Some say that angels mourn for us when we are unable to weep our own tears

When the pain becomes so overwhelming that we are afraid that if we let the tears fall,they will drown us in our aura of misery.

The air is thick with melancholy as if a heavy cloud of grief continuously hangs over the entire cemetery

Death lingers in the air accompanied by the faint smell of rain,cheap perfume and roses

I shut my black umbrella,letting it slip between my fingers,and I gaze up at the ominous sky as the tears of the angels cascade down upon us

It’s a cold day

The sort of day that drills deep into your bones,marking you forever as it licks and nips all over your frigid flesh

Today,we lay to rest my dear sister,Rose,whose life was tragically cut short

The coroner’s report state that she has alcohol and drugs in her system and that what caused the car accident,killing her three hours later in the hospital

But I know better.

I know that my sister was murdered and that someone at the Valentino’s residence had something to do with it

Rose was no saint,but she never dared to play God with other peoples lives on the road;meaning that she would never get behind the wheels under the influence of alcohol or drugs

Don Alessandro Valentino is in the mafia.He is the most feared man in our country,and I have a feeling many more.making his presence known as his henchmen guard every inch of the cemetery not only potential out us in danger,but it also has everyone on edge

Had it not been for the little girl standing steadfastly by his side,I would have boldly approach him and told him to leave\~to fuck off

Because he isn’t welcome here

The memories of him been rose’s formal flame linger in my thought like a haunting melody,ceasing my heart anytime I steal a glance in his direction

The little girl,adorned in a pristine dress with pearl necklace delicately draped around her neck,is none other than my precious niece,savannah.

She doesn’t know who I am,but it kills me that I never got the chance to build a strong bond with her when rose was alive

Swallowing past the lumbs in my throat,I surreptitiously cast my gaze back to the front,away from him and my mysterious raven haired beauty hanging off his arm like a cheap knockoff purse

The Prost solemn prayer comes to a close.the mourners step forward,each one placing a single,pristine white rose atop the casket of our beloved rose

“I am deeply sorry for the loss of your sister and daughter,Mr....”

The sound of a nasally feminine voice breaks my trance

“Bishop,”I sign irritably

Since Roses passing,my father has not been able to string three words together or has he ahead a tear

He is nothing but an empty vessels and it scares me greatly

“Rose spoke highly of you,Ivy.she also mentioned how beautiful you were,and I must say the description of your elegance has done no justice.”

Signing,I shift my gaze from Roses coffin and I meet her chocolate brown gaze.

“I am sorry,who did you say you were again?”I try to keep the bitterness out of my voice because the last time Rose and I spoke,moment before she died,she warned me not to trust anyone affiliated with Don Valentino at the villa

“My name is Sofia DeLuca,and I have taken it upon myself to be there for savannah now that she is an orphan,”Sofia responds in a voice that makes my skin crawl with venom

“Savannah is not an orphan,”I spit out bitterly

As the mighty Don Valentino approach us,refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing my grief-stricken eyes,I turned my back towards him

Feeling like I’m offering it to a predator,but the fire thought alone doesn’t make me to turn around and face him

A prickle runs down my spine at his nearness,and I can feel him glaring at the back of my head,burning a hole in it

“Mi dispiace for your loss.”His words caress every inch of my body,licking the rage that simmers deep within me

Curling my hands at my side,”we don’t want or need your condolence,” I hiss over my shoulder.”leave.take your men and your cheap whore with you”

I grit my teeth,turning my attention to his henchmen standing by the entrance of the cemetery,their hands resting on their weapon strapped to their torsos.

The warmth of this body turns mine to jelly when he stand behind me,his lips a whisper away from the shell of my ears.

“Ivy Bishop,”he hisses my name like it’s pure filth sitting on the tip of his tongue.”you should know better than to speak to me in such a manner if you value your life.”

Raising my chin,I straighten my spine,”you aren’t welcome here,and if you have any repect for Rose at all,you should have stayed away.”

I spin around on the spot to face him,losing my footing as my heel sinks into the soft soil;he lunches forward,hooking a strong arm around my torso,and pressing my front to him.

“It should have been you in the car.Not Rose!.”the harsh words slip between my lips

Heat explodes across my chest,then my palms as I try to push him off me,but it only coerces the devil himself to press me against his body more firmly.

He smells like sin,whiskey,and cigars,making me dizzy with a forbidden lust that sets my skin ablaze.

One of his brows quirks upwards.“then I did miss all the fun we are going to have.I know what you have been up to,Farfalla,I am here to warn you to stop.”

Gulping,”and if I don’t,will you kill me?”

“Not in the sense that you are thinking,”he replies in a husky tone with and underlay of amusement.

“You don’t scare me,”I whimper,lying,continuing to struggle in his grasp. “Let me go.....”

“Liar. You are playing a dangerous game,Ivy. I can feel you trembling just beneath my fingertips. Just the way I like my woman,bare before me just like a perfect little doll.”

“You re disgusting....”

Something flickers in his eyes and he pulls me closer toward him, brushing his lips alone my jawline.

“The seconds my lips touch yours,you will belong to me,life as you know will never be the same. All you have to do is ask me, Ask be to kiss you Farfalla....” He taunts me,sending a pleasant shiver down my spine.” You know you want me,I can smell it.”

I raised my gaze to meet his as something inside me snaps,”get your filthy hands off me,or I swear to Gods I will scream bloody murder,you arrogant don of a bitch.”I snarls breathlessly with tears beaming in my eyes.

Snickering,he releases me as if touching me suddenly burns him,and he holds his hands mid air,taking two steps back.

“Gladly,tesoro.”

Alessandro continues to hold my gaze like he could kiss the hatred out of me,and it makes me sick to my stomach to think that he can achieve the impossible.

“You bastard....” I whisper,willing my pounding heart to slow down.Looking over his shoulder with a sinister smirk playing on his lips..”Andiamo,”he says harshly,waving his hand forward as he brushes past me with his cheap whore in pursuit.

And like a switch going off,I go back to feeling numb.

Vowing to find out the truth behind Rose’s death and save savannah from the Valentino’s villa,regardless of what it may cost me eventually

I gazed upon the grand villa where don Valentino resides.it’s towering iron gate fit for a kings fortress.

My hands clench the iron like rods with a vice like grip,making my knuckles turn a ghastly shade of white as I wait patiently for someone to show up and face me

Seconds pass,then minutes,followed my hours.And still I refuse to leave until I speak with the great Don Valentino,that makes me shiver with fear any time he is near.

I expel the weight of apprehension from my body as I watch one of Don Valentino’s men exist the villa and makes his way towards me.

flickering the lower right side of his jacket open,the man rest his hand on the gun that is attached to the holster,resting his forefinger on the trigger

“What are you doing here,Miss Ivy?”Je growls in a thick Italian accent that would have sounded hot is he wasn’t working for the enemy

“Well since we are on a first name basis,I’m going to assume that you know who I’m,and why I am here?”I can not control the tone of snarkiness that coats my words with affection.

A serious looks masks his face as he takes a step back from the gate.” I do know why you are here.And it gives me great pleasure to tell you that Don Valentino has given me strict orders to inform you that you can go back to the swamp where you came from.”

“To the swamp?Do I look like Fiona from the movie shrek ?”I hiss with disdain in a high pitched tone,feeling quite offended with his choice of word.

“No you do smell like trouble,and we can’t have you contaminating our air with it.Don Valentino has enough of trouble on his hand as it is”He growls .

“But-”

“I suggest you leave before he sees you on the security camera and comes out to see you for himself.” He challenges me,cutting my sentence short with an exasperated sign.

Everybody knows that when you have been dismissed by Don Valentino,you leave with out batting an eye.

That’s unless you are willing to bear the repercussions,which could result in your death and the annihilation of your bloodline

“Riccardo!”A familiar female voice disperses through the air,and dip shit turns around to the owner of the voice

I suck on my upper teeth as I shift my gaze upon deep shit that I know is named Riccardo to.....Sofia

She walks towards us,running her forefinger along her gold chain necklace gracing her neckline.As her chocolate brown eyes meet my hazel irises,her blood red coated lips pull back into a sinister smile

“Miss DeLuca,”Riccardo dips his head upon saying her name.”Miss Bish-“

“Ivy,dear...”Sofia purrs as she reaches the gate,ignoring Riccardo all together.”and what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?”Dropping her hand from her neckline,she places her hands on her hips with one side of her lip curling upwards

“I have come to talk to Don Valentino regarding Savannah,”I begin “Now that Rose has passed,Savannah is going to need all the family she has now,more than ever.it takes a whole village to raise a child and all that.”I add

Her eyes narrow into thin slits,”Would you like to come in and see Savannah? I am sure she would love to see you in return,”

A wave of goosebumps rides every inch of my body.”seriously?”I reply,unable to hide the excitement on my voice

Maybe I judged her too soon.

“Of course,amore.I am not a monster,and I think it is very courageous of you to show up like this unannounced and ready to face the devil himself.”Sofia coaxes

“I don’t think Don Valentino will share the sentiment,Mrs. DeLuca,”Riccardo interjects with a serious look on his face.

Sofia bluntly turns to the side to face Riccardo head on,”you don’t need to worry about Don Valentino,I will handle him when the time arouses.Now,open this gate and allow our guest access the villa.”she demands In an authoritative voice that makes me giggle on the inside.

Take that,Riccardo you Dip shit!

“Si,Mrs.DeLuca,”Riccardo responds,unlocking the gate at the same time,and he pulls one side wide open.

“Come on then,amore,”Sofia hums gently as she turns on her heel and makes her way toward the villa.

As I approach the villa,following Sofia,my eyes fixate on the extravagant plants that surround the perimeter.Towering trees,miniature gardens,and menacing gargoyle statues stand guard on either side of the enterance,beckoning me to enter the lair of the rich and power.

Glancing behind me,I catch sight of Riccardo tailing me with his index finger poised on the trigger of his piece yet again.a sense of uneasiness creeps upon me,causing me to quickly return my gaze ahead of me to conceal the fiery emotions that are brewing within me.

Sofia’s unexpected display of courtesy has caught me off guard.she has granted me access to enter the villa without any fuss to see Savannah.

She leads me through the lobby of the villa and straight to the other end of the estate,through another door that take us back outside.

“All right now come alone,little Savannah is just around the corner,”Sofia says as she continues to briskly walk through the yard.

I quicken my pace to catch up with her.After all the last thing my need is for Don Valentino to catch me in his backyard,alone

“Oh savannah honey,can you come here per favore?”Sofia calls out in a singsong voice as she stops walking.

I,too,come to a standstill as I step beside her and allow my gaze to fall on Savannah,who is sitting on a blanket playing with her dolls.

As she set her dolls on the blanket,she gracefully rose to her feet,making sure to skirt of her dress remains below her kneelcaps at all times.

“Buongiorno zia Sofia,”Savannah say in Italian with a soft voice as she stands in front of us with her head dipped,and her hands clasped in front of her.

“Good morning to you too,tesoro,”Sofia replies as she places her index finger under Savannah chin and tilts her head upward to meet her gaze.”there is someone here that wants to see you,”Sofia drops her hand and lets it fall to her side as she uses her other hand to motion towards me.

Ever so slowly and I feels like time is slowing down,Savannah turns her head and the second our gazes collide her eyes grow wide.”Mamma?” She says in a trembling voice,battling not to keep forward and wrap her small arms around my waist.

Lowering myself onto one knee,I wipe the tears that are now falling down my face and I shake my head.”No cupcake,”my voice trembles,“I’m your aunt Ivy,your mamma’s sister.”

I hold my arms out for her to run into them.but a dark shadow suddenly cast over us causing Savannah to inhale sharply and step back from Sofia.

“What is the meaning of this Sofia?”Don Valentino snarls surging through me.”why is Roses sister here,on my property,without my approval?”he continues in thick Italian accent.

He sound pissed.

“Ivy is savannah famiglia,Don Valentino and you of all people should know the importance it is to have famiglia close by,”Sofia replies in a stern voice that fail to hide the slight tremor rising her words.

“I don’t need you to tell me what is significant and what is not.you forget that you are a guest living under my roof,which means you must abide by my rules.”Don Valentino snaps,not having a bar of Sofia’s excuses for defying his demands.

“Perdonami,I will learn my place.”Sofia says in a hushed voice as she holds her hand out for Savannah to take and when Savannah places her hand on Sofia’s,Sofia leads her away

“So much of you handling him,Sofia,”I mutter as she saunters away leaving me to face Don Valentino all on my own