**Third Person**

"Mom? What's wrong?" Elena asked looking up, from her clipboard, at her mother who was holding a tissue in her hand and had a few tears rolling down her cheeks.

All the guests were gone now. And they were the only ones left. She was giving last instructions to the people taking down the decorations and everything, and her mother has been sporting that sad look for a couple of hours now.

"My baby's married." She sniffed bringing up the tissue to tap on her cheeks slightly.

She smiled looking at her mother. "Mom, it's okay. He'll be back soon."

She shook her head in denial. "I'm not okay."

Elena placed her clipboard down before giving her mother a small smile. "You should be glad he tolerates someone enough to marry, or that someone tolerates him long enough for that."

Her mother nodded bringing the tissue to her eyes. "That's true."

"Don't cry, mom." Sebastian came toward them and walked around Elena to wrap his arms around his mother before squeezing her lightly. "At least you won't have to worry about that with me."

She nodded once more. "That's true too."

He pulled back looking at his mother in surprise. "Wow. You guys really don't have faith in me." He said with a laugh.

"Should we?" Stella chuckled finally feeling calmer.

"Honestly, no."

"You're hopeless." She shook her head at him. "Just wait until I'm done with Elena."

Elena looked back at them as soon as her name was mentioned. "Done with me for what?"

"Oh nothing, baby." She smiled wrapping one of her arms around her son.

Elena looked at her for a few more seconds before getting back to her earlier activities.

She wasn't crazy. She knew exactly what her mother meant. She didn't know what exactly is going on in her mother's head, but she knows for sure that it has something to do with her going to Italy. But she refused to mention it.

She was terrified of that idea.

"What are you three up to?" Her father came looking between the three of them.

"Mom was crying." Sebastian announced placing a kiss on his mother's cheek.

"Yeah. She's been crying for the past few days."

"Seriously?"

Hunter chuckled moving closer to the both of them. "Have you forgotten what your mother is?"

Sebastian cocked his head to the side. "The walking fountain?"

"Exactly."

"Don't you talk about me like I'm not here." Stella said. "Let's go home."

"I have to finish this first."

"You can finish it tomorrow, sweetheart." Hunter said shoving his hands in his pockets and walked toward the exit.

"Fine." She sighed. "Just give me a few minutes."

"We'll wait in the car." Her mother said following after her father.

She looked at her brother who was still where he was watching his parents leave.

"Are you going home or back to your place?" She asked when he moved his gazed back toward her.

"Mom said we're finishing the cake. Why would I go back to my place?" He asked looking at her, like she was asking the stupidest question in the world.

"You and food." She scoffed grabbing her pen to make quick last-minute notes before leaving.

"Are you doing Jason's work for him?"

He shook his head. "Dad is taking over, until Jason comes back."

"Why don't you?"

"I don't want it. I took care of it while Jason was at the hospital and I hated it." He groaned throwing his head back. "It made me love my job even more. I can't do two jobs. Especially not mine and Jason's. I'm pretty sure it's humanly impossible." He said.

"That's true."

"Since you're leaving with mom, I can go without you right?"

"Yeah. I'll be out in a minute." She said waving him off.

She looked around, happy to see that almost all the decorations had been taken down. The cleaning would be here the next day and she won't have to step foot in this venue again.

"Thank you so much for everything." She smiled at the people carrying the chairs.

"Elena."

She practically jumped out of her skin as her head whipped around to face the owner of the voice.

Marco Lombardi.

The man who would always make her act like a complete fool.

"M-Marco. Hi." She started mentally kicking herself for messing up her words again. "Where have you been?"

"I had a call from work."

She thought he was already gone. That was the reason why she was in here doing a job she was supposed to wait for until tomorrow morning. She was hoping to see him when she wasn't moving around entertaining guest since the groom and the bride decided to leave before they could do it.

See him without talking to him.

She was praying for the day when she would be able to have full control all her senses around him.

She really did.

"I-" She paused clearing her throat slightly. "I just thought you already left." She stated nervously briefly glancing at him.

"Your mom asked me to take you home." He said pushing a hand into his slacks' pocket.

She what!?

Her hold tightened around her clipboard even more. "S-She did?"

At what game is her mom playing at?

And where are her father and Sebastian when you need them? They picked now to not breath down her neck?

"Just give me a minute, okay?"

He nodded. "Sure."

She quickly placed her clipboard down and grabbed her purse before fast walking toward the restroom.

She got there fast enough and pulled her phone out of her purse before dialing her mother's phone number.

Her mother was supposed to wait for her. She wasn't supposed to leave her alone with the only human being who can make her forget her own name.

She wasn't even surprised when her mother answered after the first ring.

"Hello?"

"Mom, I thought you said you were waiting for me."

"I was but then I saw Marco there and I told him to take you."

"Why couldn't you take me?" She asked placing a hand on her forehead.

"Because I want you to say full sentences around him without being a stuttering mess."

Her jaw dropped at that. "I am not a stuttering mess."

"Yes, you are." She said. "Jason is okay, now. So, you're next. And then I can focus on Sebastian. Now come quickly so we can all eat the rest of the cake together, and don't forget to invite him in."

She placed a hand on her hip looking at her reflection. "He doesn't like sweets."

"Well you'll give him something else. Your brother took a very large plate of appetizers with him." Were her final words before she hung up.

Elena gasped and her jaw dropped as her mother hung up. She stared at her reflection once more with wide eyes.

Had she become her mother's hobby?

Her mother had it out for her. That was the only explanation. Or else why would she insist on leaving her alone with the only person she couldn't be normal around?

I'll survive. I've known him for as long as I've know Jason.

He's only human.

He bleeds.

He cries.

He laughs. Maybe?

She shook her head at herself before exiting the restroom. It should be easy to talk to him without messing up.

It should be.

Then why wasn't it?

She went back to the venue to find standing in the same place with his phone in his hand. Taking another deep breath, she walked closer causing him to look up.

"Are you ready?"

"Yeah." She nodded shily as they walked toward the exit.

She looked down at the end of her gown only now realizing that her gown was long enough for her to trip over. And that was a silly thought because she's been in this dress for hours and nothing happened.

She walked Victoria down the aisle in this dress and she was just fine. Her falling right now would just be life mocking her.

The car ride was fast and she was so grateful for that. Because she hadn't prepared herself to be in his car. Her mother planned this. she should have had time to prepare herself.

Her silence did not stop her from stealing a brief glance or two at him. The only thing going through her mind was what she could do to make herself act normal when he's around.

I can't keep embarrassing myself like that around him.

"Do you want to come in?" She asked slowly unbuckling her seatbelt.

He turned his head to look at her. Not being able to read him made her bite the inside of her cheek in nervousness.

She was a very expressive person. Her face just always shows what she feels.

And the fact that he was the complete opposite of that was even more difficult for her.

Oh, dear God.

"I-I mean you don't have to if you don't want to. Mom just wanted us all to have the rest of the cake." She paused biting the inside of her cheek.

Cake.

He doesn't like sweets.

"I k-know you don't eat sweets, b-but I can get you something else, if you want. I'm not forcing you or anything. You can just, or not. Not that it doesn't m-" She cut off her own rambling, not knowing where she was even going with all that.

"Are you done?" He asked with a small smile looking at her blushing face.

He just lets ramble me on like that?

She mutely nodded before he got out of the car. She let out an annoyed sigh as he walked around the car to open her door. She looked at him with furrowed eyebrows before slowly getting out of the car herself.

"Thank you." She mumbled standing in front but keeping her gaze on the floor.

"I'll be inside in a minute."

She looked up at him in surprise before she slowly nodded walking around his towering form. She walked up the steps to the front door and opened it. She let out a long whine as soon as she entered the house.

"What's wrong, honey?"

She looked up to see her mother standing there looking at her worriedly.

"I keep acting like a lovesick teenager." She frowned looking at her mother tiredly.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"Yes. Me." She said pointing a finger toward her. "I am what's wrong."

"What are y-" She paused as the front door opened once more. "Oh Marco. Glad you could come."

"Thank you for inviting me."

Stella looked at her daughter giving her a look to talk later before giving Marco a smile.

"Come on, you two. Seb was getting impatient." She turned back and made her way toward the kitchen.

"Where's dad?"

"Business call. He's replacing Jason, remember?"

Elena nodded as they walked in the kitchen only to find Sebastian already stuffing his face with the appetizers.

"What took you so long?" Was the question he asked when he saw them looking at Marco. "Where did you take my sister?"

"If I was planning on taking your sister anywhere, she wouldn't be coming home tonight." Marco said, low enough for him to hear, as he passed by him.

Sebastian's head whipped toward Marco, expecting to find a smirk or smug face, only to find a completely neutral and serious face.

This bastard is serious.

He quickly turned his head toward his mom expectantly. "Mom, did you hear that?"

His mother was mumbling at herself while typing away on her phone when he spoke.

"Hear what, honey?" She looked at him honestly confused.

He shook his head looking at his sister who had her back to them.

"Elena, did you?"

"Hear what?" She asked her back facing them as she opened the cupboard to take out a couple of glasses.

Liar. He narrowed his eyes at her.

Their mother might not have heard, but she did.

She placed the glasses on the counter with shaking having heard what he had but refusing to acknowledge it. She reached lower to take out the bottle of drinks her father always kept aside.

She took her time pouring some in the glass to give time for her shaking hands to stop, for her face to go back to normal and for her body temperature to cooperate with her to not embarrass her.

She turned back around to face them, ignoring her brother's piercing glare on her. She looked at Marco giving him a timid smile. He looked right back at her as she placed the glass on the counter.

"Here." She pushed the glass toward him. "No ice, right?"

"Thank you."

"Why aren't you making me one?" Sebastian asked looking from Marco's glass to his sister.

"Because you have hands." She said hoping that he won't act like he did the last time Marco was here.

"Marco has hand-" She quickly grabbed a cookie from the jar, shoving it in his mouth before he could finish his sentence.

Sebastian looked at her with displeasure before taking a bite of the cookie. She returned the look before turning to grab herself a piece of cake.

"Marco, how fast would it be to find a good location for a new shop in Rome?" She heard her mother say, making her almost drop the knife and plate she was holding.

"Mom!" She looked at her mother with wide, and Stella just coolly stared back at her. "You said we were going to talk about it."

"We are talking about it." Her mother shrugged. "I'm just looking at our options." She stood up and walked to one of the cupboards in the far corner to open it.

Elena's mouth dropped open as her mother pulled out a full binder and brought it to the counter.

Sebastian raised an eyebrow when she placed the binder on the counter. "Mom, what is this?"

"I've been doing some research this past couple of months." She smiled opening. "And I've found this great location." She turned it toward Marco before pointing at it. "Do you know this place, Marco?"

"Yes. That's in Via Condotti." He said before looking directly at Elena. "It is a good place for a shop like yours."

Stella grinned also looking at her daughter who quickly turned away from them to put the bottle of drink away to hide her heating face. "See? I know what I'm doing."

"Well you still haven't decided and someone else can take it by then." Sebastian intervened, knowing what his mother wanted at this moment.

Elena turned back to face them once she was sure that her face was back to its normal color.

"I've already made an offer."

Elena took a deep breath before sitting on one of the stools. "I need to sit."

"I just wanted to be on the safe side." Her mother added defensively.

It was everything Elena could do not to sink her teeth into her lower lip to calm her nervous state.

"The demand is high in that neighborhood." Marco said causing Stella to nod quickly in agreement.

"Well mom and dad can go, and Elena will take care of the one here." Sebastian spoke causing his mother to look at him warningly.

"Nope. Elena will be the one going. I want her to see something new. It would be good for her." She smiled. "Don't you agree, Marco?"

Why mom?

Why?

"I want a new family." Elena whispered to herself dropping her head a little.

"Your mother's right. You'll get away from your brothers." Marco said looking at her.

She lifted her head up at that briefly glancing at her brother.

Well I've never thought of that.

I can find love without any gun or threats involved.

"She doesn't want to be away from us." Sebastian said shoving a more cake in his mouth narrowing his eyes toward Marco.

"And it's only for a few months. Until everything is dealt with and the shop officially open." She smiled closing the binder. "Yeah. A few months should be enough." She said under her breath looking directly into her daughter's cerulean eyes.

My mother really has it out for me. Elena staring back at her mother.

Her father walked in the kitchen looking at his wife questioningly.

"A few months for what?" Hunter asked.

"Mom wants to ship Elena off to Italy." Sebastian was fast to answer pointing his fork at his mother.

"Italy." Hunter repeated as his eyes moved from his wife, to his daughter, then Marco before he shook his head. "That's not happening."

He knows what his wife is trying to do, and he did not like it.

"Yes, it is." Stella said with a small frown looking at her husband. "We've talked about this, Hunter."

"You never told me you wanted my daughter to go."

"Well your daughter is twenty-five now, so she knows what to do, even if it's in Italy." She said standing up from the stool she was sitting on.

Oh God. Elena thought looking between her parents.

"Why don't you send one of your sons?" Hunter asked as she walked around the counter to move closer to him.

"Because that's not what they do. They have their own jobs. And I won't let them get anywhere near my business."

"So, you're not sending any of your sons, but you want my daughter to go?" He asked and this time Stella turned to face her daughter.

"Hunter, it's just for a few months."

Sebastian was the first one to walk out of the kitchen without a word or a glance at anyone.

Elena timidly looked at Marco before pointing at the path Sebastian just took. They left to let her mother deal with this, because if anyone could, it would be her.

"Well we'll see who wins this one." Sebastian said when they left the kitchen and Elena couldn't help but notice that he carried the huge plate of appetizers with him.

"Just a few minutes and they will be all over each other again." She said, choosing not to say anything about his gluttony.

"Well it's late. I'm going to go now."

Sebastian asked placing his plate of food on the coffee table. "To Italy?"

"My hotel."

"How long are you staying?" Sebastian asked ignoring the look his sister gave him.

"A few more days. I have work to do here." Marco said before turning to Elena. "Are you working tomorrow?"

The question caught her off guard and she did take a few more seconds to let his question sink in and to make sure her mind wasn't playing tricks on her.

She still nodded in affirmation not trusting herself to open her mouth now.

"Do you want to have lunch with me?" He asked.

She clasped her hands together tightly in front of her. "L-Lunch?"

"Yes."

All she could do was nod once more while ignoring her brother's snickers on the side.

"Well, goodnight, Elena." He said before leaving, leaving her rooted there in the middle of the living-room.

She took a very long breath before letting it out slowly.

"Damn." Sebastian said as she turned back to face him, finally feeling her legs cooperate with her.

She walked back up to him raising her eyebrows at him questioningly. "What?"

"Your brain really slows down around him." Sebastian laughed throwing his head back.

"Shut up, you jerk!" She snapped.

"Just wait until you stop being scared of him and he sees what kind of a lunatic you really are." He continued laughing. "He will be running for the hills."

"I said shut up!" She lifted her gown hoping to kick him but he quickly moved out of the way. "You're so annoying."

Her voice was overpowered by her mother's happy squeal from the kitchen, followed by her name being called in excitement.

"Sounds like Mother won this one." He scoffed dropping himself on the couch slowly eating his food. "Italy it is. Congratulations."