1 Standing my Ground

I snaked my hands behind my older sister Olivia, hugging her. Weirdly enough she hadn't greeted me when she came, instead going to her old room to apparently "ready herself for dinner". She was patting her pale cheeks with blush, her face paler and thinner than usual. Her hair was up in a bun, looking elegant on her when she did it but whenever I tried to do it I got such a messy bun. I decided to leave my hair down and alone after father had scolded me for doing it on purpose when Matteo had come over.

"Why are you avoiding me?" I asked her, following her to her floor length mirror, looking at myself as well. Father had forced me to wear a white dress, to remind myself that that is the only innocence I had left. I had almost rolled my eyes when he said that but refrained from doing so.

She avoided looking in my eyes in the mirror, "Matteo said I couldn't tell you. You know how he is when I disobey him." She said the last part quietly, and I had to strain my ears to hear her. He had drained the life out of Olivia, had started draining the life out of her ever since they got engaged at her 16th birthday 6 years ago. They got married not a week after her 18th. I was surprised my father hadn't sold me off to get married as I was soon to be 20 and that he hadn't even commented on my unmarried status.

I sighed, then sat on her bed, the just ironed comforters wrinkling beneath me. "I know, it makes me furious, the things he does to you. I wouldn't even be a bit sad if he got stabbed in the back; hell I would do it myself." Olivia shushed me as she sat on the bed beside me. 

"I don't want you to get in trouble with him," she reprimanded me, reminding me of her mother-like nature. "I-I well, it's not like I can get into any more trouble right?" She rhetorically asked, her hands trembling. I hated seeing Olivia this broken and rubbed her back soothingly until she looked into my eyes, her blue eyes filled with unshed tears. "I- I told him he couldn't do it," she started rambling."

"Do what?" I urged her on, seeing her fighting what she wanted to tell me.

"I told Matteo he couldn't shi-" The door banged open and Olivia cowered behind me. Matteo's big figure came into view, father behind him, a horrifying grin on his face. Matteo narrowed his eyes at us sitting on the bed and Olivia looked at the floor in shame. Despite my better knowing I stared at Matteo until his gaze became overbearing to which I shifted towards fathers face. He was smiling like a maniac, something that only meant bad news. 

Olivia immediately stood up when Matteo and father came closer. Matteo smiled and even I got a little scared: "I couldn't do what?" He asked, his voice low and menacing. Olivia trembled and tried to deny it but it was obvious by her stance she was lying. 

I couldn't stand here and do nothing while Olivia got abused like that. I positioned myself in front of her, a couple of feet away from Matteo looking up into his deviled eyes: "she didn't say anything. Let. It. Go." I said the last three words slowly, enunciating them precisely.

He smiled and soon my cheek was stinging. He slapped me! My hand went over where he had struck me, throbbing in pain. No tears came to my eyes, however, as father had done this to me too many times to count. "Out," he said to me. I slowly walked out, knowing if I stayed I would do more damage to Olivia. 

I looked to father who was walking ahead of me, and grabbed his hand. "Father, you can't let him do that to Olivia." He pulled his hand out of my grasp but I persisted, pleading with him not to let her be hurt. I followed him into his office. "You're supposed to protect the women!" I yelled at him after he ignored me for too long: "protect you daughters!" I yelled at him. He struck me in the same place Matteo had but it hurt more than usual. Tears finally sprung to my eyes but I instead just stared at him in disbelief. My cheeks were going to hurt tomorrow.

"You should be glad I found someone for you. Imagine if no one would take you." I was confused, "take me"? "someone for me"? Realization finally filled me. A white dress to show my purity, Matteo and Olivia coming over, Nathaniel and Elena coming home next week, fathers maniac smile. Just then the door to his office opened and Matteo stepped in, pulling a disheveled Olivia behind him with red eyes. I started to stomp up to him, not minding the consequences until father stopped me by yanking me back.

I faced Olivia, going over the extent of her visible injuries, "are you alright?" That was all I could ask. She just nodded but the tears fell from her eyes even as she hurriedly tried to wipe them away. 

"Ah, Figaro, what were you just informing Silva about?" He used my nickname tauntingly but I didn't pay any attention to that. Back to what father had been talking about. Take me?

Father turned to me, "you're getting married." He said it happily and I was sure he would start gleefully laughing like a maniac.

"Married? To who?" I asked him. Never mind I was getting married. I would deal with that later. Who I was to be married to was my biggest concern.

A shadow of someone stood from up from fathers chair. I hadn't even realized anyone else was there. A deep voice came out from him before father could reply: "me." He stepped out of the shadows and I saw his wavy brown hair and cold grey eyes anyone could recognize. 

It was the man who was feared. Devilishly handsome, a mind of frost, a heart of ice. The man feared throughout the mafia. The "First Frost": Ottaviano Romanodian. 

I backed away from him as he came closer, bumping into father who didn't pay any mind. The only person I could seek solace in was myself but for some reason I sought solace in father. I wished he would start laughing, Matteo would start laughing and Ottaviano as well. I wish they would tell me this was a joke, they were actually just here to talk business but father never joked. I've never seen Matteo laugh without it being to seek pain on others and Ottaviano, from what I've heard, he hated when people joke around, hated when people disobeyed him. 

Father started talking with Matteo and Ottaviano but I couldn't hear what they were saying. Father hated me this much to sell me off to a monster? Olivia was looking at me with concern and pity in her eyes. She knew about this. She knew and she didn't have the freaking guts to tell me. I backed away, towards the door, my eyes unable to keep themselves off Ottaviano's cold grey eyes. They looked like they were tearing me open. 

My hands fumbled for the door handle and when they found it I pushed the door open. Matteo and father then turned to me but before they could call my name I was already running to my room. Less than ten minutes later, while I was staring out the window, anger steaming through me, I heard three short knocks. 

I didn't answer, ignoring it will make it go away. Soon I heard Olivia's voice: "I'm sorry I didn't tell you." I knew how much trouble she would have gotten into if she told me but my stubborn self wouldn't accept the apology. "Well anyway, call me when you can. I convinced father to give you a phone last week so it's right here, by the door." She waited for a second, for me to respond, "im sorry Silva. I really am." I heard her footsteps fade away and after five minutes I opened the door.

A phone was lying there, brand new and I had an urge to forgive her, to tell her I forgave her but before I could run downstairs I heard the car start. I ran to my window and looked outside to the road off the estate. I could see Olivia and she saw me and smiled. I waved, trying to tell her I forgave her. 

"I didn't appreciate you running out like that." I jumped and my smile faded when I recognized who it was: Ottaviano. I wasn't going to show him that I was scared though.

"You aren't supposed to be in a room with me alone. I'm not married to you." 

"Yet." He said and started walking closer to me. I didn't go back into the wall like in father's office but stood my ground. 

"Well it's not appropriate." He was right in front of me and I had to tilt my head back to look into his steel eyes.

"If it were your father's choice you would have been married to me two years ago." Two years ago? How long had this arrangement been going on? How long had father been planning my marriage? When did they agree upon this? Ottaviano continued as these questions ran through my head, "You won't leave until you are dismissed when in my presence." I rolled my eyes at that. He wasn't my master nor I his slave. I could do whatever the hell I wanted to. 

He narrowed his eyes at me, "you won't roll your eyes at me." Now he was flush against me and I instinctively took a step back. I caught a glimpse of the door, seeing my step-mother, Allegra walking. 

I had never been as happy as I was to see her. "Allegra!" I called out. She paused and reluctantly looked into my room. She was only 15 years older than me and her brown eyes widened when she saw the situation I was in. It was clear she was conflicted on what to do. 

Ottaviano looked back and I pleaded with my eyes for her to do something. "Signor. Romanodian, I'm sorry to interrupt but I need Silvana's help for dinner. Will you be joining us?" I snuck out from around him as he replied and was at Allegra's side in seconds. I mocked an "im sorry" look at Ottaviano before leaving towards the kitchen. 

I stiffly thanked Allegra and escaped her side. We had a cook that made our dinner every night, always something of Italian cuisine. I stayed in the kitchen until dinner time, carrying the spaghetti that our cook had made to the dining table, Father already sitting there and Ottaviano and another man sitting there as well. 

I sat in my usual seat which was conveniently next to Ottaviano. I ate slowly, studying how Ottavaino's manners were. They were surprisingly well, only cutting as much as he could chew, chewing quietly and finishing what was in his mouth before talking. After staring at him for God knows how long, I turned to the other man, across from him, next to Allegra. He was looking at me and I glared at him. Surprising enough he didn't get mad but instead silently laughed. His eyes were similar to Ottaviano which could only lead to the fact that he was his brother. But, despite the amount of times I had heard about the New York mafia I didn't know his name.

The dinner was over fairly quickly and soon I was at the door, forced and threatened by father saying how pleased I was they had come for dinner and how I can't WAIT to get married. However I did it all while rolling my eyes, making it not at all sincere. Ottaviano made no move to physically say goodbye to me but his handsome brother smirked and took my hand, a kiss, barely on the brink of inappropriateness, to my hand before smirking and leaving.