▪️14 YEARS AGO▪️
▪️8 YEARS AFTER PROLOGUE▪️

•LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA•

Third Person POV

The effect Terrance's death had on Julia's life was terribly ironic. He would've given his life to keep his daughter away from the shady business he was trapped in; but ultimately, it was his death that put Julia in direct contact with the Maniscalco family.

~••••~

The cringing echo of dry air being forcibly sucked from the bottom of Julia's glass bounced off of the Maniscalco's Aegean teal kitchen walls.

Her lips puckered around the glass straw as she absently brewed over the events of the past two and a half years.

A few months after her father's death, Don Franco, or "just Franco" as she was encouraged to call him, decided that he wanted to meet the daughter of one of his "most trusted confidantes".

Such was an idea Nicole, Julia's mother, fiercely rejected. They'd still managed to live a normal life in the UK; and Nicole moved Heaven and Earth to keep it that way.

They quickly discovered, however, what a Maniscalco man wants- a Maniscalco man gets.

So here Julia stood, two years later, against the granite top island with her pupils set on the familiar plaster walls.

"lo giuro su Dio, Adrian. Devi far incazzare tutti?" The tense voice of Joanna Maniscalco, Adrian's mother, grumbled as a moderately tipsy Adrian draped over her and massaged his reddened jaw.

"Non ho nemmeno fatto niente. Non è colpa mia se non sa scherzare."He argued.

They staggered through the large sliding glass door and Joanna calmly sat Adrian down at the stone kitchen table; although the twist in her brows screamed that she would've rather thrown him into the wall.

"Ninfea, can you grab an ice pack from the freezer, per favore?" Joanna requested, using the nickname she'd given Julia, as she searched the cabinet the first aid kit.

"What happened?" Julia jittered while backpedaling to the freezer.

"Nothing." -Adrian dabbed his blood-dripping nostril with a napkin- ,"my cousin's a dick."

"Adrian." Joanna sternly warned, shooting daggers from across the room.

"Ya' know, I'm starting to think you're a glutton for punishment." Julia sassed as she handed her boyfriend the cold compress.

"All I did was tell a joke."

Julia tossed a cautious glance over her shoulder at Joanna and leaned in, "Was it funny?"

"I was laughing." Adrian flashed his charmingly entrapping smile and snickered from the corner of his mouth.

Julia snagged the bottle of antiseptic along with a few cotton pads and sat across from Adrian, gripping his jaw tightly.

"Yeah, but I think that's a mental condition. Like the Joker."

"Signora Maniscalco, Andres sta chiedendo di te." A young woman, who's hair was pulled back into a tight bun, informed Joanna.

A curt nod served as her reply while her firm steps marched to Adrian and Joanna leveled herself to meet her son's gaze.

"Your brother needs me. Try not to cause anymore trouble today. Please."

"Nothing's guaranteed." Adrian's dareful tone coasted across his tongue.

Joanna, who was on her way back outside, halted between the doorway and her head snapped back to us.

"Do I need to get your father?"

"No." The 15-year-old boy scoffed.

An exasperated groan rumbled across the kitchen the moment Joanna slid her way past the glass door and back outside.

"I swear she's always on my neck about somethin'."

Wordlessly, Julia continued dressing the minor cut on the young man's cheekbone. Adrian caught Julia's hands in his, and her eyes darted to meet his concerned stare.

"What's wrong?"

"You always start trouble when I'm here. It's embarrassing." Julia grumbled while grabbing the ice pack and smacked it on Adrian's face.

She jolted to her feet and stood firm only to be coercively brought back down to Adrian's lap.

"Relax, Jules. You get mad too fast."

Adrian's body heavily jerked further into his chair as Julia pushed him back and stood again.

"Adrian, I'm serious. My mum just recently allowed me to start dating. You're my first real boyfriend. I don't want her thinking she made a mistake by letting me be with you."

"You think it's a mistake being with me?"

"No. I jus- I just get worried. She's hard to convince."

"Don't worry too much about that. I can be very....persuasive." Adrian smugly reassured as he rested his elbows on his knees and pulled Julia closer by the pleat of her skirt.

"I hope so."

Adrian managed to settle the young lady on his lap once more, pacifying the tense air between them. Placidity replaced tension as the moment stretched just long enough to be counted as romantic before Adrian's curious fingers crawled under Julia's shirt and his palm hugged her breast.

"Oh my God! Adri-stop!"-She tore away- her top lip moist with embarrassment- ,"You kn-know how I feel about that."

"You're cute.", He draped his forearms over the arc of Julia's waist, exploring under the hem of her skirt as heavy voices echoed from the opening conference room door nearby.

Julia fended off Adrian, quickly smoothed down her rumpled shirt and sat crossed-legged in the chair opposite him. A few of Don Franco's men passed through the kitchen and returned outside- too preoccupied with their conversation to notice the two teens.

The mahogany grandfather clock that stood proudly in the open-concept living room struck five p.m. and perked up the pinna of Julia's ear.

Her forehead creased as she confirmed the time on her cellphone and heaved an exasperated sigh.

"It's five...."

"Feels like you just got here. You don't even start school 'til next month." Adrian dryly replied.

Julia's fingers stretched to Adrian's and deftly encircled his palm before huffing and standing from her seat.

" Mum just...hates when I'm here."

"I can get my father to say something. You don't gotta do anything you don't wanna do."

"No. She doesn't respond well to being pressured like that. I'll just come back for Christmas break, yeah?"

Adrian's teeth intently raked over his bottom lip while his arms disappointedly crossed over his chest.

"Hey, um so, I was wondering..." -Julia derailed her boyfriend's train of thought-, "Could I see my dad's office before I go? It's...kinda all I have left of him."

"Certo. Stefano uses it now, but I'll make him leave."

An odd pang struck Julia's heart at hearing that Stef now occupied her father's space. Of course his office wouldn't be left as a shrine and it was only and matter of time before someone used it again.

But, why Stefano?

Julia sauntered to the counter, nostalgically dragging her finger across its edge.

"I remember last time I was here dad was supposed to take me to the fair, but", -she sighed-, "he ended up working instead."

"Sounds like him. Zio- I mean- Terrance, had trouble keeping promises to me and Andres. Not his fault though. My father kept him busy."

"Too busy..."

As they cooly strolled to the next room, Julia's wandering thoughts halted at the sharply accented voices piercing the now closed office door.

"...but we can't keep livin' in the past. Terrance was a great asset to the family, but-" Stefano argued while resting against the large oak bookshelf.

"But what?" A steely voice icily responded.

"It's been two years, Franco. When are you gonna put someone up for the financial advisor position?"

Franco, Adrian's father, sucked in a crisp puff of his cigarette before roughly smashing it into the ash tray on the coffee table.

"That's not any of your concern, Stefano. Don Carmine told me to handle it; and I am."

"So you're gonna be Underboss and financial advisor?"

"My father sees it as one in the same. I see no problem. -Franco gathered some documents and lit another cigarette- "like I said. It ain't non of your concern."

With a push of his shoulder, Stefano inched from the bookshelf and smoothly sank down to the Prussian- blue couch.

"You're hellbent on not trusting me with that position. Why?"

"You answered your own question, Stef!" Franco's fierce words jabbed as forcefully as his glower.

"Heh."-the corner of Stefano's mouth curled-, "You don't trust me?"

"No, io no."

The deafening silence was palpable.

"I see how it is."

Stefano rose and gave a malicious glare before finally making his final exit.

"Guardati le spalle....compa."

A/N: Feel here to ask questions about this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it, thanks for sticking with the story 💕

Smash that white star and make it golden if you liked the chapter! Also I've decided to start putting the translations in a comment. Gives the story a smoother look, yeah?

Mkay, bye!