Hey! I want to get to know you guys better, so here's your question of the day...

Road trip 🛣️ or beach vacation 🏝️?

Finally you guys get to meet the Accardi family properly 😍

Enjoy ✨

Three Weeks Later

"You like that, huh?" I murmured lowly, watching her lick. "Good girl."

She loves praise.

"Does it taste good?" Her eyes met mine but she didn't respond. Her tongue darted out and she just continued to lick as if her life depended on it.

"It's good because it's coming from me, right? No one else can give it to you like I can." I smirked but she didn't reply.

She was too busy.

"The packet says it's mesmerising. Is it mesmerising?" Finally I got a meow, but she barely glanced up from the pouch I was holding to her mouth.

"Finalmente ti ha fatto mangiare, quindi deve essere buono." (It's finally got you eating so it must be good.)

I smiled, stroking her grey fur as she licked the purée coming out the little opening. I was kneeling next to her on the floor in the kitchen when footsteps coming down the hallway startled her.

"Shhh, Lula. Va tutto bene, mangia il tuo cibo." (It's okay, eat your food.) My soft tone seemed to calm her and she moved in closer, licking the purée again.

"Is she okay?" I turned to look at my brother who was watching Lula with a frown. Tristano loved Lula as much as I did, even if Lula hated him.

Lula hated everyone, except for me.

"She's finally eating, it's a good thing."

"Are you sure? You think she needs to see the vet? I can call-"

"No. She's okay, she's doing good." I stroked her fur, squeezing the last of the purée out of the pouch. She'll need another pouch soon, but one for now is good enough.

As soon as it finished, she licked around her mouth and then came in closer to me. She rubbed her head against my leg with a soft purr. It was her favourite way of expressing her affection.

"Vuoi venire a lavorare con me? Abbiamo dei cattivi da uccidere." (You want to come and work with me? We've got some bad guys to kill.) I smiled down at her as she purred.

Lula loves it when the bad guys die.

"Potrei uccidere anche i tuoi zii oggi. Li odi, vero?" (I might be killing your uncles today, too. You hate them, right?)

She meowed and I took that as a yes. Tristano laughed as I lifted her up into my arms, tossing the pouch in the trash. She hissed as we passed by my younger brother, her light brown eyes locking onto him.

"What's her problem, man?" He huffed in frustration. He just wanted some Lula love.

"She's told you before. You're ugly." As the eldest, I definitely got the best genes. Tristano came second so I guess he got whatever was left over after me. Rocco, our youngest brother, he's just ugly as hell.

Nothing good was left for him.

"I'm prettier than you, Costa."

"Sí? Lula doesn't think so." (Yeah?) We both looked down at Lula who definitely wasn't impressed. She hissed again before curling up against my chest.

I headed down the familiar hallway and back into my office after being away for three weeks.

Touring was always great, but being away from home was becoming harder as I got older. I had more responsibilities here, even if my father insisted that I still go away to handle business.

This time I went with my two brothers - they were the closest people to me in the world. I also have a sister,

Tristano is 26 years old - he's the most sensible of all my siblings. He's serious about his work since he'll be my Underboss when I take over.

Then there's Riviera, she's Tristano's twin so she's also 26 years old. Riviera is the kind of person that could drive you crazy just with a single sentence.

I can't count the number of times I've regretted entering a room that she's already in.

My sister was married to the heir of a Portuguese cartel so we hardly see her now that she lives in Lisbon. She also has a two year old daughter.

I love my niece, but damn is she terrifying.

Then there's Rocco who is 23 years old. He's...there's no words to describe him. The simplest way to put it is - if I had a child, my child would be the one babysitting Rocco.

At 28 years old I'm the eldest, the current Underboss, and future heir to the Sicilian Mafia.

Dealing with my siblings is enough for me, but my father also insists that my younger cousins should be involved in the daily running of La Famiglia.

The twins were only 18 years old. But, usually by that age anyone who has a future position in the Inner Circle would already be preparing.

Since they're my cousins, they're supposed to be working closely with me when I take over.

But I might kill them before that time ever comes.

Aidan was the elder twin by five minutes and he never lets anyone forget it. He'll probably still be reminding Giovanni of that fact even when the two of them are 90 years old in a care home in Southern Argentina.

If there are any viable suggestions located further away than Southern Argentina, I'm welcoming all suggestions.

I just need them as far away from me as possible.

But, to be fair, they probably would have already given me a heart attack by then. I'd be tucked away peacefully in hell while they're still here, terrorising the other patients in their care home in Southern Argentina.

They're always up to something.

I was worried those two idiots would burn the place down while we were away for three weeks in Asia. But, I was pleasantly surprised to see the opulent villa still standing at the end of the driveway when we returned to Sicily.

That comforting feeling disappeared when I did, indeed, find the damage I expected - the moment I set foot in my office.

"What the..." Tristano's sentence trailed off as we stared at my office that looked like it had been raided by filthy spring breakers from America.

There were empty cans and bottles, candy wrappers, Pringles tubes, McDonald's bags and discarded bits of food and crumbs everywhere.

Crumbs.

Lula hates crumbs.

No wonder she was so depressed when we finally came home. She doesn't eat when she's depressed.

"Find. Them." My words came out through gritted teeth. I was restraining myself because of Lula otherwise I would have gone on a killing rampage the moment I saw a condom hanging on the rim of my trash can.

I had three weeks of work to catch up on and my office was infested. It was like a horror movie, one based in a college where they have absolutely no discipline or regard for general hygiene.

Colleges are breeding grounds for disease and life changing mistakes.

With a heavy sigh I turned around and carried Lula down the hall to my father's office.

"They're dying today, Lula. I can't do it anymore." I looked down at the grey cat who stared back at me with her big eyes.

I liked to think she was planning ways we could kill the twins together.

Lula and Costa against the world.

I knocked hard on the door of my father's office, heading inside when I heard his response.

"You look angry." He stated drily, watching Lula and I approach his desk.

I didn't think the first time I saw him after three weeks would be under these circumstances, but yes, I was pissed.

"Hai visto cosa hanno fatto al mio ufficio?" (Have you seen what they've done to my office?)

"No." He shook his head, shifting his gaze towards the documents on his desk.

"Who gave them the key? Non ho mai detto che potessero entrare mentre ero via." (I never said they could go in there while I was gone.)

"L'ho fatto. Te ne sei andato e io ho dato loro il compito di mantenere la tua posizione mentre eri via. Ciò include lavorare dal tuo ufficio." (I did. You left and I gave them the task of upholding your position while you were gone. That includes working from your office.)

I scoffed, letting Lula down onto the floor. My father was barely looking at me now while I stood fuming across from him.

I never thought the Don of the Sicilian Mafia would be so lax in his judgment.

"You had no right. You want them in La Famiglia so desperately? Fine, but they're your responsibility and they work from your office, not mine."

Finally his eyes snapped up to meet mine and they were furious, as I expected. "Watch your tone, Costantino. I'm still in charge."

"I'll watch my tone when you stop slacking. Do you know the amount of sensitive information and documents I have stored away in there? It's not a playground for them to come in and trash or have sex with random girls while I'm away."

It was a harsh way to speak to him, but he needed to hear it. He's been slacking when it comes to the twins out of his guilt.

In this life you don't get time to feel guilty. It's only because of me, and maybe my brothers, that he's been able to wallow in his grief.

"I'll speak with-"

"No, you've done enough." I cut him off, walking over to the side cabinet where he kept ongoing business files.

"I'll handle it like I always do." I muttered, skimming through the titles on each folder. Most of them were deals I'd only need to check, thankfully nothing seemed to be urgent.

The tension in the room began to simmer down the longer the silence dragged on.

"Costa." He sighed, leaning back in his chair. "You need to give them a chance. They're never going to learn or come close to meeting your standards if you treat them like outsiders."

"They don't listen, Papà. I've tried, but I don't have the time to baby them. I love them, but I'm not a babysitter."

I was only a few years away from taking over the Sicilian Mafia all on my own. The last thing I needed were those two idiots giving me a headache while my father amped up my own training.

I didn't have the space for any more drama - I had enough of it already with my immediate family.

"I'm not asking you to babysit them. Look, I know I've been...absent during these last two months, but I've been here for you when you needed me. Be there for them. They just lost their father, they need this. They look up to you - they respect you."

"If they respected me they wouldn't be throwing used condoms in my trash can." I felt my irritation rise up again at that image, especially when he tried to play on my emotions by making me feel bad for them.

"Actually, we used it as a water balloon." I turned to face the door when Aidan and Giovanni appeared with my brother, Tristano, behind them.

Aidan and Gio were my younger cousins on my father's side - his younger brother's only sons.

When his brother was killed by the Russian Bratva two months ago, my father shouldered the responsibility and the guilt. He believed the death was his fault and he hasn't forgiven himself.

Now he's taken on the twins as if they're his own children. At the young age of 18, they really did need the help to guide them through this life. I knew that, but I just didn't want to be the one to do it.

"Why did you need a water balloon in my office?" I tried so hard to keep my tone neutral even when I had to say that outrageous sentence out loud.

"We couldn't find any real water balloons so we stole a condom from your desk drawer. We put it above the door to fall on Luca."

Luca was one of my trusted men in the Mafia. He was our Enforcer and a fucking good one. If there's a problem, Luca will have it handled before I ever even find out about it.

Gio grinned, coming over to hug me as if we were bestfriends. I stilled under his touch, but a look from my father had me begrudgingly wrapping my arms around him.

The apparent show of affection was enough to convince Aidan I would hug him too.

So now I was stuck hugging another twin.

"Your office is being cleaned." Tristano nudged my arm as the twins headed over to the chairs across from my father's desk.

"How long will it take? I have shit to do."

"Ten minutes, relax." Tristano started sifting through the same files I was looking at. Business was always at the forefront of our minds.

"Where's your brother? We can discuss your trip since you're all here." My father seemed more relaxed than he did when we had our little disagreement a few minutes ago.

"Rocco? He's not home yet. He's still in Shanghai." Tristano grumbled.

"Che diavolo ci fa ancora quell'idiota a Shanghai?" (What the hell is that idiot still doing in Shanghai?) The annoyance displayed by my father had the twins chuckling.

"He met a girl." My tone was dry as I opened a file on a business deal proposed by a sheikh in Dubai.

"A girl?"

"He's staying in Shanghai to see if she's the one." Tristano added, sharing the same annoyance that I had.

The memories of yesterday morning were still burning in my head. My idiot brother came back to our hotel penthouse after his one night stand to inform us that he'd be staying in Shanghai.

After a heated argument and a vulgar exchange of words, we left Rocco to do as he pleased. There was no way of getting through to him anyway. Not when he's infatuated with a woman.

He was the loose cannon out of the three of us. He did whatever the hell he wanted without any regard for the consequences.

He hurt whoever he wanted leaving everyone else to deal with the mess.

The death of our uncle two months ago hasn't helped his recent behaviour. Usually he's the fun loving brother, but if he's in a bad mood, he's the one you need to avoid.

Unless someone says something that triggers me, then I'm the one you need to run from. I only have a few triggers, but there's one that will automatically have me reaching for my gun.

Somehow I didn't kill that drunk girl when she brought up my mother.

"Is three weeks really enough to think she might be the one?" Aidan, the eldest twin by five minutes, asked with genuine curiosity.

"It wasn't three weeks. He met her the night before we were supposed to leave." My deadpan response had the twins cracking up again and my father shaking his head.

"He needs to sort himself out and fast. I need you all performing at your best at all times for La Famiglia." Right now, Edoardo Accardi was guilt ridden and emotional behind the scenes after his brother's death. But, to anyone outside of the closest members of La Famiglia, he was still one of the world's most feared crime bosses.

He was cold, hard and ruthless when it came to business. He reserved his soft spot for family and that's exactly how he taught his children to be.

Family comes first.

If someone doesn't have Accardi blood running through their veins, then they're not your true family. They might be close, but they're not your family.

That's what my father taught us, anyway. It's how I've lived the last 28 years of my life, and how I intend to live the rest.

La Famiglia will always come first.

"Well, if your brother is still screwing around in Shanghai, you can give me a rundown of your trip now."

"Fine." I sighed, tossing the latest file I was reading back on top of the pile. I headed over to the chairs across from my father's desk which were currently occupied by the twins.

"Move."

"Make me, bitch." Giovanni smirked causing a wave of annoyance to wash over me.

"I won't tell you again." I pulled out the handgun that was strapped to my hip, pulling back the hammer.

"Gio, move." Aidan stood up from his own seat, respectfully making way for Tristano to sit down.

"But-"

"Giovanni." My father finally warned, looking less than impressed at my cousin's defiance.

Maybe my little rant earlier made him finally see sense?

"Fine." He huffed, standing to his feet. "Watch yourself when you're walking through doors, Costa. You might have a condom explode on you if you're not careful." Giovanni bumped me with his shoulder as he passed me. Since he was heading over to the couch, he missed the slight smile that tugged at my lips.

"Cigar?" My father opened his box of Cubans, sliding it towards Tristano and I. Tristano took two out and used his own lighter to light them, handing one to me.

Soon the expensive air of cigar smoke filled the room as we got down to business.

For the next hour or so, we discussed our trip to Asia and the few cities we visited in the past three weeks. Then we discussed all the business I'd missed since I'd been away from Sicily. My father was dealing with most of it, but he left the more mundane tasks for the twins.

In other words, the easier stuff.

My life is kind of hectic.

I split my time between New York and Sicily; I'm constantly travelling between the two. As the Don, my father runs the Mafia from our main compound here in Palermo, Sicily. But, I have complete authority over all the Sicilian Mafia's operations in America. That's why I'm in New York so often.

I'm also training for my father's position which has only added more pressure. And with my uncle's death two months ago, this shit has been a lot harder.

Our conversation ended up taking another hour with the final discussion being my upcoming trip to New York.

I was only planning to be in Sicily for four days after our trip to Asia.

As much as this constant moving around was exhausting, it was also good for me. It gave me less time to think about my life and all the loss we've faced.

"You'll be heading back to New York this week, sì?"

"Yes." I nodded. "Tristano and I will be going. Rocco was supposed to meet us there, but I don't think he will."

It's probably a good thing after what happened last time we were in New York - after the way he pushed that drunk girl.

New York tends to bring out the worst in him whenever we have to go and visit her.

It brings out the worst in all of us, actually.

"I'll send you a list of all the places you need to visit while you're there. It's only a few; it shouldn't take too much of your time."

"Don't worry about how long it takes us, Papà." Tristano responded softly knowing that our visits to New York were always a sensitive topic for our father. "Whatever you need done, we'll do it."

"And you'll need to take her some flowers." His voice lowered as he focussed his attention back to his paperwork.

"We always do." I murmured, trying to block out those thoughts as best as I could.

The room fell silent and since my father wasn't saying anything else, we took that as our sign to leave.

"Come on." I nodded at the twins who'd been sitting quietly in the background, observing our talk.

I picked up any folders and documents I would need and since Lula was asleep, Tristano was the one to carry her with us back down the hallway to my office.

My office was fresh and clean, just like I'd expected it to be when I first came inside a few hours ago.

Tristano put Lula in her bed then he headed to my alcohol cabinet. I took a seat at my desk while he grabbed four glasses, filling them all with whiskey.

I couldn't help but smile when he handed the glasses to the twins. They always accepted them and drank with us, but they hated whiskey. They tried to hide it, but it was glaringly obvious.

They were only 18 years old so their palettes weren't mature yet.

I guess I could have been a good cousin by insisting they didn't need to drink whiskey just to impress us or to fit in.

But it was funny to watch them drink it so I never bothered.

The two little shits deserved it for what they did to my office, anyway.

Over our drinks, I spent some time discussing upcoming business in New York with Tristano.

Since Rocco was throwing a bitch fit in Shanghai, I doubt he'd be coming to New York. That meant his work would need to be split between the two of us.

"So, anything interesting happen while we were gone?" I turned my attention to Aidan and Giovanni who had been busy on their phones.

The taste of the whiskey always shuts them up for a few minutes.

"Uh..." Aidan glanced over at his brother and then back at Tristano and I. "Nothing."

"Nothing? In three weeks?" Tristano rose an eyebrow at them.

Giovanni laughed, nervously scratching the back of his neck. "Well, we dropped a water condom on Luca. Your sister also came to visit for a few days. We kind of locked her in the basement while someone was being tortured."

"By accident!" Aidan quickly added, knowing how protective we were over our sister's safety. "We didn't mean to lock Riviera down there. It just kind of...happened? The door locked and we couldn't find the key."

If my father was here I would have given him a pointed look, once again reminding him that they weren't La Famiglia material.

They don't listen, no matter how many times they're told to concentrate.

"We're not asking about the stupid shit you guys pull around here. We're asking about business."

We looked between the two of them and soon they started having their own whispered dialogue as if we weren't able to hear them in my silent office.

"Oh...Gli dici." (You tell him)

"Cagna, è stata una tua idea. Gli dici." (Bitch, it was your idea. You tell him)

"Non tu-" (No, you-)

"Uno di voi me lo dica prima che vi rinchiuda entrambi in cantina per una settimana." (One of you tell me before I lock you both in the basement for a week.)

My cold tone had their eyes snapping over to me, and soon they were both stumbling to get their story out.

"Well, three weeks ago - the night you left for Asia - we were watching Black Panther in your office when Luca came in. This was before the water condom, by the way." Gio started the story, adding the kind of unnecessary information that made me want to smack him.

"He came in to tell us about the gossip at the ball in New York City a few nights before." Aidan explained, reminding me of the invitation I'd turned down a few days before we left for Asia.

Those galas and events were a waste of my time. Getting into a room with a bunch of people I hate just didn't seem like a good use of my energy or time.

My father only demands I attend if it's absolutely necessary. Even then, I try to have Tristano or Rocco go in my place. But, usually we send some lower-ranked members just to keep an eye on what's going on in the underworld.

It's important to have eyes and ears absolutely everywhere.

"Oh shit, did you hear that Miguel Diaz got into a fight with Damian Darmos?" Gio suddenly exclaimed, turning to face his twin on the couch.

"No. Why? What happened?"

"I heard they had a conversation and then Miguel threw the first punch. It didn't last long, they got pulled apart pretty quickly."

"You think they're going after the same cagna?" (Bitch) Aidan laughed, as usual thinking all the world's problems revolve around sex.

"Probably." Gio shrugged before suddenly remembering where he was. "Oh, shit. You wanted the business. Sorry, bro."

Giovanni gave me a sheepish grin, leaning back into the leather couch to get comfortable.

This kid was too freaking relaxed in my presence.

He even called me bro.

"So anyway, Luca came in to tell us that Viktor Kozlov is making moves to court...what's his name?" Gio turned to Aidan for help, completely missing the way my entire body went rigid at the mention of Viktor Kozlov.

"The Greek guy...something Darmos."

"Nicholas Darmos." I gave them the first name that they were looking for.

"Yeah, him." Aidan nodded. "Kozlov wants to marry his daughter."

Kozlov wants to marry the Princess of the Greek Mafia.

I should have seen it coming.

I didn't know much about her at all - not many people did since she wasn't directly involved in the criminal underworld. But if you knew anything about Nicholas Darmos it was that he was power hungry.

That meant she was an asset to him. She was brought up to be the perfect princess - making her an ideal candidate for marriage.

She was often seen at events and galas to support her family, but to my knowledge, she had very little to do with their business. At some point I would have come across her if she ever handled their business deals. Instead, I only knew Julius and Damian.

One of the only reasons I knew of her existence was because of her age. Being somewhere in her twenties makes her an ideal pawn in a marriage alliance, which Kozlov just figured out.

"Kozlov wants a marriage alliance with the Greeks?" Tristano's tone had become harder at the gravity of the situation.

The twins didn't know the Russian Bratva were the ones who killed their father. They didn't handle it well and we all agreed it was better they don't know that particular detail while we figured out exactly what happened.

We were still handling it, we didn't need them interfering.

"Sí. They met for the first time in public at that gala. Our guys there said that things went well, he even kissed her on the cheek." Gio explained while I shared a look with Tristano.

"You know that's not good for us." Tristano voiced, coming across a lot calmer than he actually was. "Greece is too close to us."

Kozlov securing a close ally in the Mediterranean was out of the question.

"So what do we do?" My brother looked to me to give him the answer, but I was beaten to it.

"Well...actually, we've already got a plan in motion." Aidan tentatively owned up. I'm sure this was the information neither of them wanted to be the one to tell us.

"What plan?" I might regret asking that.

I waited with baited breath, already preparing myself for the worst.

Leaving two young idiots in charge wasn't my decision and now my inability to overrule my father was going to come back and-

"We're breaking up their marriage." Gio grinned. "Well, their not-marriage. They're never going to make it to the altar."

"And how the hell are you doing that?" Tristano looked more curious instead of nervous.

One thing we knew not to do was underestimate the twins when it came to screwing shit up.

For once they'd found a genuine use for their useless talent.

"Well...thanks to our guys in the ball hall-" It's a freaking banquet hall. "-we have some strong ideas of what they talked about. So we..."

The twins suddenly launched into an explanation of the plan that they'd already put into motion.

Most of it I couldn't undo now. It was too late.

I knew they were only trying to help, and the logical thing was to indeed break up the potential alliance.

But they didn't understand the risks they took.

If Kozlov or Darmos found out they were behind it, the consequences were huge. Not only would they both retaliate individually, but if they did end up forming an alliance, they'd focus their joint power and resources towards us.

But, putting the risks aside, their plan was kind of good. I mean, would I have handled it differently? Abso-fucking-lutely.

But would it work? Probably. It was effective. Stupid, but effective.

"Is that okay, Costa?"

"What?"

"We want to go to New York. We need to execute the final phase of our plan." Aidan licked his lips, nervously waiting for my answer.

"When?"

"We need to be there by Saturday." Gio answered for the two of them. "We need to be at the next gala. Kozlov and Darmos are both attending, so his daughter will mostly likely be there. To crush any last hopes of an engagement, Aidan and I need to be there."

We were already going to New York this week, so I guess there was no real reason why they couldn't come.

Well, apart from the fact I might throw myself out of the plane after an hour of being trapped with them.

They needed the chance to go out and prove themselves. It would be good for their character building and their confidence in this life. Plus, it was the one time their only talent of screwing things up could be used effectively.

This was their plan, they had every right to see it through. I just needed to make some major changes to the rest of the plan if I wanted to protect them and our organisation.

But they couldn't go to that event alone either. They weren't ready to face so many criminals on their own and they'd most likely expose their plan to everyone too.

The stupid hope in their eyes while they stared at me as if I could make or break their dreams just pissed me off.

I'm killing at least fifty people when I get the hell out of this room.

"Fine. But we're coming with you."

"Wait, you're coming?" Gio jumped excitedly, now perched at the edge of his seat on the couch. "Costa, you're really coming too?"

And now I feel guilty for being such a dick to them.

They were kind of sweet. Like stupid little puppies.

"Yeah. If there's...room for us...in your...plan." I had to bite back every curse word that threatened to escape my lips.

I didn't join other people's plans.

They carried out my missions for me on my command.

I just want to go back to Asia, man. Rocco was smart to stay there.

"Of course there's room for you, Costa." Aidan matched his brother's excitement, his eyes sparkling.

"Well, that's sorted then. The Accardi's are going to New York." Tristano laughed, clearly sensing my dismay.

Shit.

"Lula, save me." I looked over at Lula who was sleeping peacefully, blissfully unaware of my impending torture.

This was going to be hell.

"So, let's go through your stupid plan. Did you consider the risks you took?" I poured myself another glass of whiskey knowing I might need at least another five glasses for this conversation

First I gave them both shit for doing something so stupid without consulting anyone first.

I told them off because that had to be done. Then I explained the problems to them in a much calmer manner.

It wouldn't be any use if I just yelled at them. They needed to understand the consequences of what could happen if it ever came out that they, or the Sicilian Mafia by association, were behind breaking up the alliance.

Then we spent a long time fixing the rest of the plan.

From now on, the rule was to not tell anyone outside that room what was going on - apart from Rocco. We don't keep secrets from each other.

My father didn't need to know - he'd be pissed at them and that only meant one thing.

He never let anyone get away with just a telling off. He treated Rocco, Tristano and I all the same way. If we screwed up in business, we often came out limping with bruises and cuts afterwards.

They'd just lost their father, they didn't need to go through that too.

They just needed my help and hopefully we could get it done without any consequences.

"Okay, so step one was the gifts." Gio grinned mischievously, recapping everything we'd discussed.

"Another one?"

I lifted my head to see Damian walking into Julius's office with a gift box in his arms.

"Yep. Another gift for Millie." He brought the box over to me on the couch while my brother watched on in concern.

The last three weeks had been kind of...strange.

I didn't have much direct contact with Viktor who was apparently busy touring Europe for work.

But, my father received a confirmation we would be meeting again at another gala this weekend. The conversation was supposed to be longer this time.

So we had no direct communication...apart from all the gifts he's been sending.

At first he sent me chocolates, flowers, Russian candy, scented candles, and a spa kit for my bathroom.

It was all really cute, until it just wasn't anymore.

I soon started receiving expensive dresses and purses and jewellery.

Most girls would appreciate it, but I was very clear that I wasn't in this marriage for the money. I wanted to be independent, which I told him.

So yes, I took offence to all the expensive superficial, materialistic gifts he was sending me.

My mama told me not to throw a tantrum and to just gracefully and quietly accept the gifts. So I did, begrudgingly.

Then I received a set of wooden spoons and a fine bone china tea set. It was a little sexist, but my father insisted he was just being nice.

Perhaps they're gifts for when you move into his house. This is what courting is all about, Millicent. He's making you feel wanted.

That's the shitty explanation my father came up with.

But that's where any haziness or confusion over his intensions cleared. After that, it was obvious as hell what he thought of me.

A few days later I received an apron for cooking in the kitchen. It had writing across the front - 'Property of the Russian Bratva.'

At first I thought it was a sick joke, but the note stamped with Viktor's signature confirmed it was from him.

'Can't wait to see you looking pretty in my kitchen for me and my men. - V.'

My brother confirmed the signature at the bottom was the one Viktor always signed his documents with.

Both Damian and Julius had no explanation for the 'gift' I'd received. There wasn't much they could say to defend Viktor with this one.

After he already told me at the gala that I wouldn't be allowed to work, I don't know how he thought the apron would be funny.

But, unfortunately it didn't stop there.

Now I'm sitting in front of my brother and my cousin opening up a box of lingerie from a Russian boutique.

There were bras, thongs, suspender belts, one piece bodysuits and a babydoll set.

Somehow he managed to get my size spot on.

"What the hell? Sou ésteile óntos aftós o skýlas..." (Did that son of a bitch really just send you...)

My brother's sentence trailed off as I sifted through the lace and silk materials to reveal an item at the bottom.

A collar.

"I'm going to kill him." Julius seethed next to me, his eyes fixed on the black leather collar with my name etched on the front.

Well, it was my future name - Millicent Kozlov.

"A collar...for...?" I turned to look at Damian who was angrier than I'd ever seen before.

"It's a symbol for a...sexual submissive." He spoke through gritted teeth.

"He thinks I'm going to wear a collar for him?" I scoffed, trying to block out the vulnerability I suddenly felt.

I don't think anyone could understand the feeling. There was a high chance I could be sent away from my own family to live with a psycho maniac like Viktor. I'd have no one to protect me if my future husband tried anything like this.

"You're not marrying him, Millie." My brother started pacing across the room while I sat there with the box on my lap. "I'll tell him to his fucking face that he's dead to us."

"Julius-"

"He's right, Millie." Damian cut me off. "He doesn't get to treat you like this and then expect a good working relationship, never mind a fucking marriage."

"Well, you have to at least let me be the one to tell him at the gala." They both opened their mouths to protest, so I held up my hand to stop them.

"It's my right to do it. You can have a talk with him afterwards if you want, but I'm going to be the one to put that Russian bitch back in his place." I tossed the box of lingerie on the floor with a thud. I felt disgusted just looking at it.

I wasn't going to be his personal whore if that's what he thought.

"You're lucky he showed his true colours before any official engagement talks." Damian dropped down on the couch next to me with a heavy sigh.

"He has some balls if he thinks it's okay." I scoffed. "What kind of woman would be happy to receive a collar with her name on it from a potential suitor?"

"Don't you think it's strange?" It was Julius who was the first to question the peculiar nature of it all. "Why would he send you shit that he knows would only piss you off?"

"Maybe because he's a narcissist?" I murmured, resting my head on Damian's shoulder.

This whole thing was blowing up in my face and I'd only met Viktor once.

"But I thought you got along with him?" My brother frowned, sitting down behind his desk again.

"I thought I did. I mean, we hardly talked about anything other than the business side of all of this. But he seemed to be understanding of my situation."

It was a little strange.

Upon meeting him for the first time, Viktor didn't seem like the type to send me a collar or an apron to claim me as his property.

But first impressions can always be deceiving.

"It's not like someone is sending me gifts from Russia pretending to be Viktor." I shook my head at the absurdity and Julius agreed.

Only a teenager would do something immature like that - I don't know any teenagers in the underworld and especially none in Russia.

And no one would be stupid enough to risk ruining a potential alliance between two criminal organisations.

It's a declaration of war.

"So after three months, I'm back to square one." My head was still resting on Damian's shoulder when I voiced my concern. "Is it really this hard to find a husband?"

"You sound like you want to get married." Julius scoffed, sifting through some documents on his desk.

"I don't want to, but I need to. The longer time goes on the more forceful Dad is going to get. I don't want him to get to a point where he's willing to settle for just anyone."

"That won't happen, Mildred." Damian wrapped an arm around my shoulders in an attempt to comfort me. "Your father loves you and we'd never let anything like that happen. The only way you'd end up marrying a complete dick is if you were the one asking to do it."

"I would never do that. I know it's stupid, but I want a happy marriage. I want to fall in love. I don't want to marry a dick." I shook my head, swallowing down the emotions. Instead I started thinking back to the list of names we'd already gone through.

Most of them were bad news which wasn't exactly unexpected in the criminal underworld.

"Who are her other options?" Julius directed his question towards his future underboss. Everyone knew Damian had the best knowledge on their enemies, allies and everyone in between.

"Accardi? He was the only other one we didn't cross off the list."

"Costa?" Julius mulled it over for a second before nodding. "He's okay. I'm not sure she'd fit into the Sicilian Mafia, but they're better than Kozlov and his collar."

"I don't want to marry him." I shook my head, remembering what Damian had told me about this guy. "He's a man whore. I want a man who only wants me."

Did I sound stupid? Probably.

"That's unlikely to happen, Millie." Sympathy flashed through my brother's eyes. "Mistresses on the side are very common in the Mafia. Especially in conservative organisations like the Sicilian Mafia."

"Well, then, avoiding the Accardi family makes sense. We'll find someone else. It doesn't have to be him."

Julius seemed like he wanted to convince me to reconsider but thought better. "Okay."

"We can approach some of our closest allies for a marriage, but it won't give us any added benefits which is what your father wants." Damian suggested.

"It's the safest way. She's not a freaking commodity to include in a business deal." Julius spat the words out, leaning back into his chair. "I'll handle my father if he gets angry."

"Dad won't be happy. You know he wants a new allian-" I tried to remind him that my marriage was supposed bring some kind of benefit to the Mafia, but he wasn't having it.

"I don't care. I'm not letting him sell you off to someone who might not be safe for you. Kozlov was a close call."

Julius was the future leader of the Greek Mafia, so his opinion definitely held weight in these discussions.

But the final decision would always come down to my father.

"Dad won't be happy if we don't consult him first about ending things with Kozlov." I voiced my concern and Damian sighed.

"Look, if we end shit with Kozlov this Saturday at the gala, then your father will have no choice but to go along with it. If he's pissed afterwards, we'll just show him the collar."

Julius nodded in agreement, giving me a soft smile from his place behind his desk.

"Then we'll start looking for your husband all over again."

"This time try not to pick a psycho." I muttered, glaring at the collar with disgust.

What did you guys think? What do you think of Costa? 👀

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