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LEONARDO

Her tiny, warm body was snuggled into my chest. It always shocked me how much she had grown from a newborn. My hand slowly went up and down her small back as she continued to drift off to sleep, soft snores coming from her and resounding against my body.

Amalia was a good child. I still found myself marvelling at how amazing my daughter was. She never failed to bring me happiness. That day she had been fully entertained and drained from all of her fun.

I lifted my head above the mess of fluffy curls on her head to be able to see my mother coming into the living room, holding a knitted bag filled with what seemed to be food.

"Mama, we don't need this. I can cook for myself," I quietly reassured her, hoping Amalia wouldn't wake up. It took ages just to get her to fall asleep after the excitement of seeing me again. I would have to leave her soon and the thought of disappointing her made me feel bad so I made sure she slept before I left.

My mother frowned at me, tutting to see if I dared to object again. I couldn't resist anymore as I knew she would begin her tedious lectures. She placed the bag on the small table and made her way slowly to the chair where she sat down comfortably.

My mother got married young, too young and had me not too long afterwards thus her appearance was still youthful. She took care of herself, the woman cooked fresh food everyday; she hated using ready made or canned food and exercised regularly. She was even bringing Amalia to join her on her daily jog in the morning.

My mother was a lot happier at that point in her life. It was nice to see her finally live for herself and not for others, away from restraints. She owned her house and had her own job, she decided on what she wanted to for her future and lived exactly how she desired. I felt proud seeing my mother make something of herself after all she had been through.

She was wearing her usual long, beige dress with a simple cardigan and tights. I had to say, she looked refreshed and beautiful with her hair down and wearing some makeup after being in the market earlier that day.

She smiled at the sight of her granddaughter snoozing on me. "Un bambina così bella, hai creato un angelo, figlio mio (such a beautiful baby, you created an angel, my son)." I held back from rolling my eyes at the cheesiness of her words. She absolutely adored Amalia and loved taking care of her. I was glad my daughter had such a positive role model in her life, better than I could have been.

"You saw her earlier, Mama. If anything she's the opposite."

Once again, she gave me a glare, tutting at my words. "Non il mio piccolo tesoro, gli manca solo suo padre {not my little darling, she just misses her dad}." I continued to rub her back, holding the child a little tighter at the thought of leaving again.

"It must be hard for her. . ." I practically whispered, gazing down at the sleeping infant. My heart sunk at the sight of her. "I'm always leaving. .she will hate me when she's older." Madre shook her head, giving me an earnest gaze.

"Do not say that, Leonardo, she loves you."

I sighed again, hating how emotional I was beginning to sound. The last thing my mother needed was trauma dumping after all she had been through.

"You did not choose things to be this way. If anything, it is my fault." My eyes immediately snapped up to her. She looked down and frowned as she folded the baby's clothes, shaking her head at herself. "I couldn't protect you. ."

I clenched my jaw, annoyed that she would think that. "Don't go there, madre. I've told you before-"

"Okay, okay, okay," she gently interrupted, not wanting to hear my own lectures. I calmed down at the sound of her calm voice. She smiled a little at me, "I won't." Slowly, she continued to make piles out of the clothes. I held back from reminding her that she was a victim and none of that was happening to me was her fault. I was just too weak to handle the past.

"Have you been talking with your doctor, mio?" She questioned, wanting to hear an update. Her eyes looked at me tentatively and I struggled to formulate a lie in my head.

"No. ."

Once again, she gave me a hard look. "Leonardo, I tell you and tell you and you do not listen. You are too old for me to be pulling you by the ear - do not push me, because I will, don't think I am joking," she ranted, her Italian accent laced through her words. I was at the age where my mother's threats shouldn't scare me and yet I could never shake the feeling of slight fear whenever she did. The woman could be pretty scary.

"Yes, madre, I will go, don't worry." That was an easier lie. The truth was I hadn't been in a few months and even my doctor was chasing after me. She narrowed her eyebrows at me, scanning my face before being satisfied that it was true and went back to folding her clothes. "The sooner you get better, the sooner you can be with Amalia." I glanced down at my daughter again. Undeniably, she was right. The only way I could be with her again would be by fixing myself; she couldn't stay with my mother forever.

"You have your new woman now, who you haven't even introduced me to, as well and she can help you with Amalia." Maria flashed into my mind, I recounted when she was alone taking care of Amalia at home, the endearing moment they had at bedtime where they looked like a true mother and daughter. She took care of my daughter quite well, better than I expected.

I then had to remind myself that none of that was even possible; the marriage would be temporary and we would soon be going back to our separate lives once everything was sorted.

I registered that my mother was still grumbling about not seeing Maria yet.
"-next thing is, I won't even get an invite to the wedding, or even see my next grand child being born. These children give me headaches - I don't know why they are like this, so ungrateful-" I didn't want her to get her hopes up into believing Maria and I were actually a thing which is why she hadn't met her again yet, otherwise she'd be beginning to ask when the next child was coming.

"-she has grown into a beautiful young lady and I can't even see her-"

She always preferred Maria over Elisa. My mother made that obvious when Elisa was around. The only good thing that came from Elisa was Amalia, her only grand child.

"-but I am glad that you have a new woman, Amalia will need that in her life. You know, she will have a good female figure in her life-"

"You are the female figure in her life," I pointed out which earned me a scowl again. She looked like a child whenever she scowled. "Shush while your mother is speaking, insolent. As I was saying," I chuckled at her sudden harshness and allowed her to continue.

"You must appreciate her and value her - women loved to be treasured, my boy. More importantly, loved to be cherished in bed-"

My eyes widened at her sudden twist of words. "Mamma-"

"Men always think it is just them who need to be satisfied - but they forget," she pointed her finger in the air, chuckling at her own words. "Women have needs too which is why-"

The thought of being with Maria intimately suddenly crossed my mind. Lifting her body up, ripping apart her tight leotard, opening those long legs - I had to stop myself from thinking too deeply. I felt ashamed of myself and felt the heart rising to my cheeks.

"Oh, please stop, mamma, Amalia and I don't need to hear this-"

"Everything your mother says is useful and true, you ungrateful child. Now listen, it's about the way you do it-"

"Oh, God," I muttered, trying to block out her unnecessary words. I stood abruptly which stopped her rambles. It was my cue to leave. She did chat a lot of nonsense. Slowly, I handed the sleeping child to my mother, quickly feeling cold at the loss of contact with her. Amalia curled in her grandmothers arms, her small, chunky hands clutching onto my mother's dress as she slept.

I would miss her. It was difficult parting with her, much easier when she was asleep though. Everyday I had to force myself to stop thinking and worrying about her; I couldn't be distracted.

"You cannot escape now - I haven't even finished explaining your life skills, mio." Picking up my coat and putting on, I simply replied, "I'm sure I am educated enough in that area, mamma. Look at what's on your lap." She gave me her usual side eye and adjusted Amalia in her arms, kissing her forehead.

"I am surprised she's even here, you are as stiff as a rock. Your fiancée will have a hard time with you."

It was my turn to give her a small glare which earned me a swear from my mother. She wasn't afraid of talking about such things; privacy and secrecy had no place in my mother's household.

I picked up the bag that was filled with containers carrying various Italian dishes and walked over to my mother, placing a kiss on her temple.

"Thank you, mamma. I will visit you soon."

"Be safe, Leonardo. Do not forget what I have told you."

As I drove away, I contemplated on my mother's words again. Yes, they were utterly useless but I was seeing some parts of use in them.

First of all, I definitely needed to book another appointment with my doctor. He was someone who I could freely trauma dump to. He supplied me the drugs and gave me some words of advice. It was a simpler way to keep my mother happy. She wanted to know that I had at least someone to talk to since I always refused to open up to her. She didn't need my baggage.

I also needed to be more proactive in taking care of my mental health in order to have Amalia living in the same roof as me. My mother loved being with her, but she also encouraged me to get better to she can be the one visiting her grand daughter. It was like that for the first few weeks of Amalia's life before things got too out of control for me.

The thought of Amalia living with me was bittersweet; yes, I was desperate to become a better father for her but at the same time, I questioned how I would manage and the safety of her staring with me. I did have my protection, but it wouldn't be easy to raise a child with such a lifestyle. I would have to change for her which I would be willing do.

My mind then drifted to Maria. Unintentionally, my hand tightened its grip onto the steering wheel as I thought more about her.

"You hurt my feelings the other day."

I sighed, my chest feeling uncomfortably heavy as I ran my hand through my hair, driving with one hand on the wheel.

That morning, she woke up early as usual and quickly had some yogurt before leaving the house. I could her movements from the office, hoping she would come in and strangely, felt disappointed that she hadn't seen me and peeked in on me working as she normally would before leaving.

I could feel it, I could feel myself slipping, falling into her heart. The evening with the Lemaires made it worse. It wasn't easy trying to reject her, it hurt to be away from her. I was constantly thinking about the woman throughout the day, worrying about her. Only she could have such an effect on me. I would have to stop myself before it was too late for me to escape from her love.

When I reached the old warehouse, the men were already stood outside in an orderly fashion wearing the familiar dark suits. Slamming the car door shut, I approached the entrance as they bowed in respect for their boss. I nodded at Marco who was exiting the place and lowered his head in reverence.

My eyes landed on Vincenzo who came out, taking a whiff of his cigarette, grinning at the sight of me. I glared as usual in return. "Where is he?" I asked authoritatively, noticing the splatters of blood on his collar.

"Inside. His wife's there too."

Lowering my eyebrows in anger, I snapped, "you weren't supposed to bring her, you fucking-" Exhaling in frustration, I didn't even bother to continue wasting my breath on him and didn't let him attempt to speak. If there was one person I couldn't have patience for, it was Vincenzo. Moving past him, walking through the doors that the two men opened, my loud footsteps echoed through the abandoned building.

I watched as the two, wrapped with ropes across their torso, scuffle around the floor, recognising my presence. The men surrounding them bowed, as I glanced in their direction.

I looked at the man first. "Diego, I thought we discussed this issue the last time we met like this," I began in a low, cold voice. Anger was pouring in me as I stared at the trembling bastard. He was shivering in his thin vest and boxers, the ropes were already slicing his skin, allowing the blood to smear across him. Judging by the bruises, Vincenzo had already had his boxing session of the night.

"B-Boss. ." He seemed shocked at the sight of me. I didn't usually make such appearances. "- I swear, I was just following orders-"

"Orders from the wrong fucking people, Diego. You're fucking with the Russians?" I chuckled dryly as rage welled up in my chest. With a simple glance from me, Braga handed me the knife with a respectful head tilt. It glistened under the grand lights above us. I held onto the metal and examined it, admiring its art. He trembled more at the sight, tears already forming in his eyes. Pathetic.

"N-No. .I-I - You have understand, don Armani - he was threatening me-"

"I have to understand you?" I repeated incredulously, my lips curling as I bit back my anger. I grabbed the mess of hair on his head, pulling him closer to me as I leaned down to see if he dared continue, my face was fuming. He yelped ridiculously, his panicked eyes darting between me and the knife that was slowly getting closer to his face. Then he started his useless excuses.

"N-No! No, don! You don't - I j-just meant he was gonna kill me, don! I just followed what they said to protect my family."

I heard his wife beginning to weep quietly, she was slumped on the floor, her eyes on the ground as she avoided contact.

"Benitta, why don't you tell me the truth about your fucking husband?"

She sniffed, shaking as her eyes slowly rose and met mine. Quivering, she shakily answered me, "h-he's lying, don." Her head dropped down meekly as she struggled meet my gaze. Her husband glared at her in rage.

"You bitch-"

With one hand, I sliced his cheek by swiftly running the knife across his face, from the temple to his chin causing him to exclaim in pain, the blood dripping from him fast. I shot him a death stare for insulting his wife and interrupting her then focused my attention back onto her after shutting him up.

"Continue."

"He's a selfish man, don," she added tearfully, her eyes shooting daggers at him as he kept his eyes on the floor, learning his lesson as he kept his mouth shut, tears rolling down his cheeks. The woman held back a sob as she croaked, "he did this for the money. Not for us."

One thing I definitely despised was moles. My organisation was tight and ran by a code passed down for years. What goes on in my mafia, stays within my mafia. The news of the mole that was working for the Russians had pissed me off to the point that I needed to be involved.

Upon finding out that it was Diego, the man who was supposed to be in charge of the shipments, I knew that night would be the day he would die. It wasn't the first time he was questioned for his connections. What made it worse was that he tried to bring down the rest of his family which was something I could see through.

The man would die alone and pay for his sins. It would be an example to the rest of fuckers who thought they could cross me.

"Was my pay not enough for you, Diego?" I questioned in a dark tone, beginning to twirl the knife in my hand as I debated on how to use it. Roughly, I shoved him backwards, he cried out as his back slammed against the floor before pushing the blade against his neck, his eyes filled with terror as he began his splutters of pleading.

"Braga, release her. She doesn't need to see how her husband's life ends."

I left the place holding a crimson stained towel after wiping the blood of the bastard off my hands. It was a messy end to the evening. I handed it over to one of the guys as Marco got into the car with me, saying there was something important he had to tell me.

"Dancer Daphne White was found in the parking lot of a hospital, earlier this evening," he told me. I furrowed my eyebrows at the news as we reached a red light. Glancing over at him, he continued, "the medics picked her up but it was said that her head had serious trauma, bleeding all over the place. I was told she's in a coma, needing some surgery."

Pressing the accelerator, I felt the wrath beginning to fill me once again. "That creep is still at it," I muttered, clenching my jaw as I gripped the wheel tighter. "What about CCTV?"

Marco sighed, shaking his head at the situation. "Loads of the cameras in the parking lot aren't working. I've got some men trying to figure out how she got there." I nodded, "this will give us some leads on who the hell tried to take her, good work. Send some men to surround the place, the fucker might be someone who would come back for his victim. In the mean time, analyse the CCTV and pinpoint how she got there. When she wakes up, we'll have a bigger picture on the situation."

"Si, don." Marco was a reliable man. I knew it wouldn't take him long to find me some leads on the dancer. My mind drifted to Maria was I questioned how she would react to the news. As though Marco could read my mind, he asked, "should I be telling your fiancée?" Marco would be seeing her that evening since I had papers I needed him to pick up. I didn't answer for a moment, contemplating on whether or not this would be a good time to tell her. I didn't want the risk of hurting her feelings again. "Tell her, she'll find out eventually."

"How's your mother?" I cautiously asked him. It had been a while since I heard news about her. He sighed, shrugging as he looked out the window. I knew he was struggling inside. "They say she's getting better again, but that was the same thing last time. She doesn't feel any greater, the chemo is killing her." Marco was a family man, he loved his bedridden mother but it was getting clearer that soon it would be the end of the road for her journey. I wasn't the best person to give comfort but I said, "stay strong, capo," and that was how we left it.

When we reached my home, immediately my ears were filled with invigorating classical music. It was something I was starting to get used to whilst living with Maria. It was a key indicator that she was home.

As I took off my shoes by the entrance, the sound of her euphoric, melodious voice angelically singing a harmony in tune with the music got louder the closer I reached the lounge.

And there she was, twirling on her tiptoes across the floor with her arms raised in the way as she gracefully completed pirouettes with a cute smile on her face. Bear was laid on his belly watching peacefully as her audience. She looked refreshed with her hair still wrapped beneath her damp white towel and a translucent face mask stuck on her.

Maria was wearing checkered shorts with a matching top, exposing those slim legs of hers. Her top lifted slightly as she danced, her thin, toned stomach peeking out. The woman was cherubic and seraphic, looking as light as a feather whilst she moved gracefully, singing sweetly along to Bach's orchestral suite. Clearly an angel was in my house.

"Wow," Marco blurted out beside me, his eyes widening at the sight of the celestial ballerina. I realised the two of us were stood gaping at her, and she stopped moving, landing on her two feet flat. Her voice trailed off at the sound of us, her mesmerising eyes filled with surprise at our presence. They ran across my body, expanding slightly at the sight of the blood stains on my shirt. She quickly met my eyes again, masking the shock on her face.

"You're home," she was perplexed, her voice sounding a little restrained as she could barely move her mouth from the mask. She smiled as a greeting to Marco. Her fingers touched the mask and underneath, her eyebrows creased as though she had just realised she was still wearing it. She looked attractive, extremely attractive despite the mask. I had to stop myself from running my eyes across her body for the millionth time.

I nodded and quickly looked away from her, making my way into the office with Marco in tow. I needed my heart to stop beating so hard. The more I stared at her, the quicker it seemed to get. If I stayed in the room, I probably would've had a heart attack right there and then.

He shut the door behind us and with a chuckle commented, "I've never seen you so whipped, don."

"Shut up and take these documents."

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~ Author's Note ~

Leonardo's POV!

It's nice seeing the humane side of him that comes out with his family.

I find Leonardo's mother quite funny, do you?

Amalia and Leonardo's relationship has been shown more and he still feels some guilt for not being able to live with her.
As the story goes on, it's nice to see how Leonardo does get better.

Another girl, Daphne White has been taken, how will Maria react?

Was Leonardo coming home to see Maria dancing a beginning of another spark between the two of them?

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