The Way he loves

Chapter 2

Angelina

What makes a place home?

I stood outside the gates of the large ostentatious mansion. I had lived here for almost all of my life. This place had stood as witness to all my major milestones. I had learnt to crawl, walk and run within the walls of this building. I had learnt to ride a bicycle in these gardens. I had hidden behind the trees of the garden when mom and dad fought loudly in the hall. My childhood, my adolescence, everything had taken place in this mansion, as I had been hardly allowed to go outside. And yet, this place had not ever felt like home. It felt suffocating, like Rupanzel's tower, or the castle where Beauty was held captive by the Beast. The only difference between the latter and my situation being that, I did not grow to love the beasts of this mansion.

When I thought of home, I pictured a cozy cottage in the outskirts of the city. Dainty and serene, surrounded by a garden of flowers. A fireplace in the living room, to keep me warm during the cold wintery nights. But most of all, I pictured myself there with a family, my own family. A man who loved me dearly and kissed me on the lips every morning before leaving for work. Boisterous kids running around the house, making my life harder but strangely fulfilling. Family is what makes a building home. Love is what makes it home. So it was really not a surprise that this lavish mansion meant nothing to me.

Lost in thought, I entered the house and saw the gathering of people seated in the living room. The atmosphere was tense, I could see my dad sitting there, with a frown on his face. Jennifer sat beside him, leaning against his shoulder. Her daughter, my half sister Jessica was sitting on the chair in front of then. And near her, in another chair sat her brother Adrian. Adrian Romano. Yes, my stepbrother was also the illegitimate son of the Boss. “Bastard", is what people used to call him. That is until the Boss' only son and heir was shot in an accident fifteen years ago leaving the empire heirless. Under different circumstances, the Boss would have taken a young new wife and fathered more children, but the same people who killed his son had also tried to kill him. And even though they had failed, the bullet had injured his lower spine, leaving him wheelchair bound and impotent. I don't remember any of this because I was about four years old back then, but from whatever mom's told me over the years, I know that the situation back then had been terrible. There were groups of men who wanted to usurp the Boss, lead by his own brothers. My father however remained loyal, killed all the traitors and anyone who questioned the Boss' power and made sure that the empire remained intact even while the Boss was weak and confined to his bed. When he eventually recovered, he rewarded dad by making him his right hand man and entrusting him all major responsibilities. It was dad who suggested that the Boss did have an heir. A ten year old boy who lived in our home, who was practically brought up by dad as his own son. The Boss had been hesitant to declare a w***e's illegitimate son as his heir, but dad was persistent and they had ran out of other options. And that is how my father managed to make his mistress's son the future Boss, ensuring that his position and power was unshakeable even after the boss retired. My father would do anything for power, including pawning off innocent kids or maybe getting his daughter married off to a powerful, rich criminal. He didn't care about me, he never had. He hasn't even noticed my presence yet, none of them had, except for Adrian .

Years of ruthless training had made his senses extra sharp, his eyes and ears missed nothing. He locked his eyes with mine, but his expression remained cold, calculating.

I had some vague early memories of Adrian from back when I was a child. He had been a pleasant, calming presence, always making sure that I didn't get hurt and comforting me when I started crying. That gentle boy had died long ago, and the current Adrian was all business and no empathy. He was fiercely protective of his mother and sister, but for the rest of the world....I always got the impression that he could murder every single person on the planet without even a slight change in his stoic expression.

Dad finally turned to see what Adrian was staring at and nodded his head in greeting.

“Lina, it's good that you're here. I was going to call you anyways"

“I know dad, mom called me and filled me in on everything. Where is she, by the way?", I asked looking around for any sign of my mother. The entire “family" seemed to be having a “family meeting" and of course my mother wasn't there.

“She is probably in her room. But come, sit with us. We need to talk about something, there are things that need to be discussed", said Dad with a grimace on his face.

That was quick. Dad was going to get straight to the point, and I was probably going to be promised in marriage to someone by the end of this “talk".

I went and sat down next to my father, ignoring Jennifer and Jessica as I always did. Our version of being civil was to ignore each other. And when we weren't being civil, things had often gotten really ugly.

“What do you want from me dad?", I asked, even though I knew the answer.

Dad looked at Adrian and then back at me. He took a deep breath before saying, “Angelina, as your mother must have already told you, things are not looking good for our family at the moment. We need to cement our position before it is too late. We need connections, allies and honestly, we need money. The simplest possible solution to our current problems is to give you away in marriage to a strong family."

Dad's words came as no surprise to me, but his almost apologetic, almost ashamed expression did. Was my father actually sad to sell off his daughter to save his ass?

“Who did you have in mind?", I asked my voice surprisingly calm.

Dad seemed relieved that I was playing along with him and not making things hard for him.

“It is not yet decided. But, we have some options.... Matteo Moretti is one of them". Dad couldn't even meet my eyes while saying this.

“A Moretti??!! Dad you want me to be at the mercy of the same people who destroyed us and put us in this position?" , I shrieked, unable to hold back my anger and fear anymore. It was one thing to sell your daughter, but to sell her to your enemy!!?

“It is not an option"

Adrian's voice cut through the room, loud and sharp . I turned towards him and he appeared furious, fists clenched, eyes dark and cold.

At least someone apart from me had realised that this was an insane idea.