Phantom

Chapter 1

"When I first saw that house, I thought it was perfect. It was a house that I could live with everyone else happily, a house that I would be living in forever, and perhaps even raise my children later on in life. It just gave me this warm feeling that I was going to be happy here. But I didn't think about what could already be there..."

A deep sigh slipped through Luce's lips, her dark eyes looking over the various listings of houses within Venice, Italy. There were so many, but most were apartment complexes that wouldn't be able to fit the amount of people she had planned on staying with her. It needed to be bigger, a mansion hopefully, or at least a place that had a large amount of land to do renovations. Money didn't matter at all that much to her or her little family, they just wanted a good home that they could escape to, someplace away from their dark lifestyle. A hitman, a scientist, even a mafia boss, and many more would be dwelling in that home and they couldn't be near anyone or any innocent family either. Their little group of eight were known as the Arcobaleno, a group of people connected to the underworld, and were known as the strongest within it.

For Luce, she was a retired mafia boss from the Giglio Nero famiglia, well semi-retired, since she still kept in touch with her own mother who had taken over for her. Apparently, the current boss wanted her to take some time off in order to...explore. In basic terms, her mother wanted her to find a man and produce an heir for the famiglia. But well, she got some time off from the paperwork she had to deal with, it was like a vacation in a way. And it wasn't that bad, she still had that childish dream of getting married and having a family, though that family was now extended with the other members of the Arcobaleno.

'Such a hard decision. There doesn't seem to be anything yet.' Silently grumbling under her breath, she pushed all of the papers to the side and dumped them immediately into the trashcan beside her desk. She called up some people, asking for help in finding a place, yet nothing came up. Even her connections couldn't help her. There was nothing on the market that would fit their needs in any way. But she was persistent. She wasn't one to give up from just a little setback. It was only on her last realtor call that something finally happened.

"Actually, I think we might have a place available. The family that used to live there hadn't been using it for almost ten years. They've finally placed it for sale so, if you like, you can check it out. You can come by the office tomorrow to grab the keys to check it out. It's quite big, able to fit about six people, or a large family, and it's in a large, wonderful neighborhood that's really nice. The reviews on the area are really positive. The land space is quite big so if you need to add in some rooms or expand some, it's definitely possible. I believe it's going to be fully furnished since the old family doesn't want it anymore. But I must warn you, the place isn't cheap."

Luce felt like grinning at the happiness that flooded her. Finally, she had been able to find something that sounded wonderful and fit her criteria. She immediately jumped up from her seat, clutching the device against her ear. "Yes! I'll come by tomorrow in the morning to get the keys!" She hummed to herself as she continued to listen to the realtor on the other end of the phone. She had a strong feeling that this place would be perfect. She knew it. It had to be for the sake of everyone.

All it took was one look, just one measly look. It was all she needed to do before her gut feeling resonated within her to tell her that she was absolutely correct. The house was wonderfully decorated and up-kept - despite being abandoned for the past ten years - with a delightful porch in front that had a swing set on the side. The swing looked out into the street and garden in front, locked in place to prevent it from being moved. The garden had plenty of large trees that grew white and pink leaves and flowerbeds with all sorts of species. It was clear that someone had been hired to keep the place tidy and beautiful at all times. The street was situated before the house, but she hadn't heard or seen any cars coming by for minutes and there was no other house close by within sight. The closest one was to the right and that was about a fourth of a mile away, far enough so that they couldn't see each other. It was a little disappointing that she wouldn't be able to interact with anyone, but with the type of people she was living with, it was for the best. From there, another mile or two was a highway with plenty of stores and restaurants she could visit and dine at.