CHAPTER 128: MEETING HER BIG ITALIAN FAMILY

Vico’s mansion was beautiful; Maya couldn’t deny that. It looks very Italian, with vintage ceramic tiles and beautiful statues, and an overwhelming scent of roses. It felt more like a museum depicting a house for a wealthy person in ancient Rome.

And it strongly indicates to Maya that she is in a completely different world—a maniacal world she wishes to escape rather than live in. If only she could find a poison to drink so she could die. There is no point in living if she is going to be forced to be a mafia princess and sit there and watch Vico commit more atrocities while she does nothing.

As Maya walks behind Natalia, they keep stumbling upon armed, scary-looking men in every hallway they pass. She bets more men are guarding the house outside, not to mention the CCTV cameras and sensors. Hell, the security is in your face; there’s no way she is escaping this pandemonium.

She slothfully followed Natalia as she led her into a big dining hall. When they reached the threshold, Maya was welcomed by music, boisterous laughter, and Italian words she could never understand, spoken in a rowdy tone. The room was obnoxiously loud.

Her stomach tightened, and tingles of nervousness crept over her skin as she stared at the longest table she had ever seen in her life, filled with men and women, teens, and children. Men with guns were positioned at every corner of the dining room, yet no one at the dining table seemed to be fazed by the guns or the dangerous-looking men.

Maya felt like she was going crazy.

At the head of the table was Vico. He spoke a word in Italian, in a very authoritative tone, and silence engulfed the whole room.

"Vi presento tutti la mia bellissima figlia, Maya." Vico said in Italian, and everyone at the table shifted their attention to her. They gasped, smiled, whispered out loud; their eyes were fawning over her like she was an exotic animal.

"You know, your looks are your priciest possession; look at how our whole family is salivating over you," Natalia jeers, jealousy sprinkled all over her tone.

Maya rolls her eyes. "Jealousy makes you come off as pathetic, cousin," Maya snaps back.

Natalia sneered at her and strode off. She wasn’t joining them for dinner. Maya guessed Natalia was off to do mafia duties.

"Come, my dear daughter," Vico gestured.

Maya quailed inwardly. She was never going to call him Dad. She will never accept Vico as her father.

Maya braced herself with the little resolve she had left and walked to the table

The whispers in Italian grew louder as she approached an empty seat. She wished she had taken Italian lessons. She badly wanted to know what they were saying about her.

She gracefully sat in an empty seat on Vico’s left, beside an old woman who looked eighty.

The old lady’s wrinkled eyes glinted as she gazed affectionately at Maya.

"She is your nonna," Vico tells Maya.

"My grandma? I have a grandma." Warmth rooted in Maya’s chest.

"Hello, nonna. Nice to meet you." Maya smiled at the old lady..

Maya’s grandma’s facial expression changed. She looked upset. "Non sa parlare italiano. Non ti perdonerò mai per aver fatto crescere quegli stupidi americani a crescere mia nipote." The old lady poked a finger at Vico, and that made Maya realize that whatever her nonna was angrily saying in Italian was directed at Vico.

"Your nonna is just upset that you can’t speak Italian, and she’s also pissed that you were raised by Americans," a woman sitting across from Maya said.

"Oh, I see." Maya politely smiled at her. "Thanks for the translation."

The woman returned her smile. "I’m Arianna, your zia—your father’s only sister," she introduced herself.

"Zia means ’Aunt,’ right?" Maya took note.

Zia Arianna smiled. "Yes, I can’t wait to teach you more Italian."

Maya grinned. "I’m looking forward to that."

She liked this aunt of hers; she was so welcoming.

"And this is my husband, Roberto," Zia Arianna said, pointing at the man sitting beside her.

Roberto clasped his hands and said, "Welcome home."

Maya darted him a big smile.

"And these are my kids, your cugini, Matteo and Enzo," Zia Arianna introduced, gesturing to the two teenage boys sitting beside her husband.

"My cousins?"

Zia Arianna nodded.

The boys flash Maya a shy smile. "Hello, cousin! You are so pretty!" they gush over her in perfect English. They are as fluent in English as their mom.

"Aww, you guys are so adorable! I love your hair." Both boys have soft-looking curly hair.

The boys blush as they engage in small talk with Maya.

Maya left her seat and went around the big table, engaging in conversation with the rest of the family. Zia Arianna helped with translation, making the conversations easier. Everyone was so lovely and nice, and Maya had a good time talking to each and every one of them.

Maya returned to her table with a bunch of little kids, her cousins. She entertained them with the help of Zia Arianna until the food arrived and the kids went to their parents.

Everyone dug into their food. Maya filled her plate but couldn’t eat. She remembered she had silly said she would starve herself to death, but that’s not the reason she wasn’t eating. She seemed to have no appetite, even though she was sure it had been over 24 hours since she last ate.

The table became noisier with the sound of forks scraping against plates and Italian words flying around. Maya just watched her big Italian family interact with each other; she found them loud and amusing, and they looked like a pretty normal family. Such a good façade—you couldn’t tell they were a powerful mafia family.

Maya’s eyes scan the table, scrutinizing every adult present. She wonders how many lives they have ruined or ended.

Her gaze accidentally falls on Zia Arianna, and Zia Arianna notices that Maya is staring at her.

Maya smiles shyly and pivots her eyes to the plate of food she has barely touched.

"Is the food not to your liking?" Zia Arianna asked.

Maya shook her head.

Zia Arianna smiled and said, "Vico told the family cook you’re a big chef working in a famous five-star restaurant and that you are also famous on the internet, so the cook was looking forward to your review. Don’t disappoint him." With that, she completely convinced Maya, and she started eating.

Surprisingly, the food was good. "This dish is great; I especially love the blend of flavors I’m tasting," Maya honestly told Zia Arianna.

"The cook will be on cloud nine when I tell him," Zia Arianna sounded thrilled.

"Mia cara," Maya heard her nonna say as she tapped her arm.

Maya pivoted her gaze to her and smiled.

Nonna said loudly in Italian for the whole table to hear, "Tuo padre ha detto che sei uno chef. Vorrei assaggiare il tuo cibo. Puoi preparare il pranzo per tutta la famiglia venerdì prossimo?

Maya stared at Zia Arianna, waiting for her to translate. And she did: "Your nonna said she would like to taste your food. And want you to prepare lunch for the whole family next Friday."

Maya’s eyes were radiant when she heard the word "cook." No matter the ugly situation she finds herself in, she will never shy away from cooking.

Maya beamed. "Yes, I would love to cook for you all."

"How do I say that in Italian?"

Zia Arianna told her, and Maya repeated it as perfectly as she could to her nonna: "Sì, mi piacerebbe cucinare per tutti voi." Maya said in Italian within earshot of everyone at the table, and they were impressed with her.

She just spoke Italian for the first time in her life, and she felt so good inside, as if she had achieved the greatest goal of her life.

"Tell them I will make cupcakes and ice cream for the children," Zia Arianna translated, and the kids started jubilating, which made Maya feel a little bit of happiness.

"Sei una ragazza dolce," Nonna says as she touches Maya’s head and nudges her to rest her head on her shoulder. She pats Maya’s hair as she rants in Italian.

No need for translation, Maya is sure her Nonna is saying sweet words.

A few minutes later, Maya lifted her head from her nonna’s shoulder; she was starting to get fond of this Italian family of hers. Her eyes raked around again, and she could feel the love blooming in abundance in this big, happy family.

Maya felt cheated. She had been deprived of growing up here in Italy in this one big Italian family.

Maybe she could have had a happy childhood like her little Italian cousins running around the table, instead of the miserable childhood and terrible life she had living with Fredrick Hathaway.

Maya’s eyes suddenly met Vico’s; she was so preoccupied with getting to know the family that she forgot about his existence. Vico averted his gaze, taking a quick glance at the whole table before bringing his eyes back to her and giving her a knowing look, as if he could read her mind.

And that angered Maya. "You robbed me of this life," she flung at Vico.

Regret flashed in his eyes. ’I’m sorry. I have so many enemies, so you wouldn’t have lived past six years old if you had grown up here. I made you grow up in a different country to protect you and of course, toughen you up. Now that I have eliminated all my enemies, you can safely live here happily with our family and make up for the lost time. They seem to love you already; they will give you all the love you desire." Vico sounded like he was pitching a business idea to Maya.

Maya scoffed. "Thank you for making me grow up where I did," she said, leaving Vico confused. Yes, thanks to Vico, she had a life that led her to meet the most wonderful man in the entire world: the love of her life, Dalton.

And, she will relive that horrible life again if the outcome leads her to cross paths with Dalton. The agony will be worth it, for an exchange of being the woman that Dalton loves... or loved

And besides, she may have had a good childhood if she had grown up here in Italy with her delightful family, but she would have been a mafia princess and wouldn’t have been a good person at all. She could have become cold and callous like Vico and Natalia. This makes the difficult life she experienced seem much better than the life she would have had in the Italian mafia world.

Now it seems she is going to experience this mafia life.

No, she really doesn’t want this life; she needs to escape. She doesn’t want to be a mafia princess!

And Maya knows who is going to help her: Zia Arianna.

Zia Arianna is the kindest person in the room; she is going to use that to her advantage.

First, she is going to devise an escape plan and then use Zia Arianna to execute it.