Katerina Dale

My first kiss.

Standing completely frozen, my eyes widened in pure terror as the dangerous man's lips lingered on mine for a few seconds before I pushed him away from my body. His dark eyes snapped open and met my frightened gaze. My hand flew up on instinct towards his cheek but stopped when the little boy in my arms screamed towards him joyfully.

"Daddy!" Elijah reached out and jumped into his father's arms, as my hand froze just an inch away from slapping Arosio.

Arosio hugged the boy to his chest but his eyes were glaring at me. Unlike his playful smirk just moments ago, now anger was evident in his handsome features. He obviously did not appreciate me pushing him away nor did he appreciate my hand that rested in the air, with the obvious intent of slapping him.

I could feel the other two men behind him, one of whom I recognized as Alejandro, staring at me horrified while the maid had bowed down on the floor and began to beg for forgiveness. My hand instantly fell to my side and I took several steps away from Arosio as the young maid began to beg for her life.

Just who is this man? Why is she begging for her life as if she thinks he will kill her?

"Daddy, we're late! Grandpa, Grandma and uncles are waiting for us! We always visit every weekend and sleep at the main house but this time it'll be more special since mommy is here," Elijah giggled excitedly as his dad gave him a small smile and ruffled his hair while the other two men looked at him in shock.

"Since when did you talk so much, Eli?" the man who I have not met yet questioned. I had to admit, he was just as handsome as Alejandro. His light brown hair paired with light hazel eyes and muscular built would make any woman drool over him. Whereas, Alejandro has blonde hair with blue eyes similar to my fake contact lens and a more lean built but he was muscular as well. I wonder what kind of job these men do to keep themselves in such muscular shapes?

But their looks are nothing compared to Arosio De Luca...wait, what am I thinking?!?

Shaking the thoughts away, I turned towards Arosio who was still looking at me with suppressed rage while ignoring the maid who was begging for her life. I shuddered in terror before taking more steps away from him. He frowned at my action and took a step towards me, making me back away further again.

"Since mommy is back, I will talk more, uncle Giovanni. I love mommy and want her to hear my voice so that she never forgets me. Now let's go, we shouldn't keep elders waiting, right mommy?" Elijah questioned while staring at me with his beautiful emerald eyes.

I smiled towards him and reached forward to take him out of his father's arms. I felt Arosio stiffen when I leaned closer to him but he still let me take the child out of his arms.

"That's right. Let's go, quickly. Have you packed your things?" I took Elijah into my arms and backed away further from the dangerous man and his friends. Looking towards the floor, I noticed the maid had disappeared and I had an inkling that I wouldn't want to know where they took her to.

"Not yet, can you please help me mommy?" Elijah questioned hesitantly as I let out a small laugh. I could feel the three men staring at me, as if to observe my every single move.

"Of course mommy will help you. Lead the way please" I giggled before practically sprinting out of the kitchen with the little boy in my arms. Only after leaving the kitchen did I feel like it was okay to breathe. It felt like I was about to suffocate with the pressure rising in the kitchen and with Arosio's stern glare directed at me.

God, I really don't think I can act as Isabella for even one day. Please help my father find her so that I can return to my life.

***

"Hurry, mommy! Grandpa, grandma and uncles have not seen you in a while. They will be very happy," Elijah beamed up at me as he continued to pull me through the grand corridor of this gigantic mansion.

It turns out that the De Luca family mansion was located only ten minutes away from Arosio's personal mansion. His family owned several acres of land and almost every street we drove by belongs to them. Truly, this amount of wealth cannot be attainable by regular working people. Their family mansion was almost twice as large as Arosio's personal mansion.

During the car ride, I was told by the devil himself that this mansion is the biggest among everyone's personal mansion since all three sons, that is Arosio and his two younger brothers and occasionally Alejandro and Giovanni, will always sleepover at the family mansion every weekend. They have their own personal quarters within the family mansion and it was a weekly family ritual that could never be broken.

It was quite surprising to hear this so I just hummed silently as my reply and remained silent as Elijah rested in my lap. Alejandro drove us there with Giovanni in the front seat while I sat in the back with Arosio but made sure to keep some distance in between us. His powerful and dangerous aura made it difficult to breathe when sitting beside him.

"I'm coming, sweetie. Please stop pulling mommy's arm, it'll fall off!" I gently chided before my words got stuck in my throat when we entered the family living room.

Seated in the enormous and luxurious living room was a beautiful older couple, whom I can only assume is Arosio's parents, as well as two young men who held an uncanny resemblance to my fake husband. The older man looked healthy and extremely handsome despite probably being in his 50s. He held a striking resemblance to Arosio but he has dirty blonde hair and the exact same almost pitch black eyes as Arosio. He held the same powerful and terrifying aura as his son, making me let go of Elijah's hand and take several steps away from them out of pure fear.

His wife looked very beautiful as well with an aura of an elegant woman of high society and her beautiful green eyes stood out against her brown curls. The young man seated beside her looked to be about my age and was handsome like Arosio with his sharp nose and jawline but his dirty blonde hair and green eyes differed from Arosio's dark hair and almost pitch black eyes. The other man looked more like Arosio, maybe a year or two younger, with his dark hair but his eyes were dark green, making me think that maybe Elijah's late mom, their sister,also had green eyes.

I watched silently as the four De Luca family members stared at me with mixed emotions. My feet stayed rooted to the ground while Elijah jumped onto his grandparent's laps and began to greet everyone. Arosio and his two friends also went towards the sofa's and greeted everyone while I remained at my spot near the living room's entrance.

"Uncle Adriano, Uncle Alanzo, look my mommy is back! She promised to be with us forever!" Elijah suddenly exclaimed in front of everyone as their surprised gazes snapped up to meet mine.

All of the color drained from my face before I began to take several steps back. I really did not want to meet these people, they will probably find out the lie right away and then kill me. What do they even do for a living to have this much wealth?

Either way, I don't care. I just want to return back home to grandpapa and grandmama. I want my peaceful life back.

The older woman looked me up and down, probably wondering why I was dressed in her son's button up shirt and sweatpants before she decided to call out towards me.

"Why are you still standing at the entrance, dear? Come here," her angelic voice rang in my ears and her eyes held a motherly warmth that I was not accustomed to.

Without thinking I began to walk towards her in a daze. When I was only a foot away from her, she reached her arms out and enveloped me in a tight embrace.

"I'm glad you decided to return, dear," she whispered into my ear as tears pricked at my eyes. Since the moment her husband and other two sons saw me, they held uncertainty and anger in their eyes, making me only wonder what kind of horrible things my sister did to their family. Yet, this woman was still able to warmly welcome me back.

She returned to her seat beside her husband as I remained standing. Arosio cleared his throat and tilted his head for me to sit beside him and his two friends but I couldn't bring my body to be near him. Instead, I went to the opposite sofa where Elijah was sitting with his two uncles and sat at the furthest corner.

The room suddenly stilled and I could feel everyone's gaze land on me. Raising my head, I met Arosio's darkened expression and gulped in fear before yanking a startled Elijah off of his uncle's lap and placing him on my lap as a shield. Shameless, I know but could you blame me?

"Here. Now." Arosio's clear voice rang through the silent room as his family members stared between the two of us in confusion. I shook my head fast and refused to look up at him. Elijah looked at me confused before addressing his father.

"Let mommy sit where she wants to, daddy" Elijah's small voice held slight annoyance making me giggle and place a small kiss on his cheek. I thought Arosio would give up but boy was I wrong.

"Do not make me repeat myself, tesoro," Arosio completely ignored everyone and glared at me furiously. My back stiffened as I shook my head again but immediately jumped up when I saw him make a move towards us.

With Elijah in my arms, I quickly shuffled towards Arosio's seat and sat next to him. He immediately placed his arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him before he finally relaxed. My brows furrowed in confusion since I thought he hated my sister and I could feel his parents and brothers looking at us in confusion as well. I squirmed under their stares and looked away as Elijah took the elastic out of my braid and began to untangle it.

"Lei non è mia moglie. È la sorella gemella più giovane di quella donna," Arosio suddenly broke the silence and began to speak in a language that I guessed was either Italian or Spanish. My gaze snapped up to his but he was too busy explaining whatever it was to his family who looked shocked. (She is not my wife. She is that woman's younger twin sister)

"Perché intendi, figliolo? Perché è qui allora? Dove diavolo è tua moglie?" his father suddenly yelled making me jump in fright with Elijah in my arms. Arosio's softened gaze looked towards me before he rested his warm hand on my thigh and gave it a gentle squeeze as if to reassure me. (What do you mean, son? Why is she here then? Where the hell is your wife?).

"Non so dove sia quella puttana e non mi interessa. Suo padre l'ha costretta a fingere di essere mia moglie, probabilmente la sta cercando," Arosio's smooth voice rang out and somehow I felt a bit calmer. But his warm touch was making my stomach feel funny so I pushed his hand away. That immediately earned a glare from him, making me scoot further away from him on the sofa. (I don't know where that whore is and I don't care. Her father forced her to pretend to be my wife, he is probably looking for her sister.)

"Povera ragazza. Lei non sa che lo sai?" his mother questioned before sending me a sad smile. My brows furrowed in confusion and I wished I could understand their language. (Poor girl, she doesn't know that you know the truth?)

"No mamma. E non le diremo che sappiamo che non è la mia vera moglie," Arosio's voice held finality in its tone, making his family members looking at us in shock again. (No, mom. And we will not tell her that we know that she is not my real wife)

"E perché diavolo no? La sua famiglia sta cercando di ingannare la nostra famiglia e hai intenzione di lasciarli? Figlio pazzo," his father bellowed out again, making me flinch back in fear. I looked down at Elijah who remained unfazed and continued to play with my hair as if he was used to his family's violent behavior. (And why the hell not? Her family is trying to deceive our family and you are going to let them? Crazy son)

I looked towards Elijah's two uncles who nodded as if to agree with their father while his mother continued to observe Elijah and I. When she met my gaze, I immediately looked away from her and prayed that she wouldn't see through my act.

"Guarda tuo nipote, questa donna lo rende felice. Oggi ha parlato più di quanto abbia mai fatto nell'ultimo anno" Arosio stated as his gaze lingered on Elijah who was solely focusing on me with his back facing the others. I rubbed his head and he let go of my hair before burying his face into my neck, causing me to instantly smile down at him. (Look at your grandson, this woman makes him happy. He has spoken more today than he ever has in the past year)

The room fell silent again and I looked up to see Arosio staring at me with a softened gaze as his family stared at him in surprise and confusion. Alejandro and Giovanni held knowing smirks and I was beginning to feel frustrated at this whole thing. How could they speak a foreign language in front of their guest? Rude rich jerks.

"Guarda come la guardi. Dimmi perché penso che mio nipote non sia l'unica ragione per cui stai giocando con la sua bugia?" his mother mused aloud with a mischievous smile on her face before his father and brothers smirked at Arosio. (Look at the way you are looking at her. Tell me why I think my grandson is not the only reason as to why you are playing along with her lie?)

"Ah mamma. Sai sempre tutto. Hai ragione. La voglio e la avrò con ogni mezzo. Incontra tua nuora e mia moglie," Arosio stated with a smirk as he looked towards me. Something in his dark gaze made me freeze up in terror. There were dark emotions like possessiveness and love in his lingering gaze, making me instantly fear for the worse. I had thought that he had no relationship with my sister but now I don't think that's the case. (Ah, mom. You always know everything. You're right. I want her and I will have her by any means. Meet your daughter-in-law and my wife)

"Tale padre, tale figlio" his mother stated sarcastically while sparing me a pitiful glance as if she felt sorry for me. (Like father, like son)

Everyone bursted into laughter as I stared at them in confusion before standing up and adjusting Elijah onto the floor and taking his hand in mine. Arosio's dark gaze snapped up to meet mine as I took a step away from him and his crazy family.

"I....I....I mean....." my voice came out as a stutter once I felt everyone's eyes on me. Elijah was also peering up at me curiously.

"What's wrong, dear? Do you need something?" his mother questioned softly as I held Elijah's hand tightly and avoided Arosio's intense gaze.

"I...I... I'm hungry!" I suddenly shouted out, taking everyone by surprise. Arosio's brothers were the first to laugh before standing up.

"Allow us to show you to the kitchen, bella," the younger one who Elijah called 'Uncle Alanzo' stated before kissing the back of my hand and sending a sly smirk to Arosio.

Within seconds, Arosio stood up from the couch and pushed his brother away from me. He sent his brother a vicious glare before yelling something in Italian.

"Non toccare ciò che è mio," Arosio seethed out in anger while yanking my body towards him. My eyes widened in terror when I saw the murderous intent in his gaze. (Don't touch what's mine).

"Rilassati fratello, guarda, stai spaventando la bambina. Papà urlò due volte e lei si spaventò. Ora vede quello sguardo nei tuoi occhi ed è spaventata. Cosa farà quando scoprirà che sei il capo della mafia italiana?" his other brother, Adriano, said in a teasing manner as I focused on each word and tried to decipher what he said. (Relax brother, look, you are scaring the little girl. Dad yelled twice and she got scared. Now she sees that look in your eyes and she's scared. What will she do when she finds out that you are the boss of the Italian Mafia?)

Only two words stood out to me though.

ITALIAN MAFIA?

"Ita...itali.....italian....ma...ma....maf...." the words were stuck in my throat as I stuttered out fearfully, releasing Elijah's hand and stepping further away from the family. Arosio looked as though he was going to kill his brothers any second, making me even more afraid of this crazy family.

"Isabella, we know you have memory loss but you couldn't have possibly forgotten that you're married to the most powerful man in America, the head of the Italian Mafia, right...Isabella?" Alejandro questioned me and for some reason it felt like he was emphasizing the name 'Isabella' when he addressed me.

I could feel him and the others looking towards me expectantly. As 'Isabella' I should pretend to understand and be completely fine with this, which is what I'm sure all of them expected as well.

But

I

Am

NOT

Isabella.

In the next moment, I did what any sane, normal girl who grew up in the peaceful countryside with her grandparents and lived a simple life, would do.

I turned around and bolted out of that mansion as if my life depended on it without ever looking back.

****

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