The Mafia Kingpins Lost Love

Chapter 7 - Surprise Visitor.

Aria's P.O.V.

It's amazing how just a few simple words and ideas can bring back so many great yet painful memories for me.

Memories which I've tried so freaking hard to suppress and forget about because it hurts my heart to remember them but it only takes one thing, one word, one simple suggestion and then boom, a waterfall of memories and emotions hits me like a freight train at full speed.

Five years ago, Marcello and I started a corporation which quickly took off and several times a year we host events and runway shows for numerous companies, famous fashion lines, celebrity brands etc.

Today we're finalising the details for Prada who want the theme of their show to be mafia themed which knocked my little ass for six when they first mentioned it.

As soon as the Prada representative said the word mafia, I was immediately transported back to eight years ago where I was just a naïve, eighteen-year-old kid who was madly in love with her soon to be husband and would've done anything and everything for him but then she learned of his betrayal as well as the life that she'd be forced to live as his wife which was a far cry from the fairytale she thought it was gonna be.

Like any woman, I truly believed my marriage to Jordan was gonna be perfect and it was gonna be just him and I living the rest of our lives happily together with our children and eventually our grandchildren but I quickly realised fairytales don't happen for real people when I learned from the horses mouth himself that there was gonna be more than just the two of us in our marriage.

I was also hit with memories of my parents, my beautiful mama and my stubborn papa and my siblings, my stoic yet sometimes loveable older brother Giovanni, my best friend turned sister Serena and my baby sister Leah who is now a woman and I missed out on her journey growing from an awkward and insecure teen to the stunning woman I know she is today.

Just thinking about my two sisters makes my heart clench in pain and sadness at the thought of them being forced to live the same tragic life as the rest of the mafia princesses and queens, the very life that I was so lucky to escape from thanks to Serena and Marcello.

I also couldn't stop thinking about Jordan, my husband or my estranged husband, I should say, the man who fathered my two babies and is the love of my life who I can never be with again in this life unless I'm willing to sacrifice my pride and dignity to do so.

"So, what do you think? can we pull this off?"

"Sure, what do you think, Ari?...Aria"

Marcello says snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Hmm, sorry, what did you say?"

"I was asking you what you think of these ideas, they're pretty good, right?"

Marcello asked me and I looked down at the scattered mess of clothes designs, set designs and an array of notepads and sticky notes in front of me.

"Well, I..."

I drifted off as I picked up several pictures of models donning the designs we'll be showcasing on the runway.

"The fall line is definitely eye-catching and they give off mafia vibes..."

"But?"

The representative asks and I look her in the eye.

"But the mafia aren't a group of people you want to get on the bad side of Miss Rossi and they certainly won't be happy with us making a mockery of them"

"Where are you going with this, mami?"

Marcello asks me and I let out a sigh as I put down the pictures and rest my chin on the backs of my hands.

"I'm saying that if you really want to go the mafia route, then we should ditch the Bugsy Malone cheesy kind of ideas and go for a sleek and chic style...more sophisticated if you will"

"Keep talking"

Marcello said and from his tone, I could tell that he was getting excited.

"Think the 1920s, think the Great Gatsby, it's a classy era which is far better and classier than guns filled with squirty cream"

I say and Marcello nods his head whilst stroking his stubbly chin.

"You're right, mami, I think this will be a good style for both Prada and for MAR, it'll show that we mean business"

"Exactly"

I say with a smile.

"And we can even make it a theme for the guests to dress up in the 1920s style as well"

Miss Rossi says excitedly.

"That's a great idea"

Marcello says with a smile and I could already see the gears in his head working for his own outfit.

"Great, there's just one final thing to go over"

"Really? what's that?"

I asked as I looked down at my list in confusion.

Marcello and I made a list of things we needed to discuss during this meeting and from the looks of it, we've gone over everything.

"We're short a model"

What?.

"Are you kidding me? I thought we had all of our models sorted out"

"We did but Bianca recently came down with the flu and she doesn't think she'll be well enough to partake in the show"

Great.

That's all we f*****g need.

I thought to myself whilst rubbing my forehead in frustration as I felt my stress levels start to rise.

"Don't worry about that, I've got the perfect replacement for Bianca"

"Really? who?"

Miss Rossi asked Marcello who gently rubbed his lips with the tips of his fingers as he looked over at me with a nervous expression.

Why's he looking at me like that?.

I thought to myself feeling confused.

"Don't worry about who she is, Miss Rossi, just know that she's perfect to take Bianca's place, she's beautiful, she's the same size as her, not to mention she's a full blooded Italian which makes her even more perfect for the show"

"That's great"

Miss Rossi cheered as she gathered up her papers and folders.

"Well, I guess I'll see you all on Friday"

She says before bidding us goodbye and leaving us alone in the meeting room.

"So...who's this mysterious model you've suddenly got to replace Bianca?"

"Oh nobody, she's just one of the backups, that's all"

"Really? and the backup's name is..."

I drift off hoping he'd finish my sentence for me but instead he just looked at me with an irritated expression.

"Mami, do you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you, Marc, what kind of question is that?"

I ask Marcello who gently cups my face with both of his hands and kisses my forehead before looking down at me with a smile.

"Then trust me, ok?"

He says and I let out a sigh.

"Ok, fine"

"Good girl"

Marcello flashed me that million-dollar smile and I had no other choice but to accept defeat and trust that he's got an experienced model ready for this Friday.

"Anyway, are you coming to mine for dinner tonight? I know the twins would love it if you came"

"So would I, mami but I don't think I can, I've got an important appointment later on that I can't miss"

He said and I nodded my head whilst looking down.

I must've looked disappointed because Marcello was quick to make me happy and see me smile.

"Tell you what I'm gonna do, I'll go to my appointment and I'll try my best to finish it up as quickly as I can so that I can come and have dinner with you guys, ok?"

"I hope so because the kids wanna order out again tonight and they really want to order from Papa's Pisa Pizza"

I said with an innocent face as Marcello's face dropped and his mouth gaped open.

"You little minx, you know that's my favourite Italian restaurant"

"Really? what a coinkidink"

I say whilst trying my hardest not to smile.

Papa's Pisa Pizza is one of only a few truly Italian restaurants in this country and it's because the owners are Italian natives from Naples and they make everything on the menu from scratch with fresh ingredients.

This is also one of only a few places where my babies will order from and it's one of Marcello's favourites as well along with a Spanish restaurant which is just down the street from his place.

"You're one sneaky little s**t, Aria Rivera"

"I love you too, Marcello Rivera"

I say with a huge smile as he kisses my cheek and I couldn't help but to laugh when he walked out of the room muttering something about me not playing fair under his breath.

God, I love that man.

Later That Night...

Today turned out to be a great day considering the rocky start I had to it.

I got a lot of work done which needed doing badly and the twins also had a very productive day as well.

"Mama, is uncle Cello coming to see us today?"

"He said he was, Gia"

I said whilst looking up at the clock.

We haven't been home long and the kids must've asked me at least a couple dozen times each if Marcello is coming to see them and I can't say for sure if he is because I haven't heard anything from him since I left work when he shot me a quick text saying see you later, mami.

"I hope he does come and see us, mama, I miss him so much"

"You saw him this morning, Giana"

"Yeah, I know but I wanna see him again"

Giana says with a beautiful scowl on her face which she inherited from me and I just know that if my father were here right no,w then he'd say she's inherited the Moliano glare.

My papa used to say that each female born into the Moliano family inherits this glare and it gets stronger and more intense with each generation which I never believed until I had my twins and I watched my little principessa grow and show more of the Moliano gene in her.

"Mama, I miss uncle Cello"

Giana says sadly and I smile at her as I kiss her head and stroke her hair.

"I know you do, amore mio" (my love)

"Mama"

"Yes, Giana"

"Can you tell me the story about my papa again?"

Giana asks me and my heart hurts from her question.

"Again, Gia? haven't you heard this story a million times already?"

My kids barely ask about their father but when they do, it's always to hear the fairytale story that I made up about him.

They never ask normal questions like does he love us? or when's he coming home? no, they just ask to hear the story of how mama met papa and that's it.

This can't be normal, right?.

"Yeah but I wanna hear it a million and one times, mama"

She says with a smile and I chuckle.

"Ok fine...mama and papa met when we were babies, we were best friends our entire lives and when we grew up, we fell madly in love and we were planning on getting married and having loads of kids together but then one day papas work which is really important to him, took him away from us and he was told he couldn't come back to us until he had finished all of his work"

Yes, I know I'm lame but what would you rather I told my seven-year-old children when they ask about their father?.

Sorry babies but your papa is a selfish prick who cared more about getting his rocks off with any w***e who'll open their legs for him and mama was expected to just lie down and take it, oh and the cherry on top of the cake is that you'll have to do the same thing when you're older as well, that's why he's not in our lives.

I may not like my estranged husband but I'm not gonna besmirch his character and who he is to his own children because guess what? what happened between us is grown folk business and my young and very impressionable babies don't need to know about it and they certainly don't need anyone, especially not their mama to speak ill about their papa.

"Mama"

"Yes, Gio"

I look over at the living room door and I saw my son standing there looking uncomfortable and confused.

"What's wrong, son?"

I ask Gino who nervously shifted from one foot to the other which is very unlike him.

"Mama...uncle Cello is here and he brought a pretty lady with him"

What?.

"Are you sure, Gino?"

"Yes mama, they're in the kitchen"

I can't believe this.

How dare Marcello bring a woman into MY home where my babies are.

Has he lost his goddamn mind?.

"Gino, do me a favour, son? stay in here with your sister, ok and don't come out until I say so or until I come back, do you understand me?"

"Yes, mama"

Gino said and I stood up and made my way over to the door as my son went and sat next to his sister on the couch.

"Marcello"

I called for Marc as soon as I'd left the living room and he quickly came out of the kitchen shutting the door as he did.

What the hell?.

"Mami"

He said with a look of panic, fear, worry and nervousness on his face which instantly made me nervous.

"Marc, what's going on? why does Gino think you've brought a woman into my home?"

"Because I have, mami"

"WHAT?"

I growled and a panicked Marcello immediately came over to me and placed both of his hands on my shoulders.

"Relax Ari, I can explain"

"Explain?...Marcello, you've brought another woman into my home where my children are, what kind of explanation have you got for that?"

I ask him and he briefly looks at the closed kitchen door before looking back at me.

"What's going on, Marcello? who's behind that door?"

I ask him and he lets out a sigh as he closes his eyes.

"Do you remember last night when I was supposed to have dinner with you guys but I bailed?"

"Yeah"

I say sounding confused.

"Well, it's got something to do with the person who's behind that door, mami"

He said and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"I don't understand"

I say and Marcello lets out a breath as he moves his hands from holding my shoulders to cupping my face as he looks at me with a desperate and pleading look in his eyes.

"I promise I'll explain everything to you, Aria just please promise me that you'll stay calm and you won't freak out, ok?"

"Marcello, you're scaring me, what's going on?"

"Promise me first, mami, please"

He pleads with me and my heart starts to race.

"Ok fine, I promise I won't freak out just tell me, what's going on?"

I ask Marcello who lets out a breath before grabbing hold of my hand and leading me towards the kitchen.

At first, Marcello was hesitant to open the door but when he did, I was left gobsmacked and like I'd had the wind knocked out of me when we walked into the room and I saw who was standing there looking like a scared yet happy little kitten.

"Dio Mio" (Oh my god)

"Well, well, well...I guess you can take the girl out of Italy but you can't take the Italy out of the girl, can you?"

She says with a big, bright smile on her beautiful face as my heart raced like it was in a marathon and my mind screamed WHAT THE f**k?.

"Leah?"

"Hey there, sorella" (Sister)

Holy s**t, I can't believe this.

My little sister is in California but why?.