Alessandro
Arianna had always been my girl.
She had always been attached to me — no matter the situation. I was the one that protected her and shielded her from the darkness. I was the one that comforted her in the cold nights and held her hand through the bright days.
But knowing that Eva has took my place in certain circumstances, made my heart burn in my chest.
It wasn't possessiveness or jealousy, nor was it anger towards Eva... it was pain, knowing that my daughter could feel that way about someone else.
Growing up without her mother caused her to rely on me. It was always me.
But now she had another person in her life. Someone that also comforted her and loved her. Someone that also protected her in the darkness.
And it hurt to know that I was no longer her one and only.
I couldn't help but frown as I watched Eva cradle Arianna. Though I felt pain rush through my chest — I couldn't deny the fact that Eva looked perfect when she was holding Arianna. It looked as though nothing could get to either of them. And I couldn't blame Arianna for looking up to Eva in her darkest moments. After all, I had done the exact same.
A rush of warmth on my arm snapped me from my thoughts and caused my heart to spin towards my right.
Rosie was looking at me with a sympathetic look on her face. "At least she's got someone." Her voice was warm but I still felt cold. I understood what she meant and I would never be selfish enough to stop those that want to care for Arianna, but I couldn't control my emotions.
"We should leave them." I mumbled quietly, turning around and walking out of the room to prevent any more pain.
I couldn't hear footsteps behind me but I didn't care. I just wanted to clear my head. I didn't even understand why I was so affected. I never thought I would dislike the idea of someone else caring for my daughter... but I did.
Leon was in my office. I caught the sight of him as I walked by. He was sipping a beverage that I presumed was alcoholic while resting on the edge of my desk.
"What are you doing in here?" I threw at him. He met my eyes and sipped his drink once again, shrugging his broad shoulders.
"I've been waiting for you," he answered calmly. "Is Arianna okay?"
I ran my fingers through my hair and nodded my head. It was clear that I was affected and I hated the feeling. I looked weak and I was never weak.
"And you?" Leon pressured with a raised eyebrow. I didn't meet his eyes but I could pick up his facial expression from the corner of my eye.
"I'm fine." I muttered under my breath, walking towards my desk and grabbing the whiskey.
I poured it into one of the empty glasses and threw the beverage down. Leon watched me but didn't say a word until I set the glass back down and winced.
"What is it?" He questioned with both eyebrows furrowed.
"It's Eva." I said without an emotion in my tone.
"I could have guessed," He rolled his eyes, hopping off the desk and walking over so that he was facing me. "What's happened now?"
"Arianna didn't want me. She wanted Eva. Since when did she not want me?" I said with an annoyed voice.
Leon chuckled and I saw the cheeky glint in his eyes. If he was mocking me — I wouldn't hesitate to punch him flat in the face.
"Something funny?" I raised my brow dangerously.
He crossed his arms over his chest and chuckled once again. "You. You and your feelings."
"What feelings?" I retorted defensively.
"Oh, come on, I think we both know that you're basically in love with Eva. And Arianna, too. Your feelings are all over the place." He mocked. Daringly too.
I clenched my teeth and felt my jaw tighten up. Leon was right and it annoyed me. I didn't want to believe anything that he was saying. I didn't want to believe that someone like me could ever let my emotions reign over me.
"I love them both. But I can control my emotions, Leon." I argued back at him.
"Then why are you frustrated?" He challenged with a smirk, and I glared at him. All I wanted to do was punch the f*cker right there and then. "Let me tell you why..."
I rolled my eyes and leaned against the desk. Mr Wise-Ass has arrived. This should be good.
"Because you love them both so much, that when you see them showing each other love, you get confused... or maybe you just can't accept the fact that your family is becoming whole again."
His words somehow were able to pierce through to my heart. I knew that I loved Eva and Arianna. I was beyond denying that. But was my family slowly falling back into place... and could I ever accept that?
Could I ever accept the fact that Eva was replacing Elena in more ways than one? My heart once belonged to Elena but now it belonged to Eva. Arianna once cried for her mother, but now she cried for Eva.
Elena was once the light of the whole Estate... but now Eva undoubtedly spread her love through every single hallway. The whole of the Estate adored her for her kindness and love.
I promised Elena that I would never forget her, that I would never let my love for her fade. But here I was, with every second that passed, going against my promise to her.
I rubbed my head and groaned. This was too much for my brain to handle.
And then as though the world kicked me whilst I was down, the door opened and there stood Rosie, her face telling me that whatever she was going to say, wasn't good.
"I've got news," she sighed into the room. "Angelina. She's arrived early."
Dread filled my whole body. Angelina was the last person that I wanted in the Estate at the moment.
We had some history. She had been working for the Estate for years now; she practically became a maid around the same time I became Mafia Boss.
She'd always had some kind of obsession with me. Constantly throwing me naughty looks and winking. Elena despised her. She'd constantly cause us to argue, and no matter how many times I told her to leave me alone, she would always come creeping back.
I had tried getting rid of her before but her father was a family-friend and so I didn't want to jeopardise relations.
However when Elena died, I fell into a dark hole and I started becoming heavy on the alcohol.
She took advantage of me and due to my weak state, I allowed her to.
We had slept together multiple times but she was just an escape from reality. There wasn't a single ounce of meaning or emotion that went into her. She meant nothing to me.
After I recovered, I stopped speaking to her. I would give her orders sometimes but they were always stern. I didn't want her to ever think that she was special when it came to how I felt about her.
We simply used each other.
But now she was back from Italy. I prayed that she didn't try and ruin things with Eva and I.
I wouldn't allow her to. Not again.
"Where is she?" I asked Rosie. It was obvious I was annoyed by the revelation of her arrival.
Rosie gestured towards the hallway. "In the living-area. She's getting her things. I just thought I'd let you know."
I nodded and sighed. Rosie left and I turned to face Leon. He looked just as pissed as I was.
"Why do you think she's back early?" Leon asked with a disgusted look on his face.
I rolled my eyes and took my hands off the desk, walking towards the door. "I don't know but I couldn't care less," I mumbled. "I'm going to see if Arianna is okay."
The echoing of crying had stopped so I assumed Eva had calmed Arianna down.
As I walked towards her bedroom, I wondered if having my family whole again would be such a bad idea. I had gotten used to just having Arianna and I but I couldn't deny the warmth that spread through me when I would see Arianna giggling with Eva.
It made me happy to see them happy.
Once I got to the bedroom, I peeked inside and noticed that Arianna and Eva had both fallen asleep on the bed. Arianna was snuggled into Eva's chest and they looked so peaceful together.
I quietly walked over and knelt down. My beautiful angels. God, I never thought anyone could make my heart beat so fast, but looking at the two of them in such an oblivious state proved that I couldn't live with either of them. And it proved that my annoyance before was unreasonable.
And I didn't care about my doubts and my past. I would protect both of them until my very last breath. They were mine and I would cherish them forever.
Elena was definitely one of the biggest chapters in my life and I did love her. But fate had brought Eva into my life, and now I loved her.
And that's when I realised that this was when I had to let Elena go.
Accept that I loved her once but realise that I had to let her fly away. Let the memory of her wither away with the sweetest winds.
And so I did.
In that moment, watching Eva holding my little girl, I let the memory of her go. And I felt at peace — knowing that I was no longer bounded by my past. Now I could focus on my sweet Eva. And my sweet Arianna.
My fingers found Eva's soft skin and I ran them lightly down her arm. Goosebumps rose at the surface of her skin and she hummed in her sleep, but remained peacefully away from reality, trapped in her own little world.
My fingers traced towards her hips and I ran them across her smooth stomach from under her dress, that was practically gathered at her hips. My long fingers travelled down her body and I rubbed her thighs, causing her to stir and move closer to me.
"Alessandro," she whispered in a groany voice, as though she recognised my touch, though her eyes were still closed.
I hushed her and rubbed her forehead gently. "It's okay," I whispered back in a soothing voice. "Sleep. Rest."
Within a few seconds, her sleeping form took over her body again. I allowed them both to sleep in peace, walking out of the room and smiling as I closed the door.
Eva
A couple of hours later
I felt my eyelashes flutter as I opened my eyes. There was some kind of weight on my body and when I eventually woke up, I looked down and realised it was Arianna.
We must have fallen asleep after I had comforted her. Tiredness still remained in my eyes but I attempted to rub them hard enough to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling.
Arianna was still asleep and I didn't want to disturb her so I slowly moved away from her and stood up. The cold floor met my bare feet and I winced, slapping a hand over my mouth.
Fortunately I didn't wake her up.
I tip-toed our of the room and quietly shut the door. As soon as I was standing alone in the hallway, I heard girly chattering. It was actually quite obnoxious.
The chattering got louder as two women walked down the hallway. I watched their movements as they got closer. One of them was clearly a maid and the other looked as though she had just flown in from somewhere. She had a couple of suitcases moving behind her with a wide smile on her face.
I didn't like to judge a book by its cover but even from a distance — I sensed she was cheap and the perfect image of a brat. You could tell by the way she swayed her hips.
As she caught my eye, she stopped and her face drained with shock and disgust. "You," she said with her eyes dragging down my body, as though I was rubbish on the floor. "You're still here."
I furrowed my eyebrows and then it hit me. I remembered exactly who she was.
A maid burst into the room and caused me to jump up in shock, her eyes widening at the sight of me. "You're awake!"
Her voice was excited and filled with happiness. But I was still confused and so I furrowed my eyebrows at her and asked, "Where am I?"
Her head tilted to the side — almost as if she was looking at a dog. "Ah, I know you must be confused." She began to walk inside of the room and tidy up the bed-sheets. "Leon found you last night. You were on the streets as you'd probably know, and he decided to take you in."
I had a feeling that the maid assumed she had some kind of higher power than me. Maybe because she thought I was some dirty girl off the streets, but either way, I didn't like her tone.
"I still don't know where I am." I answered her back. My tone may have been slightly off-hand but so was hers.
Her eyes narrowed at me. "You're at Alessandro Bellini's Estate."
Alessandro Bellini. That name sounded familiar. As if I had heard it before. My eyebrows furrowed once again and I tried to remember where exactly I had heard it from. But clearly the maid was getting annoyed with me.
"I need to clean up the room. Would you mind leaving?"
I jumped back slightly at her remark. It sounded passive-aggressive and unnecessarily irritated.
What was her problem with me?
"Uh, sure..." I replied awkwardly, making my way out of the room and into the long hallway.
She was the maid that I woke up to when I first came into the Estate. I narrowed my eyes at her and then felt a sense of pride and pettiness reign over me. It was strange and I rarely ever felt the urge but I embraced it nevertheless. "Yes I am. I guess Alessandro just couldn't get rid of me."
Her eyes widened in shock but then her expression was quickly replaced with anger. And immense disgust. I had grown stronger since being in the Estate. I was no longer the shy girl that entered this place... I had become resilient. And I wasn't willing to take sh*t from anyone — especially her.
The maid beside her looked panicked. I wasn't sure why but her eyes kept darting from the other maid to my face repeatedly.
"What's your name, anyway?" The maid threw back with her mouth twisting in utter disgust. Her eyes had a tendency to rake down my body.
"Eva." I replied blankly.
"Well I'm Angelina. I'm one of the maids here and I've been here much longer than you have," The maid began to say in the bitchiest tone you could think of. "So watch your back, you little rat. Because people like you don't belong here. They belong on the street."
I glared at her and watched as she threw her head back in obnoxious laughter. "Trust me, you'll be out sooner than you think."
I refused to argue back. People like her didn't deserve my time. And I knew that her words were wasted. Alessandro would never throw me back out on the streets... surely. He even told me that he loved me.
Though I tried to convince myself that Alessandro wasn't like the other people in my life — I couldn't deny the burning pain that pricked my heart when Angelina said those words.
Insecurity. It was an ugly thing.
Angelina scurried off with the other maid and left me alone in the hallway.
I felt hatred for her. She had no reason to hate me yet she seemed to want to get rid of me. Why? I would never understand people like her.
I walked down the hallway and headed towards the kitchen to get some water. My mouth was painfully dry. As I walked into the crowded room, I was faced with all of Alessandro's men including him, sitting at the end of the table.
His eyes instantly darted up to meet mine. And I felt warmth rush through me.
There was an empty space next to him so I gladly walked over and claimed it. He didn't look too bothered; he smiled and took my hand, kissing it gently. "How did you sleep?"
I nodded my head. "I slept well. I must have fallen asleep when comforting Arianna."
His eyes sparkled in happiness.
"I hope you weren't offended before. I promise I-"
"Shhh," he softly hushed me, his eyes still tipsy with happiness, and his thumb continuing to caress my hand. "I'm not offended."
How did he always know what to say? To calm me down, to reassure me, to remind me of his love. I wanted to keep him forever.
I wanted to ask him about Angelina but something inside told me to hold my tongue. So I thanked Rosie when she gave me the water and I just listened to the conversation, barely speaking, but thinking about her.
I prayed she didn't make any trouble for me. Everything was perfectly in place when it came to my relationships in the Estate. I'd hate for someone to just waltz in and ruin everything.
*
I walked down the hollow hallway with the tray in my hand. It was late at night and Arianna was sleeping. I decided to help Rosie and take Alessandro his drink since he was working most of the night. And it was an excuse to see him.
Being careful not to spill the drinks, I slowly strolled down and watched the tray. But then I heard voices coming from Alessandro's office.
A female voice.
And it sounded like Angelina. My heart quickened in my chest as I pressed my body against the wall, listening to what they were saying.
"But what about us? You can't have forgotten what we went through." The female voice squeaked.
"That can't go on..." Alessandro answered. "It's Eva, Angelina."
"She's in the way?"
"Always. She's in the way of everything."
I felt pain spread through my chest. Was I some kind of burden? The pain turned to disgust and then to anger. I couldn't believe that he would claim that I was always in his way. He said that he wanted me around, he said he loved me and cared for me.
Tears began to form in my eyes. Angry tears. I stormed in and threw the tray on the floor, the glass smashing and the drink pouring all over the floor.
"Always in the way?" I challenged Alessandro. "Well, tell you what? I won't be in your way anymore. I'll leave. So that you can be happy, you selfish-"
"Don't speak to Sir like that." Angelina scolded.
I narrowed my eyes at her and gritted my teeth. God, all I wanted to do was pounce on her and rip every single hair out of her head. "Shut up."
Angelina gasped and looked towards Alessandro. But he was focused on me. His eyes were large with shock and he looked as though he had just seen a ghost. "Eva..."
"Don't speak to me. Don't even breathe around me. I can't stand you!" I shouted loudly. The tears were running down my cheeks and I felt my heart pricking with pain. Alessandro's face also formed pain and his eyebrows dropped in sorrow. His mouth opened to speak but I quickly stopped him.
"You're pathetic. A liar. A fake. I can't believe I trusted you. I should have known you'd throw my name to the ground.... I hate you, Alessandro."
I didn't mean any of those words. I loved him. I loved him so much and that's exactly why I was so heartbroken.
Because I thought he loved me too. But I was very wrong.
He's just like the rest of the people in my life. He used me and destroyed me piece by piece.
And I wouldn't let him. I wouldn't let him do what the others did.
I stormed out and ran down the hallway, avoiding the strange looks, and running towards my bedroom. I was prepared to leave tonight; I was prepared to leave if it meant I could avoid the pain that would soon come.
~
Awwwww my heart.
Raise your hand if you hate Angelina. *raises it highhhh*