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SEVENTEEN
Melanie
I
chatted with Elena mostly about Shane and his half-sibs. She had so much love for Shane, who wasn’t her biological son, and I could tell she was an incredible woman full of grace and charm. She told me a few stories from Shane’s childhood and how he’d always been a protective big brother to her children. She said after Shane’s mother passed away, he became very mature and responsible and had stayed that way ever since, but he was also distant and closed in himself and that she had never seen him shed a tear. She joked he had been a tough man since he was a little boy.
“Ladies,” Karl’s voice rumbled from behind, and I turned back to see him walking alongside Shane. “Please, take your seats. Let’s eat.”
Elena led me toward the vast table in the middle of the beautiful patio decorated with flowers and candles and a variety of food. Shane pulled out a chair for me, and despite a polite smile, I noticed something dark in his eyes.
“Is everything okay?” I whispered, scanning his face as I took a seat.
“Yes, don’t worry,” he replied, sitting beside me. He grabbed my hand and squeezed it in his, and we shared a brief look.
“It’s the first time Shane’s brought a woman to our home,” Elena commented, a genuine grin on her face, her eyes gleaming. “He has never introduced us to any other woman before. You must be special to him, Melanie, have him under your spell.”
Karl cleared his throat, clearly not being content with his wife’s remark. I was aware he disapproved of my relationship with his son because of who I was—his sworn enemy’s daughter. I bet he’d rather have me dead than date his son. I wondered what he told Shane when they went to talk in private. I assumed he had reprimanded Shane, trying to convince himwewere abadidea.
“Shane!” A girlish voice caught everyone’s attention. All at the same time, we turned to see a beautiful girl with raven-black braids running toward Shane. Her sand-brown eyes were beaming with excitement as she threw herself into Shane’s arms.
“Hey, little one,” he greeted her with a warm hug and a gentle kiss on her prominent cheek. For the first time, I saw Shane smiling genuinely. His face brightened as he looked at the girl I assumed must’ve been Aaliyah, his little half sister. The girl looked like Elena, two peas in a pod. Both had the same lovely smile and stunning Indian beauty. “How have you been, hm?” Shane asked, holding her hands in his.
“I missed you, big bro!”
“I missed you, too.” He chuckled. The sight was so heartwarming I couldn’t fight a broad grin forming on my face. “I want you to meet someone, okay?”
The girl nodded, blushing as she peeked at me.
“Aaliyah, this is Melanie. Melanie, this is Aaliyah,” she introduced us to each other, and I reached my hand to greet her.
“Hey, Aaliyah. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too.” She smiled before switching her attention back to her brother, whom she clearly adored. “So she’s your girlfriend?”
Shane turned to peek at me, smirking as if to check in with me. We had never talked about it.Wekind of… just happened. “Yes. Melanie is my girlfriend.” He focused his gaze back on the lovely girl.
“She’s pretty.” She winked at him teasingly, and we chuckled. She had the charisma of her father and the charm of her mother.
“Oh, I know,” Shane answered before tickling his sister, and she giggled loudly. It was so sweet to watch.
“Come, honey, join us. We’re about to eat.” Elena pulled the chair for Aaliyah next to her.
“Will Shane’s brother be joining us too?” I asked while the household staff served the meals.
“No, he’s out of the country,” Elena replied. “However, he’s on a plane as we speak. You’ll meet him at Karl’s charity event tomorrow.”
“So, does he live abroad?” I couldn’t help my curiosity. The Vergoossen family was like a mystery to many, including myself.
“He’s studying business and management at Oxford in England,” Elena clarified. “I think you’re his peer.”
“Miss Atwood is one year older,” Karl added, his tone dry, his eyes watching me closely the whole time.
“Oh, you’re right, honey. Anyway, let’s eat.” Elena smiled, and Karl nodded before we started dining.
THE EVENING WAS PASSING BY in a surprisingly lovely atmosphere, mainly thanks to Elena’s charm. It felt like she was bringing so much joy to the Vergoossen family, and knowing the real, dark side that being a Vergoossen entailed, I must admit, she was handling her role as a wife to a Mafia boss perfectly. Nonetheless, I didn’t fully understand back then what it meant to be a woman of a Mafia man, a criminal, a gangster. I was only about to find out now as it was just the beginning of my story. I was just exploring the tip of the iceberg. To this point, their lives seemed normal to me. We had an enchanting dinner and mainly chatted about funny family stories, just like ordinary people. And that misled me into believing that was what their lives looked like. In the meantime, Aaliyah got bored with our conversation and excused herself to her room. Before she left, Karl gave his daughter a warm kiss on her cheek, shocking me with a vestige of humanity in him I’d assumed didn’t exist.
“Melanie,” Karl started after taking a sip of the red wine. “We keep talking about our family. Maybe you would tell us something about yourself?”
