Tainted Faith

Twenty One: Ventuno [edited 07/04/21]

The restaurant in the D'Onofrio Hotel was just as sophisticated as she expected. Small pillar candles sat in the centre of their table, and hung from the ceiling were vines of large blooming white flowers and fairy lights. The dim lighting, quiet atmosphere and beautiful décor made it easy to understand how the hotel had made a name for itself amongst the rich and famous, even if such dark rumours followed the owners.

From the moment they'd arrived, Liliana hadn't seen any empty tables. Each table was spaced out, providing more than enough privacy for all the diners. Their table tonight, was more secluded than the rest. Tucked away in a far corner, Liliana was relieved to be away from prying eyes.

They'd been noticed almost immediately upon their arrival, people no doubt recognising Marcello. It was clear that Marcello had put more effort into his image tonight than usual; perhaps aware that they would garner so much attention.

His hair had been styled into a tousled perfection, and his dark suit was tailored to his body, highlighting enough of his athletic build that Liliana had had a hard time looking away from him. As with everywhere Liliana went, guards had escorted them inside and now stood nearby to keep any unwanted guests away. That smug smirk - that Liliana hated so much - was curved at his lips and as Marcello gestured for one of his guards to murmur something in his ear, Liliana noted the numerous thick gold rings that adorned his hands. He looked every bit the feared Mafia Boss, playing into the role of rich and alluring business owner with a sordid reputation.

Marcello sat across from her at the table as they waited in silence for whomever it was that they were to dine with. Liliana didn't dare look away from him, not as so many people watched them, while Marcello's attention was focussed on the rest of the restaurant intently. When his eyes finally met hers, the corners of his lips lifted into yet another irritating smirk.

Liliana did her best to force a demure smile on her mouth, watching her husband with none of the contempt she usually felt for him. Which was hard work when Marcello seemed to only take pleasure from this, his eyes bright and laughing.

"I thought we were meeting business partners of yours," she drawled, eyeing the two empty places at their table. It had been more than ten minutes of waiting. Liliana couldn't believe someone would be so stupid as the publicly leave Marcello waiting. It was good Marcello had insisted on sitting across from her while they waited.

"We were supposed to." Mercello checked his watched and the entrance of the restaurant once more. His expression hardened, and his voice became gruff as he murmured, "They won't be making this mistake again."

Liliana shivered at his tone. There was no misunderstanding his tone. To disrespect a Mafia Boss was to taunt death itself.

He raised his hand barely above the table and already Liliana could see the waitress that seated them rushing to their side. Her uniform was the standard black trousers and white blouse, her hair was tied up in a tight pony tail above her head and her makeup remained simple and not too distracting. Mercello ran a very professional looking establishment from what Liliana had gathered so far.

"It's just the two of us for tonight," he informed the waitress once she was by his side and she immediately began to clear the other half of the table. "We'll have the bottle of wine I set aside and two of my usual." The waitress nodded before hurrying off.

"I'm not legal," Liliana stated, frowning. Marcello, her usually quite stoic husband, rolled his eyes.

"I own the damn place," he scoffed. "Didn't you drink in Italy? It was legal there."

"I didn't drink myself stupid like every other teenager, despite my Federico and Gavino's persuasive attempts, if that's what you're asking," Liliana laughed dryly, shaking her head. "I would have a drink with my meals or at family gatherings, but that's it."