Family First | *Rewrites in Progress*

doggielover15

Quinn's POV

I had always envied the other mafia families. 

Especially the Heart family.

Whilst the press showcased their obvious familial love for one another, and Thomas Heart's doting of his children, I was left in a broken family.

A distant father who could not care less about me, a mafia that had fallen to me after my father was unseen unfit by his underboss, a dead mother whom I had missed dearly for two years, and a sister whose body had never been recovered. 

And just to top it all off, I was now on the run, after Vince Borle had decided to resurface on the grounds of the old French mafia, still believing my father to be in charge of the English mafia. With nothing more than a letter from him stating he had booked me a one-way flight to Australia of all places, I had run away in the night, with a new high school to attend, a new passport, only with my friend and his little sister by my side.

I had not realised the school I had been placed in would also be home to the Heart family, and had been quite surprised when Jacob Heart had right hooked me square in the jaw.

But I had been more pleasantly surprised when Thomas' cherished eldest daughter, Anastasia, had leant over and helped me up, with the softest hands I had ever felt. It was obvious she had no idea who I was, and her kindness was most definitely a trait from her mother, who the mafia world practically adored, but there was something in her deep blue eyes that had hooked in.

I could not get those baby blue eyes out of my goddamn mind. 

Those mesmerising eyes were matched with a kind heart and soul, and I wished only to know more about her, trying to find the courage to follow her on insta or get Rod to find me her number just so I could talk to her.

But I could not form any attachments to her.

I could not risk her heart just for the sake of building a relationship, because her father and mine were not allies. Her brothers would much rather die than allow for someone like me to claim her heart, and they would go down with guns blazing if I even took a step towards her.

I had already fucked up my own family, there was no need to fuck up hers.

She was an angel, a rose, and she did not need a thorn in her side.

But that didn't mean I could stop being selfish.

I knew it was selfish to search up her instagram and press request. I knew it was selfish to type 'hey' in the middle of the night. I knew it was selfish to even think about her body tucked into mine. 

"Hey, loverboy, enough brooding about that princess. Gabby's decided to take it upon herself to cook tonight," my best friend, Rod said, motioning towards his thirteen-year-old sister who was plating up albondigas, concentrating hard to place every utensil. 

Rod and Gabby originally hailed from Spain, before they had moved to England when Gabby was a baby. Their parents had been avid drug users, and Rod had managed to slip out of Spain in the middle of the night with his sister, before arriving in England, collapsing on the doorstep of my mother's bookshop. 

She had taken them in, and since then, Rod had grown to become like a brother to me, and Gabby had been best friends with my younger sister Aurora until that day two years ago, when my life had been torn to pieces.

"Sit, sit!" Gabby rushed us, pulling out our chairs for us in advance. "Abuela gave me this recipe the last time I saw her, and I really hope it tastes good."

Gabby and Rod's abuela, Elicia, had reconnected with them around three years ago, after both of their parents had passed away from an overdose. She had told them that she did not know they had existed up until then, and Rod had been slightly uneasy, but a quick blood test had proved that Elicia really was their grandmother, and so Gabby and Rod now visited her in Spain every few months. 

"So, Quinn, who's this princess Rodrigo keeps on talking about?" Gabby asked with a chirp as we ate. I glared at Rod, who just ate with a grin, clearly amused at me. 

"She's no one, Gabs, just a girl I met," I said, hoping that the conversation would die. But Gabriella Gonzalez was one to not take no for an answer, and she clambered onto the table, stopping when her face was inches from mine.

"You like her," she deducted, booping my nose with hers. I crinkled my nose up, but she continued to stare at my eyes.

"Don't be silly, Gabs. She's a Heart, I could never like her," I said, gritting my teeth. Gabby's eyes widened, before she whipped out her phone, scrolling through Instagram. 

I never remembered Rod or I saying she could have that.

"You mean Anastasia?! Or Hazel? Although, if you like Hazel, that's kind of illegal, hermano,"  she said, raising her eyebrow awaiting my answer. I rolled my eyes, done with the conversation, but Gabby grabbed my arm, staring me dead in the eyes.

"Anastasia has so many fan accounts on Instagram, you would be practically thrown into stardom if you got with her," she stated, scrolling through said fan accounts. "She is beautiful though, I approve."

"Gabriella, that is enough. Quinn clearly needs to sort his head out and not make a stupid decision that could cost him his life before thinking about getting involved with Anastasia. She's a Heart, remember? They come from the Cuore Rosso mafia," he explained, placing his hands on her shoulders. She looked up at him before nodding, climbing back off of the table.

"I still think you two would be good together. Even if her dad is the leader of the strongest mafia in the world and her brothers would kill you. Just... don't forget about her, okay? I have this feeling you two would benefit from one another," she whispered, taking her bowl to the sink to rinse it out. 

I turned to Rod, who shrugged his shoulders, before taking out my phone, noticing Anastasia had opened my instagram message. A little bubble popped up from her side, and I raised my eyebrow, hoping that her brothers and father had not seen my little message.

From: Anastasia Rose Heart

uh, hi? do I know you?

Of course she wouldn't, my bloody instagram handle was something about dogs, thanks to my little sister. I hadn't had the heart to change it back after she had gone missing, and looking up at it brought a tear to my eye.

From: doggielover15

No, sorry. I must have the wrong person

I couldn't do it.