De Luca sits in front of me. Scars decorate his face, a permeant reminder of the damage he inflicted on my life and my wife's. I didn't kill him, but he got off easy eight years ago.

"I want to propose an arrangement," he says. He reaches into his blazer and pulls out a paper, placing it on the desk between us. "A treaty of sorts."

"You're the one who has their men firing at us every chance you get." My fingers drum against the wood as I lean back in my chair. "What kind of agreement?"

"We cease our fighting."

"You mean you'll stop trying to take over and I won't need to fight back."

He grits his teeth and nods. "Correct."

"In exchange for what?"

De Luca opens his mouth, but the door suddenly bursts open.

"Daddy!" My little Giana calls running in. Vinny is right behind her, but she's too quick for him to grab.

"I'm sorry." He huffs, placing his hands on his knees. "She's fast."

I smirk, watching as my daughter rounds the desk. She pulls on my chair.

"Daddy's busy, sweetheart." I try to tell her, but the stubborn girl climbs onto my lap, not caring about the man sitting across from me. She has her mother's face and her gray eyes. The only thing she got from me was my copper-brown hair.

"I can help."

And her stubbornness.

She turns her head toward De Luca. His eyes are on her with a smile. "My Rosalia likes to help her daddy out too."

My eyebrow perks up at the information. I wasn't aware that he had a daughter or any child for that matter. Then again, not many knew I had a daughter either, and for good reason.

"Dad is Gigi in—" My gaze snaps to my son, Giana's twin.

De Luca turns in his chair, eying my son. "Luciano. You look a lot like your dad at that age."

That he does. Luciano is the spitting image of me. He even has my attitude, but like his sister, he got his mother's gray eyes.

"Who are you?" My son asks, narrowing his eyes. He doesn't trust people who come into my office, aside from Vinny and his family.

"An old friend of your father's," he says. "Why don't you stand next to your father? This actually concerns you."

My eyes narrow and my clutches into a fist. Vinny stares at the back of De Luca's head.

He's ready if anything.

My son walks around and stands beside me.

"My daddy can kill you if you're trying to threaten us." Giana crosses her arms and leans her back against my chest.

"No one's trying to threaten you or anyone else." He taps on the paper and slides it in my direction. "This is to ensure neither of us will go after the other."

I glance down and read over the document.

"Ew," my son mutters. "Why do I have to get married?"

"If you read the entire document you'll know," De Luca says.

I grab the paper and fold it up, placing it in my blazer. "I won't force his hand. Besides, Luciano is only eight."

"Your sister and I were betrothed before then."

And look how that arrangement turned out.

"While you decide," De Luca pushes himself up from his seat. "We can make agreements for the two to meet. Have a play date of some sort."

"Can I meet her too?" Giana pushes her hands against my desk. "We can be friends."

"You'll be sisters if your brother agrees."

My daughter's eyes widen with happiness and she looks over at her brother. "You have to marry her. I want a sister."

"I'm not marrying anyone," Luciano grumbles.

"Giana." I place a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you go tell your mother how much you want a sister? Maybe she'll get you one."

Giana jumps from my lap and rushes out the door. I give a silent nod to Vinny. He understands and steps out, closing the door behind him.

"A generation's worth of bloodshed, ending by a simple marriage?" I huff, looking at De Luca. "What makes you think I'd agree to this?"

"We both know you have a soft spot for women and children. I can sell Rosalia off to any man I want, but I'm asking you."

"And how do I know it's not just some ploy to kill me and my family off when you get the chance?"

"I would have already done so. I'm also giving you time to decide."

"It's not my decision to make." I cross my arms, looking over at Luciano. He's still standing by my side. His eyes are trained on De Luca.

"What if I choose not to?"

"Then, my dear boy." De Luca looks down at my son. A thread of hatred lies behind his glare. "You'll pay the price for thousands of deaths including your own families. But you have years to think about it."

"Until when?" Luciano asks.

"I'll wait until you're a man. At eighteen, you'll come to me and give me your answer. If you're smart, you'll make the right choice. But if you're like your father, you might just watch your family die right before your eyes."

I slam my hands on the desk and stand, "Out, De Luca. Now."

He laughs. "Make the right move, Luciano. I'll be waiting."

My gaze follows him as he exits, leaving me alone with my son. His hands are clenched at his sides. His body shakes.

"Luc-"

"Don't," Luciano snaps his fiery gaze up at me. "I want you to teach me everything. I want to know the ins and outs of the business. And I want to be able to take him down, even if I have to marry his daughter."

"You have no idea what you're asking for, Luciano. It's too soon."

"He's going to die, dad. I'll make sure of it."

❤︎❤︎❤︎

total ONC word count: 31,000

Ok, now this is the end. I already planned on expanding this world because... come on! Of course, I'd want to. I have an idea for Vinny, Luciano, and Giana. You'll just have to wait to see what's to come for them.

Thank you so much for reading along! I hope you enjoyed Aria and Sergio's story. ❤︎