Art of the Ladydick: The Donna's Love

1. 🌶️🌶️🌶️

v o t e + c o m m e n t

It was late in the evening as many Italian citizens were winding down for the remainder of the day. Not Niko and Giada, of course; these two have always been thicker than thieves. At the tender ages of twelve, they have been joint at the hip since the days of their births. Niko was the only son of the ruthless Italian Don Alessio Jilani and his Donna Esme Russo. Moreover, the Juliani family was the only voice that mattered in the Italian mafia and was the most feared.

Giada was also the daughter of Italian mobster Luca Montalti and Giovanna Colombo. Not only were they just as infamous as the Jilani's, but they were the closest to them as well. Luca and Alessio have been allies and best friends since their teenage years, and their wives being college mates made everything much easier for them all, especially once both couples were blessed with their children.

They were all happy to know that their only children were as close as they were, thanks to them. Niko had other close friends, but he never felt the way he did whenever he was around Giada. Their parents always knew of Niko's crush on Giada, but poor Giada never realized it. When it came to Giada's mother, she heard her daughter be overly vocal about only seeing Niko as her best friend and that she genuinely had a crush on his other best friend, Giovanni. Though her mother never believed Giada.

Due to the war among them with the Russians, Alessio and Luca thought it would have been best to send Giovanna and Giada away to America to ensure their safety. Of course, Giada cried days on end, begging her parents not to send her away, wanting nothing more than to stay with Niko through it all.

Today was Giada's last day in Italy with Niko, and they decided to spend the day in his mother's rose gardens watching the Italian sunset in the skies. "Niky!" Giada giggled, pushing his fingers away from her sides, ceasing him from tickling her anymore.

Niko intertwined their fingers as they laid together on their back on the grass, taking in what they never knew to be their last moments together for years. "Scappiamoci," Niko said, turning his head to the side to look at Giada.

Translation: Let us run away,

"We cannot, Niky," Giada said gloomily, turning her head to look at him.

"No one would ever notice if we did," Niko said,

"Tu sarai il Don d'Italia Niky, certo che lo faranno." Giada giggled; she knew that Niko was afraid of never returning, but Giada knew she would return. Her father assured her of this many times, and she decided to take his word for it.

Translation: You are to be Don of Italia Niky, sure they will.

"I do not want to be the Don," Niko confesses to Giada, "my father has to do horrible things in order to be the Don." Niko was a sweet and gentle soul who could not even stand to watch his father bludgeon a known traitor to their family. He was only twelve, and his father needed him to be able to build a backbone. Alessio needed his son to be strong, intelligent, and relentless like he was. His son was soon to take his place as Don, and Niko was far from ready to Alessio. Alessio hoped that since Giada, though he loved her like she was his own, was going away to America, it would be the perfect time to get Niko in shape physically and mentally to take his place.