XXX

The skirt of my dress sways in the rushing wind as I stand in front of the leviathan castle. I look up and catch sight of an array of beautifully stained glass, made up of the darkest of purples and the lightest of blues. Exact opposites, yet match perfectly.

I push open the doors, which surprisingly open with ease, and make my journey through the hallway blessed in silver. Several chandeliers that look as if they have been crafted by the gods, line the glowing hallway, creating a path to where the hypnotising music plays. My family follow as I walk the expanse of the walkway, one hand gripping my skirt and the other holding my mask, trying not to destroy the beauty it holds.

I look up to see myself staring back down at me. The ceiling, which was built from old and ruined mirrors, added an extra element of the dark beauty that surrounds me. Before I knew it, I was face to face with the imposing ballroom doors, which fixed me with a daring challenge.

My family collectively come to a halt beside me and I push open the double doors. The room is more alive than any human soul could be, and the smell of wine and cigarettes instantly hits me.

My eyes sweep across the dance floor before we are greeted by Domenico himself and some other members of his family. My eyes continue to wander around the ballroom, everything is so nicely decorated. The table settings all match, crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling, overlooking the action, and a mini bar sits in the corner.

Shortly after stepping foot inside the ballroom, Amelia and another girl around her age come running up to me. "I am so glad you're here, Milana." She says. "I'm surprised you can even identify me from behind this mask." I joke.

She looks down to my arm.

"You're tattoo gave it away." She says with a laugh. I look down to my right arm and see roman numerals in black inc. My very first tattoo was in remembrance of my father, his birthday. I smile at the memory of him and look over to the bar.

"I need a drink." I announce before stepping away from the girls and heading over to the bar.

I make my way over to the bar, taking small steps to allow myself time to appreciate every little detail of the ballroom. I sit down on an empty stool and order a cocktail when I am suddenly approached from behind. A man in a white suit sits down on the stool next to me. I don't glance his way for more than a second before facing the bartender.

"What's your name?" The unidentifiable man asks. I whip my head around to him and sit up straight on the stool. "What's it to you?" I question.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing here all alone?" He interrogates, scooting closer to me. I laugh, my shoulders rising and falling, and purse my lips at him.

"Milana." A deep voice calls out from behind me. I switch my attention to the man behind me and without a doubt, know it's Marco just from his scent. He is wearing a sharp-looking and well fitted black suit. A black mask shields a part of his face, not including his eyes, which are staring at me with intensity. "Marco." I reply, staring at him through my mask.

"So, you wasn't going to tell me you had a boyfriend, huh?" The foolish man sitting beside me yells. I watch as Marco raises an eyebrow at him but quickly sets his face into a scowl and looks at me. "Whose your friend?" He asks, glaring at me. I take a sip of my drink and shrug. "Who knows." I reply.

"Would now be a good time to tell you that I fucked your girl." The man shouts, laughing pathetically. He was either drunk or just an asshole. Marco glares at me but quickly moves towards the man. "Say that again." He demands. The man leans forward. "I fucked yo-"

Before he can spit out the rest of his words, Marco grabs him by the neck and throws him onto the floor. He gets on top of him and begins punching him relentlessly as I just sit and watch the scene unfold. I could of split up the brawl between them. Key word: could. But instead I just sat and took a large sip of my drink, watching Marco assault the man's face with his fist.

I begin to look around the room, watching as more and more people rush over to inspect the scene. My eyes land on my mother as I remember what she told me earlier. No funny business. I gaze at her as she shakes her head, then sigh and stand up.

"Thats enough."

Marco doesn't stop. Watching him fight was like examining a masterpiece. His muscles flex with every single punch and his preciseness gave the man no chance to even compete with him.

"Marco." I say coldly, standing behind him.

Marco pauses and looks at me for a moment. But that doesn't stop him as he continues beating the man to a bloody pulp. He lays helplessly on the floor as Marco continues brutally beating him.

"Marco baby. Please look at me, stop!" A high pitch voice calls out from behind me.

What the actual fuck did I just hear?

I turn around to see the same blonde girl from the day I killed Tony. The girl Marco was fucking at his house. It was easy to identify her, she isn't even wearing a mask. Her eyes fill with forced tears as she gets down on her knees trying to get him under control.

"Pathetic." I mumble, leaning down towards her. She glares at me through affronted eyes and stands up to be level with me. I watch as she pulls out a gun from under her skirt and holds it at my chest. "Marco's mine." She yells, her hand shaking uncontrollably. "Is he?" I question.

The gun shakes rapidly in her hand as she pushes the nozzle closer towards me.

"Watch your mouth!" She yells. I take no notice of the gun in her hand, nor care about it. I look down to the scene on the floor just as my cousin runs over and pulls Marco off of the man. He slams him up against the wall and curses at him over and over again. I watch in curiosity as Harvey pulls out a gun and holds it at his head.

"Harvey." I call out.

He takes my tone as a warning and lowers the gun. I meet eyes with Marco once again before turning back to the blonde girl. "Leave the weapons to the big girls." I say, lunging forward and snatching the gun from her.

She instantly wipes her tears away and rushes over to Marco, who is leaning against the wall looking at me. I watch and simper as he completely ignores her, instead focusing on me. I hold eye contact with him before walking out of the room into the empty hallway. I can't deal with my family right now. The music fades into silence as I venture down the boundless hall.

"You look good." Marco calls out from the corner of the hallway. My head spins around and my eyes meet with his fierce ones. "Stop." I snap. He walks towards me, closing the space between the two of us, and presses his hand above my head on the wall. "What am I doing?" He asks.

"I'm upset with you." I snap, looking up at him. Withholding an eye roll, he leans down to me, his breath warm against my skin. "And why's that?" He asks.

"You just caused a scene over nothing!" I snap.

And I was right, it really was other nothing. The chaos from tonight all could of been avoided if he got his anger under control.

He gives me a look of disbelief. "It wasn't over nothing." He replies, and I clench my fists at his ignorance.

"Fuck you." I snap.

He pauses for a moment and smirks.

"You already did." He replies, removing his hand from the wall and walking out.

His absence leaves me in complete silence, other than the occasional gusts of wind coming from outside.

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