[DISCONTINUED] Don't Forget

Attempted Recovery (Rewritten)

"'Lovers' is a strong word," Simone mumbled.

"Really?" asked a confused Alessandro. "But we went out on dates and spent a lot of time tog—"

"Shut up!" Simone cut him off, causing his head to jerk back with surprise. The 'Syd' who Alessandro knew wasn't the type to snap. Trying to recover from her outburst, Simone calmed her tone when she spoke again. "What I mean is that we were never in love..."

Alessandro's jaw tensed and he swallowed. "Right... We were uh, very close friends."

"You don't have to fucking spell it out," Emiliano grumbled.

Luca cut his eyes at Simone and then turned his gaze to Alessandro. He didn't realize how intense his glare was until he saw Alessandro grow visibly uncomfortable in his seat.

"I didn't mean to offend," Alessandro clarified. "Simone is your wife and of course I respect that. The Montella-Rossi alliance is extremely important to both of our families. However, this recent tension in our region with your people running arms deals on our territory is unacceptable. Especially with it leading to casualties on both sides."

"That is why we are meeting with you," Luca replied. "Claudia already told you that we had nothing do with that. And think about it, how would selling in your territory benefit us enough for us to risk our alliance? It doesn't make any sense."

"I agree that it doesn't make sense, but it doesn't change that it was your men who clashed with mine. You are responsible for all Rossis as I am for all Montellas."

Luca took a deep breath and his nostrils flared with it. Simone squeezed his hand and used her other to rub Emiliano's thigh, hoping to ease the tension she could sense from both of them.

"Are you implying that we don't have control over our men?" Luca questioned.

"If your men are acting outside of the rules that you set for them, then yes, it means that you do not have full control over them."

While Alessandro had a point, neither Luca nor Emiliano could admit it, as it would appear that they were backing down if they agreed with him.

"Non si preoccupi. [Don't worry about that.] If there are any problems on our end, we will deal with it. We're just here to make sure your men stay in line."

Alessandro's lips parted as if he was about to respond heatedly before catching himself and pausing to put his words together. While he knew that the Rossis were in the wrong and that Rossi-affiliated men were selling arms at cheap prices in his region, trying to undercut the Montella business, his family was still significantly weaker than the Rossis and adding to the tension between them wouldn't be wise.

"Credimi [trust me], our men are in line."

Luca was typically the silent one, but Emiliano hadn't said anything else after their brief discussion on Simone and Alessandro's previous relationship.

Alessandro looked around at everyone and they were all on edge. He decided that after his and Luca's exchange on the clash between their families, there was no point in continuing it for the night and that he would assess next steps should there not be a change in the behavior of the Rossi men. In the mean time, he figured the best move was to ease the air of hostility in the room and reassure them that their alliance with the Montella family was valued.

"Well," Alessandro exhaled. "Now that we've discussed that, how about some drinks? Our families are still allies and this is my first time meeting the two of you since I took on this role. My treat."

Simone gave Alessandro an approving smile and he returned it with a knowing one.

"Oh," he said. "I almost forgot that I should introduce my cousins... They are also my security."  Alessandro gestured for the two men who were with him to introduce themselves.