Chapter 2

~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.