To Love in Full

Chapter 8: Nepenthe

Nepenthe (n.) Something that can make you forget grief or suffering.

Arabella's P.O.V.

"Good morning, Manuele," I finally replied as we watched Leone and Nicolo turn at the corner of the hallway.

"Please, just call me Manny," he said with a wide grin on his face.

"Have you eaten yet?" he asked as we started to walk down the hall.

"I have not," I replied as I looked down at my feet.

"Let me show you where the kitchen is," he said as I followed behind him.

The estate was massive, I could really get lost in here, I thought as we went through many different hallways to get to the kitchen. He began to show me the different food that they had in the refrigerator and cabinets, but his voice began to drown out of my head as I stared blankly at the countertops.

"Can you take me to see Alexander?" I blurted out and I looked at him as his eyes widened.

"You know I cannot do that for you, Arabella; Nico's orders," he said as he gave me an apologetic smile.

"Is he still alive?" I whispered out as my eyes began to gloss over with tears.

"He is," Manny replied and I nodded as I tried to blink away my tears.

I sat on a stool and placed my elbow on the countertop, holding my chin in my palm, as I watched Manny pull out a bowl of fruits. How can someone like him get caught up in a world like this?

"Why are you here?" I asked as I tilted my head and furrowed my brows.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"You are not like the other men," I stated, I could not imagine Manny committing ruthless acts like Nicolo. He looked at me and sighed.

"Some people are born into this life, Arabella. Unlike Leone, Nico and I did not have the luxury to choose," he said as he pushed the bowl in front of me.

"Nico is not as bad as you think," he continued as he threw a grape into his mouth.

"Then why is he keeping me here?"

"He is just being cautious, our families have had conflicts in the past, but we've had some disputes with Alexander to be more specific, and with Romano's men causing more trouble, Nico does not want to take any risks."

"Our families..." I repeated his words under my breath as I looked at him with curiosity in my eyes.

"What do you mean our families?" I asked him as I watched him shift uncomfortably.

"Nico is the don, or the boss, of the Mazzerelli family; seven years ago, his father left him to be the leader of one of the most powerful mafias in the world, he was only twenty back then, and your family, the Aetos', is one of the few Greek mafias."

I stared at him as I had a bewildered look on my face.

"My family is gone," I said softly as I shook my head.

He looked at me with a baffled gaze in his eyes.

"What?" he breathed out.

I just stared at him confused as no words came to mind. I watched as he began to clear his throat.

"Your surname must be really common then..." he chuckled nervously.

"My apologies, Arabella," he said as he started to step back.

"Will you excuse me," he muttered as he took out his phone and stepped out of the kitchen.

If Alexander is a part of the Greek Mafia, then what was he doing at the museum? I shivered at the thought of sharing a surname with a criminal organization. Alexander must have been brought into this lifestyle, since he didn't have the Aetos name. My train of thought was interrupted when Manny walked back in with a toothy grin.