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Abrianna wasted no second in stepping forward and slapping River hard. The impact had her stumbling back, but Mateo was there to keep her on her feet.
"You manipulative bitch!" She spat.
"Mama, enough!" Alessio stepped in but she pushed him back by his chest and turned to River. "Wait and see you vermin, I will take away your family like you did mine!"
Mateo was red with anger. He was about to give her a piece of his mind but was cut off.
"Huh?" Alessia voiced out, gaining all of their attention.
River's cheek burned and she could taste the metal inside but she wasn't going to rub it and give her the satisfaction of having hurt her.
"Nonna, you fucking invited that bastard back into my house!" Alessia screamed. "You fucking tried to tear me apart once again!"
"Alessia, how dare-"
"NO!" She screamed again making Katrina and River flinch. She looked so much in pain and this time, she was not going to keep it all in, and for that both of the women were proud of her.
Mateo's arms tightened around River and she looked up at him. His eyes were on her cheek which was most probably red and swollen by then. River's eyes were teary from the impact and she was sure that her dumb-ass must have mistaken it for emotional tears.
"I didn't keep mum because I was going to comply with whatever decision you were making today! I kept mum because I wanted to see what my brother and Papa would do about this whole situation! I wanted to see if they will choose me or the fucking mafia!" She yelled.
"Honey, it's not like that!" Katrina grabbed her daughter's arm.
"IT IS LIKE THAT!" She screamed. "You all weren't there for me when I was weak. Now you are taking my side when I am more than capable of standing up for myself!"
She took a deep breath and lowered her voice. "The world could be ending but I won't go back to that guy. Deal with it Nonna." And she turned to River. "Come on River. We are flying back to New York tomorrow. We need to do the packing."
"See, it's she who has manipulated my grandchildren."
"Ugh, give it a rest woman!" River finally said and looked up at her. "I have nothing to do with this family. I am your grandson's baby mama and granddaughter's good friend. That's all I am. Don't blame this decade old feud on me!" River then turned to Alessio and Katrina. "I am sorry both of you. It was really nice meeting you." The two just smiled back sadly and she walked away from the tense room with Alessia by her side, linking her arm with hers.
As soon as the two women reached Alessia's room, River closed the door behind her after peeking at the corridors. "I was actually expecting her to come at me with an elephant gun or something!" River said finally to which Alessia laughed out loud.
"Oh trust me River, if it wasn't for Mateo, she actually would have." She chuckled as she quickly grabbed her weapon bag, the only luggage she carried around.
"Well, technically I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for Mateo so..."
"Which reminds me, you will have to deal with his pettiness and anger and childishness now."
"Why?" River asked, confused. What did she do now?
"You will see." Alessia shook her head, feeling sorry for the clueless doctor but also very excited for the drama that were to unravel between the two.
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"Mateo, I am asking you something!" River screeched at the stupid dumb-ass who was giving her the silent treatment for the last half an hour.
"MATEO!"
"PAPA!"
The both of them turned around to see Kiara standing there, her hands in fist on both her sides. River looked down at her posture to realize that her little girl was imitating her.
"Well, if it isn't Dr. River Johnson Lite." River rolled her eyes before walking towards her little princess. "Where's your brother?"
"With Nonno and Nonna." She shrugged. "You were missing for soooo long that I came looking for you."
River smiled. "You missed me?"
She nodded her head seriously. "I always miss you." She wrapped her arms around her neck and River picked her up.
"Only her?" Finally, the stone had decided to speak.
"I missed you too Papa." Kiara said matter-of-factly while River smiled and pressed a kiss to her soft soft cheek.
'My little baby!'
"Doesn't look like it." He muttered.
'Oh my god, what the hell was he being so petty for?'
"Mommy, what did you do now?" Kiara asked her mother. River turned to her and gave her a confused and annoyed mixed into one look.
"Why do you think I did something?" She asked her.
"Because Papa acts like that when you do something he doesn't like." Kiara said, facing her mother while pointing at her Papa.
"Act like what?" He asked, hands on hips.
Jeez these drama queens.
"Pity!" She exclaimed.
Mateo gave her a confused look.
"Petty." River corrected, because she was wondering why he was behaving that way and knew just the right word to fit the description.
"Yeah!" She nodded.
"I am not being petty."
"Yes you are!" Both of the girls retorted in unison and gave him identical pointed looks.
"That's it. I am going to find my son." He growled and walked out on them while they watched him, confused.
"What did you do now Mommy?" Kiara asked with a pout, still looking at the door her Papa had walked out of.
'What exactly did I do now?'
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"What the hell did I do?" River wondered out loud.
"You are so thick." Alessia snickered. "And not where you need to be."
River turned to look at her, narrowing her eyes at the Italian Goddess as she passed the dried plates to the help.
"You can never sit still somewhere, now can you?" Katrina walked in. "You need to keep doing something, don't you?"
River shrugged, "I am used to working all the time."
Abrianna was throwing a tantrum, not talking to anyone and locking herself inside her room, the maids bringing her food and other necessities.
She was being unreasonable and horrendous with the whole Antonio thing but she was a very elderly woman, the eldest of this family and it was kind of saddening to watch her be like that though she meant nothing to River. And according to Katrina, she hadn't even properly met the twins which the surgeon doubted she will do anytime soon after the little stunt Mateo and she had pulled last day.
Mateo had been missing from the moment River woke up. He wasn't present for breakfast. Alessio said that he had send him on some important work but the cryptic eye-roll on Alessia's part told her that it was something else.
River still hadn't figured out what she had done to piss him off nor had he talked to her all night last day but honestly, she was sort of getting used to his mood swings so she was just focusing on her family and spending as much time as she could with them before they were separated again.
Sebastian, Alison, Jacqueline and Mia had actually decided to stay in Italy some more and have a road trip of some sort, of which she was extremely jealous because she hadn't gotten a chance to properly tour even Amalfi. The only part of it she had seen was the private part of the beach attached to the mansion. And they were going back that evening. Life really wasn't fair to her.
A pang of guilt hit River as soon as she remembered the reason why they were going back so early in the first place.
A person was dead.
Yes, she was the same one who kidnapped her children and tried to get her killed and she had wished that she could be the one to kill her but she was dead now. And brutally murdered at that. And all of a sudden, there was no reason or target for all of River's anger or hatred. What is the use of hating a dead woman? Someone who was becoming dirt.
UGH!
"Mommy!!" Lucas crashed into the kitchen door before launching himself at his mother.
"Whoa, slow down young man!" Alessia laughed as he knocked the air out of River with the impact.
"What's up baby?" She asked him deliberately, knowing very well how much he hated that. She couldn't help it. The angry irritated pout that formed right after was the cutest expression on earth! And he had gotten it from his father. Sigh.
"Mommy, I am not a baby!" He whined, shaking his head, his long curls jumping around as he did. His hair needed a bit of trimming, so did Mateo's. But it looked like he was planning on growing them; he was starting to tie a bit of it at the back of his head.
River nodded with a serious understanding expression on her face. "I know I know. It's just that now that you are not a baby anymore and all grown up, Mommy has grown old and she doesn't remember things anymore."
Confusion followed by concern quickly flashed through his face. "You will become old if I am not a baby anymore?" He asked, his voice dripping with worry.
River nodded while Alessia pouted behind him at how adorable he is, clutching her chest.
"Then I am still a baby!" He decided, fist up and all.
"Really?" His mother asked, laughing. He nodded, his eyes closed and his resolve clear.
The two had the most adorable babies in the whole wide world.
"Okay, so tell me why you were looking for Mommy in the first place and where's your sister?" River asked, poking at his already pink nose.
"Oh..." Lucas suddenly looked alarmed. "Ki fell down. Nonno's calling for you!"
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