Prisoner to Mr. Mafia (Book 1 In PTMM Series)

Chapter: 17

I guess the whole world is made up of things coming together and things falling apart. ~Emily Wing Smith

Gianna Pov~

Walking out to the garden, I inhaled the crisp, dewy air, which helped calm my nerves. After my earlier encounter with Adriano in his room, he had to attend to some business, and I decided to seek solace in my favorite place on the estate – the garden. I hadn't been here alone in months, and I had truly missed it.

I gazed up at the trees, their lush green foliage now transformed into a breathtaking mosaic of oranges, reds, and yellows. The fall season had always held a special place in my heart. There was something mesmerizing about the way the leaves displayed their vibrant colors as they prepared to fall.

As I continued down my familiar path, I couldn't help but think about Miliana, who had not yet awakened from her nap. I felt an underlying fear for her – she was so young and didn't understand what was happening around her. The situation was overwhelming. Just as she was starting to learn to speak, she had been thrust into this tumultuous world. None of us had a clear understanding of what she had endured during those agonizing 15 years of her life.

I doubted we would ever truly comprehend the depth of her suffering. We might hear stories, but only Miliana herself would carry the full weight of her past.

It haunted me to think that Miliana had been in my presence for so long, and I had never noticed. I couldn't help but blame my family and the longstanding feud between the Alexeev and Basilio clans. I finally understood the source of that animosity – it was real, it was palpable, and it seemed to trace back to the Russians. Somehow, I couldn't shake the feeling that the Russians were at the root of it all.

It seemed that everyone had deduced Yana and I were Russian, even though we had never officially announced it. These were highly trained Mafia men, and little escaped their notice. Or perhaps, they had genuinely remained unaware.

"Gia, she's awake!" A voice echoed from behind me. I swiftly turned and spotted Yana racing toward me.

"Come on," she urged, clutching my wrist and propelling me forward. We sprinted up the stairs, and I was panting by the time we reached the top floor. Both of us, out of breath, entered Miliana's room to find her three siblings gathered around her bed, with Miliana herself gazing at them.

I approached the bed cautiously, my trembling hands hanging by my sides, while Yana followed me slowly. As she sensed my presence, Miliana's eyes darted toward mine. Then, unexpectedly, the floodgates opened, and she began sobbing uncontrollably. Everyone present was taken aback, unsure of how to react. It was evident that they had never encountered someone as emotionally fragile as Miliana.

She swung her legs off the bed and moved toward me, causing my breath to catch in my throat. My heart pounded loudly in my ears, rendering me immobile. I couldn't bring myself to take a step as she slowly closed the distance between us. I watched as she made an effort to stifle her tears, her sniffles filling the air. Standing before me, her piercing blue eyes locked onto my brown ones.

"You were there, you were always there," she choked out before another wave of sobs overcame her, and she threw her arms around me, holding me tightly. I embraced her back, breaking free from my stunned trance and fighting to contain the tears that threatened to flow freely.

I blinked them away as she pulled away, redirecting her gaze to Adriano, who remained frozen at the sight of the emotional scene that had just unfolded. Instead of the slow, measured approach she took toward me, this time she rushed toward her big brother and embraced him tightly. Adriano reacted instantly, drawing her even closer. His face struggled to hold back the emotions, but he couldn't, and I watched as tears fell from his eyes. I wiped away my own fallen tears and reached out to hug Yana, who stood next to me.