Alexia POV

"Alexia." His tone held a warning. "No." Alexia said standing up. She was done sitting here. "Sit down." He said sternly. He was getting angry and Alexia knew she was pushing it. "This is new to them. They don't adjust well." He excused their shitty behavior. Alexia snorted in annoyance. "It's new to them? But no one else?" She questioned raising an eyebrow. "We." She indicated Leo and herself. "Didn't ask to be here. We didn't ask for the only adults we have ever known to get themselves killed. We didn't ask to get pulled out of school in the middle of the day by cops we didn't know only to have the rug pulled from underneath us. We didn't ask to be ripped out of the only house we have ever lived in. We didn't ask to be taken 5000 miles away from the place we grew up the same day we lost the only parental figures we've ever known without even being allowed to mourn them or go to a funeral or anything." She didn't really care about all this honestly but she knew a normal person should want to feel like that. "We didn't ask for any of this. But here we are anyway, torn away from everything and everyone we know. In a whole new ass country!! Without the same attitude and shitty side comments and the hostility coming from the four Scrooges down there." She flung her arm our and pointed to the youngest outside of herself, Leo and Marcello. "Is so fucking obvious a blind man could see it from 10 miles away." Alexia said. "But sure, let them continue to walk right over that rule you just listed and is now expecting Leo and I to ahead by, simply because it is new for them to have two new people in their cushy house they grew up and are comfortable in." She pointed between herself and Leo again. "Two people that up until my rant have said very little and have made their presence as small as humanly possible because they are both hella uncomfortable in this big ass mansion with a herd of 14 giant gorillas. But yeah.. You know.. Who cares that this is new to us too and that we could possibly be just as uncomfortable if not more uncomfortable with this whole situation than anyone else here. So lets just expect the world of the new kids and let the bullies reign over their peasants, right?" Alexia said sarcastically. The dining room was silent after her rant and Alexia took a deep breath as Leo slid his hand into hers. "I'm not one for walking around disrespecting every man and their dog." She continued after about half a minute. "And I will listen to a certain extent. However trust and respect is earned and no one here has earned any of the sort. I normally have the common curtesy of decent respect like one should have for a stranger but it seems to me that certain people around this table lack such skills." Alexia paused for a second. "Which means the little respect I started off with is null and void." She stepped behind her chair and pushed it in before looking back at her father. "You should know two things about me. Two things that are important to always remember." She took a deep breath as Leo got up from his chair and stood next to her. "I always match your energy. If you treat me with respect, I treat you with the same level of respect. If you're disrespectful, I will be equally disrespectful. If you fuck around." She cast her glance at the Scrooges. "You will find out." She looked back at her father. "And I never, ever start anything." She looked right in his eyes. "But I will finish it." And with that Alexia walked away and went up to her room with Leo following right behind her.

Matteo POV

Matteo watched his long lost sister and the brother he never knew he had walk away after her tirade, not that he blamed her for that. It hadn't been the warmest welcome they had been offered. And their father had thrown some of his rules down before breakfast was even finished. It didn't help the twins was blatantly defying them, and getting away with it for whatever reasons. Alexia had been right too. They had all heard their little side comments, mostly on her looks and what she ate, and no one had made to stop them. If the situation hadn't seem so serious he would have laughed at her very accurate description of those four. The Scrooges... Though he didn't understand why they were so rude and hostile towards Alexia. They didn't seem to mind Leo. "Spoiled cow." Riccardo muttered. "What's your problem?" Matteo finally asked. "Her." He shrugged. It pissed Matteo off. "And how so? She's clearly not a cow. Hell she barely ate anything!!" He exclaimed. He hadn't liked how little she had eaten but at least what she did eat was a good choice, just not enough. "And if anyone around here is spoiled it's the four of you ungrateful brats!" He continued. "None of you will be allowed at the warehouse until I say otherwise, do I make myself clear?" He asked sternly. He was usually the clam and collected one. Hardly ever mad and not one to deal out punishments. He usually let his father, uncle, Lorenzo or Stefano handle that. Matteo was the one they came to when they were in trouble or needed something. It was rare he got mad, so when he did they knew he meant business. "What the fuck!! That's not fair!" Riccardo yelled. "Keep testing me Riccardo and see what happens." Matteo said in a cold tone. Riccardo kept quiet and looked down into his plate, anger seething in his eyes. Matteo got up and walked upstairs and to his sister's room where he knocked on the door. When she said come in he opens the door and found both her and Leo inside. The slight look of fear and resignation in her eyes was something he never wanted to see again. She was expecting punishment for her feelings. It was unsettling to Matteo, but why was she so fearful? Kiara might have left them all with their father but she'd been a great mom before she left. He couldn't imagine she would be anything else after she left. He'd seen his mothers love for his sister with his own eyes. Knew she had longed for a daughter long before she got her. He shook that thought off. It must just be all the circumstances. He frowned as the details of Kiara and her new husbands death flashes through his mind. They were both high as a kite when he plowed into that semi truck. As a doctor he knew how drugs can change a person, and with their family business he knew all too well the lengths people would go to, to get what they wanted. His eyes flashed to Alexia as he studied her. She was thin. Too thin in his professional opinion. His eyes went to Leo. He used Alexia as a human shield. Always hiding behind her. He was more scared of the world than an 11 year old should be. He was quiet and timid. Nothing like Marcello who was loud, outgoing and bubbly. Alexia was fiercely protective over Leo even with the apprehension and fear flashing in her eyes before she covered it up. Shaking his head of the thoughts, he made a mental note to himself to look more into Alexia and Leo's background. Specifically on how they were treated at home. He didn't like where his thoughts took him and he prayed he was wrong. "I'm sorry about that." He said. "Downstairs... They aren't normally like that." He explained and then realized he was making excuses for them just like their father had. "I mean.. They are always grumpy but not normally that rude." He said sheepishly. Shit.. He didn't know if he was making this any better or worse. "I don't know why they are acting like this." He said looking at her. "Well, aren't I special." She said sarcastically. And Matteo couldn't help but grin at how sassy she could be. "You are indeed." He replied still grinning at her. "Are you two ready?" He asked looking at them both. They looked at him confused. "To go shopping?" He asked. "Didn't dad tell you we were going?" Alexia frowned but Leo's eyes brightened. "We just assumed it wasn't going to happen because I broke the rules." Alexia replied. "Nah." Matteo said. "You were within your right to say what you said. Besides, none of what you said was untrue." He explained. "Really?" Alexia asked in disbelief. "Of course." Matteo said as a matter of fact. "You two need furniture and decorations for your rooms. And when we're done getting that we will be going to the mall." He explained. "What? Why?" Alexia asked, she sounded uncomfortable now. He smiled gently at her. "From what I heard from dad and Lorenzo neither of you brought many things with you, so you'll need more clothes, school items since you both start school on Monday and you'll also both need a new phone and a laptop." He explained. "A laptop?" Leo asked excitedly. "Yeah." Matteo smiled. "You can pick whichever one you like, same with the phone and everything else." "Any laptop?" Alexia asked sounding skeptical. "Yes." Matteo reassured. "Regardless of the price?" She asked again. Matteo frowned. "Do you have something in mind?" He asked. "Maybe." Alexia said. "But it's expensive and you can't buy it in a store." "If you know what you want it shouldn't be a problem as long as it is a legit website it gets bought through." Matteo said. "It is!" Alexia said now sounding excited for the first time. "Okay, come on." Matteo said and got up. They followed him and he walked into his room and booted up his own. He had the newest Apple MacBook but he didn't use it often. He watched as Alexia glanced around his room and he wondered what she thought of it. It was very much like him. Clean, calm and simple in neutral colors. Mostly grays, whites and blacks. Leo was a little more interested in his room, especially in his book case which had a lot of medical books. He took his eyes off the two to enter his password on his MacBook. "Okay Alexia. Come find the laptop you'd like." he said and got up from the chair. Alexia came over and sat down. He watched as she got on his browser and got on a website he'd never seen before. It didn't take Alexia long before she found a laptop and to his surprise customized it. She put it in the cart and went to another laptop on the same page and quickly customized it as well before putting it into the cart and getting up from the desk. It looked legit to him and it looked like Alexia knew what she was doing but he was going to make a call anyways. "I know very little about technology so I'm going to call someone that will know if this is worth the price." He explained as he took out his phone. "As long as it's worth it I have no issue with you getting this." He said and smiled at her. She just nodded. He could see the unspoken questions in her eyes. "Hey, Elio." He greeted his cousin. "Yeah, all is good." He smiled. "I was calling to see what you can tell me about two laptops." He said looking over the first one. "The first one is a Oryx Pro, the other is a Bonobo WS." He said and fell silent as the man on the other end excitedly explained a bunch of stuff to him, none of which he understood. "Elio..." He interrupted. "Are they legit and is it worth the price tag?" "Without a doubt." Elio said on the other end. "It's some of the best computers there are for techies." "Okay. Thank you." He said and hung up. He then typed in the payment information and payed for rushed delivery. When he was done he turned around and looked at two open mouthed siblings. He chuckled. "Come on." he said and led them downstairs where their father, uncle, Lorenzo, Santino, Luca and Emilio were waiting for them.