Heir’s Redemption

(Present) Family Dinner: THIRD PERSON POV The Gambino family; including its closest friends and extended family members, all sat around the long-wooden dinner table. It had been years since they’ve all gotten together, considering their kids were all grown up now. Some would even say that their children were the best of them. Every one had been gathered here today by the new Don of the Italian mafia- the heir of Valentina and Níkolai Gambino. Vincenzo Gambino. He had an announcement to make, along with his childhood sweetheart- Sage. Time couldn’t keep them apart, hence the reason they called the family together to announce their great news. They were getting married and expecting a child. The news would be a surprise, considering how everyone hasn’t seen each other in a while. The family business seemed to take up most of everyone’s time, leaving no room for anything else. It’s been almost three years since the boys were inducted into the mafia and took over their positions. Vinny became a great Don, exactly what his parents had taught him to be. They were proud and it showed in their happy smiles and eyes that sparkled with respect. Gianni and Tomásso- Vinny’s twin brothers, had grown up and become more reliable in the family business as well. In the past, they couldn’t be trusted with any responsibility. Now they were a force to be reckoned with and followed in their older brother’s footsteps. Rámon- Don of the Bonanno crime family and long time friend of the brothers; has come into his position quite well also. He rules with an iron fist and doesn’t give anybody a chance to f**k him over. Even though he seems to hold his position well, others can’t say the same thing about his emotions. He seems to be a train wreck when it comes to a certain beautiful woman who left him years ago and hasn’t looked back. Which brings me to Caterina Gambino. Nobody has seen Cat since she disappeared overseas for college almost three years ago. After she turned eighteen and got inducted into the mafia, she left home. Nobody really knows why she chose to up and leave, considering how great of an asset she was to the family. Only a handful know what truly happened. Her father trained her to be the best, even better than the Don himself- but it seems heartbreak and pain ceases any plans that were created for her. She chose a life of rebellion, instead of a life with family. The only people who know what happened entirely two years ago, were Cat and Rámon—the two lovebirds who seemed to not get anything right when it came to their hearts. It’s a shame really, they were meant for each other. “Where is your sister?” Níkolai questioned with impatience, looking towards his sons who were now grown and towering over him at the dinner table. “I don’t know Pa, she said she would be on time tonight.” Vinny answered back, “Her flight arrived early yesterday morning.” Níkolai sighed out in frustration. Anybody at the table would think he was silently cursing his daughter’s lateness, but in reality, he was missing his little girl who had been away from home for so long. Níkolai and Cat’s relationship was golden. He loved his little girl dearly, but even he had trouble realizing she wasn’t his little girl any more. She was a grown woman now who made her own choices. “Don’t worry papa, she’ll be here.” Max reassured his father as he typed away on his laptop at the dinner table. Massimo was now twelve and smarter than ever. He was a certified genius that seemed to outdo all of his family when it came to intelligence of the mind. His specialty was software and electronics. He took after his mother with his hacking skills, but he became better than her at the mere age of seven. His expertise seemed to get better after that. Max handles everything related to electronics and software. He takes care of the families accounts and updates all of their security channels. He can even locate anybody on the planet—missing, hiding or even someone with an altered identity. The boy was a mastermind and he proved it everyday. ”How are you so sure she’ll be here? She said she would be at the last family dinner, but never showed up” Níkolai scoffed as he watched Max type away vigilantly on his laptop. “I talked to her papa.” He took a break from typing and gave his father his undivided attention. “She knows she can’t miss this dinner, considering the good news Vinny has to share with us.” All eyes turned to Vinny, who seemed to be captivated by the love of his life that sat right next to him. His hand rested under the table and on her upper thigh, casually riding up her silver toned dress. She was like a drug to him when she was near. No matter where they were or who they were with, he needed to be touching her. It made it even worse knowing his seed was growing inside of her. He loved her completely—some may say possessively. If you asked Sage, she would say that she loved the way he loved her. He may be possessive or obsessive at times, but she relished in everything he gave her—considering she loved him since she was a child. She never thought he would love her too, considering the four year age gap between them. She was surprised when he confessed his feelings for her once she came of age. That day was the start of something beautiful between them. They can’t get enough of each other, and it honestly shows when they’re together. Vinny always wanted a love like what his parents have—now he finally had it. Deep down, he always knew it was there. He just needed to wait on his wife to bloom into the woman she was today. “I already called it, they’re getting married.” Connor chuckled as he guzzled down his glass of red wine. His partner Giuseppe, elbowed him in the side, silently trying to get him to not spoil the surprise. Their adoptive daughter—Rowan, blossomed into a beautiful young woman. Her long ginger-red hair was down to her lower back, like a modernized rapunzel. She had big green eyes, like emeralds. Her rosy cheeks and button nose were coated with the faintest of freckles that were inherited from her Irish background. Even though she was adopted, she favored her father Conor, who also had an Irish background. Conor was Valentina’s trusted companion and came into her life in a time of need. He’s been with the family ever since and has even found love with Níkolai’s older cousin, Giuseppe. Love seems to work in mysterious ways. Rowan has also come back from overseas. She was twenty now and rarely relied on her parents for guidance. She grew up as a shy and reserved child, but blossomed into a social butterfly. Some may say she took after her lively parents, but only Rowan and Caterina know different. Rowan fell in love with a bad boy who broke her heart, making her run off overseas and join Cat on her journey of rebellion. Unlike Cat though, she knew how to check in and stay in communication with her family. Something Níkolai wished his daughter would do more. “Well, I for one can’t wait to hear the good news.” Keisha praised as she smiled at the happy couple. Keisha always knew her daughter would end up with Vincenzo. Vinny had always treated her daughter well and took extra care of her. He always respected her boundaries and never pursued a romantic relationship before she came of age. In all reality, she was hoping they would make things official and get married. Her husband on the other hand, Matteo—Valentina’s step brother who was raised with her in the Genovese household, couldn’t be any more upset. He didn’t necessarily hate that it was Vinny, who was dating his daughter. He just hated the idea of any man being with his baby girl, knowing they were sexually active and doing things he did with his wife. That thought alone made him shudder. Keisha’s other two children were also here. Damien moved back to New York four years ago to be closer to the family. He and his long time girlfriend- Sam, finally started their own family. They got married and had a son three years ago and he was absolutely wonderful. Jade on the other hand hadn’t settled down yet. She went through different boyfriends who were all celebrities, considering she achieved her dreams of becoming a famous model and actress. On the surface, everyone saw her as vain, but internally she was misunderstood and didn’t know how to portray her real identity. She felt pain like the rest of them and sure as hell fell in love like the rest of them too. The only problem was that she fell in love with a man who would never love her back the way she loved him. Rámon. When she was younger, she secretly hated Caterina. She didn’t understand why Rámon was so captivated by her, considering the difference in age between them. She had always tried to do everything to turn his eye, but nothing ever worked. Jade was absolutely beautiful and exuded a pristine feminine energy, but he seemed to not be attracted to it. If he was, he never showed it. After a while, she stopped hating Caterina and stopped loving Rámon—at least she thought she stopped loving him. Now sitting across from him at the dinner table and looking at all of his masculine and ruggedly handsome features, seemed to ignite that spark within her that craved him. Deep down, she still loved him. Why couldn’t he just love her back too? Also at the dinner table were Lucia Gambino and Marco—Rámon’s adoptive parents. They took a break in traveling to come back to the family and enjoy this beautiful moment. Grandma Nikki and Grandma Alice were also at the table. Age had blessed them gracefully, considering they were in their eighties and still as beautiful as ever. They were grateful to see another day and spend it with their growing family. Amelia and Orlo were also at the table. They were Níkolai and Valentina’s trusted friends in the family business. Orlo has worked for Níkolai all his life and has finally reached the age of sixty. Some would say he should retire, but he was dedicated to his job. His wife Amelia was skilled in medicine. She was still that short-blonde beauty he fell in love with all those years ago. They never had children, considering Amelia couldn’t conceive. That didn’t seem to stop Orlo from loving her though. “Where is Cat?” Tomásso asked with a hint of starvation in his tone, “I’m hungry.” They sat around the table enjoying their drinks, but without food. They were waiting for the last member of their family. If they knew Caterina would be this late, they would have started eating by now. “Petal.” Gianni called out, looking at Rowan with a gaze full of emotions, “Where’s Caterina?” Others around the table exchanged glances with each other. They wondered why Gianni called Rowan Petal—obviously a pet name. The pair only knew why, considering Gianni was the bad boy that Rowan fell in love with. It ended horribly, making Rowan flee the country so she didn’t have to see Gianni’s face any more. Her heart was broken and she just needed to get away for a while—but seeing him again just re-opened the stitches she repaired her broken heart with long ago. How would she get through tonight? Rowan ignored Gianni’s question and just took a sip of her wine. It didn’t go unnoticed around the table, and soon filled everyone’s minds with questions. “So you're just gonna ignore me Petal?” Gianni scoffed. “Yes.” Rowan retorted as she gave him a defiant look, “Stop talking to me if you don’t want to be ignored.” Tomásso snickered like a child, knowing everything about the two of them. He was Rowan’s best friend and knew the juicy gossip his twin brother didn’t want to share. Gianni was private like that—even with his twin brother. When it came to matters of the heart, he held all of his feelings inside. Some would think that Rowan moved on to his twin brother Tomásso, considering how close they were. That was far from the truth though. Tomásso liked men and would never cross that boundary with Rowan or any other woman for that matter. He experimented in his early years and found out that he wasn’t attracted to women. His family doesn’t know that—well a few may unconsciously know but have never said anything about it. “Petal.. I said I was sorry.” Gianni whined, making the others around the table look at him in shock. Gianni was never the one to grovel, but here he was groveling over Rowan for some apparent reason. “f**k off Gianni.” Rowan’s tone was as blunt as possible. I’m sure the many glasses of wine didn’t help. “I haven’t forgiven you and never will.” “But I love you Petal and I’m sorry for how things ended between us.” His confession caused gasps around the room. Rowan just seemed even more irritated, considering how things ended between the two of them years ago. For her heart’s sake, she promised to never get involved with him ever again—but hearing his confession she so longed to hear, just made things even more complicated for her. “You’re the one who made our daughter run off overseas?!” Giuseppe snapped out, not holding his anger back one bit. “What the hell did you do to her?!” “I broke her heart.” Gianni sighed back as his sad eyes lingered on Rowan and how captivating she was. He really regretted ever breaking her heart. She was it for him—his soul only craved her. It just took him too long to realize. “More like, took my virginity, then broke my heart.” Rowan muttered, causing quite the stir around the dinner table. “I’m gonna f*****g kill you!” Giuseppe snapped out before he trying to lunge across the table, but was held back by his husband Connor. “Let’s all just settle down.” Rámon coaxed, being the mediator like he always has. “How about you stay out of this!” Rowan yelled back, shooting daggers at Rámon with her big green orbs, “If I remember correctly.. you did the same thing to Cat. You all wonder why she hasn’t returned, well you can thank Rámon for that.” “What?!” Now it was Níkolai’s turn to go ballistic. “What the f**k did you do to my daughter?!” Valentina coaxed him to relax while running her hands down his chest. She used her body weight to hold him in his seat while she rested in his lap. The last thing she wanted was for her husband to attack Rámon. She knew if he found out, he would definitely kill Rámon. “He took her virginity and broke her heart.” Rowan muttered with a drunken grin, “Not such a good man now.. are you?” The room erupted into chaos. The maids who stood around, looked on with discomfort. They didn’t know if they should interrupt and serve the food or just disappear entirely. “It doesn’t matter anymore. Caterina already found someone else!” Rowan yelled out, silencing the chaos, “She’s actually with him right now! That’s why she’s so late!” Rowan was pouring gasoline over the fire, but she didn’t care. She knew how much Cat loved Rámon and he broke her heart by getting involved with whores who tried to trap him and ruin his life. “He brought her back on his private jet.” Rowan continued with her mocking, while smirking at an enraged Rámon. “She didn’t even come home with me yesterday morning. I’m sure she’s enjoying every second with him!” Her confession caused Rámon to scrunch up his handsome face in anger. He loved Caterina and nobody else got to love her or touch her the way that he did. Just because they weren’t together didn’t mean she could move on from him. She was his for life! “Simon takes good care of her! More than you ever could!” Rowan spewed the last jab that made Rámon lose all sense of control. He smashed his large fists against the table, causing everything to shake. The arguing around the table erupted again, making Valentina sigh out in exhaustion. How did the evening turn out like this? Everybody was just getting along an hour ago. Before anybody could kill each other, a familiar figured appeared in the doorway of the dining room. Caterina. She looked different from the Tomboy the family had known her to be. Now, her long and curly hair was blown out in precious waves. She wore a long and dark mink coat that seemed to cover her curvy body and long legs- leaving only her expensive prada heels on display. These three years had changed her. “Arguing already?” Caterina smirked as she walked around the table slowly, observing everyone through her blacked out sunglasses. “Don’t stop on my account, I don’t want to miss the fun.” Her feminine essence was suffocating but also captivating at the same time. She knew how to make everyone stop and stare, but she did it unconsciously. She was born with grace, not having to acquire it like most people. Her natural beauty was one of envy, making her hated by most women. Caterina was everything. The tension in the room seemed to become more suffocating. There was no telling how things would go. Tonight was supposed be a night of celebration, but instead, it was a night of chaos and bitter truths. How did things come to this? Truthfully, It all started three years ago.