That evening around four o'clock, we boarded a plane to New York so I assumed that was where Arnold's home was. I was extremely astounded to see a private jet waiting for us at the airport. I didn't realize that my soon-to-be father was mega rich. I'm pretty sure my jaw was on the ground the whole time Arnold showed me around that monstrosity called a jet.

It was jet black on the outside and the interiors were done in black with gold accents. After we had settled down in our pure leather seats, the plane took off. Shortly after, Arnold started making small conversation by asking me all sorts of questions.

"Charlotte?"

"Yes," I replied.

"What's your favorite colour?"

"Black and red," I said.

I was immediately transported back to my salad days when I used to love everything with colours. My favorite colour was purple but I liked every bright colour. It's strange how your little insignificant choices in life are related to the deepest, darkest parts of your heart.

I vividly remember the time when me and my mum started to live at my step-father's house, she had asked me what color I would like my room to be in, I had excitedly told her that I wanted everything purple and many other colors too to make it look like a damn field full of every kind of flower but after she died, my colorful heart became a black, swirling tornado and ate up the brightness of my life. It wasn't a heart anymore, just a shadow of something good which lived in the past.

'Little twelve years old Charlotte was so naive and pathetic,' I taunted at my old self.

Now, I only wear black and red to remind myself every day that this cruel world doesn't deserve my brightness, my cheerful attitude because it snatched my mamma away from me and I will avenge her-

"Charlotte, are you alright? Your hands and face are turning pale. Oh God, Your eyes eyes are so red!! What happened dear?"

I blinked up at him, slowly recovering from my daze. I loosened my vice-like grip on the armrest and gave him a small reassuring smile,

"It's nothing too serious. I'm just-- I'm terrified of flying. Maybe it's because I'm scared of heights?"

I managed to squeeze out an excuse, not even convincing myself but he seemed to buy it.

"Oh," He said, feeling quite relieved.

"Dear, do you want a drink? Orange juice perhaps? It will make you feel better."

He continued, his kindness melting my heart.

"Thanks. I guess I could have some of it."

He nodded and ordered an air hostess to bring me a glass of orange juice. After I drank the juice and calmed myself down, I started feeling exhausted. The day's events caught up with me and I fell asleep on my seat with no care in the world.

It was a lengthy nine hour flight and I, at long last, woke up half an hour before our flight landed. We reached New York at night.

'Time to start a new life,' I thought to myself.

Arnold turned to me with a genuine smile and said,

"Welcome to New York dear. Welcome to a new life."

I was still a bit afraid that maybe one day, my step father will come and find me and I won't be able to get rid of my past so easily since I was the one who still yearned to go back to that hell, but I couldn't let Arnold see my uneasiness so I hastily hid it with a somewhat nervous smile and said,

"Thank you so much for saving me. I will forever be grateful to you."

Arnold replied shaking his head,

"If you really wish to show us your gratitude, allow us to take care of you as our daughter. From now on, you will have parents, a younger sister and a beautiful home and life. And nobody can snatch that from you, not now, not ever. Come on now, let's go home,"

He gestured for me to get off the plane.

I was deeply and utterly touched by his words and wanted to cry out but somehow, I blinked back my tears and followed him out of the jet to his car that was waiting. We were heading home in a sleek black Mercedes, which model, I'm not so sure but it wasn't a surprise anymore considering he possesses a whole freaking jet!

New York was like any other big city, only bigger and brighter and better; with thousand divers lights adorning sky-high buildings and enveloped with the pandemonium of a regular metropolitan evening.

The chauffeur placed Arnold's bags in the car while I insisted to keep my backpack with me. It kind of made me feel safer and less vulnerable. It felt idiotic through and through yet my protective instincts still came out around him. We sat in the car and drove off to his house. I looked out of the window as the buildings kept passing in a blur. In the awfully few minutes I had spent in this city, I deduced that it was an utterly exorbitant city and everyone here must be as wealthy as Arnold, given the amount of lavish designer showrooms and ginormous office buildings and the cars that ludicrously cost the earth on neat and wide, perfect roads I had seen already; not to mention the standard houses here were four times the sizes of the standard houses back in Amalfi.

My thoughts quickly veered in Arnold's family's direction. I was completely clueless about what would happen once we would reach his house.

'Will his family accept me? Should I call Arnold and his wife dad and mom? Will his daughter like me? Would she want to share her parents with me? Will I be able to settle down here? What would my future hold? Oh God, I'm driving myself insane! This is all so ridiculous. Now is not the time to think about all of this Charlotte.' I chided myself.

The entire ride was spent in utter quietude as everyone seemed to be immersed in their sea of thoughts just like me. At long last, the awkward silence was broken when we reached his hou- no, MANSION.

'That's not even a mansion, that's a goddamn palace!' I thought.

The car drove in after the humongous iron gates equipped with computerized security and two human guards flew open and onto the never-ending driveway, around the gigantic white fountain right in front of the pristine white, monstrous door of the mansion.

To say that I was getting jitters would be such an understatement. I was utterly in awe of everything around me -- the most magnificent, pure white mansion that I'd ever seen; the grande white fountain towering over the land around covered in freshly cut and the softest looking fresh green grass.

I sat there in my seat, frozen like a statue. Arnold got out of the car and the driver started to move the bags out of the car; I could feel all of these movements, yet, couldn't bring myself to move a single muscle in my body.

"Come on Charlotte, you can admire the view later on. Trust me, you'll have plenty of time for that."

Arnold told me with an amusing glint in his eye while he opened the door for me.

I flushed red at being caught for gaping and give him an embarrassed half smile.

"Sorry," I squeaked out and climbed out of the car and followed him to the door.

My nerves returned in full force once I took my place behind Arnold, frightened of his family's reactions. I didn't have the time to dwell on it for long because right on time, the door flew open and a medium-heighted woman came in sight.

She had beautiful blonde hair flowing past her back, almost reaching her waist and the brightest brown eyes I had ever seen. She smiled looking at Arnold and he advanced to give her a hug. I stood behind them watching their exchange quite awkwardly, as if I didn't belong here. Suddenly her gaze fell on me.

'This is it,' I grimaced inwardly. Now she was going to look at me with a thoroughly disgusted expression and treat me like a scum on her shoe. To evade looking at her sickening gaze, I lowered my head and distracted myself by looking at the posh white marble flooring, still wondering just how well to do these people were.

But I guess luck wasn't on my side. Almost immediately, Arnold spoke up,

"Dear, this is Charlotte. A young girl whom I found unconscious on the streets of Amalfi and decided to bring her home since she didn't have one and Charlotte,"

He turned to me with a small smile and said,

"She is Bianca, my wife, who will be a motherly figure for you onwards."

I saw a flicker of surprise on his wife's face but it disappeared before anyone could make out what that emotion was. Nonetheless, I was pleasantly flabbergasted to see astonishment and curiosity, even a little bit of pity on her visage instead of the condescending gesture I was expecting. It was nice to know that I wouldn't be having an utterly awful and evil woman as my mother.

I hesitated before giving her a hint of a smile, knowing which looked somewhat constipated,

"Hi, umm... Mrs. Adams. I-it's nice to meet you."

I guess I couldn't keep my nerves under control for once as I started fidgeting with my fingers.

'The way you're twisting your fingers, you're bound to break them someday. Great show of strength Charlotte! Way to go girl!!,' My conscience, yet again, taunted me.

The woman in front of me, Bian- Mrs. Adams, beamed at me and suddenly I was pulled in strongly for an extremely tight hug almost choking me. After what felt an eternity with my lungs and ribs half-crushed, she let go of me.

"It's really so nice to see you dear. God, you're so beautiful and you have such a bright aura around you. Your personality totally suits your name, you have brought a new light to our house. And please call me Bianca. You will also meet your younger sister, Gabriella. She has been pining for a sister, so she'll love you,"

Mrs. Ada- I mean Bianca kept on rambling excitedly while simultaneously ushering me inside the house.

Their interior was just as classy and cool as their exterior. I couldn't help but stare at everything in complete awe. The massive front door opened into a corridor which led to a massive living room. There was a set of comfortable light and dark grey couches set opposite each other with two wooden armchairs on the side. Between them, were two exquisite coffee tables - one in wooden and the second in yet again, white and grey, on a creamish hued wooden flooring.

I was so engrossed in admiring the elegant beauty of the house when I heard someone call my name.

"Charlotte..." Bianca called out to me.

"Y-yes?" I said, startled.

They caught me gaping at the house's luxuries, again. I groaned inwardly. 'Great, make this even harder than it already is idiot,' my conscience sneered at me. They both smiled at me in an amusing and loving manner but chose to not comment about it, obviously noticing the dark red coat on my cheeks.

Just then, a young teenage girl came bouncing down the stairs, her bronde hair (a mixture of brown and blonde) in two pigtails, hazel eyes with grey flecks as bright as the sun and such a child-like, bright smile.

"What's happening mamma?" She came in the room with excited eyes and then spotted her father.

"Dad!!" She went rushing into his arms,

"It's been so long since I saw you. I missed you so much. You should be home very often dad."

"I missed you too my piccolo ragazza and I'll try to come home sooner,"

Arnold said holding her and sporting the biggest smile I've ever seen him in.

In that moment, I also wanted to get that fatherly affection from someone which I was deprived off since so long; at the same time, I also felt extremely guilty that I would be taking away half of that girl's affection from her when I have no such prerogative.

Her mother then came forward and told the girl, whom I assume, is Gabriella,

"Dear, look who has come. This is Charlotte and she's going to stay with us."

"Really?" She perked up immediately.

"You seem like a nice girl. How old are you?"

She asked, looking at me with utmost curiosity. I really loathed to be the center of attention like that and her expectant and unnerving gaze was making me nervous and unsure of myself.

"16," I timidly replied, waiting for the devil to take form in her body and greet me with nothing but malice.

But nothing came forth as I had imagined and expected. Maybe, I should stop living too much in that desolate, aberrant and morbid abyss which is called my imagination.

"Wow that's so cool. I'll get an older sister and I won't have to take care of you and I'll also be excused of so many responsibilities since I'm the only kid here.

Wait... you will stay here forever right? Because let me tell you if this is all temporary, then you don't have my approval. I want a deal for lifetime. So...deal?"

She extended her hand for me to shake as if we were in a business conference.

I suddenly felt so light hearing her words. I've never felt so relieved in my whole life than today. A small chuckle escaped my lips and I turned to Arnold and Bianca,

"She's cute and so optimistic."

I then turned to Gabriella and said while shaking her hand,

"You're a true businesswoman. Deal, for lifetime."

And just like that, I started a new chapter in my life. Away from my old home, from my abusive and psychotic mafia murderer step-father, unaware of what my future will bring forth, what kinds of tempests I will have to fight but at the moment, I was safe and happy to have found a new family, my family, my safe haven.

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Finally, chapter 3 is here!!!
My updates have been really slow but I was caught up in a lot of things this past month but now I'm gonna speed it up a little bit.
Also..... HAPPY NEW YEAR guys!!!!
I hope y'all realize all your dreams and fulfill all that you want to. Have a happy, healthy 2020!!