Marco sat on the edge of the bed, elbows resting on his knees and combed his fingers through his hair.The sound of the bedroom door opening elicited no response from his figure, and when light flooded the room behind him, he only gave a dismissible wince at the sudden brightness.“Marco,” Sofia’s voice came up behind him, her soft hands running up and down his hunched back. “You didn’t sleep at all last night,”“How could I?” Her husband scoffed at the words, straightening in his place and looking over his shoulder to where his wife sat kneeling behind him. “The reality of me being the enemy kept me up,”“You don’t know that baby,” She sighed and combed her fingers through his hair. “You don’t know for a fact that you are Aleksander

The air was heavy with snow that muffled the sound of the pedestrians and vehicles driving outside the window. Everything chilled and calm, except for the interior of the store where staff members were bustling around showing off fabrics and clothing articles to the couple seated on the leather couch before them. Men in black suits lining the perimeter and watching the people with stern features and focused eyes.“How about this, sir?” One of the staff members brought the man out of his reverie, smiling as he showed off a slate grey pinstriped suit to him. “Cut in Milan and bought in from Paris, hand-tailored for you, sir,”“Yes, fine, it will do,” He waved away dismissively, eyes passing over the rich fabric but smiled at the man nonetheless.After stepping out of the shop, the couple was settled in a luxurious Rolls Royce and driven to their next destina

Stuffing his hands in his coat pocket, he walked up the path to his homely cottage, instant relief flooding him to be back home, but he faltered in his step when he found two men standing beneath the shade of the pine trees, and from where Marco stood, he could recognize his brother’s guards. Swallowing thickly, he exhaled into the air above him, clenching his fingers when they trembled and stepped into the cottage. “Sofia?” Marco called out softly and stepped further into the cottage, finding his wife sitting at the dining table before their French windows leading out to the back yard, nursing a cup of coffee, and rubbing her temples. “Hey,” “He came here,” Sofia murmured softly

The Mafia Boss stood glaring at the wooden structure of his office doors. Standing with them shut in his face and the smell of their polish lingering in the air, the sound of muffled chatter reaching him, knowing that his parents were comforting Marco – no, Aleksander – on the other side. Inhaling deeply, he swiveled on his heels and marched out of the east wing, dismissing his guards with a flick of his wrist when they began to follow.Taking the marble stairs two at a time, he could hear his blood rushing through his skull with his lungs tightening in his chest. Heat flooding him as he gritted his teeth against it.Making his way onto the third landing, he walked past the open bedroom door where his children sat playing and made his way directly into the room, slamming the door shut behind him as the sound had both the dogs jump up and yap at the violence of the gesture. The sound forcing Nicole to run

Marco sat cross-legged in the confines of his walk-in-closet. The wracks empty around him and packed away into the suitcases behind him, a smaller one lying open before his vacant gaze as he stared at the contents without registering what it contained.“Marco?” Sofia’s voice jolted him out of his vacant stare, forcing him to inhale deeply before closing the flap of the case, zipping it up.A lump formed in her throat to see his side of the closet emptied of his belongings, the realization of his departure tomorrow morning feeling like a sledgehammer against her ribcage. Her fingers trembling as a lump lodged itself into her throat.“All done,” Marco spoke with a light hearted smile. “Took longer than I expected, and made me want to throw out quite a few clothes, but then I realized that they were all gifts of one sort or another,” He blabbered and ab