Sienna
Christian walks with me to Nico and Sylvana’s villa, which is on the same estate as this. I start telling him about Serena’s discovery, and when I conclude my story, he has an impassive look on his face.
“Allessio fucking Speranzini,” he says with disgust in his voice.
“I guess you know him, then?” I say sarcastically, knowing the reputation that bastard has and how they compare me to him in mafia circles.
“Know him? If I knew what the fucker did to you and your family back in New York, I would not have an accord with him right now.” He says.
I stop walking and look up at him. “You have an accord with my greatest enemy?”
He looks at me. “As I said, Sienna, if I knew he was the reason he caused you pain, I would not have met with him a year ago. You play your cards close to your chest; how was I supposed to know what you two meant to one another? I didn’t even know Serena was his daughter; in fact, no one I know is aware that he even has a daughter. He has a son he keeps close to him at all times since his eldest got killed.”
I don’t say anything to this, and Christian sighs. “If Allessio is behind Sylvana’s disappearance, I will find out. If you want, I can use our accord against him.”
I shake my head. “Allessio will have known you’re close to me by now and will use it against you instead. The man is cunning; he developed a bullet that shoots through bulletproof glass in one go. He did that just to get back at Dante.”
“Dante Dragonetti. If I knew you were his wife, I would never have imposed-”
“Wait, you didn’t know?”
Christian gives me an odd expression. “Sienna, no one in the underground families from Russia to Greece and even Japan, knew that Dante even had a wife or daughter. We have all assumed that you were the older sister who has decided to take over.”
I blanch at this. “What? But how can that be?”
“Dante was a very secretive man, Sienna. If he didn’t want you to know something, you would have been blind up until the truth was revealed. It did well in keeping you safe all this time.” He says and tilts my chin to look at him. “Is this the reason you’re so sad during winter?”
“Yes,” I say, not meeting his eye, but he seems to understand. “Alright, then I will no longer push the issue if it makes you uncomfortable.” He says, letting go of my chin, then following my lead as we walk.
No one knows I’m Dante’s wife; no one even knew he had one. I need to test this theory before I just blindly believe Christian. He’s sweet and all, but now that I know that he has ties to the man who ruined my life, I don’t trust him as much as I used to.
“This makes absolutely no sense; why wait ten years to turn traitor?” He asks, snapping me out of my thoughts. I shake my head. “That is exactly what I asked myself, but I have yet to come to an answer.”
Christian looks over at Nico’s villa, then glances towards me. “Give me a few days, and I’ll look into it. For now, let's hear what Nico has to say in all of this; perhaps we missed something.”
I nod, but before I can reply, Nico rushes outside, and when he sees Christian, a frown crosses his brow. “What is he doing here?” He asks.
“Christian was with me when you called, Nico. He might be able to help in all of this. Now, please tell me what happened here.” I say, walking towards him. He sighs and shakes his head.
“I’ve been out at Mestizo’s since noon and told her that I will be back before five. When I got home, I noticed the quiet and found this on the refrigerator door.” He says, handing over a small piece of paper.
/‘Don’t come looking for us - S’/
“It’s her handwriting; I would recognise it a mile away.”
“But why would she leave? Were you guys fighting a lot, arguing?” I ask, trying to make sense of this situation, but Nico shakes his head. “We argue as much as any couple, but never for more than an hour or so. We always make up in the end, but our fights aren’t anything serious. More about doing the dishes or taking out the trash, you know, normal stuff.”
I nod. “So, what could have made her run? Is there anything I should know, Nico?”
Nico narrows his eyes at me. “Is there anything you’re assuming, Sienna?” He asks with an edge to his voice, but I shake my head. “Not at all.”
“I think what Sienna means is has Sylvana been acting strange lately?” Christian steps in between us and places a hand on the small of my back.
Nico looks Christian up and down with a stony expression on his face, then he sighs. “No, not at all. We were planning on going to Paris over Christmastime with the kids and even went to a travel agent to plan an itinerary.” He says, shaking his head and scoffing.
So they were planning to go away at Christmas, then? And no one told me anything….
“So, Sylvana would have no reason to leave, then?” Christian says and looks towards me.
“What if someone took her? Made her leave after threatening her?”
Nico shakes his head. “Not my Sylvana, never,” he says.
It’s true; Sylvana used to be a mafia boss and always had her wits about her. She’s the toughest woman I know; so why would she leave the love of her life?
I place a hand on Nico’s shoulder. “We’ll find her, I promise,” I say, and Nico nods, but then he looks at Christian and scowls. “This is a family matter; he shouldn’t be here.”
“Nico,” I start and pinch the bridge of my nose. “Christian has people monitoring the ports as well as the airports and any exit from Italy. We need him right now,” I say, repeating what Christian had told me after he got off the phone in my office.
Nico’s mouth is a thin line, but he eventually nods and turns to walk back inside his empty home. “I suppose I should alert Dario and Serena,” I sigh, shaking my head. “This will push Serena over the edge.”
Christian takes my hand and leads me back inside the villa. “We need to think with a clear head, and I do not think it’s best to think about fifty things at once. Focus on the fact that Sylvana has suddenly gone missing after Serena found out she has been meeting with a person connected to Allessio Speranzini.”
I look up at Christian and frown. “What are you implying?”
He sighs. “Sienna, Sylvana might not be the same woman she was when she married Nico. I want to meet with Allessio, but I can’t exactly do that right after Sylvana disappears; it will send alarm bells ringing. Let me see what I can find out, okay?”
I nod as we get to the door of the villa but then Christian’s phone rings. He smiles at me apologetically and walks off to answer it; I don’t find this odd because I do the exact same thing when it comes to our work. I might be the woman Christian wants, but I am still a Mafioso.
I watch the sunset casting a hue over the garden and sigh; I don't remember the last time I even went into a garden, much less planted, potted or sketched. My life took a different turn in Italy, and it makes me realise that I have come a long way from being that bird in a golden cage.
“Honey,” Bamba walks towards me with a swagger in her step and twirls. “Notice anything different?” She asks with a smile on her face, but when I narrow my eyes to look at her, the smile drops. “You don’t.”
Her disappointment makes my heart crack, and I wrap my arms around her. “I’m sorry, Bamba. I just have a lot on my mind right now.” I say, letting go and placing my hands on her shoulders. She pouts but knows what I mean when I say this.
A whistle sounds behind us, and Christian saunters in. “Wow, Bamba, that is one beautiful dress; you should wear ones like that more often. It accentuates your curves well.” He says with that dreamy smile Bamba loves so much, and I can literally see her swooning.
“Thank you, Christian. At least someone noticed my change in dress type,” she says, raising her eyebrow at me, and I roll my eyes. She then kisses me on the cheek and saunters to her room upstairs.
I look at her walking away from me and sigh. “I just can’t please them all,” I murmured to myself, but I think Christian heard me because he came up from behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. “No, you can’t. So just start with one,”
Turning my head to look at him, I frown. “And who might that be?” I ask with a raised eyebrow.
Christian chuckles. “Yourself. If you’re not happy, everyone will feel it since you’re who they look to for strength.” He says and kisses my cheek before letting go of me and turning me around. “I have to leave for a bit, duty calls. Don’t forget about our date tomorrow - 1 PM, wait for me.”
“I’ll be waiting,” I say with a smile and Christian winks at me before walking out of the villa.
Happiness? I don’t think I know how to feel that anymore.
SiennaI wake up the following morning with a body pressed up against me, and when I open my eyes, I see Daniella’s sleepy face. Smiling, I decided to savour the moment instead of sprinting out of bed like I usually do.Christian’s words about making myself happy first are still ringing in my head. I don’t know the first thing about keeping myself happy, much less keeping this family happy. But if they are continually looking to me for guidance and support, should I really continue as I have? God knows that I’ve had enough of stewing in this pit of despair, and ten years is a long time…Even though Dante’s body was not recovered in the flames, I never gave up on finding him. Everyone thought I was crazy, following up on leads when someone would spot a person bearing his resemblance, but I loved him so much that I would have moved mountains to see him again.It is only recently I am realising that he mi
Sienna“Not even a clue?” I ask, seeing nothing but darkness and hearing Christian chuckle.“Sienna, this is supposed to be a surprise. Stop asking questions, or I’ll turn this SUV around right now.”“You sound like a parent,” I say, almost rolling my eyes, but it was difficult with a blindfold on. “Ha! Does that mean I get to reprimand you with my belt?”I shake my head. “I can’t deal with you, I really can’t,” I say, tutting at the fact that he turns everything into a dirty joke.We’ve been driving for about ten minutes, Christian blindfolded me as soon as I got into the car, and I am only realising now how my guard had dropped. He can literally do whatever he pleases with me, even take me to Allessio, and it will be all my fault.With my heart in my throat, it occurs to me that I’m vulnerable right now. Fuck!“We’r
SiennaI pick up the sunflower with trembling fingers, too terrified to even open the door and see who threw this here. Only my family and Christian knew that these were my favourite, so who the hell was that and what could this mean?Hearing footfalls on the gravel again, I shove the flower into my handbag and point the Beretta towards the door when it opens.“Easy, there, it’s only me!” Christian says with wide eyes and his hands up in surrender.I lower the weapon and put it back in my bag, noting Christian’s pale face and laboured breathing. For a split second, I forgot that he took a hit before he went searching for the assailant. “We need to get you to a hospital!” I exclaim and move closer to him, ripping open his leather jacket.There’s a lot more blood than I expected.“I’m fine-”“You are obviously not fine!” I exclaim, gesturing for a b
Sienna/“I hope one day… you’ll love me as much… as you love Dante’s ghost….”/These words echo in my mind as I approach my villa, and the guilt gnaws away at my insides. I don’t know how I am going to make this up to Christian, but I think he deserves a lot more than just one kiss after two years of courting.I don’t see Dario and Serena’s cars outside the villa; however, I do see Nico standing by his car and watching the driveway. He kills the cigarette in his hand when he sees me and waves at me before walking over.“Hey, Nico,” I greet him as I get out. He sees the blood on my dress and frowns.“What the fuck happened? Are you okay?” He asks. I don’t have time for fake concern, so I nod and continue on my way.Nico runs up behind me and pulls me by the wrist. “There’s something you should know about Drakos,&r
SiennaWith four men at my side, I enter the hospital to check on Christian. Last night I had made up my mind to allow him to pursue me and give in to his advances to get what I want. I never had to resort to this in ten years, and I used to pride myself on it, but things have changed.My family is in danger, and at this point, I will do anything to protect them.The bodyguards were still stationed outside Christian’s room when I approached, but they stopped me as I moved to open the door. “Sorry, orders from Madam Cirillo to not allow anyone inside until she’s come out,” he tells me with the twang of a Russian accent.I frown but nod at this anyway and walk towards the chairs opposite the room. So Marla is here, then - great. As if I’m in the mood to deal with her arrogance right now, especially after her nephew took a bullet for me.Half an hour later, the door opens, and she walks out - tall, model-
Sienna “I promise I’m fine, Sienna; there’s absolutely no reason to worry about me.” Christian has been complaining non-stop since we left the hospital. Apparently, I’m being too soft with him, like he didn’t just take a bullet that miraculously missed his vital organs. “I’ll stop worrying when you’re not clutching your side whenever you sit down. Now shut up and let me tend to you,” I say while adjusting the pillow behind him. He’s currently recovering in my villa; Marla okayed it with me and told him he needs to take it easy until the threat has been diffused. You try telling that to a hardened mafia leader. It’s been three days since Christian was released from the hospital, and I’m finding that I don’t even have to pretend with my affection for him. I do fear that if we had to kiss again, it would lead to something else, so I’m keeping him sort of at arm’s length for now. He looks at me with a soft smile playing on his lips. “You’re spoiling me; I don’t want to get used to th
Sienna The cold chills me to the bone as I walk along the pier. I know that I needed to be seen out and about without the aid of Serena or Dario because, as far as Allessio knows, they got taken out in the car crash. I have this working for me, as well as Christian’s connections and a possible accord with Arman Kuznetsov. If I play this right, I will be a few moves ahead of Allessio and could win this game with my eyes closed. But I can’t celebrate just yet; there’s still much to do. My cell phone rings, shaking me out of my reverie, and when I look down at the caller ID, I already know what to expect. “Sienna,” Christian’s low, calm voice comes through and momentarily stuns me. I expected a shouting match or even a demand to come back, but not this. “Christian. Are you feeling better after your rest?” I ask, trying not to give away how his voice unnerved me. “Hmm,” he says, “I made my way to your room to find out if you would like to have afternoon tea with me, only to find ou
Sienna “New York? You’re going back to New York after all this time? Why??” Christian asks me when I eventually start telling him of my plans. We are seated next to one another on a plush L-shaped couch in the sunroom. I shrug. “I need all the allies I can get right now, Christian and my allies in New York are as important to me as the ones here. I cannot pass on this opportunity.” I say as I take a sip of my sweet tea. Christian looks as if he wants to add something else, but he simply sighs and looks at me, exasperated. “If you feel that it is necessary, then I will not stop you. But any sign of danger, any at all, you need to call me and let me know.” He says and reaches over to take my hand while giving me a strained smile. I still don’t understand why he feels so strongly about me when it feels like Dante has completely ruined me for other men. “Christian,” I start, “What exactly is it about me that attracts you? Clearly, I still have a lot of personal issues I am dealing wi