“Don’t panic-““Don’t panic?!” Liviana repeats in a hiss, asking if he was joking. “Do you not see me? Already panicking?” She asks, pointing to herself in a show of how ridiculous of a thing he had just said to her. “It’s a little too late for that, don’t you think?!”“Relax,” Blaze hisses back, telling her to take a breath. “You don’t know why they’re here,” he points. “They could just be here to arrange that dinner they were talking about, or to visit, or they’re looking for you- you just don’t know. You can’t panic until we know something’s wrong.”“Them even being here is wrong!” She argues, and she makes a point Blaze can’t exactly argue with because it was true.“You’re right,” he admits. “They shouldn’t be here. But they are.”“Exactly!” She shouts. “It’s wrong. Therefore, something is wrong and I should panic, because something is wrong!”“So we handle it,” he grits, his patience thinning with his own panic as he tells her she needed to pull herself together. “We don’t panic.
For as long as she could remember, Liviana had always had a complicated relationship with her parents. The Santora’s, in general, were a very complicated family full of complex dynamics, as their family was tattered with years of abuse and generational trauma. They were an enigma that not even they could figure out.Ben, as the oldest, was automatically his parents’ favorite. He was their first heir and the next king of the Santora business. And though Drusilla and Alonzo absolutely adored him for those mere factors, they could never show it. Instead, they showed their affection through work, whipping him up into a fine young leader, and turning him into the best man they could ever help him be. It was too bad he never got the chance to be anything more.Tino was the difficult child, often left to his own devices, and his parents’ neglect was their love. They didn’t pay him mind and so he often missed out on all the abuse tactics his siblings faced. Up until his big brother died, at l
The door is pulled open and Liviana, before she could call herself prepared, finds herself face to face with Drusilla, who scoffs.“Finally!” The mother exclaims, taking hold of her daughter’s wrist and yanking her into the kitchen.“Oh-“ Liviana gasps as she’s pulled inside, nearly falling over herself as she’s pushed toward her father, feeling Drusilla’s hands delivering a shove to her shoulder.“What on earth took you so long?” Drusilla complains, cutting Liviana off before she could so much as speak, deciding that it didn’t matter. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter. The important thing here, the one that we need to talk about, is this arrest.”This is when Blaze takes his cue, coughing as he steps into the kitchen. “That won’t be necessary,” he tells, and all heads turn to him.Drusilla grits. “What?”“The arrest has been handled,” he shrugs it off.“Handled?” The woman echoes, watching as he nods. “Handled how, exactly?”“What does it matter?” He asks. “So long as it’s handled, the
Time. It was a funny thing. Confusing and scary, dreadful. For some, it was much more positive than that. They found hope in time. "Time heals all wounds." They looked forward to the next day ⏤ the next week ⏤ month ⏤ year, and so on. They anticipated getting older and the change that time would bring them. The wisdom and knowledge ⏤ the experiences they would have in that time, the ones you're told to enjoy because they happen in the best years of your life and time flies, so you're supposed to enjoy it while it lasts. Liviana never knew what the hell those people were talking about. "Time flies," yet her days dragged on until she gave up and ended them early, crawling into her bed at merely 6pm just to make it feel like the day was over and she had made it. "Time heals all wounds," but why hadn't it healed hers? She still sat in pain, waiting for it to lessen with each passing day, but it never did. If anything, it only hurt worse. Time is something Liviana hated. She loath
"I can't do it Livi. I have to go ⏤ I have to run." "No, you can't!" "I do." Emilia says, cupping her little sister's cheek, a sad smile gracing her lips. "And I need you to let me." "But what about me? A- And Tino?" Liviana stutters out excuses, trying to find a reason for her sister to stay. "You can't leave us here. We won't make it. We need you." "You don't need me." Emilia assures. "You never did. You're strong Livi, you always have been. The only thing I did was remind you." "And I need you to keep reminding me." "You don't." She shakes her head, pulling the girl into a hug when the tears start to fall. "You don't need me, Livi, you never have. If anything, I needed you." "Then why are you leaving me?" Liviana cries, burying her face into her sister's shoulder as she holds onto her tightly, as if it was the last hug they would ever have. As far as she knew, it was. "I'm not leaving you. I'm leaving them." She corrects. "I can't marry a man I've never met. I can't marry s
"He's here." The words Liviana Santora had been anticipating all week, ever since she made the deal of marrying Blaze in place of her sister, just so Emilia could be free. Livi had spent the past seven days preparing for this moment, the moment she would meet the man she was to spend the rest of her life with. But despite all the time she took to in convincing herself everything would be fine, she still couldn't help but panic at her brother's words. He was here. Blaze Castelli ⏤ her fiance ⏤ the man she was marrying in only a few days, and the one she hadn't met yet. How was she supposed to marry a man she's never even met? Well, she figured they had the rest of their lives to get to know each other. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe Emilia was wrong and this wouldn't be the thing to end her life ⏤ maybe it was the thing that would finally start it. "Take a deep breath." Tino advised, placing his hands on her shoulders, trying to comfort her in any way he could, though he wasn'
The two families sat at the large dining table together, Liviana placed between Leona and Tino, sitting across from Blaze, who still refused to acknowledge her existence. Silence surrounded them and so far, no one dared to break it. Liviana sat nervously in her seat, lip pulled between her teeth as her eyes traveled over the new faces surrounding her, anxiously awaiting to see who would speak first. She didn't have to wait long. "The food is lovely." Elara compliments, looking over the Santora's in question. "Who made it?" "The chef." Alonso answers. Elara nods. "Well, they did a wonderful job." Drusilla nods with a smile, quietly agreeing with her, though says nothing else ⏤ about to allow the silence to return. But Elara wouldn't let that happen. "So, Liviana, tell us about yourself." She says, asking a question when Livi draws a blank. "How old were you again?" "I'm twenty-four." Comes Liviana's answer, still clearly uncomfortable as she only glances up at her, focusing her
Dinner ended soon after that, when Elara brought up the possibility of Liviana becoming the next mafia queen.Conversation died down and as soon as their dishes were empty, everyone rushed off in desperation of getting away from the tension that just kept getting thicker with each passing second, suffocating them all slowly.“Blaze, Liviana, could you follow us up to the office, please?” Alonzo requests, his respectful side coming out for their guests. It was a tone rarely heard within the four walls of the Santora’s home, not unless there was someone Alonzo and Drusilla wanted to impress.Liviana ducks her head, giving a curt nod as she pushes out of her seat, following her parents and the three Castelli’s out of the dining room, leaving the rest behind to mingle.“You have a lovely home.” Elara compliments as they walk the halls leading to Alonzo’s office.“Thank you, Elara. We try our best to keep it perfect.” Drusilla says, glancing back at her daughter with a judgemental glint in