𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 ✍︎

46| 𝚂𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙳𝚊𝚢

I'm not even gonna try with naming locations.

Also, this chapter kinda sucks and I rlly don't like it. But...I wanna give y'all something. I might delete or edit this chapter later.

Ayla/Dove's POV
Age: 10
Location: Some Highway Near Some Mall, New York

"I still don't get how you managed to wake up Dante," Daniel tells me.

We're in the car with Dad, who's driving behind Mama's car.

Even though it's safe enough to leave the house, we're split into four different cars. There are also seven cars, all identical to each other, in front and behind us.

Daniel decided to take pity on me and my car seat and is sitting in the back with me.

Dad says that proves how much he loves me because Daniel will take any opportunity available to call shotgun.

"I woke him up by sitting on him and demanding that he wakes up," I respond proudly.

Daniel snorts. "I should try that one day."

I hear Dad sigh from the driver's seat. "Sometimes I think you're a really bad influence on your brothers."

I grin guiltily as I meet his eyes in the mirror.

I know I'm a bad influence on my brothers. Just yesterday I was discussing torture tactics with Lorenzo and prank ideas with Daniel.

It's pretty easy to influence the youngest four brothers, but Luca and Marcus will be hard to crack.

"So what are we getting at the mall?" I ask as we pull into the parking lot.

Our bodyguard cars also park in a pattern that surrounds my family's cars.

"We're getting gifts for each other," Daniel tells me. "Every year we all go out to the mall and try to buy gifts for each other without anyone else seeing it.

"It's a lot of fun, but it's total chaos."

"The chaos is the best part," Dad says with a wink as he helps me out of my car seat.

I grab Julia and hug her close, trying to squeeze all the warm air out of her.

There's a strong, icy wind that guides all of us into the mall quickly. It was snowing earlier, making the ground slippery.

Once we get inside the mall, with our gazillion bodyguards behind us, Mom and Dad announce the rules.

"No attacking each other. We don't need a 2015 episode again," Mama says sternly.

I look at the triplets, expecting them to laugh, but instead, everyone is looking at Marcus and Luca, who are trying to hide their laughter.

"You can spy on each other, but don't forget to get your own gifts. Today will be our only chance to get gifts that aren't online," Dad tells us.

"We all have five hours!" Mama takes out her phone and sets a timer. "Go!"

It was decided earlier that Luca would be my shopping partner today, and the two of us run off from the group. There are two bodyguards who rush to follow after us.

I now understand why the triplets love Christmas shopping. Mama and Dad turned it into a game.

"Where should we go first?" Luca asks me.

"Let's get Mama and Dad's presents first."

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Five presents later and the two of us are ready to collapse.