ALESSANDRO'S POV

"So that's it? She just left and never coming back?" Here was Armando with his annoying useless questions. "Obviously Alessandro doesn't know you idiot. If he did, you really think he would be telling us this" Emilion filled in my place and answered Aramado's question. It was weird seeing how he's the most angry and surprised one, I always knew he didn't really like her but sucked it up for my sake. There's something making him care so much about her leaving yet it wasn't clear why.

"We have nothing to do, I have nothing to do and you all have absolutely nothing to do. And yes if you're wondering, I have given up on her. You all will forget she ever existed and I don't want her name brought up in this house ever again" I demanded my last order with no hesitation before pushing the chair backwards, leaving the room shortly after.

My mind didn't think nor wonder around, it was a dead end. I didn't want to know or even think about what could possibly happened to her, what she's doing right now or how she's feeling after she left. But I knew an answer to one question, she felt nothing. If there's one person who didn't feel nor cared in this whole world it would be the deadly figure of Venom.

I couldn't bring myself to say her real name anymore, because the woman I layed next to and listened all night long to her beautiful voice describing the ups and downs of her life was no one near the person who left me all alone in that garage.

Deep down I knew they're the same person and I knew that whatever feelings I developed for her were for both of them because I can't just feel for a part of her, I felt for all of her.

She broke me way too many times that I don't want to count, she had even more chances yet it all ended the same way and it will stay that way. I tried to find her in my own path, only to find that we were on completely different paths. I was willing to give up a lifetime for her when she was preparing to leave.

Having to push all these feelings aside sure did build more frustration into my days and hours but I have nothing to do about it.

I figured that I can't just stop feeling for her and that it will require some time, if it ever stops.

I pushed the door open to my closet, I need to change since I'm going to a family dinner my mother kept asking me to attend. I don't like disappointing my mother, she always love when I stand by her side as she introduced me proudly to her friends and family members I never heard of.

Putting on the last touch before getting out of my room, it suddenly rushed through my head why my mother wanted me to dress so nicely and attend this dinner so badly. My whole family was in town and when I say my whole family, I mean hundreds of people. The ball is this weekend which caused the world's richest and most dangerous families in town. Mafias and empires from all around the world were here, breathing the same air as mine and million others.

Thinking further into this dinner, I figured Adriano is definitely showing up but when I thought of family from all around the world it meant my Mexican side of family is coming. If my great grandparents are coming to this dinner, they'll bring the Albirs.

The thought of them made my head shake, my grip tightened around my fist feeling the urge to smash Gerardo's head. If I see him tonight, I won't stand by and watch his filthy self laugh and enjoy his evening after what he had done to Akila.

I took a deep breath in and left my inner self to wish for the best, whatever happens tonight is the night's faith. I couldn't care less about anyone as long as I'm fully satisfied and sitting comfortably knowing nothing and no one can disturb the little peace left in my mind.

[V]

I parked my car next to a long line of luxurious cars. I tied my suits button and walked up the few stares before ringing the doorbell. One of my parent's servants opened the door with a kind-tired smile, she looked like she has been running for five hours. I greeted her quietly and walked in the house packed with people. I couldn't recognize anyone yet nor found Adriano anywhere.

Surprisingly, the first figure I noticed was my father's. I don't recall anytime we had a talk since what happened with Venom. Till this day I don't regret standing by her side, maybe there are millions of reasons out there why my father is so against her but as long as I don't know them it's not my concern. Even if my father shared his little story I would do nothing but laugh. She is gone and as long as she wants to be hidden from the world, she will be no matter who tries to find her.

For a second there I thought she could show up or give me the slightest hints where she is if I actually consider going after her but I'm not there yet to take this step and I don't think I ever will be. I went after her once and I believe it's enough.

I shook the thought out of my head and made my way to the kitchen where I assumed where my mother would be. She always loved baking and feeding people desserts until they exploded to the max. It's always heartwarming seeing how such a small thing makes her so happy and joyful.

As my guess was right, my mother was in the kitchen surrounded by two of my aunts. My mother's family is huge, she has a lot of sisters compared to my father's family. He only has two other brothers making him the third and oldest. They were never close, my father abandoned his family the second he took over the mafia years ago. He took all their money and fed himself off it and that's when he decided to marry my mother as in to fill the void. I can never see my parents in love, living a life like normal couples. My mother deserve a man much better than my father and I know it, he knows it and she knows it.

But the woman who raised me and stood by my side was too nice and kind hearted to walk away from a man she spent years and years with. I hated how she was so loyal to him and brought the best out of him in the worst situation when he didn't deserve all she'd done for him. That's why I treat my mother like the queen she is and give her all she wants, all my father couldn't give her and more.

I stared at my mother with a smile on my face, I watched her laugh with her sisters-my aunts until she met my gaze. She rushed towards me, her arms wide open, I bent down taking in the warmth of my mother's embrace. I always had my warmth from her, my father is always cold and tense but my mother's always warm and welcoming to anyone no matter who.

When I was young, my relatives would always call me mama's boy. It annoyed the little kid I was but now I take that as a compliment, it's an honour to be my mother's one and only man now. 

She pulled away and took my arm dragging me to my aunts, here we go. Some of them gasped, some of them pushed me into a huge and placed hundreds of kisses on my poor cheeks. "My god, Alessandro you grew so much my little boy" one of my aunts said as I tried to recall her name but before I could dig deep and remember my other aunt added, "Little Al is now big and strong" she spat out, giving me a small hug. My aunts and my mother are so short, it runs in their genes. I never knew where I got my height from, I'm taller than my father and his whole family. I've never met his family, however he always claimed to be the tallest and strongest in his family and between his cousins. He never really had a lot of stories to tell nor dangerous adventures to fill in my ears before going to bed.

They all started making a circle around me as if they're deciding how to prepare me for lunch. They were nice though, they complimented me a lot to the point where I wanted someone to save me out of this misery. All I would do is smile and shake my head or look at the floor until a voice finally called my name and helped me out of the circles hovering around me. I looked to my left only to see Adriano in his typical grey suit Lilianna would pick for him, I raised him a hand and went his way. When I reached him, we shook hands as if we didn't share the same house now and saw each other a few hours ago. After the handshake, we walked away from the crowded area and went outside to the pool. I could feel something was on his mind all day and he wanted to talk but I guess I was too busy. Now I'm sure he knows I got all the time he needs.

We sat down next to the water below our feet, I looked at it for a moment admiring how peaceful it was and wished my mind would rest like that just for a minute. Whoever said wishes come true was a pathological liar and idiots after him who believed such a thing. It's all in our imagination, these simple words to fill in the last hope left in our miserable world but only to find out that there was nothing left.

"Are you really letting her go Alessandro" I looked up at my cousin as his words caught my attention faster than lightning, no one talked to me about her and I wasn't ready to talk about her with anyone. "I didn't let anyone go Adriano, she chose to leave, she chose to let go" I told him in a cold tone even I could hear. It was not an act, it was the pain and hurt she left behind instead of the love and appreciation I had for a really long time just so it ended up like this. I chuckled as my mind remembered the way she simply walked away from everything and never looked back, not once she looked back to even wave a goodbye.

"Don't judge her Al or even think about her in a bad way" I sighed loudly, unable to set the right words to explain what I felt for her or at least what I thought of her. "I don't hate her Adriano, I never will and I
admitted that a while ago" I admitted again to myself, but this time it was for my closest cousin as well. "I know you don't but don't let life set it's rules on you, you set your own rules on the whole world and the life you're living" he told me in a tone of worry, he had nothing to worry about, it's none of their concern and they shouldn't even bother about me.

"I'll be fine Adriano, and I am" I said hoping to finish this conversation, however it looked like he had other plans. "Just for once Alessandro, sit down and talk like a human being. Be open to whatever is running through your head because if you stay like this, it will eat you alive with no one to save you. And if you accept this, I won't let you cousin. You're the only man I respect and care for in this world, and I build so much respect to the point where I know when to cross the line for your sake and when to lower my gaze. I won't sit down and watch you destroy a piece of you and do nothing, you can't see it but I can Al and I will not let you do it or even go through all of this alone. We share the same flesh, I'm from your blood and you're from mine. You can't run away from family for long, and as long as I watched her, she's slowly becoming family and if you lost your faith I didn't because I know she'll come back"

"Well I hope your faith doesn't get disappointed as much as mine did" I responded back to his last words, not caring for whatever he had in mind. Normally a person in my place would soften up and thank god for someone finally standing by their side and all this crap but I wasn't a normal person in any humanly way possible.

I heard him sigh as I faced my head to the sky watching the stars with no moon to protect it. Guess we're like these shining stars, we're all lost somewhere in the dark world sometimes with protection from our closest ones and sometimes we're left alone to face the dark and it's venom.

Unlike the past nights, tonight the sky was clear with a lack of stars. Only a few sparkled in the dark above us, reflected in the cold water below us. My mother would tell me years ago to look at the sky, it'll always match whatever you're feeling. If you're happy, it will fill with stars shining bright like white human teeth. And if you're feeling sad and empty, it will clear up-showing you that even without stars it remained WAAA beautiful and that there is nothing to fear because the stars always come back.

I heard Adriano play with his fingers as silence broke into us. But then he decided to break that silence, he got up and looked down at me in slight defeat. "I won't give up on you even though you're the most stubborn person I've ever met" I chuckled at his frustrated sentence "You know I take that as a compliment" I told him playfully yet truthfully. "Yes, it drives me crazy" he stopped to look up, noticing his wife standing by the doors waiting for him. I turned my head, waving at her as she waved back with a smile. "Now go, I'll see you tomorrow morning" I allowed him to go with no guilt, he patted my shoulder and left to his wife. I watched them from a short distance, Adriano wrapped his hand around her waist and she responded by kissing him on the right cheek as they walked away.

I smiled at them, I was happy for Adriano. That he finally found the person he could be himself with and the best version of himself. Lilianna brought that out of Adriano and I couldn't imagine anyone else doing it, I can't even begin to imagine anyone more perfect for Adriano then Lilianna.

I looked at the water one more time and got up, making my way inside the house since the air started to get colder and I didn't need a cold to keep me awake at NIGHT.

—————————————
[ VOTE•COMMENT•SHARE ]