CHAPTER 2: THE WEIGHT OF A NAME

"Hurry up!," I yelled from the living room.

"Shut the fuck up!," I heard Rose yell back. 

I muffled my laugh. She's like this every day because we train at 5am. My dad has us on a strict training program.

"GET YOUR ASSES UP BEFORE I THROW A BUCKET OF FREEZING WATER ON YOU!," I screamed loudly. Seconds later, footsteps pounded on the wooden floors as Rose and Stephan ran towards me. I glanced at the time on my phone.

4:50am.

"We can make it," I said firmly. We quickly ran out of the East wing where we practically live to the backyard.

"Just on time," my dad muttered as he glanced at his watch. "There's no training today. I have things to do so enjoy the rest of your day. Before I forget, the annual mafia peace treaty or ball, as you kids call it, is happening tomorrow."

My dad pushes us really hard in training. 

He wants us to be the best and that we are. Every year, I've been forced to attend the ball along with Rose and Stephan . 

I've seen the way other mafia fathers abuse and ridicule their kids and I'm glad my father isn't like that.

We watched as he walked back into the house. "I hate it when he does this," Rose groaned.

Rose has been my best friend since we were in diapers. I can't remember a day I've ever spent without her, same goes for Stephan even though he's a couple of years older than the both of us.

"Rosie," Rose’s mother yelled from the kitchen. Her family, Stephan’s family and my family live under one roof. We're all really close.

"Sì mamma! (Yes, mom!)," she said loudly, wanting to know what her mom wanted.

"Come inside!," Candice, her mom, yelled back.

"You too, Stephan and Daphne."

We ran inside, knowing that breakfast must've been cooked. "Mom," I said to the woman sat across me at the dining table. 

Her head snapped up to meet mine. Her brown eyes that are identical to me, looked at me questioningly. "What's wrong with dad? He blew off training this morning."

"Really?," she asked, softly. I nodded my head. "I have no idea."

My mom is a beautiful woman from another mafia. She married my dad to form an alliance which obviously ended up getting broken anyway.

It happens a lot in our life. Many girls from other mafias have been sold or married off to another mafias. Sadly, that's just how things work around here. I'm not worried about that happening to me because I'm not 20 yet and my dad wouldn't do that to me.

"Mia figlia (my daughter)," my mom began. "Try not to worry so much. He's under a lot of pressure with the mafia."

"I know." With that, I put my empty plate in the sink and washed it before I headed towards my bedroom.

I reached the East wing and walked around. There is a North, South and West wing. Originally, Rose, Stephan and I are supposed to be in the same wings as our parents since each family has their own.

The East wing was supposed to be for guests but we kind of stole it. Each wing is like an apartment. We have our own game rooms, living rooms, kitchens, dining rooms, bedrooms etc. If it was up to me, I wouldn't ever leave the East side. 

I entered my room and walked into my closet. My closet is my favorite room in the whole house. I stared at the circular couch in the middle of the room before walking towards it and pushing it to the side. When that was safely out of the way, I pulled the white fluffy rug back revealing the door in the floor. I pulled open the door and climbed down.

I let out a sigh as I looked around the room.

Different types of knives and guns were neatly hung on the walls or placed on the shelves. On the other wall, bullet proof vests were hung. This was my personal weapons room. No one knows about it except for me and possibly my dad. My hand trailed over the guns. Over the rifles, snipers, handguns and more. This is the only room where I felt at peace except for the bathtub.

Ever since I was able to walk, talk and understand things, I've been training. My dad started training us early in case anything was to happen to him then at least we'd know the foundation. From the foundation, you can build up and up just by reading and asking around. As soon as we were all 12 years old, we moved on from the foundations stage and developed everything we had learnt previously in more detail.

Knives were my specialty. I love having the choice of ending someone's fate quicker or not. A gun doesn't really give you much of a choice. One shot and that person is most likely dead or is going to die in the next couple of minutes.

Hearing Rose shouting for me made me look at the time. 12:00pm. Time's flown by. I quickly climbed out and shut the door before pulling the carpet over it and pushing the couch back on top.

"What?," I asked Rose who was shouting from the game room.

"Your dad wants to see you."

I nodded my head and left our wing and headed downstairs. I wandered around for a while until I came across his office. I really hope he's in here.

If not, then I just wasted my time and energy walking all the way over here. I knocked on the door and opened it when I heard him tell me to come in.

I sat down in a seat across his desk. 

Papers were scattered everywhere. He looked tired.

"What's going on?," I asked, knowing that he probably needs me for another mission.

"I have some exciting news, Daphne lili Thorne," he said, not even sounding excited at all. I noticed that he said my full name not Lili, my nickname. It's something deadly serious and he wants my full attention.

"Really?," I mused.

"You, my child, are to wed Adrian Smith."