~VITTORIA~
*Present*"What were you thinking, you bitch?! Going to stab an Angentero?!"I was used to him calling me a bitch. I could almost bet on him that he sometimes forgot my name for real.And when I thought about it, how else was a bitch supposed to act? Exactly like one.Like a bitch.I rolled my eyes at my father, Tiziano knowing it would infuriate him more than he was. I took up my hand from the top of my crossed legs and stared at my fingernails boredly. If only he knew about me and Roman Argentero, he would have been thankful to me, that I had in fact attempted to inflict the littlest pain on him."Are you trying to start a war, Vittoria?!!" He yelled in my ear which threatened my ear drums' health a bit.That was a pleasant surprise.I scoffed. "One point for you calling me by my name. Who knows before the end of the year, you would have earned one more."He slammed his hand on the table in front of him but it did not make me flinch. I was used to him. And I was used to this."If we were not related, your tongue would be on this fucking table right now!" He cursed out. I could see his ears turning red with anger.And that was when he knew to show his strength, only when it came to his own blood. Whenever it came to the Argenteros, he was suddenly impotent.It was just both of us in the living room while his men were outside together on the front porch with Nicola. After the incident at the Argentero territory two days ago, for some reason best known to him, he had surprisingly waited until this moment to address the situation."Guess it's my lucky day yet again," I mumbled before dropping my hand and looking up at him. "I should start writing my will just in case you change your mind someday."While being a female born into the Cosa Nostra and Tiziano's family in particular was already a lifelong curse and punishment on its own from birth, trying to please Tiziano and get him to acknowledge me for once was like falling into a black hole and expecting to see a colourful bouquet of flowers waiting for you.Tiziano and I had never had a loving father-daughter relationship since I knew what knives could do to a human body and I had just only been six then. He had never failed to remind me of how useless I was for not being the male child he needed and someone who could take over his Mafia business. Growing up was just learning how to be the child he wanted, toughening up and living for him.But clearly, Tiziano was an insatiable man.Every time I looked into his eyes, hatred stared back at me and although he was bad when Isabelle and Mother were around, he became even worse when they died.Now he looked like he would have appreciated it if I went along with them."You are not to cause any trouble until we have dinner at the Agenteros and plan your marriage with the first son." He said in a threatening voice, his average and chubby stature stepping forward to where I sat.I snapped my head at him and cocked up an eyebrow, everything finally started making sense to me and getting me pissed off. That had been why he had taken me without any trouble then.He had been impotent yet again.And to do what? Marry into the Argentero family? And not to say, Roman Argentero of all people? A man I hated much more out of all the Angenteros?He was fucking going crazy."What do you mean marrying the first son of the Angentero household?" I hissed at him with a glare. "Why?!""You don't deserve any explanation! You just do as you are told!!" He roared."I'm not going to do that. You're sending me off to them? Just like you did with Isabelle? Have you got no fucking shame and remorse?!" I shouted back at him, standing to my feet.My jaw was gritted together from how furious I was and I hated the fact that I just also had to inherit Tiziano's short temper and anger.He stepped closer to me and before I could even think, he hit me across the face twice on the cheeks."Talk to me that way one last time and I would not take into consideration that we share the same blood. Be ready by five in the evening tomorrow or you'll regret the rest of your life." He spat out, brushing his shoulders past me and heading towards his office.My cheeks were hurting from that as I dashed out of the house and headed to my car with Nicola. Some of Tiziano's men who also worked for me, hurried after me."Get this damn car started!" I hissed at them impatiently and they scurried around.It was not like I had any choice when it came to Tiziano and what he wanted. It was always about him.Even me finally taking charge of half of his business was only because his two brothers weren't fit for it, while one was so carefree and hot-headed that the business would come crumbling down in weeks, the second wasn't hard-heartened enough to deal with people exactly like Tiziano wanted. And what could be worse? None of them gave birth to male children either.It was sheer bitter luck for us and had even had people whispering that we had a thing called 'the Belluci curse.'I couldn't lie, I had long come to a clear and miserable conclusion that someday I would end up with whomever he wanted in a supposed transactional marriage or arranged marriage, call it whichever. Which was going to be based on business.But I had never looked forward to it and had never thought it would be into the Argentero family. And certainly not after Isabelle's death.The short shitty history I had with Roman Argentero didn't make things better either and of everything I had heard about him after what I always referred to as a mistake happened, nothing was pleasant enough to like about him. Not like I even liked a lot of people to begin with, but his was a different kind of hatred.I got into the car and immediately put a knife on one of Tiziano's men who was about to drive us, pushing it slightly on his neck until it started to leave a slight red cut."Find out what Agenteros offered Tiziano in exchange for me. And if Tiziano finds out or if I catch you snitching, you know you're dead either way." I threatened him and he nodded. "Report to me before tomorrow," I concluded, drawing back my knife and watching him take a huge breath."Yes ma'am." He placed his fidgeting hands on the steering and I didn't miss the presence of the little smear of sweat on it as he moved his hands.My anger boiled so much I could feel the heat off my face. And for some reason, I immediately remembered Roman Argentero's last words two days ago about me living in his house soon.I breathed hard, closing my eyes. I wasn't going to let the Argenteros threaten me, especially not Roman. And I wasn't going to let myself end up just like Isabelle. I was going to be prepared for anything they were going to dish out and if they were in any way, planning to end me, it was only right that I did it first.For myself, and for Isabelle.~VITTORIA~ A few months had passed and life was settling into a quieter rhythm. No one could find North or his body, so we didn't know if he was alive or not. Zade Stokes, who had been in it with him, couldn't be found either so there wasn't really any lead to North. Every week, a search team would go back to the ocean to search for his body and it was always the same disappointing story. Simon's funeral had been a few days after his death. My failure to avenge Isabelle's death ended up not being a choice I even made. But at the same time, I couldn't bring myself to celebrate Simon's death or mourn it either. For Roman, it was different. I watched him at Simon's funeral, his shoulders square and his eyes dry, watching the coffin go into the ground with a silent anger that radiated out of him. I doubted if he had any trace of sorrow in him. I knew he had a whole lot of things to say to Simeon, and not being able to say them, but instead seeing Simeon's lifeless body staring back at
~VITTORIA~"I did it for us, Vittoria," Tiziano retorted, his voice becoming louder. "We were going under, almost losing the business. I wanted to make life better for us. For you!" "And at what cost did that come? Mother's and Isabelle's life!" I shouted back at him. I was angry. Angry at him, at Simeon, at North, at myself. I was angry at mother for dying. Choosing to go with Isabelle instead of staying for me. The anger seeped through my blood and I felt it surge hotter and hotter. Tiziano shot me a fierce look from and his lips trembled with words that he didn't utter. Without another word, he turned and walked out, his bodyguards following him closely. "Tiziano loves you, Vittoria." Uncle Quinto told me just as Tiziano left, his eyes fully apologetic. "He acts like he doesn't, and he was wrong for what he did. You should cut him some slack this time. At least for me."I looked away, and my eyes fell on the now-empty North's car at the corner. And all I could picture was Isabe
~VITTORIA~It was the early hours of the morning, and the day was now brighter. The fog had cleared, and the atmosphere was fresh and the air cool. An hour had passed by, and there was a squad already down at the ocean trying to save North and get his car out. Roman was seated by me, looking at the scene unfolding, receiving first aid for his bullet wound. The bleeding had been reduced and the guys in charge were trying to get the bullet out. I saw his uninjured hand tightly gripping his knee and little beads of sweat broke out on his forehead, then proceeded to run down his temple. The clanking of the bullet on the oval steel plate forced my gaze to it and I heard Roman grunt under his breath. It was obvious he had been holding in this pain all this time, pretending to be fine while chasing North. I grabbed his hand, squeezing it gently, "How were you putting up so far? You look so bad now."He grunted again just as the disinfectant came in contact with the injury, "I might have
~ VITTORIA ~It's not like this is an all paid vacation," Roman grumbled as we strided towards the car park, looking everywhere for North."It just means finding him quickly." I replied glancing around impatiently. I didn't know about Roman, like what he had in mind to do to North once he saw him. But I was sure. I was sure of what I wanted. And I wanted him dead, with my bullet through his head.We heard screeching from tires which alerted our attention and then we saw North, driving out of the hotel."We're not letting him get away. The car is right there," Roman said, pointing the key fob to the car. He pressed a button on it and the lights of the car blinked twice, signaling it was his.We hurried into the back of the car while Diego and Nicola occupied the front.Then we drove off and out of the hotel, to catch up with North.The gap between our vehicle and North's was closing up faster as Diego pushed the accelerator further. The dawn hour of the morning made the trees look dull
~ROMAN ~Disgust.I felt disgust run through me. Staring at North, watching him smile and try to act like what he had just said was not as messed up as it was supposed to be. I knew him, so much. I had seen him stand at the hallway watching mum drink away her life, smoke cigars after cigars.I had woken up some mornings to see he had slept outside her door, and immediately, when he heard footsteps, he would hide away, not wanting anyone to see him. I knew all these so when he did not visit her at the hospital frequently, I had assumed it was his way of getting back at her for not loving him properly while growing up.But standing in front of him, I saw him in a different light, as someone who chose their own selfish gain over morality. I could not fathom how he knew what was going on and still let it happen, all because he had a little power over Father.Father, on the other hand, was a piece of sh*t, a lunatic, a dog. F*ck! I was so pissed off I swear I could put a bullet through his
~ VITTORIA ~ I felt Roman's grip on my hand tighten as if he wasn't holding me tight enough already. But the grip wasn't tight enough to contain the spike of anger I felt when I saw North's face. The betrayal I felt from him surged through my veins drawing a physical ache to my heart. I should have never trusted him. I should have never trusted the person who killed Isabelle. "F*king a*hole. Are you done hiding? Is that the best you could do? Isabelle? All these time, it was you? You were responsible for her death?" I found myself saying before I could comprehend anything. North strutted closer to us, muttering a low hiss under his breath before rolling his eyes, "You've always been such a noisy Bellucci. I'm unpleasantly surprised that these good-for-nothing idiots did not end up killing you already. I even gave them a sniper on countable occasions." He chuckled, his expression reeking pure disgust as he causally tucked his hands into his pockets. Roman pulled me by him, then