Katerina Dale

With slow, hesitant footsteps I entered the extravagant dining room that was located in Arosio's parents' private quarters. It was a little smaller than the main dining room that we ate in yesterday but it was still grand nonetheless. The staff had decorated it beautifully with red roses and candles since I had instructed them to do so for Eliana's birthday.

Everyone was already seated since it took me a bit more time to clean up Elijah before returning. I had nothing else to wear so I ended up taking one of the designer baby blue summer dresses that Arosio purchased for me but I made sure to take the least expensive of the lot and made a mental note to transfer him the money once all of this was over.

The left seat beside Arsenio was empty though so I looked around the room and finally spotted Arosio who was outside on the patio at the far end of the room, taking a phone call. It looked like he was having a heated conversation, making me narrow my eyes and strain my ears to hear some of his words.

Italian. Of course, he'd be speaking in Italian on the phone too.

I sighed in frustration before turning towards his family with an innocent smile, hoping they did not catch me trying to spy on Arosio.

"Come, figlia. Sit beside me tonight," Arsenio stated as I approached the dining table with Elijah resting on my hip. (daughter)

Looking at him with furrowed brows, I hesitated to sit in Arosio's seat but nodded my head when Eliana gave me an encouraging smile. I took my seat right beside Arsenio and tried to place Elijah on the seat next to me but he refused to leave my lap. Sighing, I adjusted him on my lap and pushed my plate away to bring his plate in front of me like last night.

"You're back, good. Let's all eat, the chefs have prepared a wonderful meal for your mothers birthday," Arsenio stated and I finally noticed the slight Italian accent hidden in his voice when he spoke in English.

Arosio apologized for taking the call during dinner before sitting right beside me.I thought he would look at me annoyed for sitting in his spot but he looked quite pleased. Though, I felt a bit annoyed since he was so close to me and unconsciously shuffled my chair closer to Arsenio's side.

This did not go unnoticed by Arosio who sent me a hard look which I obviously chose to ignore. Instead, I focused on feeding Elijah his food as the rest of his family began to discuss business again. However, this time they all spoke in English as though they did not want me to feel left out.

But as the night went on, I found myself becoming paler by the second and wished that they had just discussed in Italian instead. Some of the words they spoke so casually made my blood run cold as I suppressed shivers of disgust.

Gun transportation? Drugs? Moving the murdered bodies?

At the last topic, the fork actually slipped from my fingers as I gulped nervously before lifting my eyes and staring at their amused expressions. Elijah peered up at me curiously and I seriously wondered how this young boy could remain so unfazed by the violence around him.

God, what was I thinking trying to help this crazy family? They're the freaking MAFIA for Christ sake. I need to keep my distance and get far away from these dangerous people.

"Forse dovremmo parlare di qualcos'altro, penso che il tuo coniglietto farà passare il fratello," Alanzo's teasing voice broke the silence as he smirked towards Arosio whose gaze lingered on me for a few moments. (Maybe we should talk about something else, I think your bunny is going to pass out brother)

"Are you alright, tesoro?" Arosio leaned closer and caressed the side of my face with his warm hand. I unconsciously leaned in closer to his hand before blinking my eyes.

My cheeks instantly flushed red as I leaned away from him and laughed nervously. Looking up, I tried to think of an excuse before I smiled at them innocently.

"Of course, I am completely fine! I'm just a bit famished," I lied smoothly and averted everyone's amused eyes.

It's totally not because your Mafia business discussion makes me want to pass out...of course not... Whose afraid? Not me...nope....

"Right..." Adriano drawled out as if he didn't believe me and I was about to correct him when Elijah suddenly hopped off of my lap.

"Mommy, I am full. Eat your food now, I will go take my bath with the maids," Elijah quickly scurried off with Helena and a few other maids following him. I wanted to reach out and pull my shield back to me but I could do nothing except for look down at my plate and begin to eat.

"Thank you again for making this day so special. Have some red wine, dear," Eliana spoke gently as we all finished our meals and were having desert. Elijah still hadn't returned, making me think that the maids had possibly put him to bed. Just the thought of it made me anxious since I needed to use him as my shield to get away from sleeping with Arosio tonight.

My eyes instantly brightened up as I stared at the red wine and found the solution to my worries and anxieties. My face became more alive as I looked towards her eagerly and began to bounce up and down in my seat.

"Really? Grandpapa and grandmama rarely let me have any!" I yelled excitedly before clamping a hand over my mouth and shutting my eyes. Isabella most likely has wine on a regular basis and definitely is not restricted by her grandparents.

"Huh...I mean... thank you," I laughed it off nervously and stared at my full glass in anticipation before bringing it up to my lips.

"Why don't they let you drink any, principessa?" Alanzo questioned as he took a bite of his chocolate cake and the others looked towards me as I giggled while shrugging my shoulders.

"No clue! More please, mama?" I tilted the empty glass towards Eliana and failed to notice the De Luca family staring at me in surprise.

"She finished a full glass in like five seconds!" Adriano stated shocked but I ignored him and gave my best puppy dog eyes to Eliana. She laughed a little before pouring me another full glass, making me instantly beam at her with a bright smile.

"Yum, thank you mama," I giggled excitedly before sipping the tasty wine again. I could feel Arosio's intense gaze on me, watching every movement of mine before he leaned in closer and his lips brushed against my ear.

"Slow down, tesoro. I don't want you suffering from a hangover in the morning," his deep voice sent shivers down my spine as I nodded my head and leaned away from him.

In the next few moments, Arosio became preoccupied in a conversation with his two brothers regarding a weaponry exchange that is to occur tomorrow night. Using that to my advantage, I quickly gulped down the rest of my glass before turning towards the older couple, silently begging them for another glass.

Eliana shook her head firmly, making me instantly pout with a few unshed tears at Arsenio who stared at me for a few seconds before releasing a defeated sigh. I smiled triumphantly as he secretly poured my third glass of wine for me and I released a sigh once I tasted the sweetness again.

Arosio's dark gaze snapped to me and lingered at my suddenly fuller glass of wine. I shrugged at him with an innocent smile when he rose a perfectly arched brow at me. He shook his head with a sigh before returning to his conversation with his brothers.

Somewhere between my second and third glass of wine, I felt my grip on sanity slowly slipping. I should have listened to Arosio when he told me to slow down because whatever happened next was not in my control at all.

Please do not judge me.

***

Katerina sat quietly in her seat at the dining table with her head looking down. At some point, she had taken out her elastic and now her fiery red hair was in front of her face and acted as a curtain from the rest of the De Luca members around her.

Suddenly, her crazy laughter filled the room as the De Luca brothers stopped talking and the older couple peered at her curiously. Katerina slowly lifted her head while laughing and pointing at everyone around the table. Her cheeks were flushed red and her green eyes were hazy, indicating just how drunk she was. She ignored their curious glances and continued to laugh like a maniac while wheezing and clapping her hands.

"Ah, so this is why her grandparents rarely let her drink red wine," Adriano mused aloud and smirked towards his older brother who was watching Katerina with a clenched jaw.

"Enough. Let's go," Arosio stated as he stood up and took a hold of the young woman's arm, only to have her shake his hold away before continuing to laugh like a crazy person.

"Hahaha...you....Mr. I'm so smart I'm the Mafia boss....hahahaa... stupid!" Katerina mocked him in between her laughter and began to wipe her tears away while Arosio glared down at her drunk form.

"Oh do tell, dearest sister-in-law. Why is Arosio stupid?" Alanzo played along and chuckled when Katerina sprung up to her feet and screamed while forming a big 'X' with her arms.

"NO! Don't call me 'dearest sister-in-law' hahaha, I've never even had a boyfriend before," Katerina started before she hiccuped and the De Luca family members laughed at her and the fool who stood beside her and smiled widely when she stated that she never had a boyfriend.

"Yeah, that's right! I've never even kissed a man before until this beast kissed me... TWICE!" Katerina's hands flew to her mouth as she began to rub her lips furiously and sent a glare towards a smirking Arosio.

"But he did that thinking I was his wife...hahaha...so stupid! All of you are sooo hicc--" Katerina swayed on her feet before plopping down onto her seat and scooting closer to the amused Arsenio and Eliana.

"Look at my eyes, they're green! None of you even noticed my green eyes. Look at my hair, it's red! How do I look like the Dale family's princess? I wish I did but no, I had to be born a curse! A curse! I'm no princess, I'm not your daughter-in-law," Katerina's sudden sobs took everyone by surprise, making Arosio reach out his hand to comfort her but she suddenly began giggling again.

"But guess what? I don't care! Hahahaaha, I have the best life! My grandpapa hicc and grandmama are the best. My peaceful life in the countryside is the best hicc--" Katerina hiccuped in between her sincere speech as the rest of the De Luca members laughed at her honesty and plain craziness. It was quite refreshing and brightened up the atmosphere in their home.

"I think you are going to regret telling us all of this when you wake up tomorrow, dearest sister-in-law," Alanzo teased her and emphasized his last few words, making Katerina scream a 'no' again before she stood up onto the dining table.

Everyone's eyes widened in surprise and Arosio tried to help her off the dining table but she kicked his arms away and began to laugh like a maniac again. Arosio noticed a few of the staff members laugh at Katerina so he sent them a murderous glare before dismissing them. They quickly scurried away in fear of the dangerous Mafia boss.

"No, don't call me that! I'm not your sister-in-law, I'm not married, see?" Katerina exclaimed with a pout as she twirled and shoved her left hand in everyone's faces. Indeed, there was no wedding ring on her finger.

"Besides, even if I were to marry, it would be to a sweet, gentle, and handsome man who loves me with all of his heart! Not your stupid Mafia boss of a brother!" Katerina yelled as she pointed towards a furious Arosio.

"See! Look at his face, he's none of the three things I mentioned...okay, fine, maybe you are handsome," Katerina admitted and looked towards the De Luca family who had raised their brows at her sudden confession.

"Okay, fine, fine! Not just handsome, you are the sexiest man I have ever seen! Happy?" Katerina giggled when Arosio's eyes widened and the tips of his ears turned a bit red. His family members were smirking at the rare appearance of a flustered Arosio.

"But none of that matters! Your sexy face, perfect abs and attractive voice means nothing when the only emotion you feel is anger!" Katerina exclaimed as she swayed on the table, making all of the members stand up and try to catch her but she simply pushed their hands away while laughing. Turning towards Arosio, she saw his darkened face and furious expression before pointing at him again.

"See, you look angry right now too! How could such a sexy man have so much anger in him? No one would want to marry someone with anger issues," Katerina whined and pouted towards Arosio who looked as though he was about to explode. The only reason he was angry was because he did not want her to fall from the table and hurt herself but she kept refusing to come down.

"But you are married to him, right...Isabella?" Alanzo stated in between his own laughter as he wiped his tears away. He had never seen anyone disrespect his older brother so much and he was enjoying every single minute of it. Even his parents were laughing at everything the young woman said since it was all true.

"Hahahaa nope! Tomorrow at midnight, I will be a free woman! You hear me? I will be free like a bird! Oh my God, can I fly like a bird? Let's see!" Katerina's words shocked everyone as they could not comprehend what she meant by tomorrow at midnight but they had no time to think further since Katerina spread her arms out and jumped off of the dining table.

Within an instant, Arosio moved forward and caught the flying Katerina in his arms as everyone released a sigh of relief. Katerina looked up at him with wide eyes before she lifted one hand up to caress the side of his handsome face.

"After tomorrow night, I will never see this sexy face again," Katerina mumbled before her eyes drifted shut and the rest of the De Luca members stared at her in confusion while Arosio's grip on her tightened.

"Come l'inferno, tesoro. Sei mio per il resto dell'eternità," Arosio stated darkly before carrying her out of the dining room without sparing his family a second glance. (Like hell. You are mine for the rest of eternity.)

****

Hello lovely readers,

I hope you are enjoying this story. As always, please share your thoughts/comments! I really enjoy them! PLEASE READ, VOTE & COMMENT!