. The word sent a flash of fear throughout me. I never wanted to find out what exactly those consequences were.
"Since you aren't actually a member, but know of the family, these rules still apply to you. The essence of the rules is that you cannot betray us in any way. You cannot side with the enemy. You cannot cooperate with authorities, for the mafia takes care of itself.
You will be under the constant watch of me, constantly protected by me. Your internet use will be restricted, and you won't be able to have private phone calls, texts, etcetera. You can't leave the house without me, and you cannot go on any trips or even short walks without me. If you become a member of the family, these rules will be loosened.
You and any other wife or female partner of a member will never take part in illegal activities that take place within the mafia. However, there must be no association with the police.
Under normal circumstances, if one doesn't sign the contract, they would be killed. This doesn't apply to you, other measures will be taken if you don't sign. I will never hurt you," he reiterated. "You belong to the mafia now. to me." He finished with a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair again.
As I looked at his perfectly sculpted face, I deciphered and analyzed his words. Anger swelled within me. The same anger I felt when my father would abuse me, leaving me defenseless and with no choice. Arsenio was leaving me with no choice.
"Are you insane? You think I am going to agree with this? You are completely taking away my life! My freedom! Not that I have much of either of those, but still. You cannot control me like this, I am not some dog who must obey its owner. Why are you making me do this?" I snapped at him. The anger was coursing through my body and it needed a way out.
"I'm doing this to protect you. Everyone who knows about the family signs the contract and obeys the rules. You wanted to know Eloise, so I told you. If you do not sign it, you will be punished. I do not want to do that to you, but you need to sign it. If I don't require you to sign it, I will have been disloyal to my men as well, for they and their significant others signed it. Everyone including me follows the rules." His voice was serious, leaving no room for discussion. Nonetheless, I wanted to discuss this.
"I don't get why I have all of my freedoms revoked. I don't go anywhere anyway, but if I did, I don't want to be watched all the time. I don't want to be monitored constantly. I want some privacy, Arsenio!" I didn't care at that point that I was yelling at him, or that I had referred to him by his given name. I was angry that he was forcing me into a conservatorship, and I couldn't contain it.
I had very limited freedoms as it was, and I wasn't sure I could handle them being restricted anymore. Leaving my father had been my chance at freedom, I didn't want to be in Arsenio's house if he was going to take that chance away.
"It's the rule, Eloise!" He yelled at me. For once though, he didn't seem angry. Rather he was frustrated.
"Why? I wouldn't tell anyone about this anyway. Do you think I want to be killed? I have nowhere else to go, I like it here! I don't want to leave, so why can't we compromise on these rules? Please? I can't live in a place where I have zero freedom. I don't want to be watched by random people!"
"You won't be. Only by me, Eloise." He sighed and I could see his muscles were tensed.
"I will adjust the rules for you. You can still have your phone and make calls and texts without being monitored. That is the only exception. You cannot try to escape again. Do you understand? You must listen to me."
I thought his words over. I could feel his gaze penetrating my skin. Closing my eyes, I thought my options over. I was beyond exhausted from having to constantly choose between a rock and a hard place. My life seemed to be made up of decisions I wished I didn't have to make.
I nodded and he put his hand on my cheek and wiped away a tear I didn't even know leaked out. Why was I crying?
"Don't cry, Bella (beautiful)." He whispered. I felt my anger easing at his soft tone and gentle actions. I placed my hand over his and stared into his eyes. I felt a weird feeling in my chest, a feeling I'd never had before. My skin started tingling and I felt excited. The feeling of his skin against mine was addicting.
He cared for me, at least a little bit, even if he didn't want to show it. I believed that he was a damaged man that just wanted companionship, but didn't know the right way to go about it. I was a damaged girl that just wanted to be appreciated. We both wanted the same things.
I think I was developing a crush on Arsenio. Or maybe it had already developed, I wasn't quite sure.
He made me feel safe and cared for. He even said he would alter the rules for me, even though he didn't have to. I still didn't want to sign, but I would. For him. Besides, there were no alternatives. That seemed to be my situation lately: no alternatives.
Though I tried to be optimistic. Living with Arsenio was probably the best thing that could've happened to me after leaving my father. There's no possible way I wouldn't be homeless if he hadn't taken me in.
"Thank you." He said against my hand.
"For what?" I asked.
"For cooperating. I know it's not an easy concept to grasp, but you did, or are at least. So thank you." I nodded and felt my anger crumble. I didn't think he wanted to put me in this position, he simply had to. It was his job.
I was upset initially because the only man who had ever cared for me or shown me any kindness was the reason any of my remaining freedoms were being stripped from me. I understood though, why he needed me to follow the contract. He had an entire group of people to protect. It wasn't just himself he was responsible for.
Arsenio all too soon stopped playing with my hair and stood up. He moved the chair back to its original position and then hurriedly walked out of the room.
I stared at the now empty chair in shock. I wasn't sure what to do from there.