Wine & Dine

Vittoria “Papà!” Francesco celebrates, throwing his hand into the air while still clasping his coloring pen. But Domenico’s eyes are long set on me and they fall onto my knees before I shift, shielding me further from his hungry gaze. “What the-?” he asks, taking a step into the room as I show him the picture that I colored. “We spent our time coloring, so don’t worry. Your wife went to pick up your son, so I offered to look after the little prince,” I explain, reaching out to tousle the boy's hair as he laughs. “My wi-” he starts, seemingly lost. “Ah, no. That’s my nanny. She always gets late at picking up her son because of me, so thank you. I guess that will keep her from resigning for another day.” Francesco points to my painting, cackling. “Look, she colored her dinosaur all pink.” “Hey,” I protest, slamming my coloring book close. “You just said it was pretty! How mean!” The little boy laughs only more, and I chuckle as well as I look back up at Domenico, who is still lo

Last Updated : 2024-10-16

Bed Routine

Vittoria He laughs before his face falls again, “Wait. You aren’t kidding me?” “Nope,” I answer, plopping the p. “I was sold by my family to settle a bad debt my father had. And the family that bought me didn’t regard me as very useful, so I ended up on the black market. And my father had already taken his godson into his home when he had lost his parents in a car accident, and I guess he thought having a sister would be nice.” He whistles, “This is batshit crazy. But I’m glad that you got bought by the old man then… Well, I guess…” “It was heaven ending in this house. I finally experienced what love feels like,” I say happily and he flashes me a sad smile. “If you say that the family that initially boug

Last Updated : 2024-10-17

Digging your own grave

Vittoria “Oh,” Alessio whistles as I walk into the kitchen. “Look at her!” I giggle, blushing as I walk to the coffee machine. “Stop it. But thank you.” I wouldn’t have thought that a black pencil shirt and a cute beige blouse would have that effect, but nice to know! “Does that gorgeous ensemble have something to do with the Vespasiani and his lap dog coming in to beg for forgiveness for the money they spent on the bail of the bastard’s brother without your consent?” I gasp, activating the machine with a push of a button. “And who told you?” He laughs as I prop my fist onto my hip. “I am going to be the new boss soon, so I have my sources.” “Smart ass,” I hiss, squinting my eyes at him and he cracks up. Turning towards me, he kisses my shoulder, whispering. “Don’t forget to have some fun, sis.” “Kids,” my father clears his throat, making us turn to him like deers caught in the headlines. Domenico and Paolo are standing behind him and while Domenico looks like he could kill

Last Updated : 2024-10-18

Why Not Me?

Vittoria “I apologize for making you wait. We had a small accident in the kitchen,” I say apologetically, taking my seat and ignoring Domenico’s gaze. “The coffee will be served in a minute.” Sitting down, I caress a strand of my hair behind my ear, starting to go through the documents that I have prepared for the upcoming negotiations. My mouth keeps moving and the words keep tumbling out of it, but I can’t seem to register them. My body, seemingly remotely controlled, functions as best as it can as the adrenaline is slowly diminishing, my mind just wanting to get me out of there. And crawl into bed. To hide beneath the covers. I feel Domenico’s eyes on me. The burning of his gaze gets nearly unbearable as I keep mine glued to the documents. Continuing to try to concentrate, I never stop talking, reciting the things I have to say like a prayer. I don’t care if someone has a question or is thinking that I am acting strange. I just want out. Ignoring the frown Alessio is thro

Last Updated : 2025-08-29

Angel of Death

Victoria - 10 years beforeThe lights blind me as we walk through the long hallways of a bunker-like construction. I am no longer barefoot, but still, the cold tiles feel like they are burning into my soles.Even though I have been used to being afraid, and am currently scared to death, I find myself clasping my new guardian's jacket, as if I could hide myself by nearly wrapping myself inside it. He had said that he would bring me to the Angels of Death, and I am dreading the moment I will find out who they are. We had spent hours driving into what seemed to be another territory. My new father explained to me how we had passed the borders to the territory of the Degli Baronesi family and how they were powerful but nice people. Allies. The drive ended as Franky rolled onto a vast parking lot, and we walked up to a run-down house looking like a small power station. And honestly, this wasn’t what I had expected after such a long and gloaty rant from my new father. A man, dressed

Last Updated : 2025-09-28

Degli Baronesi

Victoria - 10 years beforeThe motor of the car vibrates through me as I lean against the car door. My body feels so heavy as my soul must be too exhausted to make me operate properly. My eyes jump up and down along the landscape flying by, following an imaginary ninja who runs next to the car. “It looks like you did well. And the first exam and your blood screening came out better than we had expected. I’m sure that even the results for the other exams will be alright,” Ambrosio explains while scrolling through a file in his hands. The file was handed to him by Artemis after she got the first results and had concluded the questionnaire. I felt a sense of happiness but also relief as I saw how content my father was about the results. “As soon as we get home and you have settled in, we will find you someone nice to talk to. What do you think? But you can always tell us everything you want us to know. We are a family now.” The engine rumbles soothingly, and I drift away for a momen