Finding My Heaven

Chapter 48

Isabella's Pov

"Isa, wake up," someone uttered from beside me. Can't they just leave me alone? I just want to sleep a little longer.

"Elio leave her alone, she will wake up when she wakes up" I heard Sandro's voice, a faint barrier between me and the world of dreams.

"But she's sleeping through the surprise." Elio protested, his voice carrying a mix of urgency and excitement. I groaned inwardly, burying myself deeper into the comforting cocoon of the couch, attempting to fall back into the embrace of sleep.

"She's not sleeping through the surprise. We aren't going anywhere, you idiot," another voice chimed in, a familiarity that sparked a memory in my groggy mind. It can't be?

"Camilo?" The name escaped my lips like a breathless whisper as I sat up abruptly, scanning the room for the source of the voice. And there he was, a familiar figure occupying the couch across from me. My heart raced with a sudden surge of recognition and joy. "Oh my God, what are you doing here?"

Without hesitation, I'm sprinting across the room, propelled by excitement and disbelief. I practically leaped into his arms, a whirlwind of emotions taking over as I embraced him tightly. The air buzzed with the energy of the unexpected reunion, and in that moment, nothing else mattered but the joy of seeing a familiar face in the midst of the ordinary chaos.

"Suprise!" Another voice says from the doorway, tears start to spill over as I rush to him, he's okay!

"Antonio, I can't I can't believe" I stutter as a small sob found its escape through my lips, I haven't seen him since he was shot, I was so worried. Antonio didn't say anything. Instead, he pulled me into a tight hug and placed a small kiss on top of my head.

"So, I heard you have been getting in trouble without me?" Antoinio stated, looking down at me with a knowing smirk that causes me to go bright red.

"Only the usual chaos" I mutter only loud enough for us to hear, I response he just chuckles. Wait if these two are here the rest must be too!

"Are the others here?" I question looking around the room for them.

"Yes, there all here, they are just putting their stuff away." Alessandro confirmed, his phone starting ringing and a serious look crossed his face. "I've got to take this I'll be back."

My attention followed him as he walked out of the room, engrossed in the conversation on his phone. Meanwhile, Dante and Rafaello entered the room, but there was someone else with them. Recognizing the person, I couldn't contain my excitement. Without a second thought, I ran towards her. Dante thought I was excited to see him, so he opened his arms, expecting me to jump into them for a hug. However, I completely ignored him, veering past him; my focus was completely on the person behind him.

"AURORA!" I exclaimed, rushing towards her with open arms. We collided in a tight embrace, our laughter bubbling around the room. "I can't believe your here!"

"I Feel betrayed." I hear Dante state from behind us.

"I convinced the boys to take me with them because you need at least one other girl in this house, plus I wouldn't want to miss your birthday!" Aurora stated. I forgot it's my birthday in a couple of days; I wonder what it's going to be like to have a birthday with the rest of my family this year... my first birthday without Mum.

"What about your dad and brother?" I questioned, confused that they aren't here as well.

"Oh yeah, they're not here right now, but they are flying here on your birthday for the ball!" She squealed excitedly. The ball? I sent Camilo a puzzled look, but he just returned my look by mouthing 'later.'

"Now come on, we have sooooooooo much to catch up on," Aurora started pulling me towards the stairs, the genuine excitement in her voice injecting much-needed energy into the room.

~~~~~

"So then Lillian started sleeping with Louis, which pissed off Riley because she wasnt happy that her best friend is now dating her brother." Rora groaned, flopping back onto my bed. The casual recounting of the drama within our friend group added a layer of normalcy that felt comforting.

"Wait so Lillian is from our mafia but she's dating the next in line from the American mafia... what about the others? what are they up too?" I questioned, sitting down and opening another packet of lollies. As we talked about the chaos of our friend group the weight of my recent events lifted.

"Oh ugh Gio broke up with his girlfriend, so he's been moping around. Oh my gosh I nearly forgot; do you remember Sebastian?" Aurora questions sitting up staring at me. of course I remember him, how could I forget.

"The one that saved me multiple times or is there another?" I question sarcastically, trying to mask the emotions that the mention of his name brought up.

"Yeah, that one... well, he's now kinda in our friend group. Luka and him have become besties," Rora stated. If I'm being completely honest with this, I'm actually not that mad about this; he seems nice. "Anyways, enough about everyone else; what's been happening with you lately?"

"Oh nothing really. just found out my dad's alive, and that I have only male relative, that was a bit of shock. I stole and blew up one of my cousin's cars... I also slapped Alessandro in the face so that was fun." I laugh nervously, thinking about everything that has happened in the last 2 weeks. Aurora just stares at me in shock and amazement.

"I don't even know what to say. I really need to up my game," Rora fell into a fit of contagious laughter, which caused me to start laughing as well. A knock at my door snapped us back to reality.

Camilo walked into my room, holding his laptop in one hand. "You guys need to start looking for inspiration for your gowns for the ball to give to our dressmaker," he instructed, sitting down next to me and opening his laptop. "And please keep it appropriate, nothing too... revealing."

"I have so many ideas!" Rora snatched away the laptop and started searching for inspiration. This girl goes crazy when it comes to fashion.

"Isa, this ball is for your birthday. Every 16th, 18th, and 21st birthday of an immediate family member of the Don of any of the top 6 mafias will hold a ball in celebration," Camilo began to explain.

"What do you mean by immediate family members?" I questioned, feeling a bit confused. Does that mean going to these balls is going to become a usual occurrence?

"That means no cousins have this done for them. All high-ranking families and people from different mafias will attend; it's not just a get-together. These events are crucial to keeping strong alliances," he explained, attempting to simplify it for my understanding.

"Do only 6 mafias attend? And why do they only get to host balls?" I asked, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the complexity.

"No, multiple other mafias attend; it's just the top 6 that host and have this privilege because otherwise, we would be going monthly to these balls. Like, as much as I love dressing up fancy and all, it would be a complete pain!" Rora cut in, answering my question as she showed me some dress ideas.

"Since its for my birthday do I get present?" I asked excitedly, I haven't gotten birthday presents for years since Mum and Derek could never afford them.

"You will get way too many to count, probably including a lot of money and weapons, so be careful when unwrapping them," Camilo stated, slightly annoyed. Kissing me on the top of my head, he got up and began to make his way out of the room. "I'll leave you girls to choose your dresses."

I guess I have to find a dress now.