This is a bad idea. A very, very bad idea.

Following the capo to some place in the middle of the night.

I don't get it. What just happened? I was supposed to be screaming, shouting and probably putting up a fight with him. And he was supposed to be doing the same, then why the hell am I following him slowly after a few sudden turn of events which included kissing the life out of me and him requesting me to come with him?

I feel like I am going to pass out anytime.

Yet here I am, silently following the man who is responsible for my miseries.

My body is aching, my lips tingling from the events in his office. Who does he think he is?! Leonardo Agostini has no right to touch me, hurt me and let alone to kiss me! I am a woman who has the right to refuse anything which I do not like and I do not like this man for everything he has done to me.

With my arms crossed, I kept glaring at him while he kept walking in front of me with a straight posture and like a man in power he is, not to forget the part where he is completely ignoring me, the events that took place in his office and the word he used only a few minutes ago.

My face fell and I stopped when I saw him opening a door and getting inside the room. The hell? I am not going in there! I have already landed on the lion's back and jumped into his mouth only to find that he never closed it. There's no way I'm going to enter the lion's den.

To hell with it, because I am not going to enter the Agostini son's bedroom!

I stayed on my spot. After a brief moment or two, I saw the capo walking backwards, then he stopped right in front of me and looked over his shoulder.

"Come in."

"No."

"Please." There he goes with that word.

Wordlessly, I followed him inside, my eyes down on the carpeted floor and stopped right in the middle when I heard the door shut close.

How do you knee a man in his groins? Should I use my left knee or right? Or perhaps I should punch him in his stomach and make a run for it. Run? Ha. That's hilarious because I have no place to run.

"Do you want anything to drink?"

A glass of poison for you would be absolutely perfect. Maybe add some ice in it?

As thirsty, hungry, tired and weak I was like a woman stranded in a desert for days, I shook my head slowly, rejecting his offer.

"Here." I backed away from him when he stood in front of me. I saw a glass full of water in his hand.

I shot him a glare, but I didn't take the glass from his hand. He muttered something in Italian under his breath and kept the glass on the table nearby.

The capo's room was similar to the one I had right beside this. Except the walls were having the colour combination of black and grey instead of yellow and orange. The same old balcony door, super fluffy looking bed which had grey and white striped bed sheet and very strangely, it had a huge mirror beside his bed. I never understood this. I have been in his room before, obviously to mop the floor and stuff, but never understood why he had a mirror hung up on the wall, right beside his bed while the other rooms have it in their walk in closets or beside their wardrobes.

Maybe he likes looking at himself first when he wakes up? Ugh. What am I even thinking?

My eyes went on the table when I felt his on me.

"You should have shot me again." I murmured in the silence.

"I didn't wanted to." My eyes went in his direction and saw him sitting on a chair, near the open balcony door.

I didn't respond him.

"I was only..." He showed me four fingers and chuckled humorlessly. "When my padre removed Mama from my life. I still remember that day. I was playing with her in that ground," He pointed to the grounds which were outside, the same grounds which I used to admire. "When suddenly my padre pulled her away from me. I remember them fighting, screaming at each other, Mama crying and then there was nothing. He had done it and I hate him for that."

I couldn't react. I had heard this from Louisa, but this was different. I found myself sitting on the edge of the bed, far from him.

"But he is my father and I do respect him. So yes, I don't know what it is like to celebrate festivals, I don't know what it is like to see everybody getting worried about me having a pathetic fever because nobody ever did and I especially don't know what it feels like to come home running from school because I was homeschooled till I decided to leave for college."

I sighed irritably. "What are we doing? Bonding? Because that's the last thing I want."

"Then what do you want?" He asked curiously, tilting his head slightly to meet my gaze. "Two bullets inside your head? I won't be doing that. More talking and shouting? I have learned a perfect way to shut you up now."

My breath left my body when I realised the meaning of his statement.

"I...I-I think it's best for me to leave." My knees wobbled as I got up.

"Sit down, signorina Jones." I squeaked and my butt landed on the soft mattress again when I heard the capo's authoritative voice booming in the silent night.

Get a grip of yourself Amy!

"That's good." He hummed, "Have a glass of water. You need it."

"No, thanks. I'm fine." I lied blatantly.

"Do. Not. Lie. To. Me." He growled, emphasizing each word.

"But you did!" I snapped. "I'll never forgive you for that. For everything you've done to me. You have been lying to me since the very first day. You ruined everything!"

"Did I?" He asked amusedly, "Tell me, little girl, did you ever ask me about your family's whereabouts?"

"No." I mumbled.

"Then I did not lie to you. I never told you because it wasn't my place to do so. Even if I had told you, I wouldn't had the fun of watching you jump from your room again."

"W-What?" I sputtered in shock.

Leonardo Agostini grinned mischievously. "You checked the ground below you, but you didn't check the room beside you."

I gritted my teeth and felt the anger bubbling in me. This idiot was in his room the whole time!

"This doesn't change the fact that my loved ones are gone, Agostini." My lips started quivering and I was going to cry again.

"There is nothing I can do about that. Even if I do, I won't." He said casually and leaned forward. "It's high time that you learn your lesson and accept that you now belong to the Agostini famiglia."

That pain in my heart vanished in a second and I saw red. "Never. I don't belong to anybody and I am not going to follow any of those stupid rules of this mansion."

Something flashed in his eyes and he shrugged, "Then don't."

I gave him a look. "What? What do you mean?"

"How about we make a deal?" He asked. "A simple promi—"

"Aw, hell no!" I snapped. "The last time you said this, I got manhandled by you! There's no way I'm going to listen to you or accept whatever you plan on dealing with me."

"Just listen to me, signorina Jones."

"No." I deadpanned and looked away.

"Please." Ah, shit. That's third time in less than an hour. I swear something is really wrong with this man. Maybe he has a twin? Yes, yes. A twin who knows how to request instead of ordering and shooting around, but Adrian never told me about a twin nor did Louisa.

I shot him another glare and didn't respond.

"I know that you are provoked by the recent events which happened and resulted in your...death."

"No shit, Sherlock."

His eyes narrowed to slits. "Let me finish, Amelia. As I was saying, how about we make a simple deal? Starting from a simple promise of trust."

I scoffed. "Trust? I don't trust you at all."

"I know that." He said, "But after I finish, you have to rethink about your own words."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Do I have your full attention now, signorina Jones?"

"Si." I answered, mentally throwing curses at him.

He nodded. "Good. Seeing the fact that you may or may not try to run away again, let me tell you the truth. You have no place to go."

"Thanks for rubbing the harsh reality on my face." I said sarcastically.

"You are welcome." He retorted. "I have come up with a deal to resolve this matter. You will continue to live in this mansion, but you will live here by your own rules and I will add a few clauses in that. How does that sound?"

"Why?" I asked warily. "You could just throw me back to where I was and forget everything that has happened."

He sighed deeply. "I have come to some realisations on my own. You do not follow orders, especially from me and I do not like that. This famiglia is purely based on trust and it is necessary for me to earn the trust and respect from the people who work here. You don't do the either. No trust. No respect."

After what it felt like days, an actual smile appeared on my face. "Damn right, August-mini."

I saw a corner of his lip twitch and he shook his head in amusement. "As I was saying, you make your own rules. Do whatever you want to do, but please do not go to the top floor."

I frowned again when he used that word again. "The top floor? What's so big about that? It's just more rooms and rooms."

"Padre uses the top floor as his own. If you want to be safe and away from his..." He made some weird hand movements, "...attention, don't go to the top floor." He explained carefully.

"Oh. Okay." That's one rule for me. Stay away from big, bad Agostini boss. I have been staying away from him all these years so this should not be a problem to me, but I was also staying away from the men of the house and look where it landed me.

I ended up having a party with them.

"What about my safety?" I asked, glaring at him. "And I am not asking about me being safe from the men, I want to know about you not harming me in any way. Physically, mentally, emotionally, and all sorts of way because you have done it all."

"I..." He cleared his throat, "I will not hurt you."

"That's a lie." I got up, feeling slight dizzy due to weakness and shook it off. "I-I don't want all this so-called free will in the mansion because you feel pity for what happened to me. I don't need it. I'll be fine without it."

He exhaled sharply and got up from his chair. "This is not pity, Amelia. We have gotten off the wrong foot—"

"You mean jump." I interrupted.

"What?"

"Wrong jump. We got off the wrong jump." I explained and gave him a suspicious look. "You don't have a twin, don't you?"

"No." He answered, confused.

"Okay, carry on."

He blinked rapidly, still confused about my sudden question. "I meant to say that I am giving you a chance to make your own life, your own rules inside the mansion. Your parents have moved on, so take your time and move on."

Something tells me that he is enjoying rubbing it on my face after I actually told him that he could have done it.

I sighed deeply, crossing my arms and giving him a stern look. "I don't care of what you say, but I have got some conditions of my own."

"Do tell."

"I will continue working here because that's the only thing I know for now, but I am not going to clean that blood and shit you guys 'accidentally' spill on the floor." I made air quotes which made him smirk.

"That is fine by me." He said casually.

"I want Adrian to stay away from my roommate. He has already done enough damage to her, almost similar to what you have done to me. It is pretty clear that she is still traumatized and unlike me, she refuses to open up. I don't want Adrian to be near her in any sorts till she actually decides for herself. Speaking of Adrian, why the hell did you not say anything when I was beating the crap out of him in your office?"

He kept staring at me in amusement. "You really do talk a lot."

I gritted my teeth in annoyance. "And?"

"Nothing. Just nothing."

"I asked you something." I muttered.

"I saw something that day..." He took a few steps ahead in my direction. "Something unexpected... Something common... Something surprising. It gave me a sense of...stupore, astonishment as you say."

I laughed nervously and took a few steps back. "T-That's good. Surprised can be good."

"Ah, si. Amo le sorprese." My eyes diluted in confusion. Seven years in this country and I still don't understand the language properly. The Agostini son smirked at my confused face. "I love surprises and you have been giving me a lot of them."

"Oh, okay. You're welcome?" I squeaked when my back hit the cold surface of the wall. What the hell? I didn't even realise that I was moving backwards while him forward. "You–You are invading my personal space, capo."

He took another step and caged me with his arms, his lips curved upwards in excitement. "Am I?"

"Y-Yes." I cursed under my breath for stammering. I was a trembling mess when I felt a small touch of finger under my chin, slowly lifting my face. A pair of hazel brown eyes were boring deep into mine.

"I will not hurt you, Amy." I squirmed when his lips brushed my ear. "I don't plan on hurting you again...ever."

I averted my eyes from him. "I d-don't trust you."

"I am giving you my word. Not in my family's name but mine." He declared, "I promise you that I will not hurt you anymore."

And I still don't trust him. I never will. How can he expect me to trust him when he has manhandled me, left me with bruises, threatened to shoot me, has actually shot me and hid the truth about my family considering me runaway and dead? Never in a million years I will trust this man.

"Amelia?"

"I am getting a phone." I blurted, changing the topic.

His eyes narrowed again and he took a step back. "No. You are not getting a phone."

I snort. "I wasn't asking you, I am telling you that I am getting a phone."

"And I am telling you that you are not getting one." He retorted back.

"Oh come on!" I flung my arms up in the air in exasperation. "You said it yourself that I get to make my own rules and my rules say that I am getting a phone."

"Anything but a phone."

"What comes after a phone?" I asked curiously.

"A laptop, maybe?"

"Then I am getting a laptop!"

He cursed under his breath. "That can be arranged."

I grinned. "Thank you, capo. I can assure you that I will not use it in a wrong manner."

"Anything else?" I mentally sighed in relief when he didn't enquire me about his previous words.

Truth to be told, I don't want anything except my family, but I am not going to get that anytime soon, am I?

"I don't think so." I mumbled and sighed. "I am free to roam around except the top floor, I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, Adrian stays away from Rylie until she decides for herself and I am getting a laptop. Is that all?"

Please don't ask me about this promise of yours, I begged mentally.

He scratched his unshaven chin, deep in thoughts then his eyes lit up in a strange manner. "Ah, si. There is one more thing."

"What?" I asked, not sure of what is left out.

"You have to move back into the room beside mine."

Author's note:

I updated two days earlier! Woohoo!

Amelia lives in the mansion freely! Woohoo!

Amelia is stuck with Leonardo as her neighbour again! Woohoo!

I have no idea why I am going with the 'woohoos'! Woohoo!

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