To Love in Full

Chapter 8: Nepenthe

Nepenthe (n.) Something that can make you forget grief or suffering.

Arabella's P.O.V.

"Good morning, Manuele," I finally replied while we stood by each other's side, watching Leone and Nicolo leave from our view.

"Please, just call me Manny," he smiled.

"Let me show you around our home," he offered, and I nodded before following with hesitance.

The estate was rich with beauty and exquisite architecture, but I despised every second that I stood under this roof. Although Manny had been nothing but softhearted, I still found myself to be frightened in his presence, a complete stranger of the mafia, and so, I complied with kind words and a fake smile, as that was all that I could do to survive.

"Have you eaten yet?" he asked once we entered a kitchen.

I shook my head and seated myself on a stool near the counter. I watched him carefully as he gathered a bowl of fruit and placed it in front of me, but it remained untouched as my mind wondered about an imprisoned friend.

"Can you take me to see Alexander?" I blurted.

"You know I cannot do that for you, Arabella. Nico's orders," he said with an apologetic smile.

"Is he still alive?" My voice came as a weak whisper.

"He is," Manny replied and I nodded.

I held my chin in my palm as he seated himself beside me and began to devour a bowl of his own. He was so nonchalant and unbothered, even during this hostage situation of mine, it was as if this was a normal occurrence for him. How could a man like him get caught up in a world like this?

"Why are you here? You are not like the other men," I asked and tilted my head as I observed more closely, trying to imagine him committing the same ruthless acts as Nicolo, but it was impossible.

"Some people are born into this life. Unlike Leone, Nico and I did not have the luxury to choose," he said as he pushed the bowl in front of me.

"Nico is not as bad as you think," he continued as he threw a grape into his mouth.

"I'm sorry, but, that's kind of hard to believe," I chuckled and looked down into my lap to hide a judgmental look.

"He's just trying to protect us by being cautious. Our families have had conflicts in the past, especially with Alexander. And, with Romano's men causing more trouble, Nico doesn't want to take any risks."

"Our families and Alexander..." I repeated his words under my breath while my gaze became curious.

"What do you mean by our families?" I asked.

"Nico is the don of the Mazzerelli Family. Seven years ago, his father had left him to be the leader of one of the most powerful mafias in the world, he was only twenty back then when he started," he explained.

"And, your family, the Aetos', is one of the few Greek mafias," he added, but I stared at him with a bewildered look across my face.

"My family? I--I don't have a family, they're gone," I said softly and shook my head while observing his change of expression, which only showed of shock.

"What?" he breathed out.

I could only stare at him in confusion as no words came to mind, but he put on a smile to break the silence between us, and cleared his throat to carry on.

"My apologies, Arabella. Your surname must be really common then, will you excuse me," he chuckled nervously while standing from his seat and dismissing himself from the kitchen as he reached from his phone.