The kingpin's obsession: Lena

5

My fists clenched tightly as I took in the scene. Then I let go with a sigh. “Is this heaven?”As I admired a particularly familiar piece of clothing, an older woman dressed in an elegant red dress came to welcome us with a sweet smile framing her aged face that was etched with fine wrinkles. She wasn’t particularly tall, but she carried herself with the kind of elegance and grace that made one seem large despite their stature.

“Ah, Vincenzo, caro! E Passato troppo tempo!” (Ah, Vincenzo , deaar! It’s been too long!) the older woman addressed Vincnezo in italian as she embraced him warmly.

I guess the two most really know each other.

“E vero, signora Bianchi. Somo stato molto occupato con il lavoro.” (It’s true, mrs. Bianchi. I’ve been very busy with work.) Vincenzo replied fluently.

I swear, hearing him speak fluent italian is so hot. Maybe I’ll ask him to teach me. The only things I knew were, Caio and Iono sono. At least I could introduce myself if the need ever arised. When I was much younger, my grandmother from my father’s side thought me a little, so,I could understand bits and pieces of conversations. Unfortunately she died before I could actually learn to speak myself.

I stood beside Vincenzo quietly as I smiled. Because I couldn’t really contribute to the conversation myself. So, I just let them be.

“Ah. Il lavoro, sempre il lavoro. Devi prenerit cura di te stesso, Vincenzo.” (Work, always work. You must take care of yourself, Vincenzo.” the woman said with a slight look of disapproval and concern twinkling in her beady eyes. Vincenzo only chuckled as though she had nothing to worry about.

“Ci, Signora.” he gave her a small smile.

Finally the proprietress glanced at me and smiled kindly. “Ah, and who is this beautiful young woman with you today?”

My eyes went wide when I realized she was speaking to me now. Her English was heavy with the Italian accent, nonetheless, I was glad she didn’t assume I could speak as fluently as Vincenzo. But before I could speak, Vincenzo pulled me by the waist.

“This is my wife. Lena Callista Maranzano.” he said. His voice full of pride as he introduced me. I could barely hold back my blush, and the woman could barely contain her own excitement.

“Vero?” she exclaimed.

“Ci.” Vincenzo chuckled.

“Oh my dear child.” Mrs. Bianchi reached out and grabbed my hand and pulled me to her side. “I can’t believe Vincenzo found such a pretty wife. Oh Dolcezza.” she exclaimed as he engulfed me in a warm embrace and I laughed, hugging her back.

“It’s a pleasure to make your aquintance Mrs?” my voice trailed off as I casually glanced over at Vincenzo for some help.

“Miss. Bianchi.” she laughed as she pulled away from the hug, but held my hand steady in her own.

“Miss?” I was shocked to know that she wasn’t married. And she didn’t take offence either.

“I’m an old friend to Vincenzo’s madre.” she said with a happy smile and I nodded thoughtfully. Now that I thought about it, Vincenzo never spoke much about his mother. I wonder what kind of woman she was before she passed? Would she have even liked me?

“My, my, Vincenzo must really love you enough to bring you here.” she chuckled softly. “Not once has he brought a woman here. Actually, I’m glad, all those other women. Dios mio…”

“*Ahem!*” Vincenzo cleared his throat before Mrs Bianchi said anymore to embarrass him. I, however, couldn’t contain my laughter.

“Oops! I think I’ve said to much.” she laughed.

“Oh please, I’d love to hear more actually.”

“Maybe another time, my dear.” Mr Bianchi said as she finally let go of my hand. “In fact, as a gift from me, to you dear, you can have any dress of your choice.” she added.

“Seriously?” I gasped. Barely able to contain my shock. There were so many beautiful things in here, it would almost seem like robbery. I turned to Vincenzo and he nodded with a small smile.

“If Signora Bianchi says you can have anything of your choosing,then you can have anything of you choosing.” he said smugly. A typical vincenzo answer.

“Well. I did see something when we first walked in.” a particularly interesting piece of clothing had caught my attention.

“Oh, which one was it?” Miss Bianchi asked. A shy blush crept to my face, and I quickly pulled her aside to vincenzo couldn’t hear what I wanted to tell her. Once I’d made my request, she had one of her girls package the dress, along with some other ones vincenzo had specifically picked out for me to add to what I’d already been given. He was surprisingly good at picking out women’s clothing.

As if sensing my thoughts, vincenzo spoke up. “I came here a lot with my mother and grand mother, as a child.” I made an ‘o’ with my mouth as we prepared to leave. Vincenzo carried all the bags. I could get used to this side of the mafia lord.

As we stepped out of the boutique, signora Bianchci bid us a farewell, and made vincenzo promise to name her the godmother of our child. The late morning sun kissed our skin, glinting off the glossy shopping bags in Vincenzo’s hands. I glanced up at him—his sleeves rolled up, forearms flexing, effortlessly handsome—and smiled to myself.

“Mafia lord or not,” I teased, bumping his hip gently with mine, “you make a very charming mule.”

He scoffed, turning his head to side-eye me. “A mule, huh?”

“Mhmm.” I grinned. “But a well-dressed one.”

“I’m glad you find my suffering entertaining,” he muttered with faux grumpiness, though his dimple betrayed him. “These bags are heavier than you.”

“Well then, you better not drop me either.”

“Never.”

The way he said it—firm, with that soft edge that only I got to see—sent a flutter through my chest. The kind that made you want to hold onto a moment just a little longer.

We walked along the narrow street, lined with old olive trees and sun-washed stones, until I couldn’t shake of the inexplainable feeling of being watched. It was silly to think that, because there were a lot of people here. But at the same time, it felt like someone was drilling holes in my back and it made me feel on alert. Unable to take it anymore, I paused and turned around to take a look. Maybe I could identify where this strange feeling was coming from, but the second I turned around, that heavy cloud suddenly disappeared.

“Hm…” I hummed curiously. Maybe the heat was getting to me.