Livia Ximena Di Vittorio

"Close your eyes for a second, Ms Livia." I follow the instruction, feeling a brush dance across my eyelids. As relaxing as hair and make-up is compared to my everyday life, I couldn't force myself to relax, not after the meeting I had had with my father and grandfather.

New information has come to life, and even though I can't say I'm surprised, I'm genuinely disappointed. The council of consiglieres were advisors. Typically, they didn't have power, but my great-grandfather and grandfather had allowed them to have a say in matters. Now they were abusing their power.

But if they thought for one second, I was going to give up my title to go off and marry some Italian-American mobster, that was probably double my age and messing around with many other women, then they had another thing coming for them.

The brush is lifted from my eyes, so I open them, staring at my reflection in the mirror in front of me. My roots were growing in, and a glimpse of the dark hair I had for most of my life coming through, was also a reminder to ask Lara, who was currently twisting my hair into some sort of fancy updo to book me in for an appointment to touch them up.

Moira, my make-up artist, was applying a more glam look on my face than I normally wore, made up of pretty golden shades that would go nicely with the dress I had chosen.

"Lara, can we book an appointment for maybe next week? If you can fit in Esmeralda and Genevieve, too." It would be nice to have a girls' day. Esme and Gen were the friends that weren't involved in mafia life, they knew what my family did and that was the extent of it. They didn't ask questions, and I didn't offer more. It was nice to sit and talk to people who didn't know all the problems in your work life and are just there for you as a person.

"Of course, Miss Livia," Lara confirms, spraying hairspray on my hair. "Let me know the day and time and I'll move some things around."

I probably should have told her to let me know when she was free, but one perk of holding the Di Vittorio name is getting what I want when I want it. Part of the compensation for all the trauma being part of my family comes from.

"Okay, and you're done. Put on your dress and then we'll do any touch-ups." Moira instructs and I listen, slipping into my closet to get dressed.

The dress I had chosen was green, a forest green that was an exact shade match to my eye colour and usually the colour I wore to these events. A signature looks, I suppose. To tie in with my make-up, I add a couple of gold chains with diamond pendants and a diamond choker to finish.

I wasn't nervous about tonight. There were worse things I could walk into, but there was something always daunting about being in a room with people just as influential and rich as you were. We were all on an equal playing field. And even though I got to play with guns and knives, I couldn't use them there.

We all had the same weapons in the room, our tongues. Words were sharp in these places, piercing the weakest of us, hurting the strong all the same, but instead of bleeding out in its place a scar. The surrounding skin toughened up.

I step out of the closet and make my way over to Lara and Moira, who add the finishing touches to my outfit.

Perfection, I couldn't look anything less than perfect.

I stand at the top of the stairs and look down at the four figures who stood awkwardly at the entrance. An unwilling smile rose onto my face. They were all taking this so differently, but they all relied on each other. It was times like this I missed having the older brothers I was meant to have, sure I had Vincenzo, but I couldn't help but feel bitter about the situation. They couldn't see me from where I stood, so I sat back and observed them for a second.

Dante wasn't nice to me. He felt threatened either by my title or me as a person, but he was fiercely protective of his little brothers. They hadn't even realised it. I respected it, as I was the same with my siblings. He started arguments so they could fade into the background and he got all the heat. He spent more time with their mother so he wouldn't have to deal with her. I think the only reason he was here today was to make sure Martino, Matteo and Romeo were okay.

Martino hangs out with Luciano the most. The two of them became fast friends and often spent the evenings trying to beat each other in various video games. He acts like being here doesn't affect him, hiding his feelings behind humour.

Matteo hides in the library all day, his head down in a book, most of them being nonfiction history books we had piled in the room that few people have touched since they had entered the room. He doesn't know it, but dad ordered several of them once he found out what he was reading about.

Romeo adapted the easiest to living here. He just seems to not mind the change. He's embracing it. If he had grown up here, he would have been a big part of the mafia. I have no doubt about it. He doesn't want to be the leader, but he would have taken the title of enforcer or something similar.

"Livy." I turn away from the boys who are waiting and to the younger version of them. "Do I have to wear a tie?"

"You know the answer to that, Luc." I sigh, trying to ignore my baby brother's pout. I didn't have many weaknesses, but one of them was my little brother. His heart was too soft for this life as much as he tried to hide it. He didn't have the personality to be the heir like many were pushing for. I take in Luciano. Like everyone else, he was dressed to the nines, in a full suit with a tie and his hair pushed back with gel flattening his curls. He looked so much older than his fourteen. "You look handsome, though."

"You look exquisite too, Liv." He grinned at me, offering his arm. Together, we walked down the stairs with the eyes of everyone waiting down below. My four older brothers had now been joined by my father, Carina, Vincenzo and Allegra.

"Ready?" Dad asked, buttoning up his cuff. I nod and we all exit the house, a limousine waiting for us at the bottom of the steps. It wasn't my vehicle of choice, but it was the only thing that could fit all of us. But I didn't even have the energy to criticise any of the choices, as my mind was whirling with thoughts for the evening.

Something always went wrong at these events and now I had to not only make sure Luciano was okay if something went down but also the four other brothers, who were mostly oblivious to everything that happened in the world of the elite.

"Hm," I answered when I was called. My father scanned me with his observant eyes, identical to my own. I had spent the afternoon in a meeting with him and my grandfather, discussing my marriage issue and the million other problems we had in our lives.

Dad answered me, keeping his voice low so that no one but the two of us could hear.

"I know I put a lot of pressure on you Livia but don't stress about tonight, enjoy with your friends. If something goes wrong, you know what to do."

Sometimes I felt dad treated me more like a son than a daughter. I had seen how parents usually were with their kids. I had seen how my dad was with my siblings, and even now with my brothers, Dad never had the trust in them he had in me.

He had confidence in me I could do what I needed to and do it right. He let me make mistakes and instead of getting angry, he showed me the lesson in it. And even though he put me through a lot of training and put pressure on me, I know it's out of love more than anything.

"Okay."

Just like that, I felt a weight lift off of me. Instead of stressing about the night, I spent the rest of the ride listening to Luciano going on about how the only trait he needs in a wife was her being ability to wiggle her ears.

"You're an idiot." I shake my head at my brother. "Sei un idiota."

"You just say that because you can't wiggle your ears, Liv." he declares. "See, this is why you'll never find a husband."

"You can't even do it. And if that's the only thing you're looking for in a wife, then you're going to starve. You can't cook, Luc."

Mom had tried to teach us all to cook. Vincenzo, Allegra and I were all fairly decent at it, but Luciano had never had the interest.

"Then I'll learn to cook." My eyebrows rise in surprise.

"Seriously?"

"Yes." he nods confidently.

"Okay enough, you two." Dad interrupts us, a fond smile on his face as he looks between the two of us. "We're here."

Rows of paparazzi stood waiting for us, knowing us as one of Italy's business families. A red carpet lay ready for us to go into the hell that was waiting for us for the next few hours.

Well, what was I waiting for?

Sorry for the late update. I find a chapter hard to update when I don't find it perfect but I guess it's okay.

Let me know all your thought and predictions. There are some ties starting to link but I hope I'm a good enough author that it won't click until I want it too.

Hope you all have a good rest of your week and enjoy the rest of your day.

Please vote and comment and happy reading

Ara <3