𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 |✔

|Chapter 19|

|Betrothed|

Valentina POV

"No, I am already out of it", Ruby said, her voice was quiet like always but she had a smoothness to it that was just so relaxing. I could listen to her talk forever. When we were younger she used to read books to me. Sometimes after our training and sometimes after our missions; when I was too exhausted to read myself. Having fought against multiple grown men and women; trying to find the information that was needed. Sometimes I ran through half a city to get away from people that were after me; in one night. That was usually when we were assigned to kill someone. But Ruby never needed to do such things. Of course, she had her fair share of kills but she usually stayed somewhere else, gudying me and other assassins through warehouses or clubs to find our goal or targets. She was one of the more innocent assassins out there and I'd do everything for that to stay that way.

"What do you mean you're already out of it?", Francesco sounded confused. I had observed my brothers over the past two days after our conversation. We hadn't talked about the topic anymore; not about The Élite nor about the betrothed thing. It was setting them on edge. They wanted to know more but since our relatives were going to leave soon we had decided to talk more after everyone was gone and enjoy the rest of our time together. Though everyone had been pretty tense -except our younger cousins because they didn't know about anything.

"She means that she doesn't have to marry Louis Badeaux anymore. Shortly after we found out about this, John had a meeting with Badeaux. They aren't betrothed anymore", I explained. It was true. Louis Badeaux had known about the arranged marriage between him and Ruby. But he was already in love with his now fiancée.

"And what about Rodriguez? I heard he isn't really the guy to take it lightly if someone breaks their promise."

"Right. John wanted to meet with him, even before he was going to meet Badeaux. But as soon as he heard about the topic that John wanted to talk about, the meeting was over. And after John dealt with the contract about Ruby and Badeaux, he tried to make another meeting with Rodriguez but Rodriguez declined the meeting. And a month after that, John was murdered and Rubs and I were sent here", I explained. John was a good stepfather. He never yelled at us, disrespected us, abused us in any kind of way and didn't try to replace our father and force us to call him dad. Though I knew he was the cause of us being sent to boarding school, I never hated him. He was kind and everything that our father could have never been.

My brothers cursed out. They knew that they probably wouldn't be able to coax Rodriguez into breaking the contract.

"Don't worry. What should happen? I am a queen; a goddess. He can't hurt me", I said, standing up from the armchair I had been sitting in for the last three hours and making my way to the stairs. Leaving my brothers behind me, I walked up, then down the hallway until I reached my room and entered it. I sat down in my chair -at my desk- and took out some of my school books to finish the rest of my homework. Maybe I should start doing my homework directly after school so I'd be done with the hassle for the rest of the weekend -especially on fridays. Just as I finished my English homework someone knocked on my door. I invited whoever it was in and turned around to face them after I heard the door close.

"Antonio?" To say I wasn't surprised to see him would be a lie. Out of all of my family, Antonio was one of the persons I least expected. I expected it to be Enzo or even Cesco. It couldn't have been Ruby, she knocked very differently from the way my brothers knocked -though I have to say that some of them don't knock at all. Instead they always barge in. With that I mean Francesco.

"I wanted to apologize. It wasn't right of me to behave like that and insult you. I was just jealous because... because I thought that you and Ruby took mom from me. But at the same time I was angry at mom for taking my little sisters from me, especially you. I don't think you remember, but we used to be really close. You had a lot of anger in you; for a four year old, I mean", as he finished talking, he stared on the ground and started biting his lower lip. I noticed that he did that a lot when he was nervous or upset.

"I used to be jealous too. Not only because you grew up with Rocco but because Amelia loved you so much more than she loved us; me. Later, when I had found out what a person Rocco really was, I wasn't jealous anymore. At least not because you grew up with him and I didn't. But I used to be jealous even after Amelia died", I replied. I hadn't just been jealous. It had hurt more than I was ever going to admit. And at some point I had even asked myself what I had done wrong that both my parents hated me so much. Until I got to the conclusion that it wasn't me or any of my other siblings fault that we had such fucked up parents.

"So... is everything ok between us?"

"Sure! Now get out, I have to finish my homework", I answered. Turning back around to continue with my work.

"Alright." I heard the door open and waited for it to close, but didn't hear it. I only heard his footsteps fading. I turned around to see my door wide open and no Antonio.

"Antonio Romano! You better turn around and come back here to close that damn door or I swear ti ucciderò! E nessuno troverà il tuo corpo. (I'll kill you! And no one will find your body.)", I yelled after him. He didn't respond and didn't come back. Instead he started laughing and, judging on the sound of his feet touching the floor, he was running. I jumped out of my chair and ran after him. Shortly before he reached the staircase, I reached him and jumped to keep him from escaping. Unfortunately he couldn't hold his balance and fell forward. Down the stairs. With me. On his back. We both started cursing each other out, very loudly might I add -maybe it was even screaming- whilst we fell down the stairs. Because of our screaming our other siblings came running towards us and stood in shock as we both landed in front of their feet.

"Ahhh! You fucking asshole", I groaned, not getting up from the ground nor looking at him. I stayed where I was, laying on the ground and staring at the ceiling.

"That was all your fault you Bitch", he responded, not getting up either. Only when we heard loud laughter did we both move our heads to see our siblings standing there and laughing their asses off. Can't really blame them; would've done the same. Both, Antonio and I, looked at each other and started laughing too. Though we both were in pain we got up and went to the living room. If we're already downstairs why not watch a film?

To be continued...