Salviana was almost finished with her serving of macaroni salad when Lanaya glanced at her. She looked like she had been starving for weeks, the way she was eating. She glanced around quickly and saw that the other women were busy eating and chatting.They had all shown unending tolerance for her difficulties. Although she was grateful for their concern, Lanaya couldn't help but worry whether they saw her as a bother. She stared dejectedly at the meager meal before her. Served with a tiny slice of garlic bread, meat stew, and macaroni salad.Following the men's attempt to force her to eat pizza the night before, she attempted to eat. But Lanaya had thrown up after eating just a mouthful of steamed carrot. The women hadn't grumbled; they'd only explained that Lanaya couldn't eat much because she hadn't been eating much. They also assured Lanaya that she would recover fully and be able to eat as much as she liked so long as she remained in a positive, loving, and supportive environment.
As the man carefully tended the cuts on her hands, Lanaya bit the inside of her cheek. Salvetti stared at her hands as he crossed his arms across his chest and leaned against the wall across from her. Salvetti was told to go by the man she later found out was called Doc.Salvetti merely frowned back and resumed his watch post-duty. Doc rolled his eyes and mumbled about how boys might be stubborn and pick up terrible habits from their mothers. Nonetheless, she did notice the striking similarities between Salvetti and Doc.I thought Salviana mentioned that her dad was a doctor. I thought Salvetto's father was the Capo.Is there anything else in the area, and Lanaya is just making up these crazy stories to explain what happened a few minutes ago?The smelling salts or whatever it was that awakened her after Salvetti had rushed her unconscious body to Doc's room had worked. Surprisingly, she hadn't been as nervous as she usually was around new people after seeing Doc. This may be because
Salvetti spent the remainder of the afternoon preparing his tasks for the day and responding to emails in his office. He had more important things to do than respond to emails, yet he occasionally had to do it. The other Familia bosses would take it personally if he or the Capo didn't answer the phone.Thankfully, Lanaya had also spent the remainder of the afternoon working from his office. He probably thought she was still too fresh to be out and about and that her social battery was almost dead. Though it may have been selfish, he enjoyed having her close by. Because she was spending time with Carter and Travis instead of him, Salvetti began to secretly plan their elimination.More times than he cared to count, he had to convince himself that Lanaya did, in fact, sort of trust them and that they would lay down their lives to defend her. The two had attempted to learn Jenga from one another, with Carter attempting to instruct. He felt like poking Carter's eyes out with a pencil at th
This picture showed a nine-and-a-half-year-old Salvetti clutching a sleepy-looking infant. Her dark, curly hair flowed over his shoulder and chest, and she wore just a diaper. Her eyes were half closed, and she had an irritated expression. The baby had one hand clutched in Salvetti's shirt and the other folded beneath her.The day the shot was taken was etched in Salvetti's mind.The family hosted a dinner party and invited friends, neighbors, and even adversaries. This was because the money man' of the familia had married a member of another family, solidifying their affiliation with both families. Salvetti wanted the party to finish, but he had two reasons why he couldn't return to his room.The first is that given his status (he was, after all, expected to become Capo at a young age), it would be insulting if he were to leave the party prematurely. The fact that he was a child and, as such, should be sleeping heavily had no bearing on the problem. In fact, he was expected to stay u
Salvetti accessed the file in an attempt to extend Carter's life. There were some color images and several blacks and white ones within."What is this?"Andrew's personal note. That was the response, with Travis frowning at Carter's muddled description of the game of Uno. "He just received this and thought you'd like it," she said.Salvetti shot an icy glance at Travis. Andrew was arbitrary in his information sharing, only doing so when he felt like it. It was as if Salvetti weren't Capo bound and was simply another regular soldier. He decided to put it out of his mind for the time being and instead concentrate on the photographs. The first two depicted a severely underweight adolescent girl, her hair almost in a ponytail. She looked up at the man next to her with a frown.Salvetti speculated that the guy was Raphael's second in command, even though he was out of frame. When she looked at anyone else, it was as if she were plotting out cunning methods to eliminate him and dispose of h
Several days later, Lanaya became disoriented in the big house. She didn't want to cause anybody else's feelings to be damaged by having another "drama," no matter how well-intentioned the folks were. Thus, she bypassed the ladies' room in favor of the men's, only to discover it deserted.She exhaled heavily and gave Carter a perplexed look. He had joked with her that although the guys did work every day, the night shift workers normally spent the day sleeping or working out."Graveyard shift?" A query was raised by her. She had no idea how she would handle everyone if Carter was telling the truth, and more men were working around the property than she had seen in the rec room during her visits."We don't stop working simply because the sun has set. We may be attacked at any minute."She acknowledged that with a nod. Could it be that the individuals she met liked her, but others she hadn't met yet probably felt she was too rigid? Is that why, when she woke up, he shouted those nasty t
The man sat back on his haunches and scowled at her. For some reason, the presence of this man made it difficult for Lanaya to take a deep breath. Until Salvetti lost it, the only persons who had come near her proximity were Salvetti and Salviana, and sometimes Travis and Carter.With the man's raised hand, Lanaya's eyes shut reflexively. She held her breath, praying against hope that he wouldn't take advantage of her confidence. She felt faint and weak since oblivion was so close at hand. She flinched as his fingers gently trailed down her head. Her eyes opened again, and she looked up into his.Today's extended eye contact went a bit too far.She took in a breath, despite the dampness in her mouth. He had no intention of harming her.You undoubtedly are Lanaya. In a low voice, he said. "My name is Barrow."She gave him the side eye and grimaced. Barrow? I seem to recall that Blondie–Claire called Sasha once when she struggled to move something big.Do you happen to be Sasha's -?Yes
Carter saw her waiting for him in the corridor, looking at the limp bundle in her arms. Lanaya panicked despite being aware of the proper course of action. Is dog food even available there? Is having a dog a possibility if Salvetti? Will the rest of them? Suppose she made a mistake and it passed away.How tragic would it be if it passed away even if she hadn't made a mistake?As Carter approached to stand at her side, she felt his presence but could not tear her gaze from the baby in her arms. Was it a lost cause?Just take a look at it. Carter's enthusiasm made her leap out of her skin. "Puppyhood has arrived at your doorstep. How would you honor him with a moniker?"The pupils of Lanaya's eyes dilated. She, too, had to come up with a moniker, right?She stared at the package helplessly, as if the puppy would eventually extend its slobbery snout and give her instructions."Consider it from this angle." Carter gave it another go, this time swallowing with apprehension. Did she do some