Several days passed without much interaction between Aria and I. She would make food and coffee; but any actual conversation, had long disappeared. I hated it, hated that in that time I'd watched her go to sleep in her original room, and many times when she had thought I was asleep, she would return to our bedroom and then stop halfway across the room before leaving as quietly as she could.
I hated it, the constant spiral and I couldn't tell if it was up or down half the time. I wasn't even a positive person, and often saw the worst because I'd always expected it and never been disappointed because of it.
Other marriages had crumbled for similar reasons, women weren't often told or exposed to the realities of Mob life and the fact that Aria had and still she followed her head more then her heart was a shock to me. I'd heard of the suicides, the addiction issues and the way that many men had gained power. For women it was a little different, it had led to the term power whore being coined, for members of opposite sex to the heirarchal system of Cosa Nostra.
Their was women who had become Dona's of their own territories, many had become Regional Underbosses for me but still even though everyone earned their position in my Familia not a single time had I heard the term be used towards any of my made women; I wasn't foolish enough to believe it didn't happen, many people had been shot for using it to those more powerful then them.
This city would have another bloody incident if someone called Aria that.
Letting out a sigh as I stared at the cold spot on the side of the bed Aria typically took up I walked into the closet and got dressed in black chinos a grey button up and walked out of the closet before selecting pointed boots and slipped the end of my pants over them. I then styled my hair and walked downstairs to the kitchen where Aria stood wrapped in that damn black kimono, and looking like a fucking angel, one sent here to taunt me for my sins.
"Good morning beautiful," I say as I had for the past few days without any luck of getting a response.
"Morning," she offers as a practical mercy, but she wasn't looking at me, the bacon in front of her was this mornings interest.
"I'm going to get a suit fitting done for our wedding," I say watching her as she slid a mug of coffee to me and I accepted the mug sipping it slowly as I eyed her.
"Okay," she says glancing to me and I could see the bags under her eyes that she'd tried to hide behind makeup.
Was she not sleeping.
Unable to help myself I stood and rounded the counter taking a new wash cloth and dampened it before walking to her and carefully wiping the area under her eyes revealing the faintly purple colouration of fatigue.
"Arianna," I breathe taking a step back as if I were stung.
"Don't worry about it," she says snappily, while looking away from me and the white cloth that was stained olive tan.
Folding the cloth I set it down behind the faucet and downed my coffee before leaving the kitchen, knowing if I stayed it would either turn into us bickering, something I despised about how we started; or we would end up doing something fueled only by emotion and no logic which wouldn't get either of us anywhere. I needed to think about this all critically.
Taking the key for my G63 I left the house and walked around the home to the garage. Entering the showroom like space I slid into the SUV and left the house heading towards Genoa so I could have my suit made and ready by the time the wedding was upon us.
Getting to Genoa I slowed to a stop outside of a bespoke suit shop and parked the car before heading inside to try and find a suit I liked.
Passing the rows of fabric I found that I couldn't focus on the type of fabric I wanted, what the stitching should be, how loose I wanted the suit in areas and what kind of colour I wished for it to be. Hours of measuring and cutting of fabric while making adjustments rolled on until the tailor was done and told me that he would contact me once my suit was completed.
As I walked out I thought of something that might gain me the ability to at least talk to Aria for what she saw and make it right.
Getting back into my car I drove off down the street towards one of the jewelry stores that I knew she shopped at.
I hated that I'd done something to hurt her, and then by sheer force of will was she still polite to me, that made a man question the things he committed himself too.
Parking again I let myself wander through the store without much purpose while I found things to gift her. I knew Arianna wouldn't want anything over the top so I had to limit myself but a necklace with triangular cut diamonds and wrapped in smaller ones spaced along the first half of a white gold chain caught my eye and I immediately bought it before even glancing at the price tag, I didn't care, if I liked it, and I believed Aria would I was going to buy it without pause.
Walking across the room I set it down and quickly paid for the necklace while it was gift wrapped and handed over though I didn't miss the looks I got as if all of these people recognized who I was.
It wouldn't matter hadn't mattered, hadn't even bothered me until now but not I noticed how much intensity I got. People knew me, knew that the Salvatorini Family was scraping by just fifty years ago and somehow we'd gone from dock workers to our own company that I was almost never really spotted going into. They knew I was the boss of a crime family, enough people had been shot, disappeared, tied to chairs and thrown in rivers, and had never been questioned because anyone who had died for long enough. They knew and that fear choked me instead of making me feel untouchable.
Leaving the store I unlocked the Mercedes and slid back in before locking the doors while thinking about what I'd say before I remembered the drawer in my office I didn't want her to open, and had remained locked like my heart for years before her. Before all the smiles, before the promises, before I looked at her and saw more then just someone I would need to care for. Aria had became such an essential part of my day and as the days mounted I realized that she'd made her way into my home, into my mind, into my intentions, and into my heart. All things that would get a Mafia Boss killed but I knew there was only one way I'd go out, and it wouldn't happen any time soon.
This took me too bloody long but that's also because of work and Christmas, and planning the next book and I got a project on the side and I have had numerous dinners and events recently. Comment,vote and share. Anyways
Peace✌️
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Bloody City: Temptations
Romance{Book #1 of The Bloody City Series} Alessio Salvatorini was the Don of the Salvatorini Familia And a man that no one crossed from his cruel reputation alone, but when war is on the rise he ends up being convinced to take the hand of Arianna Valentin...
