Heart of the Mafia King

Discussion

{Maisie’s POV}

We took our showers, got in our pjs and met back up on the couch. I had on a set of baby pink, tank top crop top, and matching shorts. While Angelo had on a loose fitting t-shirt, and a pair of grey, and black, plaid sweatpants. As I walked into the living room Angelo smiled at me from the couch, holding out a mug with coffee. “Alright, you can ask any questions, and I will answer them all honestly.”

I took a sip of coffee, melting back onto the couch, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. “Okay.. I guess the first question is, how did you get into this business?”

He chuckled, taking a sip of his coffee, he sat beside me on the couch, one arm on the back of the sofa, while his leg was bent up as he faced me. I sat criss crossed on the couch, with a blanket pulled up in my lap. “Well, when I was just a kid, my baby sister, Margo, was kidnapped. It was a traumatic time for everyone in the family, my younger brothers didn’t understand what happened, and honesty, neither did I. One day she was here, the next day gone.. I became protective over my siblings, and even tried to do my best to help my father search for Margo. When I turned 10.. I heard noises coming from our basement..” he sighed. “I followed them down, finding a man tied to a chair, in a cell. My father was beating him, and demanding answers about our bambina. It was after that, that I realized that my father wasn’t just a normal businessman. I confronted him, telling him that I deserved to know the truth. He was hesitant, and tried to write me off, but I was firm with him. Eventually, he told me everything, from the time that I was 10 I had begun working through the darker side of the family business. The first five or so years, I trained in computers, hand to hand combat, self defense, worked out daily, and was taught how to shoot a gu*.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “From the age of 15, I had begun working as a hacker, and even the muscle when my father needed me for business. Now, I’m the oldest, and it’s my job to do. I have been trying to keep the peace between all of the prominent families since the destruction of the Petrov family. Sometimes, peace is hard to keep though, we’ve had more and more families straying, and testing limits..” he paused, looking up at me.

I knew I had tears in my eyes, how awful for him to have lost the chance of a normal childhood. He was robbed of a normal life from the time that he was just a boy. Growing up in this constant fear, looking over his shoulder, trying to be the biggest, and the strongest. I placed my hand on his knee, squeezing it softly. “I’m sorry..” I whispered softly.

He looked at me quizzically, almost like he didn’t understand what I meant. “Why?”

I pulled my hand back, wiping my eyes. “You had to grow up so fast.. and not only that, but take on secrets, and hard responsibilities at such a young age. I’m sorry that you didn’t get the change to have a normal childhood.. to grow up happy and safe with your siblings like you should have..”

He sent me a small smile. “Thanks, but, I honestly don’t think that normal would have ever been in the cards for me Maisie. No matter what, my father was still the head of not only his legitimate business, but also the underground. Eventually these responsibilities would have been shown to me. He would have taught me what I needed to know, that way I could take over for him, like I have now. I don’t need normal, and even though having a safe, happy childhood would have been ideal.. I don’t think it’s fair for me to wish for that, when my sister went through he**, and has always been so strong. She has told me multiple times that she wishes that she could have had a normal childhood, but without the awful things she had gone through, she wouldn’t be where she is now. She loves who she is, it took her a while to get there, and I’m so proud of her. I just.. I don’t think it’s fair for me to complain about my childhood, when I know the things she went through.”

I nodded, thinking for a moment. “Angelo, someone else’s trauma, someone else’s struggle.. that is their history, their story. Wanting better for yourself.. wishing for something that you missed, or lost.. it’s okay. You shouldn’t feel bad for wanting a better life for yourself. I’m sure that in the batter life you’d imagines that Margo never was taken, that you all got to grow up happy, and together.” I said, scooting closer to him. “You should never feel bad for wishing for a better life, for wanting great things that would make you happy. Everyone deserves to be happy Angelo..”

He smiled softly, before placing his hand over mine. “You’re right.. thank you.” He said, rubbing his thumb across the back of my hand.

I let out a soft yawn, I was exhausted, it was only then that I saw that it was 3:00AM. “Can we revisit this? Maybe when we’re both well rested?” I asked, smiling over to him.

He nodded, placing his coffee down on the table behind him. “Of course, we should probably get some sleep.” He began, standing from his place on the couch.

I grabbed the back of his shirt as he began to walk away. “D-Do you think we could stay here? Maybe watch something until we fall asleep?” I asked, feeling the blood rushing to my face.

“Is that what you want?” He asked, smiling down at me. I nodded, setting down my coffee on the table behind me. He scooted the ottoman up, and sat back down on the couch. I grabbed the blankets, tossing them over us while he put on a comedy. He put his arm around me, pulling me into his chest and kissing the top of my forehead. Soon, I found myself drifting off into a peaceful sleep.