The ambiance in Salvatore's office was heavy and tensed. Davide was about to answer his father when Gabriel entered, holding Suki's hand. She was looking down, half hidden behind the tall man, trembling to be standing here.

Few minutes earlier, in the little girl's bedroom, Gabriel had finished to put ointment on the painful neck of his little sister.

Gabriel: It's done... but it will probably be painful for few days. I can give you painkillers if you want but...

Suki: Mr Gabriel... please... let me go... I don't want to stay here.

Gabriel: (He sighed.) Suki, we already talked about that, we are your family, we will not let you live with strangers.

Suki: If I don't leave... they will kill me... (Her breathing accelerated.)

Gabriel: (He made her look at him.) Eh, calm down, nothing will happen to you. Breath slowly, look at me, focus on my eyes. (She stared at his beautiful eyes for few seconds.) Good... come with me.

Gabriel stood up and took Suki's hand before leaving the bedroom. They headed to his Father's office.

Salvatore: Gabriel... What's wrong? We are not done here.

Gabriel: I want to hear what they have to say. Look at her, look what you did to her!

Davide stared at his brother with an intense gaze. Vito ignored him. He had his fist clinched, thinking about the slap Gabriel gave him. It had hurt his proud even if he was in wrong.

Gabriel: What will you do with them?

Salvatore: Nothing... They are adults, they know what is possible or not and they will take their own decision and assume it. So, sons, will you choose your family or not?

Davide: (He glared at Suki.) Don't put your nose on my business, don't touch my things, do your best to not cross my path and I will not do anything to you. Do you hear me?! (He shouted and she stepped back.)

Gabriel: You should apologize and not yell at her!

Davide: Apologize? No way! I will tolerate her presence and it's already a lot... and you, look at people in the eyes when they talk to you!

Suki wanted to let go of Gabriel's hand and run away but he held it tighter and even made a step in his brother's direction.

Gabriel: You really are a little piece of... (He controlled himself.) Apologize now, both of you!

Salvatore: Gabriel... Vito, I asked you a question, I want to hear your answer and fix this now.

Vito: Our family is divided because of her! (His father gaze became darker.) I will do my best to ignore her existence.

Salvatore: That is enough for me. We will have a proper dinner, all together. Inform your brothers. (They both left without a glance toward Gabriel or Suki.)

Gabriel: You let them go like this?

Salvatore: Let's talk later. (He approached and bent in front of Suki.) Suki, we will have dinner with your brothers, and I hope that you will not be scared. Tomorrow, you are staying home to rest, and we will discuss about your school, okay?

Suki: I am not hungry...

Salvatore: I am sorry but skipping your meals is not an option. Let's go. (He put his hand on her back.) Gabriel...

Gabriel was not satisfied by his father's way to deal with his younger brothers. They deserved a punishment for their intolerable behavior toward his little sister.

They entered in the dining room, and everyone was present. The rest of the boys stared at Suki and at her neck, it was red with fingers marks visible. Enzo awkwardly tried to smile to Suki and designated the free chair near him, but he didn't even receive an ounce of a smile. The little girl sat, pressured by her father's gaze.

Salvatore: Hum... from tonight, we will live all together as a family. I expect from all of you respect toward Suki as a member of that family. The events that happened tonight are not tolerate and should never happen again in the future. Let's have dinner, it's late.

Enzo: Do you want to try this? It's usually pretty tasty.

Suki: Thank you... Mr Enzo. (She said without looking at him.)

Enzo: What the fu**? Mister? I told you, it's just Enzo, Enzo! (She flinched.) Eh! Don't freak out just because I speak to you!

Salvatore: Enzo, your tone and choice of words are maybe not appropriate. Suki, Enzo is right, no Mister to address to one of us, okay? It is very appreciable that you are polite, but this, it's too much.

Gianni: That dinner is weird... really...

The ambiance was effectively weird and heavy. Dante seemed to be silently eating but he was glancing to Suki all the time. If he didn't intervene when Vito let her fall at the top of the stairs, she could have hurt herself very badly or even die. But he was fast enough to avoid that to happen even if he didn't know why he helped her. Maybe the idea to see his father's distress was the reason.

Dante: I have someone to meet, I'm leaving first. (He left.)

Davide: Someone to beat or someone to fu**.... (He chuckled.)

Salvatore: Davide, mind your language!

Davide: I'm 19, I will not change my way of talking because of this useless thing! If she doesn't want to hear me talking like that, she can leave the room or even better, this house!

Salvatore: Don't test my patience Davide!

Suki: Can I leave the table? I'm tired. (She didn't want to hear more.)

Salvatore: No, you barely ate, and we need to talk too.

Salvatore's tone was a bit harsher that he wanted it to be. Gabriel didn't talk either since they installed at the dining table. He hadn't eaten that much too. He had a lot in mind. When they finished their dinner, Vito and Davide left the dining room and immediately, Gabriel stood up too and followed them. No way he would let them leave like that without punishing them for what they had done.

Gabriel: We have unfinished business together... (He took off his jacket and tie.)

Vito: (He didn't look at his brother.) You want to hit me again?

Gabriel: What? You are more at ease to fight with an 11 years old girl?!

Davide: We are not afraid of you!

Gabriel: I know you are not afraid, and you are not respectful either, and that is the problem! (His tone was cold and his eyes dark.)

Vito: I only tried to help my brother!

Gabriel: If you acted like that with a stranger, I would have been proud of you, but it was not the case.

Vito: (He finally looked at Gabriel.) She is a fu** stranger! She is nothing! I hate that bit**!

Gianni: (He just arrived in the corridor.) Guys, not again! Gabriel, give them a break, they are just kids. And the two of you, stop provoking him or Dad. If you have too much time or energy, do something useful!

Gabriel: Remind them who they should respect in this house!

Gabriel left the corridor to his bedroom. He changed himself then went to the gym room. Hitting on the boxing bag for an hour could help him to calm down.

Gianni: Guys, I understand you, really, but that girl is just a kid...

Davide: We don't want her here and she doesn't want to stay here either! Dad is just stubborn, guided by a guilty feeling to have sleep with that bit** just after Mom died!

Gianni: I know, but he is the head of the family, he is in charge. We can not go against his orders, even if we do not agree with him. That's how our family works! If we begin to fight against each others, we are done! That's how our business works! Put that in your heads!

Gianni's words were simple and efficient. He let his younger brothers leave to do whatever they wanted, and he went upstairs. All those dramas were not for him.

In the dining room, only Enzo was still there with his father and Suki.

Salvatore: Suki, what do you think about changing school? Yours is a bit far from home and frankly speaking, not in the best area of the city. The security and the education level are not the best too. (She shrugged.) Suki, expressing yourself with words is better, don't you think? If you have friends from school, you can still meet them in weekend.

Suki: I don't have friends... and I am used to change of school often...

Enzo: (He tried to lighten the discussion.) If you like to study, I'm sure that you will like that school. They let some freedom to students to work on additional project and they have a huge library. The food is not bad too... well rich school for rich people so, a bit normal.

Salvatore: You should take some days to accommodate to the house and your new life. I know that you miss your mother a lot, and I promise you, I will find out who killed her and avenge her. So, you, do your part, show everyone how precious you are, and make your mother proud of you by living a good life. And if, one day when you are old enough, you want to live by your own, I will help you.

Suki listened to her father with attention, and the mention of her mother made her emotive. She nodded, unable to speak.

Salvatore: Good. Tomorrow, your new room will be ready. Enzo, can you take Suki upstairs. Suki, sleep well and I will see you tomorrow.

Suki stood up and politely bowed to her father before following Enzo. Salvatore looked at that little girl with a sorry expression. Enzo stopped in front of the bedroom's door and said:

Enzo: What Vito and Davide did is wrong but try to forget about it. We don't all think like them... you never asked to be in that situation...

Suki: Good night, M... Enzo...

Enzo: It takes a lot of effort from you to not call me Mister, right?

Suki: Sorry...

Enzo: I will flick your forehead every time that you will call me that... (Suki frowned a little and it made Enzo laugh.)... So, you can also do that type of face... interesting... Go to sleep... it's late... ah, and don't try to run away, there is very bad dogs to guard the house! (He smirked.)

The little girl entered the bedroom, and she sighed deeply. She felt to be trap in this house. She needed a warm shower and a moment to cry without anyone to see her. She put the chair behind the door to lock it and slipped under the blanket.

That night, Suki cried a lot, at the thought to be alone without her mother. When Gabriel went to his bedroom after relieving his anger on the boxing bag, he, of course, stopped by the little girl's bedroom and found the door locked. He didn't try to force it. He asked the guards outside to pay extra attention to be sure that she would not leave the house.

******************************************************

The next morning, Suki stood up with a puffy face. She took a shower, wore simple dark clothes and stayed in the bedroom, reading the book she had to read for school. She had nothing to do, so even if her father told her that he would change her of school, that book was a way to divert her mind.

No one came to force her to share breakfast, and the little girl was glad for that. She heard the boys going and coming in the corridor and when everything was quieter, someone knocked at the door.

Maria: Miss Suki, your breakfast is ready. Mr Salvatore asked us to take you downstairs after the boys left for school, so you can have your meal quietly. Chef Aldo prepared something new especially for you.

Suki followed Maria and she thanked her and the Chef. The two house employees tried to talk a little with the little girl, but they only received short answers. When she had finished, Maria took her to her new room that was on right aisle of the first floor.

Maria informed her that it was the corridor with the eldest boys' rooms. It was a request from Gabriel to not put Suki's room in the same side of the house than the younger brothers. Their father has the second floor for himself. It was smaller and divided in two big rooms, both for him.

He kept the original room he shared with his wife for himself, and he had a separate room that he somehow shared with his current fiancée.

Salvatore had some feelings for her, but he was not in love like he was with his wife. And as he was not a eunuch, he didn't refrain himself to have physical contacts with her. Maria opened the door of Suki's new room, and it was nicely decorated.

Maria: I hope that you like your new room. We thought that white would suit you. I arranged your belongings in the walk-in closet.

Suki: Thank you Mrs Maria. It's really beautiful.

Maria: (She smiled.) If you need anything or just to talk to someone, don't hesitate to come to me. I can't imagine how difficult things are for you, but Mr Salvatore is a good man, he will take care of you.

Suki: Thank you. I'm going to take my bags from the other room.

Maria: Let me do that for you and at the same time, you can take a closer look to your bedroom and tell me if something more is needed. Miss Suki, we put your belongings from your apartment in a room, so if you want to retrieve something, I can take you there.

Suki shyly smiled to Maria and the maid smiled back. She found the little girl beautiful with those specific eyes, inherited from her father.

The middle-aged woman left, and Suki looked around her. The room could seem simple, but everything was of high quality. The little girl opened the first door, and it was a bathroom with everything necessary.

The second door was the walk-in closet with all her clothes inside. It seemed empty because she didn't possess a lot of things. She sat on her bed and noticed a frame of with a photo on the nightstand.

It was a photo of her and her mother. They were both smiling to each other. She took the frame and kept it against her chest while laying on the bed. She closed her eyes and tried to remember those joyful moments she spent with her mother.

She didn't know when she fell asleep. Her bags had been put near the door and she only woke up with a start when someone sat at the border of her bed.

Salvatore: Suki, it's just me... sorry if I startled you. Do you like your new room? If not, we can rearrange it and maybe also buy you new stuffs, like clothes, shoes...

Suki: No... It's fine... like that, thank you.

Salvatore: Okay, if you say so. I guess you are not ready to let me be a good father to you yet. (He stood up.) I contacted your school to inform them of your transfer. You can start in your new school on Monday, if it's good for you. (She nodded.) Good. Feel free to go anywhere in the house. We have some installations that can be interesting for a child. Do you play some sports maybe?

Suki: Not really.

Salvatore: Do you have hobbies? Painting, music? If I remember well, your mother was good to play violin.

Suki: You know about that? (Her expression changed.)

Salvatore: We didn't spend a lot of time together, but I know one or two things, yes.

Suki: I played a little bit of piano... Mom tought me. We wouldn't play that much because we didn't have a piano... but when we could, we practiced... but she had to sell her violin 6 months ago... for money...

Salvatore: (He smiled.) It's probably the longest sentence you said to me in days. I'm happy that you open up a little. (She looked down.) It could be nice to hear you play one day...

Suki: I'm not sure to play good enough to be heard...

Salvatore: We can have someone to give you lessons if you want. (She didn't react to his proposition.) We can talk about that later. (He looked at his watch.) Lunch time is already passed, but Aldo is ready to cook something for you, so you can maybe make a stop by the kitchen?

Suki: I'm not hungry, thank you.

Salvatore: Child, you need to eat properly. So, please, go downstairs and have something. Even a salad or a sandwich will be good.

Once again, Suki had the feeling to not have the choice. Will it be the way her life will go in the future? Not able to make her own choice, to take decisions for her own life? She stood up and went downstairs with her father. The house was quiet without the three youngest.

In fact, Gabriel and Dante were not at home either. The eldest son went to investigate on the field about Fumiko's murder and Dante went with him. One of Suki's brother was present, Gianni.

Salvatore: Gianni, are you going to work?

Gianni: Yes, and I'm off for 2 days with the newbies. I'm going to pick-up Vito in 30 minutes.

Salvatore: Okay. It will be good for him to be away for the weekend.

Gianni: (He stared at Suki.) Hum... not a bad idea, indeed...

Suki understood the hidden meaning of Gianni's words. Chef Aldo put a plate of food in front of Suki with a small tofu soup. The little girl smiled to him; she was thankful of the attention. Salvatore and Gianni talked few more minutes before the head of the family received a call for his business.

Salvatore: Suki, I have to go and will probably not be back before late at night. Your brothers are coming back later today. Please, don't try to run away while we are out. Maria and Aldo are working until 7.00pm if you need anything. (She nodded.)

Gianni: I'm leaving too... And you, don't do stupid things!

Salvatore: Gianni...

Gianni smirked and left. His father followed his steps after a last gaze to Suki. The little girl was left alone with the Chef and Maria who was busy cleaning upstairs. After finishing her meal, Suki took the courage to visit that huge house or at least, the ground floor.

Suki had a quick tour of the house with her father when the social worker visit but she didn't pay too much attention. In the living room, she took the time to watch the different photos and all the valuable things that were exposed.

She didn't stop by the dining room and followed the corridor to a smaller room that she remembered as library with an office, just like in a prestigious university.

There was books in English and Italian. She even found some in French and it made her curious to know who was able to read those books. But that curiosity quickly disappeared. No need to have interest in people that hate you.

Suki left that room, and she pushed the door of a new one. Inside, it looked like a pool club. There was even a bar in a corner. It was not a place for her, so she left without exploring it.

She followed a corridor with high windows and arrived in a sort of annex. There was on a side an entry to an indoor pool and the other side led to a gym room. Everything useful to do workout was there.

Suki walked back to the main room of the house, then on the other aisle. There was three more guests' rooms and a double restrooms. The little girl didn't want to risk a one to one with her brothers, so she went back to her bedroom not too far after.

The afternoon passed, but no news from her brothers. She received a text message from Gabriel around 6.30pm to inform her that they were stuck with an important work. She was wondering what job they were doing to work anytime of the day or night.

Even Enzo and Davide didn't come home. In fact, Enzo was requested to help by his father and Davide opted for a party with his friends.

Before leaving the house, Maria stopped by Suki's bedroom. She proposed to stay with her until one of the Smith came back but Suki reassured her, she was used to be alone at home before. It was not different here.

The Chef prepared dinner for her and they both left. Suki ate quietly before going back to her bedroom. She survived one more day...

Like that, the weekend passed too. The boys came back in the middle of the night and most of them, had left quickly after grabbing something to eat in the middle of the morning. Only Enzo stayed at home on Saturday, sleeping most of the time.

Suki felt more at ease to be left alone. She didn't need to be alert all the time, hearing displeasing words from the boys or risking to be kill if one of them couldn't control his anger.

But her quiet moment ended on Sunday evening. Her father asked to see her before dinner. He gave her a uniform tailored for her. It was the one she would have to wear to integrate her new private school. The same one where Vito was studying.

Salvatore gave her a brochure about the school so she can familiarize herself with that new place. He proposed to accompany her to the director's office to introduce her as his daughter, but she refused. She didn't want to attract people's attention. Being a new student was already enough and she didn't want to be known as a Smith.