The Don's Unexpected Princess.

You need me.

Ooh , Rooibos and lavender scented body wash . Since I was well rested , I really took my time in the shower this morning . That bed is the best bed I have ever slept in . I slept like the dead and it made me question if I ever truly slept before that . But , in all fairness , it could be an effect of how exhausted I was .

I poured some of the body wash on to the palm of my hand before rubbing my hands together , creating a lather . It smelled heavenly and so fresh . Another thing that had me melting was this shower head . The water pressure was therapeutically comforting especially when I let hit my back .

It was shopping today and I knew that Marco wouldn' t take lightly to me being late . So , my eyes shot open at seven , giving me a full hour to get ready . I really was looking forward to getting some shopping done . I needed more basic clothes and and shoes and Marco would be paying for it . His loss not mine .

I rinsed my body , getting the soapy bubbles of of me before stepping out on to the foam bath mat as wrapped a soft white towel around my body . I knew I had around twenty minutes which would be sufficient time for me to dress up .

The clothes that I was given for today consisted of a pair of dark grey jeans and a plain white blouse . It was nice and pretty minimal and it would not make me stick out like a sore thumb .

Damn . Shoes . I didn' t have any shoes . That' s right . I have been running around barefoot all this time ! Dammit . How did he forget shoes ? Was that his punishment to me ? Not providing me with shoes ?

I was all dressed up , just without shoes . Well , it isn' t like anyone hasn' t seen me without shoes before but still , this is different . You're going to be walking around Italy . . . Bare feet.

I sighed , refusing to let this annoy me , and moved towards the door that lead to the hallway . Thankfully , the door that joined my room to that beast was never opened since last night . I had a feeling that he would intrude just to infuriate me but he did not . It has just been a few hours though .

I got out of the room and Marco seemed to exit his room at the same time as me . His attention was focused on buttoning his left cuff of his black dress shirt and not on me .

" Ahh , you have five minutes to spare . I really doubted your ability at following instructions and doing as you are told but you surprise me . Good to know the that princess of Esmond isn't as rebellious . " I grit my teeth at his remarks . It was an attempt to rile me up , no doubt .

Not willing to let him get to me , I ignored his comment . " Shoes . I need shoes . You simply cannot expect me to roam around the city without any shoes . " I didn' t initially intend on being demanding but he had annoyed me with his judgement yet again .

Marco , having finally done his cuff , looked at me sharply . " You really need to start watching how to talk to me . I am the Don here not your footman . No one talks to me as if I am their servant . " He said firmly with his eye fixated seriously on mine .

I huffed and looked back at him equally as hard . " And I am a Princess . I do not see why I should expect any treatment less than that . " We were both facing each other now in the lit hallway . Two people with hefty titles in a staring contest .

" You lost your importance once you chose to leave your kingdom and abandon your duty . " He snapped, clearly not taking lightly to being talked back at .

" Lost my importance , have I ? " I said with a scoff which made his brow raise . " If that were true , you wouldn' t be here trying to take me back . If I were not important , your dear one' s life shouldn' t be tied to - " I didn' t get to finish my sentence .

Marco' s hands were instantly around my neck , pushing me against the closed door behind me . My head hit against the door and I groaned .

His hands were tight enough that I had to grasp for air but still lacks enough that I could breathe . It was a warning .

His face was close to mine , his dark , angry eyes bore into mine . " Don' t you ever dare to speak of her . Ever . You know absolutely nothing and , if it came down to it , I will trade you for her without a second guess . So , yes , you do hold no importance to me . " I nodded once and tried to swallow but his hold was still very firm . My eyes were growing blurry and I actually felt scared .

But then I had the thought that no matter how much I irritated him , he could never dispose of me . As much as he would not admit it, he needed me alive and safe . My safety meant the safety of his dearest person . So , well , to hell with him and his threats .

I raised my foot , pulled it back and drove it with force right into his knee . It caught him of guard And sent him stumbling a step back , his hands leaving my throat . He was furious but he didn't come back at me .

" Don' t you dare touch me again ! You need me . As much as you would hate to say it yourself , you need me alive and f*****g safe. I have nothing to live for . Death would be better than returning to Esmond . So , please , trust me when I tell you I would not think twice to take my own life . " I had his attention , I could see it in the way his shoulders grew rigid , his eyes , while still livid , held a slight uneasy edge to them .

" And where would that leave you ? Powerless in the persuit of the safety of your loved one . So please, as much as you desire me to coorporate , I suggest you do the same as well . " I said firmly , feeling the tears from earlier roll down my face . I wiped them away quickly and then turned my back to him .

I walked down the flight of stairs and saw Alesso at the bottom . For someone in the mafia , he surely had the brightest smiles . He was laid back in the mansion , I guess or just when his uptight boss wasn' t around . He saw me and his face grew bright .

" Ahhh , Princepessa , I was about to come up to give you this . Capo asked for it to be brought to you earlier and I forgot . Please don't tell him . " It took me a moment to process this man' s personality . This same man that had a hand in k********g me and carried my legs like I was an animal was now the most jokey person .

He didn' t wait for me to say anything but quickly opened the box to reveal a pair of flats . " Yeah , I can' t help you there mate . Your boss has already seen me walk out the room barefoot . " I said and his face grew white and I scoffed .

" Good luck with that . " I said and took the shoes from the box and placed it onto my feet . They were super comfortable and fit me well .

If Marco had previously asked Alesso to get me shoes , why did he simply not say that instead of having to say something snarky and bitter . Was the extent of his entitled behaviour ? That he thought he could trouble whoever he wishes just for the fun of it . Disgusting .

I let out a breath , I was looking forward to getting some shopping done and that I will see through . Marco appeared at the top of the stairs and immediately , Alesso tensed up and went into full on side kick mode .

Marco stopped in front of Alesso , who seemed to be prepared for his last day on earth . " Did you tell Donato to bring the car around , Alesso , or have you delayed I'm that , too . " Marco asked him with a mix of impatience and annoyance in his voice .

Alesso merely took a step back and nodded at Marco . " Donato has been waiting for you since half past eight , Capo . " Marco just nodded and then turned away from him to throw a hateful look at me .

" Good . The better we get this done with , the better . " He said under his breath before leading the way to the front entrance .

I followed behind him until we stopped at the car . Donato , the middle aged chauffer with newly sprouted white hair , scurried to open the door for Marco in the back seat before seeing to have me seated from the other side. I had no issue getting in myself but Donato was already there holding the door open for me .

I stayed as close to my door as I could and away from the brooding Marco who seemed like his ego has been bruised . Ugh , I really doubt that today was going to be a light trip .