Author's Note:
So, I finished editing early, and asked on the MafiaWard Twilight Fanfiction group on Facebook if I should post it, and the ladies in the group asked me nicely to post it.
So, here it is. Hope you all like it!
We arrived shortly back to the hotel, where I limped out of the car and made my way inside.
Once inside my room, I quickly went to grab a fresh set of clothes and went into the bathroom to shower.
Remembering that it was warm out, I slid on the sand colored bodycon dress, before slipping on my red and black kimono, and slipping on the pair of matching tan, flat, chunky Chelsea boots.
After getting dressed, I proceeded to blow dry and style my hair, and before putting on a light layer of makeup.
"Feeling better?" Edward asked as I exited the bathroom.
He was looking at something on his phone. Based on the frown on his face, it must have been something rather interesting.
Choosing to ignore him, I rolled my eyes at him, as I bent down to put the clothes into the bag before zipping it up and dropping the blow dryer into my other bag along with my makeup bag.
"Were you ready to— oh fuck." He muttered.
"What's wrong?" I asked as I straightened up, and turned to look at him.
"You're wearing that?" He asked, wide-eyed.
I frowned, looking down before nodding in response. "Yeah, why? Does it look that bad?" I asked.
"No, you look— you look fucking gorgeous. I just— I just— fuck. Alright, you look good enough to eat. Are you ready to go now or do you need help finding something else?" He asked, agitated as his ears turned red.
I raised a brow at him, before looking around and nodding, "Can you unplug and grab my charger, and that bag over there?" I asked.
He sighed nodding in response.
Once I knew everything was in its place, I allowed him to take my bags before guiding me out of the room.
He led me out of the hotel, before helping me into his car, and placing my things in the trunk of his car.
"Where are we going?" I asked him after he got into the car.
"My parents' house." He replied, as he drove away from the entrance and out of the parking lot.
"I don't want to go back there." I told him with a head shake.
"Principessa, that is the safest place at the moment. You don't have to see them if you don't want to but I would prefer for you to be safe. I promise once everything is ok, I'll take you anywhere you want to go." He said.
I groaned, "Alright, fine. But I don't want to be stuck in one room." I mumbled.
"I have an entire wing that is mine. You don't have to stay in one room, just in that part of the house if you want." He replied.
I nodded in response before chewing on my lip as I turned away.
We arrived back at the massive house sometime later.
Two men in suits were waiting for us as we got there.
"Skip." They greeted him, monotonously.
Skip? What the fuck did that mean? Was this another nickname of his?
I felt Edward stiffen slightly as he helped me get out of the car.
"Take Miss. Swan's bags up to my room. We need to speak to my father." Edward said, in a cold tone.
Come again?
"Yes, sir." They replied as he pulled me up the steps in front of the house before leading me into the house.
"Edward?" I asked, softly as he grabbed my hand and pulled me up the steps and into the house.
"Wait." He replied, as he pulled me along. More like dragged.
"Woah. Hang on there, buddy boy." I said, snatching my hand from his large one.
He groaned, before turning around, giving me an exasperated sigh. "You said you want to talk. And for me to be honest with you, right?" He asked.
I nodded, "I still do. So, where the hell are you taking me?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.
"My room. It's the one place we can be alone, and talk without getting interrupted." He explained.
I narrowed my eyes suspiciously as he looked around again, before extending his hand towards me.
"Alright. But you promised to be honest." I replied, as I allowed him to take my hand again before pulling me towards the elevator.
"Thank you." He sighed as the doors closed.
"Yeah, don't thank me just yet, bello. I have a feeling that there are things you're hiding from me, and I want all the truth." I told him, sweetly.
"Bello? You think I'm handsome, dolcezza?" He asked, smirking widely at me, intrigued.
I sighed, crossing my arms over my chest, before leaning back, and placing a foot on the wall behind me. "Well, yeah. I mean I'd be blind not to see that you are. But that doesn't change things. I don't mix business with pleasure." I replied stoically.
"Business with pleasure." He repeated, quietly as he sighed and closed his eyes.
"Yes, technically speaking we're doing business together. We can be friendly when we're alone. Meaning, we don't kiss, hold each other, no doing anything stupid. I was planning to tell you that it's one of my conditions but it flew out of my mind with everything that happened this morning—" I trailed off.
"So, what? We act all lovey dovey when we're in front of people." He surmised.
"Precisely." I replied, sighing as I looked up.
"What a shame." He quipped.
I was about to say something when the doors opened.
I followed him out, and to his bedroom where I noticed my bags were already waiting there.
"Alright, Masen, start talking." I said, as I dropped my bag onto the chair and moved to sit on the overstuffed loveseat I neglected earlier.
He groaned, before turning to lock the door. Taking off his coat and heading to sit on the other side of the loveseat.
He then leaned his head back, with a sigh.
God, he was acting like I asked him to do housework, it was as if he didn't want to tell me.
"Isabella," He whispered after a moment.
"Edward," I replied dryly.
"Look, there's a reason why I was at the airport, and that club." He softly said.
I turned to look at him, raising a brow. "Business, right?" I asked.
He looked at me shocked for a moment, before nodding again.
I could feel his shocked apprehension as he looked at me, baffled.
"I'm not interested in finding out what type of business you're in, that's your business not mine. But if this has anything to do with finding my father's family, then start talking." I replied.
He nodded, "It does." He replied with a sigh.
"You — you found them?" I asked, frowning.
He nodded, jaw tense as he leaned forward and clenched and unclenched his hands. "Before— before I explain, I need you to promise me that you'll listen to everything that I have to say before you react. I know you're going to get mad at me. But I need you to listen first." He began.
I frowned at him, confused. "What did you find?" I asked, fear gnawing at my gut, as I questioned if I had made a mistake in coming here to find those people in the first place.
He shook his head. "Promise me you'll listen to me." He implored.
His green eyes implored as much as his words did to me.
As I stared, I was briefly entranced by the alluring eye color and emotion gleaming from within his eyes.
When I blinked again, I sighed, "Alright, I promise to listen to you." I whispered.
He visibly sighed in response to my words, before clearing his head and nodding in response.
"What do you know about your parents before they left here?" He asked me.
"Not much. I know that they met when they were both nineteen, fell in love and that their parents and families refused to acknowledge their love. So, they hid from them after they got married. When my mother fell pregnant with me… there was an accident that caused her to have me really early." I frowned.
"What happened after that?" He asked, quietly as my thoughts continued.
"I was in the hospital for the two month and a half of my life. After I was released, they left this country, and went to the U.S to live. After that my mother became a preschool teacher, and my father a businessman." I told him. "I'm not sure what type of business he ventured in though." I added before he could ask.
He nodded, humming before he swallowed. "How did you find out your parents have family out here?" he asked.
"My father's will. It came with a few things for me. And upon their deaths I received everything. No stipulations, no clauses, just a whole lot of money, properties and a company I know nothing about running." I replied with a slightly hysterical laugh.
He nodded, "What do you know about your father's job?" He asked.
I shrugged, nonchalantly. "My father was a businessman, he was always away, traveling, in meetings and stuff. It's how I knew you were a businessman." I whispered, thinking about everything I've noticed by simply being here with him.
A small smile spread on his lips as he leaned back, "How did you know I am?" He asked.
"Well, you're always on your phone." I pointed out.
"And you always have this look on your face, and you give off this enigmatic aura just like my father. But something about you is more different." I noted.
"How so?" He asked, raising a brow.
"You're more lethal." I told him.
I knew I was correct in my assumptions. If that gun hidden on his belt was anything to go by.
I watched in satisfaction as he stiffened for a moment before turning to look at me.
"Dolcezza, my family is a part of the Italian syndicate known as Cosa Nostra." He finally said. "So was yours." He finished.
I turned to look at him confused for a moment before everything he was telling me suddenly clicked.
Wait, syndicate means… an organized group of individuals or groups… with common interests.
Oh my god!