2. The Beast And His Beauty✔️

Small Talk

Days have passed since I left this room.

An old woman brings food in every day and makes sure I have everything I need.

She was sweet. Too sweet to be working with the mafia.

No matter what Valeria said. The mafia is the mafia. There can't be any good guys within it.

I was beginning to go stir crazy in this room.

The window was screwed shut and the door was locked from the outside.

"God, why am I here?", I moaned.

"Because for some reason people around here think your life is actually worth something."

I looked up to see Giovanni leaned against the door.

"But you don't?"

"No. You're an O'Donnelly. You're all worthless."

"I'm an McDowell.", I corrected him.

"Where does that name even come from?"

"It means dark stranger. I was left in an dark alley after I was born. When someone finally found me, I was so covered in mud and dirt. The only thing I had with me was a blanket that had 'Tamara' stitched in it. Apparently, the man who found me was an Anthroponomastic. He studies names and meanings. He said that it was an 'perfect fit'."

I saw a different emotion in Giovanni's eyes.

"They just abandoned you in an alley?"

I nodded.

"I'm fine, though. I don't think about it much."

"You're lying."

I cocked my head to the side and raised my eyebrow.

"You think about it. My family disowned me and I think about it every single day. You think about how you weren't enough. You think about how much of a disappointment you have to be that no one wanted you. It kills you that nobody cared enough to keep you."

I gasped as I fought back tears.

But it wasn't enough. Tears still managed to escape.

Giovanni's eyes widen.

"I-I'm sorry."

He looked as if those words were foreign to him.

"I didn't mean to upset you. I guess I'm used to talking to people like that."

I nodded.

"Why did your family disown you?"

"I'm Russian. My family was apart of one of the biggest Russian Mafias in the world. I didn't like what was going on, so I left. My family said I was an disgrace. A few months later, Tony found me. He actually saved me from being killed by my family. My father said if I wasn't going to be apart of our family legacy than there was no point in me being alive. When my family found out that I went over to the Italians, they were furious. They told me that they would never take me back and that I was dead to them. They said they would never forgive me and they never did."

He looked so hurt as he spoke. I felt bad for him.

I placed my hand on top of his hand that rested on his knee.

Giovanni looked up at me and our eyes met.

We stayed like that for a few seconds until he snatched his hand away.

He stood up and cleared his throat.

He left my room without saying a word.

I sat there, wondering about the broken man.