The Blossom of Rose

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♕ Rose ♕

"Luca," I call and push the door to his office open. My smile drops when I see him glaring at the desk and Brando deep in thought, fiddling with his chain.

"What happened?" I ask and both their attentions snap to me.

"I just got off the phone with Guiseppe Vitello," Luca says, pointing at the thing as if it was damned. That name sends an uncomfortable slither up my spine.

Vescovi, the Italian mafia government.

Everyone works for someone and Luca Armani works for them, no matter how much he despises it. They own everyone with an ounce of Italian blood in them. Luca, Dante, me, and now, our baby.

I met them once when they called me to come to see them after I ran away from here. Let's just say, I hope I never have to go back again.

They weren't happy that I'd left. And I figured it out when I returned that Giuseppe, the main one, got my father thrown in prison because he knew it'd lure me back.

I waddle up to the chair opposite him and carefully place myself on it. I've become very tentative with my actions because at night my entire body goes sore.

"I had a strange feeling about them being too quiet. It's been over a month since you announced our relationship and they haven't said a word till now," I announce, wiggling in the chair to get comfortable.

They're not entirely bad people, just political. What we do doesn't affect them unless their reputation is at stake and money threatens to be lost. Then, they step in as any government does.

"They waited to see what consequences arose from it," Luca rubs his taut jaw.

"You started a war with the French," Brando says.

"Well, I could guess how ecstatic they were about that," I take a sip from my cold water bottle, the berries in the filters easing my stomach cramps and the hot flush in my body.

The door that leads to the garden is open but it doesn't help that we're at the end of June in a very hot part of the country so it sends a hot draft. Thanks to Marcello growing in my tummy, my body temperature is higher and air con makes me feel sick.

"How have they not kicked you out?" I ask Luca, fanning myself with the paper fan.

"People fear me. Without me, they wouldn't have one of their strongest empires running the world. And they know that. That's why they can't afford to lose me," Luca declares with the utmost pride.

Ricky comes wandering in from the garden door, panting extremely heavy and collapses right by my feet with his tongue out. Brando immediately breaks out of his daze and runs to the opposite side of the room. I begin fanning Ricky too, in an attempt to cool him down.

The poor guy is covered in a coat of fur, he's probably as hot as me.

"They know you're living with me," Luca continues and I look to see the hesitation in his eyes, "and that you're carrying my baby."

The air is knocked from my lungs and I sip the ice-cold water. That's impossible. The only people who know about my pregnancy are those that I've told. I try to avoid unnecessary trips outside the house but when I do go, I make sure you can't see my baby bump.

"I told them that we've been in a secret relationship for the past year, ever since I saw you in Italy. They fell for it because the timeline adds up. Also, as this is my first relationship and they knew about how I swore off them, they accepted it because they think we're going to last," he explains further.