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I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes. While I understood the circumstances, I didn't appreciate being caged like a bird. I valued my freedom a lot.
"I apologize if the clothes are not to your liking," Tony said after a moment had passed.
"We were not sure of what you would like."
Ah. I hadn't been able to keep the expression of distaste off my face. Looking up, I saw Tony giving me an amused expression. I tried to smile, but it came out as a grimace instead.
"Thank you, mio fratello." I heard Alexander say as I still kept gazing at the clothes.
Don't get me wrong; I was grateful and appreciative towards them, but seriously? Dark green? While mortified, I wanted to laugh at how clueless these men were when picking clothes for a woman. They knew how to shoot guns and kill men in twenty ways but didn't learn to mix a pink top with orange yoga pants. I wanted to laugh, but thinking about how the clothes were for me to wear, I felt like crying instead.
By the time I managed to take my eyes away from the pile of clothes that were blinding to the eyes, Alexander and Tony were saying their last words in Italian. I blinked at their fluent use of the language and waited. I didn't want to go back to looking at the clothes.
“Stai attento per la tua strada, fratello.” Alexander said, clasping Tony's hand in a strong grip.
“Anche tu, Alessandro.”
I perked up and regarded Alexander with interest.
Alessandro?
Before I could ask any questions, Tony directed his gaze to me.
"Goodbye, Aryana."
I responded and watched as Alexander walked to the small vintage table against the wall to the side of the foyer. He opened the drawers, and I had to prevent my mouth from dropping to the ground at the sheer amount of money lying there. I couldn't believe that I had passed by this table so many times and never knew that such an amount of money had been lying under my nose all this time.
Why was there so much cash? Didn't the mafia rely on online transactions? Seeing this much money was a dream as someone who had to work shifts between classes to pay my school fees. If only I'd had this money back then, I wouldn't have had to run myself so ragged.
Alexander picked out a wad of cash and handed it over to Tony. I didn't understand what was happening or why he was giving Tony money, but I kept quiet until Tony left the house.
"Alessandro?" I called out, making Alexander stop in his tracks.
"It is the Italian version of my name." He responded.
Oh. That made sense, considering they sounded so similar. "Then why 'Alexander'?" I questioned.
"It is easier to blend in with an English name." He shrugged, turning to me. This was the first time he'd looked at me since yesterday, and I felt something heat up inside me at having his gaze solely on me.
With how he looked at me and how his gaze had become deep, I knew he could also feel this sexual tension between us. I cleared my throat to get back on track and stop myself from falling deep into his gray eyes. I gestured awkwardly to the vintage table.
"Why so much money?"
"It's possible for our transactions to be monitored by our enemies. It's a safety precaution." Alexander explained, leaning against the wall and crossing his legs.
I resisted the urge to look down at his arms and see how toned they were, with his biceps more pronounced.
"I see." I had nothing else to say.
We watched each other before his eyes roamed down the bag of maternity clothes I held.
"Do you like them?" He inquired, making me snort.
"As grateful as I am, the colors are not my style."
"I apologize for that." He said with a small smile. "We tend to wear dark clothing. It makes it easier to hide bloodstains."
I chuckled. As dark as the joke was, it didn't bother me as I supposed it should have.
