The Forced Mafia Princess

02 | Hidden Secrets

| MYA |

I watched Marcelo as he stared deep into my eyes. I’ve known him all of my life, but we’ve never been this close to each other like right now. Physically, I mean.

He had beautiful dark green eyes and I felt like his piercing gaze could see right through my soul.

“Principessa?” Marcelo whispered softly as I blinked a few times to get rid of the last few tears I had. He lifted his big hands to gently wipe the tears away. “Are you ready to know the truth?”

I held my breath but nodded slowly. He released me, grabbing my hand and leading me away from the bed we were just sitting on. I looked around the place and noticed that this was a hotel of some sort. Only a light at the end of the living room was on.

Marcelo pulled me towards a vintage-looking couch with end tables on either side. I looked at a few brochures on the table and gasped at what I saw. It read, “Welcome to Mandarin Oriental Ritz Madrid”.

“What are we doing in Spain?” I questioned him in panic.

He gently tugged on my hand to sit next to him. I pulled back, a bit hesitant at the moment. I was very far from home, but then I remembered that he had known me for basically my whole life and the thought alone comforted me. I trusted that he would never hurt me, or at least I hoped he wouldn’t.

“Please listen to me, Principessa,” he said with gentle eyes as I finally sat next to him.

I took a deep breath and braced myself for what I was going to hear. I had a terrible feeling that I was not going to like this conversation. But I needed the answer to my most dreaded question.

“What happened to Papa?” I asked him.

He shook his head and that was all the answer I needed. I gulped loudly as I nodded for him to continue.

My head was pounding from all the thoughts. I was alone in this dreadful world. I felt safe only when I was with my dad, even though we were rarely able to be together. Mamma. Well, I found her dead last year. It was the worst birthday of my life.

Papa had taken me to Japan for the weekend. Well, technically, at least. Marcelo and I took a private jet there and he met us at the hotel. I begged Mamma to go but she said she wanted me to enjoy my time with Papa.

When I returned home, I found her. She laid on the floor with a bullet to her head. I thank God that Marcelo was by my side because I needed someone at that moment.

I never understood why someone would kill a lawyer. What did she ever do to anyone? Yeah, she defended criminals, but she deserved to live. When Papa found out, he went crazy and had me move cities. His visits became less frequent than before. I would see my dad every other month. He said it was the workload, but something always seemed off.

Marcelo kept me sane though. He was the brother and best friend I never had.

I heard someone clear their throat and I jumped in surprise.

“Did you hear anything I said, Mya?” Marcelo questioned me with a frown as I shook my head and muttered an apology.

He chuckled and he rubbed my back gently. “I know you’ve been through a lot this past year but there is a lot that you must know about. Answers to questions that you probably never had. Please hear me out and be… well, open-minded.”

I looked at him and nodded for him to continue.

He blew out a deep breath as he scratched his head. “Where do I start?”

| MARCELO |

“I don’t want what I am going to tell you to change how you view your father,” I told her, squeezing her hand gently. “He loved you with his life until his last breath.”

“I know,” she said as her beautiful blue eyes filled with tears again.

I hated to see her cry. She was the strongest girl I knew. At only twenty-one years old, she had been through so much. Even after she had gone through so much, the only two times that I had seen her cry were both of her parents’ deaths.

This was it though. I pulled her into another hug and kissed the top of her head. “Your dad was in the mafia business. He was Italy’s most hated and envied capo,” I whispered against her head.

I knew she was listening as I felt the tears land on my arms. It broke my heart to see her like this, but it was long overdue. She had been lied to her whole life and with her father dead, she was their next target. We needed to stop them before they got to her.

“He took over when your grandfather was killed. Your father wasn’t like your grandfather, but he still gained your grandfather’s enemies. Capo tried so hard not to fall in love, but when one of his businesses got into a sticky situation, he called her. Your mother, Liliana. When they met, it was love at first sight. He tried to stay away from her, but their love was different. She accepted him and in three months she was pregnant with you,” I said as I smiled down at her. She was their reason for breathing, as well as mine.

“They were able to stay under the radar for some time by moving between countries, but his enemies caught on to what he was doing. They managed to sneak someone inside the estate by having him pose as a hitman for Capo. For the first time ever, pictures of your mom and you circulated with a price for your assassination.” I stopped when she gasped and shook in fear, making me hold her tighter. “I can stop, if you...” I was saying when she interrupted me.

“No! I want to know everything. Please,” she begged me as she looked back at me with her breathtaking eyes.

I wish she were mine to kiss and love. I guess I would have to continue loving her in silence. I nodded as I continued telling her the story of her life.

Her real life.