Chapter 7

• “Do you want me to apologize, amore?”
• I try to ignore him. He was sitting on the kitchen island waiting for his dinner. I’m no longer in the mood for our usual banter. I’d rather ignore his assiness. What he said this morning was below the belt and it very much offended me.
• “Amore… speak. I dislike being ignored.” His tone changed. It was cold and hard.
• I paused, having second thoughts whether to reply to him or not but the obvious edge in his voice made me do so. “I don’t want your apology. Not when it’s shallow.” My voice was low and rough.
• He chuckled, deep and reverberating. “It’s not like I care, amore, but I figured you’d like my apology.”
• “Well, save it.” I retorted coldly. There was silence for a moment before he started talking again.
• “The painting... did he make it?” There was no malice in his tone but only filled with pure curiosity.
• “We did.” I replied curtly with a purpose of only answering him.
• “Do I need to apologize for ruining it?”
• I stopped stirring. I slowly turned to face him. “That painting, Mister Di Angelo, in which you obviously know it, was special to me. He finally succumbed to my request of doing a painting with me after months of persuasion, only he died months later. No money or even your soul could equal it. So please… save your empty apologies, Dante. I don’t need it.” I turned around swiftly and continued cooking.
• I could hear the chair scraping against the floor. Sounds of footsteps nearing me. I then feel his presence beside me. His usual heat only added to the indication of his presence.
• “You’re really lucky, amore. Really lucky.” He said almost in a whisper. His mouth was near my head, his breath tingling my face. “If you wouldn’t have known my cousin… you absolutely have no idea what I’m gonna do to you.” The words pouring between his gritted teeth.
• My heart rate increased.
• He then grabbed my chin, fingers roughly digging against my jaw. His hand could swallow my face whole. With a force, my face turned to him.
• He was staring and reading me while still having that magnificent scowl on his face. I returned one of my fiercest glare.
• He slanted his lips to mine. My eyes widened as I was taken off guard.
• Finally realizing the reality, I pushed him away.
• “Stop it! I don’t like it!” I wiped off his saliva from my lips clumsily.
• “I don’t really give a flying fuck, amore.”
• He grabbed the nape of my neck and pulled me towards him with roughness, pressing his lips to mine. The kiss became more heated and aggressive every time my hands pressed against his chest to push him away from me. He snaked his hand around my waist and pulled me even more against him. He was challenging me. Our chests were pressed against each other, making him moan. I was caught off guard when he slipped his tongue into my mouth. I could only release a frustrated groan from resisting too much. He didn’t spare a second to even let me yell at him.
• “I’m sorry, amore.” He said against my lips.
• I was stunned. I was completely shocked, not at his apology but the sound of it. He was sincere. I didn’t even realize his lips were still dancing with mine. I was still preoccupied with how shocked I was.
• I resisted a smile and gave him a chance. This time, I kissed him back. Seconds turned to minutes until we decided to pull away.
• “There. It wasn’t that hard, was it?” He had an unusual smirk on his face. It was somewhat pissing me off.
• I rolled my eyes and distanced myself from him so he won’t get another one. “Whatever. Thanks to that, you have a burnt dinner.”
• “I’m feeling pizza right now. Order for me, amore.” He winks. I glare at him.
• Of course, I’m the maid here.
• ---
• “Why are you staring at me like that?”
• We were eating the pizza I ordered. He invited me to eat with him. I usually eat after him, still considering the boundary between us. Which is why I am surprised that he wanted me to eat the pizza with him. He was acting casual.
• We were sitting on the couch while the tv was playing in the background. Although the movie from netflix was random, I was engrossed. On the other hand, the mafia king was not. He was staring at me from the other edge of the couch and it was creeping me out.
• “How did your boyfriend die?”
• Ah, so this was what’s going on in his mind.
• “He’s not my boyfriend.” I corrected nonchalantly while taking a bite with my pizza. I focused back on watching the movie.
• “He seems like it.”
• I sighed as I faced him. “He died of lung cancer. He smoked a lot.” I remember how easily he emptied a pack a day; sometimes more. “I wasn’t a secondhand smoker though, he made sure of it. It was just a habit of his whenever he ran out of ideas for his work. It kept his mind running.” I paused as I thought of him. Sometimes I blamed myself for not reprimanding him more. I didn’t think he’d pay the price so soon.
• “Ethan is special to me. We grew up together.” My eyebrows furrowed as I recall our memories again. “He’s my best friend. We’re not a couple nor blood related but he’s my partner in life. He’s my only family.” I looked at him straight in the eyes. “I’m sure you wouldn’t understand what I feel.”
• “You’re right. I don’t... but not in the way you think. You may think that I’m only a boss to a crime organization but I’m more than that, amore. I am the head of this family. Like you said, we are not all related by blood but we are all family. Family is very important to us and I will not hesitate to kill anyone who messes with them.” He pondered for a moment as he stare at me. “That includes you, amore. Just because I’m trying to be nice to you and get you to my bed doesn’t mean I won’t kill you. You harm me, my men will kill you. You harm them, I will kill you.” He paused again. “Betray Avery… I will kill you.”
• I snorted. “Do I like you like I’d cause any harm?” I wasn’t scared of his threats at all. I was completely harmless. The only thing in my mind right now was how long will this staying with him lasts, and perhaps the thought of how I’d finish my best friend’s book. However, I did save the information in my mind. I remembered the way he and Avery talked. It was more than obvious how much they value their family.
• “I met people who're as innocent as an angel like you…” His clear water eyes peering at me heatedly. “…but they’d still point a gun at me.”