DON LUCIEN

Sylvia's pov:

You know the saying, the calm before the storm? The quiet before the chaos? Well, that is exactly what the unnerving stillness in the ballroom felt like.

Silence blanketed the entire room as the don's words hung in the air. The room seemed to hold its breath, the air was electric, charged with anticipation and unease. The don's words dripped with an unspoken weight, leaving the gathering stunned and wondering what would come next.

As if someone pressed play on a paused movie, the ballroom came alive with disoriented whispers. The murmurs grew louder by the seconds.

The don turned is head towards Romano who was stood beside my shocked frame.

Romano nodded in affirmation to whatever silent command he'd received, and with loud booming voice he dismissed the entire assembly.

"FUORI! TUTTI!"

The loud steps and even louder murmurs of several people resonated round the ballroom as they made their way out.

"Grazie, la festa è finita!" Sofia added with a smile that didn't extend the length of her full lips, and clearly absent from her eyes.

Left standing in the room, was me, Romano, Sofia, the don's father, whose name I've come to realize is Fernando, the don's mother and of course Arianna.

Arianna casted her eyes in my direction, before directing them to Romano with a questioning look. He sighed before turning towards me, his words however did not leave his mouth, because the don's voice rang out, loud and clear.

"Lei rimane."

I don't know what he said, but everybody turned to look at him with a stunned expression, even his father, and the fact that Romano has not chased me out yet, had me guessing the don wanted me to stay. Why?

"Why the fuck is she staying?" Sofia voiced out my thought, although, with a lot more resentment.

"She's harmless" came the don's reply.

Sofia, not backing down, attempted to argue her point further, but one look by the don had her lips sealed shut. Now is obviously not the time to test him, his aura screamed bereavement.

Left to me, I'd rather jump out the window than be present in whatever was about to go down in this room right now. I'm literally the easiest to discard for any single misstep, no one would bat an eye.

Swallowing I retreated to the back of Romano, stupid, I know, but he was the only one I trusted to some extent.

Sofia glared at me with unveiled annoyance in her eyes, I hung my head low. She actually scares me, I have absolutely no idea why she hates me so much, and it seems to triple whenever Romano is in the scene.

"Why didn't you say anything" The don's mother broke the brief silence. Her voice held so much emotions in them, and it sounded like she'd cry at any moment from now.

"Son, I had no id-" "Shut up Fernando!" The angry mother snapped at her husband, her eyes portrayed disappointment and fury.

"It's done already, we're leaving" The don finalized, but before he could take a step, his mother held his arm, making a loud sigh emit from him. You could clearly see he held much love and respect for his mother, his father… not so much.

"Ti prego, non andartene cosi', passa la notte con noi. Dovremmo parlarne" she pleaded with her son.

"What is there to talk about? She is already dead, as is my unborn child! There is absolutely nothing else to say!" He growled.

Fernando looked to be in pain, and not the physical type. Tears flowed down his cheeks, and his head casted downward in utter shame and regret.

"I didn't know… I… I would never harm my own grandchild…. Please, son, please I am sorry" he said, in between sobs and sniffs.

With the way everyone was looking at the man at that moment, I don't think they have ever seen him cry or say sorry, because shock doesn't even begin to describe the look on their faces.

The don, however was not having any of it. He pinned his father with a cold, empty look.

"It's done" he repeated.

Glancing at his mother one more time, he descended the steps, and walked straight outside, without sparing anyone else a glance. Romano moved swiftly behind him, causing me to follow suit, but not before hearing the invectives of a raging mother, the repetitive apologies of a regretful father, and the loud clinking of the heels of two powerful ladies behind me.

The ride back to the mansion was solemn. No one uttered a single word. Everyone took their previous seats on our way here, except for me. Arianna sat in my previous seat, while I sat in the sat in a single seat at the far right.

The air in the limo was negatively charged, and I've never wanted to get out a confined space so bad.

We finally arrived at the mansion, and highlighted orderly. Orderly meaning, the don at the front and me trailing behind all of them. The men nodded at the three people preceding me, and completely ignored my presence as we made our way to the underground garage, where we stalked towards the elevators.

Elevators, because there actually are two different elevators right in front of us. One with a transparent sliding door, and the other with shiny silvery sliding doors.

Seeing Romano and the ladies go in the direction of the elevator with the transparent door, I moved in metronome with them, but the don stopped me, causing everyone to give him a puzzled look, Arianna on the other hand, had a curious look on her face, with her head subtly tilted to the side.

"Come with me" he ordered, not waiting to see if I obliged, he scanned his fingerprint and the elevator door slid open upon the flash of a bright green light where the don's thumb had just been.

He stormed in, only to turn and see that, I in fact had not moved an inch from my frozen position beside Romano.

The don clenched his jaw hard, his nose flared with heavy breathes, and the vain on his forehead popped out. His void hazel eyes glued to my rooted form, and the grounding of his teeth was evident with the slow ticking movement of his sharp jaw.

With brute force, Romano shoved me forward and I stumbled into the elevator. The door of the elevator made a swooshing sound as it slid close, but not before I caught Romano's worried stare trained on me, and Sofia's annoyed one, on him.

The moment the doors glided shut, the don forcefully grabbed my jaw, and twisted it in such a painful way, it made tears sting my eyes, and a sharp wince leave my lips.

"The next time I command you to do something, and you hesitate, I will make sure to gift you a scare for every single second of mine you waste. Do you fucking understand!?"

His accent was thicker than fog in that moment, as he growled out with profound rage. I shut my eyes in fear.

"Y.. yes"

My response only made him squeezed harder, earning a whimper from me.

"Yes what?' he barked.

"Yes s.. sir. Yes sir" I rushed out.

The ding of the elevator made him drop his hand, and he graciously strode out, as if nothing had happened.

I wiped my tears, and followed him, but not before catching my reflection on the mirror glued to the left side on the elevator. Angry red marks decorated my face, and my cheeks were a little bit swollen.

Sniffing I walked behind him until he stopped in front of a door which parted at the successful scan of his thumb. It was dark inside of the room, but not for long, as he found the switch with efficiency and turned the light on.

Lound bangs reverberated in an orderly manner as extremely large, bright 4KT bulbs switched on one after the other, and nothing, absolutely nothing prepared my eyes for the sight in front of me.