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I forced myself to calm down as I watched the way his shoulders had tensed and noticed the tiredness around his eyes. Giovanni had been gifted with model good looks. I had never been an arrogant person, but all my siblings had been blessed with attractive physical features, including me. We all had deep brown eyes, tanned skin and symmetrical features. Full lips, raven hair and an exotic, striking complexion. My mamma was the opposite with her blonde hair and paler skin but my father’s genes were strong. The legacy he had left behind were his children.
“You seem stressed? What’s going on?” I asked carefully, keeping my voice low. I knew he would never go into detail about the ins and outs of running a mafia empire in such a public place. He smiled brightly, trying to hide his burdens from me.
“Nothing. Business is great. Better than it’s ever been. But that’s the problem. The more investments I bring in, the more power I gain, the more people want to take me down. I just have to be extra vigilant right now,” he spoke in coded words but I understood. The Leone family had always posed a threat, being the second most powerful family in the North. The rivalry had only grown as neither them nor my brother refused to give up their claim on Venice. And what hadn’t helped matters was that two years ago, they had formed an alliance with the most influential head mafia in Southern Italy—the Barbieri family—by marrying the Leone underboss, Lorenzo, to Diego Barbieri’s daughter, Isabelle.
Just thinking about that name, Barbieri, had my insides twist and flutter. It was ridiculous. It had been eleven years since I first saw Alessio Barbieri and yet just the mere thought of his family’s name had such an unwelcome effect on me. Pushing the feeling away like I had always done, I decided to change the subject to something less… intense.
“So it has nothing to do with the fact you are getting married in two days’ time?” I smiled, lightening the atmosphere again. A genuine look of happiness adorned his face and for a moment, he looked carefree and so youthful. That is why I would forever be indebted to Olivia Bennett. She saved Giovanni’s life. If it wasn’t for her, I would have lost my brother to the darkness of this lifestyle. She balanced him and brought out the softer, loving side that I had always known existed before our father died and he had to take on all the dark responsibilities of our family.
“No, that is not causing me stress at all. Liv on the other hand is a bridezilla,” he chuckled. I threw my napkin across the table at him.
“Planning a wedding is stressful, Gio! Liv just knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to get it,” I argued and he nodded.
“Exactly. But it’s mamma who has been more of a problem. Our poor wedding planner will retire after dealing with the two of them, I am convinced.”
“It has been so good for mamma to have something to focus on and look forward to. And Liv is an angel, letting her throw herself into the wedding plans. We both know, mamma is not the easiest of women,” I smirked. My mamma was a fierce woman in her own right. My role model in many aspects. She was one of the strongest women I knew and had been through so much shit in her life. She had come out scarred for sure but she was a fighter.
He nodded as the plates of food were put down and I laughed when a single candle had been placed in my calamari. I wasn’t a dessert person at all but I should have known Gio would always find a way to still embarrass me.
“Happy birthday to you!” Finn bellowed loudly behind me in Italian as Gio joined in and my cheeks flushed pink in embarrassment as the whole restaurant started to sing the chorus. I leaned back in my chair and glared at Gio, mouthing ‘I hate you’ as he chuckled deeply.
When the mortifying experience was finally over, Gio told me to wish upon the stars and blow out the candle, like papi used to say when we were kids. I closed my eyes and focused on the things I dared to hope for. I always took my birthday wishes very seriously. Who knows… they might just come true one of these days.
I could wish for Gio to let me get my own place and live independently. I could wish for my dream of opening my own art gallery. I could wish for my mamma’s health to continue to improve. I could wish for my brother to finally let me start dating freely.
But as I was just about to blow out the candle, thinking hard about all of those things, one dominating thought entered my mind that I couldn’t shake…
I wished for the kind of earth-shattering love that my brother had found. A love that would turn my entire world upside down. A love that would set me free from the invisible shackles of my life. A girl could dare to hope, right? I opened my eyes and blew out the candle.
“What are you two still doing awake?” I ruffled my eight-year-old brother’s hair as I walked past him and my younger sister who were perched on the kitchen stools at the marble island, picking at the feast spread out in front of them for Olivia’s bachelorette party tonight. I had insisted she have it on my birthday because at least that way I could let my hair down with all my favourite ladies.
“Liv didn’t tuck us in,” Sani moaned, pouting his lips. Dio, the boy was obsessed. It was a long story—how Giovanni and Olivia fell in love—but it all started when she was hired by my mamma as my siblings’ nanny and home-school teacher. Sani has since been smitten with her after she managed to break through his hard little exterior.
“That is because she has the night off!” I turned to see my mamma sashaying into the grand kitchen, dressed to impress in a silk white suit with the elegance of a swan like always. She smiled at me, kissing both my cheeks and hugging me tight.
“Happy birthday my darling,” she whispered as she squeezed me so hard, I struggled to breathe.
“You are not wearing that, are you?” I frowned as she looked down at herself with glee and gave the three of us a little twirl.
“Si, don’t you like it?”
“It’s white mamma! Only the bride is supposed to wear white!” I wasn’t the least bit surprised. Mamma was acting more like this was her own wedding than Olivia’s with how excited she was for it. I always worried when she was living so high up in the clouds. It normally meant something would happen that would then cause her to come crashing back down to reality with a hard thump. Mamma has suffered from depression and was diagnosed bipolar years ago. She is on medication, which helps and has professional support in the form of spa retreats, rehab facilities and therapists but it never stops me from worrying. I studied her face to see if she seemed to be more erratic than usual in the heightened excitement of it being my birthday and Olivia’s bachelorette party on the same day. I should probably go and check if she has taken her pills…
“That is only at the wedding! I can wear what I like tonight. Darling… stop worrying! You wear your emotions like you wear that gold jumpsuit; beautifully but a little too much on show,” she beamed at my cleavage, walking over to Soraya, my six-year-old sister and running her hands down her light brown ringlets.
I rolled my eyes, picking up one of the champagne glasses on the silver tray and chucking it back in one. I couldn’t help but worry about her. That was my job.
“Why can’t we stay for the party?” Soraya asked, turning to glance up at mamma behind her.
“And why do these look like willies?” Sani quizzed, his little dark eyebrows pulling into the bridge of his nose as he held up the penis-shaped party snacks. He looked so much like Gio when he was unimpressed with his little brows tensing. I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
“Because after you go to bed, mamma, Liv and I like to talk about willies,” I chuckled, leaning forward and snatching the snack from his hand, popping it in my mouth. “And that is not for your little ears!”
“Elenora!” Mamma scolded me but was trying to hide her laughter behind that fake judgement.
“Yuck! Why do you want to talk about willies? They are gross!” Soraya scrunched her nose up in disgust.
I chuckled loudly, “Yes, they are Raya! Gio will be very happy to hear you say that.”
