16: One hell of a Family Dinner

Bella.

Lucca drove me to my apartment so I could change and also to keep Corbiniano's men in the loop. They still thing that I was there and we wanted to keep it that way.

I used the back exit again and rushed up to my apartment floor using the emergency staircase. Once in my apartment I quickly changed into a comfortable black jean and white sweater. I applied a layer of mascara and lip gloss, just so I could look more presentable and hide my nervousness. Then I grabbed my black converse and handbag and rushed out of the apartment. It took me almost 15 minutes to change and come back to Lucca's car, that was park in the back of the apartment.

He was pacing right in front of car while both Francesco and Ciro were standing next to their car with crossed arms. The moment I pushed opened the back exit door and stepped out. Lucca rushed towards me with a relief look on his face and engulfed me in one tight hug. It was as if he was begging me not to go, by holding me so close to him that I could hear his heart beating so loud. But we both knew I had to go to save my sister and mother.

"Lucca, don't worry I will be fine." I mumbled close to his chest. He was holding me so tight but his hold was not hurting me. It was doing the opposite effect, comforting me.

"Angel don't tell me not to worry about you. I will always worry about you, because you are my everything." He replies softly and places a kiss on the side of my head.

"I love you, Lucca." I mumble against his chest and his arms around me tightens even more. It was like a bear hugging me with so much love and care.

"I love you to angel." He says it back in a heartbeat not caring who listens to it and how weak he might look in front of his men.

"The taxi is out in the front" At Ciro's soft words Lucca squeezes me one last time and then lets me go.

I step back and look back into his eyes. But the moment I am inches away from him, he quickly wraps his hand around the side of my neck and rest his forehead against mine.

"Be careful angel," his words were filled with so much pain but also love at the same time.

I nod silently, and he releases me after a second. I shift slightly and extended my hand out to grab the flower bouquet from Ciro.

"Take care buttercup." Ciro says as he hands me the flower and I smile up at him.

"We will be right outside his house." Francesco says, and I look over at him with a smile. I notice his tense face softens up a little and he smiles back at me.

"I will." I reply to both of them.

It's been just weeks since I have known Lucca's family. But they have treated me like I have known them for a lifetime, like I am one of them. They are simply the best people I have come across. Ciro treats me like his twin sister, and never misses a chance to pick a fight with me. Francesco, at first he was distant and doubtful about me but once everything was sorted out. He started acting like a big brother I never had.

And lastly my Lucca, the king of my heart. The man who stole my heart and soul from the first day we meet. The man whom I can't imagine living without. The man whom I want in my present and future, in my ever after. My Lucca.

I take few steps back looking at all three of them and then finally at Lucca and mouth 'I love you' and within seconds he replies 'I love you' back. I smile and turn around and head back to my building.

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The drive to Mr.Corbiniano's house was filled with a roller coaster of emotions. I was nervous at first and then got scared and wanted to call off my stupid plan. Yes, now my oh so simple plan was seeming super stupid and reckless.

But as soon as Mr.Corbiniano house was in my field of vision I sucked in a deep breath and lectured myself to be strong. It was a do or die kind of situation from here on. This was for my family, for my loved ones, and I would do anything, anything to save them. So they can live in peace with me and my new family. At the thought of my new family, Lucca's smiling face appears in front of me. My Lucca.

The cab pulls right in front of a moderate size house.It was two stories high and had a small marble waterfall at the entrances. A s-shaped path of crimson shade bricks was built in between the footpath near the road and the front door. And on either side of the path were fresh cut grass.

I paid the cab driver and stepped out of the cab. I hold the bouquet close to my chest as a shield for protection and inhaled in a deep breath. Before taking a step towards the main entrances.

The moment I rang the doorbell. The door flew open and a smiling Corbiniano greeted me.

"Welcome, welcome Bella dear. We all have been waiting for you." His cheerful tone was annoying me, and I wanted to roll my eyes at his fake smile. But I restrained myself and smiled politely at him as I handed him the flower bouquet.

"Thank you." I said as I took a step in the house as Corbiniano shifted slightly so I could pass.

"Let's go in, your sister and mother are dying to meet you. They are there in the living room." Mr.Corbiniano says from behind me and I take a few steps in the direction of the living room.

The house was beautifully decorated with cherry wood flooring and egg shell paint on the walls. The living room was in the right side of the front door and was elegantly decorated in white and grey couches. The fireplace was casting long shadows over the white rug, that was spread in the center of the living room on which a glass table was kept. The house looked clean and well maintained that I wondered if it was all staged.

"Hello Bella dear." A soft feminine sound welcomed me, and I turned to look up at her. A woman in her late 40's stood across from me. She was looking at me with a soft yet worried smile. There was excitement and happiness in her eyes but her forehead was tensed.

She wore a loosely fitted bluish-black dress made of soft cotton fabric along with small black heels. The dress didn't look like her style and I could easily tell by her level of uncomfortableness, that she wasn't used to wearing this type of outfit. Her salt and pepper hair were neatly tied up in a fancy bun. But she nervously kept tucking her hair behind her ear.

Next to her stood an equally nervous younger version of her. She was dressed in blue jeans and pink sweater. Her long blond hair was open and framing her face beautifully. She too had a worried look in her eyes but a forced smile on her lips.

"Hello." I replied nervously and we three shared a look for a second and then I took a step in their direction. I moved slowly towards them and the moment I was arm lengths from my mother, she quickly stretched out both her hand inviting me for a hug. I hesitated for half a second before I threw myself in her arms and welcomed her warmness.

I noticed her body was tense at first but within seconds she relaxed and a soft sob escaped her lips. I held back my tears and embraced the moment.

"I missed you so much Bella." She says as she tightens her arms around me as much as she can.

I wanted to say 'me too' but how can you miss something you never had.

"We both missed you, Bella." She says as she pulls her head back and look at my face.

I smile and then look at my sister Ella. She was smiling at me, and her eyes were watery too.

I took a step back and move towards Ella and gave her a hug too.

"..un." She whispered something in my ear but I didn't get it.

I look at her in confusion once we pull apart. But before she could repeat her words Mr.Corbiniano announces that we should all head to the living room for dinner as it was getting cold.

We all nod in agreement and stare at each other in an awkward silence.

"Yes, let's go." I say as I move behind my mother, who was following Corbiniano. Once Corbiniano was out of sight, I glanced back at Ella and furrowed my brow in confusion, silently asking her what did she say.

And quickly mouths the word 'run' and glance over my shoulder. I bet she was making sure Corbiniano wasn't looking at us. She was giving me signals to run and it caused a chill to run down my spine. But instead of running out I choose to stick with them and save them.

I quickly glanced at the bouquet and noticed Mr.Corbiniano placed it in the center of the living room table. I sigh with relief as I noticed from this angle Ciro could easily see the dining room table. Perfect.

I entered the dining room after giving Ella a reassurances smile and gestured her to follow me.

"Why don't you sit her Bella, next to your father." Mr.Corbiniano says as he pulls a chair close to his and looks in my direction.

I glance across the table at my mother and notice she just stood there, unsure of everything. And I realized it was here first time here.

"I think I would like to sit with my mother." I say surprising all three of them.

My mother stood there in both shock and surprise. But I wasn't sure whether she was in shock because I said no to Mr.Corbinaino or surprised that I called her mother. But either way she was speechless.

Mr.Corbiniano looked at me with anger in his eyes and then at my mother but quickly controlled his gaze "Sure, sure why not. You guys meet after so many years, and I bet you missed her." He says as he grinds his teeth and fakes a smile at the same time.

My plan was not to piss him, but I also didn't want to agree with he's every single thing.

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"So are you still dating Lucca?"

It's has been awkward but interesting five minutes of 'oh try this' or 'I bet you would love this' or 'do you want more?' When Mr.Corbiniano surprised me with his random question.

If I wasn't prepared for this, I bet on the chicken in the stuffed chicken valentino that I would have choked on my food. The question was out of blue but right on point.

"We broke up." I reply nonchalantly as I continue to swirl my fork in the spaghetti.

"Broke up??" He asks with a raised voice and a perplexed look on his face, which he failed to hide.

"Yep, I confronted him and he didn't deny anything. So I broke up with him." I reply in bored tone and look in the direction of my sister.

"So Ella what have you been doing?" I ask her pretending to move away from the Lucca's topic.But it seemed like Mr.Corbiniano wasn't having any of that and he growled at me.

"What do you mean you broke up with him? Mr.Corbiniano lost his casual cool attitude. He looked angry and his raised voice cause both Ella and her mother to gasp.

I carefully placed my fork down and took a sip of the water that was in front of me, before looking at him.

"You said his father kidnapped me and that he was a dangerous man, who belonged to a very dangerous family. So I decided dating him would be too much drama and I wasn't ready for it, got enough on my Netflix." I shrug my shoulder as I reply him.

His nostrils flare with anger, and everyone at the table went still. After a minute he stood up and started pacing on his dining room floor.

"You girls always have to go and ruin my plan, everyone one of you." He snarls at me with so much venom in his word that it should scare me. But instead I found his anger challenging and decided to poke him a little bit more to get the rest of info.

"What plan, I thought you hated Lucca and wanted me away from him?" I ask faking plain innocence.

He quickly turns around and pins me with a warning gaze. "I wanted Lucca you stupid girl." He snaps back at me and walks in my direction. "I had planned everything to trap Lucca but that stupid Dante failed at it. So I had to use you my so-called daughter." He huffs out a laugh, as if this is funny and pulls a disgusting face when he says so called daughter.

"I mean look at my luck. The girl I wanted dead way before her birth turned out to be Lucca's weakness. But what my stupid daughter did, broke off with him." He growls at bit louder this time  and rushes towards me and grabs my shoulder tightly and shakes me back and forth.

"You are stupid just like your mother and your sister. Even she failed in luring Francesco, stupid."

"What do you want from Lucca?? Why do you hate him so much??" I ask as I try to jerk his hands of me. But it only made his hold on my shoulder tighter. It was hurting me, and I bet his hands were going to leave a mark there.

"What I want from Lucca??" He asks sardonically.

"He is the king of underworld, and a man who controls each dealing that happens in this part of city. Nothing that happens in this part of town without his approval. He is very powerful and runs an empire.  But he doesn't know how to run an empire. He is just a kid who  was handed so much power, and he has no idea what to do." He shakes me one last time and then releases me.

"What are you going to do?? Sell drugs??" I fire back at him.

"Oh, I am going to do more than just sell drugs. I am going to test my new drugs on the people of this town. Use them as my guinea pigs and then sells my product all around the world and become the best drug dealer." He explained with a proud smile on his face that I wanted to punch right off him but I restrained myself.

"That would never happen, Lucca would let you become the king." I throw back him.

"And it's because of you stupid girl." He says as he moves closer to me and grabs my hair from side. "You had to go and ruin my plan and destroy several years of planning, you dumb."

I tilt my head to the side he was pulling in order to decrease the pain, but I keep my face blank. I was not going to give him the satisfaction that he was hurting me.

"Mr.Corbiniano let's just put all three of them up for auction. They are of no use to us." A thick voice from behind Mr.Corbiniano speaks and after tugging one last time he releases me.

At the obscene suggestion from the stranger both Ella and my mother gasp and move closer to each other. My mother quickly pulls Ella close to her chest and hug her tightly.

"I can't believe Lucca left her." Mr.Corbiniano growls with frustration at the new guy.

I shift slightly as I look over Mr.Corbiniano's shoulder and see the man from photos standing right in front of me. The man who was apparently Lucca's fathers right man - Dante.

I get angry at his words and suggestion. How dare they put us up for auction, like we were some kind of object. These two men were mentally sick or they must be high on something. But I can't let either one of them hurt my mother or sister. So I quickly grab the knife from the cutlery set in front of me and rush out of my seat in their direction. "You sick man."

But before I could attack them, Mr.Corbiniano swirls around quickly and grabs my throat with his hands and chokes me.

"She is definitely something, Dante. I bet we will get more for this firecracker." Mr.Corbiniano says as he tightens his hold around my throat and I drop the knife. I move my hand around his hold, along my neck and try to release it. But it's of no use, he just tightens it more.

I start seeing black dots behind my eyelid as I continue to gasp for air. I frantically hit his hand but he only tightens it up even more. And both of them just laugh at that, and I hear Ella and my mother from behind me begging him to release me. But he ignores and continues with the torture.

I could barely breathe and just moments before I lose consciousness I hear a loud bang in the distant and then his is voice fills my ear. He was here. He was going to save me. My knight and shining armor. My everything. My Lucca was here.

"Get your filthy hands off my angel." Lucca scowls from next to me.