Chapter 13

Francesca's apartment wasn't far from the office, so it didn't take her long to get home.

After being dropped off, Francesca thanked Alvin and waved goodbye as he drove away.

As she turned to enter her building a large man in a business suit blocked her way. He had a menacing look on his face, it was as if he was angry at someone.

"Miss Rocci." The man said.

"What do you want?" Francesca asked as she glared at him.

"Miss, it's me, Dom." The man said in a friendlier tone.

Francesca looked at the man again and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Miss, it's your brother, Andres, he made me wear this horrible thing. He said if I approached you in my ordinary clothes it would affect your reputation." Dom began to complain as he loosened the tie on his neck.

Francesca laughed at his words, Dom always wore more casual clothes under his leather jacket, his outfit right now made him look like a respectable businessman with an imposing aura.

"What does Andres want?" Francesca groaned.

"He asked me to bring your car over." Dom said as he pointed at the white car parked in the slot assigned for her unit.

"Thanks Dom. You can go now." Francesca said as she took the keys from his hand.

To Francesca's surprise Dom remained standing at the entrance of her apartment complex.

"Dom, didn't you hear me. I said you can go." Francesca said in a stern voice. She wasn't used to the men from the mafia not listening to her.

"I can't Miss Francesca. Your brother's orders." Dom informed her.

Francesca pinched the space between her eyes and sighed. She quickly called her brother and waited for him to pick up.

"Hey little sister." Andres excitedly said as he picked up the call.

"Andres, why are you making Dom stand outside my building?" Francesca asked in a clearly angry tone.

Andres just laughed making Francesca even angrier.

"Andres!" She shouted over the phone.

"Francesca, have you forgotten what Matteo and I said, we would place some men in the vicinity to ensure your safety. One of them is Dom, we chose him since you're more familiar with him." Andres said casually over the phone.

"Andres, this is too much!" Francesca said out of frustration. "And Dom can't be out here in the open, it's suspicious."

"Fine, fine." Andres said with a sigh. "I'll ask him to remain unseen." Her brothers always spoiled her and Francesca always got what she wanted from Andres and Matteo.

"Good." She said as she was about to drop the call.

"Sister, wait. Mom and dad want you home for dinner tonight, so don't be late." Andres told her as he sensed she would drop the call on him.

Before she could say she was tired and too busy Andres had already dropped the call, making her unable to reject the order to come home for dinner.

Francesca sighed as she looked at her phone.

"What did the boss say?" Dom asked Francesca nervously.

"You have to stay, but don't stand outside my building like this, it looks suspicious." Francesca told the man.

"Alright miss. I'll make sure that my men and I remain unseen." Dom said as he bowed and left.

Francesca sighed as she went up to her apartment. She thought that she would be able to rest a little bit today, it seemed that she was wrong. Her parents were already calling her home so soon after they allowed her to live on her own.

Francesca decided to follow as her parents wanted and eventually drove her new car to the old Rocci home.

"Miss Francesca." A maid greeted as Francesca walked into the house. "Your parents are in the dining room." The maid said, leading her to the Rocci home's main dining room.

Francesca smiled as she saw her mother and father at the dining table. She walked over and kissed both parents gently on the cheek.

"We missed you so much dear." Tina Rocci said as she patted the seat next to her, telling her only daughter to sit.

Francesca smiles and obliges her mother.

"Your brothers are on the way home." Martin Rocci told his daughter. "How are you settling into your new apartment?" He asked.

"I love it dad." Francesca tells him with a smile. "Although I miss you and mom very much." She confesses. There were many comforts within the Rocci home that she missed, the biggest part being her parents.

"You can always come home." Her father teased.

"Francesca, I noticed you didn't take all of your clothes over to your new place. Do you want me to have someone send them over?' Tina asked her daughter. Francesca had intentionally left most of her things at the Rocci home. She knew that she wouldn't be able to wear any of the known high end brands for a while due to her career.

"Mom it's alright. I really didn't bring much on purpose. You know me, I like to shop. I'll surely fill that closet up soon." Francesca said with a laugh.

"Alright. But, give me a call when you need them. I'm sure I can send someone over to take them to you." Tina Rocci suggested.

"I will mom." Francesca told her mother lovingly.

"Ah, the runaway daughter returns." Andres teased as he entered the dining room with Matteo in tow. Of the two brothers Andres had always been the more outgoing and Matteo was always quiet.

"Hello Andres, Matteo." Francesca greeted.

"How do you like the car?" Matteo asked as he sat down to his father's right.

"It's good. Thank you." Francesca said as she smiled at him.

"Francesca, your mom and I are worried about you." Martin Rocci said as the maids began to serve their dinner. "It's not safe for you to live alone."

"Dad, we've been over this. It's easier for school. Plus Andres already sent Dom and some of his men to watch over me." Francesca explained to her dad.

"But the security here is different." Martin told his daughter.

"Dad." Francesca complained.

"We've been getting threats recently." Andres suddenly said, not wanting to hear any further arguments from his father and his sister.