The Abandoned Mafia Princess

Painful Memories

Sante helped Clara to get to the living room where they could calmly discuss what happened. He was a little overwhelmed. He had no idea today will be the day when he will meet his little sister again. After 17 years. She was a grown woman now and he barely recognized her at the first glance. But the longer he looked at him the more he saw the little girl that used to bother him a lot when they were living together.

Right now tears started streaming down her cheeks and he didn't know how to stop it. But he truly wanted to.

"Sorella" Sante started gently.

"Stop with sorella bullshit I haven't seen you for years!" she said, her voice choking with tears. She was staring at the fireplace crackling warmly, the flickering flames reflected in her glassy blue eyes. Sante's eyes were also blue but the hair color he inherited after their mother – it was dark brown shade.

"Father forbade me from contacting you" Sante tried to explain. "He can be difficult. Things have to always be his way. But I am very sorry I wasn't able to be there for you"

"It doesn't matter. I didn't need you anyway" she said and regretted it the moment she saw the pain in his eyes. "I am sorry, I shouldn't have said that"

Sante used the occasion that the maid was passing by the room "Mary, bring tea for us please. Unless you prefer something stronger?" the question he directed to Clara who shook her head wordlessly.

"Of course, signore" the maid responded and left the room quickly.

Meanwhile, Sante sat down next to her on the sofa and sighed. "It's okay. I understand your anger, believe me. I do. I was... am pissed off too. Because of everything that happened. I wasn't expecting to see you here today. What shit is our father trying to pull off this time?" Sante asked in a gloomy voice, then he thanked the maid for bringing the drinks and cookies.

"He wants me to get married," Clara said in a dead voice. She still couldn't believe it. She reached for the cookie, thankful the maid brought the food unprompted, and started nibbling on it to focus on something other than this sick situation. Meanwhile, Sante remained silent so Clara had to ask "You don't seem surprised, you knew it would happen"

"Father allowed our mother to take you with her because he had no idea how to raise little girls so he believed you're better off without him-" Sante started speaking but Clara interrupted him.

"He was right" she grumped out. For most of her life, she spent feeling the heavy burden of what she understood was her father's rejection of her.

Sante continued speaking "Nevertheless... it's not the same as disowning you. He never did and as a daughter of our family head you have to be married to someone from another family like ours"

"So this is the value I have in his eyes?" Clara started speaking with bitterness. Tears appeared in her eyes again "You're not inviting girls to your secret boys' club, I can't take over the company or inherit the fortune so in my father's eyes I was useless till now. Until I could have been married off to someone"

"Clara, it's more complicated than that but I am not defending him. The way he's approaching things is wrong and you shouldn't be forced" Sante said, the pain was clear in his voice.

"So tell him that!" Clara yelled with frustration.

"Things don't work like that with father. I can't just tell him to change his mind"

"I am not ready for marriage for fuck's sake!" she stood up abruptly and started pacing around the room.

"Who you are supposed to marry?" he asked.