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Chapter 18

** REBEL SIMMONS POV **

I walked into the closet and threw on a pair of black jeans and a long sleeve white shirt. I threw on a pair of socks, and glanced at the clock - 7:50PM. I finished making my lock pick contraption out of a bobby pin and paperclip, and made my way to the door. It was a simple door lock, and I opened the door within seconds. I opened a desk drawer, and hid the contraption underneath an empty folder.

The Vino estate was bigger than I thought. The mansion was modern, the light grey wooden floors were pristine. The ceilings were at least 20ft high, and bright LED lights adorn the walls. The enticing aroma of garlic and spices hit my senses, and I followed the smell and commotion down another hallway. Eventually, I made my way to a set of stairs. The air was filled with conversations accompanied by the sound of utensils clinking. I walked down and was immediately hugged by Gigi.

"Oh, Rebel, I'm so glad you could join us. Dante said you weren't feeling too well, I was starting to get worried." She said as she held me at arms length and examined me.

"How thoughtful of Dante to let you know that." I said slowly, hiding the sarcasm in my voice.

That bastard.

"I'm feeling much better now." I said. Telling Gigi what he did would be too easy. I'd rather him be anxiety ridden with anticipation as to when and if I was going to disclose to his intimidating aunt that he locked me in my room.

"Glad to hear that honey. Please, come sit. We're just waiting on a few more people." She said as she led me into a dining room. The dining room was modern, much like the rest of the house. The light grey floors glowed underneath an expensive and intricate chandelier. The dining table was long with eight plush grey chairs surrounding it. The table itself was just as elegant, the grey and white marble design brought to life with the white plates resting upon it. The familiar family crest decorated a large portion of the wall behind the dining table.

"So this is the Rebel I've heard so much about!" A middle aged woman exclaimed as she rushed over to me, her ashy brown bob bouncing with every step. She was absolutely stunning. She was wearing a dark red sweater, and blue jeans. She was slender and petite, standing at about 5'3. She has a pointy slender nose, and a perfect facial structure. I could tell immediately that this was Mrs. Vino. Angelo and her shared many similarities, but Dante inherited her full lips. Her brown eyes sparkled with life as she pulled me into a tight hug.

"Gigi has told me so much about you over the years!" She exclaimed as she released me from her clasp.

"All good things I hope." I said as I smiled slightly. There was something about her that lit up a room. Her smile was enormous, displaying her perfectly straight pearly whites.

"Oh, of course dear. I'm Florence Vino. It's such a pleasure to finally meet you!" She said still smiling and holding onto my shoulders. Another pang of guilt struck through me as I remember the fact that I stole from this delightful woman.

I looked around the room and noticed that everyone was already seated at the table. Harry and Giana sat next to each other, whispering sweet nothings into each other ear. Angelo sat across from them typing away on his iPhone, while Dante sat at the head of the rectangular table. He was leaned back on the lavish chair, his arms resting on the arm rests as one hand was resting underneath his chin, covering his mouth with his hand. His grey eyes were locked onto mine, anger looming behind his calm demeanor.

"Florence, I just wanted to apologize for what I did. I-" I said as I lowered my voice to prevent the others from hearing. She pulled me into another tight hug.

"Darling, if I was in your situation, I would have done the exact same thing." She whispered, calming my nerves. Does everyone here know about my pathetic situation? About my mother? Florence pulled away from me and took in my uneasy expression.