-Vincenzo-

I was running - no sprinting.

'Fućk no' were the two words spinning around in my mind. I knew it! God dammit, I knew it! I knew Nicolo was planning something.

We had been trying to get this enemy off our backs for months but nothing seemed to be working. Nicolo was pissed because he had his eyes on Mia for a while now. Somehow, he knew her father and wanted revenge by killing her. I was guessing that Mia's father killed Nicolo's son.

Mia never did really talk about her dad because she never knew him. He left her when she was a baby and she grew up with only her mother who ended up being a junkie.

The amount of threats I was getting about me or Mia was too much. Nicolo had to be planning something. He was a powerful man, but obviously not as powerful as me. I'd find a way to get rid of him, eventually.

I should of been watching her, taking care of her but no! I was being a jerk and trying to make her jealous.

I saw her on the cameras struggling. I had never ran so quick in my life. I wasn't going to let my baby be killed.

I pushed the door open roughly, running in to see a person in all black pushing her down into the water while she struggled and screamed although it was muffled by the water.

I dashed in, yanking the person off her and throwing him on the floor, punching him over and over again. It was his right hand man, Stefano. He was a little annoying prick too.

He was already dead, bleeding badly but I couldn't stop punching. How dare he touch my woman - try to kill her!

I only stopped once I noticed that Mia was slowly sinking into deeper into the water.

No, no, no, no, no!

I dived in, blood mixing with the chlorine water. With my eyes stinging, I grabbed her, pulling her up and put her on the pool patio, breathing heavily. My clothes were drenched but I didn't care about that at the moment.

My love was wet and wearing a black swim suit that showed off her curves but I wasn't thinking about that in that moment.

She wasn't breathing - or not breathing good enough. Her body was pale and she looked sick, colour drained from her face.

Hell no.

I started doing CPR, pressing my hands against her chest and pushing down. I tried holding her nose and breathing in her mouth but nothing was working.

"Please Mia! Please baby!" I kept saying, tears streaming down my face. I was panicking, there was no way she could die. There was still so much I had to say to her, so much we could of done. I began to regret every shitty thing I did to her.

"Oh my God, baby, please!" I exclaimed. Her pulse wasn't strong.

Prayer. Mia always said that if something wasn't working, you had to pray.

I wasn't religious like her but I was going to try anything at the moment. I started praying, trying my hardest to keep swear words out of my sentences.

"Dear Lord, please! I'm begging you! I can't live without her!"

That's when she suddenly jerked, coughing out water with her eyes still shut. She was coughing violently and I pulled her on my lap, her head on my chest. I was beaming, crying tears of joy. I kissed her forehead, then her cheeks. I couldn't even describe how happy I was feeling. My love was alive, that was all that mattered. Thank God!

"You prayed?" I heard her angelic voice murmur although her eyes were closed and she looked as though she was sleeping. I held her tight, rocking her slightly. "Y-yeah. ." I kissed her forehead, sighing. "Don't ever do that to me again, baby."

She chuckled softly but coughed again, shaking slightly from the cold. I leaned over and grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her, her eyes still shut.

"What were you even doing in here?" I asked, cautiously. She held onto me tightly, still shivering but less violently. "Swimming calms me. .I couldn't sleep." I sighed, holding her even tighter. "Who was that?" She asked, her voice distant. She sounded so tired and frightened.

I shook my head, kissing her forehead yet again. What do you expect? I almost lost the woman I loved. "You don't need to know, baby."

"I f-feel sick. ." She said, her voice shaky. "I'm scared," she admitted, fear in her voice. Tears streamed down her face even though her eyes were closed. "Don't cry, mia cara," I said, wiping her eyes whilst attempting to calm my breathing. I was still panicked.

"Why don't you open those eyelids so I can see those gorgeous eyes?" I asked while she shook her head, her hand holding a fistful of my shirt as she clung onto me even more. "I don't w-want to see a d-dead body. I'll vomit. You probably k-killed him."

She was correct.

"I love you," I abruptly told her, hoping for her to say it back. She froze before saying, "thank you for saving me."

-Mia-

He held me bridal style, leading me somewhere that I couldn't see because I still kept my eyes closed. I was scared as hell and couldn't stop shivering.

I was panicked and scared as hell. I couldn't get the horrible memory of the person shoving me into the water, squeezing my throat as I choked, screaming under the water. I was thrashing around, trying to keep awake and not drown, a burning sensation in my lungs fighting to breathe. Then all of a sudden I felt light as I drifted away into a dark abyss.

Who was this person? I didn't want to press on the question because I couldn't be bothered to get into an argument with him. He had saved me as well. I couldn't be more happy that he saved me. I didn't want to die, I still had a whole life ahead of me.

I was placed on a bed and I opened my stinging eyes to see him holding some clothes in his arms. I noticed his red eyes. "You cried for me?" I asked, a small smirk on my face. He blushed a little, "I told you; I love you."

I looked away as he handed me some clothes saying, "put these on, you're soaking wet." He left the room and I quickly stripped out my wet clothes and tossed them into the laundry bin in Vincenzo's en suite. I put on a grey large shirt which smelt like Vincenzo, and some loose, baby pink pyjama shorts that I was guessing belonged to Valentina.

I rubbed my hair with a towel, sighing before tossing it in the laundry bin. I was done and coincidentally Vincenzo walked it.

I sat on the edge of the bed, biting my lip. His eyes quickly gazed across my body, lingering at my chest for a moment probably because I didn't have my bra on.

I noticed that he changed as well. He had some stripy black and grey pyjama trousers and didn't have a shirt on. My eyes scanned his bare chest and I attempted not to drool at the beautiful sight.

He walked over, pulling the duvet over and gestured for me to go in. I hesitated before slipping under the covers as he went under the duvet next to me. I shivered, feeling awkward.

He wrapped his arm around my waist, holding me close against his chest. "I could go to my own bed. I'll be-"

"No."

I bit my lip. Okay then.

I exhaled before closing my eyes, his protective arms around me as I slept.

I awoke the next morning feeling cosy. My throat felt better and my chest no longer felt tight. I felt as though nothing happened the night before.

I tried my hardest not to think about what happened but I couldn't. Why was I targeted?

Vincenzo's arms were still wrapped around me, my back on his chest and his face in the crook of my neck. Our bodies were pressed against each other and I felt warm - a good warm. It was nice having this loving feeling but I knew it couldn't last forever.

I sighed quietly, enjoying the feeling for a while as he slept, the feeling of his chest rising against my back. I could feel his healthy heartbeat.

Luckily, he wasn't keeping a tight hold of me, that's how I knew he wasn't awake. I slipped out of his grasp carefully and covered him with the duvet properly so he was still warm.

He stirred a little before continuing to sleep peacefully. He looked calm. I ran my fingers through his soft hair. How could someone so good looking and loving be so ruthless?

At that moment in time he didn't look like a killer. Just a incredibly attractive guy who looked even cuter as he slept. He looked like a normal yet sexy person.

The sun was beginning to rise so I decided to quickly go back to the maid's house and get dressed. I tiptoed down the corridor, peeking through the crack of April's open door to see her snoozing with her body sprawled across the bed. Ariana and her brother seemed to be sleeping okay and Matteo was peacefully sleeping in a curled up position.

Val and Dante's door a tiny bit open but from where I could see, there were clothes scattered on the floor. They always slept together. I guess it was a good thing. It kept there relationship going good and maintained a good sex life. It made them happy, that was all that mattered.

I went into the maid's house and got ready before going back to Vincenzo's house to clean. I cleaned the house from top to bottom, leaving out the rooms with sleepy people. I checked the time and it seemed as though I had woken up at around five.

I then cooked a full English breakfast and going into Ariana's room and waking her and her older brother up. It took them a while to get out of bed but I bathed them both and then got them changed. I sent them downstairs to sit at the dining table and wait for their food whilst I sorted out April and Matteo. Once they were both done, I heard noises from Dante's room so I was guessing they were starting to wake up too.

Carrying Matteo, I led April downstairs where she sat next to Ariana and talk with her cousins. It wasn't a school day, so they were at home chilling for the day.

I gave them all breakfast and fed Matteo before allowing them to go in the living room and watch some television. I placed Matteo into his Moses basket and allowed him to watch the baby mobile spin and play nursery rhymes. He seemed occupied and happy.

After cleaning up after the children, I ate some fruit as I wasn't feeling too hungry and went to clean their rooms. Once that was sorted, I decided to go check on Vincenzo since he hadn't came down like he usually would.

I knocked on the door and there was no answer so I went in and he was still snoozing under the covers. I shook my head. Never an early riser.

Pulling the curtains open, the sun brightly shined through the window causing him to stir and turn on his side so he wasn't facing the window. I rolled my eyes, "time to wake up!"

He groaned, grabbing a pillow with his eyes shut and covering his head. "Fućk off," he grumbled, his voice husky. I wasn't offended. Like I said, he wasn't an early riser and didn't like being woken up by someone so early in the morning. It was around eight o'clock.

"Vin - boss," I corrected myself, "it's time to wake up. .unless you're sleeping in this Saturday?"

"I might just sleep in. ." He mumbled, almost to himself. He abruptly sat up, leaning against his headboard and looking at me with a weird look. "Why the hell are you up?"

Feeling awkward, I replied by saying, "I have to work, don't I?"

"No. You're supposed to be resting," he responded in a hard tone which made me feel even more awkward.

"Sir," I said politely as he rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry for the inappropriate behaviour yesterday-"

"Inappropriate?" He scoffed.

"-it won't happen again and I just want to resume my normal duties. Breakfast in bed?"

"Mia, can't we just. ." He sighed before shaking his head and looking away. I bit my lip, having a feeling of what he wanted to say. "I'm gonna take a shower. Come back in half an hour with some breakfast."

I nodded, leaving the room. Once I closed the door, I sighed, going downstairs to prepare his food. I checked on the children who seemed to be okay, laughing at a funny cartoon character on the television. I couldn't help but smile too. Matteo had fallen asleep so I tucked him in more into his blanket.

Half an hour passed quicker than I thought it would. I carried a tray with food and orange juice and knocked on the door. "Come in."

I walked in to see him putting on his shirt. Vincenzo sat on his bed and I passed him his food as he thanked me. "Enjoy your food," I said, about to leave when he said, "sit with me."
I bit my lip, hesitant. That's when I remembered the rules and regulations.

Must do all boss says.

I slipped off my shoes and sat beside him, keeping some distance between us. "Want some?" He asked but I shook my head, "not hungry, but thanks."

Why are you so polite, Mia?

I played with my hands but stopped when he said, "do you remember that time when I made you dinner but you turned out to be allergic to the food?" I chuckled automatically, remembering that time. It was an Italian soup that I couldn't quite remember. "My lips swelled so bad!" I said, laughing with him.

"Kim K lips gone wrong." I laughed, shaking my head. "Then you tried some and you turned out to be allergic too!" He laughed harder, causing me to as well. "God, to this day I still can't figure out where I went wrong."

I shook my head, smiling widely at he old memory. I sighed as he finished eating. He placed the tray on the side and gazed at me longingly. "Mia, what do I have to do to make it right?" I blinked at him. He sounded so pitiful, sad.

I wasn't even sure myself.

I shrugged, standing up and taking the tray before leaving the room to wash the dishes.

I opened a cupboard and found of bottle of alcohol.

It wouldn't hurt to have some. .

I stumbled back upstairs to ask him what he wanted me to do today but he stopped me by saying, "God, Mia." I furrowed my eyebrows as he lifted my chin and inspected my neck. "We're going to the hospital." I moved my head away and shook it. "No, I'm fine."

"It's not a choice, let's go."

I scoffed, "no. Stop making decisions for me. I'm not a child. I said I'm not going. I'm fine."

"Mia," he warned, taking my arm, trying to lead me out the room but I yanked it away, frustrated. "Are you drunk?"

"Why can't you just leave me alone? I'll go wherever the hell I want to go, I don't need you making me do stuff I don't want to because I certainly didn't give you the right," I ranted, feeling upset all of a sudden. I had no idea what was going on with me. I felt angry for some reason.

"W-"

"You can't tell me what to do, Vincenzo. You're acting like James!"

"Don't compare me to that son of a biîtch!" He snapped, getting angry too.

"I just did. Why don't you cry about it to one of your sluts?" I snapped back, not knowing why I was trying to pick a fight. My neck was bad, I knew. I saw it while I was getting ready but it didn't hurt. I understood that he was just trying to help me but he was pissing me off for some reason.

Maybe it was the alcohol.

How many glasses again? Two. No. .maybe three. .shît. .

"Oh," he scoffed, "so that's what this is all about. I thought you said we were over."

"We are," I said angrily, "but you don't need to rub it in my face. I get it, ok? How would you feel if I was making out with every one of your men whenever you were around?"

"Nothing because we aren't together."

I scoffed, "you and I both know that you were beat the hell out of them."

"Don't be so-"

"You know what," I said, feeling annoyed. "I can't be bothered with this. I don't even know why we're arguing." I turned and left the room, wondering why I was getting so worked up for no reason.

__

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