Love is Patience

Chapter thirty one

Adrian's POV

Blood.
It's just some red liquid flows in all of us. From a young age, blood was a familiar sight to me, not a source of fear or revulsion. It was woven into the fabric of my childhood, a constant reminder of the world I was born into. Our mansion in Sicily was more than just a home; it was a fortress, a battleground in the ongoing struggle for power and dominance among the criminal underworld.

I'll never forget the night when the Polish mafia, our father's rivals, launched their brazen attack. Midnight descended like a shroud as they descended upon us with a small army in tow. In the chaos and darkness, my mother, and siblings huddled together in the secret room, seeking refuge from the storm of violence that raged outside. My mother's tears mingled with the tension in the air as she pleaded for my father's safety.

But I was different. While fear may have gripped others, I was consumed by a different emotion: rage. I had been raised in the shadow of our family's power, taught to honor and protect our own above all else.
I crept from the safety of our hiding place, drawn to the fray like a moth to flame. Peering down from the upper floors, I watched as our soldiers clashed with the invaders in a deadly dance of bullets and blades. My father, a towering figure bathed in blood and fury, fought with a ferocity that bordered on madness. He was wounded, but still he fought on, a testament to the strength and resilience of our family.

I was twelve at that time, didn't knew how to operate a gun. It was Nonno's  instructions that he would personally teach me to operate a gun and other weapon when I would turn sixteen but not before that. So I just saw the blood war. I bore witness to the brutal spectacle unfolding before me, something inside shifted. Far from being repulsed or horrified by the sight of bloodshed, I felt a strange sense of clarity and purpose. This was our world, our way of life, and I embraced it fully, without reservation or regret. I will protect my family with whatever it takes.

As I ascended to the throne, my first order of business was to assert our dominance over the Polish mafia, to send a clear message that we were not to be trifled with. We struck at noon, under the unforgiving glare of the sun, a stark contrast to their cowardly tactics under the cover of darkness.

I personally oversaw the interrogation of their leader, subjecting him to months of torment for his treachery. Their attempt to undermine the Italian mafia by striking at the heart of our organization had failed miserably. In the end, it was I who ended his life, feeling the warmth of his blood on my hands and relishing in the satisfaction of victory.

But despite my outward bravado and unwavering resolve, something had changed within me. The events of the previous night had shaken me to my core in a way I could not fully comprehend. The sight of Rose, in her own blood, had stirred emotions within me that I had long thought buried.

For the first time in my life, I felt a tremor of uncertainty course through me, my hands betraying me with a slight quiver.
Throughout the night, I remained vigilant, watching over her as she slept soundly in my arms. Pecking her forehead from time to time, checking her pulse or caressing her hair. I had a weird restlessness. I couldn't bear the idea of anything happening to her, of her being exposed to the darkness that lurked within my world. In those quiet moments, I found myself wrestling with conflicting emotions, torn between the desire to protect her and the guilt of keeping her in the dark.

But ultimately, I knew that I would do whatever it took to shield her from harm, even if it meant concealing the truth from her. She was mine to protect, my light in a world consumed by darkness.

Sitting in my office, puffing out a cigar and a shipment contract file in front of me but my mind is betraying me by going again and again to the sleeping beauty next door. Doc was right, it's almost lunch and she is sleeping like a log. Tony's call break my distracting thoughts.
"Brother, you were fucking right!!"
"About?"
"There is a mole in the security. I have my guy behind him."
"Good, but don't pick him up right now, wait till he meet up somebody."
A soft knock on my door takes my attention from the call, a face peeks from the small gap, Rose. She's awake.
"Brother!?"
"Yeah, what?" She is in the same shirt from the last night she changed. Hair open, swollen eyes and lazy movements.
"I said we can pick him up on the port today at night."
She walks closer to the me and frowns slightly by the seeing the cigar in my hand.
"Hold on." I stub out the cigar in the ash tray by which a small smile takes shape on her lips.
"Brother?"
Standing in front of my parted legs she sits sideways on it folding her legs on my other thigh and resting her head on my chest, snuggling to me and releasing a content sigh.
"Brother, are with someone!?"
I hold her waist to keep her on place.
"I am." I finally reply to him, but hearing her slow breaths I know she has fallen asleep again.
"Don't do this with Rose, she doesn't deserve this."
His voice becomes serious. I know everybody in the house has become protective of her knowing that she is not from this world.
"I am with Rosa, at the mansion."
"What!? Beth didn't told me anything? Traitor!!"
I chuckle.
"I am joining in the evening!!"
"No-" he cut the fucking call. I pinch the bridge of nose.