Mafia's Princess(Under Editing)

Chapter 5

Alessandro Romano

Me and the rest of my family were lounging around the living room, enjoying our usual family time.

Vincenzo and Leo were deep in conversation about work-related matters. Dante was chatting with his mum about new recipes—he had clearly inherited his chef skills from her. Fabio and Riccardo, the twins, sat in a corner, bickering about their favorite car racers.

Federico and Niccolò weren't home yet.

Watching the room alive with activity, a pang of longing hit me. I missed our baby girl—especially today, on her birthday. I smiled sadly, watching them all.

Alessia noticed my gaze and gently placed a hand on my arm. She looked around at our sons and back at me.

"You okay, caro?" she asked. (Darling)

I sighed. "I'm okay, amore... just missing our baby girl." (Love)

"I know, tesoro, me too... me too," she replied softly.(sweetheart)

Just then, the twins entered the living room, looking disheveled and gloomy. Alessia's eyes widened with worry.

"Oh caro, what's wrong?" she asked, rushing toward them. (dear)

Everyone paused, giving the twins their full attention.

They sank onto the sofas, avoiding eye contact. "Nothing, Mom... just tired," they muttered. But it was obvious they were lying— Alessia saw it too.

"I know you're lying. Tell me what's wrong," she said softly, sitting beside them.

Federico straightened and looked at her. "Mom... you know today we saw a girl at university..."

"A girl?" Alessia encouraged, concerned.

A matter of a girl?

"Yes," Federico continued, voice tight. "It was like we were in a dream... She looked exactly like Vincenzo. Same face, same features—like they could be twins."

Vincenzo perked up, curiosity flickering in his cold eyes.

"But..." Federico hesitated, swallowing hard. "Her eyes... they were different. Hazel, not grey like ours. And for a moment... we thought that maybe she... that she..."

"That she's our baby sister," Niccolò finished quietly.

The room fell silent. Shock rooted us in our spots.

"What..." Alessia whispered.

"Yes, Mom... that was our reaction too," Niccolò said, finally. "But when we asked for her name, she said it was Laura Haynes. The disappointment we felt..." His voice trailed off.

Alessia gasped. "Oh Sandro... what if that is our baby girl? She could be alive, just using a different name..." She sobbed quietly.

I hugged her sideways. "Mio amore... the possibility of a different name is reasonable. But they said her eyes were hazel, and our baby girl had grey eyes, just like the rest of us." (My love)

"Dad," Dante spoke up, his voice tinged with hope, "when I said my heart felt like our baby girl is alive... what if... what if she really is?"

"It won't hurt to check her records," I said after a moment of thought.

Leo immediately stood and fetched his laptop. Deep down, I knew all our sons were desperate to have their baby sister back. If she was alive, it would be a blessing.

He returned, opened the laptop, and seated himself.

"Okay, Laura Haynes, right?" Leo asked, typing. "She's the prestigious scholarship winner this year... easy enough to find her in the university database."

After a few tense moments, he looked up, disappointment on his face. "There's no Laura Haynes among the scholarship winners."

"I knew she was lying..." Niccolò muttered.

"Look for the student who won the scholarship this year... that's the one. We'll find her name," I said.

Leo nodded and returned to the search.

Minutes passed in silence as we all watched him. Then he gasped, eyes wide.

"What is it, figlio?" Alessia asked anxiously. (Son)

"Mamma... there's a reason the twins are reacting this way," he said, scanning the screen. "She lied about her name. Her name is..." He paused, swallowing. "...Anastasia Rose."

Alessia gasped. The rest of us were frozen in disbelief.

"Her parents are unknown, listed as deceased. She was marked an orphan. Her guardian passed away a year and a half ago. She's from South Korea... and her date of birth is 17th October—which is today. She's nineteen." Leo finished, staring blankly at the wall.

Too many coincidences. Too many similarities. How could this be real?

Alessia's tears flowed freely. "What if she really is our daughter... oh Alessandro, it would be a miracle."

"Show me the picture, Leo," I said. He handed me the laptop, and Alessia and I examined it. She gasped again.

"She looks just like Vincenzo... except for the eyes. Too similar... and her name, her birthday... it all matches. She could really be our daughter. And the rumour of her dying might be a lie.. just a rumour."

Dante whispered, hope lingering in his tone. "Maybe something's wrong with her eyes... maybe she lied about her name. What if she's already figured out the twins are her brothers too?"

Vincenzo's voice held a softened edge as he looked at the photo. "She really does look like me."

"There's only one way to find out," I said, determined. "We'll bring her here and let her open up to us... Non forzarla però. We'll discover the truth soon." (Don't force her though)

I closed my eyes for a moment, praying silently. Please... let her be our daughter.

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