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Before we get into the story, I would just like to say Happy New Year to everyone. May it be a blessed year for all.
And secondly, I want to experiment and see if we could get to fifty reviews. Not that Chapter Nine is already written and waiting to be published. It's titled The Angel of Mercy and we see Bella and Edward bonding. So let's see how successful this experiment is.
Having said that read and enjoy.
THE MAFIA MISTRESS.
Chapter Eight: The Decision Is Made.
Emmett's POV
A Husband's/ Father's Pledge
Rodney D. Coates
1) I will work continuously to earn the name husband and father from my wife, children, my family, and my peers. I know that being a husband and a father is something that is learned, practiced, and rehearsed. I know that I can do this, that I can achieve this -through patience, inspiration, and prayer.
2) I will embrace my wife, children, and my family with respect, authenticity, and honesty. I will lead by service, I will learn by sharing, I will become by giving all that is within me -as I devote myself to my family.
3) I will become transparent, I will become the embodiment of love and caring, I will seek to demonstrate my commitment to my wife, my children, and my family as a daily part of my being.
4) I will exemplify patience, I will show forgiveness, and I will work with my wife and family to create a home where creativity is welcomed, difference is celebrated, and time is shared.
5) I will love learning, I will worship wisdom, and I will cherish contemplation as I demonstrate to my family the value of truth, honor, and devotion.
6) I will be open to criticism, available for discussions, and eagerly anticipate date nights, family outings, and the joy of sharing as a family.
7) I will guard my thoughts, my home, and my behavior as I seek to model sober, mature and consistent values that uplift my wife, children, and family.
8) I will never judge in haste, punish in wrath, or practice vengeance either within or outside the confines of my wife, children, and family.
9) I will work with my wife to create a home that is a place of learning, spirituality, and devotion to God, life, and our family.
10) I will, as a husband and father always respect, value, and cherish my wife, children and family not for what they are but for who they are.
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I felt like a caged animal. The pain from my leg was hard to bear. I knew Jasper did some damage and as much as I wanted to sink to the floor and just cry out from the pain, I would not; I could not.
I could still remember the night my father called me to his office to tell me that Rosalie had been attacked. I never knew rage until that very moment. I wanted to kill, I wanted blood and I wanted it immediately so I stormed out of his office to do just that.
I was already out the house when Edward found me and told me that there had been a complication in regards to Rosalie; a complication that would put the entire organization in the direct view of the law and that complication had a name and that name was Charlie Swan.
It was never that I was not thankful for what he had done for Rosalie. If he had not intervened the bastards would have been killed and the problem would have been solved with no repercussions to follow but then again if he had not intervened then I might not have gotten to call Rosalie my wife and because of that I was undoubtedly and unconditionally tied to the Swan family like it or not.
So when the man who ties you to a family dies, the next thing left to do is take care of his family and his family consisted of one person and that person was Isabella Marie Swan: college graduate.
I can without a doubt say that I never hated Isabella. What I hated was the hold she had on the family. No one could function knowing that she suffered because of what had happened. Once a month when my father gave the family an update on Isabella, everyone waited with baited breaths to find out if she was well.
And then Edward found out the truth; the secret we kept from him for the last six years, and he single-handedly set in motion 'Operation Bring Isabella Home' when he, in less than ten minutes, figured out the depth of pain Isabella was in when we, the ones who knew about this for the last six years, were clueless.
The wait to get Isabella was torturous. I spent the majority of time thinking of her pain and I felt anger with myself. Here I was living a full and generally happy life where I went home to my wife everyday and saw both of my parents; both health and happy while Isabella lived a life of isolation and loneliness.
It was not long before anger turned into self-loath so much so that I spoke with Jasper who surprisingly empathized with me.
The first night she was at the manor, she was frightened, terrified even and I was happy. She was finally in an environment where she could have a family and where she would be protected. I honestly cannot say why I reacted the way I did when she pushed Rosalie away but I knew the reason I reacted at all.
At the risk of sounding like a little girl who is now sharing her feelings, I blame my actions on the fact that I felt that Isabella was rejecting the family; pushing the family away. I felt like she wanted nothing from us and that angered me. How dare she? All we wanted to do was help; help her through her grief and while Rosalie understood and accepted Isabella's apology, I stewed in my anger.
Time passed and I remained unmoved in my anger towards Isabella's action. Mind you I was never anger at her but rejection always leaves a bitter taste in one's mouth.
And then it came to her taking the oath and she refused. I was blind with worry as to what that would mean and the worry was never for Rosalie or myself, contrary to popular belief. My father and Edward while both just and fair, were known for quick action. They were never ones to wait around and see how thing play out.
So again after allowing my emotions to take control, I cornered Isabella and forced her to take the oath, leaving me feeling horrible but at the same it, I would do it again because it meant she was one of us. It meant that she had a family. It meant she had a home and if I died for this I would have no regrets because it would mean that my sister was safe.
Edward's POV.
While rare, it was not unheard of for a blood meeting to be called but even when the occurrence of such a meeting had last taken place over forty-five years ago, the deep significance of this meeting was far from diminished.
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In the records of Il Trono, the first Riunione di Sangue was called by the brother of the founding father of the Mafia, Stephan Malakov, after he had been wronged by a drug lord from Peru. Malakov had called the meeting and petitioned for the elimination of the Drug Lord's blood-line.
After having heard the arguments brought forth by Malakov, on the 24th of May,1703, fifty-three people who all shared blood with the drug lord, Daniel Pacotelli, either directly or through a pumpkin vine relation, was killed and while the Mafia was against the slaughtering of women and children, the order given to those handling the Malakov-Pacotelli matter, null and voided all law of protection, and along with Pacotelli and his men, nineteen women and children died that night resulting in the first Notte di Sangue in the history of Il Trono.
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Sir Isaac Newton's third law of motion: For every action there is and equal and opposite reaction and it was that very principle that found Jonathon Hale, my father and myself looked away from the world as we debated the course of action to take with regards to one of our own.
For the last five hours, Jonathon Hale reminded my father and me of everything about Emmett from the time and date that he was born to the time and date that it came out that Rosalie was now scheduled to bring forth another Cullen into the world.
Except for the heavy sighs and occasional eye roll, one would have thought that my father actually cared about what was being said to him but I knew my father and he was anything but happy. In truth he was absolutely livid and truly hated Jonathon Hale at the moment and I could not see myself disagreeing with his anger.
After all, there was nothing more irritating to a man in a powerful position than when another man was is beneath him tries to school him and by extension undermines his authority.
"You know, if this had been Edward, we would not have even been here." Jonathan mused out loud.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" My father asked as he drained his glass if scotch.
"What that means is if Edward had reacted to Isabella's reluctance to take the oath in the same manner that Emmett did, you would have already brushed it under the rug and you wouldn't have shot him and thrown him into a cell like a traitor." Jonathon fumed.
"No I would not have had to throw Edward into a cell because he would have never have done that." My father rebutted.
"He did it for the protection of the family. We can't fault it for that." Mr. Hale said, void of all emotion.
"But he was given an order not to interfere." I interjected.
"So what do you propose, Edward? Eliminate one of your best men?" Mr. Hale said sarcastically while rolling his eye.
"Jonathon, why do I get the feeling that you could care less about what is being said or what has been done?" My father stated calmly as he looked over at Mr. Hale.
"My daughter was at risk. Her husband did what he felt necessary to eliminate that risk. I can't fault him." He replied with a nonchalantly shrug.
"Do you think that I honestly did not know that your daughter was at risk? If you take a step back you will see that you are the one who should have been bearing this problem." My father responded coldly.
"I don't like what you are insinuating, Carlisle!" Mr. Hale roared as he stood quickly, pushing his chair to the floor.
"I am not insinuating anything but Charles Swan died protecting YOUR daughter. You, above all people should be striving to keep his daughter protected, happy and generally cared for but here you are doing the exact opposite." My father said calmly as my anger started to rise.
"Carlisle, what do you expect me to do? Carry her back to the Hale manor and make her my mistress?" Mr. Hale sneered as he stood up to tower over my father but my father was not fazed and simply raised his eyebrows in response to Mr. Hale's statement.
"Never would I allow such a thing," My father responded coolly. "Since the night that Charles Swan died, I have thought of Isabella as my own and she will remain in this house as one of my own until I take my last breath. If my successor," he continued as he turned his gaze on me, "feels that she is no longer welcomed here, all I could do is hope that he would have the good sense to provide and care for her knowing the place she holds in my heart."
"Isabella Swan is a Cullen now father and I would not have it any other way." I said showing my support for my father.
"Well isn't that all hunky-dory but my son-in-law is still in a cell waiting for a sentence he should not have to bear." Jonathon fumed as he threw his glass of scotch into the fireplace.
"I have heard enough, Jonathon. I made my decision the very moment that I found out that Emmett had attacked Isabella and you have done nothing to sway me from my decision."
"Carlisle, he is your son." Jonathon pleaded still fearing for Emmett's life.
"I am full aware of who he is, Jonathon. I was there in the room when he came out into this world kicking and screaming his newborn lungs out. I was the one who cut that umbilical cord. I was the one who stayed up with him when he was ill. I was the one who taught him how to ride a bike and I was the one who molded him into the Sleeper he is today."
"Having said that I am also very aware of what Emmett is capable of doing and as much as it pains me to say it but what Emmett did is not even one hundredth of what he is capable of doing."
"Finally." Jonathon exclaimed with a smile. "I knew you would see things my way."
"But the fact still remains that he when against two dons; one of those is a sitting member of Il Trono. Had this squabble escaped the confines of this house, Emmett would be dead. You will agree with me when I say that disloyalty is one thing that the Il Trono hates. Right Jonathon?"
"I do agree with you." Jonathon said with a bow of his head.
"So having said all this, I found myself in a bit of a rock and a hard place when I had to make a decision, the decision I still stand by. I have lived in this world existing as two people: Carlisle Matthew Cullen, Don and member of Il Trono and Carlisle Matthew Cullen, Husband and Father. So because of Emmett's utter stupidity, I find myself in a situation where my two lives have clashed. One part of me wants to see him suffer for all the pain he caused to my daughter while that other half wants to take him into my arms like I did when he was younger and forgive him for his crime. Knowing what I know, I am of the belief that any decision I make will be biased so I will allow another to hand down a decision."
"Well, I want him to live." Jonathon interjected.
"It is not your decision to make, you insolent little man." My father roared, his anger finally taking control. "And it will not be Edward's either." He spat.
"Well then whose decision shall it be, father?" I asked as I raised my head.
"It shall be Isabella's." My father responded. "Just like it was Rosalie's when I came to handling her attackers."
"But Carlisle, she would have him killed." Jonathon stuttered, his eyes reflecting the fear he felt for losing his son-in-law.
"No she won't." I responded. "She will let him live."
"Exactly. I know she would let him live." My father said as he stood and put on his jacket.
"Then why don't you spear him?"
"No Jonathon, I would not do that. I want Emmett to hear the words form Isabella's mouth. I want him to know that he breathes because of her. I want him to know that he will see his child brought into this world because of her. I want him to know just how much she has allowed him to have and I want it to torture him. I want him to feel guilty and I want him at her mercy."
"Carlisle, will you allow your son to suffer that way?" Jonathon screamed in outrage.
"No Jonathon, I would never allow my son to be victim of that pain but to a man who chose to go against my word then, to that man I will show no mercy. This meeting is over. Edward, go and see that Emmett is patched up and brought home while I go see to Isabella and you, Jonathon Hale, I suggest you get as far away from here as possible. You and your daughter have over-stepped so many boundaries that my anger is far from gone. You are not welcomed here at the moment and remember everything you have is because, I allowed it. I can take it all away Jonathon. Your power is blinding you to the ones who are above you. Remember you place. Just because you are a Don does not mean you are irreplaceable."
And with that my father stormed out the room leaving me smirking in awe and mirth while Jonathon Hale quivered in fear.
