Chapter 134 The Ties that Bind
\[Lilia\]
De Luca. That was the name I had heard before from Val, the one responsible for the ambush at the hospital. But now, as I think back on it, Vittorio just wanted to see me—to confirm that his granddaughter was alive. I don’t know what held him back then, why he let me go with Kael. Things might have been easier if he had taken me that time. I wouldn’t have fallen for a man I wasn’t supposed to. Not when he only sees me as an object for his carnal pleasure and nothing more.
Have I ever said to myself that I am a fool?
Yeah, I might have already. A hundred times over.
I sat on my bed, staring at the white wall, not knowing what I was really looking at. I couldn’t go back to sleep even though I had just woken up, my mind racing in torrential flashes. Some of them were of the life I wish I could lead; others were of the life I wanted with Kael and the people close to me without any impediment blocking our way. In those thoughts, we were in a parallel universe, both of us were in love, and we lived a normal life.
A life without the mob. Without the dangers and the darkness.
But the other part of my being saw myself as a child. Flashes of my memory from when I was young, back when my mother was alive, flooded in. I could hear the sound of her voice, crooning lullabies at night. I felt her gentle caresses on my hair and saw the sweet smile she gave me before she kissed my forehead and bid me good night. I could still feel all of it as though she were right here with me.
If Vittorio is actually my grandfather, as he claims to be, then I have a lot of questions to ask him about our family history. To begin with, I'm curious about my mother's life before she married my father. Why did she choose him? When Mom passed away, I was too little to fully understand what was going on, and shortly after her passing, my father shut himself off from me completely. He drowned himself in vices he’d never recover from. He sold me away like some whore he wanted to get rid of, as though I were more of a burden to him than his daughter.
But I didn't hold a grudge against him. After all, he was my father, and that fact cannot be altered in any way. He’s gone now and can do me no harm. My own grandfather ordered his death.
My mother was the only person who made me feel what it’s like to be loved. And she’s gone as well.
I can’t believe how my life has turned in just the blink of an eye.
Was Kael worried I was gone? Is he going to find me? He swore to me he’ll tear heaven and hell to get me back if I dare to run away. Well, I didn’t. I was taken against my will, and I thought I would be used against him. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would find a family I never knew existed in the first place.
A series of knocks abruptly took me out of my reverie. I waited for whoever it was to just open the door and let themselves in, but then I remembered locking the door. I wasn’t back in the mansion where my door could be opened by anyone. Here, my doorknob was locked from the outside to keep me in.
I stood up from the bed, padded toward the door, and swung it open. I saw a woman in her mid-forties. She was taller than me, silver strands of hair poking out from the top of her neatly bunched hair, which was secured with a headband. She wore a maid’s uniform consisting of a green dress that reached her knees and an apron tied around her waist. She folded one arm in front of her and subtly bowed.
“La signorina, my name is Linda. Master Vittorio assigned me to get anything you want.” Her heavy accent told me that she wasn’t Russian.
“You came from Italy as well?” My mouth blurted out the obvious before my mind could comprehend it, and I wanted to give myself a smack for not holding my tongue.
“Sì, I’m his personal servant as well.” Fortunately, Linda didn’t take it the wrong way and kept her expression kind.
“Just call me Lilia.” I gave her a friendly smile and opened the door a little wider for her to walk through. She followed me inside, though she kept her distance a few arm spans away from me.
“Sì, signorina Lilia. Is there something you need?”
I remembered Aya and the way she approached me the first time. I was surprised to have someone to tend to my needs, and we became really good friends. I miss her, and if I had known this would happen, I would have taken her with me. I cleared my head, not wanting to fret over things I don’t control, and addressed Linda’s question. I looked down at myself. I was still wearing the same clothes I had on when I was taken, and I desperately wanted to change, but I didn’t know if there were spare clothes for me.
“I want to change my clothes and take a stroll outside.”
Linda bowed her head and motioned for me to follow her toward a door next to the bathroom that I hadn’t noticed earlier. “Certo, signora Lilia. Follow me.”
It was a walk-in closet. It was larger than the one I had at the mansion and full of clothes I knew I couldn’t possibly wear all of.
“Thank you, Linda. I can manage on my own now.” I turned to her and smiled.
“Just call for me if you need anything else.”
“I will.”
She bowed her head again and then left. I searched through the clothes. Most of them were like the ones I had in the mansion—a variety of dresses I had no use for, unnecessary designer brands, boots, shoes, sandals, high heels, and many more accessories that made my eyes boggle.
It’s damn winter, and I need to dress myself appropriately. I rummaged through the closet and found a navy blue sweater, a pair of trousers, some snow boots, and an overcoat. I washed and cleaned myself first before I put it all on and then vacated my room.
However, I hadn’t expected to see the man my grandfather introduced as his son as soon as I stepped out. My uncle.
“Hello, cara,” he greeted me, his hand suspended in the air, caught in the motion of posing to knock on my door.
I stared at him, taking in his appearance and searching for any resemblance to my mother. But instead of hazel hues like mine and my grandfather's, he had electric blue eyes that complimented his bronze skin. An aquiline nose, high cheekbones, and a rough beard that seemed to have been shaven just a week before, judging by the stubble around his square jaw, defined his face.
“Ronan, right?” I queried, shutting the door behind me. “Or should I be calling you Uncle?”
He grinned, revealing a row of beautiful teeth that were slightly misaligned at the bottom but completely straight on the top. He was handsome, I had to admit, and a little too young to be my uncle. Were he and my mother born to different women? Half-siblings, perhaps? But I was still quite hesitant around him. In fact, I was hesitant around all of them, even Vittorio. I had only lately become acquainted with them; therefore, the details of their personalities were still a mystery I had yet to unveil.
“Just Ronan. I’m adopted,” he stated, stuffing one hand into the pocket of his denim jeans.
“Oh.” I merely nodded in response because I was at a loss for how to react to that information. We weren't blood-related, and that made things a little bit different. A little awkward.
Ronan suddenly took my mitten-covered hand and gently raised it to his lips, kissing it softly. Then, he linked his arm with mine. “You’re going out. Let me accompany you.”
I was about to refuse his offer, but he was already guiding me along the corridor, not taking no for an answer.