I was in love with her.
There was no doubt left when I realized that, regardless of anything else, all I wanted was for her to stay with me so that we could work out the problems, the differences that arose from my ambition and blindness. I saw her pacing nervously, running her fingers through her beautiful dark, long, silky hair with an anxiety that was not only harming her but also damaging me. She was showing me that she was suffering from the many possibilities that were opening up in that moment for both of us.
I didn't want her pristine, perfect face to be tainted by doubts.
So, I approached her and took her by the shoulders, causing her beautiful brown slanted eyes to look at me with fear, pain, and a lot of resentment. That mix was destroying me from the inside in a way I hadn't anticipated. She was supposed to be just a pawn in this war, a tool that would give me what I needed to carry out my plans, not someone who would steal my heart, my senses, and my mind.
"We'll be alright, no matter what happens, Amaya," I told her, and her thin lips trembled in response.
"I don't believe you, Alessio... I don't believe you anymore."
That hurt me, especially when she wriggled out of my grasp and continued walking, as if I weren't there.
"I promise you, my dear... I will make everything work out." I insisted, and she looked at me with anger.
"No... You just used me, I was just one more transaction for your revenge, and now, if I'm pregnant, it's your fault, because of what you did... I have to go through this pregnancy in the midst of chaos, in the midst of stress, in the midst of constant fear that once it's known, my baby will be a target," she burst out, tears streaming from her eyes. "Nothing is right, I didn't want to bring a child into the world in these conditions, I didn't want to have a child with you, I didn't want..."
She collapsed on the floor to cry, and I could do nothing but go against her wishes and embrace her, giving her the warmth, she deserved, the shelter she needed these days.
"I will protect you, I will protect them," I emphasized fervently.
"I hate you," she replied, but she didn't pull away from my arms. "I hate you so much... This is your fault."
"I know, I know."
"I didn't want to get married; I didn't want this life; I didn't want to be used like cattle... I wanted to be happy, I just wanted a normal life and not be afraid that my children would never be safe..."
Listening to her deepest fears broke my heart.
She wasn't cut out for this life, I knew it from the moment I saw her in the library, but I couldn't cast her aside. I held onto the sole purpose of hurting Hiroshi Yagami, I only wanted to mess with that precious thing he was hiding. I had no idea that I would end up loving his daughter madly, and that was my greatest downfall. The girl wanted to live happily, she had dreams, real goals to achieve, a promising future that was taken away from her in an impulsive act, and she had no choice but to adapt to me.
"I'm sorry for all of this, my dear... I'm sorry."
It was hard to say because my mind was trained not to apologize to anyone.
"You lied to me, you used me, you made me believe in your love and got me pregnant even though I didn't want to, even though you decided to start a war..." She pulled away from me, her eyes red. "Why did you do all of this to me, Alessio? Tell me why..."
I looked at her for a long moment.
"Because I wanted power, because I wanted you with me, and because from the moment I saw you, I knew you would be mine, Amaya, only mine... And I'm a selfish bastard who gets what he wants," I admitted, causing her to furrow her brow and clench her fists tightly in my shirt. "But all that doesn't change the fact that I love you, and I would freeze hell for you, for our child, for everything we need together. You have to come back to me, you have to."
"No... You're lying, you don't love me. If you loved me, you wouldn't have come after me, you would have let me go..."
"I came because Gemma couldn't hide from me what was happening to you, because she saw me torn apart by loving you, and that's not up for debate, Amaya... You're still my wife and you will be until the end of my days, until death do us part," I warned her, and she shook her head.
"I don't want to live in this life, I can't, I..."
She was breaking in a way that I despised.
"You can do it, I know you can, you've shown me more than once. You just have to be strong, especially if you have our child in your womb... So, if you want to cry, fight, argue, or berate me, this is your moment, but when we step outside, you're Mrs. Milano, you're the wife of a capo."
Unexpectedly, she slapped me across the face, and I brought my hand to my cheek. Looking at her, I enjoyed the veiled anger, the burning on her cheeks. That's what I wanted to see in her, that's what I needed to bring out so that she wouldn't end up in shattered pieces. Nevertheless, I had a difficult task ahead, one that would be challenging to achieve, one that would be difficult to carry out as I tried to earn her forgiveness.
With a smile, I captured her in my arms before placing my right hand on the back of her neck and sealing our lips in a kiss that shook our bodies, a kiss that accelerated our souls, a kiss that brought out everything we had stored inside us. Amaya didn't pull away; she followed the kiss with hunger, as if she were starved for love, hungry for desire, hungry for longing.
We kissed with everything we had until neither of us could breathe anymore.
"You're mine, and it's time for you to understand," I said before standing up.
I led her to the bed and entered the bathroom to look at the tests her brother had bought her. There were six tests from different brands, and each and every one of them confirmed that she was expecting my child, the future of the Camorra, the result of our love.
I emerged with the brightest smile and answered the unspoken question her mouth couldn't form.
"We're going to be parents, and today I'm the happiest man alive."
For the first time throughout our encounter, she gave me the biggest smile in the world before the sound I least expected to hear enveloped us completely.
A gunshot stunned us; I had just been shot.
"And does 'happily ever after' really exist?"Melissa's question didn't surprise me; she was a very aware girl, full of doubts, who had witnessed how her family was torn apart by immigration laws. So, I swallowed hard, and seeing the other children waiting for an answer, I knew I had to be clever in how I approached it.Their innocence was a delicate point, one I didn't want to touch, so as I was about to say something, one of them stood up and shook his head forcefully."I'm sorry, Miss Amaya, but that doesn't exist, it's just a fairy tale and nothing more."He left the reading room, leaving me with an audience of furrowed brows."Life isn't entirely happy or entirely bad," I told them honestly. "Every day we live is a mixture of both, and just as there are completely good days, there are also bad or very sad ones. But that doesn't mean we can't always do our best to create our own happy ending."Some of them nodded and thanked me, then they got up from the floor to go do the activit
I remained silent for several seconds, and he encouraged me."Be honest, there's nothing wrong, nothing worse than anything else... We can have varied tastes; just as we can like a classic, we can also enjoy something that critics consider bad, and that's okay.""I like paranormal romance stories, human-alien romances, and mysterious creatures transforming into humans," I said with fear, as people often tended to mock these preferences. "I mean...""You like the dirty aspect of those kinds of relationships, right? Or am I mistaken?"His direct and honest conclusion left me speechless, so I was truthful."I like that those were created by women and tailored to our ideals," I admitted, my face flushed. "Within those ideals, there's pleasure, love, and the needs that most women have when it comes to relationships.""Don't you find that concept naive?" he asked, his tone almost sounding mocking.I furrowed my brow at that."Not because it helps us escape from reality...""But it distorts
"Boss, I have the investigation on the Yakuza oyabun, and you won't believe it if I tell you, so I'm leaving you the photos," said Massimo, my most trusted man.I took the folder from his hands, and inside were the movements of the man I was doing business with: Hiroshi Yagami. He played the role of the oyabun of the largest Asian mafia, one that had taken root in California during the diaspora of the Second World War. Like many others, including the Camorra itself that I currently led, they had claimed territory and established themselves until the place became their home.The Japanese mafia wasn't just closed and secretive; they followed a system and codes of honor that were much more rigid than ours. Unlike us, they had a head figure who served as a father to all their members. After being pursued in Asia, Hiroshi migrated here to delve into the foundations of a place that provided him with most of his profits.In the images, I saw him change clothes, distance himself from his two
"The man arrived alone," pointed out Massimo, my Consigliere, best friend, and advisor. That made me smile with pleasure, and I thought about my final offer: fifty million dollars, unrestricted passage from Nevada to Washington state, access to ports and shipments. All of this in exchange for weapons, drugs, and his withdrawal of support in the midst of the war we would wage—a war in which I needed the others to be left isolated, without anyone extending a helping hand when I came without hesitation to kill him."Do you think he'll accept?" I asked my friend, and he looked at me with a furrowed brow."The man isn't foolish; he knows it's a profitable deal with you. But he's one of those who follow ridiculous codes, so he'll want guarantees. As for that, I'm afraid I can't read minds. He's quite unpredictable in his actions. Most of the time, he follows the council's decisions, but there are moments when he acts on his impulses," he explained matter-of-factly. "Discovering his affair a
"You must be joking, Mom," I told my mother after hearing the request she made. She wasn't just asking me to set aside my beliefs, but to give a chance to a man who spoke of righteousness, rights, values, and more, yet lacked respect for his own family through an affair. Moreover, he led one of the criminal organizations causing the most harm to the world.This was outrageous!"No, I'm really letting you know, your father wants to see you, and you should go. The meeting is going to happen, whether you want it or not, and for me, the best thing you could do is approach your father without him being forced to do it," she answered seriously, with a touch of concern in her voice. "He... He wants to mend things, Amaya, so just give him a chance.""I'm sorry, but a person who keeps me as his dirty secret doesn't deserve a chance," I replied and hung up on my mother as quickly as I could, tired of even considering that she might be insistent. Before my father no longer directly interfered in
"This has to be a nightmare...""If it's any consolation, little sister, he's doing it to protect you," Hiro said.The look he got from our father silenced him immediately, enough for him to turn his face away."What are you talking about?""When we get to Los Angeles, we'll talk about everything, I promise you, suki," my father replied, and I furrowed my brow.I shook my head; I was somewhat afraid, and I didn't miss the serious look Hiro gave Hiroshi. It made me wonder if it was something natural, usual, for the oyabun to be so expressive and affectionate. I didn't want to inquire, so I just looked out the window until we reached San Francisco. To my complete astonishment, my mother was waiting at the door with a large suitcase and a handbag."Why are we going home?" I questioned the man of all my troubles."Because your mother wants to see you before we board the plane, and we also came for some of your things," he explained, narrowing his eyes."I need all my assignments, everythi
If anything in this life had surprised me, it was Amaya's appearance in that dress, looking as fabulous as she could and completely unaware of her attractiveness. I glanced at the favored Yagami girls; both wore expressions of consternation. I could guess their thoughts quite well: the more superficial one was probably thinking she had competition for attention, while the power-hungry one assumed she had another rival in the succession line.That made me smile. However, when I saw her stop next to her brother, who surprisingly had his arm linked with hers as a clear sign of respect and acceptance, I heard the most interesting conversation of my life because it revealed something that was in the report: the girl could speak more than one language.Her response in flawless Italian not only surprised my chatty soldiers but also caught the attention of the rest of the community. I remained silent to see what would happen, but I gave a stern look to the idiots who had opened their mouths.
"She... She's not a daughter from my marriage, but the circumstances of her conception are not a relevant topic in light of the fact that she carries my blood, Yakuza blood, and as such, she falls under its mantle and protection," he retorted with utmost seriousness and clarity, emphasizing an intriguing point, a point not beyond comprehension: Amaya was his daughter and had the same rights as the rest. "The process of changing her name, as well as bestowing upon her a new surname, will conclude shortly, and she will officially become a Yagami."The man's wife was boiling with anger, twisted to the point of being shaken entirely. Her daughters were the epitome of modesty, yet they reached out to comfort their mother, while Hiro held his younger sister who seemed on the verge of fainting. With those words, the table fell into silence, and the council members stood to give a small bow to the girl who was on the brink of tears. With that, she had sealed the poor girl's fate, so it was wi