CHAPTER 5

ARIA

Aria sat in the garden, eyes fixed on the parrot cages. Their constant chirping fell on deaf ears, her mind elsewhere. She still wore the black dress from the funeral that morning; Two days since they'd found Elena's body, yet it felt like yesterday.

Tears dropped down her cheeks as she reminisced about her sister’s smiles at the mall on the day she was taken. She sighed, wiping her tears.

God, you should have taken me instead. Why her?

Fresh tears followed. 

 Elena was everything Dad wanted; strong, capable, fearless. She would've known how to avenge this. But me? I don't even know how to pull a trigger.

 She wiped her eyes roughly again.

 Federico's dead. Leo won't stop crying. Mum had a heart attack. Dad won't even look at me. Maybe I'm the problem. Maybe it was never the lifestyle; maybe it was always me.

She gulped hard and got up. Letting out a shaky breath, she began pacing back and forth. 

Should I apologize to Federico’s family? But that will only enrage Dad even more. God, what should I do?

 She halted, biting her lower lip. With one hand placed on her waist she ran the other through her hair.

Elena, I miss you. I need you. You always knew how to clean up my mess.

Tears gushed freely down her face. Her breath hitched. She pressed her palms against her eyes. “At least I should try apologizing to Dad,” she stammered, beginning to walk.

For the past twenty-four hours, the D’Amore estate had been as silent as a graveyard. Everyone was down. The extended family’s vacation was cut short after the news of Elena’s death reached them. Roberto’s and Marco’s families, along with other relatives, flew back for the funeral. Leo—Aria’s younger brother—had been crying nonstop since they returned.

Aria ascended the stairs leading to her parents’ wing of the mansion. Each step added to the guilt weighing heavily on her chest. She pushed open the door to her parents' wing. The living room was empty, silent. She started toward the bedrooms when voices drifted from her father's library.

She stopped and blinked, taking a deep breath. For once, try not to make him angrier. Her hand was halfway to the door when her father's voice cut through.

"Roberto, I understand..."

She froze and leaned closer.

“I’m eighty percent sure it was the Vallenis, but we have no proof. We can’t act on instinct. You know the rules are what keep the fragile balance in Italy. If we act and it goes south, the Deca Familia can turn on us, and it won’t end well,” he continued.

“So what would you have us do? We still don’t have any evidence. We’ve gone through every surveillance camera within a twenty-mile radius, but still nothing,” Uncle Marco said.

Aria leaned her head against the door, eavesdropping.

“We’ll have to wait for the Deca Familia meeting. Tomorrow’s decision will decide if we retaliate or not,” her dad declared—final and firm.

……. 

The next day 

Deca Familia Meeting

All ten Dons from the ten most influential mafia empires in Italy sat around one table. One room held the most dangerous figures in the country. The tension was unmatched, the silence suffocating. Behind each Don stood two or three members of each family. 

The door swung open. Every Don in the room turned.

The man they were all awaiting, the Magistrato Ombra—‘the Shadow Magistrate’—walked in without hurry. For three decades he'd been doing this. For three decades he'd been doing this. Three decades he'd been the glue between the government and the underworld, keeping Italy's underworld from tearing itself apart. He worked behind the scenes, stepping in only when conflicts threatened national stability.

And this situation was doing just that.

He pulled out his chair, placed his briefcase on the table, and sat down.

“I’ll be quick and brief. I know there are thousands of places most of you would rather be right now. The higher-ups aren’t happy. The last shootout that led to the death of the Valleni heir painted half of Rome in blood. Now, the heir of the D’Amore family is caught in a mess that happened in broad daylight.”

His gaze swept the room before settling on Don Lorenzo. “I’m sorry for your loss, sir.”

“The death of the boy who was with Don Lorenzo’s daughters shook the government,” he continued, leaning back slightly. “He is the son of William Sanchez, one of the top three business moguls in Italy. And believe me, he insists on getting to the bottom of this. We pulled dangerous strings to bury this case.”

He shrugged. “Now, before decisions are made, let’s hear from both the Vallenis and the D’Amores.”

The discussion went on for the next fifteen minutes. The D’Amores threw accusations without evidence at the Vallenis, but nothing stuck. Another five minutes passed as tempers flared between both sides.

With a faint smile, Magistrato Ombra sat upright. “What do you all say? Let’s end this feud between the Vallenis and the D’Amores for good, before it ruptures the balance of Italy and your businesses.”

His eyes traveled across their faces. Most nodded in agreement, murmurs filling the room.

"The old ways?" he asked. "A union between the families?"

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the room.

…… 

ARIA

Later that night, after the meeting, Don Lorenzo and his brothers returned exhausted. Don Lorenzo sat down on a cushion in the grand hall, arms crossed.

“Get me Aria,” he ordered.

Marco walked away to do as told. Three minutes later, Aria descended the stairs with her uncle. Her eyes kept darting toward Marco, his expression was different, not like his usual self. Reaching the bottom, Aria stood in front of her dad.

“Welcome, Dad,” she greeted.

Don Lorenzo ignored her. “I have something important to tell you,” he said softly.

Standing between her uncles, Aria glanced left and right. The seriousness on their faces made her heart thud violently against her rib cage. Don Lorenzo lifted his head. His eyes were stern, his face emotionless.

Then his voice came—calm and sharp. "Get ready. Next week, you are getting married… to Dante Valleni."

Aria's breath caught. The room tilted. "What?"