ALANA

03

ARES

I pull up in the driveway behind my parent's' car and feel myself become angry for the nth time today. I cant fucking believe I have to marry a stranger. Thinking of the expectations makes me physically sick.

I get out of the car, trying not to roll my eyes at the blonde woman standing next to the Consigliere, smiling so wide it looks like a desperate attempt at looking sincere.

I can smell bullshit from a mile away. Faked sincerity smells like a dead fish on a humid day and I for one do not tolerate it. In my business, you learn to recognize a person in a mere minute and I can say right now, if that's the mother, I do not wish to even see the fake bimbo her daughter is.

"Capo, welcome" Colombo says, bowing his head to my Father. He nods.

"We are thankful that you would give our daughter this honor" The wife says, her voice high pitched. My mothers face falls a little making me smirk. Mama and I always think alike.

They both look to me and the wifes eyes give a greedy glint. Mother fuck she's horrific. Why is her face like that?

"This is my son, the heir, Xander Moretti" My father says motioning to me. No one can call me Ares. I do not allow anyone to call me that. I nod at them and they both immediately look intimidated. Good.

They lead us inside and to a sitting area. The space is decorated with cheap gold tapestry and is over all sickening.

"Let me go get Katrina so the kids can talk a little before dinner." The woman, whose name I have learned is Anita says standing up to leave. I feel my phone buzz in my pocket and I check to see that it is the details I asked Griffin for on this family.

It is unprofessional to be on your phone so I excuse myself saying I need the restroom and the consigliere directs me but I do not even listen.

I step out and start walking towards the hallway and pull out my phone going through the details.

This is his second wife. He also has a daughter from the first. I thought he only had one child? I keep walking and soon I find myself at a door and I was about to turn back when I hear soft sniffles coming from the other side of the door.

My eyebrows furrow as I walk to the door, twisting open the handle.

"Please please go away" Comes a soft voice, she sounds terrified beyond belief. "I- Im sorry" she hiccups and my fists clench out of anger. Who the fuck is she talking to?

I walk further in and see a small figure curled up on the floor next to a couch.

"What happened?" I ask surprising myself and startling the small girl. She immediately stands up and looks at me with wide doe like eyes that remind me of a childs. Her nose is small and red, like mumas gets when its cold, she looks too young but her body is a womans so she's definitely not a child. Her dress is floral and the material looks soft so I doubt shes a servant girl.

"Who- who are you" she croaks making me raise an eyebrow.

"Who are you?" I ask back. She wipes under her eyes as she looks at me a second longer before her face pales and her hands start to shake.

"N-no you cant b-be here you have to go!" she says, taking quick steps forward towards the door.

I can smell innocence and loyalty just like I can bullshit. And this girl is the exact opposite of the woman I just met.

"Please please sir, are you with the Don? You are aren't you? Please you have to go, I dont want them to think I was being bad" She says. Her face reads genuine terror and her hands are shaking.

What is she so afraid of.

"I'll leave" I speak making her freeze and look at me. "After you tell me your name" I say. If she's a servant girl than I would understand her being like this, but a daughter of a consigliere should not be found crying on the floor.

"Y-you promise?" she asks. I almost snort at her question but then I realise she's serious. So I nod. "Alana" she tells me tucking her hair behind her ear and opening the door. "Im sorry if I were rude, please dont tell anyone you saw me like this, especially not Katrina's new husband" she says before running off in the opposite direction of where I came from.

I look at the details of this family again and feel my anger simmering when I read the name of his first born daughter.

Alana.