Family Code

Chapter 10 - And so it begins

There is a fine line between happiness and devastation. Everyone knows that everyone has felt it at some time during their life. It's that moment where you think you have everything and suddenly someone throws you off balance. He rips your world apart and maybe even expects you to be ok with that.

Dante wasn't.

Someone had made a very grave mistake. Someone had crossed him in the worst possible way and for Dante that meant war.

"There you are!"

Elena had been looking for her cousin for the past twenty minutes, but it seemed like he disappeared from the garden. Unfortunately, he was not the only one. Giani and Aurora also seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth. For both theirs and everyone else's sakes she hoped they were careful. Elena was all in for their love, but getting caught here was suicidal.

In the end, she found him with Nicolai, half hidden from the light. That moment, Elena found herself doing something she had never done before, comparing Dante with his father.

It was no question that both her uncle and cousin emitted power. It was portrayed in the way they stood, the way they talked and everyone knew it. No one had any doubt about who the boss was, or who should be the next to lead the family.

The two thought had one main difference. Where Antonio always stood in the light, making his presence known, leaving no dought to who he was, Dante, held back, always watching, controlling everything from the shadows. Which one of the two worked better? Only time would tell.

"People started wondering where you disappeared."

Dante looked up to see his cousin approaching. He couldn't help but smile a bit. Elena was smiling; she was almost always smiling. It was in a way her very own special power, her special gift. It was what made people trust her, the optimism she emitted. If there was one thing that Dante wished for his cousin was to never lose her positivity. It was what made her Elena. No matter the darkness that surrounded her, she remained a ray of sunshine.

"The irony of you saying that." Nic was still crossed at her. She had managed to disappear when it was his job to look for her. That was a severe blow to his ego, a blow that he was not willing to let go anytime soon.

Per Arianna's advice, Elena spent the past few weeks avoiding the man like the plague. Nic had not forgotten, and he had not forgiven. Not that anyone else had. She could feel her uncle's men watching her like hulks, monitoring her moves. She would find a way to get rid of them soon enough but being a member of her family mend choosing her battles, and that was a battle for another day. She just had to tread carefully for the next few weeks and play her cards right.

"Oh, will you ever let that one go?"

"No." It was a short answer, spit out.

Definitely still pissed.

It was a good thing that at that moment Nicolas decided to leave. He had no patience with Elena, it was better to put distance with her before he did something he was sure he would regret.

"What do you want, a kid?"

"Nothing. I'm heading out, and I thought it would be nice to say goodbye."

"Alright. Have any plans for tonight?"

"Are you offering to help me out if I did?"

Dante merely raised his brow, not answering to Elena. She was already on his father's shit list if Elena was going to do something that required his help, then she was digging her self an even bigger grave.

"Relax, I have work tomorrow, and I don't think my boss would be glad if I turned up late and hungover."

"No, he would not be."