The Mafia Kingpins Lost Love

Chapter 4 - Morning Frustrations.

Set Eight Years Later...

Aria's P.O.V.

It's honestly amazing what one can do with their life when they're given the opportunity to do it.

It's also truly incredible how much that same life can change in just eight years, especially for someone like me who was forced to flee Italy with nothing but pain and determination inside of my broken and shattered heart which grew and got stronger when I learned that I was pregnant.

The day that I found out I was pregnant was the happiest yet scariest and saddest day of my life and I remember feeling so many different emotions which left me a crying wreck in Marcello's arms for most of the day as he tried to reassure me that everything was gonna be ok and that I wasn't alone but I couldn't help feeling how I felt.

I was a scared eighteen year old kid with no money, no home of my own, no real education and no life experience, I also had nobody except for Marcello to help me or guide me, so it's no great surprise that I'd feel scared to bring another life into this world when I felt this alone.

My life back in Italy wasn't perfect or normal, I should say but at least there, I had a support system both familial and financial around me.

I always had my mama, my papa, my siblings, my friends, Jordan and his family around me but now I had nobody except for Marcello whom I appreciate more than anything but having him around wasn't the same as having my famiglia around me.

I don't know if other women out there can relate with me but when you're pregnant, having your husband/partner and your famiglia around you feels like a security blanket which makes you feel safe and protected but I had none of that and at the time, I didn't trust Marcello like I do now but thankfully, all of that changed as my pregnancy progressed.

Marcello has been by my side and has been my rock ever since I left Italy and came to California, he was there for every moment of my pregnancy except for my birth and he made sure to learn everything he could about babies and raising them so that he could help me raise my babies when they were born.

He's done everything a father normally does for their kids including things like late night feeds, changing their diapers, teaching them how to walk and talk and he was a very proud uncle the day both Gino and Giana said their first words and walked for the first time.

Marcello was also the first one out of the two of us who noticed how smart the twins really are and we took advantage of their brains to teach them how to speak in both Spanish and Italian which they're both fluent in now, amongst a couple of other languages as well.

He's played a massive role in my kids lives and the twins see him as their uncle but also as a father figure as well but they've never actually called him dad because A) the twins believe that we're siblings so naturally they think he's their uncle which Marcello is anyway even without being blood related to us and B) there's no way either of us would ever allow my kids to call him dad because he's not their dad.

Whether I like it or not, Gino and Giana's biological father is Jordan Castillo and that's something I could never and would never change but this fact doesn't diminish Marcello's role in their lives either or mine for that matter.

This man has been the biggest light in my life these past eight years and I can honestly say from the bottom of my heart that he's been the biggest blessing in my life after my children of course because lord knows where the hell I'd be now if it wasn't for him.

I owe everything I am and everything I have now to Marcello because not only did he put his life on the line to save me from an extremely toxic situation when he didn't have to but he also gave me a once in a lifetime opportunity for a woman like me to do anything I want and be anything I want to be without any restrictions which I took full advantage of.

Thanks to Marcello, I was able to go to college where I was able to get a business degree and we also opened up our own business around a year before I graduated which quickly became one of the fastest-growing businesses in America.

It also earned us both quite a lot of money as well, at least eight figures in the first year alone and with that money I've been able to give my kids a great but not overly spoiled or privileged life.

I mean, you wouldn't think I had billions in the bank considering I live in a pretty normal home which is in a gated community but it's a house that the average Joe could live in.

It's not some big mansion with an unnecessary amount of bedrooms and bathrooms in it like my family home back in Italy.

Besides, I wanted Gino and Giana to grow up completely different from how I did and I didn't want them to become dependent on maids and servants or live extravagantly because I've got some money in the bank.

I mean, they've got their nanny Mary-Kate and their tutors, oh and they've got bodyguards as well but that's solely on Marcello who is so over-protective of us that he demanded all three of us have a whole squad of bodyguards wherever we go, especially if he's not with us, that's how over-protective he is of our little famiglia.

Anyway, life is going good for all of us and I'm honestly happier now than I ever have been in my entire life because I've got my babies, my career and most importantly my freedom.

"GINO GABRIELE RIVERA!!, GET YOUR CUTE LITTLE BUTT DOWN HERE, RIGHT NOW!!"

"ONE SECOND, MAMA!!, I'M ALMOST DONE!!"

"YOU SAID ONE SECOND FIVE MINUTES AGO, SON!!, DO YOU WANT YOUR CEREAL TO GET ALL SOGGY AND MUSHY?"

"URGH!!, NO!!"

Gino groans.

"THEN GET DOWN HERE, NOW!!"

"OK!!"

Gino says with a sigh and I smile.

"That's my good boy"

That boy is growing more and more like his asshole father as the days go by and I'm not sure how I feel about that.

"Mommy, I think you should make Gino another bowl of cereal because his has gone all mushy now"

Great.

I groaned as I grabbed hold of the untouched bowl of cereal and chucked it before making my son a fresh bowl.

My children are beautiful, amazing and incredibly smart creatures who I love to freaking death but despite how perfect they are, there's this one thing about them this one trait which drives me up the freaking wall and this trait is how anal they are about things.

It doesn't matter how big or small the issue is, they're always very meticulous and make sure it's done to their satisfaction and strangely enough, they're like this in two totally different ways.

With Gino, he likes things to be a certain way and if they're not done the way he wants them to be done then all hell will break loose.

For example, his cereal can't be mushy at all and it's still gotta be crunchy, if he has a soda which is rare but if he does then it has to be a certain temperature with a straw and a coaster, his tie for school has to be perfectly straight and he can't have any scuff marks on his shoes and this is just to name a few.

As for Giana, it's all about the details.

If there's ever a change to her schedule, her daily itinerary or if I'm planning an event which my little mini me can't resist getting involved in, she always likes to make sure that she's checked over every last little detail at least twice to make sure it's all how it should be and it's registered in her brain so that she won't forget it and she knows it's perfect.

I know this may sound crazy and unbelievable because my twins are only seven but it's actually really normal for them because they're both incredibly smart, they've both got a high I.Q. and they've also graded a 4.0 GPA in their school which only a handful of students in their school has achieved, that's how smart they are.

My kids aren't special or gifted in any way shape or form, they're just smart which is something they've inherited from me and their dad but more so the latter because Jordan was always the smartest person in the room, he always knew everything about everything, he aced every single test he took with flying colours and he always finished first in all of his classes in high school and college.

To put it simply, if Jordan was here and was a part of our family, then I'd officially be the dumbest one out of us all, that's how smart they are.

"Mama, don't forget Mrs Kim wants to talk to you before school today"

Ah s**t.

I forgot about that.

"Are you sure it's today, Gia?"

"Mmm-hmm"

Giana mumbled whilst nodding her head and chewing her food as I groaned in annoyance.

It's very rare that my babies teachers want to see me and I can always tell just by their name alone if it's a good or a bad thing.

For example, their teacher Mrs Dean is always giddy like she's high on life or too much coffee and she always speaks highly of Gino and Giana like they're her own children she's bragging about, so it's always a good thing when it's her but Mrs Kim is the complete opposite.

Mrs Kim is a stuck up b***h who loves to act like she's better than everyone around her and she loves to let it be known that she doesn't like me because I'm a single mom who takes personal pleasure in talking back to her and putting her in her place and she despises the fact that I don't bow down at her feet like she's a f*****g queen like all of the other mothers do.

There was also this one time she called me into the school because of an incident involving Gino and she was all smug as she explained to me about him being suspended for 'bullying' one of his classmates and for hitting the kid who's got a track record for bullying and harassing Giana.

You could tell from the smirk on her face that she was getting so much pleasure from suspending one of the schools star pupils but I quickly wiped the smug look off her face albeit not in the way that I wanted to when I asked her if the other kid was getting suspended as well for bullying an innocent little girl because it's not fair or ethical for Gino to be punished for defending his sister while her bully gets off scott free.

It's safe to say that Gino wasn't suspended that day but the other kid was when proof was given to the principal showing that my son wasn't at fault but Giana's bully was, they also weren't happy when I threatened to pull my funding from the school if the real bully wasn't punished so they had no choice but to suspend the little fucker.

I also told the other kid's mom and Mrs Kim that they should look up the definition of bullying because there's a massive difference between a kid being picked on for nothing and a kid who is standing up for his famiglia.

This obviously left Mrs Kim red faced and I was satisfied to get one over on her but the witch has held an even bigger grudge against me ever since and she always tries to find a way to try and shame me but she always fails, so I wonder what she's got up her sleeve this time?.

"Mama, don't forget our teacher wants to see you before school today"

Gino says in his familiar commanding tone as he walks into the kitchen with his backpack in one hand and his blazer folded perfectly over his other arm.

"Yes, I know Gino, here...eat your cereal"

I say with a sigh as I place a fresh bowl of cereal in front of my son before picking up my cup of coffee and taking a sip of it.

"So, do either of you know why Mrs Kim wants to see me today?"

I asked them but before they could answer me, the sound of my front door opening and shutting as well as a set of keys jangling and someone singing beautifully in Spanish was heard and we all knew exactly who it was as we narrowed our eyes towards the kitchen door and awaited for the main man in our lives to make his grand entrance.

"Uncle Cello"

Gino and Giana excitedly greeted their uncle when he walked into the kitchen dressed all suave and handsome and he's got a s**t eating grin on his face as well.

Oh god.

I can only imagine what or who has got him smiling like that.

"Sobrino, sobrina" (Niece and nephew)

Marcello greets my kids with a hug and a kiss on the cheek before coming over to me and kissing my cheek as well.

"Hey there, mami"

"Don't you hey mami me, Marcello Rivera, where the hell were you last night?"

"What do you mean?"

He asks looking confused but the amusement in his eyes and the light cheeky smirk tugging on his lips deceived him and showed me just how unconfused he really was.

"You know exactly what I mean, Marc, you promised the kids and me that you'd be here last night for pizza and you bailed on us"

"Oh yeah, sorry about that, hermana" (Sister)

Marcello says with a smile as he scratches the back of his neck.

"So, where were you? or is it best that I don't know?"

I ask whilst eyeing him up as I take a sip of my coffee.

"Well..."

Marcello says as he briefly looks over at the twins who were happily eating their breakfasts as they played on their iPads before looking back at me sheepishly.

"Do you really want me to answer that question in front of the impressionables, mami?"

Oh good god.

I thought to myself whilst rolling my eyes.

"You're disgusting"

I say and he chuckles.

"Hey, a fish has gotta swim, right?"

"Yeah but not as much as you do, Marc"

"You love me really, hermana"

Marcello says and I smile.

"You're lucky I do, fratello or lord knows where you'd be without me" (Brother)

"Oh, I don't know, maybe I'd be on a yacht somewhere hot like in the Bahamas surrounded by beautiful, half-naked women and living the life"

He says all dreamily as he closes his eyes and rests his head back whilst leaning his body against the kitchen island next to me.

"Dammit Marc, watch your mouth around my impressionables"

I said while slapping his stomach and he groaned in pain as he looked over at the twins with a smile on his stupidly handsome face.

"Sorry, mis bebes" (My babies)

He says and the twins chuckle as I smile and shake my head.

This man is a f*****g i***t.

"Anyway, gang"

Marcello says whilst clapping his hands together before looking down at his watch.

"It's time for us to get our butts to work and school, so go and get your stuff ready"

Marcello said and the kids immediately jumped up to get their things together as I cleared away all of the dirty dishes.

I then went to get myself ready before leaving my home with my kids and Marcello who had got in his own car as the twins and I got in my Jeep.

We then headed off towards school and work and I couldn't help but to sigh in frustration and annoyance as I thought about this meeting with Mrs Kim.

I really hope there's a legitimate reason why she's pulling me into school because I'm not in the mood for any of her bullshit nonsense today.

I was barely out of my driveway when my phone suddenly started ringing and I was confused when I saw it was Marcello.

"Hello"

"Why does Mrs Kim want to see you at school today, Aria?"

Marcello's angry voice growled down the phone at me causing me to close my eyes and groan.

Urgh!!, great.

This is just what I need, an angry Marcello to make my morning perfect.