Play Me | ✓

Chapter 51

"... Are you down to be a distraction, baby? But don't distract me..."
~ Kehlani

...♛...

I don't know where I'm going or what I'm doing. Born with a label, I never worried about what I'd do once I graduated school. I always knew I'd help the family out by working on the field and eventually marry Alessio creating a new alliance.

But when Nick ripped that label into shreds and I escaped his hold, I prospered for something different. I wanted a family. Not the one I was born with, but one that didn't persuade my every decision to profit them.

I wanted to be okay. In every sense of the word, I wanted everything to be okay. I wanted being weak to be okay, I wanted being happy to be okay, I wanted forgetting to be okay, but today, I know that everything I wanted was never okay.

The title I was born with, will always follow me as long as the approval of my family isn't given to me.

I can run, I can hide and I can fight, but in the end, I'm only as strong as I'm willing to push myself and frankly, it seems I've lost it all trying to keep myself together for the past two weeks.

"Summer?"

For a moment, everything goes black before I find a pair of brown eyes looking at me with concern. His face displaying a small smile visible through his grown beard, I find it hard to utter a word.

"Are you okay?" his hand extends out resting on my left shoulder.

His touch is gentle to an outsider, but invasive to me, causing me to jerk.

"I'm sorry," I sigh heavily.

"It's okay," Alessio replies unsure of the situation in his hands.

I clear my throat and let out a deep breath before I lift my head. Putting on a smile, I realize that he's still standing at the door.

"Uh, I'm so sorry you weren't – you're flight wasn't suppose to land until later this evening?" I inquire.

"I had to leave Italy two days ago for an urgent meeting elsewhere and this was the only flight I could book. I realize I should've informed Xavier before hand. My apologies."

"Uh, no it's fine. Come in," I open the door further giving him room to enter. He walks in carrying two suitcases.

"Roe!" I yell. Two seconds later, he comes. "Can you take Alex's stuff up to my room?"

He nods in response and takes Alex's luggage up without wasting another second.

"Is no one home?" Alessio questions.

"Father is at a meeting and everyone else is attending to a shootout downtown that killed six of our men. Severely injured three," I explain.

"And you didn't go along to assist, because?"

"I rarely do field work considering I need to be alive to marry you," I retort.

"I see," he nods, bobbing his head.

"Do you want to eat or freshen up first? I can show you to our room or to the dining table."

"I think freshening up sounds like a good idea," he replies.

"Okay," I say as I head in the direction of our room. "So how's Lucas?"

"He's old, sitting up now. He's with Elenora if you're curious."

"Elenora?"

"The woman I once wanted to marry."

"I see, I'm sorry."