The life of a Mafia princess

• f i f t e e n •

Santino PoV:

"What did she tell you?" I ask my younger brother. Elena throws a glare in his direction and I curiously look between them. Surely she didn't tell him anything in secret. It is Ivano after all.

"Why she tried to run this morning. Oh and did you notice her wet hair?" Ivano asks me and I sigh. I'm glad that she told someone but it shouldn't go like this.

"Yes, I did. What happened?" I ask my sister but she doesn't reply. Instead she keeps on glaring at Ivano while throwing her school bag on the floor together with the hoodie she quickly takes off. Once the things are on the floor, she kicks of her shoes, making sure to hit Ivano's shin.

"You promised not to tell anyone!" Elena yells at Ivano before running up to her room.

"Ungrateful brat." Ivano screams after her and rolls his eyes. I shoot him a disappointed look, which he notices right away.

"What? You all wanted to know what her problem is and I found out. You should be grateful." He scoffs.

"I am Ivano, but she obviously doesn't want us to know. You shouldn't betray her trust like that."

"Betray her trust? I didn't tell you anything yet. If her trust is so important to you, I'll gladly keep what she told me to myself. Wouldn't want her to start hating you too, huh?" My younger brother cockily asks me and it takes everything I have in me not to throw a punch in his face right now.

Partly because he's such an obnoxious man and partly because he's right about what he's saying. I, of course, don't want Elena to lose what little trust she has regarding myself or possibly any of my brothers, but I also can't let her suffer in silence.

"What did she tell you?" I sigh and walk towards the living room, Ivano following me.

"She told me why she was crying this morning." He tells me and ungracefully let's himself fall on the couch next to me.

"And she cried because?" I ask him, annoyed. He definitely knows how to get on my nerves with his half answers.

"She misses her mother. And she's worried because she thinks she doesn't fit into our family. She thinks you only took her in because you felt bad for her that she had nowhere else to go. She also mentioned that she has nightmares, she didn't tell me about what though." Ivano tells me but just as I am about to think him for telling me, he adds an afterthought that makes me want to rip head off, again, "I don't understand what her problem is though, because her assumptions about us are all correct.".

"Ivano! I did not take her in out of pity. She is a part of our family. She always has been and always will be. You'd do well to start remembering that."

He rolls his eyes at me and before I can stop myself, I slap him across the face.

What happened to the boy that thought that the whole world should fall at Elena's feet?

Ivano seethes at me and tries to hit me back but I stop him by grabbing his wrists before his hand can get to close to my face.

I wouldn't want it to become physical between me and my brother with Elena in the house. There's always time for this when she's not here.

"She's nothing, Santino. Just a little brat that can do nothing but cause problems."

"She doesn't cause any problems, Ivano."

"I thought you saw her wet clothes and hair?" He smirks at me.

"Do you know something about that?"