The phone kept ringing for attention in the living room. Lily hurriedly draped the bathrobe around her still-wet body and picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Who is it, Lily?" Nonna asked, placing the knitted sweater on the table and sitting beside Rosalina near the fireplace to get some warmth. Outside the house, it was a cold, mundane, rainy day.
Nonno had gone hunting with her uncles and cousin Saint and will be back tomorrow while the three women nestled inside the house.
Lily, with a worried look on her beautiful face, said. "It was Sasha, the Salvadori's housekeeper... Elena... she died. Sasha asked us to attend her funeral."
"Died? How?" Rosalina asked, grabbing an apple from the fruit basket and leisurely taking a bite.
"She had a stroke..." Lily said woefully.
"I don't think Matteo will attend," Nonna said.
Of course, he won't.
Nonno would rather choose to step on burning coals than attend the funeral of a Salvadori.
"It's okay. I'll go attend." Lily paced to her closet and changed into a modest black dress and draped her lab coat over it. She snatched the car keys and hurried downstairs. She had told Sebastian she was going to see an outpatient and, thankfully, he believed her.
______________
The Salvatores gave her hateful looks and questioned why she was there, and gratefully Sasha defended her, telling them Elena wanted Lily to attend her funeral to pay respect.
Her eyes would occasionally skip around the men and some of them stared at her almost admiringly, besotted by her bewitching face, and a few even tried to flirt with her, so she stopped peeking curious glances at them.
Vincenzo Salvadori didn't attend his own grandmother's funeral? How odd. She thought.
She saw his brother; she guessed Leonardo Salvatore at a distance, with a melancholic expression plastered on his face.
The crowd dispersed. Friends and family members took off in their flashy cars, so she walked away from the family graveyard.
A bolt of lightning flashed in the sky and tiny droplets dribbled down from the clouds. Lily clutched her stomach, the menstrual cramps kicking her insides.
The rain got heavier. She spotted the nearest gazebo and ran towards it, lost her footing because of stupid heels, and tumbled down the harsh stone path, scraping her knee. She lifted her skirt to examine the wound, and it bled. Great! Just great! She hissed.
Just then, an enormous shadow hovered over her, sheltering her from the rain. She looked up, and she met with the silhouette of a tall man holding an umbrella over her head.
"Can you walk?" He asked, his voice so deep that it send butterflies aflutter in her stomach.
"Y-yeah." She got up but staggered when she felt another cramp kick in. The man held her by the waist and pulled her against him in a solid grip so she wouldn't fall again.
"Hold this." He said, handing her the umbrella. In one swift move, he scooped her up in his arms, princess-carrying her. She held on to his broad shoulders, afraid she might fall, but his hold felt secure.
"W-where are you taking me?" She asked.
"To the gazebo."
She followed his gaze and saw them heading to the gazebo. She wanted to kick herself for asking a stupid question.
He helped her get seated in the chair and swung his large black coat over her shoulders. The heat of his body clung to the fabric, providing warmth to her shivering body. She looked up at him, this time evidently reading his facial features. He was handsome, too handsome to be real. His hooded dark eyes studied her with an unreadable look, his black hair cut short and gelled back. It gave him a cold, brooding impression.
His well-built body was dressed in a black suit, enhancing his regalness, and giving him a deathly aura altogether.
Another cramp kicked. She clutched her stomach and winced.
"What happened?" He asked. For a moment, she thought he was concerned for her, but his stoic face said otherwise.
"Cramps..."
"Do you have a stomachache?"
She blushed and looked away. "I'm... on my period."
He came near her, slithering an arm around her shoulder and another beneath her knee, ready to carry her again. "Let's take you to the hospital, then."
She shivered and moved away from his hold as if his hands had static in them."No! I'll be fine once I get home and take my medicines." She said, staring at him wide-eyed.
He took out his phone from his pant pocket. "List them out. I'll tell my men to bring them here."
"I said it's fine. I just need some rest, that's all." She spoke immediately.
"Then it's better if you rest inside the mansion."
"No, I can't."
He narrowed his eyes at her. "Why not?"
She nervously looked around, searching if any of her nonno's men were around, monitoring her, and she didn't see anyone except for a few servants working for the Salvadori family and some other unfamiliar faces.
She hadn't told nonno she was attending Elena's funeral. If she had, then he wouldn't permit her to come here.
"B-because I'm not comfortable staying in a stranger's mansion..." she said, feeling stupid for not coming up with a better excuse. "I should leave now."
She got up, hugging herself from the frosty air, and was about to walk past him when he grabbed her wrist. "Then get used to it." He said in a threateningly calm voice.
She frowned. "Excuse me?"
"Are you really a doctor?" He mocked, his lips lifting into a small, amused smile.
"I am! Wait, how do you know that I'm a doctor?" She yanked her wrist from his hold, stepping back.
He came forward, one daunting step at a time, and she stepped back as if they were two of the same poles pushing each other away.
"I'm surprised you haven't asked who I am."
"Vincenzo Salvadori," she muttered in a shaky voice and hugged herself tighter. Her back hit the pillar of the gazebo, forcing a yelp out of her. He trapped her between him and the pillar.
How could she forget their first encounter that happened eight years ago? Back then, his face was a lot less roguish, a lot less sinister than it was now. She could never in her life, forget what he had told her that day.
'I would like to make you my wife, Lilliana.' She had called him a ridiculous man for what he said to her.
The strong masculine scent of cigars hazed her brain and she could no longer think straight.
His face inched closer, and she blinked furiously she heard him chuckle in her ear, deeply entertained by the anxiety he put her in. "You guessed it right, Dr. Russo."
This is the man Elena desperately wanted Lily to marry. Elena had told her a lot about him being the youngest Don at thirty. Quite an accomplishment compared to his merciless forefathers.
People called him the devil, for he brought hell upon whoever went against his wishes. Even to his own family members.
He pulled back, letting some space between them. Letting her breathe. "It's better if you take a rest inside the mansion. I can't let a lady stay out here in the cold."
___________________________
EIGHT YEARS AGO...Nonna was in a hurry to church. A friend’s husband had died, and nonna was needed there to console her. Whoever this ‘friend’ was, seemed very close to nonna, although she never mentioned this ‘friend’ before. As she followed nonna to a small hill leading to the church, Lily’s eyes wandered around, not really caring. That’s when she spotted a tall young and magnetically handsome man leaning against a black SUV parked in the steep driveway, with a lit cigarette between his fingers. He was looking up at the church as if he was waiting for someone. Lily had not intended to stare, but her eyes kept glued upon the man as she walked, and she tripped over a rock. “Lily!” Nonna turned around. “Careful, it’s slippery up here” “I’m fine,” Lily murmured. When she looked back at the man, her heart almost leaped. His gaze was now on her. She looked away immediately, flushed for no reason. “Bella!” She heard a plump old woman around nonna’s age practically running down from
PAK! The slap rang in the Russo mansion like warning bells. Lily touched her cheeks. It stung. She whimpered. A red handprint marring her beautiful face. "That's it! You are quitting your job! I'll find a Made Man you can marry. There is no use keeping a disobedient granddaughter around." Nonno bellowed, clenching his hands into fists. Sebastian stood at a distance, a guilt-ridden look on his face. He was loyal to his master. He had no choice but to inform him about Lily's visit to Elena Salvadori's funeral. After hearing this, nonno rushed back home, furious. Her heart pounded so fast it hurt. The last time she saw nonno so furious was the time she ran away with Ethan. "P-please. Anything but that! I-I can't quit! P-please, nonno!" She pleaded, on her knees, like the pathetic little thing she was. Nonno drew back as if he was sorry. "Stop being so dramatic! You won't die if you quit being a doctor. It's better if you get married before you get past your prime." "Quit shitting
Lily finished dabbing the foundation on her cheek to hide the bruise on her pale white skin. Her eyes were red and puffy after crying herself to sleep. Lily wasn't the type to overdo her makeup, she preferred being barefaced most times. "Does it look weird?" Lily asked her cousin Rose who was beside her with her arms crossed, staring at her. "Nope. The bruise is barely visible. I don't think anyone will notice." Rosalina grabbed a pink lipstick from her purse and applied the tint on Lily's lips. "A little more makeup won't hurt." Rose rubbed her lips together and Lily imitated her, spreading the strawberry-flavored pink on her lips. "All good now?" Lily asked for confirmation. "All good." Lily got up and picked up her handbag. "I'll head out now." And kissed her cheek. "Thanks for the makeup." Lily rushed downstairs to the kitchen to grab the homecooked lunch nonna had packed for her. She was already getting late for work. The moment she entered the kitchen the smell of somet
No, no, this can't be happening. This shouldn't be happening. Why is Nonno telling her to marry this man? What is going on? Several questions stormed inside Lily's head, and she couldn't come up with an answer to any of them. Her eyes darted between Enzo and Nonno, both of them glaring at her. "Sit," Nonno instructed, pointing at the nearest chair. His gray, flintstone-like eyes were so sharp they could draw blood. She did as he told, without uttering a sound. Now she sat in the middle of the two men, feeling like a deer trapped between two lions. She stared down at her lap and hoped a black hole would emerge beneath her feet and swallow her. Enzo got up, approached her, and reached his hand out to her face. As a response, she flinched away from a slap that never came. The pad of this rough thumb caressed her bruised cheek and surprisingly, it felt warm against her skin, contradicting his cold disposition. Enzo's eyes narrowed, oozing bloodlust. For a second she thought it was di
"Why did you agree to marry him, Lily?"Lily stopped brushing her silky brunette hair and glanced at Rose's reflection in the vanity mirror. Rose crossed her arms, a scowl marring her lovely face."This is the only way I can stop nonno from marrying me off some old man," Lily answered glumly and continued untangling her hair."He's not gonna marry you to some old geezer. He was gonna marry you off to the Armandos, and I heard Antonio Armando isn't an old geezer." Rose rebutted.Lily heaved a sigh. Antonio would be worse than an old geezer. "I had my own reasons to choose Enzo." She said. "I... trust him..."Rosalina glared at her. "You WHAT?""He's been honest with me the whole time even though he was insensitive about it..." Lily turned around to face Rose's hazel eyes, the golden specks glowering with anger."That won't change the fact that his family had my Papa killed!" Rose spat acid that corroded Lily's heart.Shakily, Lily held Rose's hands in hers. "I want to end this feud onc
"Why are we meeting the Russos again?" Leo's stomach growled like a starved wolf, restless for a hunt and craving to devour anything that it can sink its fangs in."They called us over for brunch." Enzo turned up the AC. The car got stuffier under the afternoon sun. Leo played Doja cat, then skipped to Drake. He sang along, bobbing his head in a rhythm with the tunes and screwing up the lyrics.He glanced at the rearview mirror. A black Bently and a Porche followed behind. "And why are we bringing our crackhead cousins along?" Leo raised an annoyed brow."Because they are our family." Enzo's eyes were glued to the road the whole time, his face rigid with authority. "And YOU, Leonardo, will make sure they behave. Is that clear?""Those clowns can babysit themselves." Leo drawled, yawning like a lazy tomcat.Enzo shot a deathly glare at his stupid brother. "If you screw up, Leo. I'll have your head impaled on a spike."Leo released a nervous chuckle. "Roger that." He scoffed."How is ev
"What are you doing here, dipshit?" Rosalina's high-pitched voice shot up and so did her perfect brows. "Just came by to check up on your sassy ass, little monster," Leo purred, his voice down in a seductive ripple. Lily laughed awkwardly. Standing in between their scorching glares made her release cold sweats. "Since when did you two get along? You even have cute nicknames for each other." She swore to god she didn't mean to sound so sarcastic. Lily did a poor job trying to lighten up the mood. Rosalina hurled a contentious look at her. "I wasn't talking to you, Lily." She barked. Ouch, that burned. Leo let out a mean chuckle, craning his neck forward to meet Rosalina's eye level. Well, you're being a bitch today. What got your panties twisted, hm?" Leo questioned. "Don't act like you don't know what you did," Rosalina growled at him. Leo laughed it off like he heard a damn funny joke. "We should stop hating each other so much. We're gonna be FAMILY after all." Rosalina stuc
Nonno ended the meeting in thirty minutes and the two Mafia heads arrived at the table, not to keep others waiting for too long.Lily's breath hitched when she spotted her devilishly handsome fiance. He wore white this time. A white shirt, black pants, and leather loafers, to be specific.The fabric clung to his chiseled body like a second skin and traces of black swirls of tattoos were vague through the thin material. She wanted to decode every bit of ink drawn on his tan skin that traveled all over his arms until it reached his wrists.Very much to her disappointment, he sat on her opposite instead of sitting beside her at the table, but he still held a soft gaze on her. Successfully making her heart flutter and blush crimson.The Salvadoris took over one side of the table and the Russos seized the other side. They were in the open surrounded by plantations and lush a garden bearing all kinds of sweet-smelling flowers. Yet she could barely breathe with so much animosity hanging in t