Protecting The Principessa (Complete)

~ Chapter 49 ~

"I'll explain why when you answer the question." She was dreading that, but she wouldn't back out.

"Cesare and I go back to my school days, end of high school actually." Izzy tilted her head as she looked at him. She was aware that her father's family was murdered when he was young, she was going to guess while in college, at least.

"Did he go to college with you?"

"Yes, he did."

"Was he around when your family was murdered?" Carlo's eyes just bore into hers, but she didn't flinch.

"Yes and no." Carlo sighed but stopped as the food was placed before them, though she had no appetite anymore. "I met your mother a year before that happened, did she tell you?" Ignazia could only shake her head at her father's question. Other than they loved each other very much, Izzy didn't know a whole lot about her parents coming together. "I was in my first year of college when I literally ran into the brown-eyed beauty that was your mother. She was so soft-spoken, and it melted my rather loud voice."

"That never changed about her," Izzy muttered, pushing the food around on her plate.

"I wouldn't think it did, it was such a part about her." Carlo trailed off and Izzy watched him. She might have questioned a lot of things after her trip to New York, but she knew this man loved her mother. "I was the youngest in a mafia family, the eyes of the other men would never look upon me to lead, but don't mistake the fact that I knew how to lead if I needed to. My father was strong in the sense that he wanted his sons to know in case anything ever happened. But we all assumed, with three older brothers, nothing could possibly happen, and I wouldn't have to worry.

"Not that it was wise for me to fall for a Mexican girl, but my father was happy I fell in love and wasn't forced into something. But more and more time was spent with that woman, and I so badly wanted to ask for her hand. I couldn't explain why but I didn't tell a lot of people about her. Those that were most important, of course, but my friends, like Cesare, no, I never spoke of her. However, he knew I had someone because I spent a lot of time with her and avoided a lot of parties and dances. Spending time with your mother was the most important thing to me. And I couldn't have been happier the day you were born. Your grandfather was there too, bet you didn't know that." She swallowed the lump in her throat and shook her head. This was all information she didn't know, hadn't heard about it, and wasn't sure she could ever have asked her mom, even if she wanted to.

"Mom never mentioned it."

"Not sure why, it wasn't a secret, not like that. Anyway, your grandfather was beside himself with pleasure over having a gorgeous granddaughter, laughed at his other sons for not giving him any grandbabies yet." Carlo paused and reached for his glass. She glanced down at his plate and noticed that his food hadn't been touched either. "Three months after you were born, my family was murdered. I knew they were going to come after me so I did the only thing I could do to protect your mother and yourself, I sent you away."

"How...," Izzy licked her lips, feeling her throat constrict at the pain she heard in his voice. She was an only child, but she couldn't imagine losing the pain of your siblings, along with your father. "How were they killed?"

"Bomb. The guys were getting ready to head to a meeting and you were sick, not that I would have gone with them anyway. But what's funny, I wasn't in the public eye a lot, a lot of people didn't know I was his son, or even thought of me because I was always away at school. My father wanted one of his sons to amount to something outside of the mafia. However, there was a fifth man in the car, a friend of theirs, and they assumed it was me. Until I was able to take over, that is. But once I moved you guys, all attacks on me stopped."