Mafia Princess

Chapter One Hundred

Twilight...not mine (sigh).

Chapter 100 (I'm switching to numbers...sorry).

Sad to say that Bella won the wager. I needed to shave since I was looking kind of like a mountain man and well, shaving with a broken knuckle wasn't easy. After sixty-one minutes, I plopped down next to her. She held up her phone showing a timer. Gleefully, she chirped, "You lose! I win! I wonder what I can buy you next!" I rolled my eyes but accepted my loss gallantly. She kissed me stupid before dragging me out of the hotel room.

We checked out of the hotel. Emmett was heading out with Jessica and Mike as we were leaving. Bella told her what Angie had said. Jessica, completely and totally pissed off, stomped off to Angie's room and presumably told her what for. Emmett expected our departure, hugging Bella and shaking my hand.

It hurt. Damn finger.

We got into the sleek, black Ferrari that Bella had rented for us and sped off northeast toward Venice. After we stopped for lunch, we switched spots and I took over driving the car. Bella was snickering as she looked at her phone. "Jessica ripped into Angie."

"What did Jessica say?" I asked as I put my hand on Bella's bare thigh.

"This is a quote from Jessica's text," Bella began. "'I told Angie to grow up and that her actions were disgraceful towards me, Edward, and our family. Yes, we live the life of the mafia-elite, but we're human, too. If what had happened to Bella happened to you, you would have crumbled and sobbed. Bella stood her own and is stronger than all of us combined. Your immature and bitchy behavior are shameful. Bella has every right to feel the way that she did. Life is not about where the next sale is or where the next party is located. Grow. Up.'"

"Wow," I sighed. "She really laid into her."

"Not to mention she told my dad," Bella blushed.

"Who?"

"Jessica told my dad about what happened at the club and Angie's subsequent bratty behavior. He turned into overprotective dad figure on Angie, saying that Aunt Renee and Angie's mom, my Aunt Char, my mom's sister, would be disappointed in her actions. He called them back to Sorrento," Bella explained.

"Even us?"

"No. My father understood our need to get out of the city," she replied, threading her fingers with mine.

"Okay, random question," I began, kissing her knuckles, "Why aren't you close with your Aunt Char or Emmett's mom?"

"They hated my mother for some strange reason. As a result, their hatred of my mother transferred to me," she sighed. Leaning her head on the window, she gazed out over the Italian countryside. "Okay the truth is that they hated my mother because they knew that my parents' marriage wasn't normal. They both had affairs. My dad slept with Aunt Char and Aunt Marie. She's Emmett's mom. My mom, I think, slept with Uncle Peter and fooled around with Uncle John. In their eyes, my mom was the wanton whore who couldn't keep her claws to herself."

"It takes two to tango," I said.

"No one is innocent in the whole incestuous little love polygon," Bella snorted. "However, despite our parents' mutual dislike for each other, Jessica, Angie and I became friends. Emmett became a valued member of my dad's team. Though, that was due in part to his paternity."

"Emmett is your half-brother."

"Right. It is an unwritten rule that we don't acknowledge it any way. I'd rather it be that way," she shrugged. "Despite the fact that my family is a bit on the unconventional side, we do love each other. My guess was that Angie probably wanted to distract me or something, but when I said no, she didn't understand, really."

"You're lucky you have such a close family, Little One," I said quietly, missing my adoptive parents. "You have people who love you, unconditionally."

"I know that Emmett and Charlie respect you and in their own way, love you," she murmured. She turned to look out the window. She wanted to say it. The way she was gripping her shorts, she wanted to say that she loved me and I wanted to say it back. With a quiet sigh, she glanced back at me. "We all do. Some of us love you more than others."

She had said it, in her own convoluted, backwards way.

"I love your family, as well, Little One. Though, there are others that I love more than Emmett and Charlie," I replied, kissing her knuckles.

"Really?"

"Uncle Cenzo is the shit!" I snickered.

"You suck, Edward," she giggled but I think she got what I was trying to say. I hoped so.

A/N: Pictures for next chapter are going to be up on blog. Thanks to Lauren from my Facebook Group (Tufano79's Twilight Fanfiction Appreciation) for the suggestion of the hotel where they're staying. It's so iconically Italian and romantic. Anyhow, link for my blog is on my profile, along with the link to tumblr. I'm just saying in Bella's swath of chapters, we will have some lemony goodness. Which means longer chapters and pervy pictures on tumblr. Leave me some lovin!

-O'Q