Bloody City: Temptations

Chapter Forty Seven

Pulling back into the driveway I took the bag that held Aria's gift, along with a bouquet of flowers I'd collected before leaving Genoa.

Rounding the driveway I slowed and backed up into the parking space. Climbing from the car I walked across the lot and up the wide back steps before walking into the house and began my search for her but because of the size of the house it was nearly impossible.

When I was unable to find her in either the living room or her art studio I went to my office and set up how everything would be and as a result I left the key to the drawer on the desk before I decided I'd check one more place before calling to find out where she was.

Walking upstairs I passed the other bedrooms in the hallway before getting to the main bedroom where I found Aria standing on the balcony of the bedroom.

"You know you don't need to sneak into our bedroom," I say and she jumps before spinning around to face me.

"I know," she says softly, and I once more missed the strength she would speak to me with.

"I have something for you in the office," I say and she nods before following after me through the house until we were both where we started nearly four months ago. I wasn't even certain she'd accept what I'd gotten her but I needed to try out of a last act of prayer that her and I could have a normal marriage rather then the typical arranged marriages.

"The flowers are pretty," she says gently touching the petals of the roses I'd bought her.

"They reminded me of you, and I hope you enjoy them, this house can smell like something other then my designer cologne," I say watching Aria smile slightly for the first time in several weeks as she lifted the rose out of the vase I'd put them in.

"Alessio, thank you," she says meeting my eyes and for the first time today I was genuinely happy to be staring into her hazel eyes.

"The box too," I say and she looked down at it before opening it and taking out the short message I'd made with it.

I didn't get nervous often, wasn't the type to cave under pressure, but apprehension to know the reaction of the woman I loved more then anything else was a completely different scenario. Aria was more to me then she could imagine, and I had done everything to be sure it wasn't Stockholm Syndrome that bound her and I. My consolation came when she lifted the necklace from the box and held it up to her neck.

"It's stunning, I love it," she says.

"That card says, whenever you may feel alone, know I will always be there with you, and that when you wear this I hope it reminds you that you are the other part of my heart," I say catching another fleeting smile.

"Thank you for the necklace and flowers," she says catching sight of the key and looking up to me. "What's that for?".

"The drawer, you should open it," I sat standing and crossing the room before making myself a heavily diluted glass of brandy before watching as Aria knelt down in front of the drawer I'd told her was empty and put the key in it.

"What's in here?" she asks looking up to me.

"Just open the drawer," I say barely above a whisper before sipping from the glass and watching as she pulled it open and landed on the numerous neatly folded envelopes.

"There are one hundred and ten letters in there," I say walking over to where she knelt and got down on my knees beside her.

"Why..." she trails off flipping one of them over and staring at her name that I'd written neatly on each and every one.

"I wrote you a letter for everyday that you've lived in this house. I planned to write them until our wedding day," I explain and she turned to me before reaching to the bottom of my leg and taking the knife I kept there and opening the envelope she held.

"I might be here for a while to read all of these," Aria admits and I nod.

"I can't lose you, I know letters, flowers, and a necklace don't atone for my sins but the one thing I can't go without is you," I say opening the door and downing the rest of my drink at the same time.

"You won't lose me Alessio, and I knew who I would marry, I just didn't expect such an aggressive response to someone breaking into your house".

"Anyone who enters this home and touches my wife will find themselves dead. It's disrespectful and goes against the traditions to touch another Made Man's woman in this Familia. That also goes for men, a woman could kill another woman for touching the man she was to marry or be married too," I state.

"Does that mean I can threaten the women that look at you?" she asks quirkiness an eyebrow.

"Yes, you may, but everyone knows I am yours and you are mine," I add before leaving the room to let her read through the letters I'd written her and being glad I'd pre-written the last few because of the extra time from this incident and would give her the last one on our wedding day as her gift from me.

Walking out of the office I walked through the house until I got to the top floor of the house and made my way to the main living room veranda balcony that I hadn't ever used. This room was cleaned constantly but never really used. It was also late November in Italy and I thought this may be a good year to use the expansive room as a main hall for the Christmas tree of friends and Family. However I needed to focus on getting the wedding planned, and everything organized.

Continued through the house I got to a conference room in my house which I had asked to be left since the house was technically a headquarters I'd had renovated not the other way around.

Sitting down in one of the chairs I began to make a list of the things for the wedding and began to call around to make sure they were under control and going to happen on time.

I also knew there would be certain people that were extremely high profile there but I wasn't quite willing to risk a controversy when the world already had many around anyone of power.

This wedding had also made its public knowledge debut and I was going to have to make sure as few outlets actually let the story expanded because in the end people were going to learn where it happened, I just couldn't have it happen before the wedding or things weren't going to go how I hoped they would.

My family already had a bloody event, we don't need a bloody fucking wedding.

And it was for that reason that I called someone who was an expert at getting information to remain completely unknown.

"Hello, I need my wedding info to not be leaked to the public until after the new year. Can you do that for me?".

"Of course I can, for the right price," a posh accepted voice says.

"How does a quarter million sound?" I say and an amused hum sounded from the other end.

"Accepted," the voice says before the call ended and I knew that as much as it had cost me I wouldn't regret having so many people that worked for me, least of all him.


So the wedding is covered, or is it. Also next chapter is a date chapter so I hope you all enjoy it. Comment,vote, and share. Anyways

Peace✌️