My Step-brother, My Enemy

Chapter 1

Sienna’s POV

The stupid posh, white limo comes to a smooth halt in front of the estate.

The Moretti Estate.

My mother, Lucia Russo smooths out imaginary wrinkles on my dress with shaky hands as she talks to me from our seat at the far end of the vehicle. As much as I love my mother, this must be the most stupid thing she has done under the guise of protecting the family, protecting me.

“Sienna darling” She coos at me with a warm, motherly smile “I know you don’t like my decision to bring you back to this world. But I am doing it for our safety, amore mio. For our protection.”

I am tempted to tell my mother to shove the protection of the Cosa Nostra down her throat, and that I know the main reason she is marrying into the Italian mafia again is because of her own thirst for power. But instead, I shut it and return her smile with one of my own.

“I know mama,” I say politely “Let’s just go” I really want to put an end to the conversation.

She gathers me in a warm hug for a brief moment and let’s go, her smile still in place.

Just then, the door of the limo oozes open, and I look out to see that we are surrounded by over two dozen suited guards, they are all frighteningly muscular, and look intimidating with their cold expressions.

A guard reaches his hand into the vehicle and pulls my mother out of it, she gracefully steps to the ground below and balances in a model-like pose as the same guard reaches for my own hand.

As I take his strong, rough hand, I get a glimpse of his face. He looks to be around my age, or maybe a few years older. He looks handsome, charmingly so and in his brown eyes, I can see a twinkle of something I can’t really comprehend… mischief?

Before I can decipher the look, my feet meet the ground below and I let go of his hand as I look up, scanning my surroundings like it’s a prison.

Which in a way, it is.

Growing up in a mafia family made my childhood a very horrible one. I was never allowed to go anywhere, bodyguards followed me to and from school and even the other mafia kids were terrible to me. Particularly this kid, we used to call him Ace, I think it was gotten from his name- which I don’t recall- but some might say it was because he aced everything he did; school competitions and grades, sports, at some point, shooting at targets, biking, horse riding. I vividly remember that he was good at everything. No not good, perfect.

As if that was not enough, his family was one of the most important families in the Cosa Nostra then… but, things may have changed now.

Ace had the perfect life, but he still went out of his way to tease and bully me when we were little kids. I could be playing with my dolls in the front yard while my parents had closed door meetings and he would drop in uninvited with his friends, call me little princess and laugh mockingly and his friends would join in making mockery of me and step on all my princess dolls until they were ruined.

Then the next day, he would drop new toys at my house with a mocking letter attached to it.

My point is, he was mean to me and because of how popular he was, everyone else was mean to me as well, and it made my childhood really stressful and terrible.

Anyway, we left the mafia life when my father was killed, and mother had to take us away- to protect us from the bloodshed.

Why then was she marrying into the mafia again? Couldn’t we get protection somewhere else?

I took in the huge villa around us with a grimace. I think the man mum married was Don Vincenzo Moretti or so. He was apparently very influential and wealthy and he commanded power and authority.

Both being the real reasons why mother married him.

The guard from earlier escorts us into one of the many enormous buildings around and leads us to where I presume will be our new home.

Why was this Don not here to welcome his new family anyway?

The guard abruptly stops in the hallway of the topmost floor and turns around to look at two of us.

“My name is Gabriel” he says, his voice almost as charming as he looks “I am the young boss’ senior guard and right-hand man. He is responsible for you both from now on, but whatever you need from him… must go through me first” He finishes smoothly, his eyes dwelling on mine not-so-briefly before he continues again “This entire building is for you to do as you see fit, and the rooms beside you are your luxury suites. There will be helps around at your beck and call, and you can also reach me through them. Good day” With one last look at me, he turns around and walks away from me and mother in the direction from where we came.

I feign another smile at mother and enter the room beside me, and she enters the other as well. The guard was not kidding when he called it a luxury suite, there was an in-wall television screen and comfortable looking leather sofas in the living room area. The rooms were vast and white, with chandeliers and fluorescent tubes that came on automatically as I entered any room.

One second, I am in awe, and the next, I blink it all away.

Through a window, I can see someone at the balcony, just leaning on the rails. I slowly approach the door to the balcony and I peep through it to get a glance at whoever was standing in my balcony. He is definitely a male, and with his tall frame, his back profile looks… good.

I will not let myself think more.

I let myself through the door and I step onto the tiled balcony slowly. I gaze at the figure a few inches beside me and stare piercingly at him, but I can’t really tell who it is from this angle. Just as I am about to question the man, he speaks.

“Why are you staring at me, little princess?” he turns around to look at me with an all too familiar smirk.

No, no, no. You have got to be kidding me.

Ace? The same Ace I've always admired since we were teenagers, despite his constant bullying.

My heart was thumping faster in my ribcage, threatening to burst at the sound of his baritone deep ice voice.

God…..

Looking at his face, I asked “Who are you?”

He walks closer to me until he is directly in front of me and I can smell his clean, male scent. I try to side-step him and go to the door but he places his hand on the wall right behind me, effectively caging me. He leans his face even closer “You really want to play that game, Sienna?” he says, my name rolling off his tongue in such a familiar way, that I am a bit stunned for a moment.

“My name?” I mutter “How do you still remember my name, ace?” I ask.

“Oh, so you do remember me” he drawls with a teasing smirk.

“Why are you here?” I ask impatiently, my eyes glaring into his.

He leans over to my ear and whispers “take a wild guess, little princess” he pulls away and after gauging the look on my face, he leaves the balcony and exits my immediate space altogether. To his own suite, I suppose.

I on the other hand, am left standing there, dazed. In my head, all I can hear are repeated echoes and flashes of my discussions with mother. She told me that I had a new step-brother named Adrian.

Adrian Moretti.

My brain forms one distinct sentence.

Adrian ‘Ace’ Moretti, is my new step-brother.

*****

I am dressing up to have a large dinner with my new family. Apparently, it is at this dinner that the Don wants to meet his new family and force our interactions with his old one.

I strap on my black gown and apply just a lip-gloss as makeup. The last thing I want to do is draw attention to myself.

I pull on a pair of black, platform sandals and as I look at the mirror, I am satisfied with my look. I may not have a say in what kind of family I find myself in, but I had a say in dressing in black. Mourning my transition out of normal life and back to mafia chaos.

I find my way out of my suite, and I approach the large dining hall in the family room where a few members of the Don’s family are already seated. Mum, however, is not in the room yet.

I find a seat with my name on it and I lower myself on it and sit. Directly opposite my seat, I see a card with Adrian’s name on it.

I quickly pull myself out of the seat and awkwardly smiling at the few people already seated, I take Adrian’s card and switch it with another card at the far end of the room.

I don’t know who made the arrangement, but isn’t the Don’s heir supposed to sit near the head of the table?

Not long after, the rest of the family troop into the room and my mother makes her grand entrance into the room with her arm in her new husband’s.

Vincenzo Moretti.

I inwardly cringe at the sight and decide to just face my immediate front. The guard that showed us around earlier walks in and fixes himself in the seat opposite me, and just then I look at the card.

Gabriel.

He smiles warmly at me and I return a confused smile.

Why are they letting a guard sit in on the family table? Is this some sort of mindfuck?

He leans closer to me and whispers “you are wondering why I’m at the table, right?”

I smile and nod, awkwardly “I am a senior guard and ace’s best friend and right-hand. You know Adrian right?” he asks and I nod again. He leans back into his seat and remains composed.

Just then, Adrian walks into the room and I immediately revert my eyes from him. He walks to the other end of the table, and picks up his name card, then, he walks over to where Gabriel is seated.

“Move, Gabe” he says with a smile that does not reach his eyes.

I don’t know why I expect Gabriel to argue, but he doesn’t. He takes his card and moves to the empty space at the end of the table and sits down.

Adrian smirks and sits down, directly opposite me.

I try to ignore his existence as food rolls in and everyone resumes eating after Don takes the first bite. The air suffocates me, but I keep my head held high the entire dinner determined not to let anyone see me as weak.

Suddenly, Vincenzo taps his wine glass to call everyone’s attention and the room becomes silent as he speaks, looking in my direction “I have a new daughter and you have a new family member, besides my beautiful wife, Lucia. Sienna is to be taken care of and will be kept under the protection of the family. Do I make myself clear?” His voice is filled with authority and everyone in the room nods in response.

My palms ball into fists at his stupid announcement. He was basically saying that I should not be touched or courted, that I am to be kept under control.

This was what I hated most about being part of a mafia family in the past and it is still what I hate the most about it now.

The control.

I won’t let anyone control my life, not even Don Vincenzo or his annoying son, Adrian.